the election of Grace willing to receive him and then he will bestow Christ Iesus upon them and grace and salvation by him and for this purpose I have chosen this text and as our course is I will not meddle with every Doctrine in the text which are sixe in number but chuse that onely which fits best for our purpose But before I can come to lay downe the point of Doctrine two passages must be opened first what is meant by heart secondly what is meant by a stony heart and what by a fleshy heart and these two being opened the Doctrine will be plaine and lie faire first for the first a heart in Scripture besides that which it signifieth naturally is applied to the will of a man or to that ability which is in a reasonable soule whereby he willeth or rejecteth a thing this is put for a heart in Scripture together with love delight joy hatred and griefe which are attendants upon this will as a man will have such a thing why because beloves it and delightes in it and hee againe refuseth such a thing and will not have it why because hee hates it and because it is displeasing unto him and this is the meaning of that place Mat. Mat. 15.19 15.19 Out of the heart proceede evill thoughts murthers adulteries fornications thefts false witnesse blasphemie Secondly the Will is put in phrase of Scripture not onely for ability of the soule whereby it wills but for the same spirituall disposition that is in the will affections of a man in this kind the temper and frameablenesse of the Will to any action is termed by the name of heart in Scripture for there is somewhat in the Will whereby it is carried to any worke looke as it is with a Bowle it runneth because it is a round thing but that it runneth at such and such a marke is because it hath a Bias upon it whereby it is swayed and carried to that marke so it is with the heart of a man there is not onely an abilitie therein whereby a man is inabled to will but there is a frame and a disposition in the Will either to good or evill either to grace or sinne and as the will of a man is biassed and swayed so a man is said to will good or evill not in regard of the naturall faculty of the Will but in regard of the disposition of that facultie which doth carrie the faculty to the performance of any worke now a righteous man out of the disposition of his heart is carried to yeeld obedience unto Gods commandements and a wicked man out of the frame and temper of his heart is carried after lusts and distempers and sinnefull abominations and this is the meaning of that place Deut. 29.4 Deut. 29.4 The Lord hath not given you a heart to perceive to this day why they had a heart for they were naturall men they had the naturall faculty of the Will and the understanding and affections but the meaning is they had not the gracious disposition in their wils whereby they might be carried and inabled to will that which was pleasing to God and might be comfortable unto themselves it is a pretie phrase Match 12.35 Mat. 12.35 A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth good things and an evill man out of the evill treasure of his heart bringeth footh evill things there is a heart in both and there is a treasure in both also but there is a good treasure in the heart of a godly man and out of this comes good things so out of the treasure of a wicked mans heart comes evill things there is a treasure of love and holinesse and goodnesse in the heart of a gracious man whereby hee is carried to walke holily and unblameably before God and man good words and good actions come from the good treasure that is from a good disposition of the soule againe a wicked man hath a heart and he hath a treasure also he hath a treasure of pride and a treasure of covetousnesse and a treasure of all manner of corruptions and these carry him to wicked speeches and leud actions hee talkes loosely lives basely so that there is a disposition good or bad in the soule of a man and this is termed a will or a heart in Scripture now in both these senses wee understand not a heart here in the Text but in the latter onely God will give them a heart that is God will give them wills and hearts disposed to that which is good The second passage to be opened is this namely what is meant by a stony what by a fleshie heart First what is meant by a stony heart a heart is said to be stonie by way of resemblance because it is of the nature of a stone looke what the nature of a stone is such is the nature of a heart compared thereunto a stony heart that is an unsensible and an uncapable heart a stone that is insensible it receiveth no impression set a seale upon a stone and presse it downe never so hard you may break the stone in peeces but it will receive no impression it wil take no print but now set a seale upon waxe and that will receive any impression that a man stampes upon it so it is with a stony stout sturdy heart though God knocke it in peeces it will not be humbled it will receive no impression but resists and beates backe the meanes of grace and salvation offered and revealed unto it if the Lord set a stampe of humilâ—ation upon it that will not be humbled it will receive no stampe but makes it flie backe and bound upward so that a stony heart is a hard sturdie heart capeable of no impression Secondly what is meant by a heart of flesh and that is quite contrary to a stony heart it is like unto flesh soft tender easie and pliable willing to take any impression that comes upon it so that now a fleshie heart is nothing else but a heart lovingly teachable and humbly tractable to the Lord willing to entertaine any impression that it shall please the Lord to stampe upon it if God commands any thing that obeyeth it God threatens that trembles it is said of Iâ—siah that he had a melting heart looke as it is with waxe if you set a seale upon it just as the print of the seale is so is the print in the waxe which it leaves behinde it so it is with a fleshie lowly pâ—â—able heart it receives any stampe that God puts upon it when the Lord faith feare that trembles when the Lord saith love that entertaines it when the Lord commands any thing that yee les obedience to his coÌ„mands this is an humble and a pliable spirit and this is the substance of the Text and the intendment of the Prophet therein is thus much In the beginning of the Chapter about the seventh Verse the Lord threatned
natural faculty of this will which God hath wrought in us it implyeth any act issuing from this faculty upon any object by object is meant any thing that is presented to the soule and this discovers it selfe generally thus when the face of the soule turnes it selfe to a thing and openeth it selfe to receive a thing to close with and to catch up a thing as it is with the hand of the body so it is with the will which is the hand of the soule every man hath hands but if these hands of his be bound together he is not able to lay hold on any thing but as a man hath a hand that he may lay hold of a thing so he must have his hands at liberty and he must open them that so he may take hold of it or else he cannot lay hold upon it so it is with the hand of the soule this will is the hand of the soule a man must therefore turne his will towards a thing and open it selfe the hand of the soule must be open before it can close with and fasten upon a thing and this is meant here when the heart which is turned towards grace and when the soule opens the hand thereof to catch at grace and lay hold thereupon then it wils to receive grace when as wee are unwilling to receive a thing wee then turne away our hearts from the thing as children use to speake if you presse any thing upon them which they doe not like but is displeasing unto them they say they will not have it they will not the soule shuts it selfe against that thing it turnes away from that thing and caâ—teth out that thing which is displeasing unto it so it is with that will of the soule when the soule is unwilling to receive any thing it shuts it selfe against that thing and will by no meanes receive it Exodus the 7. Chapter 13 14. verses Exo. 7.13 14. There the Text saith The Lord hardened Pharaohs heart that he harkened not unto them as the Lord had said and the Lord said unto Moses Pharaohs heart is hardned he refuseth to let the people goe he hardned his heart that is he shut his soule against the commandment of the Lord and against the advice of Moseâ— and he would not let the people goe hee would not take hold of the Command of God to performe it hee clasped his heart together as it were that his heart might not fasten upon Gods Commandment so that by will here is meant not onely the bare power and faculty of the naturall will but also the act of this power when the soule is towards grace when the hand of the soule is turned towards God when it opens it selfe to entertaine grace this is meant by will in phrase of Scripture The second thing considerable is how this act of the Will how this opening of the soule doth discover it selfe how a man shall come to know when he wills grace I answere that this same turning of the Soule to grace discovers it selfe in three particular passages the first is this A man is then sayd to will a thing when he apprehends the price of a thing and hath a high esteeme of a thing according to the price of the thing and the excellency which is in the thing for it is a rule in naturall Philosophy and reason telleth us thus much that no man wills a thing unlesse he apprehends the thing which he willeth to be good either good indeed or else seemingly good for no man willeth his own hurt for if he did nature would destroy it selfe every thing therefore desires the preservation of it selfe and therefore whatsoever is suggested as evill unto the soule of man it will not close with that evill but turneth from this evill if it apprehend it as an evill hence it is that a proud heart loveth proud courses a covetous heart covetous courses a malicious heart malicious courses and practises namely because the soule apprehends these as good though in themselves they be evill yet the soule takes them to be best for it now as the soule must apprehend some good in a thing before it can will and desire it so it must apprehend the excellency of it before it can will it truely this is that which carryeth the will of a man unto a thing the will will never otherwise entertaine a thing The 2d. thing wherein the act of the will is seene and wherein it makes knowne it self is this when the soule seeth the good which is in a thing and apprehends the excellency thereof so the second thing wherein this act of the will is discovered is this the soule chooseth that good which before it hath seene and the excellency of the thing which it hath apprehended answerable to the nature of the good and the excellency thereof the soule it chooseth that good which before it hath esteemed it takes it to it selfe as who should say I wil have this thing not another mark when the soule chooseth any good it maketh such choyse of it as may be answerable to the nature of the good which it esteemeth as things of greater worth a man chooseth with greater affectioÌ„ things of lesser worth with lesser affection he will choose the best things in the first place and those of lesse value in the second as suppose a man choose a woman to be his wife if he doth not choose her for her grace for her goodnes so much as for beauty or wealth he doth not now choose the woman upon the point but her beauty and wealth because he chooseth them in the first place and with greater affection so that a man is then sayd to will a thing when he doth not onely see and apprehend a thing to be good and excellent but also makes choyse of that thing according to the goodnesse and excellency thereof Thirdly he that truely willeth a thing doth not onely apprehend the goodnesse and the price of the thing which he willeth and chooseth it according to the price and excellency thereof but in the third place the heart giveth up it selfe unto that thing which it hath chosen A man chooseth a wife a right he will have the woman whom hee hath chosen take that possession of his heart as becommeth a wife in that case otherwise if a man say be choose such a man to be king over him and will not give up his obedience unto him nor suffer him to exercise authority over him this man doth not choose him as a king but rather as a servant so that to gather up all a man is then sayd to will a thing when he apprehends the goodnesse and excellency of the thing when hee chooseth that thing answerable to the goodnesse and excellency of it Thirdly when the heart giveth up it selfe to that thing now to applyth particulars when is am an sayd to Will Christ and grace and Salvation by him a man must will grace before
almost impossible he is not yet come to that ripenesse of judgement but when he comes to the ripenesse of his yeares from 20. years untill he come to be 40. or thereabouts then the workes of reason put forth themselves then his apprehension is quick to conceive a thing and his memory is strong and pregnant to retaine a thing apprehended and his heart is somewhat plyable and his heart is somewhat frameable to receive that impression that is put upon him now because in a mans middle yeares abilitie of nature comes on and reason comes on insomuch that a man is able to conceive and partake of the things of grace and fadom them and the power of his understanding comes on whereby he is able to embrace them therefore then is the fittest time that God should bestow his graces upon a man looke as it is with waxe if a man melt it it will be too soft to hold any impression and when it is too hard it will receive no seale neither but when it is neither too soft nor too hand but in a middle temper betweene them both then it is fit and ready to receive any impression whatsoever a man stampes upon it it must neither be too extremely hot nor too hard but mediatly disposed and then it will receive a seale so it is with the nature of a man in his tender yeares hee can hold nothing he hath such a weake understanding tell a child of the wonders of salvation and it is impossible unlesse God workes wonderfully that hee should receive them a mans nature in his infancie is like wax that is too soft and the nature of an old man that also is like wax too hard but now a middle aged man is neither so weake as the one nor so hard as the other but it is most fit for God to put a stamp upon for his heart is then most plyable to receive the things of grace and his affections are then most frameable to the minde of the Lord. Secondly as this is the fittest time for God to worke upon a man in regard of the constitution of his body so also in regard of corruption because a young man that is come to the strength of his yeares his minde will be sooner informed and his judgement sooner convinced in regard of those corruptions that are in him because hee hath not continued long in any base course therefore hee is most easy to bee wrought upon but when a man is growne old in wickednesse when his soule as his body begins to buckle under the sinnes of his younger yeares when the heart is hardned and the conscience seared in wickednesse then it is desperately hard it is a mervelous miracle for the meanes of salvation to take place in such a man wee see it is marvelous hard to drive a naile into an old knotty snarly post especially when it is weatherbeaten and seasoned and clung together It is no wonder that we spend our hearts and can doe no good for those that have beene old weatherbeaten sinners knotty snarly stubborne rebellious hearts a man were as good speak to the seats where they sit and to the walls as to the hearts of them it is marvelous hard to bring any thing home to the affections of such men they will not away from their old corruptions their hearts are rivited to their old lusts and corruptions and therefore they will not entertaine that which may doe good unto them if a man will transplant a tree he doth not take an old withered rotten tree that is not fit to bee transplanted but hee takes a young tender twigge and transplants it so it is here those old trees old sinners that are withering dying and decaying such are of the Leapers spots and Blackamoores hue they that are setled in their corruptions and resolve to take up their old courses now they are too old to learne thus long they have lived and if they be now stubborne they will be so ever if they be now peevish and malicious they will be so ever if they be now covetous they will be so ever they will not entertaine they will not partake of those things which God hath appointed for their good The third and last argument is in regard of grace it selfe it is very convenient and reasonable that God should bestow grace upon those that are in their middle age rather than upon those that are in their tender yeares or in their old age if we consider the end of the giving of grace for what is the end of grace and why doth God give a man grace and frame his heart so that he may be fitted to partake of happinesse but that the Lord hereby might receive the praise and glory of the riches of his grace That they which have it may expresse the power of God that hath called them out of darkenesse into marvellous light the Lord is pleased to shew this favour towards them that they might shew forth what God hath done to their poore soules as the Prophet David doth now this middle age of a man is the fittest time wherein grace may receive most glory and God most honour in regard of the giving of it for grace when it commeth to nature doth not destroy it but perfect it it doth not take away the naturall parts as learning knowledge and courage and the like but rectifieth them and turneth them the right way as for example he that had a strong memory or a sharpe wit or a great courage and a violent affection God preserveth and keepeth those still but when grace comes God turneth them the right way and maketh him a fit instrument to set forth his glory that before was a great enemy to the same and therefore it is said that Paul was a chosen vessell for the Lord and why because Saul was a man of great learning fiery zeale fervent love and undanted courage and therefore when he persecuted the Church it is said that hee breathed forth persecutions he got him a good Steed got letters from Damascus haled all poore Christians to prison where he came but when grace came the Lord did still retaine the naturall power of zeale love courage and learning the Lord did retaine all these that tongue that before spake against God is now fitted to confute the adversary hee convinced them mightily saith the text that courage whereby he before was carried against Gods Saints is now fitted to suffer persecution imprisonment and disgrace for his names sake and therefore in all reason it was fittest that the Lord should take Paul in the middle of those yeares that he might employ him to the furtherance of his praise that had before beene a great hinderance to his Gospell It is said by the Apostle Paul that the members of a godly mans body and the faculties of his soule are weapons of righteousnesse a gracious tongue will speake those things which may be for Gods praise and the
in the text for Christ having taught a spirituall and an heavenly Sermon the Pharisees murmured and said Is not this Iesus the sonne of Ioseph whose father and mother we know how is it then that he saith he came down from heaven Iesus when he perceived their murmuring said unto them Why murmur you among your selves and that he might prevent the offence that the feeble ones might take at the example of the Pharisees he saith unto them No man can come unto me except my father draweth him as though he had said be not you troubled and perplexed because these great scollers do not beleeve my doctrine and embrace it it is not in them willing but in mee drawing do not you think ill of my doctrine of salvation because your wise men and your brave men will not beleeve it for I tell you though these have had arguments propounded to perswade them to this yet they cannot embrace my doctrine and beleeve unlesse my father draweth them they have had their hearts convinced and their mouths stopped but yet all this will not do unlesse my father draweth them Secondly this kind of caution except my father draweth him no man come unto mee is implyed that if my father doth draw him he will come and the Papists themselves confesse this that a man may have this morall drawing arguments perswading and reasons alluring to come unto God and receive mercy from him and yet he may not come but they that have this drawing meant in the text they will undoubtedly come no man comes unto mee except the father which hath sent mee draweth him and therefore whosoever the father doth draw he shall come and certainly will come and therefore this drawing that is meant here is not a morall drawing by outward perswasions thus much for the clearing of this poynt namely that a morall and externall drawing is not to be understood in the text This will not serve the turne there is more in it than so we must therefore search further into the nature of this word drawing and God is said to draw a poore sinner unto himselfe in the second place when he is not only pleased to enlighten a mans mind and offer arguments to his understanding and lay truths and propound promises unto him for this will not doe it this is only an outward drawing but when the Lord is pleased to put a new power into the soule of a sinner and with all to carry the will to the object propounded that it may embrace it when God is pleased not onely to offer good things to the soule but to enable the soule to lay hold upon the things offered not only to offer Christ and salvation but to work effectually upon the heart and make it able to give entertainment to Christ then the Lord is said to draw a sinner unto himselfe from sinne and corruption and this is tearmed an internall kind of drawing and this is meant here in the text it is not only the propounding of arguments to move and pluck the soule but the Lord doth by his effectuall power draw the soule from sinne and bring it unto himselfe And therefore observe two things touching this internall drawing namely that there is a seperation first wrought betweene sinne and the soule the union that is betweene finne and the soule is broken Secondly that when the soule is once severed and broken off from sinne then it comes to a right set to a right frame and disposition towards God and then it goeth no further but here it stoppeth and this is that which I call plucking and drawing of a poore sinner from his corruptions to God in both which actions the will of the creature is wrought upon plucked from sinne and set towards God and of it selfe it doth not move at all I expresse it thus look as it is with the wheele of a clock or the wheele of a Iack that is turned aside and by some contrary poyse set the wrong way He now that will set this wheele right must take away the contrary poyse and then put the wheele the right way and and yet the wheele doth not goe all this while of it selfe but first there is a stopping of the wheele and a taking away of the poyse and secondly the wheele must be turned the right way and all this while the wheele is only a sufferer so it is with the soule of a man the heart of a man and the will of a man and the affections of a man they are the wheeles of the soules of men the Lord Iesus made them at the first to runne to heaven-ward and to God-ward but when Adam sinned then the poyse of corruptions prevailed so farre forth over them that they drew the heart the mind the will of man from God and made it runne the wrong way to the divell-ward and to hell-ward now when the Lord commeth to set these wheeles aright he must take away the poyse and plummet that made them runne the wrong way that is the Lord by his almighty power must over-power those sinnes and corruptions which harbour in the soule and have dominion over the soule as for example if a man have a covetous heart insomuch that the world will not suffer him to heare and pray and performe any good duty then God must pull away that plummet he must pluck the soule from that sinne and then he must draw it to himselfe that is he must draw it to Godward and to Zion-ward and make it to be at his command that Gods spirit as a new plummet may carry it and order it and now it doth nothing all this while God must first take away the contrary plummet that drew the soule aside and then the frame of the soule will be to God-ward it will be in a right frame and order it will runne the right way and all this while the will is only a sufferer and this I take to be the meaning of the text That God by a holy kind of violence rendeth the soule of a poore sinner and withall by his almighty power stops the force of a mans corruptions and makes the soule teachable and framable to the will of God it makes it to lie levell and to be at Gods command and this is done by a holy kind of violence and so much for these poynts of speculation without which I could not well open the poynt But now we see the bottome of the poynt namely that God doth by a holy kind of violence pluck and draw men from their corruptions unto himselfe The next thing to be considered is the meanes whereby God thus haleth the soule and draweth the heart of a poore sinner unto himselfe and the meanes are foure 1 1. The first work of the Lord is this he lets in a light into the foule of a poore sinner and discovereth unto him that he is in a wrong way and tells him there is another way that he must walk in if
