of heaven is approaching Surely therefore this is the great Motive the motive of motives In the invitation to the great Supper spoken of in the Gospel what is the motive used for to bring men unto the supper but this Come for all things are now ready Mercy is ready the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ is ready Come for all things are now ready this is the motive that is used there And if ye look into the 12. Chapter of Paul to the Romans ye shall find at the 1. verse That when the Apostle doth exhort them to present themselves a living sacrifice holy acceptable unto God he perswades by this motive of mercy I beseech you therefore brethren by the mercies of God that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice I beseech ye therefore That Therefore sends us unto the former Chapter to enquire what these mercies were At the 30. verse of the former Chapter he saies unto them For as ye in times past have not beleeved God yet now have obtained mercy through their unbeliefe The Jewes were cast off and the Gentiles these Romans received to mercy the Kingdom of Heaven did come to them the Gospel effectually preach't to them the Doctrine of free-remission of poor sinners Now saies he I beseech you by the mercies of God that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice The Scripture is full of this But for our better opening and clearing of this Truth Let us I pray descend into the particulars of Repentance and consider how the grace and mercy and love of God in Christ which is the substance of this Kingdom of Heaven hath an influence upon them all and how all of them are caused thereby First A man that does Repent must see and know his sins true-sight of sin is requisite to true Repentance Indeed a man may in some measure attain unto the knowledge and discovery of his sin by some Affliction when Adoni-bezek had his fingers and toes cut off you know what he said Thus have I done Afflictions do un-leave a man take off his leaves when the leaves are off the hedges ye see those birds-nests that ye could not see before when the leaves were on And so when affliction hath made one naked and taken ones leaves off a man is able to see those nests of corruption in his own heart that he never did see before The Apostle saies By the Law is the knowledge of sin but now though by the Law as by a rule we come to the knowledge of our sin and by Affliction we are help't to see the nests of our own hearts yet notwithstanding a man cannot see his sins fully but by Gospel-light it is a work of the Spirit to convince of sin I will send the Spirit the Comforter and he shall convince the world of sin And where does the Spirit breath but in the Gospel the Kingdom of Heaven the preaching of the Gospel Received ye the Spirit saies the Apostle by the works of the Law or by the preaching of faith When once Esay the Prophet had had a fight of Christ he cries out Vae mihi I am undone We is me I am undone I am unclean Again for I will but touch upon these As a man must know his sin So if he will repent truly he must be grieved and humbled for it If you look into the 7. of Luke ye may see what work it had A woman a great sinner comes to Christ and she washes his feet with her teares what made her do so She loved much for much was forgiven her So that the more the love and mercy of God in Chrst is opened in the Gospel or does make it's approach unto a soul the more the soul is set a weeping and mourning for sin committed Again As a man Repenting must be grieved for sin committed So he must and he will loath himself self-loa-thing is requisite to Repentance If a man have taken a surfet by cating or drinking he does not only loath the meat which caused the surfet but he loaths the very Vessel that hath the smell of the meat or the liquor in it So now when a man comes to Repent he does not only loath his sin but he loaths himselfe the vessel where the sinne was Oh! these filthy eyes of mine Oh! these vile hands Oh! this vile heart of mine hee loaths himself But what causes this self-loathing Th Prophet Ezekiel will tell ye in the 20. of Ezekiel the 41 42 and 43. verses Then shall ye loath your selves when I am pacified or when God had shown them mercy caused his love to approach unto them Then should they loath themselves 'T is not all your Afflictions nor all my Threatnings saies God that will make ye to loath your selves but when ye see my love my grace my pardoning mercy then shall ye loath your selves not your sins only but your selves also Again A Repenting person does not only loath himself for his sin but he is ashamed of it he is ashamed of his former evil waies What fruit have ye of those things whereof ye are now ashamed not before but wereof ye are now ashamed So long as a man walks in the dark he does not blush he is not ashamed though his Cloaths be ragged and torne and his naked flesh appears because he is in the dark But if he come to the light then he blushes that his nakedness appears And so long as men are in their sins and are in darkness they are not ashamed of their sins because they are in darkness But when once they come to the light then they blush and then they are ashamed What light is that that will ashame one of sin there is light enough in hel-fire for the damned there to reade their sins by but that don't make them ashamed where the light of the Gospel the opening of the Kingdom of Heaven is and pardoning love is there is shame Ye shall see therefore how Ezra bulshes when he considered the love of God and their sins together in the 9. of Ezra and the 6. verse And he said O my God I am ashamed and blush to lift up my face unto thee my God Why for our iniquities are increased Is that all No saies he at the 8. verse for a little space grace hath been shewed us from the Lord our God to give us a remnant to eseape and to give us a nail in his Holy place we were bond-men yet our God hath not forsaken us in our bondage And now O our God what shall we say after this after this The sight of their own sins and the remembrance of Gods love together made him blush Ye know the place in Ezekiel Then shall ye be confounded and ashamed when I am pacified towards ye The more a man knows that God is pacified towards him the more he is ashamed Again A Repenting person is not only ashamed of his former evil waies but as occasion serves he will acknowledge his
the grosser the thicker the dirtier the more grosser part Thirdly The fulness of the earth is a fulness that runs into emptiness a fulness that hath an hole at the bottom Like unto an hour glasse if you turn it up the upper part of the glasse is full of sand but because it hath an hole at the bottom and there stands a glasse beneath it as big as it self it empties it self into that galsse Then you turn up the glasse again and that is full but because that hath an hole at the bottom it runs out having an empty glasse beneath it and this fulness runs into it So now t is with the worlds fulnes a man he hath a great estate he hath his glasse full of sand I but because his children and his family stands under him his sand runs into them and he is soon emptied he is soon emptied into them Then when the father is dead and gone and hath emptied out his fulness into his children the childrens glasse is turn'd up but they having children under them and house under them their sand also is soon run out it runs out into emptiness Thus all the fulness of the world 't is but a fulness that hath a hole at the bottom that runs into emptiness Oh! but the fulness of Jesus Christ the fulness of Jesus Christ it is a dwelling fulness His sulness runs out into Leleevers yet He is ful Himself In Him the fulnes of the God head dwels it dwelleththere Fourthly The fulness of the Earth it can never satisfie the better part of man the soul it can never satisfie that All satisfaction and contentment arises from the conjunction of a Convenient with a Convenient the conjunction of sutables If a man have never so great an Estate if his heart be not suted to it he hath no content If a man have never so small an Estate if his heart be suted to it he is content So that now all content arises from sutablenessm the conjunction of sutables What sutableness is there between the fulness of the earth and the better part of man the soul Mark Properly a thing is never said to be full till it be full of that for which it was made A mans Chest a Chest or Trunk is not said to be full of aire though it be ful of aire yet notwithstanding we say the Chest or Trunk is empty because 't is not fil'd with that for which it was made And so take one of these meeting Houses though the place be full of stooles yet notwithstanding though I say the place be full of stools or full of air yet we say the Church is empty because though it be full yet 't is not full of that for which it was made full of people So now take a man that hath all the fulness of the earthl because that his soul was never made his better part was never made for the fulness of the earth therefore he is said to be empty in the midst of all his fulness his heart is empty and the man is an empty man because his heart is not full of that for which he was made and that is Christ that is Christ the fulness of Christ in him he is an empty man all this while Oh but the fulness Jesus Christ is a soul-satisfying fulness He that drinks of the water that I shall give him saies He shall never thiest again Joh. 4.4 Psal 17.15 When I awake saies the Psalmist I shall be satisfied with thy likeness And that is a Fourth Fiftly The fulness of the earth cannot commend a man unto God or make him more lovely or beautiful in the eyes of God The poor vain foolish stage-player thinks himself brave and a jolly man-while he is in kings cloathes or while he is acting the part of a King but the wise spectator he saies And is he that does but act the Kings part or hath the Kings cloaths on so brave a man what is a King indeed Beloved the Lord He sees all we have and do stands by as a wise spectator and when men brave it out with the worlds fulness I what then is the man that acts the Fulnesse of Christ Is he so brave a man that hath a possession here land and house What is he then that hath an eternal inheritance If there fall but the least drop of the Rulness of Christ upon a soul it makes the soul