The Vsefulness of the worshipping Assemblies of Saints and Christians to this great and needful provocation must quicken us unto and keep us in these Courts of God Psal .xcii. 13. 15. Exod. xx 24. There God commands the blessing even Life for evermore Psal cxxxiii 3. There you have the openings of the Gospel Teasury there are these golden Candlesticks which bear the burning shining Tapers whose light and heat diffuse themselves through all within their reach who are receptive of them The Gifts and Graces the Affections and Experiences of Gospel Ministers are in their Communicative Exercises there God the Father sets and keeps his Heart and Eye there the Lord Redeemer walks by and amongst his Commissionated Officers and Representatives dispensing warmth and vigour through their Ministry to Hearts presented to him at his Altar There doth the Holy Spirit fill Heads with Knowledge Hearts with Grace and all our Faculties and Christian Principles with Vigour There Mysteries are unfolded Precepts explained and enforced Promises fulfilled in Soul improvements Incense is offered up in golden Censers and foederal concernments are solemnly transacted and confirmed in open Court And there through the Angel of the Covenant his moving upon the Waters of the Sanctuary are Soul distempers and Consumptions healed And there you are informed acquainted with and confirmed in what may instruct you in and encourage you unto this Provocation to Love and to good works And there Prayer gets fuel and gives vent to Love drawing forth all the Energies of Souls and Thoughts towards God And thus fervent Prayers and love quickning returns thereto are like the Angels of God ascending and descending from and upon the Heart while the deserters hereof grow cold thereto and starve their Love and practical Godliness thereby All there is known obtained and exercised There you may fill your Heads with Knowledge your Hearts with Grace your Mouths with Arguments your Lives with Fruitfulness your Consciences with Consolations and your whole selves with those experiences of Divine regards to Soul concerns which may inflame your Hearts with Love to God and Christ to Holiness and Heaven and fit you both to kindle and increase this holy flame both in your selves and in each other And indeed what greater advantages can be derived into our Souls to make our Altars burn than what our Christian Assemblies duly managed will entertain us with What understanding do the Inspirations of the Almighty here afford Such curious Explications of the Name and Counsels of your God Such large and full accounts of all the endearing Grace of Christ Such Critical dissections and anatomizings of the state of Souls Such over-shâ—dowings of the Spirit of God Such clear and full descriptions and accounts of the Divine Life and Nature in all their Strength and Glory How are desires invigorated and twisted to make them more effectual to our selves and others This Sanctuary Love is like the best wine going down sweetly and causing the Lips even of those that are asleep to speak Keep then to these Assemblies that you may duly know whom what how and why to Love and how to suit your selves in spirit speech and practice towards God your selves and towards each other unto this generous and noble Principle Thus will you grow exceedingly both in the knowledge and savour of what is most considerable and most deservingly affecting both as to Things and Persons for Christianity is contrived for Love and Godliness in all its Doctrines Laws and Ordinances and in assemblies you have the Explications and Enforcements of those Truths which will compleat the Man of God as to his Principles Disposition and Behaviour Here you may know your most holy Faith as to it's matter evidences and designs upon you and it 's improvableness by you to it 's determined and declared ends and services That Faith which is to illuminate your Eyes to exercise your thoughts to fix your holy purposes to form and cherish expectations to raise desires to embolden prayer to fire your affections and regulate them as to their Objects Ends and Measures and Expressions And when you there attend you are in the way of Blessings How oft and evidently are Divine Truths there sensibly sharpened and succeeded by the God of Truth Rom. i. 16. Paul and Barnabas so spake as that a Multitude believed of Jews and Gentiles Act. xiv 1. And thither must you and I resort and there attend for Doctrine Exhortation and Instruction in Righteousness The Priests Lips must preserve Knowledge how to speak of God with him and for him there Gospel luminaries are to diffuse their Light and there must we receive it and know what is considerable eligible practicable and encouraging to love and to good Works Why then should we forsake that 3. But let us exhort each other â—or consideration and attendance on Assemblies are for our own and others good for personal and mutual quickenings to Love to good works I know that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and thence 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is sometimes used more largely for any pleading of and pressing home a thing pursuant to it's import and design whether by Counsel Comfort or sometimes it imports Consolation or Encouragement This is too well seen and known to need its Scriptural Instances and Quotations That which is here intended I offer in this Paraphrase Draw forth all the Spirit and Strength of what you know and have advisedly considered as to your selves and others of what you have seen and heard in your Assembling of your selves together concerning your obligations to attend them their fitness to advantage you and all the benefit derived or deriveable therefrom Draw forth the vigour of all your received Discoveries Directions Assistances and Inducements to do and be what is required and expected from you professed by you and of eternal Consequence and Concernment to you Plead this throughly with your selves and one another that so your Christian love be not extinguisht or abated but wrought and kept up to its genuine and just pitch of fervour and effectual Operations and Eruptions in Good works Drive home upon your selves by deep and serious thoughts and pertinent applications of them to your selves and warm debates about them with your selves the things which God hath manifested and proposed to you as credible acceptable and practically Improveable He that expects this flame upon his heart must be a thoughtful man severely contemplative and sollicitous about the things of the Kingdom of God and the Name and Interest and Servants of the Lord Redeemer How can that man be warm and active or zealous of Good works whose knowledge is not actuated by self-awakening Meditations and whose furniture Principles and Spirit are commonly neglected by himself What! are divine Truths Laws Promises and Institutions only to be with us or in us as empty Speculations or thin Notions Have Divine Revelations and Endearings no Errand to our Hearts and Consciences and no business there and no practical Vigours to
at him (e) Psal 8.2 Out of the mouths of very unlikely persons hast thou ordained strength that thou mightest still the Enemy and the Avenger q. d. God doth by the Spiritual Skill and Strength which he gives even to young weak Converts unfit to grapple with an Enemy God enables even such to silence confound and conquer the Enemies of God and his People and the Devil in the head of them whose Kingdom and Power is broken by this means and those that fight under his Banner against God and Christ And pray observe the Title here given him viz. the Avenger he being Sentenced by God to Eternal Torments makes it his business to revenge himself what he can upon God and Christ upon his Children and Servants Christians if you can through Grace make Satan himself against his will help you to profit by the Word this will raise your Souls beyond what is ordinary both for Grace and Comfort Or if God in his Wisdom suspend such manifestations of himself yet such exercise of Grace shall certainly tend to the multiplying of Praises in the other World And now though I have in my pitiful manner answered the Case my work is not yet done till I have answered a Complaint upon the Case and 't is the Complaint of those who have least cause of those who give Christ that Answer to his Question which satisfies him but yet can't give an Answer will satisfie themselves Their Hearts ake from the very proposing of the Question and their Hearts misgive them under all that 's said in Answer to it Complaint We have more Cause to complain than we are able to express Oh the Sermons that we have lost of which we can give no account at all and of those that are not utterly lost we have made no suitable improvement We are convinced that we should be as impartial now in examining whether we have got saving Faith by hearing of the Word We should be as strict now as if we were upon our Dying Bed We know not whether ever we shall have a Death-bed many more likely to live than our selves dye suddenly and why not we Nay rather now for we have not now wearisome Sickness to disable us We have now those helps that we can't have then Freedom of Ordinances in publick Capacities for Duties in secret We may now bring things to an issue which is then next to impossible These and a Thousand such Considerations even fright me when I sit down to think my Thoughts even overwhelm me to reflect what a sorry account I can give of all that I have heard These and more doleful Complaints are the usual entertainments of their most serious Christian Friends To all which I shall offer these Answers Answ 1. The Word of God which they apply to their Sorrow they ought as well to apply to their Comfort for those who are really grieved that they can't satisfie themselves much less as they think Christ They are mistaken for Christ is ordinarily best satisfied with that which the gracious Soul is least satisfied e. g. That Prayer which he is most ashamed of Christ most approves of (f) Cant. 2.12 The Flowers appear on the Earth the time of the Singing of Birds is come and the Voice of the Turtle is heard in our Land 'T is Spring-time in the Soul When the Groans of a contrite Heart sound harsh to others they are Musick in Christs Ears not that Christ delights in his peoples Sorrows but as they are Evidences of his Graces in them and of his Spirit 's abiding with them It is only the gracious Soul that is grieved at Heart that he can't give Christ a better account of his profiting (g) Ezr. 9.6 10. ch 10.2 O my God I am ashamed and blush to lift up my face to thee my God What shall I say after this There 's hope in Israel concerning this thing The Apostle expresly assures us that (h) 1 Cor. 11.31 32. those that judge themselves shall not be judged with a Judgment of Condemnation Chear up therefore poor dropping Soul and to thy comfort consider whether this be not the only thing wherein Christ and you Believers be not of the same mind Christ puts a better interpretation of his actings than he himself dares many a time Christ owns that as Grace which he condemns for Hypocrisie Christ forgives him that which he can never forgive himself Christ says Well done good and faithful Servant for that which he ever finds fault with But the complaining Soul saith I mistake him I speak to the rong person Propose comfort to those that are grieved they can't give Christ a satisfying account whereas I am not troubled enough nor grieved enough a serious reflection upon such returns as mine to Christs kindness would certainly break any Heart but mine But alas I am next to nothing affected with it 2. I therefore further answer Thy complaining for want of sensible complaining entitles thee to Comfort Darest thou own so much as this that thou art troubled thou can'st be no more troubled at the shameful account thou givest to Christ Thou art afraid that Word has overtaken thee (i) Isa 6.9 10. Hear ye indeed but understand not and see ye indeed but perceive not make the Heart of this People fat and make their Ears heavy and shut their Eyes least they see with their Eyes and hear with their Ears and understand with their Heart c. Surely thou canst not think worse of thy self than this Let me tell thee the more thou thinkest of this the less cause thou hast to apply this to thy self for those who God gives up to judicial hardness never think or speak of such things but in scorn and to make a mock of them and that thou darest not do there 's another word for thee to think of (k) Isa 66.1 2 Thus saith the Lord The Heaven is my Throne and the Earth is my Footstool where 's the place of my rest To this Man will I look even to him that is poor and of a contrite Spirit and that trembleth at my Word If God hath any place upon Earth for his Repose it is in that Soul that stands in awe of his Word and with due Reverence receives it What! Dost thou complain thou art not troubled enough Nor contrite enough Not humbled enough How do many Souls bring their Complaints to Ministers and bring their Bills to Congregations for brokeness of Heart and a deep sense of Sin when they are so much broken already that their other Duties are almost justled out by it Don't therefore overlook that Text (l) Rom. 14.17 The Kingdom of God is Righteousness and Peace and Joy in the Holy Ghost We should make it our business to live in a ferious course of Holiness towards God and Righteousness towards Men in the love and practice of Peace with all and in the joyful sense of the love of God and hopes of Glory
nor value them Sayes the other These men are all either blinded with preferment or hunting after it their Parts are either utterly abus'd or quite blasted Thus the Ball of Contention is toss'd from one to another by the hands of Pride and Scorn Whereas Humility makes a Man think meanly of himself moderately of his own Notions and Apprehensions highly of those that deserve it and respectfully of all It was this which taught excellent Bishop Ridley when he was in Prison thus to accost honest Bishop Hooper However in some by-matters and circumstances of Religion your wisdom and my simplicity I grant hath a little jarr'd yet now c. More comfort to them if they had been on these terms in the time of their Liberty and Prosperity Humility is a great step to Unity Ephes 4.2 I beseech you that ye walk with all lowliness and meekness with long-suffering forbearing one another in love Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace Pray behold how these Graces are here link't together lowliness meekness unity and peace The humble man will not indure that his Reputation shall outweigh the Peace of the Church and therefore is more willing that Truth should be victorious than Himself Hee 'l go two miles for one to meet his Adversary in an honest way of Accommodation and when he cannot make his Judgment to bend yet his Heart shall stoop to you with all sincerity This Vertue made Aristippus come to Eschines when they were at fewd with this greeting Eschines Shall we be friends And this dictated his answer Yes Sir with all my heart But remember saith Aristippus That I being elder than you do make the first motion Yea said the other and therefore I conclude you to be the worthier man for I began the strife and you began the peace Let us all then be cloathed with Humility assume not in regard of your Learning Wit or Parts consider you are but Sharers in our Common Benefactor neither let your Riches or Dignities make you to speak or write otherwise than you would do without them and this will go a great way to prevent our biting and devouring one another 5. Apply your selves to the Practice of Real Piety By this I mean that we should imploy our chief care to procure and increase a lively Faith to exercise daily Repentance to strengthen our Hope to inflame our Love to God and to our Neighbour to grow in Humility Zeal Patience and Self-denyal To be diligent in Watchfulness over our Thoughts Words and Wayes in Mortification of our sinfull Passions and Affections in the Examination of our Spiritual Estate in Meditation in secret and fervent Prayer and in universal and steady Obedience In these things do run the vital spirits of Religion And whoso is seriously imployed in these will have but little time and less mind for unnecessary Contentions These will keep that heat about the Heart which evaporating degenerates into airy and fiery exhalations and leaves the Soul as cold as Ice to any holy desires It is a good thing that the heart be established with grace not with meats which have not profited them that have been occupied therein Hebr. 13.9 It is manifest what a sad decay of these hath followed our multiplied quarrels and how hard it is to be fervent in Spirit and withall to be fiery in Controversies He that walks with God and whose Conversation is in Heaven will be quickly weary of windy disputes with men and will be apt to conclude with one of the Ancients Lassus sum dum cum sermone atque invidia cum hostibus cum nostris pugno Which hath occasioned divers great Divines the more earnestly to long for Heaven that they might be out of the noise of endless and perverse disputations The serious Practice of Godliness hath the Promise of Divine Direction in all material points The secret of the Lord is with them that fear him and he will shew them his Covenant Psal 25.14 If any man will do his Will he shall know of the Doctrine whether it be of God John 7.17 And likewise he that lives in the Spirit and walks in the Spirit dares not bite or devour his Neighbour Let not us saith the Apostle that so walk be desirous of vain-glory provoking one another envying one another Gal. 5.25 26. 6. Follow after Charity Knowedge puffeth up but Charity edifieth This is the healing Grace and if this be not applyed to our bleeding wounds they will never be cured This suffereth long and is kind Charity envieth not Charity vaunteth not it self is not puffed up Pray read on and mark all these passages Charity doth not behave it self unseemly seeketh not her own is not easily provoked thinketh no evil Rejoyceth not in iniquity but rejoyceth in the Truth Beareth all things tolerable believeth all things credible hopeth all things possible indureth all things and as it follows indureth after all things 1 Corinth 13. That whole Chapter most fit to be read and often studied by all that love peace Charitas dicit aliorum bona certa meliora certa mala minora bona dubia certa dubia mala nulla An excellent Conclusion of Charity That it reckons the good parts qualities or actions that are certainly in others to be rather better than they are indeed and the ills to be less than they are indeed the doubtfull good things in them to be certain and the doubtfull evil to be none And how far would this Temper and Practice go to the promoting of Unity and Concord And how directly contrary do most of them proceed that make the greatest noise in our irreligious quarrels Not only putting the most invidious fence upon one anothers words and actions but also the most uncharitable judgment upon their persons upon their Spiritual and Eternal Estate We must know that as Faith unites us to the Head so Love unites us to all the Members and as we can have no Faith nor Hope without Charity so as any Man increaseth in Faith so he is inlarged in his Charity The more true Piety any man hath doubtless the more Charity still that man hath We that did hate one another saith Jâ—stin Martyr of the Christians do now live most friendly and familiarly together and pray for our Enemies If we must err one way as who is infallible it is safer for you to err by too much mildness than by overmuch rigour for Almighty God though he be Wise and Just yet he is most emphatically called Love 1 John 4.8 Beloved let us love one another for Love is of God and every one that loveth is born of God and knoweth God He that loveth not knoweth not God for God is Love And for you to reply That you do heartily love those that are every way Orthodox that is that agree with you in Opinion is nothing thank-worthy do not even the Publicans the same That may be nothing but Self-love but your Religion