more could David I have nothing that can purchase favour and mercy at Gods hands no more had Saul and yet God was mercifull to them why hee is as mercifull now as he was then his goodnesse is not diminished nor his mercy abated Lord thou that shewedst mercy to these shew mercy to mee also thou that didst blesse these Lord blesse mee even me also Lord thou bestowest thy mercy freely I beseech thee therefore bestow one drop upon my poore soule Aye but some may cavill now and say Gods mercy is free and therefore hee may as well deny it mee as bestow it upon mee I answer this is true hee may deny it thee as well as give it thee and he may also as well give it thee as deny it thee it is as possible that thou mayest receive mercy and therefore try all meanes possible to obtaine it In the 3. of Ionah the 9. vers there the people of Niniveh say Who can tell if God will turne and repent The Lord there had sent the Prophet Ionah to prophecy against Niniveh That within forty dayes it should be destroyed When the people heard this there was a fast proclaimed and every man was commanded to put on sackcloth and cry mightily to the Lord for who can tell if God will turne and repent and turne away from his feirce anger that we perish not as if they should say We have deserved that this judgement should come upon us and our sinnes have procured it but yet who can tell whither God will turne away from his feirce anger for the Lord is mercifull and freely mercifull and thus doe thou and say I confesse God may confound me for my sinnes but who can tell whither God will have mercy upon me I confesse that God may harden me but who can tell whither he will humble mee I will therefore waite upon him in his ordinances and try if hee will bee mercifull to my poore soule The third use is an use of Exhortation to all poore creatures that are burthened with the burthen of their sinnes and are under the power of them as to bee incouraged to seeke for mercy and to have some hope to obtaine it so also with patience to waite and stay the time of the Lord this should exhort them to come continually into the Congregation of Gods Saints and waite patiently when and what God will bestow upon them according to his good will and pleasure The mercy and grace which God bestoweth upon any is a free gift and therefore if you come into the Assemblies of Gods people to heare Gods word if thou waite upon God in his ordinances one day and have not grace granted unto you nor mercy vouchsafed towards you if you come the next day and yet have it not you must still waite and expect because it is a free gift and therefore as God may give it to whom he will so also when he will and therefore murmure not nor say what shall I come so often and waite so long and pray so much and yet nothing why aye it is a free gift in the 3 of Lament 25.26 the text saith The Lord is good unto them that waite for him it is good that a man should both quietly hope and waite for the salvation of the Lord as it is with the sea when it ebbes the water goeth backe when it flowes and is at the maine it commeth againe now a man that is to take a journey by sea if the comming of the tide be not for his turne and is gone backe hee must waite untill it commeth againe so it is with God in this kinde there is a flow of grace and mercy with him now sometimes God withdraweth his grace from his poore creatures but yet let them cry still and pray still and resolve so to doe still doe not say If God will not succour me and bestow mercy and grace upon me now seeing I have waited so long I will pray no more I will expect no longer will you not so why alas who shal have the worst you will be sure to have the worst of it you that will be so sturdy that because God heares not and helpes not when you will and when you call therefore you will pray no more nor expect no longer you that say you have waited thus long and have not had grace nor mercy vouchsafed unto you and therefore to what end to what purpose should we waite any longer or attend any more why if it be thus with you you may depart if you please who thinke you shall have the worst of itâ— beggers must not be choosers this is not begging of mercy but commanding of mercy at Gods hands this is not to desire that God would give you mercy but that he would follow you with mercy Some man may say What shall I use the meanes so long pray so often and heare Sermons so often and still waite aye and blesse God that thou mayst waite blesse God that thou hast not beene long since confounded that God hath not long before this time sent thee packing to hell but that thou hast still opportunities that thou still hast peace and the meanes of Salvation afforded thee shalt thou waite aye and blesse God that thou mayst waite before thou goest hence and hee no more seene Psal 69.3 Psal 69.3 there saith the Prophet David I am weary of my crying my throat is dryed mine eyes faile while I waite for my God as if he had sayd I have looked this day and heard thy Word this day I have looked up to heaven in prayer and have not â—ound thee I wept this day and mourned this day I have used all meanes my eyes even faile with waiting for my God did David waite thus that was a King and why mayst not thou waite why mayst not thou stay looking for the salvation of the Lord shut downe those proud hearts and lofty spirits of yours which think themselves too good to waite the Lords leisure and reason with your own soules say why is not my heart humbled why are not my corruptions subdued and abated as well as others checke and subdue all those bublings of Spirit in the beginning see what Paul did when his heart began to grapple with God why who art thou O man saith he that thou liftest up thy selfe against God as if hee had sayd Art not thou a damned creature sinfull dust and ashes why who art thou O man that thou shouldest doe thus so when thy heart beginnes to rise against God suppresse those distempers and say who art thou damned sinnefull soule that darst thus stand against God what if I had gone to hell long before this why I had had my portion if I had beene confounded long since and sent roaring to hell my sinnes had merited it and therefore well may I waite for mercy and thanke God that I may waite downe with those proud imaginations and lofty thoughts that arise
he can have grace but how shall a man come to know when he wills grace I answere first when the soule of a poore Christian seeth an excellency in Christ when he holdeth the Lord Iesus at a high rate when he hath him in an high estimation answerable to the worth of him when a poore soule can put a price upon the Lord Iesus answerable to the sufficiency that is in him and agreeable to the grace and goodnesse that is in him then the soule doth partly Will the Lord Iesus and grace and Salvation by him when the soule is able to see a greater good in the Lord Iesus and have a greater esteeme of the grace which is in him when it can set a higher rate upon the goodnesse which proceedes from him than upon any thing else in the world whatsoever when he hath the Lord Iesus in higher estimation than riches or honour or preferment than of riches that may advance him or of honour that may promote him when hee esteemes Christ above any thing that the world can afford or the heart desire then he partly willeth Christ and grace the soule will never will a thing truely but when he seeth some good in the thing and hath an high estimation of it according to the goodnesse thereof Col. 3.11 Col. 3.11 there saith the text Christ is all in all when a soule can say that Christ is all in all that it desires nothing else then this is the value of him many will be content to have Christ but they doe not court him worth a great price but they that will truely will Christ must know and apprehend the excellency that is in Christ and esteeme him answerably thereunto as you may see in the third chap. of the Lament and 24. verse there saith the text The Lord is my portion therefore will I hope in him now a mans portion is his chiefest good and David also saith thy Commandements have I chosen as mine inheritance that is as the chiefest good that could befall me or be received of me So when the soule can truely apprehend that Christ is the better part when the soule can say it is not necessary to bee rich it is not necessary to be learned it is not necessary to be honourable nor to have pleasure or delight but it is necessary to have Christ it is necessary to have grace it is necessary to have sinnes pardoned when wee can say Christ is our portion and our inheritance when we can see the excellency that is in him and can set a price upon him answerable thereunto then we are sayd to will Christ in the first place The second thing whereby a man may know whether he wills Christ or no is this when the soule seeth as the Church in the Canticles that all pleasantnesse is in Christ when it seeth that he is better than friends better than riches better than health and liberty when the soule as it setteth an high price upon Christ So in the second place can choose Christ answerable to that price it sets upon him when it can choose him above all things let the world goe that takes Christ to it selfe let friends goe that takes Christ to it selfe that chooseth Christ above all things when the soule can doe this then it may be sayd to will the Lord Iesus the Phrases of Scripture are very sweete in this kind in the 37 Psalme the Prophet David there is troubled with the things here below and his soule almost staggered when he saw the wicked prosper in the world and increase in riches In vaine saith he have I washed my hands in innocency for the wicked they have what they can desire their eyes start out with fatnesse and they have more than heart can wish but all the day long I have beene plagued and chastened every morning but when hee went into the Sanctuary and knew their end how God did set them in slippery places and did cast them downe into destruction when he saw that his portion was better than theirs then hee cryes out Whom have I in heaven but thee and who is there in earth that I desire in comparison of thee as who should say take your gold give mee Christ take your pelâ—e give mee grace Whom have I in heaven but thee then the heart chooseth God when it thinketh better of God than of all other things whatsoever Who have I in heaven but thee and who is there in earth as I desire in comparison of thee and therefore in the last verse of that Psalme hee saith It is good for me to draw nigh to God as who should say let the covetous man have his money and pelfe and let the ambitious man have his honours and proferments but it is good for my soule to draw name to the Lord Heb. 11.24 and therefore it is sayd Heb. 11.24 that Moses when he was come to yeares he refusâ—d to be called the Sonne of Pharoahs daughter chousing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than 〈◊〉 enjoy the pleasures of sinne for a season as who should say Let me suffer persecution let me have neither coate to my backe nor meate to my belly let me dye in prison let me undergoe any crosse or calamity give me but Christ and I care not whatsoever becomes of me this is to will Christ Iesus when a man cares not what becomes of all other things whatsoever so he may but enjoy Christ he wils a good truely that wils a good in order as if it be the chiefest good if I will will it truely I must will it and desire it in the first place so when I can hold Christ at a high value above all things and my soule can choose him above all things then I am sayd to will Christ in the 10. of Luke and last verse there faith our Saviour Martha is troubled about many things but Mary hath chosen the better part she chose this and let all other things alone he that chooseth a wise he is not said to choose her unlesse he choose her to be in that place which best befits her he that saith hee chooseth a wife and keepesa whore he maketh not her his wife truely so it is with the soule though it see an excellency in Christ yet if it choose not Christ in ranke and order as the chiefest good and in the first place it doth not truely will Christ Iesus and this is the second thing wherein the willing of Christ is discovered namely when the soule chooseth Christ in the first place answerable to the excellency that is in him Thirdly when the soule hath prized Christ above all and chosen him above all so in the third place if the soule truely will Christ Iesus it will be carryed towards Christ to close with him never to sever from him againe for he is said to wil a thing that closeth with it and will never part from it as for example he that
otherwise you never shall you never can receive grace and yet notwithstanding what is that which carryeth away men in the world they are naught and wicked reprove them for it they heale all and make up all presently they beleeve in Christ and they repent them of their sinnes and shall not they bee saved They say indeede that they doe beleeve and they doe repent but the text saith they doe not so and the Lord in his word saith it is not talke it is not wishes but it is the willing of Christ and grace that will obtaine grace In the 15 of Mathew Mat. 15.8 9. and the 8 and 9 verses there saith the text In vaine doe these men worshippe mee for they draw nigh unto mee with their mouth and honour mee with their lippes but their heart is farre from me they draw neere Christ with their lippes that is they speake as good words as can bee they say they are sinners and that the Lord came to save sinners and they are humbled for their sinnes and attend their Church diligently and hurt no body But their hearts are from me saith the text why because that hearts are still upon their sinnes they are as proud as ever as ignorant as ever as vaine as ever their hearts still runne after sinfull courses and wicked practises and therefore away with this talke and such vaine pretences as men make in this case unlesse your hearts goe together with your words all is worth nothing what a fond imagination is this that a man should thinke his words should doe him good when his heart goeth against them when their mouthes professe Christ and their hearts oppose Christ Thou sayest thou prizest Christ above all things and yet thou wilt not lose a base sinne for Christ thou wilt not forsake any wicked lust or corruption for Christ you will say you prize Christ above all and yet many of your prophane drunkards will not lose a cup for Christ nay you will not lose any base custome for Christ you were prophane and you will be so still you were proud and you will bee so still thy heart and thy words doe not goe together and therefore never thinke that thy words will save thee Thou sayest thou beleevest but thy heart saith the contrary thou professest thou hast grace but thy heart denieth it and therefore it is a very sottish conceit to thinke thy words will doe thee any good when thy 〈◊〉 denieth what thy tongue professeth goe home therefore and examine your owne hearts and thinke thus with your selves I have talked much and I have said that I had faith and grace but oh wretch that I am my heart saith the contrary What a wretch am I doe I thinke that God will have mercy on mee because I say and professe that I am a sinner and because I say that I pray unto God for the forgivenesse of my sinnes no no those very words will condemne me because my heart goes not with my words it had beene farre better for these men that they never had spoke these things for these very words will rise up in judgement against them nay these words will keep them from the true willing of grace for they thinke they have it already because they say they have it this is a very dangerous conceit and therefore know that words will not carry all away to say we repent and beleeve and have grace these doe us no good at all wee must will grace before wee shall have grace but this is not a willing but onely a talking of grace The second use is a word of terror to shake the hearts of all wretched sinfull creatures under heaven those whom wee may condemne out of their owne mouthes they professe they will not have grace and therefore wee may conclude they never shall have grace their owne words will witnesse against them for when the Ministers list up their voyces like a Trumpet and cry night and day and cal upon them this is the good and ancient way walke in this way in the way of faith and repentance what answer doe men give they openly professe they will not doe this they will not walke in this way The Lord tendereth grace happinesse and salvation unto us and yet many do professe they will not come they will not attend upon God in his ordinances they will not embrace nor they will not entertaine Christ and grace and salvation they will not come to the meanes of grace and therefore they shall never have grace they never shall bee made partakers of it A man must will grace before he can have grace but you will it not you desire it not and therefore as sure as the Lord liveth you cannot have it Another generation there is that come to the house of God and sit as Gods people do and heare as Gods people doe but their hearts runneth after their covetousnesse when in your soules you can say our bodies are here indeed but our hearts are after our lusts and corruptions after our profits and pleasures if it be thus with you then still you resolve that your hearts shall not will the grace of God and therefore it is cleare and evident that you have not yet received grace Men resolve to doe as they did in the 18 of the Prophecy of Ieremie verse Ier. 18.12 12. They said there is no hope but wee will walke every one after our owne devices and doe the imaginations of our evill heart When the Lord called upon them to walke in the good way oh they would none of that but they would walke after the imaginations of their hearts And did these spirits thinke yee dye in those times are not some such now among us in these times wherein men say wee will not reforme our families nor wee will not pray with them wee will not keepe the Sabbaths nor wee will not leave our swearing and our swaggering our pride and our covetousnesse no all the Ministers under heaven shall not perswade us wee will take up our owne lewd and wicked courses we will bee prophane still and wee will sweare still wee will not amend our lives nor reforme our families in what a miserable accursed damnable estate are those men they will not leave and forsake their lewd practises and therefore they cannot will grace and if they cannot will it then we may certainely conclude they shall never obtaine it But you will say you would leave your wicked courses and reforme your families if you could doe it but you cannot I answer is it nor in your power to plucke your children and your servants into the Lords house on the Sabbath day is it not in your power to use the meanes whereby you may reforme your lives you can doe it but you will not doe it you will take up your owne wayes and your owne practises and therefore the case is plaine you will not take Christ and therefore you shall never have him
and Salvation by him there is also a cursed kinde of Hypocrites which professe saire and much they say they will doe for the Lord Iesus Ier. 24.20 but they are like unto those in the 42. of Ieremy the 20. verse marke what the text saith there Yee dissembled in your hearts wheâ— you sent me to the Lord our God saying Pray for us unto the Lord our God and according unto all that the Lord our God shall say so declare unto us and wee will doe it So there are many that make a faire outside and will take up holy duties and they will be professing and talking of God but there must be more than this there must be a willing of grace besides a professing of grace you pretend faire and promise this and purpose that but when it commeth to you you fly off and you will have your owne liberty your heart is double you say you will reforme your wayes and yet you will be idle still and loose still and therefore you never yet willed Christ you never yet prized him aright you never truely chose him and therefore as sure as the Lord liveth Christ is not yours if the condition bee not performed by you you shall never bee made partakers of that which is promised upon the performance of that condition if you will Christ and grace then indeed you have Christ and grace but you never willed Christ and therefore it is evident you never had Christ Deut. 29.4 In the 29. of Deut. 4. vers there saith the text The Lord hath shewed you great wâ—nders and discovered many mercies unto you and you the Lord hath not given you a heart to perceive and eyes to see and eares to heâ—re unto this very day and therefore go home and mourne for yourselves and reason with your soules and say what after all ouâ— profession bearing praying talking after all the cost and care that God hath bestowed upon us have we not yet a heart to will grace and desire the Lord Iesus many mercies have beene vouchsafed unto us many judgements removed from us there is no nation that God hath dealt so mercifully with as with us we have peace yet and the Gospell yet and prosperity yet and yet for all this to this very day God hath not given us a heart to receive grace and the things belonging to our everlasting peace and therefore wives mourne for your husbands in secret and say oh my husband what hath not God yet given thee a heart to feare him and fathers mourne for your children that are not yet in the state of grace and say oh my sonne not yet a heart that God hath given thee to sanctifie a Sabboth and to leave off thy wickâ—d courses and friends mourne you also one for another and say oh my friend what not yet a heart to humble thy selfe and to feare the name of God thus mourne in secret and say God hath done this and this for thee and hast thou not yet a heart not yet a will to entertaine Christ the world carries al pleasure carries all profit beares all away malice carries away all The promises and Commandements of God are despised and hast thou not yell a heart to beleeve the promises and prize the Lawes of â—od above liberty and peace profit and pleasure there is nothing wanting on Gods part hee gives peace still and the Gospell still and yet not a heart all this while to feare God and keepe his Commandements thou hast a good house and good land and many mercies are vouchsafed unto thee and not yet a good heart what a misery is this not yet a will to embrace Christ and receive grace why what a lamentable condition is this and therefore in the last place it is a word of Exhortation to every soule here present to labour now to begin at the right end and take a right course and follow the path that God hath chalked out unto us in a word we see it is come to this passe that all is grown to an outside every man must be a Christian go to heaven and all the argument is this because a man can talke well of religion but this is not the right way the willing of grace must goe before the receiving of grace and therefore go home and examine your selves whether grace bee truely wrought and fashioned in you or no and reason thus with your owne hearts and say it is not enough to bring my mouth and profession to the Word of the Lord but heart what sayst thou in the meane time I can talke of religion and many good matters but will what sayst thou in the meane time dost thou prize Christ above all things dost thou choose Christ and grace above all other things in the world whatsoever heart what sayst thou dost thou open thy selfe and close with him and dost thou purpose never to forsake him Deut. 32.42 in the 32 of Deut. 42. there saith Moses to the people Set your hearts to all the words which I testifie among you this day for it is not a vaine thing for you because it is your life and through this thing you shall prolong your dayes so say I set your hearts to the word labour to set your soules to the word of God for it is not a vaine word it is your life and length of your daies it is not talking of Christ but it is the willing of Christ from the heart that will obtaine Christ and Salvation by him We have spoken already of the reasonablenesse of the condition whosoever will may receive grace and that freely and now we come to the universality of it the work of the Spirit is tendered to every one whosoever will give way thus unto it grace is set open to all and proclamed to all that will take it upon those tearmes before spoken of therfore saith the Text Whosoever will let him take of the water of life the word in the originall is every willing man there is no man exempted no man debarred no man hindred to take grace upon those tearmes if he will condiscend to Gods conditions be he what he will be naturally either in regard of sins and corruptions or in regard of poverty or infirmities whatsoever his naturall condition be yet if he wil but agree to Gods conditions if he will but choose and prize Christ above all other things â—he shall receive him and grace and salvation by hiâ—â—â— so that the doctrin is this Whosoever in truth doth will to have Christ shall receive him and salvation by him the Text doth not say Whosoever saith Lord Lord shall have Christ and grace but the willing soule he shall have him not the talâ—eing man nor the presuming man nor the glorying man but the willing man so that this is the point Whosoever in good earnest and in truth will have Christ shall receive Christ and salvation by him in the 10. of Luke ver 5 6.