lovely and beautiful in the eyes of God 1 Pet. 3.4 The Apostle speaking of the adorning of women saies he at the 3 verse Whose adorning let it not be that outward adorning of playting the hair and of wearing of gold or of putting on of apparrel but let it be the hidden man of the heart in that which is incorruptible even the Ornament of a meek and quiet spirit which is in the sight of God of great price As if he should say All other Ornaments plaiting of hair and gold and the like is of no price in the eyes of God Oh! but a quiet spirit and a meek spirit one drop of the Fulness of Christ falling upon the soul makes the soul lovely in the fight of God is of great price Sixtly The fulnesse of the Earth is a fulnesse that is mixt with poison sin the curse of God What pleasure or delight can a man take in drinking when he shall consider with himself that poison is mixt withal this is good or sweer liquor saies he indeed Oh! but there is poison in the Cup and therefore I wil not meddle with it Take all the Fulnesse of the world and if it be not mixt with the Fulnesse of Jesus Christ there is poison in it the Curse of God in it the wrath of God there and therefore what pleasure what contentment can a man take therein without the Fulnesse of Fulnesse of Jesus Christ Seventhly The Fulnesse of the Earth is a defiling Fulness When a thing is mixed with any thing that is worse than it self it is defiled thereby If silver be mingled with gold the silver is not defil'd thereby because gold is better than the silver but if silver be mingled with lead the silver is defil'd because 't is mingled with something that is worse than it self So now if a man be mingled with Spiritual and Heavenly things his heart is not defil'd thereby because they are better than himself but if a mans heart be mingled with the things of the world his heart is defil'd because 't is mingled with something that is worse than himself and the more a mans heart is mingled with the things of the earth the more defil'd it is As a dog that hath bemir'd himself the more he fawnes upon you the more he dirties you If you take a dog abroad with you into the fields and he run into a dirty ditch or the river after he is dirty you will not suffer him to come neer you and themore he fawns upon you and leaps
from servants ordinarily But when the fulness of time was come God sent forth his Son that we might receive the adoption of Sons And the Spirit of Adoption whereby we cry Abba Father They had the spirit of Bondage unto fear and we have the Spirit of Adoption unto Love to cry Abba Father They could not go to God but with many fears but there is none of all the Saints now but go with a Spirit of Love go to God as a Father Every Saint now may go to God and say Father Father I labor under such a temptation Oh! Father help me I want such a blessing or mercy Oh! Father give it me Again further Although they had many sprinklings of the Doctrins of Grace yet they fell but droppingly upon them now a drop and then a drop As you have it in the 1. Chap. of the Hebrews 1. verse God who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in times past unto the fathers by the Prophets hath in these last dayes spoken unto us by His Son God who by piece-meals drop by drop now a drop and then a drop spake unto our fore-fathers by the Prophets hath in these last times spoke unto us by His Son This being the opposition shews that God spake perfectly and spake al by His Son When this King came then all the Cocks run with wine Some observe that Jesus Christ preached the Gospel more plainly unto one poor ignorant sinful wicked woman that ye reade of in the 4. of John then He did unto al our fore-fathers under the Old Testament for unto which of all our fore-fathers did He say I am the Messiah Ask of Me the water of life and I will give it thee You know the great Doctrins of the Gospel Justification by Grace Free remission of sins and the like Now though these Doctrins be in the Old Testament yet take your Book and howmany leaves shal you reade over before you be able to reade this Doctrine cleerly But open your Book where you wil open in the New Testament and you shall meet with one everie where with this Doctrine this great Doctrine of Free-Grace every where Oh! much much of Jesus Christ and of His Grace that is now Discovered surely Abundance of Grace Abundance of Grace Discovered to the Saints now and to all the Saints But in the Second place As there is Abundance of Grace Discovered So there is Abundance of Grace Exhibited and Communicated to all the Saints Those that have the least measure of Grace now have Abundance of Grace That is the Thing that I would cleer up to you That those that have the least measure of Gospel-Grace they receive Grace for Grace they have abundance of Grace Is it not a great matter for an ungodly man to be Justified What man so godly but he was ungodly before Justified Is it not a great matter for a man to be the Son of God to be the Child of God All Gods Children shall be Portioned answerable to their Fathers Estate David counted it a great matter to be son-in-law to a King though but a wicked King and the Kingdom but small What is it then to be Adopted to be the Son of God the Daughter of God To as many as receive Him Joh 1.12 He gives power to be called the Sons of God And there is this difference between Gods Adoption and mans When man does Adopt one to be his son he may put his Name upon him he may give his Estate to him but he cannot make the person to be like himself he cannot communicate his nature to him But now when God does Adopt one to be His Child He does not only put His Name upon the Soul and give him a great Estate but He makes him to be like Himself and communicates His Nature to him So saies the Apostle 2 Pet. 1.4 We are made partakers of the Divine Nature Is it not a great matter To have the Image of Jesus Christ drawn upon a filthy soul To have ones heart inclin'd naturally inclin'd as it were unto all the Commandements of the Gospel I will write My Law in your heart Jer. 31.33 saies God in the Covenant of Grace That look as the Heathen having the law of nature written in their hearts are naturally inclin'd unto the works of Nature So will I write my Law of Grace in your hearts and you shall be naturally inclin'd unto the works of Grace and unto the works of the Gospel He that hath least of Christ he hath all Christ all Christ imputed unto all the Saints Beloved we have not so much of Christ in our lives as Peter and Paul and John had but wee have as much of Christs Righteousness imputed to us for our Justification as any of all the Apostles had and if our Faith be right 't is like precious with theirs Is it not a great matter for a man to be in Heaven before he comes there Joh 17.3 To have eternal life in this world This is eternal life to know thee and whom thou hast sent Jesus Christ And that day that any soul begins to know Jesus Christ that day is the day-break of his eternity the Saints that are in Heaven they count from that day there began our eternity This is eternal life here it begins All the Saints and People of God they do know God in Jesus Christ And therefore surely There is an Abundance of Grace Grace for Grace an Abundance of Grace Communicated and given our unto all the Saints under the new Testament But you will say unto me Object We do not find this in experience do not see such an Abundance of Grace in the lives of those ye count godly those that are in Christ indeed we do not find that they have such an Abundance of Grace I but Ans Do you consider The Opposition of Grace The Retinue of Grace And the Mysiery of Grace First For the Opposition of Grace A little Grace may be much opposed and when the Opposition is great though Grace be small in the Bulk it may be great in the Work though little in the Quantity yet it may be much in Quality There 's no true Gospel-Grace but it is much opposed When Jesus Christ came into the world you know Herod raised all the County upon him And so when Christ comes into the heart the whol soul it is raised against Him because He comes as an enemy unto the soul As when an enemy Lands the Beacons are all fired and the Country all rises what do you say An enemy is landed an enemy is landed and all the Country rises So when Christ Lands upon a soule at the first He Lands as an enemy unto the â—â—n and soul and all the soul the Region the Continent it rises up against Him Then also as the Dragon â—ood before the woman which you reade of in that of the Revelations to out off the child as soon as it was born
sins But I pray what works the heart over to this acknowledgment When David had Saul at a great advantage and spar'd him Saul breaks forth into this expression O my son David thou art more righteous than I O David thou art a righteous man but I am an unrighteous man So when the soul sees what infinite advantage the Lord hath it at and how the Lord spareth then the soul breaks forth and saies The Lord is righteous I am unrighteous I am unrighteous this works an acknowledgment Sixtly A Repenting person does not only acknowledge his sin as occasion serves but he labours to un-sin his sin and truely else it is no Repentance He does walk contrary unto himself and his former self he does labour to undo what he had done before sinfully he does labour to unsay what he had said before wickedly Before the Jaylor was converted he clap't up the Apostle into close prison and either he whipt him there or else being whipt he did not relieve him and wash his wounds But the Jaylor Repenting mark how he walks contrary to himself Repenting he opens the prison door he washes the Apostles wounds brings him into his own house sets meat before him Those Sorcerers Acts 19. repenting burnt their books which before they prized and studies much How did Manasses walk contrary to himself when he once Repented Well But what is that that will bring the soul to this disposition to walk contrary to ones former self If you look into the 116. Psalm ye shall find there how the Psalmist eats up his former words I said in my hast all men are lyers It was amiss in me I eat my words I am sorry for it what made him do it Saies he at the 3. verse The sorrows of death compassed me about and the pains of hell gate hold upon me I found trouble and sorrow Then