injoyns you to love your Enemies and it is but a sorry expression of this Love to bite and devour one another for unnecessary matters It were better as One sayes that Caesar should break all Pollio's curious Glasses than they should break the bond of Charity or that the breach of them should be the occasion of so much inhumanity of Brethren one against another Let Charity therefore guide the Magistrate in making and executing Civil Laws let Charity accompany Christ's Ministers in their Studies Pulpits and Behaviour to their People Let Charity be maintained by all the Laity towards one another Then shall we have that Vnity Peace and Concorâ—â— which we solemnly pray for this Dove will bring back the Olive-branch into the Ark of the Church 7. Avoid Extreams Do not labour to screw up one another to the utmost It is observed that every Peace that is concluded upon rigorous or disadvantageous terms endures but a while the aggrieved party will take the first opportunity of relief as an over-rented Tenant to throw up his Lease Conscience must be wary but it would be easie in matters of Religion and therefore should be directed but may not indeed cannot be forced contrary to it's Sentiments When a late French King had earnestly solicited a great States-man that was retiring from the Court to leave with him some of his most Politick Observations and to that end had lockt him up in his Closset only with Pen Ink and Paper It is said that he only took several sheets of Paper and wrote in the top of the sheet Modus in the middle Modus and in the bottom again Moduâ— advertising his Master thereby that the summ of all Prudence in Government was to observe a Mean in his Administrations Indeed if one Party have all the Truth on their side it is most fit the others should yield themselves to be their Prisoners But if that be not evident as it is scarce probable it is most equal that each do move toward the other as far as they can or else they will never come together If the things in question be any way necessary God forbid that ye should refuse them if they be not God forbid that ye should urge them It was King James his â—ence to Cardinal Peron Quare existimat ejus Majestas nullam ad incundam concordiam breviorem viam sore quam si diligenter separentur necessaria à non necessariis ut de necessariis conveniat omnis opera insumatur in non necessariis libertati Christiana locus detur That is The next way to Concord is to distinguish between things that are necessary and to endeavour a full Agreement in those and things that are not necessary and to allow a Christian Liberty in these Not that in disswading you from extreams I would commend Lukewarmness or halting in the course that men have chosen but that they so govern their Resolution by Wisdom and Charity that they may not unnecessarily provoke grieve or exasperate others who perhaps have as sound hearts if not as clear heads as themselves It was a Great and a Wise Mans Motto Mediocria firma and a true Proverb among the Vulgar Too-too will break in two 8. Mind every one his own business The Apostle gives this Rule 1 Thes 4.11 That ye study to be quiet and to do your own business as we have commanded you It is not a thing Arbitrary but Commanded And that upon good Reason for when men want imployment or have Imployments too mean for their spirits or having good Callings do neglect them they are fit Instruments to stir up Contention these permit their Tongues to walk through the Earth and will exercise themselves in things too high for them these collect and disperse all the invidious Narrations they can meet with and make no Conscience of wounding every man's Reputation that is on the other side By all which they greatly contribute to the heightning and exasperating the Differences that are among us and in short they are the seventh sort of People that are abomination to the Lord namely such as sow Discord among brethren Prov. 6.19 If therefore men would mind first and chiefly the business of their own Souls and exercise themselves in this to have alwayes a Conscience void of offence towards God and towards men if they would keep their own Vineyards weed up those tares which spring up in their own Hearts and stir up the Graces of God's Holy Spirit in them and then travel in birth with earnest endeavours for the Conversion and Salvation of their own poor Children and Servants and then be diligent in their temporal Callings they would have neither list nor leisure to wander about from house to house from Ale-house to Tavern from Tavern to Coffee-house as they do and are not only idle but busie-bodies speaking things they ought not like those Women which are reproved 1 Tim. 5.13 Every Man hath his particular Post and Province to attend and I grant besides his Domestick Concerns he is bound in Conscience to promote the good of the Town Parish City and Nation whereunto he belongs and in consequence thereto wisely and resolutely to asseâ— and preserve all the Priviledges belonging to any of them and conscionably to discharge the respective Duties incumbent upon him but this intitles no private Person to be correcting their Governours instructing their â—â—nisters turning the World upside down disquieting themselves and others and leaving bad impressions upon those they converse withall whereas our great business should be to have the Salt of Grace and Truth in our selves and to have and further peace with one another 9. Observe that good Old Rule Of doing to others as you would be done to You would have others to bear with you and why will not you bear with others you would have the best sense put upon your words actions and carriages and why will not you put the best sense on their words actions and carriages you would not be imposed on censur'd reproach'd back-bitten slander'd no more should you impose upon others or censure them or reproach or back-bite or slander them I may say to you as Chrysostom on that Mat. 7.12 Let thy own Will here be thy Law Let not this Rule which was reverenc'd by Heathens be trampled on by Christians It 's true Error cannot reasonably expect the same regard from Truth as the Truth may from Error yet erroneous Persons whose errors are not mortal should no more be devoured by the servants of Truth than those who have right on their side by those that are in the wrong Those who have not otherwise forfeited the repute of sobriety piety and honesty save only that they cannot be of your mind let them still be so esteemed and treated as you your selves desire to be esteemed and treated if any contrary Party should ever have Wind and Sun with them Remember how this melted Sesostris a Pagan into Compassion when he observed one of
rejoycing and yet neither ought our mourning to exclude a humble rejoycing in God nor our rejoycing shut out a holy mourning The Men of Issachar are recorded as famous on this account 1 Chron. 12.32 That they had understanding of the time to know what Israel ought to do And herein we are oftentimes at a great loss like those children Matth. 11.17 that complained of their fellows they had piped unto them and yet not been answer'd with dancing that they had mourned to them but they had not lamented Holy Wisdom would teach us to accommodate the present frame of our hearts to Gods present dispensations Providence does not teach us new duties but how to single out those that God has made our duties Secondly We need wisdom that we be not deluded with shadows instead of substances that we take not appearances for realities for want of which O how often are we cheated out of our interests our real concerns our integrity of heart and peace of Conscience We account him a weak and foolish Man who is imposed upon by Copper for Gold that would warm his hands by painted fire or hope to satisfie his craving appetite with painted food yet such are we who spend our mony for that which is not bread and our labor for that which profits us not Isa 55.2 who set our affections on those things that are not Prov. 23.5 Thirdly Another point of wisdom which we need to be instructed in is the worth of Time and what a weight of eternity depends on these short and flitting moments but we weak and silly ones count a day for no more than it stands for in the Calender an hour no more than so much time measured by the hourglass when one hour to repent in a moment to make our Calling and Election sure in may come to be more worth than all the World can be to us Fourthly Wisdom would teach us the due order and method of all things what first what last ought to be our study and our concern wisdom would teach us to seek first the Kingdom of God and his righteousness Matth. 6.33 And then if there be time to spare to bestow some small portion of it for those other things which God in his bounty will not deny and in his wisdom knows in what measure to bestow Fifthly Wisdom would teach us the true worth and value of all things to labour pray and strive for them proportionable to their true intrinsick dignities to think that Heaven cannot be too dear what-ever we pay for it nor Hell cheap how easily soever we come by it wisdom would instruct us that we cannot lay out too much of our time strength contrivance upon Eternals nor too little upon these perishing Temporals that Earth deserves very little of our Hand less of our Head and nothing at all of our Heart little of our pains less of our plotting and least of all of our love and affections III. Le ts pray and strive strive in the due and diligent use of § 3 means and pray for a blessing upon them that we may be filled with a spiritual understanding A carnal heart will carnalize the most spiritual Mercies and a carnal mind will debase the most spiritual Truths the Manna was design'd to feed the Souls as well as the Bodies of the Jews but they ate the spiritual meat and drank the spiritual drink 1 Cor. 10.23 with very carnal Heads and Hearts so that they needed the Spirit of God to instruct them in the right use of it Nehem. 9.10 Thou gavest thy good Spirit to instruct them and with-heldest not the Manna from their mouth They might then have eaten their own condemnation as well as we under the Gospel by that Symbol John 3.3 Christ had deliver'd a great and necessary Truth except a Man be born again he cannot see the Kingdom of Heaven but Nicodemus tho' a great Rabbi turns it into a gross and carnal interpretation How can a Man be born when he is old Can he enter the second time into his Mothers womb and be born again And at the same pass were his rude and carnal hearers John 6.51 I am the living bread says Christ that came down from Heaven if any Man eat of this bread he shall live for ever and the bread that I will give is my flesh that I will give for the life of the world but his Capernatical hearers conceive of nothing but a literal and oral Manducation of his natural flesh vers 52. The Jews therefore strove among themselves saying How can this Man give us his flesh to eat And yet Christ had said enough to obviate that gross mistake vers 35. I am the bread of life he that cometh to me shall never hunger and he that believeth on me shall never thirst One Man hears the great Duties of the Gospel pressed upon his Conscience and either sitting down despondeth at the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or else undertakes them in his own strength and the power of his free will not considering that there is Covenant grace to answer Covenant duties and Covenant pardon for those imperfections that attend them Another perhaps hears the curse thundred out against Every one that continues not in all things written in the Law to do them Gal. 3.10 he hears that the primitive end of the Law was to justifie a righteous person that had perfectly observed it and he falls upon the observation of that Law as the condition of the Covenant of works hoping to drudge out a righteousness thereby that shall present him blameless before God not knowing that Christ is the end of the Law for righteousness to every one that believeth Rom. 10.4 Let us therefore pray for a spiritual understanding that we may know every Truth as it is in Jesus Ephes 4.21 that every line every letter of the Old and New Testament has its center in a Redeemer § 4 IV. Let 's pray again and strive that we may walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing knowing that all our services all our sacrifices are nothing unless our God smell a sweet savour in them nor can we fill the sails of our Souls with a more noble and generous ambition than to be accepted of God This was the height of the Apostles ambition 2 Cor. 5.9 We labour that whether present or absent we may be accepted of him which was the glorious frame of our blessed Saviours heart John 8.29 That he always did the things that pleased his Father It s a common delusion of Professors that if they can get the work of their hands not to regard whether ever it comes upon Gods heart or no But what are our Prayers if God receives them not Our Praises if God accepts them not Our Obedience if God regards it not Now that we may reach this great end we must walk worthy of the Lord 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 There ought to be a suitableness between the frame of our hearts and
6.12 Ye are not straitned in me but ye are straitned in your own Bowels Our hearts are narrow towards Spiritual and Heavenly things because they are so enlarg'd towards earthly and visible things when the heart is enlarged as Hell and death that cannot be satisfied Hab. 2.5 For these perishing things no wonder if there be little room for the Graces of the Spirit This is therefore our great concern to pray that God would enlarge our desires that he may satisfie and fill them 4. We ought to pray and strive That all the Powers and Faculties of the whole man may be filled according to their measures There is much room in our Souls that is not furnish'd much waste ground there that is not cultivated and improved to its utmost We might have more light in the Understanding more tractableness in the Will more heat in our Love and a sharper edge set upon our Zeal And we have warrant to pray for this measure of the fulness of God 1 Thess 5.23 Now the God of peace sanctifie you wholly and I pray God your whole Spirit Soul and Body may be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ 5. Every gracious Soul ought to pray and strive for such a measure of Grace that he may be qualified for any Duty and Service that God shall call him to and engage him in The Hebrew word which we render Consecration or separation to an Office is Filling the hand Exod. 29.9 Consecrate ye Aaron and his Sons in the Hebrew Fill the hand of Aaron and his Sons Where God employs the hand he will fill the hand we have ground to believe that he will send us about no Errand but he will bear our Charges where-ever he gives a Commission he will bestow a competent qualification when we go about his Work we may expect his presence and assistance in the Work And Moses seems to stand upon these terms with God Exod. 33.15 If thy presence go not with me carry us not up hence As therefore there is great variety of Duties in our Christian Calling we may in Faith expect and from that believing expectation pray that we may be furnish'd with a suitable variety of Grace for the discharge of them 6. Every true Christian ought to pray strive for such a measure of Grace as may enable him to bear patiently chearfully and creditably those afflictions and sufferings which either God's good pleasure shall lay upon us or for his Names sake we may draw upon our selves We ought to pray that either he will lay no more upon us than our present strength can bear or if he encreases our trials he will encrease our Faith There 's no danger of excess in our Prayers when we confine them to the limits of his gracious promises Now here we have encouragement from his Word 1 Cor. 10.13 God is faithful who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able but will with the temptation make a way to escape that ye may be able to bear it 7. Every true Christian ought to pray and strive for such a measure of Grace as may bring the Soul to a settlement and stability that he be not soon shaken by the cross and adverse evils that he shall meet with in this Life And the Apostle Peter has gone before us in this Prayer 1 Pet. 5.10 The God of all grace who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus after that ye have suffered a while make you perfect stablish strengthen settle you And herein especially let us keep an eye upon these particulars § 1. Pray that God would so stablish you in the truth that ye may not be blown away with every wind of Doctrin A sorry trivial Error many times oversets and puzzles a weak Understanding Now 't is our great Interest to pray and strive that we may reach such a clear distinct coherent Light into the Doctrin of the Gospel that every small piece of Sophistry may not perplex and stagger our Belief of it So the Apostle Paul Eph. 4.14 would have Believers be no more Children tossed to and fro with every wind of Doctrine by the slight of men and cunning craftiness whereby they lie in wait to deceive § 2. Pray also that God would so stablish you in the truth of the promises that your Faith may not be shaken with every wind of Providence We are apt to have our hearts tossed by contrary Dispensations So upon a rumour Isa 7.2 The heart of Asa was moved and the heart of his people as the trees of the wood are moved with the wind It argues great weakness of Faith that we cannot maintain an equality of mind under various Providences the only remedy of which evil is to pray that God would encrease and strengthen our Faith that we may be so firmly built upon the unmoveable rock that we may not be afraid of evil tidings having our hearts fixed trusting in the Lord Psal 112.7 And this was the glory of Job's Faith Job 13.15 That tho' God should slay him yet would he trust in him § 3. Let us pray and strive that God would so settle and stablish us in Love to himself that no blast of Afflictions from his hand may cool the fire of Divine Love in our hearts We want exceedingly the Faith that God carries on a design of Love under all his various and seemingly contrary dealings with us he can love and correct why then cannot we love a correcting God Whether he wounds or heals his love is the same and why not ours Can we not love God upon the security of Faith that he will do us good as well as upon the experience that he has done us good § 4. Pray we and strive that God would so settle and stablish us in our inward peace that no wind of temptation may overthrow it 'T is a slender and ill-made peace which every assault of the Tempter dissolves The Psalmist stood upon a firmer bottom when the terrifying Onsets from without made him fly more confidently to his God Psal 56.3 What time I am afraid I will put my trust in thee And we have Gods own promise to answer our Faith Isa 26.3 Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace whose mind is staid on thee because he trusteth in thee And thus I have return'd some Answer to the second Branch of the Question What is the measure of the fulness of God with which every true Christian ought to pray and strive to be filled There will still remain an enquiry How we may reach to such a measure of the Divine fulness as has been described To which tho' the limits of this discourse will not allow a full and just Answer yet the importance of the Question will oblige me to point at some few things upon which your own Meditations may find matter of enlargement 1. And first it is necessary that we be convinced that we are very far short
eateth up both Truth and Love For such contentions are rather for Victory than Truth Now passion doth nothing well which made one Emperor say over his Alphabet to get the Dominion over his anger Ahasuerus fann'd himself in his Garden Esth 7.7 and he in Plutarch would not smite his Servant because he was angry Passionated persecution makes only Hypocrites become Proselites and in their Breasts also lodge such a revenge as will be satisfied one time or another upon them who have made them offer violence to their Consciences Religion is a free choice upon judgment or 't is not Religion therefore it gets in by perswasion not persecution Yet 't is strangely true they who are so tender of their own Wills that God must not touch them unless by Argument yet laxate themselves to Club Law with their Brethren not content with a moral swasion 2. Loving converse taketh off those prejudices which hinder Mens minds from a true knowledge of others Principles and Practices which at a distance seem horrid and monstrous Opinions and Practices when as a little free converse with them breedeth quite other apprehensions The Papists picture the Protestants as bruits with Tails as Devils with Horns to terrifie the Vulgar but knowing Merchants dare trust them So some Protestants have represented the Puritans as Pestilent and Seditious persons as Mad and having a Devil as the Scribes and Pharisees did John Baptist and Christ but the plain hearted people saw thorough those pious frauds and tricks and were astonished at their Doctrin and Life when they healed Souls and Bodies on the Sabbath day 3. Sincere love and converse breedeth a good opinion of persons who differ from us they can taste humility meekness and kindness better than the more speculative Principles of Religion These get into Mens affections and so bore away into their judgments and cause them to alter their minds Two Heads like two Globes touch but in one point the whole Bodies at a distance but two Hearts touch in plano and fall in with each other in all points Love openeth the Heart and Ear to cooler consideration and second thoughts The Spirit of God directed Elijah 1 Kings 19.12 not in the strong Wind which rent Rocks and Mountains nor in the Earthquake or Fire but in the silent whisper or tranquil voice Vse of Instruction How to carry our selves towards them who are weak in the Faith in these days and doubtless it is a sickly season when there are so many feverish heats among us I will not say what once a Romanist said to me That these are the spuria vitulamina the Bastard frisks of our Reformation in Henry the Eighths days But I rather think the violent endeavours after External Uniformity without the Inward the smothering of the industrious Bees in one Hive was a great cause of their castling into several Swarms Threshing the Corn hath driven it out of the Floor and the grasping so hard the Granes all into the Hands and Power of some hath made them creep out through their Fingers Rigid Impositions and violent Prosecutions and Exactions of Conformity to things extra Scriptural and Divine Institution and without any manifest tendency to Edification have and will make fractions without end As D. W. said Till Men be Infallible and the World Immutable moderation becometh every Man who is in his senses and considereth himself 1. There are some who have all Faith believe incredibly as that Katharina Senensis praying for a new Heart she had her real Heart cut out of her Body and after some days had a new Heart formed by Christ put into her That making a cross on the Body with a Finger driveth the Devil away That a Priest by these words this is my Body transubstantiateth the Bread into the Body of Christ and so he offereth that Sacrifice to deliver Souls out of Prison and then by his Dirges conducteth them to Paradise 2. Others have no Faith at all as that Infallible one who said What vast Wealth hath this Fable of Christ acquired to the Church So when some had Disputed about the Immortality of the Soul most gravely determined in a Verse Et redit in nihilum quod fuit ante nihil That which is nothing must needs come to nothing And I fear there are more Atheists than Papists who seem to believe all on the Stage nothing in their retiring thoughts We are not bound to receive such into our Bosoms or Communion lest we sting our own Breasts out of charity to our Souls we must take heed of receiving such 3. But there are others who seem seriously to believe the Doctrin of the Gospel yet have a weakness in their judgments about little things These we must receive and instruct them Rom. 14.17 That the Kingdom of God is not in Meat or Drink but Righteousness Peace and Joy in the Holy Ghost Shew them all kindness pity them pray for them and let them see Col. 2.5 Nothing but your order and the stedfastness of your Faith in Christ 1. Stand fast and fix'd in the good Word of God which is setled for ever in Heaven Psal 119.89 as the Copy of the Divine Nature and Law Stand having your Loins girt about with Truth Ephes 6.14 and having on the Breastplate of Righteousness This is the grand and perfect rule of Faith Worship and Life Keep within these Trenches and you have an assurance of protection I know no other method possible to Peace but in an universal resolution to impose nothing upon others but what Christ himself hath imposed what Scripture commands Matth. 28.20 Teach Men to observe whatever I have commanded you and then I am with you to the end of the World This is a Minister of Christs Commission and he cannot look for Christ to be with him if he go either coâ—trary to beyond or not according to his instructions Let this be first done and then Men may consider whether any thing further be necessary or convenient Let us therefore in the Name of God beg his holy Spirit whom Christ hath promised and that he shall lead us into all Truth John 16.13 He is the only infallible Interpreter of Gods mind He shall take of mine says our Saviour and shew it unto you vers 14. Then read the Scriptures as Christ himself did Luke 4.16 his custom was he went into the Synagogue on the Sabbath day and stood up for to read and when the Book of God was delivered to him he read the 61 of Isaiah a Prophesie of himself and so he closed the Book and gave it to the Minister then he expounded and applied it to the present circumstances That he came to preach to the poor heal the broken hearted give deliverance to the captives open the Eyes of the blind to set at liberty them that are bruised Oh blessed pattern for every Minister of Christ to follow And sing the Psalms or Hymns as we read he also did Matth. 26.30 and the Ancient Christians