against their adversaries but my people would not hearken unto my voyce and Israel would none of me so I gave them up unto their owne hearts lust and they walked in their owne counsels Israel would none of me there was the breach So that that which breaketh the match betweene God and us is because wee will not receive mercy and grace and salvation offered unto us that so our sinnes may bee pardoned and our persons accepted for our everlasting comfort and salvation Looke as it is with a woman to whom a man maketh love and would marry her if she speake him faire and use great complements and bid him wellcome and all this while resolve that shee will not bee marryed unto him all her other outward behaviour the man regardeth not but counteth it as nothing because her heart is not with him and as the phrase is if she do not grant him her good will all is worth nothing In this case just so it is here all other outward complements and performances God taketh them as matters of â—o conse quence or worth if this beleeving in Christ and willing of grace bee wanting If a man shall come and heare the word of God speaking unto him and shall receive Christ into his family pray unto him and make a great profession of him all this I must confesse is very good but if the soule doe not will Christ if the heart doth not prize Christ and choose him and close with him and fasten unto him it is worth nothing If men wil professe faire to Christ and say he is welcome and all this while doe not give Christ their soules and good wils the Lord Iesus doth take himselfe as despised and counts himselfe as rejected in this kinde and therefore we shall observe that God regards not any of our performances 2 Chron. 25.2 if they bee not done from the heart 2 Chron. 25.2 there saith the text of Amaziah He did that which was right in the sight of the Lord but not with a perfect heart and therefore what is this to the marriage in the meane time so that to gather up all if it be so that this hearty willing is that which God requireth of us if it bee that whereby wee are able to close with Christ if the want of this breaketh the match betweene God and the soule then the case is cleare that whosoever hath this will shall have Christ and salvation by him but this willing of Christ doth fully satisfie and content God it doth enable us to fasten and lay hold upon Christ the want of this doth breake the match betweene Christ and the soule and therefore he that hath this will shall sâ—rely have Christ and salvation by him This contents God by this we lay hold upon God and the want of this causeth the breach betweene God and us and therefore hee that hath this shall have Christ The use of the point is threefold it is a ground first of instruction here we may see and wonder at the riches of Gods bounty and goodnesse in his reasonable dealing with poore sinners in that God doth not exact every thing at the utmost of us he doth not require every thing in the utmost rigour he doth not take poore sinners by the throat as he did his fellow-servant saying Pay me that thou owest mee there is no poore sinner but he may send the Devill after him to dragge him into hell he may justly say unto every sinfull soule I gave thee perfect righteousnesse and holinesse and abilitie to performe obedience to all my commandements either give mee that I expected from thee and thou owest unto me or else to hell thou must goe where is my service and my obedience and my righteousnesse that I required of thee God may say thus to every poore sinner but hee doth not deale thus in justice with us but blessed be his name he doth not expect that wee should have all sufficiencie in our selves he doth not say That he that hath no sinne shall bee saved let him take Christ he that is able to performe obedience to all my Commandements and doe whatsoeverâ— require he shall have Christ and salvation by him he doth not deale with us after this manner for then woe were it with us it is not exact obedience that Christ requireth of us but the condition is this If any poore soule will take mercy offered and receive grace tendered unto him he shall have mercy hee shall receive grace as if God should say Thou art a poore sinfull creature many weakenesses are with thee many imperfections trouble thee many corruptions doe oppresse thee I require no exaction of thee if thou wilt take Christ and mercy then Christ is thine and mercy is thine is not this marvelous mercy is not this wonderfull goodnesse If there should bee a poore miserable wretched creature one that had neither portion nor ability in any measure nor any thing that could procure a husband no friends to succour her no parents to relieve her but were fatherlesse and motherlâ—sse and voyd of all comfort if yet notwithstanding all this a man of place and abilitie should come and offer love unto her though shee have nothing but is troubled with all weakenesses and infirmities and full of all deformities if this man now for all this should regard none of these things if hee should looke for nothing nor require any thing of her but her good will and liking if shee would have him then hee would bee married unto her you will say this is wonderfull love and that nothing but love prevailed with him surely hee could see nothing in her but that which might rather make him despise her then shew any love unto her but it was the violence of affection which caused him to marry her This is our condition perfectly nay wee are not able to expresse our miserable and woefull estate this way because our basenesse and vilenesse and misery is greate in respect of our sinnes than any poore wretch can be in regard of any outward respect and the excellency of God also is greater and farre exceedeth the dignity and excellency of any man in the world and yet notwithstanding though we be nothing but ragges full of corruptions and rottennesse and deformities though we have neither beauty nor portion nor friends nor meanes but are fatherlesse and motherlesse and laden with abundance of all abominations yet for all this this is all that God requireth of us though we have nothing and can doe nothing yet if wee will but have Christ if we will but receive grace and mercy offered if we will but welcome and entertaine the Lord Iesus this is all that God expects the match then is made up and the businesse is fully ended we shall have Christ and abundance of love shewen unto us and this should make a soule burst out and say is it possible is it credible that if this my miserable heart would take
man is not able to abide an admonition when he cannot endure to be informed or councelled exhorted or reproved when the ministers nor the Word of God can have any power over men when these poore creatures shall come into hell then they shall have elbow roome to fulfill their lusts and corruptions wherein they so much delighted they tooke pleasure in wickednesse they would not they could not abide the meanes of grace and salvation you would have no reproofes you would endure no admonitions it was well with you when you had no ministers to checke and reproove you but alas poore soule when you are gone downe into the bottomelesse pit of everlasting perdition then you may have your full swing then you shall never be reprooved more then you shall never be councelled more you shall never be admonished more you shall then never be prayed for any more but be damned in hell for ever from everlasting to everlasting you shall then have your full pleasure in your sinnes is it not just with God that you who would live in wickednesse and prophanenesse and would not receive grace and mercy when it was offerd that God should give you up to the hardnes of your owne hearts and blindnesse of your owne minds send you into everlasting condemnation for ever First look as it is with a malefactor that is convicted of high treason for plotting some wicked practise against his Prince or for proceeding into rebellion for the overthrow of his Countrey after all the sinnefull passages of his be discovered and made knowne both to himselfe and the world if the King after this make the Proclamation that if hee will leave of his wicked enterprizes hee shall be pardoned nay if the King shall send message after message unto him secretly to tell him that if he now will lay downe armes and take his pardon he shall freely be remitted and graciously received into favour if this Traytor shall rather fling away his pardon then his weapons I appeale to your owne consciences in this case if the King should â—â—ife an army and overcome him and take him and execute him without any pitty or mercy is he not justly rewarded what will the world say they will say execution and death is too good for him so he had a faire offer of pardon if hee had had a heart to receive it hee had pardon proclamed unto him nay the King sent messenger after messenger to tell him that if he would stoope to him he should receive mercy and favour from him and therefore seeing be refused and neglected so kinde an offer he is executed justly it is pitty but condemnation should befall him because hâ— would not take the meanes of consolation this is the condition of every poore soule under Heaven truely we are all Rebels and Traytors against Heaven by our â—â—thes and blasphemies we fet our mouâ—â— against Heaven we have often taken up armes against God and yet after all our pride and stubbornenesse and loosenesse and prophanenesse and contempt of Gods Word and Ordinances and yet the Lord is pleased to proclame mercy still to every one that will receive it all you that have dishonoured my name all you that have prophaned my Sabbaths and contemned my Ordinances all you cursed wretches come come who that will and take pardon let them lay aside all their weapons and receive it and salvation by him when it is offered to them and they shall have their sinnes forgiven and they shall be received to mercy now if any soule will stand out against God and say I will not have Christ and Salvation but will shift for my selfe and try it out to the last I will walke in my owne wayes and take up my owne courses I will be proud still I will breake Gods Sabbaths still and I will be malicious still and breake Gods Commandements still if any man shall be thus disposed if then the great God of Heaven and Earth shall come with tenne thousand thousand of judgements and execute them upon that man if he shall bring a whole legion of devils and say Take him devils and torment him devils in hell forever because he would not have mercy when it was offered he shall not have mercy because he would not have Salvation when it was tendered unto him therefore let him have everlasting condemntion if God should thus deale with that man the Lord should be just in so doing and he justly miserable And this is the second use it is an use of terror to all those that will not receive Christ and grace and salvation by him Thirdly in the third place it is a word of exhortation it should set an edge upon your desires and provoke your soules to give no sleepe to your eyes nor slumber to your eye-lids to give no quiet to your soules nor contentment to your hearts untill you have brought your soules to be willing to receive Christ Iesus you are the Spouse of Iesus Christ it is good for you therefore to consider and thinke of your estate in this kind if you will but have Christ that is all he careth for if he can but get your good wils he lookes for no more and therefore you are to consider of it and lie at your hearts daily you should daily be perswading of your soules and never cease till you have brought your hearts in some measure to be willing to receive the Lord Iesus and bid him welcome and give entertainement unto him and the more to prevaile with you in this case consider of the reasonablenesse of the condition and this may be a motive to provoke your soules hereunto because the offer is marveilous easie as faire as can be the tearmes of agreement are as faire as any heart can desire nay there is very good consideration in the goodnesse which the Lord hath tendred to us and that is thus much If we will but receive Christ Iesus all that he hath shall be ours the treasures of wisdome and grace and salvation they shall be all ours if we will but entertaine the Lord Iesus let us therefore reason with our owne soules and commune with our owne spirits concerning this gratious offer of salvation the soule should say What hath the Lord offered salvation at so easie a rate will hee notwithstanding what ever I have beene heretofore full of corruptions and abhominations though my soule stands guilty of my sinnes and distempers though I bee possessed with many weakenesses and infirmities yet notwithstanding all this will the Lord be pleased to pardon all to supply all to passe by all onely upon this condition if I will welcome and entertaine him may I have Christ for taking of him may I receive grace for carrying it away why good Lord if I will not doe this for Christ and grace I will do nothing doth God require no more why then if grace and mercy and salvation bee not worth this they are worth nothing if I will
not doe this I will doe nothing for eternall life this is that God expects all that he lookes for Every man that will let him take grace and mercy and that freely In the 2 of King 5.13 the text saith of Naaman the â—â—â—irian 2 King 5.13 when hee came to Elisha the man of God to bee healed the Prophet sent a messenger unto him saying Goe and wash seven times in Iordan and thy flesh shall come againe to thee and thou shalt bee cleane Now hee being a man of authority and of some place he tooke this somewhat in disdaine that hee should send a messenger out unto him and bid him wash seven times in Iordan hee was wrath and went away and sayd Behold I thought hee would surely come out to me and stand and call upon the name of the Lord his God and stroke his hand over the place and remoove the Leper hee did thinke the Prophet would have done some great matter unto him and therefore when hee saw that he bid him goe wash seaven times in Iordan he went away in a kind of indignation but then his servants they came neare to him in the 13. 2 King 5 13. verse and said My father if the Prophet had bid thee c. As who should say if you will not doe so small a matter to be cured you will doe nothing So I say to every soule here present if the Lord had required a great matter of us whereby we might attaine salvation if hee had required a thousand Rams 10. thousand rivers of Oyle if he had required the first borne of our body for the sinne of our soules if the Lord had enjoyned every soule of us to live howling crying all the dayes of our life for mercy if hee had commanded us to goe into a Chamber secretly and there to fall upon our knees and pray unto him continually for mercy untill our eyes had failed with looking up to heaven for mercy untill our hands had beene wearied with holding them up to heaven untill our tongues had beene hoarse with crying for mercy and untill our hearts failed us and fainted within us if at the very last gaspe wee should be crying for mercy and did 〈◊〉 then receive one drop of it it would quit cost it would be worth our labour if the Lord had required all things whatsoever of you for one drop of mercy if you had had your eyes about you yâ—â— would have given them but what a wonderfull goodnesse is this that the Lord should require nothing at our hands for Christ and grace and salvation but a will to receive them let me presse this a little further if God had required a great thing of you would you not have done it to have beene saved how much more when it commeth to this once that it is at a lower rate then wee can desire or expect it should bee onely be willing to take mercy and you shall have it doe but carry away grace and it is your owne for ever I cannot conceive of any easier tearme whereby God might better expresse his wonderfull goodnesse towards us wilt thou receive Christ and salvation by himâ— why then thou mayst have him nay the Lord even forceth his commodities and his favour upon us he doth not onely offer us this but he forces it upon us in this kind he is not onely willing that we should receive Christ if wee be but willing to take him but the Lord himselfe doth beseech us that wee will be reconciled unto him and receive mercy from him and be blessed for ever Take notice of this unmatchable and unconceiveable mercy of the Lord in that he offereth Christ and the meanes of salvation upon so easie conditions and at so low a rate if wee can but will Christ wee shall have Christ and salvation by him nay we shall not onely receive Christ if we will entertaine him but the Lord himselfe doth beseech us to take mercy at his hands aske your owne soules therefore if it bee not equall that you should entertaine the offer of Christ thus pronounced unto you But be â—â—les as a further motive hereunto consider that as the termes are equall and easie so the commodity also in the second place is worth the price and this may also inforce our hearts to forsake all for the getting of the possession of this goodnesse which wee stand so in neede of if the commodity were not good though the condition were caste and the price reasonable it were theâ— indeed something wee could thinke to mend ourselves in another place but here as the termes are most easie so the good is farre better than can bee conceived you cannot mend yourselves goe whither you will use what meanes you will If you will have Christ what then will you have as men use to say when a man hath a commodity offered him a good penny worth and hee knowes not a good bargainâ— when he hath it marke what Chapmen will say Oh say they you will goe further and speed worse just so it is here it is the woefullâ—â—â— thing under heaven for â—en not to know when they have a good bargainâ— and when they are weâ— dealt withall To refuse mercy and salvation when it is offered them and that upon so easie termes and at so low a rate for what will you have if you will not have Christ if you will nor have grace and salvation why what will you have upon what will you bestow your hearts you will have your sinnes and corruptions and not grace and mercy you will have damnation and not salvation you will have hell you will not have heaven you will be like the Iewes who refused Christ and chose Barrabas a murtherer for whensoever a soule refuseth the Lord Iesus it is certaine that he chooseth a Barrabas if you refuse the one you must needes receive the other and then consider which is best you will not have Christ and salvation what will you then have hell damnation confusion and destruction you will not bee happy and therefore you must bee miserable and therefore this is observeable the Lord hath sent from heaven this day and offered salvation and happinesse to men as freely as ever any man had any thing offered I come this day from the Lord to enquire how the case standeth and how the match goeth forward betweene Christ and you Let me therefore goe to your soules and answer you mee unto my question the offer of grace you see is free the condition is easie the price is reasonable whither now will you have mercy and salvation or no you little ones you young ones that have beene married to profits and pleasures to lusts and corruptions the Lord Iesus is become a great suter to you all this day and I am Christs spoksman to speake a good word for him be not oh bee not squeamish and coy and say afterward you will speake with him and tell him how
the Spirit of God and then the point will fall faire and undeniable To this I answere there are some things of God that are revealed in the creation of the world Rom. 1.20 there saith the text Rom. 1.20 The invisible things of him meaning God from the creation of the world are cleerely seene being understood by the things that are made even his eternall power and Godhead that is a man that looketh into the frame and fabricke of the world and seeth the making of the earth and the Sea and all things therein hee cannot say but God hath beene here an infinite wisdome and an Almighty power hath beene here and framed all these things but these are not the things of God which are meant in the text but there are other things of God which we must looke after and they cannot be discerned by the creation of the world and therefore 1 Cor. 1.21 1 Cor. 1.21 we shall observe this After that in the Wisedome of God saith the text the world by wisedome knew not God it pleased God by the foolishnesse of Preaching to save them that beleeve marke the naturall men might have knowne though they would not that there was a God by the wisedome of God that is by the wisedome of God in creating of the World and by the observation of things in the same but they could not take notice of him as a God reconciled as a God that should appoint Christ as a redeemer and as a God that should send Christ to bee a redeemer these are the things which men could not know by the creation of the world and by the wisedome thereof the things of grace and of our redemption the favour and love that God beares towards his in Christ these are the things of God the things of election sanctification justification and glorification these are the things of God which are meant especially in the Text as if he had sayd God by the spirit can onely reveale these things these come immediatly from God by the meanes hee hath appointed a man may know that God hath created heaven and earth and that he hath made all and provided for all and yet goe to hell But hee that hath found Gods love in Christ God working graciously upon his soule God humbling his heart and pulling downe his soule that hee might bee fit to receive mercy and then bestowing mercy upon him when a soule seeth these things then these are the things of God here meant Gods spirit must onely work these the spirit onely must reveale these and by the operation of the spirit wee are made partakers of these these are the things of God which are to be understood in the Text God is said to call and to sanctifie it is the Spirit that converts and adopts and humbles mens soules as who should say These are the workes of the Spirit there is no seeing there is no perceiving of these there is no way to be made partakers of these without the spirit so that the doctrine now lieth open and that is this No man naturally is able of his owne power to receive the spirituall things of grace and salvation no naturall man that is he that hath not the spirit of God working in him no man that is in his naturall estate can receive the spirituall things of grace and salvation Hee doth not receive them nay he cannot receive them saith the Text to put out all doubts and to cast away all cavills the Text doth not onely say he doth not receive them but that he cannot receive them doe hee what he will doe he what he can come to a naturall man and aske him will you receive Christ and the worke of grace why yes with all his heart and he makes no doubt but he doth so and hee hopes hee shall finde the comfort of it The Text saith God saith the truth saith you doe not nay you cannot you say you doe whom shall wee beleeve in this case God or you I can prove you are a naturall man you live in base wicked courses the Spirit of God is an holy Spirit you live in ungodly and unlawfull courses the Spirit of God is a wise Spirit you are ignorant and know not the things belonging to salvation and therefore the world knowes and you know that you are a naturall man and the spirit that saith a naturall man cannot receive the things of God and yet you say you can whom therefore shall we beleeve so that the point is plaine that a man by nature hath not power to will to receive Christ and grace and salvation by him and we will make good the point in foure particulars by way of explication That a man hath not power to will to receive grace and salvation by Christ First to omit that which the Papists themselves confesse in this case namely that a naturall man of himselfe cannot finde out the meanes of life and Salvation but God must give him some preventing grace he must be enlightned that is God must reveale and make knowne the things that concerne his peace unto him out of the Word hee must discover those things unto him which appertaine to his peace and justification by Christ I will omit this and speake onely of the power which a naturall man hath to entertaine the things belonging to life and Salvation and suppose it be granted that the things of Salvation must be made knowne unto a naturall mat in this case or else he can never of himselfe finde them out yet when these things be set open to mens cares by the ministers of God when grace and Salvation are offered unto men yet marâ—â— when these are proclaimed a naturall man cannot entertaine these things but the heart of a naturall man will 〈◊〉 away from these things which we may plainely see if wee looke but into the 19 of Mat. Mat. 19.22 22. there was a young man made some good profession he came unto Christ and asked him Master what good thing shall I doe to inherit eternall life Christ sayd unto him If thou wilt enter into life keepe the Commandements the young man askeâ— Christ which Commandement he should keepe our Saviour answers him Thou shalt not kill Thou shalt not commit adultery c. The young man answers All these things have I observed from my youth what lacke Iyet Then Christ saith unto him if thou wilt be perfect goe sell all that thou hast and give it to the poore and thou shalt have treasure in heaven but the text saith Vers 32. When the young man heard this he went away sorrowfull for he had great possessions All the while before our Saviour had not touched him to the quicke but when he saith unto him Goe thy wayes sell all that thou hast and follow me and thou shalt have treasue in heaven he then went away why marke here Christ made him a brave offer hee told him he should inherit heaven and happinesse if he