called I upon the Name of the Lord O Lord I beseech thee deliver me at the 5. verse Gracious is the Lord and righteous yea our God is mercisul Now having had a tast of Gods grace and God mercy now he eats his former words And so the good man Hezekiab I said saies he I am cut off from the land of the living Isa 38.11 He did eat his words I repent it was suddenly done How was he wrought off to this He had tasted of the love and grace and goodness of God and this made him do it So that now look into the bowels of Repentance and the several workings thereof and ye shall find there is no such way or means or motive to bring a soul unto Repentance as the approaching of the Kingdom of Heaven the word and work of Gods grace and love of God in Jesus Christ Would you know the Reason Briefly thus Repentance is a fruit of faith Ye have a notable expression of godly sorrow to the height in the 12. of Zachary the latter end of the 10 11 and 12. verses speaking of the Call and Conversion of the Jews They shall mourn for him as one mourneth for his only son and shall be in bitterness for him the latter end of the 10. verse as one that is in bitterness for his first-born Bitterness upon bitterness and mourning And in that day at the 11. verse there shall be a great mourning in Jerusalem as the mourning of Hadadrimmon in the valley of Megiddon And the land shall mourn every family apart the family of the house of David apart and their wives apart Here is great mourning and sorrow What caused this saies he at the 10. verse They shall look upon me whom they have pierced and they shall mourn They shall look upon me whom they have piercit This is the eye of faith and all true mourning and sorrow does come from thence All tears of Repentance flow from the eye of faith the more a man by faith is able to see a pierced Christ the more his heart is pierced for sin committed the more by faith a man is able to see a wounded Christ the more will his heart be wounded for sin committed Faith works Repentance but what worketh faith Surely the Gospel the preaching of the Gospel Received ye the Spirit by the works of the Law or by the preaching of faith He does not say by the preaching of the Gospel but by the preaching of faith The Gospel is called faith not only because 't is the Cbject of faith but that by which faith is wrought Again As Repentance is a fruit of faith So also it does flow from love Amor doloris causa Love is the cause of grief The more a man loves another or apprehends that he is loved of him the more he grieves if he hath any way injured him If you at un-awares do strike another and one tell you that he is your enemy ye grieve not ye are not troubled unless it be in regard of some mischief that may come to your self But if one tell you that he is a friend a specialfriend that grieves you So now if by my sins I have striken at God if I look upon God as an enemy I am not grieved much I am not troubled much But when I consider him as my father the best friend I have in the world and consider how by my sins I have stricken at him this makes me grieve Oh! that ever I should wound the name of him whom my soul loves She loved much saies our Saviour concerning the weeping woman she loved much for much was forgiven her He does not say she wept much for much was forgiven her there was no mention before of her love but only of her weeping and yet saies our Saviour she loved much because he would shew what it was that drew up the sluce of these tears it was her love And what causeth love Love causeth love The more a man sees and apprehends the love of Christ towards him the more his heart is drawn out in love towards Christ again And what greater act of love than this That the Kingdom of Heaven approaches that the Kingdom of Heaven should come and make it's approach to such a poor sinner as I am Surely therefore the approaching or drawing neer of the Kingdom of Heaven is the highest and greatest motive in the world unto true Repentance You will say Experience seems for to speak the contrary for arguments drawn from Hell and the wrath of God seem to be more powerful and efficacious in the working of Repentance I have will some say sometimes considered the wrath of God and let out my heart upon arguments drawn from thence and then I have bin much humbled broken been much affected yea the truth is I have been more humbled and more broken and more affected and more troubled for sin than when the Gospel the word of the Kingdom hath been preach'd and opened unto me How therefore is this true Experience seems to speak the contrary I answer Quicquid recipitur c.
but for others So in the third place there is an infinite propension and willingness in Jesus Christ to communicate this grace unto the children of men Pray mark it There is an infinit propension and willingnesse in Jesus Christ to communicate and give out his grace unto the children of men Heb. 3.2 He is faithful saies the Apostle in all His house as Moses was Now if Jesus Christ should receive gifts for men for others and then run away with all and not be willing to give them out He could not be faithful but faithful He is Look I pray for this in the 16. Psal 2 v. Thou hast said unto the Lord Thou art my Lord my goodness not for thee but for the Saints that are in the earth and for the excellent in whom are all my delight You reade the words thus Thou hast said unto the Lord Thou art my Lord my goodnesse extendeth not to thee But in the Hebrew the word extendeth is not Thou art my Lord my goodnesse not for thee but for the Saints that are in the earth That these words are spoken of Christ Pray reade the Four last verses I have set the Lord alwayes before me at the 8. ver because He is at my right hand I shall not be moved Therefore my heart is glad and my glory rejoyceth my flesh also shall rest in hope For thou wilt not leave my soul in Hell neither wilt thou suffer thy holy One to see corruption Now compare these words with what the Apostle saies in Acts 2.25 David speaketh concerning him mark For I foresaw the Lord alwayes before my face he is on my right hand I shall not be moved Therefore did my heart rejoyce and my tongue was glad Moreover also my flesh shall rest in hope Because thou will not leave my soul in hell the same viorde neither wilt thou suffer thine holy One to see corruption Mark what is said then at the 29. ver the Apostle proves That these words of the Psalm must needs be understood of Christ and not of David Men and brethren saies he let me freily speak unto you of the Patriarch David that he is both dead and buried and his Sepulcher is with us unto this day Therefore saies he these words cannot be understood of David but must be understood of Christ Now then this Psalm being thus to be understood of Christ saies Christ Lord Thomiâ—t my Lord my goodness is not for thee but for the Saints that are in the earth and for the excellent in whom is all my delight They are my delight and therefore what goodnesse I have from thee I am willing to give it out again unto them because al my delight is in them Do you not think that a man is willing to eat his meat when he is a hungry I ray look into the 4. chaptes of John and you shall see what was Christs meat verse the 34. Jesus faith unto them My meat is to do the will of Him that sent Me and to finish His Work My meat is to do the will of Him that sent Me What is that Finish His Work What is that You reade before in the 61 Esay That the Spirit of the Lord was upon Him and God the Father had anointed Him to open the prison door Now therefore saith He look how willing a man is to eat his meat when he is a hungry So willing am I to releeve poor sinners to open the prison dore to poor captive souls Tender hearted Mothers are you willing to give your Children suck to have your breasts drawn Yes Why so Truly not only because of my child but the truth is unless my breasts be drawn 't is a pain to me not only for my child therefore but for my own ease also you will say Why brethren the Humanity of Jesus Christ is as I may so speak the breasts of the Deity by which we suck out all the holiness and grace which we have and if Jesus Christs breasts be not drawn He counts it a pain to Him And therefore He complains so in the Gospel Joh. 1.11 I came unto mine own and mine own received me not They will not draw My breasts He counts it a pain to Him Tell me are you willing to receive grace Yes If you be willing to receive grace Jesus Christ is willing to give it for you cannot be willing if He were not willing first your willingness does come from His. But I pray what grace are you willing to have Oh! saies one I am a poor ignorant creature I would fain I would fain have more knowledge Oh! saies one I am one of great Passions and of a disordered life and Oh! that I had my life better ordered Oh! saies another I am a poor guilty soul and I would have pardon I would have pardoning grace Now I 'le appeal to you Whether do you not think that an honest man is willing to do the work of his office Can a man be an honest man and not be willing to do the work of his office This is the Office of Jesus Christ He is a Prophet and therefore He must be willing to teach you you that complain that you are ignorant This is the Office of Jesus Christ to be a King and therefore He is willing to direct you and to order you You that complain of distemper and disorder This is the Office of Christ to be a Priest and therfore He is willing to satisfie for you and indeed if Jesus Christ were not willing to give out His grace unto the children of men He would never lay it upon such conditions as He does When a man is unwilling to do a thing for another He will put it upon hard conditions As Saul being unwilling to give his Daughter to David He put it upon hard conditions But now what does Jesus Christ require What does the Lord Jesus Christ require for the Communication of His grace But only this that you do receive it Mark only this that we do receive it a condition indeed that is no condition I say a condition that is no condition because he promises strength to receive also Oh! my beloved Why should we cumber the way to Heaven with Preparations and Qualifications and Precedaneous conditions There are no In-coms no In-coms to be paid at our coming in to Jesus Christ there are no Precedaneous conditions Grace is free and Mercy is free and Christ is free and His Love is free there is an infinite Propension in Jesus Christ to communicate this His Grace to the children of men This is the third Proposition Fourthly As Christ is infinitly willing So in the Fourth place there is nothing either in Heaven or in earth that can hinder Him from doing al. For now grant all the former Three That there is an infinite treasury of Grace in Christ That He hath not received it for Himself but others That He is infinitly willing to give it out unto the