sublime nervous Epistle whether St. Luke or Barnabas or Clement or Apollos or the Apostle Paul as I most think I here dispute not is evidently walking in the searches of the great Excellency of Christianity as it was brought unto us by and took its denomination from and serves the purposes and speaks the Eminence Unction and Prerogatives and Designs of Christ the Son of God And this discourse he here directeth to the Hebrews by whom we may understand those Christian Jews that were in Syria Judea and principally at Jerusalem for those that were dispersed through the Provinces of the Roman Empire were commonly called Greeks And those indeed who were Converted to the Christian Faith were terribly persecuted by the Jews their Brethren and assaulted by Seducers to work them back again to their deserted Judaism and much ado they had to stand their ground Whereupon this Author mindful of what his Lord had said in Mat. xxiv 9-13 attempts to shew the Eminencies of their State and that Judaism was every way transcended by Christianity The Author of it was a greater and better Person than Moses Aaron or Melchizedeck The Doctrines were more mysterious and sublime The Laws more spiritual and most accurately suited to the compleating and perpetuating of the Divine Life and Nature in them and to the advancing them unto all Conformities to God imitations of him and intimacies with him The Promises were more glorious rich and full and all the Constitutions Furniture Services Ministry and Advantages of the Gospel Polity and Temple carried more glorious signatures of God upon them and were more eminently attested patronized and succeeded by God than ever Judaism was or than it could pretend unto Why therefore should it be deserted or coldly owned or improved negligently or defectively This Author having therefore gained his point and throughly proved the dignity of the Christian state and calling beyond all possibility of grounded Cavils or competition He next proceeds to shew these Hebrews the genuine and just improvement of what he had demonstrated Heb. x. 19-39 xi xii xiii 1-19 The Casuistical consideration of the Text best serves the stated purpose of this hour And that I may be evidently pertinent clear succinct and profitable let me now lay the Case and Text together and consider them in their relative aspects each toward the other 1. Luke-warmness is the remissness or defectiveness of heat 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a middle thing betwixt cold and heat When there is not heat enough in subjecto capaci to serve the purposes that such a thing under such circumstances should subserve Now God and Christ expect a fervent Spirit burning and flaming Love and in the Text Love is here represented as needing Provocation Heart-warmth is nothing else but love suiting and accommodating it self to worthy objects according to their apprehended dignity usefulness or concerns Love is the endearing to our selves of apprehended Excellence or Goodness and our letting out our selves or the issuings forth of our pleased wills in correspondent motions towards reposes in obsequiousness to and engagements for what we admire and affect for worth or excellence discerned makes us accommodate our selves unto the pleasure and concerns thereof according to its nature place and posture towards us and our affairs therewith When therefore this Affection Principle or Grace or Passion if Love may properly be called so is grown too weak to fix the will and to influence the life so as to please its God and turns indifferent and unconcerned and variable as the winds and weather change this languor of the Heart and Will and its easiness and proneness to be drawn off from God and things Divine we call Luke-warmness which is nothing else indeed but the sluggishness and dulness of the heart and will to such a degree as that it is not duly affected with nor startled at nor concerned intimately about what is truly excellent and of great consequence and importance to us And hence our Author phrases it by 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in that Love may and ought to be smart and keen heating and urging all the powers of the Soul to excite all their vigours and to perform all their Functions with strength and pleasure Consider well Cant. viii 6 7. ii Cor. v. 14. i Thess ii 8. Heart unaffectedness unconcernedness and inactivity let Souls and their concerns God's interest and the Matters of Christ's Kingdom go and be as they will Phil. ii 20 21. This is the malady to be cured 2. It is not so much a single instance of luke-warmness as a temper that the case speaks of Nor doth the Text intend an intermittent Feaver in the heart 't is not a transient Paroxysm by fits and starts for hearts to burn but 't is a stated frame that must be changed and fixt The Malady is a luke-warm temper a frame and constitution of the inward man too weakly bent and byassed towards God and heavenly things to make them statedly its predominant ambition business and delight Act. xi 23. ii Cor. v. 9. A frame of Soul that sits too loose towards God to do to bear to be to hope to wait much for him in the stormy and dark day 3. It is the effectual cure hereof that the case aims at and in this Paroxysm of Love and of Good Works the cure consists Hence Labour of love Heb. vi 10. i Thess i. 3. Love abounding more and more in knowledge and in all judgment that ye may approve things that are excellent that ye may be sincere and without offence until the day of Christ being filled with the fruits of righteousness which are by Jesus Christ unto the Glory and Praise of God Phil. i. 9. 11. when Love is fervent fixt and genuinely fruitful then is this luke-warm temper cured indeed Hence zealous of good works See Tit. ii 11. 14. 4. How this Cure of such a temper may be effectually wrought is the next thing to be enquired into and the great import of the case before us and a great cluster of apt and pertinent Expedients doth the Text here entertain us with Such as 1. Determining and designing to enterprize the thing here called Provocation to love and to good works 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 · This is the great concern to be espoused and the great scope of our intentions resolutions and endeavours Love and good works are the great Cure of this Distemper to which we must direct our thoughts words deeds provokingly Col iv 5 6 Such a Distemper must not be ordinarily expected to be cured by accident nor are their Labours likely to be prosperous who do not cordially design this Cure 2 The mutual Considerations of Persons Consider one another to a Provocation So the Greek We must take into serious deep and frequent thoughts the quality capacity spirits courses and concerns of one another and see wherein they are defective or exemplary and proficient in these things as
is God blessed for evermore Here study well these following Texts as shadowing forth that only holy One of whom comparatively the Universe how vast in it's Expansions how gloriously rich in Furniture and Treasures how variously replenished with Inhabitants and how accurately framed and governed who knows is but as one small hint See I say Exod. xv 11. xxxiv 6.7 i Chron. xxix 10 13. Job xi 7 9. Isa vi 3 i Tim. i. 17. and vi 15 16. i Joh. i. 5. To name no more save only One that pertinently tells us That God is love i Joh. iv 16. Here Love and Goodness are essentially in their incomprehensible and immense perfection from hence are all the Communications of derived goodness and all the issuings forth thereof that all the Creatures can any way receive and of this boundless Ocean are they all swallowed up Eternally at last 2. God in the sallyings forth of his communicative and endearing Name and in all those Mirrours and Testimonies of himself which he affords us Rom. i. 20. Act. xvii 24. 29. i Tim. iii. 16. Heb. i. 3. Eph. iv 6. 24. O what a Mirrour of Divine perfection is the vast fabriâ—k of the Universe How far doth it extend it self How richly hath it's Maker furnish'd it with glorious Luminaries vast in their bulk beautiful in their orderly Scituations constant and regular in their courses and highly useful and as liberal in their dispensings of those influences which serve more glorious and various purposes than any man can reach at present or perhaps in all the proficiencies of Eternity if such things may with modesty be supposed to be there O wonderful Power in its Production Wonderful Wisdom in it's harmonious contrivance and compagination and as great goodness in those stores and Magazines which are so generously provided for and accommodated to all the capacities and necessities and concerns of the whole frame and of every part thereof Is not Gods glorious Name here legible and his kind Heart and Hand as fully and even sensibly discernible herein We are hereby both rendred and constrained to be his Witnesses that he is God and the best Object of our Love Here therefore must our Love both look and fix Should I here speak of God-Redeemer in all the glorious appearances performances and dispensations of his Indwelling Deity in our Nature Or of what the Spirit is and doth of all the Scenes and Systems of common and special Providence of all the Constitutions and Administrations of the upper and lower World and of the Church Militant and Triumphant Or should I shew you Man in his natural State as the workmanship of the God of Nature Or in his Christian State as in his Renovation by the God of Grace Or in his Glorified State at last as the Eternal Temple of the Spirit of Grace Should I shew you the Angelical State or all the excellencies of the end and of the orderly Means and Instruments which relate thereto the Name Seed Things of God You would see with whom and what Love hath to do But to sum up all 1. God is the Object of this Love as considered in his essential Perfections Trinity of Persons 2. In his Creation of the Universe of Beings 3. In his Relations consequent upon Creation and avouchedly assumed by him 4. In those various Signatures and Explications of his Name that are upon the whole and every part of his Creation according to the various Habitudes and States thereof 5. And in his relative deportments towards them and Communications to them as they are capable of receiving them 2. Jesus Christ in all his Mediatorial Excellencies Dignities and Prerogatives in his Relations Offices Unction Performances and Acquests both for himself as one exalted now to his Fathers right hand And for us as our exalted and engaged Head in all his Sympathies and Endearments 3. The Holy Ghost as God our Sanctifier in all those Counsels Quicknings Comforts which he provideth for us offereth to us and succeedeth in us and upon us And 4. Those that are near and dear to God according to the various measures of their Unction Stations and Serviceableness unto God and here comes in the main design both of my Text and Case viz. That we Christians be so considered each by other as that Christian Excellencies be observed to mutual Inflammations of Endearments where they are that Christian Principles and Affections may be awakened invigorated and advanced where they are dormant idle or decayed and that accordingly those Gospel means and helps be valued duely and pertinently applyed and improved which may reduce us to and keep us in the fervours and vigours of our Christian love that so the love of our espousals may fix and center in the God of Love and have its orderly and kindly Circulations and Diffusions through the whole Body and every thing abhorred resisted and rejected that shall or would attempt a rape thereon For towards these glorious and lovely Objects there should be no indifference nor cold affections nor the least possibility of a divorce therefrom that we by any Diligence Providence or Resolution can prevent Whatever as to Things and Persons is really and evidently of God and for him be it in us with us or about us must not sit loosly on our Hearts for it is the Christian Religion as it imprinciples Souls for God and Christ and forms them after God and Christ and keeps them faithful and proficient in their practical devotedness to the Divine design upon us that fits us for and keeps us in the State and Spirit of endearment unto God ii Pet. i. 2. 11. and that must imprinciple and actuate our reciprocal affections and endearments each towards other See i Cor. vii 19. and Gal. vi 15. and v. 6. ii Cor. v. 16. 18. Parties and Persons no nor ecentrical Opinions nor Magisterial Impositions of dividing terms of Concord in pretence and shew nor multitudes of Proselytes to our novel darling self-conceited Notions such things as these cannot commend us unto God why should they then be thought luke-warm whose fervours draw not forth themselves upon such pitiful mean unworthy things Rom. xiv 17. 19. The Kingdom of God and Christ must be endeared to us with all the Subjects of that Kingdom in all their universally holding Principles and Interests And the great fervours vigours and effects of Love must be directed to and setled upon these objects proportionably to their excellencies and postures towards us and our concerns with them and Relations to them This for the Objects 2. The formal nature of this Love and here I shall premise that it is best understood and known by its own exercised and experienced vigour Sensation helps us to the clearest and most lively apprehensions the most accurate Definitions and Descriptions that can be given us by the most sagacious and exact Persons can never tell you to such degrees of satisfaction in your information what Health or Sickness Hunger or Thirst
and before God who feedeth them with Christ the Bread of Life especially every Sabbath day Were this or some such course taken from week to week would not this hook into your practice all the great Duties of Religion And so you would give a good account of your hearing but 3. My third Direction is this Do not only satisfie your selves but carry on your enquiry that it may thrô grace satisfie Christ My Text is a question proposed by Christ and to him must we give our answer You may give a plausible account to Ministers but 'pray ' remember you must give an account to Christ You may by leading questions mislead Ministers as persons that go to Law do their Lawyers and they lose their Cause by it but when by studied Hypocrisie you mislead Ministers to gratifie you with a mistaken judgment you lose your Souls by it 'T is Christ that asks the question not to be informed by you for he knows what is in man better than they themselves Christ would have you to be plain-hearted and ingenuous that wherein you see cause to complain he may help you When the trembling Soul after the hearing of such Ministers as would undeceive them is like Jeremy for his peoples being deceived by false Prophets (u) Jer. 23. ◠My heart within me is broken because of the Prophets all my bones shake I am like a drunken man and like a man whom wine hath overcome because of the Lord and because of the words of his Holiness q. d. Fear and trembling takes hold of me I am ashamed I am at my Wits end the word of God calls for so much Holiness and I have so little Thou enquirest Lord what I hear for I dare not say that my intentions and ends are so serious as they should be I am afraid to own any thing that is good Christ in a way of compassion is ready to encourage such a Soul Canst thou but sincerely say thou comest to meet Christ and to learn of Christ Jesus Christ welcomes such to him and they may answer him with comfort Under this head consider 1. Christ asks thee here in this World that thou mayst now be able to give such an answer as thou mayst stand by at the last day when there will be neither Hopes nor Time to rectifie it if it be insufficient 'T is in this something like our Pleadings in Courts of Judicature we must put in our Plea and stand to it Thou knowest Lord there is through Grace something of sincerity but for any thing else do thou Lord answe◠for me 'Pray ' mark this when once the Soul can bring the question back again to Christ thus Thou askest me what I come for Lord I come for thee to answer for me I can't satisfie my own Conscience 't is ready to fly in my Face much less can I satisfie my Jealous Master unless tho◠compassionately answer for me Lord thou usest to answer for thine own May we then suppose Christ thus to enquire Who shall lay any thing to the charge of any one who sincerely comes to wait for me in mine Ordinances Can we suppose any one to be so daring as to perk up and say I charge all these to be a company of proud conceited Hypocrites they 'll needs be wiser than their Neighbours they spend their time in running up and down to hear Sermons Christ doth as it were answer Dost thou make this a Crime What he did 't was out of Love to me and Obedience to me He hath chosen that good (w) Luk. 10.42 part which shall not be taken away from him and for you who are so ready to accuse others and excuse your selves for slighting or ill managing all the means offered for your Salvation (x) Mat. 22.13 Bind him hand and foot that he may make no resistance take him away that he may neither make an escape nor have any hopes of Mercy and cast him into outer darkness where shall be weeping and gnashing of Teeth 2. If you do not give Christ an answer which he will accept of 't is in vain to expect relief from any other If the Father be offended Christ interposeth himself bears the wrath of God and prevents it from us Christ is the days-man between God and us If the Spirit be grieved by our quenching his motions and striving against his striving with us to hear and obey the Lord Jesus provided that rise not to THE Sin against the Holy Ghost which the greatest part of trembling Christians often fear they have committed though by the way let me tell them that their fear they have committed it yields them sufficient assurance they have not committed it for this sin is always attended with such hardness of Heart that they sin without remorse So that while the Spirit overcomes their resistances and prevails with them to comply with Christ through Christ their sins against the Spirit shall be pardoned But (y) Exod. 23.20 21. when the Angel of the Covenant Jesus Christ was promised to be sent before the Israelites in the Wilderness to keep them in the way and to bring them into the place prepared for them they are expresly charged to beware of him and obey his voice provoke him not for he will not pardon your Transgressions but severely punish them Not that sins against Christ shall never be pardoned though repented of but to keep us from adventuring upon sin as if it should easily be pardoned whereas the Apostle tells us (z) Heb. 10.26 If we sin wilfully there remaineth no more sacrifice for sin i. e. Those that reject and renounce Christs Sacrifice for sin there 's no other Sacrifice can atone God for them I grant that this Text chiefly concerns the unpardonable sin But I pray you consider those that do not make it the main business of their Lives to give Christ such an account as he will accept of what improvement they have made of his Word if they live and dye in that neglect they shall as certainly perish as they who commit the sin against the Holy Ghost There are but very few can commit that sin but an incredible number commit this without considering the danger of it Now Christians is your time to make up such an account as you must stand or fall by to Eternity Oh that I had but one Minutes such conception of Eternity as 't is possible to be had in this World I reckon 't would influence my whole Life Christs Sentence at last will be according to 〈◊〉 account we give him here and if his Sentence ben't as you would have it there will be no altering of it Your Repentance then will be no small part of your Torment Object I can't think that Christ will be so sharp and severe This affrights me more than any thing This is the most terrible Consideration that ever I heard I expected relief from Christ at last and that Christ should hear me at my