empty the soule of these lusts and abominations and prepare him for grace before grace can be put into him before he can receive grace from God the fallow ground that hath a great many thistles and is full of weedes and nettles and grasse this ground we use to say is yet arable ground it may be plowed and made fit to receive seede and beare fruite but it must first be plowed for all the while this trash is in it it is not fit for seed though it may be made fit by tilling of it so the soule of a sinner is arable God can fit it and prepare it to receive grace and eternall life but he must be first plowed and made fit he is overrunne with all corruptions and therefore of himselfe for a while before the Lord humble him and fit him and prepare him to entertaine Christ and receive grace he cannot receive it Ioh. 5.44 Ioh. 5.44 There saith the Text Hoâ— can you beleeve which receive honour one of another and sâ—eke not the honor which commeth from God onely As who should say these things cannot stand together that a man should be full of sinne and at that time goe to the Spirit to have his sinnes crucified these thing cannot stand so that there is a kinde of indisposition and impossibility for the present Rom. 6 20. that a naturall man should receive grace Rom. 6.20 There saith the Text When you 〈◊〉 servants to sinne you were free from righteousnesse that is when a mans corruptions rule over him when a man yeelds himselfe to be under the power of his lusts when sinne is a mans master insomuch that he must do every thing which that commands him if malice command him to hate then he must obey malice and hate and envy his brother when covetousnesse is a mans master and if that bids him gripe and cheate and cozen he must then doe it iâ— a man be thus a servant to sin he is free from righteousnes he cannot be made partaker of grace and salvation so long as he remaines in this estate and condition Fourthly the fourth passage is this as the soule of a naturall man declines from grace offered and revealed as it opposeth grace pressed so in the fourth place it is not willing to be wrought upon that it may be fit to receive grace and be made capable of it there is no naturall man under heaven that is willing to be wrought upon that hee may be capable to receive grace Luke 19 14. hee would not have grace and Christ and though he might in the 19. of Luke the 14. and 27. verses our Saviour Compares himselfe to a master that was to goe into a farre Country to receive a kingdome and therefore gives over his estate into the hands of his servants hee called his ten servants and gave them ten pounds saying Occupie till I come Now when hee is gone marke what the Text saith in the 14. Verse We will not have this man to rule over us the Citizens hated him and sent a messenger after him saying We will not have this man to rule over us Herein is implyed two things first that God would rule over the hearts hee would informe their judgements and fit their soules to receive grace but marke what they say We will not have him to reigne over us wee will not have the Lord Iesus take possession of our hearts and rule and guide them in the way of grace and salvation and so say all naturall men when the truth of God is followed and pressed and their consciences awakened and their minds enlightned then they cry out we will not be troubled and pestered with these matters in the 8. of Rom. 7. there saith the Text the carnall minde is enmitie against God Rom. 8.7 for it is not subject to the Law of God neither indeede can be A naturall man is not subject to God he is not nay hee cannot be subject to the Law of God the Text doth not say he doth not obey the Law of God but hee is not subject to it for it is one thing to obey the word and Spirit of God and another thing to be subject unto it as for example suppose a master command his servant to doe something that is unjust and unlawfull and if hee will not doe it then beats him the servant is then said to be subject to his master hee may beare the blow and endure the stripes of his master but if he be honest and will not doe the thing hee cannot bee sayd to obey his master so likewise if it please a Prince to deale harshly with his subject and punish him unjustly his subject may submit himselfe unto him but he doth not obey him but this is the madnesse of our sinfull natures that wee will not be subject to the Word of God we will not beare the blow nor indure the stroake of the Spirit that so it may plucke us out of our corruptions and frame us and fashion us in this case and make us fit to receive grace but when the word discovereth our sinnes unto us and our misery in regard of the same the soule beginns to swell and take up an indignation against the truth revealed it endeavours what it may and labours what it can to acquit it selfe of the word and to cast out the same wee professe that wee will not have our hearts informed and our mindes enlightned wee will not be humbled and prepared to receive grace and salvation offered by the Lord Iesus If it bee not thus what meane those swellings and bublings of heart against the word when it is preached sometimes a mans conscience is opened and touched by the Word of God and what followes why presently hee professeth hee will never heare that Minister more hee saith t is pittie hee should ever preach more and tw'ere good hee were out of the Country and that the kingdome were rid of him alas what doth the Minister this while what doth he intend all this while that you take such distaste at him why you have a proud heart hee would humble it he would plucke you out of your corruptions that you may be prepared for grace but your soules say you will not be wrought upon and framed that you may receive grace and salvation however you doe not professe so much with your mouthes yet your actions testifie as much there is never a faithfull Minister of God but speakes home to the consciences of men and tells them of their beloved sinnes and bosome corruptions and hee doth this to prepare way for the Lord Iesus He knowes you must be fitted to receive grace and salvation before you shall be made partakers of grace and salvation he knowes that there are many mountaines to bee levelled and crooked things to bee made straight and many rough things to bee made smooth and plaine and therefore hee intends nothing but to have your soules broken and prepared for
Argument is this a dead man hath no power to procure life unto himselfe but all men by nature are dead in trespasses and sinnes and therefore no naturall man is able to procure spirituall life unto himselfe for the understanding of this argument know thus much that the nature of man since his fall is stripped of all that holinesse and righteousnesse whereby he might bee enabled to the performance of any spirituall worke and not onely so hee is not onely deprived of the image of God but is altogether overspread with wickednesse and unrighteousnesse which take the possession of every poore soule under heaven Ioâ— 3.6 Whatsoever is borne of the flesh is flesh Iohn 3.6 now every man naturally is altogether flesh the will of man and the heart of man is altogether fleshy and therefore in the heart of man there is no good 〈◊〉 all And consider the reason of this why the whole soule is thus defiled with sinne wee must conceive that Adam was not onely a particular person but he took the whole nature of mankind upon him so that the nature of man in Adam while heâ— was in his innocencie might either bee carried to the obedience of the will of God or else wholly against the will of God and therefore by Adams fall man was altogether deprived of his righteousnesse and caried against the will of God Now to presse the Argument if it be so that all mens hearts are possessed with rebellions by nature and turned away from God then men naturally cannot turne unto God but all men naturally are wholly possessed with sinne and by rebellion are turned from God and therefore they cannot naturally turne unto God Againe consider there must bee some spirituall power some spirituall life put into a man before hee can performe any good therefore a naturall man cannot doe any good but is a dead man in respect of grace because be hath lost that same soule of righteousnes whereby he should performe that good which God requireth and so that holinesse being gone the soule of the will is gone and the power to doe any good or receive any good is gone So then the case is cleare and the point evident by force of argument and Scripture that a naturall man hath no power to receive the Lord Iesus and grace and salvation from him If this be true as hath beene prooved by reason plaine and undeniable arguments that a naturall man cannot receive the things of God then every soule may take notice of and condemne that sottish and foolish conceit that harbours in the minde of many silly poore ignorant soules if any of you know such take notice of them there are many thinke that they brought grace into the world with them and that they had grace 〈◊〉 their mothers belly aske them when did you receive grace when did you receive faith they will answer they beleeved ever since they were borne they had faith ever since they can remember a great many poore ignorant soules thâ— that grace came into the world with them No no be not deceived faith commeth by hearing faith is the gift of God and repentance is the 〈◊〉 of God narrow is the way and straight is the 〈◊〉 that leadeth unto life and few there be that finde 〈◊〉 therefore alas if thou think'st thou broughtest 〈◊〉 with thee into the world it is an argument that thou never hadst â—aith it is an evidence that thâ—â— never hadst grace for if every man should bring faith and grace into the world then all should got to heaven and what is hell made for then No no narrow is the way and exceeding straight is the gate wee must not thinke to goe to heaven 〈◊〉 our hands by our sides No no it is a very narrow way and few there be that finde it But then they will pleade though they had not grace by nature yet grace is within a haires breadth of them they have grace at command and as it is with a man that leaves a commoditie at a mans house upon â—â—king if he like it if it be for his turne he may buy it if hee like it not hee may refuse it now after 〈◊〉 hath lien by him a while if it doth not please him he may returne it into the owners hand againe 〈◊〉 many say I tooke your commoditie upon liking and if it would have beene for my turne I would have bought it but it will not serve for the use I thought to put it to and therefore I returne it to you againe So it is here most men thinke that grace is left with them upon liking and they may let it lie by them and after they have lived in sinne and tired themselves in their owne imaginations and in following the sinfull desires of their owne wretched hearts if after this when they become old or lie upon their death beds if then they like grace they may take it if not they may let it alone and refuse it O poore creatures you will perish and goe to hell hoodwinkt in this kind you thinke you may have grace for calling for hereafter when I am old then I will repent and when I lie upon my death bed then I will beginne to pray and humble my selfe before God then you thinke to have grace at your owne liking if you like the course of grace then you will take it if you like it not you will refuse it must I pray with my family you will say Well if I like the course happily I will doe it if not I will neglect it Alas alas I tell thee thou canst as well make a soule as convert a soule thou canst as well create thy selfe as repent is it in thy power to say now I will have grace now I will not now I will repent and now I will not Oh thinke of it you shall finde it a harder taske then you are aware of and if God bee pleased to open your eyes you will then say Oh what shall I doe to be saved then you will see that something must bee done before you can bee saved then you will finde it to be a hard matter to repent Doe not think when you lie upon your death beds then you may repent if you will is it in your power to repent and goe to heaven no no all naturall men are under the power of Sathan he ruleth them he commandeth the hearts of the children of disobedience according to his will and then for sinne and the power thereof looke Rom. 6.16 Rom. 6.16 know yee not saith the Apostle that to whom yee yeeld your selves servants to obey his servants yee are whether of sinne unto death or of obedience unto righteousnesse every naturall man is a servant to sinne and a slave to his lusts hee can doe nothing but that sinne will have him to doe Take a proud man whether art thou able to confesse thy pride to see thy sinne and humble thy selfe and renounce thy folly art
be wrought in your hearts and that you may be converted And therefore I will advise you of three things which are in the power of natural men to performe as directions to the use of the former meanes appointed by God for the working of grace First I would have every naturall man throughly convinced of the misery hee is in and informed of his owne insufficiencie Ier. 10.23 there saith the Text O Lord I know that the way of man is not in himselfe it is not in man that walketh to 〈◊〉 his owne steppes and the Apostle Paul 〈◊〉 taketh it to himselfe I know saith hee that 〈…〉 selfe there dwelleth no good thing this is a 〈◊〉 matter that wee presume of our selves we 〈◊〉 we can stand of our selves though we never use the meanes to have our weakenesse strengthned 〈◊〉 this is the reason that wee never seeke to God 〈◊〉 the use of the meanes take therefore 〈◊〉 course of the Apostle and say in me dwelleth 〈◊〉 good thing suffer your selves to be throughly â—â—formed and convinced of your owne miserie 〈◊〉 weakenesse and confesse this truth I confesse I am a naturall and carnall man and therefore a my flesh there is no good at all Secondly 〈◊〉 you have thus done and when your hearts are â—â—â—swaded of your owne misery and you coâ—â—â—â— there is no good in you when you can say 〈◊〉 what a stout heart have I what a many graâ—â—â—â— promises and godly councells have I had and 〈◊〉 never would receive or give way to any of theâ— and therefore there is no good in mee and 〈◊〉 thirdly when you have done this then convâ—â—â— your owne hearts that there is an All-sufficiencie in the promise that the Spirit is able to doe good unto your soules Ezech. 11.18 Ezech. 11.18 there saith the Text I will give them one heart and put a new 〈◊〉 within them I will take away their stony heart 〈◊〉 give them a heart of flesh so that however it is 〈◊〉 that we have no sufficiencie in our selves yet 〈◊〉 Lord Iesus hath enough the spirit is able to the that for us which wee are not able to doe for 〈◊〉 selves and therefore in the third place 〈◊〉 thou art throughly informed of these two things then come unto Gods ordinances and looke up unto God and waite upon him in the use of this meanes it is a fine passage of David Lord saith he teach me the way of the Spirit as if hee had sayd Lord I have a naughtie spirit I have a naughtie heart but Lord thou hast a good Spirit lead 〈◊〉 by that good Spirit of thine in the wayes of uprightnesse Thus doe you waite upon God in 〈◊〉 ordinances and say Lord thou hast promised thaâ— thou wilt put a new soule into thy people and create a new heart in them and throw their sinnes 〈◊〉 the bottome of the sea and that thou with 〈◊〉 them to walke in thy wayes Thou hast promised to give thy Spirit to them that seeke it Lord 〈◊〉 good this thy promise unto mee take away 〈◊〉 wretched sinfull heart of mine and 〈◊〉 a new heart in me and direct me by thy Spirit to 〈◊〉 in the wayes of thy Commandements It is 〈◊〉 Lord a Leaper cannot take away his spoâ—â— a Blackamoore cannot change his hew but 〈◊〉 thou canst make a Blackamoore white 〈…〉 canst cleanse the Leaper though I be a dead 〈◊〉 thou canst put life into me though 〈…〉 thing yet thou canst doe all things I 〈…〉 more but thou canst make me of a 〈…〉 am a Leaper but thou canst take away my 〈◊〉 I am naturall and carnall in me there 〈◊〉 thing but Lord thou eanst make me 〈…〉 rituall things good Lord grant that thy 〈◊〉 Spirit may teach me to know the things 〈◊〉 to my everlasting peace this doe above all take heede that you doe not deferre the time Oh deferre not the wayting upon God in the use of the meanes Why because you have no power in your selves to helpe your selves it is not in you power to receive Christ and entertaine salvation and therefore begin speedily to attend upon 〈◊〉 ordinances that at length the Lord may put a 〈◊〉 spirit into you and worke upon you to your ever lasting peace and comfort I exhort you 〈◊〉 all things not to deferre the time and say wee 〈◊〉 gather the flower while it is greene while 〈◊〉 youth continues we will follow our pleasures 〈◊〉 take up out sports and when wee come to be 〈◊〉 then we will turne over a new leafe and on our death beds then wee will repent alas alas 〈◊〉 wilt thou thinke to doe it in thine old age whâ— thou couldst never doe it in thy youth and therefore doe not thus delude thy owne soule thoâ— thinkest when thou lyest on thy death bed if 〈◊〉 doest but send for a Minister then hee will 〈◊〉 salvation to thee presently but I tell thee thoâ—gâ— all the Ministers under heaven should preach mercy unto thee though all the Angels in heaven should exhort and intreat thee to entertaine salvation though thou shouldest have all glory and all happinesse layd downe as it were upon a table before thee if the Lord should say here is all glory and happinesse doe but beleeve and take it and it shall be thine thou shalt be made partaker of if for ever yet consider in thy naturall condition thou hast no power to receive happinesse and glory thus offered if God should open heaven gates and bid thee goe into heaven yet thou hast no power if thou beest a naturall man to receive mercy and salvation upon those tearmes which God hath offered them thou couldst not enter into heaven though God should open the gate wide and intreate thee to enter in what a thing is this then when neither Minister can perswade thee nor Angels exhort thee nor Christ himselfe intreat thee to take mercy yet thou shouldst thinke in thy old age or upon thy deathbed to have mercy and salvation at command why deferre not therefore this worke untill the last but make speede beginne betime and hold on constantly to the end that at last God may take away your corruptionâ— and give you his spirit and raise you out of the graver of your sinnes doe this because you see it is needfull to be done it is not in your power to doe good unto your soules or receive good and therefore 〈◊〉 â—â—ginne betimes and wait upon God in the meanes that so you may have grace and salvation thereby EZECH 11.19 I will take away their stony heart and give them a heart of flesh ACoording to our Order intended and Course propounded wee have laid downe five generall circumstances have chosen severall texts answerably whereout we might observe the same foure of those five we have already handled and now we are come to the last Circumstance which is this Howsoever a naturall man cannot receive the Lord Iesus yet the Lord will make all his that belong to