children of men Yet if He can be hindred al the former is nothing Mark therefore the Fourth and then we come to the Use There is nothing either in Heaven or Earth that can hinder Jesus Christ from communicating His Grace I work Esay 43.13 saies God and who shall let And I communicat My grace saies Christ and who shall hinder If any thing can hinder it must be either Satan without us or our sins within us Satan without cannot hinder he could not go into the herd of swine he could not destroy a hog a sow a pig till he had leave from Christ and can Satan hinder then when Christ intends to communicate His grace He is called the strong man but Christ is called the stronger than he Luke 22.31 32. Peter Peter saies our Saviour Satan hath desired to winnow thee but I have prayed that thy faith fail not I one prayer one prayer by Jesus Christ is stronger than all the temptations of Satan Satan cannot hinder Nor can our sins within hinder For if you look into the 2. Chapter of Titus 't is said there at the 14. verse He gave Himself for us that He might redeem us from al iniquity If from All iniquity then from unbeleef Then unbeleef cannot hinder If a King come on purpose to pardon All Rebellion if he be able and willing and come on purpose to pardon All Rebellion then no one Rebellion can hinder can be a reason why he should not pardon The Covenant that God makes with His is like the Covenant that He made with Noah as you reade in the 54. Chapter of Esay the 8. and 9. verses In a little wrath I hid my face from thee for a moment but with everlasting kindness will I have mercy on thee saith the Lord thy redeemer for this is as the waters of Noah unto me for as I have sworn that the waters of Noah should no more go over the earth so have I sworn that I would not be wrath with thee nor rebuke thee Mark The Covenant God would make with His people is like the Covenant that He made with Noah The Covenant that He made with Noah what is that Pray now look into the 8. Chapter of Genesis the 21. verse Noah being come out of the Ark and offering unto the Lord The Lord smel'd a sweet savour and the Lord said in His heart I will not again curse the ground any more for mans sake for the imagination of mans heart is evil from his youth I think it should rather be read thus according to the Hebrew I will not again curse the ground any more for mans sake although the imagination of mans heart is evil from his youth although ye read it for I wil not again curse the ground any more for mans sake for the imagination of mans heart is evil from his youth One would think He should rather say thus I wil curse the ground again and I will bring a new floud for the imagination of mans heart is evil from his youth No but the Covenant that God made with Noah was thus I do now make a Covenant with man-kind that the world shall never be drowned again yea Though man do sin yet the world shall not be drown'd again This is the Covenant that the Lord made with Noah The Lord did not make such a Covenant as this I do promise that the world shall not be drown'd again if man do not fin No but the Covenant that the Lord made with Noah was thus But I promise the world shall not be drown'd again Though men do sin again this is the Covenant the Lord made with Noah it was so far from running upon a condition that it runs crosse to all conditions So now the Lord saies concerning a poor Beleever I do take this soul into Covenant with Me Yea and Though he do sin yet notwithstanding I will pardon him and this soul shall never lye under water again shall never lye under water again his sin shall not hinder My grace he shall never lye under water again for as the Covenant I made with Noah such is the Covenant I make with every beleever And beloved if indeed that we could hinder Christ when He comes to communicate His grace if our sins could hinder then we might resist grace with an Overcoming resistance 'T is true a man may resist the grace of God with A gain-saying resistance but he cannot resist the grace of God with an overcoming resistance Whatsoever is overcome is overcome by a stronger Man I say cannot resist with an overcoming resistance Pray do but consider well the Covenant of Grace Ezek. 36 26 27. saies the Lord in that I will take away the heart of stone and I will give an heart of flesh and I will cause ye to walk in my waies and I will put My Spirit into you I will take away the heart of stone What is that a stone is hard a hard thing does not yeeld to the touch a soft thing yeelds Pharaoh had a hard heart and therefore he yeelded not When therefore the Lord makes such a promise as this I will take away the heart of stone What is His meaning His meaning is plainly I will take away the un-yeelding the resisting disposition that is in man Now therefore when the Lord makes such a promise as this That He will put His Spirit into them and cause them to walk in His waies Our resisting can be no hindrance Why because the Lord hath made a promise to take away our resisting If the Covenant had run thus I will put My Spirit into you and cause you to walk in My waies upon this condition that you do not resist then we could hinder but the Lord in the same promise that He does say I will put My Spirit into them and cause them to walk in My waies He doth also promise to take away the resisting heart to take away the spirit of resisting I will take away the heart of stone there 's the resisting And I will cause them to walk in My waies So that our sins cannot hinder Now then put al these together There 's an infinit treasury of grace and holiness in Jesus Christ This He hath not received for Himselfe but for others There is an infinite propension and willingness in Him to give out this grace unto the children of men And nothing either in Heaven or earth can hinder Him Surely therefor there is the Communication of the Fulness of Jesus Christ unto all Beleevers You will say unto me then Object Why are Beleevers then so empty of Grace 'T is the ordinary complaint Oh! I am full of evil Oh my heart is empty of all that is good Beleevers they complain thus How can this Doctrine be true if this experience be good I answer First Answ The Fulnesse of Grace which is in a Beleever is many times hid from the world and from himself When you go to
the world He must have infinite Knowledge to know the wants of Gods Peopel and He must have infinite Mercy and Patience and Goodness to pitty them and He must have infinite Power to reach it forth unto them which no creature hath and therefore no creature at all fit for this work Besides God the Father hath so ordered things in the dispensations of His Grace that he might take the most comentment and complacency and delight in the duties and services of his People this is the only way to it This is my beloved Son saies he in whom I am well pleased Mat. 3.17 If there be a garment that is laid with gold-lace hung or stuck full of Pearls though the Cloth of the garment be not much worth yet because of the gold-lace and the Pearls that are upon it you count it very precious Such are our duties the Cloth of our duty is not much worth but because of the golden-lace and the Pearls of the Graces of Jesus Christ they are very precious 'T is not in regard of our duties as in regard of your flowers or posies let a flower or posy be never so sweet they receive not any of the sweetness from the bosom that it sticks in the posy does sweeten the bosom but the bosom does not sweeten the posy I but now the duty that is stuck in the bosom of Jesus Christ is sweetned by the bosom by the bosom that it sticks in Pray mark therefore what is said in the 11. of the Canticles for this purpose Saies the Spouse at the 12. ver When or while the King sitteth at his table My spikenard sendeth forth the smell thereof My Spikenard what is that The Graces and the duties and the services of Gods People they are His Spikenard this Spikenard sendeth forth the smell thereof while the King sitteth at his talbe while it is in the presence of Jesus Christ whilst the posy is in His bosom it smels sweet else it does not Now God the Father I say He hath so ordered things that He may take a complacency and contentment in the duties and services of His People and therefore it is that all their Graces they come from Jesus Christ by vertue of Him It will be Objected yet Object It should seem that all Grace does not come from Christ no nor from God the Father neither for in the 16. of the Proverbs and the 1. verse it is said as some translations reade it The preparations of the heart are of man but the answer of the tongue is from the Lord. If a man can prepare his heart that is a great matter but now saies Solomon The preparations of the heart is of man but the answer of the tongue is from the Lord Surely therefore all is not of Grace and all is not of Christ By way of Answer Answ 1 I shall say these Three things First The meaning of this place cannot be according to this Objection for then as Bradwardine does well observe the greater should be given to man and the lesser should be given to God for it is a greater thing for a man to Prepare his heart then for him to speak words when his heart is prepared And then again as Austin observes this would be contrary to other Scriptures for our Savior Christ Joh. 15.5 He saies Without me ye can do nothing Yes might a man say according to Solomons Doctrine I can prepare my own heart and that is a great duty And so whereas the Apostle saies We are not able for to think a good thought 2 Cor. 3.5 A man might say yes but according to Solomons Doctrin I am able to prepare my own-own-heart The meaning therfore of this place cānot be according to this objection The scope therefore Secondly of this place is this To shew the vanity and the boot-lesness