Devotions By all which it is evident that as there have been different Opinions and Practices among all sorts of Religions in the World so the Church of God hath been subject to the same Malady And as it was from the beginning so it is now and so will it be 'till the World have an end until the Church of God be presented to Jesus Christ without spot or wrinkle or any such thing And the Causes hereof are evident 1. Our general Imperfection in this Life As the best men are imperperfect in their Holiness so are they in their Knowledge there will be Defects in our Vnderstanding as well as in our Will Some are Babes in Knowledge others are strong Men some have need of Milk being unskilful in the Word of righteousness others are of fuller Age and have their senses exercis'd to discern both good and evil Heb. 5.12 13 14. Foolish men are ready to burthen the Scriptures in Vulgar Tongues with the Differences that are found in Religion but therein they blaspheme the Holy Ghost for the Word of God is a clear Light the Cause of Mistakes is the weakness and blindness of our Eye-sight whereby we cannot all with equal clearness see into the meaning of it by reason of this our Imperfection So that it is scarce possible to prevent all Diversity of Opinions in Religion unless every pious Man had a Promise of Infallibility annexed to his Piety 2. Mens Education contributes much hereunto It is manifest how strong an Influence this hath upon all Peoples Understandings The Principles which then they imbibe be they right or wrong they generally live and dye with Few will be at the pains to examine them and few have a mind to alter them So that it is much to be doubted that if it had been the fate of many of our professed Christians to have been born and bred under the Turk or Mâ—guâ— they had both quietly and resolutely proceeded in their Religion And proportionably to be bred under Parents Masters or Tutors of a different Opinion or Practice in the true Religion must needs greatly byass such Persons towards the same and every one not having the very same Education there follows a kind of necessity of some difference in Religion 3. Mens Capacities are different Some have a greater sagacity to penetrate into things than others some have a clearer Judgment to weigh and determine of things than others some have more solid Learning by far than others and these doubtless will attain to an higher Form and Class than others can Others have neither such natural Abilities nor Time to read and think of matters so as to improve and advance their minds to the pitch of others And there are not a few who as they are duller in Apprehension so they are commonly hotter in Affection and Resolution And it is scarce possible to reduce these Persons that are so unequal in their Capacity to an Identity of Opinion And then out of the abundance of the Heart the Mouth will be apt to speak and so there will follow some Difference in the matters of Religion 4. Mens natural Tempers are different some more airy and Mercurial some more stiff and Melancholy and those Complexions do strongly and insensibly incline People to those Sentiments that are most suitable and proper to such Temperaments which being diverse yea almost contrary must of necessity when they are applied to matters of Religion breed variety of Apprehensions And the same Holy Spirit which inspired the sacred Pen-men of the Scriptures and yet therein adapts himself as is manifest to their Natural Genius cannot be expected in his Ordinary Illuminations to thwart and stifle the natural temper of all Mankind neither are those Notions which do grow upon mens Natural Constitution easily any other way altered And 5. Mens Interests are different the best of Men have something of the Old Adam in them And though the sincere Christian must and will strive against any such Temptation yet according to the strength of unmortified Corruption Men will be prone to be for this Opinion Practice or Party and against that Opinion Practice or Party that falls in or out with their Worldly Interest Not that any good Man doth wittingly calculate his Profession for his baser ends but yet they may secretly byass him especially in more minute and dubious matters belonging to Religion It is a great Question what Way or Party many Men would chuse if their present Profession were quite stript of all carnal and worldly Advantages and Considerations and that they were left to square out their Religion only with the Bible Now from these and many other Causes it sadly follows for the consequence is a matter to be bewailed there will be Differences among the People of God in Points of Religion especially in minuter matters which are but darkly describ'd and more darkly apprehended by the Sons of Men. In short that there is no more hope of perfect Unity on Earth than there is of perfect Holiness 'T is to be endeavoured but not fully attained 'till we arrive in Heaven Then we shall come in the Vnity of the Faith and of the Knowledge of the Son of God when we are grown perfect men according to the measure of the sâ—â—ture of the fulness of Christ Ephes 4.11 Propos 2. These Differences may and should be managed with Charity Not but that Vnity should by all good men be first endeavoured and to that end they should all impartially seek for Truth on which side soever it lies and this every humble diligent man shall find The Spirit of God which is promised unto his Church and which every true Believer shall have for asking will guide all such into all necessary saving Truth and all other Vnity save in the Truth is but Conspiracy Accursed is that Charity saith Luther which is preserved by the Shipwrack of Faith or Truth to which all things must give place both Charity yea on Apostle yea an Angel from Heaven If the one must be dispensed withal it is Peace and not Truth Better to have Truth without publick Peace than Peace without saving Truth So Dr. Gauden We must not sail for the Commodity of Peace beyond the Line of Truth we must break the Peace in Truths quarrel so another Learned man But this is to be understood of necessary and essential Truths in which Case that Man little consults the Will and Honour of God who will expose the Truth to obtain as saith Nazianzen the repute of an easie mildness Speciosum quidem nomen est pacis pulchra opinio Vnitatis sed quis dubitat eam solam Ecclesiae pacem esse qua Christi est saith Hilary But when as after all such endeavours have been used as are within the reach of a Mans Parts and Calling â—â—ill Differences do remain in smaller matters these ought to be managed with all Charity that is with true Love a Love of Honour and respect to those that
are above us a Love of Condescention and forbearance to those that are below us and a Love of hearty Good-will and Kindness to those that are equal to us for Aquinas well saith that that Concord which is the Effect of Charity is the union of Affections not of Opinions There may be the same Love in the Heart where there are not the same Notions in the Head and this will keep the strong Christian from despising the weak and this will keep the weak Christian from censuring and judging the strong They may be of the same Heart who are not every way of the same Mind or else there could scarce be real Affection between any two Persons in the World Pax non est consensio ingeniorum sed conjunctio animorum sentire in omnibus tecum nunc quidem non possum sed amare debeo as Naeranus well said This is that more excellent way which the Apostle doth so divinely describe and advance 1 Cor. 13. throughout a whole Chapter But yet this Method is Hard and very rare and that chiefly by reason of our Pride Most men thinking too well of themselves and consequently of their Opinion and Practice and thereupon vilifying all others that differ from them Every man would be a Law-giver a God to another would prescribe to them and quarrel with them for their Dissent insomuch as the Wise man affirms Prov. 13.10 that Only by Pride comes contention If we had but that lowliness of mind whereby to esteem others better than our selves then nothing would be done through strife or vain-glory which the Holy Ghost doth earnestly require Philip. 2.3 But we are as apt to be fond of our own Notions as of our own Children and as rarely to value others as if we were the only People and Wisdom must dye with us and all others must strike sail unto us And from this root springs Passion and distemper of spirit and then perit Judicium cùm res transit in Affectum when mens Passions are once kindled then Wrath and Revenge manage the Controversie and one Christian is ready to bite and devour another But certainly it should not be thus Religious Differences should be managed religiously that is piously and charitably This may be 't is possible for it is prescrib'd and press'd Rom. 14.13 Let us not therefore judge one another any more And why dost thou judge thy brother or why dost thou set at nought thy brother and ver 19. Let us therefore follow after the things that make for peace And this should be for Charity is a Grace of an universal extent we owe it to all to the weak to the ignorant to the peevish to the proud to the good and to the bad Rom. 13.8 Owe no man any thing but to love one another And it is of that necessary Connexion with other saving Graces that we can neither have Faith nor Hope unless we have Charity yea the greatest of these is Charity 1 Cor. 13.13 And herein the true Church of Christ hath ever excelled The Fathers of old in their dealing wit the Donatists would account them their Brethren when they could not prevail with them for a Reciprocation And it is a Golden saying of Bernard Adhaerebo vobis etiamsi nolitis adhaerebo vobis etsi nolim ipse cum turbatis ero pacificus dabo locum â—rae ne diabolo dem I 'le cleave to you against your Will I will cleave to you even against my own Will when ye are moved I will be quiet I 'le give place to anger that I may not give place to the Devil And there is great Reason for such a Temper for every Difference in Religion creates not a different Religion While Men do hold the Head they must needs be of the Body Where the same substantial Doctrine is avowed accidental variety is very tolerable especially where the Peace of God's Church is not infringed It was worthy Bishop Reynolds's Conclusion Where the same straight road to Heaven is kept a small difference of paths hinders not Travellers from coming to the same Inn at night So neither should they bitterly contest about the next way who steadily own the same Guide the same Rule the same End only every one hath not so clear an Eye nor such opportunity to know the more obscure Points pertaining to the Christian Religion which others have Therefore in these things Luther's Motto is best In quo aliquid Christi video illum diligo where there is any thing of Christ there I love And this Love will cover not one or two but a multitude of sins and infirmities Propos 3. These Dissentions are Vncharitable when Persons bite and devour one another The spring of all this Poyson is in the Heart for out of the abundance of the Heart the Mouth speaketh and the Hand acts There 's a Defect of real and fervent Love and an Excess of Selfishness within Self-opinion Self-will and Self-interest And this Arrogance breeds Insolence and all the biting and devouring mentioned in this place Now if these two Expressions do bear a distinct signification then 1. Men do Bite one another by keen and venomous Words When Men do whet their Tongues like a Sword and bend their bows to shoot their Arrows even bitter words Psal 64.3 The Tongue unbridled is a fire a world of Iniquity it sets on fire the course of Nature and it is set on fire of Hell Jam. 3.6 What flames of Strife have the Tongues and Pens of Men kindled and continued in the World Sometimes by Censuring their Brethren they are time-servers proud covetous superstitious or they are conceited peevish factious Especially if any one be really scandalous by imputing it presently to all his Party as if they were all such which is the most Unjust and Uncharitable Inference imaginable for what Party of Men is there on Earth wherein there are none that are foolish false and wicked In short there is no Vice more common and mischievous not only among different Parties but with all sorts of People than in their ordinary Conversation to let fly their censorious Arrows against others insomuch as it 's very rare to speak of any one behind their back without some reflection upon them which is not only a biting but a back-biting one another and so the more base and mischievous Sometimes Men Bite one another by plain Slandering one another charging them with Crimes which they abhorr thus One Party reckons all their Opposites to be presently Enemies to the King and to the Church who on the Other side are as ready to count them Enemies to God and to his People monopolizing Godliness to One Party and Loyalty to Another Nay each is ready to appropriate all Religion and good Conscience to themselves and to unsanctifie and vilifie all of the contrary mind A common course of Hypocrites first to degrade a godly Man into ungodliness that so they may have room to hate him Though the same Law and
Fulness in God viz. his essential self-fulness which is infinite inexhaustible undiminishable and therefore incommunicable 2. A second thing we must suppose is That there is a fulness of God with which we may and therefore ought to pray and labour that we may be filled We cannot reach the original fulness but we may a borrowed derivative fulness tho' we cannot attain the fulness of the Fountain we may receive a fulness of the Vessel from that Fountain and if we cannot partake any thing of Gods Essence we may partake of his Influence we cannot be filled with the formal holiness of God for that holiness is God yet may we derive holiness from him as an efficient cause who works all things according to the counsel of his Will Eph. 1.11 The Wisdom of God there 's Principium dirigens the Will of God there 's Principium imperans and he works according to these there 's the Principium exequens His Will commands his Wisdom guides his Power executes the Decrees and Purposes of his wise Counsel and holy Will Having thus cleared the way we proceed to the direct Solution of the Question What is that fulness of God which every true Christian ought to pray and strive to be filled with For seeing we have supposed that there is a fulness of God which we cannot be filled with we must lay aside all ambitions and vain aspirings after that fulness and seeing we have supposed that there is a fulness of God wherewith we may be filled and the very Prayer of the Apostle supposes it We therefore are to take up this holy and humble ambition to be filled with it Now this Question can be no sooner proposed but our thoughts will suggest to us these two things First What is the matter of that Fulness and what is the measure of that Fulness with what of God and with how much of God ought we to pray and strive that we may be filled And therefore of necessity we must divide the Question into these two Branches First Branch of the Question What is the matter of that Fulness of God which we are to pray and strive to be filled with When we speak of Filling we conceive immediately that under that Metaphor there must be comprized these three things A Fountain from whence that Fulness is communicated A Recipient a Vessel a Cistern into which that Fulness is derived And then of something Analogous to the matter which from that Fountain is communicated and by that Vessel received Now in the Case before us This Fountain must needs be God the Author of every good and perfect Gift Jam. 1.17 Souls are the Vessel into which the Fulness is received but what we are to conceive and understand by the matter or the quasi materia with which these Vessels from that Fountain are filled is the Subject of our present Enquiry And to this branch of the main Inquiry I shall answer First more generally Secondly more particularly 1. To speak generally That which we are to pray and strive to be filled with is the Spirit of God Eph. 5.18 Be not drunk with Wine wherein is excess but be ye filled with the Spirit where first the Apostle dehorts against Intemperance we may have too much of the best outward things It 's easie to run into excess in these matters The Psalmist assures us Psal 104.15 That Wine makes glad the heart of man And the Prophet Hos 4.11 assures us too that Wine takes away the Heart It 's no more but this the Use is good the Abuse is sinful and the danger is lest from the lawfulness of the Use we slide insensibly into the Abuse Be not therefore filled with wine wherein is excess but then he exhorts too But be ye filled with the Spirit No fear of excess or Intemperance in this case when God fills the Souls of his People with his Spirit he fills them with all the Spiritual good things that their hearts can fill their Prayers with Compare but these two places Matth. 7.11 How much more shall your Father which is in Heaven give good things to them that ask him Luke 11.13 How much more shall your Heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him The comparing of these two Scriptures evidently proves that in praying for the Holy Spirit we pray virtually for all good things and that when God is graciously pleased to communicate his Spirit he communicates all good things when the Father gives his Son he gives all things So the Apostle has taught us to believe and argue Rom. 8 32. He that spared not his Son but delivered him up for us All how shall he not with him freely give us all things And we have equal reason to believe that he that spared his Spirit and gave him to us will in him and with him freely give us all things But these all things are to be taken in suo genere The Gift of Christ comprehends all things that are to be done for us the gift of the Spirit includes all things to be wrought in us Christ is all things for Justification the Spirit is all things for Sanctification and Consolation I shall touch at present upon some few things 1. Do you find an emptiness of Grace and do you long to have your Souls replenisht with it You go to the God of all Grace 1 Pet. 5.10 That he would give you more Faith more Love more Patience more Self-denyal more Heavenly-mindedness c. you do well but the compendious way is to pray that God would fulfil that Promise and so fill your Souls with his Spirit Zech. 12.10 I will pour out upon the House of David and Inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of Grace and Supplication First the Spirit of Grace that we may pray and then the Spirit of Prayer that we may be filled with more Grace Can we be content with a few drops when God has promised to pour out his Spirit John 7.38 He that believes in me out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water this spake he of the Spirit Can we satifie our selves that we have so much Grace as just keeps us alive when if we would pray and strive for the Spirit we might be more lively and vigorous Christians Can we be content with a Taste when God has provided a Feast Some of the Ancients who were anointed with material Oyl were anointed with the Cruise others with the Horn O let us not be satified that we have a few drops from the Cruise when God is ready to pour out his Grace more abundantly John 10.10 2. Would you answer the glorious Title of a Child of God with a more glorious and suitable Spirit that you may pray as Children walk as dear Children come to God not as Slaves but as Children and walk before God not under the resemblance of the Spirit of Bondage but with an ingenuous Liberty and Freedom as becomes the Heirs of Salvation Pray for