to inâ—â—rict many judgements upon the people of Israel because they had not walked in his statutes after the Lord had done this yet 〈◊〉 tells them in the 16. Verse if they would walke in his wayes he would be a Sanctuary unto them he would make them better than ever they were and hee would doe better for them than ever hee did but how will hee doe this Why saith he I will take away that stony sturdy heart which is in them and will give them a frameable heart and a teachable heart which shall yeeld to whatsoever I cammand and then they will be able to cast away all those evills which they have embraced and performe all those holy duties which they have neglected the heart which God takes away from them cannot be meant the heart it selfe the naturall facultie of willing and the heart which hee gives them cannot be meant the bare faculty it selfe but the rebellious disposition that was in the faculty the Lord removeth and that same teachable frameable disposition he putteth into the facultie whereby their hearts should be carried to that which was pleasing to God comfortable to themselves I intend to speake of two things concerning Gods taking away of this same stony heart and giving a heart of flesh unto his people first that God doth this that hee is the Author of it secondly I will speake of the circumstance of time when God doth this when he thus workes upon the hearts of his chosen sometimes sooner sometimes later and this same circumstance of time when the Lord doth this is double first in regard of the meanes the Lord doth thus worke upon the hearts of those which belong to the election of grace when hee gives them the meanes of salvation when they have the Sunne-shine of the Gospell shining in their faces The second circumstance of this time is in regard of the men whom the Lord will thus worke upon some sooner some later some in all ages some in their young and tenderage some in their middle age and some though very few in their old age First I will speake of the Authour of this and that is God hee takes away the stony heart and gives a heart of flesh to his servants The Doctrine out of the words is The taking away of the indisposition of the soule to any good dutie and the fitting framing and disposing of a soule to performe any spirituall service is the alone worke of God hee removes the indisposition of the soule and hee puts the disposition to any good into the soules of his the case is cleare if we reason after this manner what is a stony heart A stony heart is a sturdy unteachable heart uncapeable and indisposed to any good what is a heart of flesh it is a lowly teachable pliable heart wiling to receive any impression that God stampes upon it who takes away the one The Lord who gives the other The Lord. So that both the remooving of the stony heart is the Lords worke and the giving of the fleshy heart is the Lords worke also I will take away their stony heart and I will give them a heart of flesh Nay the Lord doth make it his chiefest prerogative to doe this worke for a poore sinner Ezek. 36.25 Ezeck 36.25 I will powre cleane water upon you saith the Lord and yee shall be cleane from all your â—ilâ—hinesse and your Idols I will cleanse you A new heart also will I give you and put a new spirit within you I will take away the stony heart and I will give you a heart of flesh and therefore wee shall take notice of it this great worke of conversion is compared with the worke of creation God onely created man and God onely converteth a man how was it when darkenesse was over the face of the earth Let there bee light said the Lord and there was light the same God that created light the same God doth shine in our hearts nay this worke of conversion is sayd to be one of the greatest workes of God as if God did the best he could doe for a poore sinner when hee converts him To whom is the arme of the Lord revealed saith the Prophet Esay that is to whom is the utmost power of the Almighty God revealed the Lord putteth forth his whole strength upon poore sinners when he converts them unto himselfe The power of Gods strength the depth of Gods wisedome and the riches of Gods mercy is discovered in this worke of conversion here is power against all power and strength above all strength for the Lord doth not meete with the soule of a sinner in the worke of conversion as hee did in the worke of creation with the world for when he made the world hee met with nothing to resist him but he onely spoke the word hee commanded and it was made but when the Lord commeth to meete with the soule of a poore sinner to open his eyes and convert him unto himselfe and bring him home hee meeteth with the whole frame of all creatures opposing and resisting him the divell and the world without and sinne and corruption within when the Lord comes to convert a firmer hee meetes with all these with sinne Sathan and the world resisting him and therefore here must needs be power against all strength that opposeth him here must needs bee wisedome against all pollicie that resists him and here must needes be wonderfull mercy against all weakenesse and miserie 1 Cor. 14.24 and therefore 1 Cor. 14.24 there saith the Text If all prophesie and there come in 〈◊〉 that beleeveth not or unlearned he is rebuked of all and judged of all and so are the secrets of his heart made manifest and so he will fall downe on his face and worship God and say plainely God is in you indeede here the Text faith when the Lord commeth to speake home to a poore sinner a poore soule he comes into the Congregation though he be simple the word is wise and powerfull and that discovereth what is in his heart man is not able to doe this but God can doe this and then the soule will say God is in you in deede as who should say Here is God or else I had never beene humbled or else my sinnes had never beene subdued or else my soule had never beene wrought upon the sinner that is strucken with this worke he professeth plainely that here is the stroake of God and power of God and wisedome of God which was able to discover all things that were in my heart and take 〈◊〉 this stubborne heart of mine Oh this is 〈◊〉 â—orle of God indeede The grounds of the point why it is necessary that God should be the Author both of taking away the stony heart and giving the heart of flesh are these if we doe but consider the nature of the stoninesse and the fleshinesse of the heart it will appeare that God onely can take away
the one and give the other First if we consider the nature of the stony heart and the distempers thereof it will appeare that it must bee the worke of the Lord onely to take it away and not to follow any other similituds then the Text affords I will shew the similitude and resemblance that is betweene the sturdy stout heart of a sinner and a stone by which it shall bee made manifest that none but the Almighty power of God is able to remoove it Now in a stone observe three particulars which discover the nature of it first the ground of all the hardnesse which is in the stone is from hence there is a close fastning combining and knitting of the parts together which is the ground of the hardnesse that is therein as for example take a path if it be continually plowed up it will bee soft and loose but if many walke upon it if it be continually trod upon then it will be hard what is the reason of this namely this hardnesse proceeds from the close fastning and setling of the earth together this it is which makes the way hard but if it were daily plowed and the earth continually loosened it would then 〈…〉 soft but when there is a naturall fastning and compiling of the earth together it cannot but bâ—e hard Secondly from this fastning of the parts of a stone together as there comes hardnesse so also from this hardnesse ariseth a great strength in the stone and that is the reason that the hardest things are marvelous strong a child before his joynts be setled is but weake he is not come to his strength but a man when his parts are setled and his joynts throughly knit together then wee use to say bee is come to his full strength and so it is in mettals those mettals that are closest knit together and most nearely concocted they are sayd to bee strongest mettalls as Gold is sayd to be a stronger mettall then Silver and Silver is sayd to bee a stronger mettall then Lead because the parts thereof are more nearely setled and more closely concocted So it is the nature of stones those stones whose parts are most combined together as Flints they are sayd to be the hardest stones and those whose parts are not so closely knit they are sayd to be more soft and of lesse strength Thirdly from the hardnesse and strength of a stone there comes a resistance against any thing from without it because the parts of a stone are knit together therefore it is hard and from the hardnesse thereof proceedes strength and being hard and strong in the third place it resists and beaâ—s backe any thing that falls upon it as if you knocke against a stone with a hammer it resists it and makes it â—lie backe by reason of the strength and hardnesse of it Even so it is with the soule of every poore sinner of 〈◊〉 sinfull creature under heaven it hath an inward secret kind of union betweene sinne and its selfe betweene corruption and its owne nature The heart of a poore sinfull soule hath a neere combination with sinne there is a fast closure betweene sinne and the soule and therefore sinne in the Scripture is tearmed by the name of the old man as who should say The sinne and corruption that is in a poore sinner is as it were another nature in him in so much that the union and combination that is betweene sinne and the soule is farre stronger then any other bond of nature and this is the reason of that phrase Luke 21.16 there saith the Text Luke 21.16 Yee shall be betrayed also of your parents and of your brethren and kinsmen and some of you shall be put to death and yee shall be hated of men all for my names sake this is the reason because the union that is betweene sinne and the soule of a wicked man exceeds all other bonds of nature as for example if a naughtie wicked father have a godly religious child the father will neglect those duties to his child which even nature it selfe 〈…〉 him to performe and if a wicked lewd for the 〈◊〉 a good father he will not discharge those 〈◊〉 unto him which nature binds him unto but the â—ather he hates the sonne and the sonne he hates 〈◊〉 father the mother hates the daughter 〈…〉 daughter hates the mother and they breake 〈◊〉 bonds both of nature and religion the 〈◊〉 father will doe any thing against his sonne before the bond that is betweene sinne 〈…〉 soule shall be broken before this union 〈…〉 broken he will not abide the presence of his sinne nay that which is most unreasonable to consider a wicked lewd ungracious man will lose his life he will spend his owne heart blood before hee will leave one sinfull beloved lust or corruption and the reason of this is because there is a nearer 〈◊〉 on and a closer combination betweene sinne and the soule then betweene all relation that nature can put upon a man insomuch that a man will rather have his sinnes and his lusts then his owne child nay such is the union betweene sinne and the soule that it becomes 〈◊〉 God unto the soule looke as it is with a stone the parts thereof being closely fastned and nearely setled together it becomes marveilous strong and hard so when God hath forsaken the soule and it closeth with his corruptions this union that is betweene the soule and its corruptions is marveilous strong and firme nay so strong and firme that there is no meanes under heaven no creature in the world that is able to breake this union and dissolve this combination that is betweene sinne and the soule unlesse the Lord by his Almighty power come and breake this concord and conspiracy that is betweene sinne and the soule against himselfe and the glory of his name and for the truth hereof observe this all outward meanes are too scant too narrow too short to breake the union betweene the soule and sinne as it is with the body of a man if there were a great and an old distemper in a mans stomacke if a man should put a rich doublet upon him and lay him in a Featherbed and use all other outward meanes this would doe him no good because the disease is within and is become as it were another nature in him it is an old distemper that hath eaten into his very bowels and therefore all outward meanes cannot make a separation betweene the disease and the body because the disease being inward they cannot come neare it Iust so it is with the soule of a man a mans heart will have his sinne there is an inward combination betweene the soule and sinne now all meanes as the Word and the like is outward and can doe no good in this kind they cannot break the union betweene a mans heart and his corruptions unlesse God give a blessing to these meanes unlesse the Lord by his Almighty power and
infinite wisedome make a separation betweene sinne and the soule and dissolve this union The soule saith I will have my sinne and I will have my life and I will have my God though I die for it there is a strong league 〈◊〉 betweene the heart of a sinner and his lusts 〈◊〉 therefore all outward meanes cannot possibly breake this league looke as it is wiâ—h a strong stomack if you give it any ordinary meate the strength of the stomake is above the meate and turnes the meate into the nature of it selfe â—o it is with a corrupt heart that hath made a league 〈◊〉 his lusts all outward meanes and of 〈…〉 God a corrupt heart converts them and 〈◊〉 them aside to his everlasting destruction the instrumentall cause is alwayes under the 〈◊〉 the soule of a man is a soveraigne commander this way all outward meanes are but instrumentall mâ—ses and the heart of a man is above them and therefore they may as well â—arden a man as soften his heart and humble his soule a man can receive no good thereby unlesse it please God to overpower this distemper that is in a man and break the neare union and firme league that is betweene sinne and the soule Secondly as there is a neare union betweene sinne and the soule so in the second place as from the knitting of the parts of a stone together there comes a strength to resist the blow so there is a marvelous power a soveraigne command that sinne setteth up and Sathan possesseth in the soule nay so strong a power it is for therein lyeth the strength of the argument that nothing can over-power it and overcome it but the Almighty come it power of the Lord for this is the meaning of that place â— Cor. 15.56 of Saint Paul 1 Corinth 15.56 The sting of a eath is sinne and the strength of sinne is the Law so that a man may see so strong as the Law is so strong is sinne and therefore the strength there of must needs be great I open that place of the Apostle thus The sting of death is sinne and the strength of sinne is the Law looke as it is with a King when a male factour is apprehended and convicted of high treason the king giveth up the malefactour into the hand of the jaylour and giveth him authoritie to keepe him in what prison or dungeon 〈◊〉 will and tyrannize over him as he list the jaylour now hath not power of himselfe onely but is armed also with authority from the King he hath a commission from the King that hee may dispose of the Traytour as hee pleaseth hee may keepe him in what prison hee will and tyrannize over him as he pleaseth and as hee seeth good and the reason is because hee hath authority from the King to backe him and he hath as much authority as the King because the King doth this by him so it is with the blessed will of God every poore soule rebells against him and breakes his Lawes and therefore the Lord taketh notice of it and treason is brought against him and hee is condemned for it and then he delivers him up into the power of sinne and into the hands of the devill as who should say Take him sinne and take him Sathan and hale him into damnation and tyrannize over him according to your owne minds thus God giveth them authority over him mee thinkes I heare the Lord say thus Let all occasions domineere over him let all corruptions take place in him hee hath opposed my Lawes I will never helpe him more hee hath transgressed my Commandements my Spirit shall never assist him more take him sinne take him Sathan and dispose of him according to your owne pleasure so that now sinne and Sathan have not onely their owne power over this soule but they have power from God and they are backed with authority from the Law in this kind Sathan may say This soule must 〈◊〉 damned I have Law for it by the vertue of the Law I prevaile against him and domineere over him God hath given mee authoritie to tyrannize over him thus the strength of sinne in the Law Now he that must come and rescue this soule and deliver it from the power of sinne and Sathan must be able to equalize and answer the strength of the Law and this none can doe the Law of God none can beare the strength of it but he that is perfect God none but the Lord Iesus Christ none can deliver the soule and rescue it from the power of sinne and Sathan but hee this is the reason of that unconceiveable and admirable power that a mans corruptions have over him a man would wonder to see that a base lust or corruption should so domineere and tyrannize over a man and make a man such a slave thereunto the reason is because the strength of sinne is the Law God in his just judgement hath given over a sinner into the hand of sinne and Sathan now the Lord Iesus onely commeth and taketh away this power and over commeth this strength for the rescuing of a poore soule this way and hereby wee may conceive that the wisedome and power of Gods mercy goeth beyond the power and wisedome of Gods justice as I may so say for what saith the Law and what doth the justice of God require the Law saith Doe and live justice faith if Adam dee obey the Commandements of God hee shall be saved if Adam sinne he shall be damned But then the wisedome and power of Gods mercy comes and saith a man shall not die though he doth not keepe all Gods Commandements but how is this done namely this way Christ which is perfect God and man commeth and suffereth for man hee comes and doth that which man should have done and therefore though man doe it not yet he shall not be condemned so that our Saviour by his death did satisfie for us and gave full contentment to the Law of God so that now the justice of God hath nothing to say to a poore soule and Christ by his resurrection he did overcome the power 〈…〉 and Satan so that now marke what followes if any thing hindereth the soule from being saved it is because either Gods justice is not satisfied or else because the power of sinne and Satan is not abated but Christ by his death did satisfie the Law of God and by his resurrection did overcome sinne and Satan and therefore these cannot hinder it from salvation and this is the ground how it commeth â—o passe that the Lord onely and no 〈…〉 can deliver a soule from the strength of 〈…〉 power of Satan which have the strength of the Law to backe them Thirdly as in a stone there is a close setting 〈◊〉 a neare knitting of the parts thereof together 〈◊〉 whence comes the hardnesse thereof and secondly as from this hardnesse there proceedes strength and as in the third place from this strength ariseth a resistance against
why though you be not able yet here is the comfort of a poore foule the worke is the Lords and he whose worke it is is able to bring it to passe what though thou beest weake yet God is strong and therefore quiet thy soule and content thy heart a man may say I have a hard heart from within and it will receive no good from without the Word prevailes not the Sacraments have no power over me why all the meanes and cost and charges that God hath bestowed upon me is lost and my heart is not yet humbled my corruptions are not yet weakened be yet comforted though meanes cannot doe it which God useth at his pleasure though these cannot doe it yet the Lord can doe it there is nothing hard or difficult to him that hath hardnesse it selfe at command hee is a God which hath all things at command hee can command the devill himselfe and therefore hee hath the hardnesse of thy heart at command also there is nothing hard to him that hath hardnesse at his command nay though all things be impossible to man yet nothing is impossible with God God can doe what man not meanes cannot the Lord hee sheweth mercy upon us why because wee will no because he wills and though we cannot cast away our sinnes yet the Lord will remove them Oh then saith the soule this is somewhat comfortable that the Lords mercie depends not upon my will but upon Gods will And I would tell you somewhat by experience in this kinde for I knew one that was over whelmed with dispaire a whole yeare together because hee thought hee had committed the sinne against the holy Ghost and yet at last was comforted by this meanes he refolved with himselfe if my conversion were in my will onely then I should be damned but it is not because I will but because God will doe good to my poore soule aye but the soule will say I confesse it is not in my will but it is in Gods will that hee sheweth mercy and this is some comfort yet but oh my corruptions are old sinnes of a long time can those be pardoned they are become as another nature in me can those therefore be removed yes the Lord is able to remove those also for saith the Prophet the Lord hath laid salvation upon the mightie so that though thy corruptions be mightie and powerfull yet there is a mighty God that is able to undoe that cursed combination that is betweene thy soule and thy corruptions and therefore quiet thy selfe in the consideration hereof and say I must confesse that I have many corruptions but the mighty Lord of hosts hath promised that hee will take away my stony heart and give me a heart of flesh and hee is able to doe it also be herein quieted and supported and looke up to heaven for comfort In the third place it is a word of exhortation to all those that are in the bond of iniquitie and under the power of Satan to those which carry a stony heart about them it is a word of exhortation to these see your owne wants and be exhorted in the name of the Lord Iesus to have recourse to this great God and intreate him to take away your stony heart from you looke as it is with men if there be a Physition of excellent skill that cures all diseases that are brought unto him why then all men will repaire to him why so it is here God alone is able to doe this cure for us and herefore he should have our custome if a man should set up a bill upon the market post that he would cure all that come to him which were troubled with the stone in the reines or any other grievous disease and if wee should meete with many comming from him that were healed by him why then wee would be ready to say such a one went and hee was healed such a one went and hee was cured and this will stirre up all to repaire unto him and every one would bring those that appertaine unto them and were troubled with this disease unto him that they might be cured by him the Lord hath set up a bill this day that he will cure all those that come unto him of their stony heart and all the Sonnes of God have found proofe hereof to the comfort of their owne soules the Lord is hee that will doe this hee will take away your stony heart you wives therefore that have husbands which have stony hearts and you parents that have children that are troubled with stony hearts goe home with comfort and tell them that you have heard this day of a Phisitian that will undertake to cure them of this disease and exhort them therefore to repaire unto him Our Saviour Christ when hee had healed many of their diseases the Text saith in the third of Matthew That all came unto him and brought their sicke that hee might heale them In the bowells of the Lord Iesus be intreated you that have stony hearts to goe unto the Lord that so you may be cured you were better have a milstone about your neckes then have this stony heart we have all of us this stony heart more or lesse as it is with a man that hath beene cured of a disease perhaps the disease is much mitigated but there will still be much weakenes and some reliques of the disease remaining in him a long time after So the Sonnes of God have the strength of this stony heart somewhat lessened and abated in them but they are not altogether freed from it but those that were never cured of this disease those that never had this stony heart in any measure removed they were better have a milstone about their neckes for it will sinke them into the bottomlesse pit of hell and destruction if death take them away while they carrie this stony heart about them they will be surely damned therefore 〈◊〉 them as they love their owne soules be 〈…〉 and perswaded to come to this Physitian God 〈◊〉 I will take away your stony hearts and I will 〈◊〉 you hearts of flesh come therefore and 〈…〉 selves to the hammer of God that your stony hearts may be taken away when you 〈◊〉 this Ministers teach then say Lord I beseech 〈◊〉 teach thou mee in the meane time when the Minister perswades then say Lord doe thou over rule and perswade this sinnefull heart of mine take thou away this power of corruptions which is in my heart and remove thou the rebellions of my heart goe home and be exhorted to goe to this Physition and importune the Lord in this case put him in minde of all those many savours which he hath vouchsafed to you put the Lord in remembrance of that which he hath desired in his Word Oh that people had such hearts as would feare me and keepe my Commandements alwayes say unto the Lord that it is as easie for him to create such hearts in you as to