of all our thoughts without God Let a man think and think and spend his heart in thought-fulness all is in vain unless God go along with him for God can come between his heart and his lips So it was with Balaam he prepared his heart for to curse the people but God came between his heart and the preparation and he gave an answer of blessing contrary to the preparation of his heart That is the scope of the place to show the vanity of the preparations of our hearts to any busyness unless we take God along with us Thirdly This place is so far from speaking against the Doctrine in hand that it seems to speak for it For according to the Hebrew the words may be read thus The heart preparations of man and the answer of the tongue from the Lord giving both heart and tongue into the hand of the Lord. And if it be so that after a man hath prepared his heart unto any work God is able to come between the heart and the lip and to give in another answer into the mouth then what was intended in the heart this shows that all is of God that all is of Grace and so this place does rather confirm the Doctrine that I am now upon I but yet it will be said then Grant it Object that all Grace is from Christ that whatsoever Grace a man hath he hath it from Jesus Christ Yet so as that when a man is converted and drawn to Christ there is a principle or a habit of Grace infused into the soul whereby through ordinary concurrence and assistance from God a man is able for to walk graciously without fresh assistance For example When the Lord made the world in the beginning He gave unto the creatures a power to bring forth their like He gave unto the Beasts a power to bring forth their like He gave unto Plants unto Herbs a power to bring forth their like He gave unto Man a power to bring forth his like and so Grace being but a creature He gave also unto Grace a power to bring forth gracious actions without fresh assistance only by ordinary concurrence yet because that this first habit is infused and comes from God this is said to be from Christ and from Grace so that though all is of Grace and all is from Christ yet all is not from Christ in regard of fresh assistance Give me leave to answer this Yes Ans all is from Jesus Christ all Grace is from Jesus Christ in regard of fresh assistance too For although in the beginning God made a Covenant of works with man and then gave that Grace that he had a power to bring forth it 's like Yet now the Lord hath brought us under a better Covenant a better Covenant than the former was In the First Covenant that God made with us and with Adam the Lord gave man a great stock of Grace but gave him no promise of perseverance but now he hath In the First indeed God gave man a great stock of Grace but Satan being a stronger than man came upon him and beguil'd him of it
Grace Again There is the same Spirit in a Christian Rea. 4. Joh. 15 26. that is in Christ I will send saies He the Comforter the Spirit of truth and He shall come unto you The Spirit does not only come to them but is said to dwel in them and to be shed abroad upon their hearts Now if a Beast had the spirit and the soul of a man he would work like a man he would speak like a man and if a Plant if a Tree if an Herb had the life of a Beast it would tast like a Beast And if a Stone if that had the life of a Plant it would grow like a Plant. So now if a Christian have the Spirit of Christ he must work like Christ he must needs be like Christ Now the same Spirit He hath a Christian hath the same Spirit with Christ and therefore needs must be like unto Him and have Grace for His Grace Somewhat in a Christian Answerable to every Grace of Christ You will say unto me How can this be Object indeed it holds forth abundance of comfort unto the Saints and an incouragement to all to be so But how can this be There are some Incommunicable Properties Personal Excellencies of Christ Are all men Saviors Are all men Mediators Are all men Christs No Answ We must therefore so understand it in things that man is capable of We have member for member with Adam every man head for his head and legs for his legs but every man is not the first Adam that every man is not capable of So Jesus Christ He is made like to us but He is not a sinner that He was not capable of And so we have grace for grace Answerable Grace 't is to be understood in things that we are capable of We are not Saviors we are not Mediators we are not Christs In some of those things that we are not capable of yet there is somewhat in a Christian that in some other kind is Answerable thereunto As now for example When our Lord and Savior Christ was Baptized the Heavens opened and the holy-Ghost fell down upon Him in the shape of a Dove The holy-Ghost does not so fall down upon men now but yet 't is shed abroad in the hearts of all that are godly He is the great King and the Priest and the Prophet of his Church All the Saints are Kings and Priests and Prophets but not to that heighth as He was To open this a little that I may cleere the point Is our Lord and Savior Christ a Prophet and as a Prophet does He teach His people the Saints in that of the Revelation Rev. 11 3. The Two Witnesses are said to Prophesie in sackcloth They are said to Prophesie too Is our Lord and Savior Christ a King and as a King does He Over-come and subdue Satan and our lusts and the world 1 Joh. 5.4 So do the Saints too This is your Victory wherby ye Over-come the world even your Faith As a King Does he Over-come and sit down in His Throne So do they too In the 3. of the Revelations and the 21. verse To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my Throne even as I also overcame and am set down with My Father in His Throne Mark I pray Christ hath a Throne on Earth Saies He As Lovercame and am set down with my Father in His Throne in Heaven So those that overcome shall sit down That is Matt. 8.11 have Communion Many shall come from the East and from the West and shall sit down with Abraham and Isaac That is have Communion with them So here To him that overcomes wil I grant to sit down with me in my Throne They shal have Cōmunion with Jesus Christ in his Throne As a King does the Lord Jesus Christ Rule the Nations Psa 2.9 and break them in pieces with a rod of iron So shall the Saints do in their generation and in their way Look I pray into the 2d of the Revelation the 26. verse And he that overcometh and keepeth my works unto the end To him will I give power over the Nations And he shall rule them with a rod of iron Mark And he shall rule them with a rod of iron As the vessel of a potter shall they be broken to shivers even as I received of my Father He does not say Even as I received this Doctrine of my Father but as I which you reade of in the second Psalm received this Power from my Father they shall communicate with me in this Power Even as I received of my Father So shall they receive it they shall have Communion with Him in this Is Jesus Christ a Priest and as a Priest Does He Sacrifice So do the Saints too The Apostle Exhorts the Romans That they offer up themselves a reasonable sacrifice As a Priest Rom. 12.1 does He make Intercession So 't is said concerning the Saints in the 8. of the Romans The Spirit of God that is upon them makes Intercession with groans that cannot be exprest As a Priest does Jesus Christ as our great high-Priest Enter into the Holy of Holiest that you will say belonged unto the Priest alone and none might enter into the Holiest and the Holy of Holiest but the Priest So do the Saints too See I pray what Communion and fellowship the Saints have with Jesus Christ Saies he in the 10. of the Heb. and the 19. ver Having therefore Brethren boldness to enter into the Holiest by the Blood of Jesus by a new and living way c. Is our high Priest entered into the Holy of Hollest as a high Priest You shall have Communion in His Priestly Office too and as He entered into the Holy of Holiest so shall you too Thus you see there is an Answerableness in the Saints with what is in Christ And indeed herein does our Spiritual Regeneration go beyond our Generation For though a child be like unto the father in this that he is a man like the father and he hath a head like the father and arms and legs like the father yet his feature may not be like the fathers lineaments not alike But now in our Spiritual Regeneration there is such a likeness as whatsoever Grace or Holiness is in Jesus Christ there is somewhat in all the Saints that is Answerable thereunto By way of Application then Applic. 1 If this be so That the Saints do receive from Christs Fulness Grace for Grace Grace Answerable to the Grace of Christ That whatsoever Grace or holiness there is in Christ there is somewhat in all the Saints that is Answerable thereunto Then what abundance of men and women are there even living under the Gospel that have no present share of saving interest in Jesus Christ Me thinks I hear this Doctrine crying aloud and saying stand by profane men stand by You that are meerly Civil and moral people stand by And all