the Spirit of God that he may be a Spirit of Adoption to you as well as of Regeneration pray in the Spirit for the Spirit that you may have the frame of a Child filled with Zeal for the Fathers Name and Interest 'T is the Spirit of Adoption that teaches us to cry Abba Father Rom. 8.15 'T is the Spirit of God that gives us an inward freedom and liberty 2 Cor. 3.17 Whâ—â—e the Spirit of the Lord is there 's Liberty This Spirit will not give you a liberty unto sin but from it nor from God but with him This Spirit will not break the Bonds of the Commandment but tye up your hearts to it and give you liberty and chearfulness in it We read that the Son makes us free John 8.36 If the Son shall make you free then are you free indeed We read also that the Spirit makes us free too but in different respects The Son makes us free from the Curse of the Law from the guilt of Sin from the Wrath of God but the Spirit makes us free too from the reigning power of sin from the bondage that is in the Conscience The Authority of God has made his Precepts necessary what is necessary in the precept the Spirit makes voluntary in the principle God charges the Conscience with Duty and the Spirit enlarges the heart to obedience Psal 119.32 I will run the way of thy Commandment when thou shalt enlarge my heart 3. Pray for the Spirit that he would perform his whole Office to you that you may not partake only of the work of the Spirit in some one or some few of his operations but in all that are common to Believers And especially that he that has been an anointing Spirit to you would be a sealing Spirit to you also that he that has sealed you may be a witnessing Spirit to his own work and that he would be the earnest of your inheritance a pledge of what God has further promised and purposed for you 2 Cor. 1.21 22. Now he which stablisheth us with you in Christ and hath anointed you is God Who hath also sealed us and given the earnest of the Spirit into our hearts 2. To speak a little more particularly what the Apostle prays for his Ephesians in more general Terms he prays for the Colossians more particularly Col. 1.9 10. We do not cease to pray for you and to desire that you might be fill'd with the knowledge of his Will in all Wisdom and Spiritual Vnderstanding that ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing being fruitful in every good work and encreasing in the knowledge of God And when I have opened the particulars of this Scripture I shall not need to seek elsewhere for an answer to this Inquiry What is the matter of the fulness of God which we ought to pray and strive to be filled with I. Let us pray and strive and strive and pray again adding endeavours § 1 to prayers and prayers to endeavours that we may be filled with the knowledge of Gods will And we have need to make this an essential part of our prayer for first We may happily do the will of God Materially when we do it not Formally not under that formal and precise consideration that what we do is the will of God and that we do it under that consideration because it is the will of God A Man may perhaps stumble upon some practices that are commanded by the Moral Law and yet in all this not do Gods will but his own that which in all our obedience we are to eye and regard is the Authority the will of God we cannot be said to observe a Commandment unless we observe Gods Authority in that Commandment nor to keep Gods Statutes unless we keep God in our eye as the great Legislator and Statute maker A blind obedience even to God is no more acceptable than a blind obedience to Men is justifiable Secondly We ought to pray that we may be filled with the knowledge of Gods will that there may be more employment for the powers and faculties of the Soul which in every heart wherein the grace of God radically is are in the general inclined to do the will of God There are some well disposed Christians of strong affections and good inclinations to do Gods will who are but slenderly furnisht with knowledge what that will of God is which he would have them do And thus those warm propensions of Spirit either lye like dead stocks upon their hands or else they laid out the zeal of their Souls upon that which is not the will of God and when they have spent their vigour and strength of Soul upon it they come to God for a reward who asks them who required this at your hand And thus even holy Davids zeal was mislaid upon this account that God had not spoken a word nor revealed his will in the Case 2 Sam. 7.7 Thirdly It s our great concern that we may know the will of God and be filled with that knowledge that the knowledge of Gods will may be an operative principle of obedience thus David prays Psal 143.10 Teach me to do thy will O God We are to pray that God would teach us to know and then teach us to do his will knowledge without obedience is lame obedience without knowledge is blind and we must never hope for acceptance if we offer the blind and the lame to God Luke 12.47 That Servant which knew his Lords will and prepared not himself neither did according to his will shall be beaten with many stripes As therefore all our practice must be guided by knowledge so must all our knowledge be referred to practice Fourthly and lastly We ought to pray that we may be filled with the knowledge of God's will that this knowledge being rooted and grounded in our Souls it may render that obedience easie and delightful which is so necessary to its acceptation when Satan had entred Judas his heart he would not stick at any of the Devils commands and when he had filled the heart of Ananias and Saphira Acts 5.3 how ready were they to lie unto God If our hearts were more filled with the knowledge of Gods will that this Divine Law were written there duty would be our delight obedience our meat and drink nor would there be room left for those corruptions which hang upon us like dead weight always incumbring us in our obedience § 2 II. Let us pray again that we be filled with all wisdom in the doing of the will of God we want knowledge much we want wisdom more we need more light into the will of God and more judgment how to perform it For first It 's one great instance of wisdom to know the seasons of duty and what every day calls for As the providence of God disposes us under various circumstances so it calls for the exercise of various duties one circumstance calls for mourning another for
the tenor of our conversations to this God whom we serve If there be not that exact and punctual walking up to what God in strict justice may expect yet there must be that accuracy and circumspection which God in mercy will accept we must be holy as the Lord our God is holy Spiritual because we walk before him that is a Spirit sincere as being always under his omniscient Eye acting our faith upon him that is faithful and true casting our care and burden upon him that has undertaken to care for us and in all things proving what is the will of God and then approving that will and practising what we have thus approved § 5 V. Let us pray and strive let 's add holy endeavours to humble Prayers and second again those endeavours with our Prayers That we may be fruitful in every good work That there may be Grace in the root Grace in the fruit Grace in the habit strengthned Grace in the exercise multiplyed Let 's pray that our Faith may not be a dead Faith for want of the Grace of obedience that our obedience be not a dead obedience for want of a living Faith and a lively active Love that our Fruit may be of the right kind new obedience from a new heart that it may be right for its proportion for herein is our Father glorified that we bring forth much fruit John 15.8 that it be rightly directed that we may bring forth fruit to God and not to our selves And to all our Prayers we must add this that we may encrease in the knowledge of God That knowing God better we may love him better and loving him more we may serve and glorifie him more and be riper every day for the enjoyment of him And thus much in answer to the first Branch of the Question I proceed to the Second Second Branch of the Question What is the measure of that fulness of God with which every true Christian ought to pray and strive that he may be filled There is Plenitudo fontis Plenitudo Vasis the Fulness of the Fountain and the Fulness of the Vessel There is again Plenitudo Solis Stellae the fulness of Light in the Sun and the fulness of Light in a Star Again there is Plenitudo Capitis Membri the Fulness of the Head and the fulness of a Member A Fountain is full a Vessel may be full but with different measures Jesus Christ as Head of the Church has the Fulness of the Spirit without measure John 3.34 A gracious Soul may be also full but it is with the residue of the Spirit which Christ can spare for the use of those that are his Mal. 2.15 God is full of all Grace with the fulness of the Fountain he is full with his own fulness but not filled from another A Believer may be full too but he is filled from the fulness of God Thus John the Baptist is said to be filled with the Holy Ghost Luke 1.15 And so Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Ghost v. 4. So was Zechariah v. 67. And thus were the Disciples all filled with the Holy Ghost Acts 2.4 All these were full but their fulness was borrowed they were filled It was of Christs fulness that they received grace for grace John 1.16 They were filled but they could not fill others from thelr fulness they had Grace but none to spare And every Believer must answer his Brother that would borrow of him as the wise Virgins did Matth. 25.9 Not so lest there be not enough for us and you There is an All-sufficiency of Grace in Christ it s well if Believers have a sufficiency according to Christs promise to the Apostle 2 Cor. 12.19 My grace is sufficient for thee And having premised this little I shall give the direct Answer to the Question in these following particulars 1. Every gracious Soul ought to pray and strive to be filled with such a measure of the fulness of God and of his Grace as the Holy Spirit who is the proper Judge of that measure shall see fit to communicate to us The Holy Spirit has these parts in this matter 1. He is the immediate Worker of Grace 2. He is the Distributer of all Grace 3. He is the Arbitrator of that Quota and proportion of Grace which every Believer has need of 1 Cor. 12.11 All these worketh one and the self-same Spirit dividing to every one severally as he will where you may observe the several parts that the Spirit of God hath in this matter 1. He works this Grace 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 't is by his Energy or powerful working that there is root or fruit habit in us or Act of Grace proceeding from us 2. He divides and distributes to every one severally 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 he is the great Steward of the Houshold of Christ and dispenses the measure of Grace to Individuals 3. This measure is distributed by his absolute power 't is according to his will 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as he pleases for the Grace being his own he may do with and dispose of his own Grace according to his own will And tho' he will be faithful in the discharge of his trust yet will he be sought unto to do it for us Thus when there was a promise Ezek. 36.25 that God would sprinkle clean water upon his people and cleanse them from all their filthiness and from all their Idols And v. 26. That he would give them a new heart and a new Spirit and take away the Heart of stone and give them a Heart of Flesh and put his Spirit within them v. 27. c. Yet still v. 37. I will yet for all this be enquired of by the house of Israel to do it for them 2. Every gracious Soul ought to pray for such a measure of Grace as may fit his Capacity none are so full but they may receive more We have so little of Grace because we ask no more Jam. 4.2 Ye have not because ye ask not We are but poor in our selves we might be enriched from Christ and if we were more poor in Spirit we should be more enriched with Grace from him John 16.24 Ask and ye shall receive that your joy may be full We should not satisfie our selves with the present measure of Grace received but pray and strive that we may have grace given according to the measure of the gift of Christ Eph. 4.7 3. We ought to pray and strive that our narrow Vessels may be widned our Capacities enlarged that we may be more capable of Grace The Vessels of Divine Grace are of different sizes as one Star differs from another in glory so one Saint differs from another in Grace And as the Spirit enlarges the Heart he will enlarge his own hand Psal 18.10 I am the Lord even thy God open thy mouth wide and I will fill it Our blessed Saviour may say to us as the Apostle to the Corinthians 2 Cor.
only give an uncertain sound till evidenc'd to be from Heaven as the Word is 3. For Conversion i. e. From all sin to God which imports a thorow change of Heart and Life and that it is indeed from God the Author by his Spirit 3 2 Thess 2.13 Tit. 3.5 above the creatures power and activity 4 John 1.13 yet God useth Christs Embassadors in the Ministry of Reconciliation 5 2 Cor. 5.19 20 Acts 26.18 and those who are Instructors in him 6 Job 22.21 that we may be acquainted with God receive forgiveness and be built up 6 even an habitation of God through the Spirit upon the foundation doctrinal of the Prophets and Apostles Christ personally being the chief Corner-stone 7 Eph. 2.20 Wherefore Paul urgeth Timothy to read the Divinely inspired Scriptures in that they were able as an Instrument in God's hands to make him wise to Salvation 8 2 Tim. 3.15 as they were a ground of hope and comfort to others 9 Rom. 15.4 by means of which we are begotten or born again 10 Jam. 1.18 1 Pet. 1.23 yea and from God's appointment and ordination or as it were Common Law we are not only first converted from Sin to God but are carried on in a state of grace till we in exercising our selves unto Godliness are afterwards brought unto glory It remains before I leave the Explication that I touch upon 4. The Persons whom the Rich Man is here represented to desire to come from Heaven or Hell to give an Information to his Relatives how things go in those unchangeable States of Happiness or Misery are only brought in ex hypothesi upon supposition or condition granting it were so Not that there is a ground for the expectation of any new Messengers from the other World we may yield the thing possible tho not probable we are not to limit the Holy One who is most perfect he is not bounded as to his Omnipotency any more than his Omnisciency He could if he would reveal himself now as he did to John in the Isle of Patmos 11 Rev. 1.9 He might if he would in the dispensation of his Grace and Providence use the Ministration of Angels 12 Heb. 1.14 without giving any account of his matters 13 Job 33.12 13 and put them upon Obedience extraordinarily for those Heavenly Spirits must be at his Service in the affairs of his Kingdom 14 Rev. 22.9 Indeed the great instance of their Ministry was about the Person of Christ yet he did use them afterwards to reveal his mind 15 Rev 1.1 19.10 How far he is pleased to do it at this day in any rare instance is not for me to determine but some have pretended to have Revelations from Angels which have prov'd Delusions There is it 's true a Ministry of them in this Chapter where my Text is vers 22. to carry holy Souls to Abraham's bosom which is ordinary But we will suppose there should be any extraordinary yet that would not be any more if so much regarded than the ordinary means and we should through the Grace given be careful not to be wise above that which is written 16 Rom. 12.3 Having thus explained the sense of the Answer to the Case before me I hope according to the Explication given you will come to conclude with me that it doth clearly result from my Text and is proved thence II. The Second General is to shew How or upon what grounds the ordinary means of Grace are more certainly succefsful for Conversion than if Persons from Heaven or Hell should tell us what is done there as hath been explained That I may do this as well as I can in a little room I shall be concern'd like Bezaleel and Aholiab 17 Exod. 36.7 tho' not with the like Wisdom to lay by much of the good stuff would offer it self to me in this case Somewhat methinks I should premise in the General and then proceed to particular grounds 1. Let me premise in the general these two or three things 1. From my Text and in a Christian Congregation I am not necessitated in shewing how this comes about which I have deduced from it to prove Moses and the Prophets or which is all one for substance more largely the Holy Scriptures to be the Word of God That being the Hypothesis or what is presupposed and not Question'd in this Dialogue between the Richman and the Father of the Faithful as we find vers 29th as well as in the words compared with vers 16th of this Chapter The Jews did acknowledge it and never denyed it when our Saviour and his Apostles did ever and anon shew them how the Scriptures were fulfilled manifested and accomplish'd So that not to grant this were to take away the substratum or foundation of the Case Which the Jews frankly yielded 17 John 9.29 We know that God spake unto Moses indeed it was evident enough when he refuted any objection against it 18 Exod. 3.2 6 14 4.1 2 c. 14.31 20.1 c. Numb 11.17 comforting of them by shewing them that God was with him We find they did readily agree to it that God was the Author of the Old Testament Apollos we read 19 Acts 18.24 28. did mightily convince many of the Jews from the Scriptures i. e. those Books which they did own to be of Divine inspiration And by consequence if people be not worse than Jews the New Testament should be owned to be so too being the Old directs to it When Christ was transfigur'd Moses and Elias appear'd talking with him 20 Mat. 17.2 3 and so gave their Testimonies to the main subject and substance of the Gospel sith In Christ are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge 21 Col. 2.3 2. Man in his innocent state had an innate pure light consisting in the knowledge of God the Creator Lawgiver Governor and Rewarder presently enlarg'd by Revelation from without in the Sacramental precept of the Divine will under the first Covenant 22 Gen. 2.17 and from the consideration of Gods works which were all very good 23 Gen. 1.31 and this was necessary to that state But sith Man being mutable sought out many inventions 24 Eccles 7.27 and harken'd to the Serpents suggestion 1 Gen. 3.5 had obscur'd this light God of his infinite goodness pitying the vanity of faln Man as mortal not knowing how to deliver his Soul from the hand of the grave Ps2al. 89.47 48 2 did think it necessary to reveal himself and magnifie his grace in condescending to enter into a new Covenant with this faln creature giving his Word or first Promise that the seed of the Woman should bruise the Serpents head 3 Gen. 3.15 John 1.14 Herein Christ was promised and hence called the Word being He indeed concerning whom that saving Word of God or Word of Promise is made As we
for using means to attain it when they have not room for so much as a thought of it 2. Suppose Men have time and warning given them Death knocks at the door before it enters and besieges them before it storms them they lie by the brink of the grave before they fall into it yet they may want the Means of grace by which God ordinarily works when he brings Men to Repentance Publick Ordinances in such a case they cannot have and private ones they may not have They may have none with them that have the tongue of the Learned to speak a word in season to them Isa 50.4 they may lack oyl but have none that can tell them where they may buy it None that understand the nature of Repentance none that can instruct them in it or direct them how they may attain it Friends may be as carnal and ignorant and unacquainted with the things of God as themselves and so may Ministers be sometimes They may seek a vision of the Prophet but the Law may perish from the Priest and counsel from the Ancient Ezek. 7.26 True indeed God can work repentâ—nce in Man or any grace without means by his immediate power or by some extraordinary means but he never promiseth to do it and therefore it is a bold presuming and tempting of him to expect he should What if God once stopt a sinner in the midst of his carrear when not only running away from the means of Salvation but bidding defiance to them and converted him in a miraculous way by a glorious light shining about him and the immediate voice of Christ to him Acts 9. shall others hope for the like Live in sin all their days and look for conversion by miracle at last 3. If they have means when they come to die yet they may not have an heart to use them First By reason of bodily weakness failing of natural Spirits racking and tormenting pains which often afflict Men in such a casâ— These may blunt and dull Mens minds or distract them and draw away the intention of them from other things and hold them only to the consideration of their present anguish How unfit are Men for serious minding even of their Worldly affairs when under bodily indispositions and how much more than unfit for Spiritual work When the Soul is wholly taken up with helping the body with which it sympathizes to bear its present burden it is ill at leasure to think of any thing else The Israelites harkned not to Moses tho sent of God to deliver them for anguish of Spirit and cruel bondage Exod. 6.9 and is it any wonder if a Man groaning under a distemper scarce able to bear his pain or think of any thing but his pain be in an ill case to look into his Heart consider his ways listen to the best counsil joyn with the best prayers c. If Gods children that have grace in their Hearts yet in time of sickness may through present weakness find much indisposedness in themselves to the actings of grace so that they are fain to bring forth their old store and comfort themselves with their former experiences rather than with the present frame of their Hearts what wonder is it if they that are altogether graceless be alike indisposed to seek for grace Secondly By reason of contracted hardness Men are naturally backward to good but much more when habituated to evil for the more inclined they are to evil the more averse they are to good and the more accustomed they are to sin the more inclined they are to it The practice of sin hardens the Heart and strengthens the sinning disposition and still the longer Men continue in sin the stronger such dispositions grow Hence the Apostles advice to the Hebrews chap. 3.13 Exhort one another while it is called to day lest your Hearts be hardned through the deceitfulness of sin implying that that would follow upon their continuance in sin We see even in natural things that Mens being accustomed to one sort of actions unfits them for another When Men have lived in the practice of sin all their days and their natural disposition to sin is hightned into an habit it is not strange if they be much more averse to the contrary good Jer. 13.23 How can you that are accustomed to evil learn to do well If one gross sin in a believer may so debilitate and enfeeble those gracious dispositions that were before in him as to unfit him for and deaden him to spiritual duties to what a superlative hardness may a thousand and a thousand repeated acts of wilful sin bring the Heart of a carnal Man and to what not only aversness to any good but confirmedness against all 4. They cannot work repentance in themselves not make the means effectual for the enlightning of their minds the changing softning spiritualizing their Hearts or working a vital principle in them If they say they can either they must assume to themselves a Creating power a power of making themselves new Creatures or creating this grace in their own Hearts there being nothing of it in them by nature and antecedently to their making such a change Or they must say that there is some seed of grace in them beforehand some root or stock which being watered and cultivated by outward means diligence and industry may be made fruitful so that the working repentance in them is not the infusing a new principle into them but a correcting of the old one Conversion not the giving or creating in them a new nature but only a freeing the old one from its former impediments and setting it at liberty to its proper actions But this is 1. Contrary to the whole current of Scripture which affirms Mans will since the fall of Adam to be void of all saving good and impotent to it till renewed by grace John 15.5 Without me ye can do nothing Rom. 5.6 When we were without strength 2 Cor. 3.5 We are not sufficient of our selves to think any thing as of our selves And prone to evil Job 15.16 Man drinks iniquity like water Prov. 2.14 Rejoyceth to do evil Rom. 6.17 He is a servant of sin Gen. 6.5 All the imaginations of his Heart are only evil continually Eph. 2.1 He is dead in trespasses and sins This is broadly to charge a lie upon the God of truth 2. To deprive God of the glory of one of his chiefest works the new Creation in which he is said to put forth the same power which he did in creating the World at first 2 Cor. 4.6 and in raising up Christ from the dead Eph. 1.19 20. compared with chap. 2.1 They are said to be born of the Spirit John 3.5 And not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of Man but of God John 1.15 Whereas they that assert the contrary take Gods work out of his hands and grudge him the honour of it 3. To go contrary to the common