wish you had such hearts put the Lord in minde of his promise and tell him that hee hath promised that hee will take away their rebellions from his people and that he will give them a new heart and renew a right spirit within them and hee will cause them to walke in his wayes and intreate him for the Lord Iesus Christs sake to make good this promise unto you intreate the Lord to consider what a deale of honour shall redound unto his name if he shall cure your poore soules downe upon your knees and pray to God that he would heale you of this disease and say unto him that thou hast heard he is a mercifull God and that hee will take away the stony heart from his people and beseech him for his mercy sake that hee would take away thy stony heart nay tell him that if hee will cure thee thou wilt helpe him to a great many patients tell him that thou wilt tell thy neighbours of it and exhort them to come unto him that they may be healed by him come close to God and say Father hast thou not desired that people had such hearts as would feare thee and keepe thy Commandements alwayes Hast not thou promised that thou wilt powre cleane water upon thy people and thou wilt take away their stony hearts and give unto them fleshy hearts Say Lord what a great deale of honour thou shalt have hereby I will exhort all that have stony hearts to goe unto thee that they may be cured and therefore for thy promise sake and for the honour of thy names sake I beseech thee to take away my stony heart and give me a heart of flesh Doe thus and you shall 〈◊〉 a great deale of comfort to your poore soules thereby LUKE 19.42 If thou 〈…〉 knowne as least in this thy day the things belonging to thy 〈◊〉 ACcording to our purpose we have proceeded thus farre in the point of preparation wee have spoken of the five generall circumstances thereof the first whereof was this the mercy of God is free secondly a man must will to receive Christ and grace before he shall have Christ and grace thirdly he that doth will Christ truly shall have Christ and salvation by him These three wee have handled out of the 22. of the Revelations the 17. The fourth was that a man by nature cannot receive Christ and grace and that wee handled out of 1 Cor. 2.14 The fift was howsoever a soule by nature cannot receive Christ and salvation yet God will bring the soules of his to prize Christ and approve of him and bee willing to entertaine him and then he will bestow Christ and salvation upon them this wee handled out of Ezek. 11.19 and in this worke of God in the preparing of a soule for himselfe there are two further circumstances to be considered in regard of the time when God will doe this and the first circumstance is in regard of the meanes the second in regard of the men which are to bee wrought upon and so wee have a trouble consideration in regard of the time when God will thus prepare the soule of a poore sinner for himselfe the first is in respect of the meanes and that is this when the Gospel of life and salvation is sent and revealed to a people and continued to a people if ever God worke upon the hearts of men if ever hee meanes to bring people to the knowledge of the things belonging to their peace it is then when the Lord is pleased to send his faithfull Ministers among them discover the meanes of life and salvation â—nto them The second circumstance is in regard of the men that God will work upon some sooner some later some in their young and tender age some in their middle age and in their ripe yeares and some though very few in their old age few are called when they are old God calls some such but very few as wee shall heare hereafter Wee will handle now the circumstance of time in regard of the meanes when God doth purpose good into a man or towne or a country or a kingdome namely when the Lord sends his Gospel among them his faithfull Ministers to discover the meanes of 〈◊〉 unto them and for this purpose I have this 〈◊〉 Text. And first to make way for our selves and then to presse on unto the point we must therefore understand that our Saviour Christ came in the last day of asking as it were to Ierusalem they had had many Priests to teach them and many Prophets to exhort them and a great many of means of life and salvation vouchsafed unto them now when Christ was comming towards the city and saw it a far off and foâ—â— saw also the desolation that should come upon it his bowells yearned within him towards the people and he mourned secretly within himselfe Oh these famous monuments and goodly buildings shall all be layd waste thou hast had many Priests to advise thee and many Prophets to instruct thee in the wayes of life but now those dayes are gone and past Nay the great Prophet of the world Christ Iesus is now come to woe thee to receive the things belonging to thy peace and yet thy heart is hardned and thou will not receive the things belonging to thy peace and therefore now I will turne my preaching into mourning and sighing Oh Ierusalem Ierusalem that thou hadst knowne at least in this thy day the things belonging to thy peace but now they are hidden from thine eyes now those golden dayes are gone and the gate of mercy is shut there is no more meanes of grace and salvation offered the Gospell shall never more be vouchsafed unto thee and because thou hast rejected the meanes of salvation offered they shall never more be granted so that now here we have the passing peale of Ierusalem by our Saviour look as it is with a man that is carrying to be buried his wife shee weepes and his children they mourne and his firiends they lament So it is here our Saviour he followes Ierusalem to the grave as it were and when hee could doe no more for it then hee weepes and mournes over it Oh that thou hadst knowne in this thy day the things belonging to thy peace and the exhortation that here Christ presseth upon Ierusalem depends upon three circumstances the first is taken from the nature of the things offered her and revealed unto her they were not matters of trifles but they were things belonging to her peace the second is in regard of the time at least in this thy day as who should say this is the last day of asking the last time that ever these things shall bee offered unto thee and therefore this ought to move thee to give entertainment to the exhortation of thy Saviour The third is in regard of the person Christ Iesus requested this that might have commanded it he intreats and requests it nay with weeping he
every Christian man living wee are all travellers here below wee are all bound for heaven though a man finde rough wayes and cold weather though a man have many troubles many disgraces cast upon his person many reproches put upon his name yet this may be his comfort there is day enough before a man it is faire weather above head the preaching of the Word may cheere a man and the meanes of life and happinesse may comfort a man that walkes in the way unto salvation in 1 Pet. 1. â—0 the Teâ—t saith that the antient Prophets enquired and sought diligently when Christ should come when the means of salvation should be revealed of which salvation â— Pet. 1.10 saith the text the Prophets have enquired and searched diligently who prophesied of the grace that should come c. all the antient Fathers before enjoyed onely the Mooneshine and the Starre-light of the Gospell and therfore in the 2 Pet. 1.19 The Apostle saith 2 Pet. 1.19 We have also a more sure Word of prophesie whereunto you doe well that you take heede as unto a light that shineth in a darke place untill the day dawne and the day-starre arise in your hearts as who should say when Christ came when the Gospell was revealed the Sonne of righteousnesse did then clearely appeare if they that expected those things onely were thankefull for them then what should we be that enjoy these helpes for the cheering of us helping of us and comforting of us in the wayes of salvation it is a speech of the Prophet David Give me understanding that I may live it is an observation of holy men out of this place that a man doth not live because he growth a tree doth so a man doth not live because hee feeles and sees and heares and hath the sensible facultie the beasts doe so a man doth not live because hee reasons the devills doe so but give mee understanding that I may live wee live not as holy men unlesse we understand the wayes of God unlesse wee know the things belonging to our peace here 〈◊〉 hereafter we live not because we are wise for the devill is wiser than any man living but give me understanding that I may live that I may understand the things of God this is the wisedome of it Christian whereby hee shall come to 〈◊〉 eternall happinesse many in the East parts of the workâ— worship the devill they never so much as heard 〈◊〉 thing of Christ Iesus and the glad 〈…〉 Gospell and therefore is it not a wonder 〈…〉 that God hath continued us untill this time wherein the meanes of salvation are so fully reâ—â—â—led You that are going on in the roade way 〈◊〉 destruction all you that are in a naturall estate 〈◊〉 God should plucke you out of the land of the living what should become of your poore soules it is a great mercy that God doth yet vouchsafe life unto you but that you may heare the Word and enjoy the meanes of salvation what a comfort is this A Plowman if hee hath but a fit opportunitie of sowing plowing or reaping hee is thankefull for it and hee ought so to be for it is a great goodnesse of God to afford unto him seasonable weather to sow and gather in the fruits of the earth in the time here of late when by reason of unseasonablenesse of weather famine was feared and yet God gave a seasonable time afterwards to ripen gather the fruits of the earth I appeale to your owne consciences did not this coÌ„fort you did not this cheare you Nay could not people come and be thankefull to God for such blessings and say it was a good season God be blessed Gods name be praised for it Was this such a goodly season wherein you might fill your barnes full of corne and your purses full of money Why then had we eyes to see and hearts to conceive what is that season that blessed season of salvation those good dayes that have passed over our heads wherein many have injoyed the opportunitie and meanes of salvation twentie thirtie yea fortie yeares Oh blessed season the Sunne never saw the like nay the whole world wonders at this marvellous mercy that the Lord hath vouchsafed to us in this Land Shall we enjoy all these blessings and yet not be thankefull for them and prise them as we ought and walke worthy of them as we might Oh let it not be so with us but you that can be thankefull for a plentifull harvest when you may gather money into your coffers oh be thankefull be thankefull for the meanes of salvation vouchsafed unto you whereby you may fill your soules full of comfort and therefore goe your wayes in secret and be thankefull to God that you live and if you have received grace blesse God that ever you saw that day if you have not received grace yet blesse God that yet you breathe and that you may seeke unto him and waite upon him in the use of the meanes that so you may receive mercy and salvation from him blesse God that thou hast the Sunne-shine of the Gospell shining in thy face that thou hast the day before thee that thou mayst trade therein and receive comfort thereby Secondly is it so that while life lasts and the meanes of salvation is continued and vouchsafed unto us that this is our day that this is the season wherein God will shew mercy unto us what use then will you make of this for the present what will you say and what will you now perswade your hearts unto why me thinkes every man answers and every mans soule ecchoeth againe surely if this be the time if this be the season let us take it then since the Lord offereth this and continueth this we ought then to be intreated in the name of the Lord Iesus to take this opportunitie and not omit any season wherein the Lord calleth upon us that so wee may obtaine the end of our hopes the desire of our soules even salvation hereafter Redeeme the time because the dayes are evill saith the Apostle that is because the time is now therefore take the opportunitie it is the use that the Apostle makes While yee have time doe good unto all men then much more to our soules if we must doe good to our neighbours then much more to that poore soule of ours that is miserably oppressed with sinne that is in a dainned and cursed estate Oh but there are many arguments whereby Satan laboureth to defeate this truth and many shiftes the soule hath to put off this that hath beene spoken give me leave a little to wipe away those carnall conceits and cavills The first is this the soule will be ready to say I confesse it is true indeede that when the opportunitie is we should take it but that may be hereafter who knoweth whither this be my time or no my opportunitie or no I answer with the Apostle Paul while I am speaking and you are
refused Pro. 1.24 because I stretched out my hand and none would regard but ye have despised all my counselle and yee would none of my correction I will also laugh at your destruction and mocke when your feare commeth when your feare commeth like sudden desolation and your destruction as a whirlewind There was a time when the Lord called to all despisers of grace and refusers of mercie how long and how often but they that would not heare the time will come when the Lord will say I will laugh at your destruction when a poore sinnefull creature at the day of judgement shall come before the Lord of glory the devill drawing him and then the Lord shall laugh at him and say how often have I sent unto you and called upon you and you would not heare nor regard me Behold men and Angels this is the man this is hee that contemned my Word and slighted the meanes of salvation and therefore laugh at him mocke at his destruction Oh what will become of that man then when the Lord of mercy shall not onely take mercy from him when the God of goodnesse shall not onely take goodnesse from him but shall laugh at his confusion and shall rejoyce when hee executes his judgements upon this man to his everlasting destruction and therefore I beseech you take heede of this dangerous conceit The fourth shift is this if all will not work upon the soule then it falls upon this is it so that grace and mercie being neglected they shall never be obtained why then it takes up this conclusion if I never have grace and mercy then I can live without it oh foole if there were any creature of this distemper in this congregation I may speake terrible things unto that soule when a man is brought to this passe that he cares not what becomes of his soule when hee sayes what matter is it if I have not grace is this such a losse When a soule is come to this oh then he is in a miserable cōdition in a woefull lamentable estate is it no matter to be saved is it no matter to be comforted is it no matter to be glorified eternally what matter is it to lose grace Nay what availeth it to live frolickely here and miserably hereafter What matter is it to neglect grace here and to be deprived of glory hereafter is this no matter Let me say to you as the man of God did to his servant 2 Kings 5.26 2 King 5.26 Is this a time to take money and receive garments and olives and vineyards and sheepe and oxen So say I is this a time to live frolickely and merrily Is this a time for a man to follow cursed companions and embrace sinnefull corruptions is this a time for a man to follow the world and the vanities thereof and in the meane time neglect the meanes of life and salvation No no know it is the day of God the day of grace our soules lie at pawne if these opportunities be omitted woe and griefe and paine and wormewood will be upon that man by whom they be neglected he that despiseth these meanes here shall live miserably hereafter everlasting happinesse and glory depends upon this opportunitie tell not me it is a day of marchandise and you must provide for your families I tell you it is a day of salvation hast thou time to provide for thy house and familie and not for thy soule and for thy ever lasting happinesse So then gather up all briefely and the scope will be this it is now the most opportune time and therefore the fittest it is the day of salvation therefore the shortest it is the day of visitation and therefore the greatest commoditie the opportunity is the fittest the day is the shortest the commoditie the greatest and what remaineth now but that the Lord will worke this upon your soules that he which spake this to Ierusalem whilst he lived on earth may speake the same to you though now in glory and perswade your hearts to entertaine this opportunitie to make use of this day and embrace this commoditie But if all meanes will not perswade men hereunto then the last use is an use of exhortation unto us all to pitty the case of such men and to shew remorse for the desolation of those that neglect the meanes of their salvation If wee cannot perswade you yet give us leave to mourne for you if our perswasions will not take place in your soules yet I hope you will give us leave to goe in secret and let our eyes droppe downe teares for the miserable desolation that will fall upon those that neglect the meanes of life and happinesse you must not thinke to passe thorough Purgatory you must not thinke to goe to heaven whither you will or no me thinks I see a poore creature that slighted mercy salvation when it was offered unto him me thinkes I see that soule lying upon his death bed light is departing from his eyes his soule is departing from his body his body is a burthen to him in regard of his disease and his conscience a hell unto him in regard of his sinnes oh the name of a Minister of a Church they are all as bills of inditements comming against the soule of this man me thinkes I heare such a man say at his last gaspe the day is gone the gate is shut and now it is too late to enter and thus the soule departs from the body the body to the grave and the soule to hell Oh what bitter and wofull lamentations will that soule make when it comes in hell Oh the golden time that I have seene and not regarded oh the gracious opportunities of salvation that my eyes have beheld and yet I neglected Oh the mercy and grace and goodnesse of God that have been offered unto me and I have contemned and trampled under my feet and therfore now must be tormented with the devil his angels from ever lasting to everlasting on the Lord give us hearts to take notice of these things If we cannot doe what good we would to men yet let us lament their miserable conditions wives mourne for your husbands parents mourne for your children and say the Lord hath offered the meanes of salvation both profitable and comfortable yet my husband heares not my child receives not these meanes why then mourne and lament oh my poore husband oh my child thou mightest have had grace but now it is taken from thee thou hadst the offer of salvation and now perhaps it shall never again be tendered to thee but if mercy cannot prevaile with you nor the voyce of the Ministers take place in you yet let the saftie and comfort of your owne soules move you to make much of the opportunities and meanes of grace and salvation Let every master of a family goe home and resolve and say this is my day Lord this very day may be my day and thy day the
last day that ever I shal speak the last day that you shall ever heare If I were now breathing out my last breath I would breath our this legacie to all Christians which I leave behinde me This is the accepted time this is the day of salvation He that hath an eare to heare let him now heare he that never had a heart let him now have a heart to embrace these things whilst grace and salvation is offered unto him let him entertaine this offer It doth mee good to consider if the soule of a man would but receive mercy and grace now while it is offered him this day what comfort he may have for ever both here and hereafter he might then say this day I received comfort I was never humbled before but this day I was humbled I could never before receive any mercy but this day I received it this was a good day to me Oh if men would but be exhorted to take the opportunity while it lasts and entertaine the meanes of grace and salvation while they are offered Oh what comfort might men gaine hereby then at the last day they should receive an everlasting crowne of glory they should then receive the fruits of their labours even the salvation of their soules Let us all therefore as wee love our owne soules be exhorted to entertaine the things of grace here that wee may obtaine the things of glory hereafter MATTH 20.3 4 5 6. And he went out about the third houre and saw others standing idle in the market place and said unto them Go ye also into the vineyard and whatsoever is right I will give you and they went their way Again he went out about the sixt houre ninth houre and did likewise and about the eleventh houre hee went out and saw others standing idle and saith unto them Why stand you here all the day idle They said unto him because no man hath hired us he saith unto them Go ye also into the vineyard and whatsoever is right that shall ye receive WEe have heard heretofore that all men being dead in sinnes and trespasses are so farre from working out their owne salvation from themselves as that they are not able to receive grace and mercy offered unto them from the Lord for the comforting of their hearts here and obtaining of happinesse hereafter and therefore the last generall circumstance of preparation we did handle was this That howsoever a naturall man is not able to understand the things of the Lord yet the Lord will make all those which belong unto him able to receive the Lord Iesus and then he will bestow the Lord Iesus and grace and salvation upon them Now concerning this point there are two circumstances of speciall consideration The first is the circumstance of time in regard of the meanes and that wee have already handled out of Luke 19.42 and the point then delivered was this When God continues life and the meanes of salvation to a people then this is the time when God meanes to bestow mercy and salvation upon them The second circumstance concerning the time of this worke is in respect of the men upon whom God will worke and some he workes upon in their tender age some in their riper yeares and some in their old age at all times God doth call some and this is the circumstance we will now grapple withall and for this purpose I have chosen this part of the Parable and in the Parable as in all other Parables besides the outside and letter of the Parable we must understand the sence and meaning thereof When therefore we heare in the parable of a vineyard and of the master of the vineyard and of the servants that were hired to worke in this vineyard and of the severall houres wherein they are hired these are onely the outsides of the Parable the meaning thereof is this by vineyard is meant the Church of God and by the Master of the vineyard is meant the Lord Iesus the hiring of the servants into the vineyard is nothing else but the powerfull calling of poore sinners by the worke of the Ministery to the knowledge of the truth here and happinesse hereafter and in that he calls some at one houre and some at another the meaning is that God calls some at one time some at another some in their tender yeares some in their middle age and some in their old age some older some younger but that wee may understand the sence of the Spirit in these words The third houre the sixth houre ninth houre and the eleventh houre We must understand that the Iewes and the Romanes used to divide their dayes which consisted of twelve houres into foure parts from sixe to nine was one parcell of the day from nine to twelve was the second from twelve to three was the third part and from three in the afternoone till sixe at night was the last parcell of the day Now therefore the third houre was nine of the clocke the sixt houre was twelve of the clocke the ninth houre was three of the clocke in the afternoone and the eleventh houre was five of the clocke an houre before night Now the Lord doth provide some soules for himselfe at nine a clocke in the morning some at three in the afternoone and some at the last cast at five of the clocke when the Sunne beginns to set in their old decrepit age the Lord meant to convert some unto himselfe Some understand this parable of the calling of Ministers good and bad and in that it is said here They were hired every one for a penny they understand by this that some will be Ministers for this living some for that some for preferment some also come into the Ministery for the salvation of soules but this cannot be the meaning of the Text here and the reason is this This Parable must be understood of those men of whom the last clause in the 19. Chapter is understood in the 30. Verse of the 19. Chapter the Text saith Many that are first shall be last and the last shall be first Now this Parable is set downe here in the beginning of this Chapter and brought in by the Spirit of God meerely for the manifestation of the Scripture going before therefore it is cleare that this Parable is to be understood concerning those persons spoken of before in the former Chapter Of those also this Parable must be understood to whom it is applied afterward in the 16 Verse of this Chapter it is said also The last shall be first and the first shall be last So that the case is cleare this Parable being brought in by the Spirit for the illustration discovery of the former truth therefore who ever they be that were there understood and whoever they be to whō this Parable is afterward applied of the same the Parable here must be understood but it is cleare that that Verse must be understood of those that are gracious for the