that he beleeved more plainly expressed in the 18. v. Who aginst hope beleeved in hope that he should become the father of many Nations according to that which was spoken so shall thy seed be Aggravated and inlarged in this 19. verse The Matter that he beleeved was inclosed with many difficulties he beleeved that he should be the father of many Nations and that in his seed all the Nations of the world should be blessed herein he had an eye unto Jesus Christ but now his owne body was dead being about an hundred years old and Sarahs wombe dead yet notwithstanding sayes the text Being not weak in the faith he considered not his own body now dead nor yet the deadnesse of Sarahs wombe You will say Obj. How can this be tht the Apostle here sayes Abraham considered not his own body being now dead when we read in the 17. Chapter of Genesis and vers 17. unto which Story this Chapter relates it is said That Abraham fell upon his face and laught in his heart and said Shall a child be born unto him that is an hundred yeares old and shall Sarah that is ninety yeares old beare Did not Abraham here consider the deadnesse of his own body and the deadness of Sarahs wombe why does the Apostle say thus then Some answer it thus Answ That the Apostle here speakes of the first giving out of the promise unto Abraham which we read of in the 12. of Genesis but that cannot be he was not then an hundred years old He considered not his own body now dead when he was about an hundred years old and so t' is said he was an hundred years old in the 17. Chapter of Genesis and the 17. verse therefore it must relate unto that Others they answer it thus That Abraham hideed at the first did consider his owne body and did doubt through unbeliefe but afterwards Abraham recollected himself and got over that unbeliefe but the Apostle he speakes the contrary in the 20. verse He staggered not at the promise through unbeliefe Others they answer it by labouring to sind out some mysticall interpretation of those words Shall a child be brone unto him that is an hundred years old and shall Sarah that is ninety years old beare as if Abraham say they had said thus Lord thou hast some secret meaning in these words I pray thee speak it out unto me and tell me plainly thy meaning and therefore say they God answered to that purpose in the 19. verse And God said Sarah thy wife shall beare thee a son indeed I meane according to my words Sarah shall beare thee a Son indeed But we need not straine for any mysticall interpretation or expression when Abraham sayes Shall a child be bron unto him that is an hundred years old In that seventeenth of Genesis and the seventeenth they are words not of Doubting but words of Inquiring Abraham desiring to be further satisfied and rightly to understand the meaning of the promise and rightly understanding the meaning of the promise sayes the Apostle He did not much mind he did not throughly mind he did not stand poring upon or considering the deadnesse of his own body or the deadnesse of Sarahs wombe There are three things especially considerable in these words Frist of all That Abrahams body and Sarahs body are dead after God gives out a promise of a great seed of his Secondly That notwithstanding this yet Abraham beleeved is commended for it He being not weak in the faith considered not his own body being now dead And thirdly That in all this he had an eye unto Jesus Christ as I shall shew you afterward Accordingly I would take up three observations thus First When God intends to fulfill his promise by giving any speciall blessing to the children of Abraham he does first of all put the sentence of death upon the blessing and upon all the means that do lead unto it Secondly That then and then especially it is the duty of all the children of Abraham to trust in God And thirdly That no difficulty can stand before faith true saving justifying faith carries the soule through all difficulties discouragements and naturall impossibilities to Jesus Christ I begin with the first at this time When God intends to fulfill his promise by giving any speciall blessing to the children of Abraham Doct. to beleevers he does first put the sentence of deathupon it and upon all the means that do lead unto it A promise of a great seed like the starres of heaven and the sand upon the sea-shore is given to Abraham but before it is fulfilled Abrahams body is dead and Sarahs wombe dead the sentence of death put upon the mercy and the means that do lead unto it and herein Abraham is held forth for our example it was written not for his sake alone at the 23. verse but for us also to whom it shall be imputed at the 24. verse And as thus it fell out with Abraham so it falls out with all the children of Abraham with all beleevers when God intends to give any speciall or great mercy by fulfilling his promise he does first of all write down the sentence of death upon the mercy and upon the means that do tend unto it The Saints and People of God lsa 62 12. they are called the Redeemed of the Lord not onely because they are redeemed from hell and from wrath but because that they have their mercies and blessings in a way of Redemption there is a line of that great mercy of Redemption that runnes through all the mercies which they have they have Health redeemed our of the hand of Sicknesse they have Liberty redeemed out of the hand of Straitnesse they have peace redeemed out of the hand of Warre they have Assurance redeemed out of the hand of Doubting and Vnbeliefe they have Mercy redeemed out of the hand of Misery they have Joyes and Comforts redeemed out of the hand of Griefe they are the redeemed of the Lord whatsoever great Mercy or Blessing they have they have it in a way of Redemption Thus it was with Abraham And was it not thus with Joseph I shall not have time to speake of the Patriarchs all of them Joseph you know had a promise by way of vision Gen. 37. That his sheafe should be higher then all the sheaves and all the sheaves of his Brethren should bow down to his the Sunne and the Moone should bow down before him his Father and mother this promise was afterward fulfilled when his Brethren went down into Egypt and bowed before him there and his Father went down into Egypt but first of all Joseph is sould into Egypt the sentence of death put upon the Mercy the promise did bring forth but it had a sore and a hard labour first And was it not thus with the People of Israel they had a promise of great increase like the sands upon the sea and that they should be brought
this for I am an old man and my wife well stricken in years He look't too much upon and considered he stood poring too much upon the meanes and this was the enemy unto his Faith You know Beloved that the Scripture hath laid a flat opposition between Faith and sence We live by Faith sayes the Apostle and not by sight or by sence The reasons drawn from sence are sence and when a man does live by reason drawn from sence and beares up his heart therewithall he does live by sence If you live by Faith you don't live by sence if you do live by sence you don't live by Faith They are as two buckets the life of Faith and the life of sence when one goes up the other goes down the higher Faith riseth the lower sence and reason and the higher sence and reason the lower Faith That is true of the schooles Reason going before Faith weakens and diminisheth it But Reason following upon Faith increases and strengthens it Besides you know Paul sayes Not many wise c. Why not many wise called Those that are wise they consider the things of God and of the Gospel in a meere rationall way and therefore not many wise are called it hinders them from the worke of beleeving Luther sayes well If you would beleeve sayes he you must crucify that Question why God would not have us so full of wherefores And if you would beleeve you must go blindfold into Gods command Abraham subscribes to a blank when the Lord called him out of his own Countrey Besides You know the great field that Faith hath to work in the large and vast Orbe and Sphear that it hath to move in Faith can go into the Old Testament and run up as high as Adam and come back again to the Soul and tel the Soul I have seene a man whom God hath pardoned that damn'd all the World and why may he not pardon thee Faith can runne up to Heaven and come home againe to the Soule and say I have seene the Glory there be of good comfort ther 's enough in Heaven to pay for all Faith can runne unto Gods All-sufficiency to Gods Omnipotency and having viewed that well it returnes to the Soule home againe and sayes be quiet ther 's enough in God alone and Faith having placed and seated it selfe upon this high Tower and Mountaine Gods Omnipotency and All-sufficiency it hath a great prospect it can look over all the World and look into another World too but now Reason it gets upon some little Mole-hill of Creature-ability and if it can see over two or three hedges 't is well And therefore Oh! what a paine is it to Faith to be tied to Reason I suppose you will all say that if a man were able to go a journey of two or three hundred miles a foote he were a very good footman yet if you will tie him to carry a child of foure or five years old with him you will say it would be a great luggage to him and the man would say pray let this child be left at home for though he may runne along in my hand half a mile or go a mile with me yet notwithstanding I must carry him the rest of the way and when I come at any great water or to go over any hill I must take him upon my backe and that will be a great burden to me And thus 't is betweene Faith and Reason Reason at the best is but a child to Faith Faith can foot it over Mountaines and Difficulties and wade through Afflictions though they be very wide but when Reason comes to any Affliction to wade through that and to go over some great Difficulties then it cries out and sayes Oh! Faith good Faith go backe againe good Faith go backe againe No sayes Faith but I 'le take thee upon my backe Reason and so Faith is fain to do indeed take Reason upon its backe but Oh! what a luggage is Reason to Faith Oh! what a burden is Reason to Faith Faith never works better then when it works most alone The meere rationall considering of the means and the deadnesse thereof is a great and speciall enemy to the worke of beleeving That is the First The Second Proposition is this That when all meanes faile and seem to lye dead before us then it is the duty and commendation of all the children of Abraham to beleeve That is to beleeve the thing may be and so to rest and relye on God in Christ Thus it was here with Abraham And hath not the Lord commanded by the Apostle saying Let them that suffer according to the will of God commit the keeping of their Soules to the hand of God as into the hand of a Faithfull Creator the 1 of Peter 4.19 When ye are scrupled about your Election or Reprobation you look upon God as a Potter that hath power over the clay to make it either a Vessel of honour or dishonour But when you are to beleeve then you are not to look upon God as a Potter that workes out of clay or out of materials but as a Creator that workes out of nothing yea as a faithfull Creator that will be sure to worke out of nothing whom you shall be sure of Thus then you are to look upon him You know the place in the third of Habakuk and the 17. verse Although the Fig-tree shall not blossome neither shall fruit be in the Vines the labour of the Olive shall faile and the Fields shall yeeld no meate the flocke shall be cutt off from the fold and there shall be no herd in the stals yet I will rejoyce in the Lord I will joy in the God of my salvation the Lord God is my strength c. Thus Habakuk beleeved Beloved we are so to beleeve as the promise runnes Gods promise is the rule of our Faith look how that speakes so may we beleeve The promise and Faith is the buckle and claspe fit for one another Now the Lord does not onely promise to helpe the children of Abraham Isai 41 17. but he promises to helpe when all meanes faile When the poor and needy seeke for water and there 's none I pray look into that third of Jeremy and the 8. verse Behold sayes the Lord I will bring them from the north Country his people scattered here into the Land of the North. And gather them from the coasts of the Earth and with them the blinde and the lame the woman with childe and her that travaileth with child together a great company shall returne hither The Lord promises to bring them backe to their owne Country from the Land of the North. I but may some say Object I am a poore blind man and I shall never find the way home againe Sayes he Answ I will gather them from the coasts of the earth and with them the blind Oh! Object but I am a poore lame man and I shall never be able to