sence of the believing World Believers generally know as having found it by experience that they are naturally impotent to spiritual good They find much weakness in themselves after grace is wrought in them and nothing but weakness before God work it They acknowledge they cannot work any degree of grace in themselves when some already they have much less could they work it in themselves when they really had none And how come others to have more strength than they Did not they fall in Adam Or had his Apostasie a less malignant influence upon them than upon others How come they to have such a reserve of Spiritual strength when the rest of the World hath lost it 4. If they can work repentance in themselves why do they not do it sooner Why do they defer it so long when they cannot deny but one time or other it must be wrought Is it a fit return to God for the goodness he hath shewn them all their days to live in sin all their days and turn to him when they can live no longer in it Or will it be an acceptable answer to him when he calls them to a reckoning that they had not served sin long enough nor had their fill of their lusts or else they would have turned to him sooner 5. And how many be there who to encourage themselves in their present impenitency and the enjoyments of their sinful pleasures fancy they can turn themselves when they please yet if God open their eyes and awaken their Consciences and they begin in good earnest to set themselves to labour after repentance they are soon convinced of the hardness and deadness of their Hearts and their utter disabilities to such a work and are fain in spight of all their high thoughts and conceits of themselves to look up to God and implore his assistance and depend upon him for the working of that grace in them which they fondly imagined they could work in themselves 5. God may not give them grace to repent when they come to die Admit they have time and means yet God may not give a blessing to the means Let it be considered First To how few God ever gives repentance at the last even of those who have as good means and helps as their weak and dying condition will admit of It is one of the saddest parts of a Ministers work to visit dying sinners How few do they leave any better than they find them How few give any hopes of a through change wrought in them How few can they perswade to believe in Christ when they have an hundred times before rejected him How few can they bring to repentance then when they never minded it before Ministers even the best are but Men and not God flesh and not Spirit and means instructions exhortations are but means whose whole efficacy depends on Gods co-operation with them and when he with-holds his Blessing they are altogether ineffectual When they judge of man's eternal State though their judgment is not to be rash nor peremptory yet it should be reasonable some good grounds they should have for it But alas if they keep to Scripture-rules in how few of them that never repented before do they find when dying so much as a foundation for a charitable judgment of their Spiritual state 1. If we set aside those that die in gross ignorance of the things of God of the very first Principles of Religion the nature of God the Offices of Christ the ends of his Death the necessity of satisfaction for sin the nature and use of Faith the terms of the Covenant c. Ignorant indeed of those truths some knowledge of which is necessary to the very being of saving Grace How many such do we find and what hope can we have of the truth of their Repentance and so of their Salvation How can their Hearts be holy when their Minds are so blind What Heavenly heat can their be in there affections when there is such an hellish darkness in their understandings Such may read their doom Isa 27.11 2. Set aside those that die stupid without any awakenings of Conscience any sense or concernedness about their spiritual state and so die as much like Beasts as they lived 3. Those that die despairing fill'd with horror and void of hope overwhelmed with the sense of sin the thoughts of approaching vengeance and a fearful expectation of appearing before the Tribunal of that righteous God whom they cannot escape and dare not trust They have not hearts to pray to him hope in him or commit their Souls into his hands when they die having never loved nor served nor regarded him while they lived 4. Those that die presuming Such are the ignorant before mentioned such are Formalists Moralists proud Pharisees conceited self-justifiers The Innocency of their Conversation the Profession they make or the Duties they perform are the righteousness by which they expect to be justified Nay how many after a Life of sin hope to be saved meerly by the mercy of God without respect to any righteousness at all either of Justification or Sanctification either imputed to them or inherent in them either that whereby they may have a title to glory or meetness for it Sure I am such as these are void of repentance and when the greatest part of dying Sinners may be reduced to one or other of these sorts to how few doth God give repentance at the last of those who did not before seek it of him Secondly With how many is the day of Grace past and the time of God's patience run out and then we may be sure God will not give them repentance They have so many times rejected the counsel of God against themselves Luke 7.30 refused the Offers of Grace turned a deaf ear to the calls of the Gospel stiffned their necks and refused to return that now they are past it God that waited on them so long will wait no longer They had a time of acceptation a day of salvation 2 Cor. 6.2 but that being over they are to have no more God was nigh to them and might have been found of them Isa 55.7 but is now withdrawn from them and they may seek Christ and die in their sins John 8.21 the may seek and not find call and God give them no answer Prov. 1.28 Thirdly God may have judicially hardned their Hearts when they had sinfully hardened them before And this seems to be one great cause of that stupidness and insensibleness we so often find in Sinners at the time of death True God infuseth no sin into them yet he may wholly abandon them to the power of the hardness they have contracted and give them up into the Devils hands to delude and blind to act and manage them according to his pleasure and their own corrupt inclinations They may not have so much as an heart to desire to repent or pray to God for Grace to enable them to to it all those
in its essential Malignity which implies no less than that God was neither wise nor good in making his Law and that he is not just and powerful to vindicate it And when tempted to any pleasant Sin to consider the due Aggravations of it as Joseph did which will controle the Efficacy of the Temptation I shall only add that when a Man has mortified the lusts of the flesh he has overcom the main part of the infernal Army that Wars against the Soul Sensual objects do powerfully and pleasantly insinuate into carnal Men and the affections are very unwillingly restrain'd from them To undertake the cure of those whose Disease is their pleasure is almost a vain attempt for they do not judge it an evil to be regarded and will not accept distastful remedies 3. Fly all tempting occasions of sin Joseph would not be alone with his Mistriss There is no vertue so confirmed and in that degree of eminence but if one be frequently ingaged in vicious Society 't is in danger of being eclipst and controul'd by the opposite vice If the Ermins will associate with the Swine they must lie in the mire if the Sheep with Wolves they must learn to bite and devour if Doves with Vultures they must learn to live on the prey Our surest guard is to keep at a distance from all engaging snares He that from carelessness or confidence ventures into temptations makes himself an easie prey to the tempter And let us dayly pray for the Divine Assistance to keep us from the evil of the World without which all our resolutions will be as ineffectual as ropes of sand to bind us to our duty 5. The consideration of the evil of sin is a powerful motive to our solemn and speedy Repentance The remembrance of our original and actual sins will convince us that we are born for repentance There are innumerable silent sins that are unobserved and do not Alarm the Conscience and altho a true Saint will neither hide any sin nor suffer sin to hide it self in his brest yet the most holy Men in the World have great reason with the Psalmist to say with melting affections who can understand his errors O clense me from my secret sins discover them to me by the light of the Word and cover them in the blood of the Redeemer There are sins of infirmity and dayly incursion from which none can be perfectly freed in this mortal state these should excite our watchfulness and be lamented with true tears There are crying sins of a crimson guilt which are to be confest with heart-breaking sorrow confounding shame and implacable antipathy against them and to be forsaken for ever Of these some are of a deep die in their nature and some from the circumstances in committing them some are of a heynous nature and more directly and expresly renounce our duty and more immediately obstruct our Communion with God As a mud-wall intercepts the light of the Sun from shining upon us 2. Some derive a greater guilt from the circumstances in the commission Such are 1. Sins against knowledge for according to the ingrediency of the will in sin the guilt arises Now when Conscience interposes between the carnal Heart and the temptation and represents the evil of sin and deters from compliance and yet Men will venture to break the Divine Law this exceedingly aggravates the offence for such sins are committed with a fuller consent atd are justly called rebellion against the light And the clearer the light is the more it will increase the disconsolate fearful darkness in Hell 2. Sins committed against the Love as well as the Law of God are exceedingly aggravated To pervert the benefits we receive from God to his dishonour to turn them into occasions of sin which were designed to endear obedience to us to sin licentiously and securely in hopes of an easie pardon at last is intensive of our guilt in a high degree This is to poison the antidote and make it deadly There is a Sacrifice to reconcile offended Justice but if Men obstinately continue in sin and abuse the Grace of the Gospel there is no Sacrifice to appease exasperated Mercy 3. Sins committed against solemn promises and engagements to forsake them have a deeper die for perfidiousness is joyn'd with this disobedience The Divine Law strictly binds us to our duty antecedently to our consent but when we promise to obey it we increase our obligations and by sinning break double chains In short any habitual allowed sin induces a heavy guilt for it argues a deeper root and foundation of sin in the Heart a stronger inclination to it from whence the repeated acts proceed which are new provocations to the pure Eyes of God Accordingly in repenting reflections our sorrow should be most afflicting our humiliation deeper our self-condemnation most severe for those sins which have been most dishonourable to God and defiling to us Not that we can make any satisfaction for our sins tho we should fill the Air with our sighs and Heaven with our tears but it becomes us to have our sorrows inlarged in some proportion to our unworthiness And this mournful disposition prepares us for the grace of God The Law does not allow repentance but exacts entire obedience 't is the privilege of the Gospel that repenting sinners are assur'd of forgiveness without this qualification 't is inconsistent with the Majesty Purity and Justice of God to extend pardoning Mercy to Sinners for they will never value nor humbly and ardently seek for Mercy till they feel the woful effects of sin in their Conscience only the stung Israelite would look to the brazen Serpent and this is requisite to prevent our relapsing into sin for the dominion of sin being founded in the love of pleasure the proper means to extinguish it is by a bitter repentance the Heart is first broken for sin and then from it To Conclude Let us renew our repentance every-day let not the wounds of our Spirits putrifie let not the Sun go down upon Gods wrath let us always renew the applications of Christs blood that alone can cleanse us from Sin The Case or Question which comes to be spoken unto this morning is Quest How may Private Christians be most helpful to promote the entertainment of the Gospel SERMON XII Colossians IV. 5. Walk in wisdom toward them that are without YE have heard the Question And as I conceive a due attendance unto the words read may lead us far toward the Resolution of it And for that reason was this Text chosen I design not therefore to frame a set Discourse upon it but only to lay it as a ground-work to support that which I have to offer toward the Answering of the Question propounded We have before us then a serious Exhortation Walk in wisdom toward them that are without And therein we may observe 1. The Persons to whom the Apostle doth direct it And they are private Christians This is apparent
may be most helpful to promote the entertainment of the Gospel To assist those whose hearts the Lord shall bow over to mind this excellent work I shall lay before them two Directions 1. They must carefully avoid all those things that have a proper tendency to alienate their minds and affections from the Gospel or to exasperate them against it 2. They must endeavour to use such means and to take such courses as have an aptitude to beget in them an esteem and veneration for the Gospel and so dispose them to embrace it 1. They who design and endeavour to win upon others and to dispose them for the Reception of the Gospel must carefully avoid all such things as have an aptitude to alienate them from it I shall exemplifie this Direction in some instances as 1. Private Christians must prevent or suppress all bitter contentions among themselves It is sad to observe That differences among Brethren are usually managed with such mutual accusations and reproaches as make the name of Christians despicable or odious especially to those who are prejudiced against them Contentions and Animosities among Christians break out on two Occasions 1. There may Quarrels arise about Earthly things What can Heathens think of them when they see them to malign and worry one another for such things as their own Philosophy hath taught them to make little account of Abraham was very apprehensive of the evil consequences that might have attended the strife between his and Lots Herdsmen probably about their pasturage or watering-places and therefore he would not insist upon such pleas as he might reasonably have alledged on his own side but stifled the contention and sought an amicable composure because he dreaded the scandal which would have been given to the Heathen by their brabbles This is suggested Gen. xiii 8 9. The Canaanite and the Perizzite dwelt in the Land The Contentions and wranglings of the Corinthians about things that appertain to this life and their going to Law for them especially the bringing of their suits before Heathen-tribunals was to cast reproach on the Christian Religion as the Apostle intimates 1 Cor. vi 1 2. How can Christians without blushing and confuting themselves perswade others To embrace the Gospel which teacheth them to set their affections on things above and not on things on the Earth To have their hearts crucified toward the world and yet for the sake thereof to violate all the precepts and to despise all the Promises of the Gospel And like Dogs that fight about a bone to tear out one anothers throats in their rage and fury we may then conclude that men in whom a worldly Spirit is predominant are very unfit to recommend the Gospel unto others 2. The Cross-sentiments which men espouse and vindicate in things wherein Religion seems to be concerned have begâ—tten the widest breaches and the most furious contentions that were ever found among Christians If we enquire what spark hath kindled this raging fire We shall often find that this Earnest contending is not for that Faith which was once delivered to the Saints but a dispute who shall be greatest or it may be about something that is dark doubtful or unnecessary or about some undetermined Mode Or possibly as in some great conflagrations we see the fire preys upon and devours all and yet we know not who kindled it or how it began This is and must be for a Lamentation Once I am sure the divisions among Christians and the bitter zeal which manageth their controversies about Religion is a mighty impediment and obstruction that stops the progress of the Gospel In the writings of the Ancients we find that the Heathen fortified themselves in their infidelity and resisted the arguments and perswasions of those who recommended the Faith of the Gospel to them with this Objection Ye Christians are not agreed among your selves ye are broken into many Sects and Factions ye confute and condemn one another therefore it is more adviseable for us to continue as we are than to leave our present station before we know where to fix with any assurance that we are in the Right All that I am able to do at present for the removal of this scandal is to beseech private Christians in the bowels of Christ To value love and follow after the things that make for peace Rom. xiv 19. For I fear the Gospel will hardly get ground in the world until the Spirit of Love reigning and acting the hearts of those that profess it do open the way for it In the first planting of it the Concord of believers Acts ii 42. did greatly contribute to its entertainment It became a Proverbial speech touching Christians Ecce quà m se diligunt invicem Behold how they love one another This is a Subject that cannot be too much insisted upon nor too zealously inforced I account them excellent and happy persons indeed who have a right to bear that Motto Beati Pacifici This may suffice touching the first obstruction that hinders the entertainment of the Gospel 2. It is apparent that they do not promote but obstruct the entertainment of the Gospel who would obtrude on those whom they perswade to embrace it such things to be believed or practised as a part of their Religion as are no where to be found in it much more if they be directly contrary to it e. gr The Gospel doth expresly determine that God only is to be the Object of religious worship Mat. iv 10. How then can they recommend the Gospel who tell their Proselites that they may admit mere Creatures to be sharers with God in that worship which is appropriated to him The Gospel saith That there is but one Lord Mediator between God and Man 1 Cor. viii 6. 1 Tim. ii 5. And yet there are these who pretend to win over men to the Gospel who tell them they must conjoin Angels and departed Saints with Christ in his Office and Work of Mediator The Gospel severely chargeth all those who believe it to flie from Idolatry 1 Cor. x. 14. 1 Joh. v. 21. which is the enforcement of the second Commandment Thou shalt not make to thy self any graven Image c. What then can they whom they are to instruct think of it when they see them in profound devotion to creep to fall down before and worship Images especially when upon that very account it is notorious that Jews and Mahometans abhor the Gospel upon a supposition that the worship of Images is either Taught or allowed therein If I may have leave to declare my apprehensions I must say That the Gospel propounded in its own Native purity and simplicity as our Lord Jesus Christ delivered it and as they who were divinely inspired have recorded it without any Additional supplements or forreign mixtures is the most effectual way that God hath appointed and promised to bless for the subduing of the world to Jesus Christ And I should beseech those who endeavour the