under sinne and Satan and have beene in the same condition our selves we know what it is to be shut up under a hard heart and a blind mind and distempered affections we know what it is to be prentise to the devill and therefore this should move us to deale pittifully with poore miserable captived creatures we our selves were in the same condition we our selves lived without God in the world heretofore as those do now Nay this is that which the Apostle presseth Tit 3 1 2 3. there saith the text Put them in mind to be subject to principalities and powers and to speak evill of no man to be no brawlers but gentle shewing all meeknesse unto all men for we our selves also were sometimes disobedient foolish deceiving serving divers lusts and pleasures living in malice hatefull and hating one another you that have beene prisoners and have had your soules pierced with bolts and fetters why remember your own estate and pitty poore prisoners that are now in that estate that you have formerly been in Hath the Lord opened thy eyes and humbled thy heart hath the Lord broke thy bonds and knocked off thy bolts and let thee out of prison why then pitty poore prisoners you were such once your selves hating God and hatefull one to another and that you are not so blesse God for it You know what it is to be in such a condition to be troubled with a hard heart you that have beene in prison and know what it is to have hard hearts and dead soules and blind minds why pitty poore prisoners that are in the same case and cry to heaven for help for them intreat God to free and deliver them from the bondage of sinne and Satan in the 12. of Matth. 9.10 it is that our Saviour presses upon the Pharisees there saith the text what man shall there be among you that shall have one sheep fall into a pit on the Sabbath day and will not lift it out how much then is a man better than a sheep so say I if any of you should have a child or a father or a husband fall into a Well would you not use all meanes possible to lift him out oh here one would be breathing and would scarce speake there another would be hoarse with crying help help for the Lords sake my child my father my husband is drowning thus you would do and you do well and mercifully but have you care of oxen and of the bodies of your sonnes and your fathers and husbands and have you no pitty no compassion upon their soules you that see the soules of your husbands sunk down into a durty pitt into a filthy dungeon into a drunken â—rophane course thou that seest thy wife fallen into a course of chambering and wantonnesse if thou seest this why then call and cry for succour and reliefe and pray for help and labour by all meanes possible to pluck out these soules out of the gall of bitternesse and out of the bond of iniquite labour to pluck them out of sinne here and damnation hereafter Look as a man deales with carriage if a Cart be at a stay or at a sett in the high way why then the Carter that drives it doth what he can himselfe he sets his shoulder to the wheele and labours as much as in him lyeth to lift the Cart out but if this will not doe then he craves the help of some others especially if there go two or three teames together then he gets all the other teames set to this load to draw it out and especially if the load be going then they cry it is comming it is comming and labour by all meanes possible to lift it out altogether Dost thou see the heart of thy father or the heart of thy child at a stand under pride covetousnes and prophanenesse why then pray thou what thou canst and do what thou mayst put thy shoulder to the wheele and use all meanes to pluck them out but if this will not do use all helps that can be by the supply of others and crave their help in this case intreat them to help thy father or thy child or thy husband at a dead lift say my father or my husband is sunk forty fadam deep into the earth he is buried in the world and in his corruptions especially if thâ— load be comming if he be almost perswaded to become a Christian then labour earnestly and cry one pluck for my poore husband one pluck for my poore father he is comming he is comming therefore pull pull for the Lords sake and go further and cry mightily unto the Lord that it would please him to pluck him out of the ground look up to heaven and intreat the Lord to lend his helping hand if man cannot nor neighbours will not why then look up higher unto heaven for succour and say good Lord my father is a prisoner and a bondslave to sinne and Satan therefore good Lord I beseech thee break those bonds and knock off those bolts of pride and infidelity and the like in the 12. of the Acts when Peter was taken prisoner it is said that prayer was made without ceasing of the Church unto God for him and the same night when Herod would have brought him forth Peter was sleeping between two souldiers bound in two chaynes and the Keepers before the doore kept the prison and the Angell of the Lord appeared unto him and a light shined in the prison and he raysed him up and said Peter arise and the chaines fell off from him afterwards he came unto an iron gate that lead unto the City and that opened of its own accord Why that God that was able to knock off the bonds of Peter and was able to make the iron gate open of it selfe unto him that God is able to break the bonds of sinne and Satan wherewith thy father husband or friend are fetter'd he is able to break the brasen doore of their hearts which hinders the light of the Gospell from shining in and therefore cry to this God for help and succour and mercy and say good Lord thou that wert able to break off the fetters wherewith Peter was bound and to make the iron doore to open good Lord I beseech thee do thou work upon my father my husband or my child especially that he may never be so hardened slip the lock and break in upon him and humble him here that he may be saved hereafter especially when you see the load is comming then draw oh then draw with all your power when you see their minds are inlightned and their judgements informed why then the load is comming pray therefore then to God especially for help who knowes but God may humble them and convert them to himselfe and therefore strive amayne with God use all meanes both ordinary and extraordinary for the benefit of them and this shall suffice for the first passage namely that the soule of a man by nature is
greater eagernesse than ever he did all his life time before For mark that alwayes if after God hath inlightned a mans mind and awakned his conscience he falls into his old wayes again then he is a divell he is twice as bad as he was before he followes his corruptions with such outragiousnesse as if hell were broken loose Very well he hath now broken two hooks the third hook is that which will rend him in peeces before it will let him passe when conscience seeth that the other two hooks are broken when he seeth that commands prevaile not that accusations terrifie not then the Lord exerciseth another work of conscience upon the heart of a poore sinner and that is this As conscience did before command him and peremptorily charge him upon the hazzard of everlasting life not commit sinne and secondly as it before did accuse him before God for the commission of that sinne whereby God was dishonourted and his soule polluted so in the third place conscience becomes his executioner it takes the office of an executioner upon him conscience will beare with him no longer but now draggs him down to the very place of execution he was convicted before conscience sayes unto him thy sinnes were discovered and I charged thee not to meddle with sinne any more upon paine of Gods displeasure and as thou wouldst answer it before God afterward I became an accuser of thee before God and then thou didst confesse thy sinnes and didst purpose amendment but now since thou hast slighted my commands and not regarded my accusations there is therefore no remedy but thou must go to the place of execution now there is no way but one with thee now conscience begins to condemne the soule as Divines expresse these three works of conscience by a practicall kind of reasoning and conscience reasons thus with the soule He that being often reproved hardeneth his neck he shall perish there is no remedic there is the command of conscience but thou hast often been reproved and admonished and yet hast hardoned thy heart and hast not been bettered by it there is the work of accusation and therefore thou shalt perish there is no remedy and this is the condemning work Suppose conscience should come thus unto the heart of a man he that being often reproved hardeneth his heart he shall perish saith the Lord there is no remedy but now let conscience go into every mans bosome and reason thus with him thou art the man woman or child whom counsells in private and reproofes exhortations and admonitions in publque would do no good nothing would convince thee nothing would informe thee therefore thou shalt perish man woman or child there is no remedic These are the three works of conscience and when conscience hath done this last work and performed his office of execution when he hath condemned a soule and delivered a sinner into the hand of the executioner then it is thus with this sinner after all mercies and cords of love will do no good after the commands and accusations will not prevaile then conscience sayes come damned ghosts take away this drunkard this blasphemer this adulterer this contemner of my word and throw him headlong into the pit of everlasting destruction he would not be amended let him be condemned he would not be humbled let him therefore be damned Thus conscience delivers a sinner into the hands of the jaylor into the hands of the divell and then he is amazed and thinks himselfe past hope past help past cure This is that we shall observe in conscience look as it with a debter that liveth in prison he was haply put in at first for some trifle when he is once there then all his creditors come in and one layeth a hundred pound to him and another a thousand pound and then his case is irrecoverable he is never like to come out againe so when conscience hath arrested a man and cast him into prison for his pride or for his covetousnesse or for his drunkennesse or for his adulterie and the like then mark Mercy and Goodnesse and Patience and Long-suffering come all in and arrest him and Mercy saith at my sute soe many hundreds Grace that saith at my sute soe many thousands then Patience and Long-suffering comes and sayes at my sute soe many millions and this is the wofullest plight of all When conscience is thus tormenting a sinner then patience comes and pleads against him and mercy that sueth a bond against him Mercy saith Lord I have beene wronged then commeth grace and saith Lord I have beene refused then commeth patience and saith Lord I have beene contemned I have besought him saith mercy to be reconciled but I was slighted I have waited for his amendment sayth patience but I have not beene regarded I have beene offered saith grace but yet have beene neglected Lord all thy cost and care hath beene despised they all come before the Lord and plead against the soule of a sinner justice Lord saith mercy justice Lord saith grace justice Lord saith patience wee have all beene slighted neglected and contemned and then the Lord he condemnes him and saith take him divell and execute vengeance upon him mercy was offered but he refused he would none of it and therefore mercy shall never be shewed unto him let him for ever be damned And by this time the soule perceives it selfe to be in the divells hands as it were and in the divells possession and that Satan may torment him as he please and then the soule being thus perplexed he cryeth out the divell is there do you not see him he is come for mee and I shall go and must go with him why since I must go to the divell why let mee go then nay if the soule that is thus in the jawes of the divell lie upon his death bed as soone as ever he takes a little rest the Lord terrifieth and affrighteth him in his dreames and then he riseth out of his bed and the first word hee speaks is this I must go and I will go then his friends that attend about him ask him whither he will go they tell him he is among his friends then he saith I am damned and I am going to hell and therefore let mee go the divell is comming to fetch mee and therefore I must be gone I beseech you consider this you that make nothing of conscience if it once lay hold on you with this hook it will hold you sure enough and reare your very hearts in peeces Now when the Minister in sent for to come unto apoore soule in this miserable condition when he comes haply he tells him there is a great deale of mercy and comfort with the Lord there is a great deale of grace and salvation with Christ but then the sinner when he heares of mercy is distracted and besides himselfe and sayes that is my plague that is my bane and that in the end will be my damnation if
to commit any sinne againe Iohn 16.11 there Christ saith that he will send the spirit the Comforter and he shall reprove the world of righteousnesse and of sinne and of judgement In that it is said he will reprove the world of judgement thereby is nothing else meant but that the Lord will govern men and why shall the comforter convince the world of judgement because Satan is judged saith the text that is he is kept off and cannot pluck the soule to himselfe the government that Satan had over the soule is wholly removed and Christ hath the soule under his command and the soule is contented to be wholly at at his disposing In the time that Christ lived upon the earth when the divells did possesse the bodies of men the Lord saith unto them I charge thee thou uncleane spirit to come out so the Lord saith now to the divell that hath taken possession of the soules of those men which do belong to the election of grace after the Lord hath rent a poore sinner from his corruptions and haled him to himselfe then he saith come out of him Satan and never rule him more never take place in him more and then he takes the soule into his hands that he may governe him and dispose of him according to his owne good will and pleasure This wee see the cords whereby God draweth a sinner to himselfe First he inlightens the mind and reveales to the soule of a sinner that he is in a wrong way and that he must take another course if ever he meane to come at heaven and then the layes the cords of mercy and the cords of conscience upon him whereby he constraines and forces him to come unto him and the last is the cord of the Spirit whereby he doth take the soule out of the hands of Satan into his owne possession The next thing to be considered is the reasons why the Lord by a holy kind of violence Reasons or Arguments thus drawes a sinner from corruption to himselfe the arguments are three The first is taken from those tear me whereby the Scripture discovereth this work of God upon the soule of a sinner Matth. 12.29 there saith our Saviour No man commeth into a strong mans house but first he overcomes and binds the strong man before he takes possession of his house and spoyles his goods this is the parable the meaning is this the house is nothing else but the heart of a sinner the strongman is nothing else but sinne and Satan the divell and sinne taking possession of and ruling in the soule of a sinner and this is the wofull condition of many men that think their penny good silver and beare their heads aloft howsoever they lift their heads so high yet their soules are nothing else but habitations for the divell now Satan ruling and overpowering the soule by sinne is the strong man that usurps authority over the soule by reason of the corruptions that prevayle over the soule for if there were not sinne within the soules of men there were no power that Satan could usurp over men now observe it the Lord Iesus is the stronger man and before he can come and take possession of the soule and work effectually in the soule he must bind Satan and take away the weapons of Satan and then when he hath bound him and overcome him then he takes possession of the soule this is the meaning of the parable Now I reason thus conquering binding and slaying imply a kind of violence Satan will not come out by intreaty the devill must be commanded to go out or else drawn out by a kind of violence if all the Angells in heaven and all the men on earth should intreat Satan to come out of the soule he would not come out but this implyeth a holy kind of violence that Christ offereth to corruptions in the soule when he drawes the soule from sinne to himselfe In another place it is said that Christ came to destroy the works of the divell Ioh. 3.8 those works are the sinfull corruptions that were at first put into the soule by the delusion of Satan when he tempted our first parents to eat of the forbidden fruit Now Christ commeth to destroy those works now the works of Satan will not destroy themselves sinne and Satan will not bind and overcome themselves the enemy will not come out of his hold willingly but the work that must be put forth for the binding conquering and destroying of those must needs imply a work of constraint and holy violence which is offered A man offers violence to his enemy when he binds him a man offers violence to his enemy when he overcomes him a man offers violence to his enemy when he flayes and destroyes him such is the work of the Lord when he takes possession of a soule this way and this is the interpretation of Divines in this case they say that the Lord doth take away that deadnesse and stupidity of heart whereby it may lay hold on grace if it resist not the good motions of the Spirit The second Argument The second Argument is taken from the naturall union betweene the soule and corruption and then I reason thus one contrary expells another from a naturall subject by constraint and compulsion but the spirit as a contrary doth drive out sinne from the soule in the work of preparation as a contrary thereunto and therefore must do it by constraynt and compulsion Wee will open both the parts of the Argument I say one contrary driveth out another by violence and constraynt as for example wheresoever heat is if it commeth to drive out cold it doth it by a certaine kind of violence for the ground of all constraint ariseth from the crossenesse and contrariety that things have one to another wee need no constraint to to make things doe that which is naturall unto them as to make fire hot or a Lyon fierce or a Wolfe ravenous but he that will make a Lyon become a Lamb and he that will make a wolfe become a Kidd he that doth this must offer a kind of violence to the nature of the Lyon and of the Wolfe and break the combination that is betweene the fiercenesse of the thing and the thing it selfe so that it is cleare that one contrary driveth out another from a naturall subject by constraint and violence and that sinne is naturally in a corrupt heart is evident Ioh. 3.6 whatsoever is born of the flesh is flesh that is whosoever commeth from Adam is rooted in sinne now mark sinne being thus naturally in the soule the Spirit of grace and the Lord Iesus when he commeth to drive away sinne from the soule breaketh that neere union that is between sinne and the soule by a holy kind of violence Gal. 6.17 there saith the Apostle from henceforth let no man trouble mee for I beare in my body the marks of the Lord Iesue the Lord Iesus breaking