them Christ is the way to Heaven and Faith is the way to Christ understand it rightly Faith is the way to Christ now therefore it being so hard a worke to beleeve surely the way to Jesus Christ must needs be laid with many difficulties and naturall discouragements But that is but the rice Secondly Though the way to Jesus Christ be clogged with many difficulties True saving justifying Faith will carry us through all difficulties discouragements and naturall Impossibilities to Jesus Christ 'T is that grace that is opposed to the sinful 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that the Apostle speaks of He being not weak in Faith he considered not his owne body 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 he staggered not the word you translate staggering in other places 't is translated doubting Nothing doubting but the same word is translated also discerning Not discerning the Lords body 1 Cor. 11.29 And so the word will fully bear that signification When a man lookes upon things with an eye of reason he makes a discretion of Dijudication of things some things are facile easy some things are hard But when a man lookes by faith upon the power of God there is not that discretion there All things are easy to the eye of faith that lookes at the power of God You shall observe therefore that when our Lord and Saviour himselfe would beare up the hearts of his disciples over all discouragements he directs them to this worke of beleeving with a saving instifying faith you know the place Let not your hearts be troubled Iohn 14.1 ye beleeve in God beleeve also in mee An Hebraisme noting a Similitude The father workes hitherto and I work That is as the father workes so I work So here ye beleeve in God beleeve also in me That is as ye beleeve in God the father so beleeve also in me ye beleeve that God the Father is able to provide for you beleeve in me that I am able to satisfy for you If you would not haue your hearts troubled that I am now to leave you at the many discouragements that you are to meet withall 't is not enough for you that you beleeve in God as God but you must beleeve in me also as your mediator and rest upon me True saving justifying faith is the onely meanes to beare up your hearts through all this trouble And if you looke into the 17. of Luke you shall find that when our Saviour Christ would teach his Disciples how to do a hard work he does point them unto this justifying faith And the Lord said at the sixt verse If ye had faith as a graine of mustard-seed you might say to this Sycamine-tree Be thou pluckt up by the roote and be thou planted in the Sea and it should obey you You will say This is a faith of Miracles You may be pleased therefore to observe that our Saviour Christ uses this and the like expression upon three severall occasions Once upon occasion that his Disciples could not cast out the Devil out of some that were possest Once upon occasion that the fig-tree was dryed up and withered And once here upon occasion that the Disciples said Lord increase our faith when they thought it was so hard a thing to forgive a man so often as Christ required First our Saviour uses this and the like expression of removing a Sycamine tree and the mountaines upon occasion that the Disciples could not cast out the Divell And of that you reade in Matth. 17.20 and there indeed he speakes of the faith of miracles Why could not we cast him out verse 19. Iesus said unto them because of your unbeliefe for verily I say unto you if ye have faith as a graine of mustard-seed ye shall say unto this mountain remove hence to yonder place and it shall remove and nothing shall be unpossible unto you Here he speakes of the faith of miracles because thereby we should be able to cast out the divell which plainly speaks a miracle He uses againe this like expression upon an occasion of the drying up of the fig-tree And concerning that you reade in Mark 11.20 As they passed by they saw the fig-tree dried up from the roots Peter calling to remembrance saith unto him Behold the fig-tree which thou cursedst is withered away Jesus answering said unto them have faith in God And verily I say unto you whosoever shall say to this mountaine be thou removed and be thou cast into the sea and shall not doubt in his heart c. Here the faith called for is both faith of Miracles and a justifying faith too a faith of miracles it is brought in upon occasion of this miracle Christ sayes if he hath faith he shall not only do this but he shall remove mountains But here is a justifying faith also intended for he sayes Have faith in God at the 22 verse so you reade it But in the margent of your Bible it is have faith of God when as the Scripture speakes of a justifying faith it uses to speak in such an expression as this So Paul sayes Gal 2.19 I live by the faith of the son of God speaking of justifying faith not by faith in the Son of God So in Rev. 14. 't is called the faith of Jesus and then it seemes to run very largely somewhat too largely if it were only a miraculous faith faith of miracles that were here intended For I say unto you whosoever shall say unto this mountaine be thou removed The faith of miracles and gifts only to some unto another the gift of faith not to all sayes the Apostle And then here 't is opposed to doubting the same word that is used here in my text concerning Abraham who beleeved and staggered not sayes he here Whosoever shall say to this mountaine be thou removed and be thou cast into the sea and shall not doubt in his heart or shall not stagger in his heart 't is the same word that is used there the same opposition So that I take it both are here intended one primarily the other secondarily But now in Luke 17. there is an other occasion that this expression is brought in by our Saviour Christ he sayes unto his disciples at the third verse If thy brother trespasse against thee rebuke him if he repent forgive him if he trespasse against thee seven times in a day and seven times in a day turne againe to thee saying I repent thou shalt forgive him And the Apostles said unto the Lord increase our faith And the Lord said if you had faith as a graine of mustard-seed you might say unto this Sycamine tree c. Here is no miracle here that these words is brought in upon why should our Saviour put that upon a faith of miracles in doing a worke of Christianity the forgiving the brother so often thus the faith that is to bwe exercised in prayer and in forgiving our brother ordinarily is not the faith of miracles but the faith he
I say to you man or woman young man or old hath the Lord brought a gale upon thine heart at any time a gale of mercy made a tender of mercy and free remission to thee Oh! for the love of God and of thy own soul take heed how you lose this opportunity is the wind come about the Spirit blows where it listeth is the wind come about Up with thy sailes up with thy sailes take heed how you lose this opportunity that now you have Little do you think that the Kingdom of Heaven may be in such a motion as you despise the Kingdom of Heaven may be knocking at your door the door of your heart by such a hand as you little think of The Kingdom of Heaven is like a grain of musterd-seed Mat. 13 31 32. which indeed is the least of all seeds but it grows to that bigness that the fowles of the aire come and make there their nests When you see a little musterd-seed you will say 't is impossible can ever this musterd-seed grow to that bigness that the fowles of the aire should there make their nests The Kingdom of Heaven is like Christ himself Can this be the Messiah 't is the Carpenters son can this Carpenters son be the Messiah So the Kingdom of Heaven is like a grain of musterd-seed comes with a small motion May be a Child makes a motion to his father Oh! father let there be prayer in our family Oh! let there be reading the Word in our family May be the servant comes and makes a motion to the Mistrisse Oh! Mistrisse let 's go to such a Sermon let us go to such a meeting let 's go to prayer The Kingdom of Heaven may come in such a motion by the hand of a Child by the hand of a servant take heed therefore if you have not submitted to this offer Oh! take heed take heed how you neglect so great salvation I say the Kingdom of heaven may come in such a small motion as you despise And therefore if ever the Lord breath upon any of your hearts if the wind come about man and woman up with thy sailes now for thy life now for thy Eternity if this gale be lost may be thou shalt never have such a gale again The Kingdom of heaven does approach and draw neer unto us before we draw neer unto it well therefore when it comes see that you accept of it SERMON II. MATTHEW 3.2 Repent ye for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand Preached at Margrets New-fishstreet March 16. 