by the Sword of the Spirit all his force was repelled Christians are to look upon the Evil one as an Enemy that Christ has conquer'd and this should encourage them in their conflicts with him they are to despise his offers they are not to be perswaded by his misapplication of Scripture to any thing that is unjustifiable and irregular The Word of God should abide in them that they may be strong and overcome the wicked one 1 Joh. 2.14 The Head always resisted shall the Members yield to this Destroyer Let not your hearts be filled with Satan let not your heads and hands be employed by him who works in the Children of disobedience 4. Christ is to be followed in his contempt of the worlds glory and contentment with a mean and low estate in it Never was the world so set forth in such an alluring dress as when the God of it in a moment of time shew'd unto our Lord Jesus all the Kingdoms of the world and all the glory of them Luk. 4.5 yet the heavenly Mind of Christ is not taken with the sight he knew he saw nothing but what was Vanity and his Kingdom which was not of this world was a far better thing than the worlds best Kingdom Instead of pursuing he flees from a Crown which the people were ready to force upon his head Ambition and covetousness after worldly grandeur and gain which make us so unlike to Christ should be far from us If the world be the great thing with us Mammon will have us at command and Christ will have but little service from us Why should that be high in the esteem and affection of your hearts which Christ so little minded Love not the world neither the things that are in the world 1 Joh. 2.15 Set your affection on things above not on things that are on earth Col. 3.2 If you have the worlds riches let not your minds be high nor your hearts set upon them and be rich in good works if you are in a meaner estate be satisfied remember who said The foxes have holes and the birds of the air have nests but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head The best men in the world that have done most good in the world have least cared for the world and have been most willing to leave the world and go to a better 5. Christ is to be followed in his living a life so very beneficial doing good being his perpetual business The Apostle Peter who was one of his greatest and most constant attendants says that he went about doing good Act. 10.38 to do thus was meat and drink to him How great was his Kindness and Compassion to Souls how much Mercy does he shew to the Bodies of Men You that are Christians be very active in the best sence the true Members of Christ have the Spirit of the Head in them whose fruit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth Eph. 5.9 What have you Faith for but that it may work by Love Why are you created in Christ Jesus but that you may be employed in good works which God hath before ordained that you should walk in them Eph. 2.10 Be sure to do justly be injurious to none render unto all their dues and do not only consult the dues of others but their needs also and love to be merciful and let the perishing Souls as well as the distressed Bodies of others have a great share in your Compassions As you have opportunity do good unto all men and good of as many sorts as may be especially to the houshold of faith Gal. 6.10 The Apostle speaks with great authority and asseveration when he presses Christian practice This is a faithful saying and these things I will that thou affirm constantly that they who have believed in God might be careful to maintain good works these things are good and profitable unto men Tit. 3.8 A Christian by Profession who lives wickedly is not a true Member but a Monster in the Church and will not be endured long but is near to be cut off and destroy'd It 's a true Saying 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Death does not destroy the Soul but 't is an ill Life that ruins it 6. Christ is to be followed in his most profitable and edifying Communication We read Psal 45.2 That grace was poured into his Lips the gracious words that proceeded out of his mouth were the wonder of the hearers Luk. 4.22 Exact truth always accompanied his Speeches he never spake a word that was offensive to God or injurious to any man Was he chargeable with guile or when he was reviled did he revile again No no he gave a better example he speaks words to awaken Sinners to search Hypocrites and how does he comfort the mourners calling all the weary and heavy laden to come to him for rest He takes occasion almost from every thing to discourse of the heavenly kingdom His parables of the sower of leaven of the Merchant man seeking goodly pearls and such like plainly shew that the most ordinary things may spiritually be improved unto great usefulness All Professours and especially you of London set a watch before the door of your lips and let your words be like the words of Christ Jesus Your lying and corrupt communication your slanderous and backbiting words your passionate and angry speeches and revilings are these like Christs language An unbridled tongue though it utters many a falshood yet it speaks one certain truth that your Religion is but vain Jam. 1.26 Let Conscience be tender and purpose with the Psalmist that your mouths shall not transgress Let the word of Christ be more in your Hearts for out of the abundance of the Heart the mouth speaks Let your speech be always with Grace Col 4.6 Discourse as those who do believe you are debtors of edifying words one to another that idle words are heard by him that is in Heaven and an account must be given of them in the day of judgement 7. Christ is to be followed in his manner of performing holy duties never was He negligent in an Ordinance His cries were strong his tears many Heb 5.7 and how does he wrestle with his Heavenly Father Christians should take heed of doing the work of God deceitfully they should be fervent in Spirit when serving the Lord Rom. 12.11 Look to your Hearts in all your performances for Gods eye is fixed upon them and if they are not present and right with him your duties are but dead duties and dead duties are really dead works so far from being acceptable that they are an abomination When Christ was here upon the Earth as he taught in other places so he went to the Temple and to the Synagogues though there was much corruption in the Jewish Church Christians should learn so much moderation as to own what is good even in them in whom there are mixtures of much that is bad and there should be a
address your selves in your Devotions to him serve him and walk before him trust him and depend upon him all that you are and have design and do let it be suited to and worthy of that Glorious and fearful Name the Lord Your God whose eminent and perfect Name you love so well Hebr. xii 28. i Thess ii 10-12 Rom. xii 1 2. Mat. v. 16. Joh. xv 8. i Pet. iv 11. away with such mean Things and Actions such flat Devotions and such tantum non offensive Conversations and such lean and stingy Offerings to God or actings for him as must put Charity upon the Rack to observers of you for to conclude or think you love him Mal. i. 13 14. ii Pet. iii. 11. i Cor. xv 58. nothing below that cluster in Phil. iv 8. and that in Tit. ii 10-14 can escape its Mene Tekel in this balance of the Sanctuary rich in Good Works i Tim. vi 18. and rich towards God Luk. xii 21. and fruitful in every good work Col. i. 10. actings continually towards God and for him facing the Eyes and Consciences of all Observers with such illustrious and large Characters and Signatures of this Divine Principle of Love as to convince even the most critical Observers of you and to extort Confessions from them that none could act and live as you do did they not love God dearly and most entirely and constantly live to him and upon him as their all i Pet. ii 12. and iv 16 Hebr. xi 13-16 for I take not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 here to import what may be barely Good but something generous and fit to strike the Beholders Eye and Conscience with some astonishing Convictions that what you do for God looks too majestically great to come from any ordinary Principle yea from any thing below your God enthroned in your best affections Love is the very Soul of Godliness the very Heart of the new Man a Principle so impetuous and charming as that it scorns where it is Regent to be confined to or signalized by any thing mean or base Such objects and concerns in its most intimate and close embraces and in its stated prospect and yet act sparingly sordidly or sneakingly for God! Love burns and blushes at the thought And Heaven it self ere long will irritate exert and shew the Purity and generous Vigours of this Grace in such a stated and inviolable series of great and generous actions so full of God and every way so fully for him and so worthy of him as that the life of God in glory shall evidence the force and excellence of that spring and principle whence it proceeds and yet even here even in this its Infant and Imperfect State it groans and labours to have God's Will done on Earth as it is in Heaven Well in a word such must your Actions and your Conversations be as that whatever you are conversant about or with the temper of your Spirits and the fervours and vigours of your love to God his Image Interest Son Spirit Gospel and all that do profess and own respects hereto every step you take and every thing you do ought to be great and exemplary and impregnated with what may speak the greatness largeness chearfulness and energies of your enflamed exalted and invigorated Souls through love to God Christ Souls and Christianity O to be exemplary in all Conversation to live each other into awakened Considerations of Spiritual concerns to dart forth all those glorious rays of Christian Wisdom of which we are told in Jam. iii. 17 18. to make men feel as well as see the force and flames of Christian Love to charm Exasperated Passions down by all the sweetnesses of true Wisdom Patience Meekness Gentleness and every way endearing Conversation with them to have the Law of Kindness always in your Mouths the notices of true Friendliness in your Looks the gifts and proofs of generous Charity in your Hands in constant readiness to minister to the Necessities of the Saints as God shall prosper your Endeavours in your lawful and regularly managed Occupations and Employments to have your Dealings and Commerces each with other accurately and severely just and yet sufficiently securing the credit and concerns of Christianity And in a word to be blameless and harmless as the Sons of God without rebuke shining as lights and holding forth the Word of Life to Universal Satisfaction and Advantage wherever groundless prejudice and partiality do not prevail and govern and to fill up every relation step and station with the fruits of Goodness Righteousness and truth these are the good and generous Works of Love whereto we are to be provoked For thus we do not love in word and tongue but indeed and truth i Joh. iii. 28. 4. The Intenseness of the principle and vigor of the practice called here as the designed effect of the prescribed means 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a Provocation the warmth and vigour wherewith Love and Good Works are as it were to be inspired Zealously affected in a good thing Gal. iv 18. zealous of good works Tit. ii 14. the Motive so effectually Cogent as to fix and fortifie the Principle and the Principle so powerful as to go thorow with its great enterprize and concern Principles are the Springs of Action and Love importeth intimacy it is a Principle rooted in the heart and it lays its beloved objects deep therein warmth it is essential to it and where it is perfect or considerably grown it is serious and fervent It is a commanding thing and affects Regency over all the Actions Faculties and Passions it is peremptory in its Precepts fixt in the Purposes and Concerns which it espouses it is powerful in its Influences pressing in its Claims diffusive of it self through all that is performed by us Impatient of Resistances Denials or Delays and moved to Jealousies Indignation and vigorous Contentions when any Injury Affront or Rape is threatned attempted or pursued that any way is prejudicial to its object and its concerns therewith it claims and pleads it urges and provokes to diligence and to all eager prosecutions of what it aims at and endears unto it self and it entirely reconciles the whole Man to all the cost and difficulties of its Divine pursuits 'T is never well but in its motions towards its actings for its conversation with and its reposes in its Pearl of Price and hence its actions are invigorated it gives no faint blows in its holy War it runs not in its Race it deals not triflingly in its Merchandize for God and Heaven it is all mettle fortitude patience action desire and delight in every thing relating to its grand Affair and Scope and it makes all its actions and performances to bear their Testimony to its own fortitude and fervours and this is the Paroxysm of Love and Good Works 2. The things provoking hereto And here behold a Troop as it was said of Gad Gen. xxx 11. How do inducements and incentments spring
and Provisions to bring and keep our God and us together in order to all the Solaces and Satisfactions of Steady Full Eternal Friendship the eminent importance of his Gospel Interest and Kingdom in and to the world the Church and us the loveliness and vigours of his Interest and Image in us as formed fixt and actuated and possessed by his eternal Spirit to his eternal praise by Jesus Christ the solid pleasures peace and usefulness of regular zeal for God Christ Christianity and all that are near and dear to God with all the comforts and renown which this well fixt and ordered zeal prepares us for All that we are saved from by to through the effectual cure of this disease All the solemnities of Christs approaching day and our great concerns therein All the good that is in that attends upon and that issues from the prosperous Successes of the Gospel the holiness and and peace of the Church and the health the usefulness the possession the Conflicts and Conquests of a well cured Soul and all the Honours Ease and Blessings that attend our glorious Gospel All this and much more deserves deep thoughts and all the fervours and acknowledgments and Services of love And the plain truth is this We are both constituted of and surrounded with enflaming objects of this love And the great object and attractive shines even most gloriously in all Nature in all its Harmonies Stores and Beauties Providence in all its illustrations of its excellencies and exactness suiting it self in all the Articles thereof to every thing and being and concern in Heaven and Earth The sacred Scriptures every way entertaining us with what may exercise and enrich the mind of man heal and compose his Conscience enthroning it as Gods vicegerent to inspect the principles designs and practices and State of men to make and keep them orderly safe and easy and so to affect the heart and life as that we may be lovely in the sight of God the blessings of our Stations in our generations and a most comfortable entertainment to our selves Our very selves are most provoking objects unto love So many faculties in our Souls So many passions and affections to be ordered and exercised aright So many sences for reception So many Organs and Instruments for the commodious promoting and securing of our own Good So many Objects Employments and Acquests to be engaged vigorously about and orderly conversant with all continually And God in all this eminently beaming forth those perfections which are so fit and worthy to take endearingly with us How inexcuseable is cold heartedness whenas it may so easily be cured by serious Contemplations of these objects Light and Colours and beautiful proportions to the eye Words and Melodies to the Ears Food to the tast and all the objects exercises and entertainments of every sense afford our very minds and hearts their delicacies to feed on and urge us to love God and Man And let me add this also the beauties and delightfulness of holiness and practical Religion as exemplified in holy persons those excellent ones in whom is my delight saith David Psal xvi 3. O to observe them in all their curious imitations and resemblances of their God in the Wisdom of their Conduct the fervours of their Spirits the steadiness of their purposes the evenness of their tempers the usefulness and blamelessness of their lives the loftiness of their aims the placed gravity of their Looks the savour and obligingness of their Speeches the generous largeness of their Hearts the openness of their Hands the impartiality of their Thoughts the tenderness of their Bowels and all the sweetnesses of their Deportments towards all Such things are really where Christian Godliness obtains indeed Tho meer pretenders or real Christians in their decays and swoons may represent Religion under its eclipses to it's great disadvantage and reproach When therefore we contemplate all these excellencies and many more not mentioned will not our Hearts take fire and burn with love of Complacency where these things are visible and with the Love of benevolence and beneficence to that degree towards those that are receptive of but want them which shall enrage Desires and Prayers and quicken us to diligent endeavours after what by such may be attained unto were they but closely and warmly followed by us and brought to the diligent pursuits thereof Thus you see deep thoughts about lovely Objects will get up love and cure luke-warmness in us to the purpose Let this then be done 3. Heart-awakening and Love-quickning Truths are to be duly and intimately considered And this is indeed in part to truthifie in Love if I may make an English Word to express the valor of the Greek Word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Eph. iv 15. The existence and excellence of the great Jehovah the Trine-Vne Holy one the care which he hath taken and the expensive cost he hath been at to cure this Malady by the fore-mentioned means and helps The critical Inspections of his Eye into the Heart of Man and his making this the test and balance of the Sanctuary to try us by counting and judging us more or less fit for Mercies and Judgments Heaven or Hell Service or to be thrown aside as refuse as our Hearts stand affected No exact soundness in our Spirits no safety in our State no real ease and chearfulness in our Souls no evidence of our acceptance with our God no Duty well performed towards God or Man no Sins subdued no Trial bravely managed and resulted no Talents used fully to the Masters Satisfaction and Advantage nothing profest performed endured or obtained without this Love And according to it's Ebbs and Flows it's Inflammations and Abatements so doth it fare and go with all our Christianity and Concerns The Truth is all the concerns of Souls and Persons in Life Death Judgment Heaven and Hell are hereupon depending These Articles of Truth considered well will make us serious fervent resolute and industrious in the things of God 4. Heart-warming Duties are to be performed throughly in Publick Private and in Secret Eccl. ix 10. Rom. xii 11 12. Pray hard read frequently and seriously hear diligently and impartially meditate closely and concernedly upon all you read or hear relating to the great concern Be much in Christian conference in the due Spirit and to the genuine design and purposes thereof be much in Praise Thanks Self-observation Government and Discipline Look up to Heaven for help and improve faithfully what you thence obtain And I do take the Supreme Essentially Infinite Good to be dishonoured and degraded by us in our Thoughts and Walk if any Creature Interests or Excellencies do ultimately terminate our Affections and Intentions For my part I take converses Employments Ingenious Recreations and even sensitive Entertainments to be most delicious and grateful when they occasion or provoke me to those Observations of God in all which carry up my thoughts through and from them to him with
of Christ in himself and in the world Such an one as valued carnal things above spiritual earthly above heavenly and a small fleshly enjoyment above so great and advantageous a priviledge as the Primogeniture Secondly Prophaneness is attributed to things Thus in 1 Tim. 4.7 Refuse prophane and old Wives Fables by which we are according to learned men to understand either the absurd Jewish stories or some superstitious persons forbidding to marry and the use of sundry sorts of meats or those idle and foolish Doctrines which place the worship of God in such low and pittiful things as external sapless Rites and Ceremonies Forms Modes and Gestures But further those things are plainly and notoriously prophane which are sinful and wicked Debauchery is prophaneness in Grain a wicked life is a prophane life To Lye and Swear and Curse and Whore are acts of prophaneness for people to drive on their worldly Trades to buy and sell in Houses Shops or Streets upon the Sabbath-day are acts of prophaneness This is a prophaning of that day which God hath separated from the rest of the days and sanctified and set apart for holy use his own worship and service and the good of Souls In short all that which is contrary to the Divine Law those excellent and blessed Rules which God hath been pleased in his Word to give out unto us for the right management of our selves and ordering of our Lives and Conversations in the World all that I say is prophaneness whether it be Impiety or Immorality Our second work is to enquire what we are to understand by the suppressing of prophaneness To this I answer in general the suppressing of it doth signify the keeping of it under If prophaneness be not carefully look'd to but let alone it will quickly grow to an head and soon over-spread and over-top all It must therefore be kept down and if through the negligence of some and the impudence of others it be got to an height it must be knockt down Such tough humours in the body Politick need and call for strong Purges and Civil Magistrates who are the State-Physicians cannot be better imployed than about such works as that More particularly I shall mention two things which the suppression of prophaneness doth carry in it A prevention of 1. The acts of prophaneness 2. The growth of it First There must be a prevention of the Acts of prophaneness Prophane principles in the heart of a man lying still and as it were dormant not breaking forth are out of the reach of others Neither the Magistrates Sword be it never so long nor the Ministers Word if alone and unaccompanied with the Divine Spirit can reach it or prevail against it That is the mighty and glorious work of the great Jehovah who alone knoweth the Heart and searcheth it and can change alter and mend it None but he that made the heart at first can mould it anew None but he can cast Salt into that Spring none but he can graft such holy principles as to make a corrupt tree good But wicked and prophane practices in the lives of men as are the wretched products fruits and issues of base and cursed principles may be curb'd restrain'd and prevented So that though the wickedness of the wicked will not depart from him yet it shall not be committed with that frequency and boldness and openness as it hath been and to this very day is With shame and sorrow be it spoken In the Heb 12.15 Look diligently lest any man fail of the Grace of God lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you You may understand it both of unsound doctrine abominable practices but I am now only to deal with the latter Sin lust corruption in the heart is a root of bitterness yielding that which is bitter to God his Soul hates and abhors it And it is bitter to man in the sad direful consequences and effects of it which when the foolish self-humouring sinner comes to tast he will certainly find worse than Gall. Sin is his dainties he rolls it as a delicious morsel under his tongue but it will prove the poison of Aspes within him Now it nearly concerns every one to endeavour the pulling up of this root in his own heart let him set both his hands to the work let him lay the axe to it and call God in to his assistance It is ten thousand thousand times more desireable to have in you that root of the matter which holy Job spake of than to have this root of bitterness in you But then it ought to be the care of all specially Governours both in Families Churches Kingdoms and Nations they should look diligently to it that this root do not pullulare spring up if at any time it begins to peep and shew its head oppose it with might and main trample upon it with the foot of just indignation never suffer it to shoot up bud and bring forth Though men will not be so good as they should do not give them leave to be as bad as they would It is not in your power to dry up the fountain but it is a part of your duty to dam up the streams and though you cannot eradicate mens vitious habits yet you must restrain their outward acts 1 Timothy 1.20 Of whom are Hymeneus and Alexander whom I have delivered unto Satan that they may learn not to blaspheme A strange way of cure to prevent sin by giving men up to the Devil yet such as God prescrib'd and prosper'd After the same manner let flagitious Persons be delivered up to punishment that so though they will not virtutis amore for the love of virtue yet formidine poenae for fear of punishment they may learn to bridle themselves and not to do any more so wickedly as they have done One great end of punishment being the reclaiming and amending the offender if he be not past hope Secondly There must be a suppression of the growth and spreading of prophaneness I shall hereafter shew you a little more fully how that sin is like some unhappy weeds that if once they get into a ground and be not timely dealt with will in a little while run far and near and overspread the whole they do not need any encouragement it is enough for them to be let alone Of all Weeds this wickedness is the worst and most diffusive of itself a prophane wretch is like one that hath the plague he is indeed a pest or common plague in the place where he is his very breath and touch his discourses and actions are infectious he goeth up and down tainting those with whom he doth converse who are not of healthful constitutions of Souls and well antidoted with the fear and awe of God And this was one reason that the Apostle Paul gives in the forementioned Heb. 12. why he would have such special care taken to prevent the springing up of any root of bitterness lest thereby many