this naturall and neare union between sinne and the soule must offer a kind of violence upon the soule otherwise this union could not be parted To speak punctually to every ones capacity I appeale to any here present is it not a violence to pluck a branch from the tree or an arme from the body every man will say you â—â—are and pluck it the arme naturally is knit to the body and the branch naturally growes to the tree our sinnes are as arme to the body and our corruptions as branches to the tree therefore the Lord Iesus when he comes to pluck off these armes and cut off those branches must offer a kind of violence to the soule before this union and combination betweene sinne and the soule will be parted and broken this is the second reason if there be such a naturall neare union betweene sinne and a corrupt heart then if God will pluck corruption from the soule and sever this union he must offer a kind of violence but there is a naturall neere union and league betweene sinne and the soule and therefore the Lord must dissolve this league and breake this union by a kind of violence and constraint The third and last argument is this The third Argument As in regard of that union that is betweene the soule and sinne the soule must by a holy kind of violence be drawn from sinne so also in the second place if wee consider that soveraigne kind of power that sinne hath over the soule and prevaileth within the soule which kind of resistance and soveraign command must be drawne away and removed from the soule we shall see that this cannot be done unlesse there be an almighty hand to work this and offer a kind of conquering and constraining violence upon the soule in this case the soveraigne rule that sinne doth exercise in the soule is such that unlesse the Lord by his almighty hand doth overpower this there is no kind of prevailing in the soule of a sinner in this case now to shew how the Lord Iesus doth overpower the strength of sinne and corruption observe it in two particulars how the Lord Iesus is pleased miraculously to overpower that rule which sinne hath over the soule the first is this The soule of a sinner being wholly possessed with and defiled by corruptions is so farre carried against God that it doth nothing but resist against God it is naturally so farre overwhelmed and possessed with sinne in every kind that it doth nothing but resist nay it can do nothing but resist the work of the spirit it beateth back the work of the spirit that it may not work upon it nor take place in it Ier. 2.31 there saith the text oh generation see yee the word of the Lord have I been a wildernesse unto Israel a land of darknesse wherefore say my people we are Lords we will come no more unto thee as who should say do you think to rule us or do you think that your commands shall take place with us no no our corruptions corruptions are our Lords wee will come at you no more we will neither heare your words nor obey your commands in this kind Secondly when the soule doth nothing but resist when the Lord would work upon the heart when the soule beateth back the work of the Spirit and doth nothing nay can do nothing but resist the Lord Iesus the Lord Iesus then takes away that stony heart he gives us a fleshy heart whereby we may lay hold on the meanes and be fitted to receive the good motions of the Spirit There is an old phrase which Saint Austin propounded in his time and Divines take it up with one consent in this case and that is this that God of an unwilling will doth make a willing will the word being truly interpreâ—ed I desire no more for the work in hand which implyeth a holy kind of violence to be offered thereunto and expressed thereupon before the work can be brought to passe For the opening of the poynt observe these particulars in the sentence before spoken of that I may speak punctually and precisely first the soule of a man naturally is altogether unwilling to receive grace secondly that the Lord doth bring willingnesse out of this unwillingnesse as light out of darknesse thirdly that God must take away this unwillingnesse before he can bring willingnesse into the soule lastly wherein lieth the strength of the poynt the Lord he only must do this unwillingnesse will not destroy it selfe the soule is altogether corrupt corruption will not destroy it selfe and therefore there is nothing else in the soule of a sinner but only the Almighty hand of God and his conquering power that must take away this unwillingnesse and put willingnesse into the soule The Text saith in the Corinthians 2. Cor. 4.6 that God bringeth light out of darknesse how must he do this why he must first destroy darknesse before he can bring light out of it for one contrary cannot make up another both remaining but darknesse must be destroyed before light can be brought forth So it is with the soule God brings willingnesse out of unwillingnesse first therefore he must destroy this unwillingnesse he must destroy that darknesse that is in the soule before he can bring willingnesse and light to the soule he must conquer that resistance against the Spirit which is in the soule before he can make it plyable and frameable to his owne will and pleasure It is a pretty passage Acts 9. there Paul went into the field against Christ and pitched a combate betweene Christ and him he had gotten letters from the Synagogue of Damascus and hee was resolutely bent to kill and slay all poore Christians when he came the Lord Iesus met him by the way and there was a fight betweene the Lord and Paul and in all reason he was resolved to fight against God to try it out to the last now the Lord met him and the battell was fought and the Lord Christ overcame him and what followeth instead of fierce resisting the Lord hee comes to submit himselfe humbly to the Lord he doth not only put off the act of resisting but the will of resisting also as we may see vers 6. there saith the text he trembling and astonished said Lord what wilt thou have me for to doe Saul Saul why persecutest thou me saith the Lord it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks Why Lord saith he what wilt thou have me to do Paul was not willing to take up his owne heart for that was madd against the Lord but he did submit himselfe and his will unto Christ Briefly then to gather up the point if it be so that the Lord doth destroy and bind and conquer Satan if the Lord break that naturall union and combination that is betweene sinne and the soule if it be so that the Lord by his almighty power and conquering hand doth overcome the power of sinne in the
beene enlightned the child happily replyeth alas father when I knew no other I must confesse I did no better but when the Lord hath once given us the truth let us walke in it I must follow the example of no man in this kind the Minister told me that there was no expectation of mercy unlesse I turned from my sinnes the text was plaine and the Minister said that we must walk in Gods Commandements here if ever we meane to reigne with him in glory hereafter Oh then saith the father I would the Minister had beene farre enough off when hee put this into your head and if hee see that this will not prevaile with the child then hee sets another upon him hee sends his carnall friends after him he sets a carnall gospeller one that hath beene twice dead and pluckt up by the roots as Saint Iude speakes upon him Iude 12. and he bids him see what he can do in this case and then he comes and closeth with him with all the carnall counsell and wicked devices that can bee invented and marke how he sets upon him Friend saith he I heare you attend upon the Ministery of the Gospell I am very glad to heare it but yet be wary and wise though too much is too much in this case your head is not yet gray if you had had the experience that I have you would then perhaps know as much as I know be wise I say in this kind but I pray understand me aright I do not speak against holinesse all this while I beseech you do not mistake me so for I am glad with all my heart that there is such a change wrought in you and that you take up such a good course but this is that I say Be religious and wise both together blessed be God my friend we have a glorious Church many wise men and yet they require not so much and they performe not so much they will drink and bee merry and why should you exact more than these wise men aye but replyeth the child I cannot tell what wise men say and what they do I must not do as they do but as God commands the Text saith Be yee holy as I am holy and bee yee pure as Christ is pure 1. Ioh. 3.3 can a man be more holy than Christ can a man be more pure than Christ in this case I know not what men do but I am sure the word gives no such allowance and now they think the matter is past hope when carnall counsell cannot prevaile nor cursed devices take place then they think the matter is past cure and therefore they pursue him with deadly indignation they put such taunts upon him and follow him with such scoffes that the heart of the poore creature is even wearied and tyred and so departs from his God and all good courses and so hee falls into wicked courses againe and runnes downe headlong into hell And this is one cord which the wicked the devills factors lay upon a poore sinner to pluck him from God you that are guilty of this you must see into these things and be humbled for this or else you must look to suffer that judgement which is due to the commission of this sinne you must know you go professely against the Lord and therefore you must needs bee in a miserable condition Secondly if this cord be broken then the Lord hath another cord the Lord makes a sinner apprehend the mercy of God hee heares the Minister how he speaks of Gods wonderfull love and goodnesse in that he will not only accept poore sinners and entertaine them when they come but command them to come and not only so but intreates and beseeches them to come and receive mercy from him nay hee waites for our amendment and cryes out oh when will it once bee and when a poore sinner heares this this even melts his heart and he resolves never to follow his sinnes more and then he comes home and tells his father or his master what wonderfull goodnesse God hath beene pleased to make knowne unto him I saith hee could not have thought so much I could not have conceived so much what that God should stoope to man and majesty to misery that God should not only offer grace and give a sinner leave to take grace but that God should follow such a wretch as I am with mercy and intreat mee to bee saved what admirable and wonderfull goodnesse is this Father or master shall I be so unnaturall as to neglect this mercy and kindnesse oh let it never bee for the Lord Iesus sake Thus the father or the master seeth his child or his servant going away from his evill courses which he had formerly taken up the father feeles which way the child is going and he followes after him amaine and labours to pluck away this cord with another and therefore thus he answereth It is true indeed there is a great deale of mercy endlesse boundlesse mercy with the Lord therefore let us make use of this mercy sonne and let us take this goodnesse servant in this case the Lord will not onely provide for the good of our soules but for the good of our bodies also as the Lord requireth that wee should performe service to him so hee requireth also that we should have a care of our owne estates and therefore take heed of growing into too nice a course bee not too extreame this way for the Lord doth not require such exactnesse of you that thereby you should impoverish your estate beware therefore of too much precisenesse I say lest you bring thereby disgrace to your selfe and dammage to your estate and hazzard to your life the Lord promiseth to prosper whatsoever wee take in hand and therefore this nice course is not that which God requireth and by this means the poore child or servant is daunted and deluded and so falls off from his good purposes and resolutions Thus those two cords are broken the Lord hath yet a third cord and that is the cord of conscience which hee layes upon a man and that commands him to take heed of his corruptions and tells him he was wont to be gibing at Gods servants but take heed of these things all at the last day must bee brought to light now this makes the soule at a stand and then the man saith the word of God came home to my conscience for I have beene a drunkard and an adulterer and a swearer oh I saw the fearefull estate of those men the Minister came effectually home to my conscience and told mee what a miserable wretched condition I should be in if I continued in my former wicked courses Now marke the cord that they lay to draw this away they lay a disgrace and contempt upon conscience when say they did you take notice of your conscience will you be one of our tender conscienced people what your conscience troubled you did it what will you be
hereafter then it will go marvellous heavily with you you have hindred the worke of conversion for being wrought in them and you have drawne them into wicked courses they shall go to hell they shall perish poore soules but I tell you their blood will God require at your hands at that day they will appeare before the Lord of glory and call for vengeance against you when the heavens shall melt with fire and when the Lord shall have tenne thousand thousand of Angels ministring unto him when all flesh at the dreadfull day of judgement shall appeare before the judgement seat of God and render an account of that they have done here upon earth then here you shall see a cursed drunkard there a wretched adulterer and there a prophane swearer and they shall come and accuse those that have drawne them into the commission of these sinnes and they shall say I confesse Lord I was inlightned my eyes were opened and my heart was touched and my conscience was awakened and I was resolved to walke in a good course but Lord here is the man behold here is the woman that by wicked devises and cursed perswasions never left untill I fell off from this good resolution and turned to my former wicked wayes this is the man Lord that did this and therfore I beseech thee though I perish yet let not my bloud go unrevenged at this mans hands that hath beene the cause of my destruction and then this will lie heavy upon your score at the day of death or the day of judgement when these poore soules shall appeare before God I will tell you what complaints they will make to his Majesty they will say Lord I was in a good way my eyes were opened and my heart was humbled my heart did earne towards Gods truth and holy men I would have turned over a new leafe and led a new life but it was this Land-lord of mine that feared bernard and terrified mee and pluckt mee aside from this good course good Lord revenge my bloud at my Land-lords hand the servant he will say Lord there was a gracious fellow servant lived in the house with me and did me much good I loved to heare thy word and pray and read and performe good duties but good Lord it was the sharp reproofes and bitter taunts of my master that discouraged me and made me forsake my former course and therfore now I must go to hell but Lord though I perish yet I beseech thee revenge my bloud at my masters hands Many of you have wives that lie in your bosomes in whose hearts the word of God hath begun to take place and they have resolved to walk uprightly before God they have gone and mourned in secret and sighed to heaven but it is you that are their husbands which have hindered this gracious disposition and you thought your selves undone because your wives took this course and therefore you never left brawling and bayting and rayling untill your poore wives left all left praying and left reading and left all goodnesse I tell you those wives that now lie in your bosomes though they love you now the time will come when they will curse the day that ever they saw or knew you what a wofull case will it be at the day of judgement when the wife shall come before the Lord and say I confesse Lord I enjoyed thy word and it was brought home to my soule and it wrought upon my conscience and I had a full purpose to become a new creature and take a new course I was comming Lord I was comming but it was this husband of mine that drew mee from my selfe and thy service from a good course and from a good way and therefore require my bloud at his hands though I perish yet good Lord let not my damnation be unrevenged at my husbands hands and many of you wives if your husbands have beene inlightned and wrought upon by the word insomuch that they come home and say wife wee must reforme our families and we must pray with them and wee must bee carefull that both wee and they keep Gods Commandements then you wives are untoward and unreasonable and the house is not able to hold you and your husbands live in a miserable condition untill they have altered their former purpose why these husbands of yours will go downe to hell but their bloud will lie heavie upon your heads and will bee required at your hands they will say Lord I was once in the right way I was comming I was almost perswaded to be a Christian I do think verily if I had had another wife I should have led a good life upon the earth and have beene saved hereafter but this wife of mine Lord never left bayting and hayning at me untill I turned out of the right way they will curse the day that ever they saw you or that ever you met together and they will entreat God not to suffer them to goe to hell without revenging of their bloud upon your heads you that are such I beseech you think of these things you that have heard these things the Lord of heaven perswade your hearts to take heed of drawing away poore sinners from God if it were in my power I would not only perswade you but overcome you in this kind if it were in my power to save you I would give salvation unto you but alas it is not in my power and indeed it is pitty it should it is the Lord that must do it you that have heard this word I beseech you let it not fall to the ground but all you scorners and mockers at Gods Saints you that have drawne men out of the right way and out of a good course for the Lords sake and for mercies sake and for your owne poore soules sake be resolved never againe to draw away poore sinners from that course wherein they walke but when you see them going on well why then goe you along with them and if you see any lay cords upon them to draw them away helpe them you in this kind and labour to draw them backe againe The fourth use is an use of comfort and consolation to all poore soules marke it for the Lord Iesus sake it is a ground of unspeakable comfort to all poore creatures partly unconverted and partly converted all from the former truth they may observe marvellous refreshment of heart if they will but attend thereunto and be ruled thereby you that are in the gall of bitternesse and in a carnall condition you that live in base grosse courses you who are knowne to all the world that you live in common ordinarie sinnes you that are locked up under infidelity under a proud stubborne heart here is a ground of admirable joy and consolation to sustaine the hearts of all such poore creatures in the expectation of mercy and comfort when the flouds of iniquity beset a man on every side when the weight of his
hath over those sins is much more forcible though thy sturdy heart will not come off though thou hast no desire to leave thy corruptions though thou hast not put off the will of sinning yet God can take it away and make way for the power of his spirit to take place in thy heart Acts 16.24 we shall observe this in the Iaylor he was a proud sturdy dogged cruell hearted man when the Magistrates commanded him to put Paul and Silas into prison hee went further than his commission and put them into the inner Prison and made their feet fast in the stocks oh thought hee now I have gotten these nice factions fellowes into my hands I will punish them soundly Now at midnight Paul and Silas sang praises unto God and then suddenly there was an exceeding great earthquake so that the foundations of the prison were shaken and immediately all the doores were opened and every ones bands were loosed the doores flew open the prison shooke and the earth shooke God exercised his power upon the creatures and made them shake and yet the Iaylor stood still all this while and stirred not though he were a Iaylor now to the Apostles yet the Devill was a Iaylor to him also he was under the jayle of his sinnes his sturdy heart would not awaken all this while but at last the Iaylor hee shooke also and seeing the prison doores open pulled out his sword and would have killed himselfe supposing that the prisoners had fled but Paul cryed with a loud voyce saying doe thy selfe no harme for wee are all here and then hee called for a light and sprang in sayth the text and came trembling and fell downe before Paul and Silas he now saw all that pride and stubbornnesse of his whereby he handled the Apostles so basely and now he brought them out and sayd Sirs what must I doe to bee saved hee now bathed their wounds and set bread before them and dealt kindly with them and thus we see when the Lord commeth for a sinner he maketh the prison shake and the earth shake the doores shake the yron bolts shake and at last he makes the heart shake also it is not the doore that I care for nor the prison that I care for nor the earth only that I will make to shake but it is the jaylor that I will shake also it is the Iaylor that I come for the Iaylor I will have and so hee had indeed in conclusion thy corruptions are not so powerfull but the Lord will bee more powerfull to pluck thy heart from them unto himselfe The third thing that hinders a poore sinner in this case is in respect of disgrace other opposition that hee shall meet withall in a Christian course I could be content saith he to take a better course and leade a new life and become a Christian but I see how disgrace will be cast upon me and opposition be made against me and this knocks me off I am not able to suffer it and to beare it are you not so the Lord will make you able to beare it before he hath done with you you feare wild-fire do you God will make you feele hell fire before he hath done you will goe against conscience you will displease God before you will displease man wil you wel you feare man now the face of man this is but wildfire but God will send hell fire into your hearts one day he will send the horrour of conscience into your soules then you will say rather disgrace here than damnation for ever hereafter I will rather goe to hell than to sinne I will rather offend all the world then God gather up your selves therefore if God at any time hath opened your eyes though Satan pursue you and though corruptions presse upon you yet cheere your selves God in mercy will looke upon you Esa 43.6 there when the Lord commeth to gather his people together hee saith that hee will bring them from the East and gather them from the West he will call to the North give up and to the South keepe not back bring my sonnes from farre and my daughters from the end of the earth hee sayth the earth shall give account and yeeld up her dead the sea that also shall yeeld up her dead why God can make the divell yeeld up a wretched man as well as the earth give up a dead man God will say I must have a sinner divell and therefore deliver up thy prisoner God will draw thy heart out of the power of sinne and dominion of Satan though thou canst not tell how yet God is able to give thee a will of yeelding unto him and so much for the comfort of those that are unconverted there is hope that God will do you good bee your sinnes what they will bee now those that are converted and those that are in the state of grace this is a ground of strong comfort unto them that they shall prevaile against all sinnes for after times by the power of that God that hath given them victory over their sinnes in former times they may say did the Lord give me power over my sinnes when I loved them and will hee not give me power to resist them now when I have desire to forsake them it cannot bee hee that offered favour to thee when thou didst refuse it hee cannot but give favour to thee when thou beggest it at his hands and this shall suffice for that matter Vse 5 The fifth use is an use of exhortation to all Gods people is this the cord that God taketh to pluck a soule from corruption to himselfe namely by a holy kind of violence why what will you do then you that professe your selves to feare God and that say you are the children of God must not children imitate their father doth God deale thus with poore sinners then do you so likewise this is the course that God takes and this ought to be a coppy and pattern to you in the meane time as you are the Elect people of God to put on the bowels of mercy and compassion towards your brethren if ever mercy here it ought to be expressed and discovered if ever God shewed mercy to thy soule shew thou the like mercy to thy brethren did the Lord ever shew compassion unto thee shew thou the like compassion unto them did the Lord ever awaken thy eyes or humble thy heart did the Lord offer his favours to thee still calling still exhorting and perswading of you you that are the Elect people of God if ever God shewed any goodnesse unto you shew the same goodnesse mercy and compassion to your fellow brethren and therefore as God hath dealt with you and as hee doth deale with sinners let it bee your honours and your resolutions to deale answerably to God so saith the Prophet David I will reveale thy way to the wicked and sinners shall be converted unto thee oh blessed