Text your State is one that God judges an ill one and calls you out of it and charges you to make all possible speed out of Many wish themselves in a State of God's Wrath when they say Oh that I were in but so good a Condition as this or that Child They know less than many Catechised little Children who know not this Such is an Vnconvert State that Christ himself cannot save a Soul in it The Lord maketh you all to feel the words that I can make you but hear My Father in all his Letters to me used to write O Child better never born than not New Born Infer 2. Your Miserable State is one Alterable Would God call you out of your damning forgetfulness if there were no return possible Would he call you to a saving Remembrance if there were a fixed gulf and unpassable between you and Blessedness 'T is sin and madness for the worst of Sinners to say they are Reprobates No Man alive can know himself to be so And the worst Man Living must make himself still worser by concluding so Young People your Unconversion hitherto has kept you unreconciled to God but hitherto You are not now Vnreconcileable if now ye be not Obstinate and Vnperswadable I praise him who when Satan tempted him to despair of Salvation thus answered For shame Satan say not there 's no hope of me thou mightest be saved thy self if thou could'st Repent Infer 3. God is willing your miserable State should be altered and that speedily too Would he otherwise call you and so call you as you have heard Or can you tell what should make him unwilling True he needs you not But you need him and he delights in Mercy if you will believe him Forget not this of God and his Son God swears by his Life he desires not a Sinners Death Consequently he must desire their Conversion And as for his Son your Blessed Redeemer as he shed his Blood to save Sinners so he sheds Tears over them when they refuse his Salvation 'T is Satan not God that is the Herod desirous to slay you Children And be confident of this if he now moves you to Duty he surely means you Mercy Infer 4. You your selves can do more towards your Conversion and perfective Alteration than all the World can do This is hence gathered from God's setting his Ministers and your Parents and Friends all upon your selves He bids us not go to any others and tell them they must go new form your hearts No but charges us to apply unto you and call on you to make you new Hearts and new Spirits and Convert unto him and Remember him to right purpose 'T is therefore certainly most in the power of your own hand next to Gods God has committed you more to your own keeping than unto any meer Creatures And given you more power over your selves than any other Creature hath Wherefore neither can best Angels benefit you or worst Devils injure you as you can benefit or injure your selves And it less concerns you dayly to enquire what all the World has done for you or against you Then what you your selves have done for or against your selves Would you know what is the just extent of this Power what it is you can do and what it is you cannot do toward your Conversion Others have answered more largely I say this briefly Try and you shall know Do all the good you can and you shall know what good you can do To lie idle and do nothing because you know not how much you can do were a folly like Ezekiels Infant wallowing in its own Blood Infer 5. Your Tempters from present Conversion are Hells black Legion I infer it thus It is only Hell that opposeth Heaven Divels that fight against the Command of God Black Devils that withstand his express Commands But 't is his Command and most express one that you now presently do Convert Wherefore as oft as any man disswades you from it tell him you find by his Lip he has a Cloven Foot And you see Satan is grown idle and impudent and leaves off the trouble of transforming himself into an Angel of Light Tempting Company is the openest Mouth of Hell in all this World Infer 6. Your way unto Salvation is one and the self-same with other folks If not why should it be prescribed in the self-same words that the way of all others is prescribed in Sc. Remembering God Deut. 8.18 Jer. 51.50 There be many about you that will shew you young people a shorter cut to Heaven And there is much within you that will catch at it greedily enough But the Lord give you to receive your sight you will then as easily believe there is one God for you and another for old people as that there is one Religion for you and another for them Verily there is but one narrow Gate for the Entrance and one strait Way for the Progress of both of you Blessed are both that find it Miserable both that miss it I know not how he himself shall be saved that prompts young people that they may be so without Understanding Owning and Living sincerely according unto their Baptismal Engagement May the weight of Mat. 5.19 never lye upon my Soul dear unto me Infer 7. Your greatest Danger is of delaying to Convert Why else are you twice warned thereof in the Text Why required to Convert in your Youth before you are Old and just Now before you are a minute Older Death stands before Old Mens Faces and one would think they should not venture to put it off It is somewhat farther out of your sight indeed but so swiftly it oft comes that it is of wonder you your selves should be so daring as to do it But alas both of you are daily seen full of your Delays Full often in my Pulpit I think what a number should I Convert this time but that my old Folk think they may as well Convert next Week and my young ones think they may Convert next Year both think they may Convert another time And what saâ—â—s my trembling Heart Plainly thus Oh Delay Delay thou bond of Iniquity thou bane of Piety thou bar of Conversion Satan's great Barge into the Lake of Fire and Brimstone be gone and destroy not this Congregation Sirs Remember it down-right denyal of Conversion is nothing near so like to ruine you as dallying Delay of it 'T is Delay is the Element of Unregeneracy as Unregeneracy is the Element of Hell Infer 8. Youthful Vnconverts are the worst of Demoniacks and break most bonds of God For as you have heard you have special Obligations on you Though God makes your days choice and good yet cleave you will unto the worst evil Though you have on you the Restraints which old sinners have long ago had took off from them you sin as they The Spirit of God that has done striving with many of them strives still with you Conscience that is
Land is sometimes absolutely determined When it s thus a blessing is withheld from means that tend to make a people penitent and what of Repentance there is becomes uneffectual to divert the Misery Manasseh repented Josiah and the People with some solemnity humble themselves 2 King 23.25 26 27. But notwithstanding this the Lord turned not from the fierceness of his wrath c. because of all the provocations that Manasseh had provoked him withal c. When the utmost limits of the time of Gods Patience is over ruin is unavoidable God bemoaneth a Land in this condition Luk. 19.42 The figure Apostopâ—siâ— is twice used in this verse thou hadst been happy hadst thou known in thy day thou art now undone because they are hid from thy eyes Deut. 32.26 27 Josh 7.9 Isa 48.8 9. Ezek. 36.2 8.22 23. as our Saviour in his Tears over Jerusalem If thou hadst known at least in this thy day the things that belong to thy peace but now they are hid from thy eyes 5. God sometimes moderateth and refrains his Judgments from other Considerations besides Repentance If executing Judgments upon his People will occasion Blasphemy and reproach to his Name he oft forbeareth his People though impenitent I would scatter them into corners c. were it not that I feared the wrath of the Enemy and they should say Our hand is high the Lord hath not done all this Joshuah and others knew it was a strong Plea What wilt thou do for thy great Name Again when his People have been so obstinate under Judgments that if he preceded in his Wrath they must be utterly destroyed rather than do so he hath eased his hand If the sins of his Enemies be full he conniveth at his Church whiles he avengeth himself on his Adversaries especially if his Servants are to be Executioners of his Wrath. Sometimes God hath had respect to some Ancestor or some particular action of a People that hath been pleasing to him and on that account hath been favourable though they have been otherwise obnoxious to judgments 6. It s not very easie at all times to judge of National Judgments or Mercies God may afflict in order to Mercy he may take away lesser Mercies to make way for greater Blessings He oft layes a foundation of lasting good by delays and astonishing struggles On the other hand he may forbear Judgments and bestow good things whereby a Nation is ripened for sorer Plagues He may destroy the Gentry to save the Vulgar or level his stroak against evil Magistrates or Ministers and so shake the State to make the Body of a People or his own people at least prosperous Many such wayes are with him Each of these affect a community and yet the aspect of them are so intricate and clouded that deep thoughts are needful to determine when we see the Mercy we expect or the Judgment which we fear You may perceive that the Case before me though it seemeth so popular is not so easily decided But the greatest Difficulty is to adjust the Nature of Repentance as accommodated to our expectation of National Mercies Which will fall under the next Head Fifthly The Case resolved and somewhat concerning the Rule by which it is resolved The Rule by which we must determine this is hinted in the Case it self The Rule to decide the Case by under those Words what Repentance doth God require Some Expression of the Divine Will must guide us we must not judge by Second Causes or by vain Fancy as we are too apt to do Neither too rigid nor yet too compassionate Inclinations must decide the Matter or lead our Expectations The Directions of the Soveraign Ruler of Kingdoms must alone take place what Notices he hath vouchsafed must be regarded with Reverence natural Principles due Inferences from his Essential Perfections the Nature Order Ends and Methods of his Government well considered and an Observation of his Dealings with our selves in past times and also with other Countreys do all contribute some light in the Matter before us But our chiefest regard must be to the Scriptures especially to such parts of them as urge Repentance on a people with Promises of good in case of compliance and Threatnings of Ruin upon their Obstinacy Also such parts should be observed as contain instances of National Repentance which have been succeeded or accompanied with National Mercies By this rule we must determine what that Repentance for National Sins is whereupon we may expect National Mercies Here we must consider Repentance modified as a means to this proper end viz. National Mercies And it s to be considered as to that lowest degree which will support our expectations of those Mercies Having premised this I think it may thus be determined 1. A Repentance short of that which is injoyned in order to Eternal Salvation will suffice to warrant our expectations of National Mercies Eternal Issues are not determined by the same Rules as Temporal Blessings Unregenerate persons may repent so as to divert present Judgments and secure Mercies This is evident in Ahab and Nineveh 1 King 21.29 Jonah 3. If it were not so we could not expect National Mercies before the generality of a Land became true Converts yea active Converts For Regenerate Persons that shall possess Heaven may come short in that Repentance which secures Blessings to a Nation Saving Repentance is the Grace we calls sinners to by our Ministry the more of this prevaileth in a Land the more sure are the Mercies of that people Without it a Nation will soon run into new forfeitures and bring plagues on it self at last as Niniveh did Nah. ch 2. 3. This saving Repentance is a change of Heart as well as Practice it strikes at the root and excludeth the Dominion of all Sin as well as National Provocations It hath a mixture of Divine Love reigning in the Heart as well as Fear It s excited by a sence of pardoning Mercy through the Blood of Christ as well as Gods Wrathful displeasure it s an effect of the Spirit in-dwelling and not onely of its common Operations it s the fruit of the Divine Life and not meerly of Natural Principles excited by Forreign impressions In these and the like saving Repentance exceeds that Repentance of a Land which yet may afford expectations of National Mercies 2. The Repentance which yields us ground to expect National Mercies I shall describe in these following particulars 1. It hath several things wherein it partakes of the nature and sincerity of a true Repentance 2. It must be for National Sins 3. The Repentance must usually be National 4. It must be suited to the different condition and circumstances of such as make up a Nation 1. It must have so much of the nature and sincerity of a true Repentance as is included in these following heads 1. Clear Convictions of the guilt and offences of a Nation We must believe those things to be sins
common assistances of Gods Spirit they sometimes had being wholly withdrawn from them and it 1. Partly as a punishment for their former wilful impenitency It is one of the most dreadful Judgments God ever executes upon any on this side Hell when he punishes one sin with another one hardness with another which yet sometimes he doth Prov. 81.11 12. Israel would none of me c. so I gave them up c. 2. As a terror to others and a warning too that they that hear it may fear and not dare to live impenitently lest they should die impenitently God not being bound to give them the Grace he denies to others who perhaps were not greater Sinners than themselves Obj. The great encouragement Men have to embolden them in sin and yet to hope for repentance at last is the instance of this poor Thief which they stretch beyond the intention of the Holy Ghost in leaving it upon Record when they use it as a means to strengthen their presumption which was designed only to prevent despair The Thief on the Cross repented at last saith a Sinner and why may not I Answ Why should not the example of the other Thief 's impenitency affright them and drive them to repentance as well as the example of the good Thief encourage them to sin It is but setting one against the other and if they argue God gave repentance to one and therefore may give it them Why may they not as well argue God denied it to one and therefore may deny it to them too 2. It is but a single instance against thousands on the other side And though one instance is sufficient to evert the generality of a Rule and therefore we cannot certainly conclude from Gods not giving repentance to thousands at the hour of Death that he will give it to none because we have the example of this Thief to the contrary yet with what reason can men expect that God should give that to them which he gave to one rather than that he should deny that to them which he hath denied to thousands If general Rules are to be drawn from particulars it is much more rational to ground them on a multitude of particulars than on any single one The most therefore any Men can infer from this example is only that it is not impossible but God may give them repentance 3. Some things seem to be singular in the case of this Thief which are not to be found in the case of others who therefore cannot reasonably argue from it 1. He was one so far as we can judge that had never formerly rejected Christ never saw him before his Sufferings never heard his Doctrin never was a Witness of his Miracles which might convince him of the truth of it He was one that had otherwise employed himself than in attending on Christs Ministry and might more likely have been found robbing on the Road than worshiping in the Temple or breaking up Houses than hearing of Sermons and therefore though he had sin enough in him for which God might have denied him Repentance and nothing in him which might move the Lord to give it him yet it is very probable this was the first of his being brought to the knowledge of a Saviour and so he was not guilty of the great Gospel-sin of Unbelief and refusing the offer of Christ and Salvation by him which doth so often provoke the Lord to leave men to themselves and deny them his Grace If it be said the same was the case of the other Thief I grant it But God being a Sovereign Agent and his gifts most free he might make use of his Prerogative in dispensing them and so grant repentance to the one and deny it to the other admit their circumstances were every way the same And why then may he not deny repentance to those now that are in some respect worse than either in that they have so many times resisted his Spirit stood out against his Calls and slighted the offers of his Grace made to them and where is the Sinner that lives under the means without repentance but as he hath daily repeated calls from God so he daily rejects them and thereby abundantly justifies the Lords refusing him that Grace at the last which he did before not only never seriously seek but wilfully reject I should have more charitable thoughts and better hopes of the veriest Varlets upon earth that were never called till the last hour than of those that are otherwise guilty of much less sin but have abused and resisted greater Grace 2. The instance of this Thief seems particularly designed by God for the honour of his suffering Son God would have a Witness even upon the Cross one to adore him when so many despised him He would have his Sons Death honoured by his giving Life to a poor Wretch even at the point of Death and make him known to be a Prince and a Saviour to give repentance and remission of sins Acts 5.31 by his giving both to such a Sinner and at such a time 3. Another end may be to render them that Crucified Christ inexcusable when this Malefactor made so honourable a confession of him to expose and shame the unbelief and hardness of the Rulers and Pharisees by the faith and repentance of a most flagitious Offender and therewithal confirm the Word of Christ spoken formerly to them that the Publicans and Harlots entred into the Kingdom of Heaven before them Matth. 21.31 6. Suppose God do give them repentance at the last yet they may have very little it may be no comfort in it I. They may be ready to question the sincerity of it and then they can have little comfort in it Admit their condition be safe yet comfortable it cannot be so long as the truth of their repentance from which their comfort should proceed is so uncertain and questionable To say nothing of their ignorance of the nature of repentance and the methods of the Spirit in working it having never found the like in themselves before nor been acquainted with what others have felt many things there are which sometimes may make them call what they find in themselves in question 1. The experience they have already had of the deceitfulness of their own hearts and perhaps of others in the like condition It may be they have known others upon a sick bed look as like Penitents as they now do who yet upon their recovery from their Diseases have relapsed into sin and by returning to their former Lusts have confuted their Profession and evidenc'd their repentance to have been unsound and hypocritical And this may make them fear lest things may be no better with themselves and their repentings no more real than their Neighbours Or it may be they themselves formerly when under a Sentence of Death have had strong convictions of sin been filled with horror of Conscience and dismal apprehensions of approaching damnation It may be they