1645 Or hath approached THESE Words are part of that Sermon which John the Baptist preached when he first began for to preach the Gospel They contain ye see at the first view An Exhortation to Repentance with a motive or encouragment thereunto For the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand I take it for granted that ye understand what is the notion of Repentance And my design is not to fall into the common place of Repentance but only to speak to it so far as it hath relation to this motive Some there are that think these words are to be understood of a Legal Repentance as if John the Baptist's Ministry were a legal Ministry and in that sense he himself a fore-runner to Jesus Christ This me thinks is to lowen the Ministry of John the Baptist And if you look into the 1. Chap. of Luke you will find that John's Ministry was not a Legal Ministry but a Gospel-Ministry the 76 and the 77. verses Thou Child shalt be called the Prophet of the Highest for thou shalt go before the face of the Lord to prepare his wayes To give knowledge of salvation unto his people by the remission of their sins And if ye look into the following verse to the Text ye shall finde the interpretation of this Repentance Repent ye for this is he that was spoken of by the Prophet Esaias saying The voice of one crying in the wilderness Prepare ye the way of the Lord make his paths straight So that preparing the way of the Lord and making his paths straight is all one with that which is going befoe Now is any one able to make his paths straight before he do come to Christ why then do we come to Christ if we be able to make our paths straight before we do come unto him And besides As the Motive is such is the Repentance that is founded on it The motive here is Evangelical Repent ye for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand The motive is Evangelical surely therefore the Repentance here required is not a Legal but an Evangelical Repentance But what is it then what is here meant by the Kingdom of Heaven and the Kingdom of Heaven being at hand or approaching In the language of the new Testament the Kingdom of Heaven is sometimes put for the Kingdom of Glory Sometimes it is put for the Church of Christ under the new Testament Sometimes it is put for the Gospel and the preaching of the Gospel Sometimes for the whole Kingdom of Grace I take it here for the whole state of the Messiah the Kingdom of grace the preaching of the Gospel and the dispensations thereof And he saies here That the Kingdom of Heaven hath approach't therefore do you turn therefore do ye repent There are these Two Notes that lie before ye First The Kingdom of Heaven does approach unto us before we do come unto it Repent ye or turn ye because the Kingdom of Heaven hath approach't unto you So in the beginning Secondly That the appropinquation approaching or drawing neer of the Kingdom of Heaven is the highest and the greatest motive in the world unto true Repentance I have spoken to the former in a Congregation not far distant and my desire is to speak unto the Second The appropinquation approaching Doct. or drawing neer of the Kingdom of Heaven is the highest and the greatest motive in the world unto true Repentance This is the Motive that John uses here thus John begins when he began for to preach the Gospel And if you look into the 4. the next Chapter ye shall find that our Saviour Christ begins to preach Repentance upon the same Motive verse the 17. from that time Jesus began to preach and say Repent for the Kingdome of Heaven is at hand The same words And if ye look into the 10. Chapter of Matthew ye shall find that when he sent out his Apostles for to preach he put the like words into their mouthes also at the 7. verse And as ye go preach saying The Kingdom of Heaven is at hand There the word Repent is not you will say But if you look into the 6. of Mark and the 12. verse ye shall find that 't is said there Then they went out and preach't that men should repent It was part of their Commission and thus they were to preach Repentance upon this motive That the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand or the Kingdom
for Christ When the poor sinner the woman spoken of in the 7. of Luke had much forgiven her freely she came and brought her precious boxes and powred them out upon Jesus Christ So when a soul hath tasted of the free love of God in Christ then no boxes of ointment too precious to powre out upon the feet of Jesus Christ Further The more of the Gospel and the more of the Kingdom of Heaven is in your Repentance The more of the Gospel will be in your Obedience the more of the Gospel will be in your Assurance the more of the Gospel will be in your Performance in your prayers and other duties Beloved Repentance is foundation work it hath an influence upon all your service If your Repentance be Legal your Obedience Legal and your Performance Legal and your Assurance Legal ever tying God unto such conditions as he never tyed you to through the improvement of your own unbelief But now when as your Repentance hath the Gospel in it drawn up and raised upon such motives as these then your Obedience your Comforts your Duties your Assurance will have the impression of the Gospel also upon them And Seventhly The more of the Gospel the Kingdom of Heaven is in your Repentance The more your hearts and spirits will be meekned and sweetned towards the Saints towards your fellow Servants the people of God What is the Gospel but a dead Christ As Jesus Christ was a living Gospel So the Gospel is a dead Christ When the Gospel approaches when the kingdom of Heaven draws neer to a soul and Christ therein the heart is meekned and made like to Christ The Law is called a fiery Law the Law of fire Comapred unto Hagar And saies the Apostle The children of the bond-woman will persecute the children of the free-woman of Sarah And what 's the reason that there is so much bitterness among Professors but because there is no more of the Gospel and of the Kingdom of Heaven in our Profession Beloved in the Lord Ye see into what sad times of Discord and Bitterness we are now brought As ever you do desire to be free from this spirit of Bitterness as ye do desire that ye may not have a hand in opposing your fellow-servants and acting a spirit of bitterness towards the Children of God Oh! labour for more of the Gospel get more of it into your Repentance and into your Obedience Oh! let us labour to be more Evangelical than ever we have been I had need call upon my own heart for this and give me leave to measure your own hearts by mine Beloved I don't now come to call for Repentance barely but I come this night unto you calling for refined Repentance Gospel-Repentance these are refining times your publick Worship refin'd the Government refin'd Christians had need refine all their Duties and all their Graces and all their Comforts and all their Assurance we had need even take our whole garment and look into every seame brush every seame there is so much dust gotten into it Oh! labour labour to be more Evangelical to get more of the Gospel of Christ into all your Duties The Gospel is the Ministration of life And the Ministration of the Law is called the Ministration of death The Ministration of the Gospel called the Ministration of righteousness the Ministration of the Law is called the Ministration of Condemnation The Gospel is called a Glorious Gospel a Glorious Gospel as ye do desire that Glory may be upon you get more of this Glorious Gospel into you more of the Gospel into all your Duties into your Repentance Which that you may do Now even Repent that ever you have been so Legal in your Repentance A man will never be Evangelical in his Repentance that does not in some measure grieve that he hath been so Legal in his Repentance And to end all If at amy time Man or Woman thou dost find thy heart dead and dull and saiest thou canst not pray thou art unapt and thy heart 's hardened Then go go to the word of the Kingdom go to the Gospel go lay out thy soul before the word of the Gospel consider the Kingdom of Heaven the word of the Kingdom free remission unto poor sinners and this is the only way for to break your heart for certainly this is a truth that I have spread before you think of it The appropinquation approaching or drawing neer of the Kingdom of Heaven is the highest and the greatest motive in the world unto true Repentance FINIS AN ALPHABETICAL TABLE Of the Second VOLVMNE A Abundance ABundance of grace Page 71 Acknowledge see Forgive Adam Difference between the first and Second Adam 21. Page 117 Advance Several advances of grace since the begining of the world Page 71 Affliction Affliction in some measure shews sin Page 242 Alsufficiency God will have his alsufficiency seen Page 157 Alsufficiency in Christ Page 93 Answerable see Grace Appointment Things are rather done by Gods appointment than by the use of the means Page 50 Assistance Fresh Assistance comes from Christ Page 101 Assurance brings comfort and how Page 43 B Beholding Frequent beholding Christ makes us like to him Page 125 Beleevers Gods infinit care over Beleevers Page 62 Beleevers must trust in God Page 157 Beleevers must be conformable to Christ Page 158 Saints should beleeve when all means fail Page 179 To beleeve when all means fail is well pleasing to God Page 180 How to beleeve when means fail Page 189 All things are possible to him that beleeves Page 214 See Fear and Union Blessings Some blessings are more common than others Page 160 See God Boldness Saints may come with boldness to the throne of grace and why Page 24 C Care see Beleevers Christ Christs care over weak ones Page 4 Christ condescends to man Page 5 Christ as kind after death as before Page 6 Christ is above Moses Page 10 Christ hath paid all our debts Page 11 Christ is the desire of all nations Ibid Spending for Christ makes men receive from Christ Page 16 Why Christ put on our flesh Page 22 Christ gives freely Page 27 How Christ is fully honoured Page 61 All comes from Christ Page 63 Christ is Commissioned by his Father Page 97 Christs willingness to save sinners Page 224 Christ most willing to save the greatest sinners ibid Christ draws neer to those that are not sensible of their sins Page 226 Christ orders things so that no flesh my glory Page 230 See Love Holiness upbraid Want Glory Prophetical Priestly Kingly-office Union Grace Willingness Work Happiness Alsufficiency Grace Honour Spirit Throne Civil Meerly Civil men are not answerable to the grace of Christ Page 122 Christian see Spirit Comfort The Comforts of the Saints are sure Page 158 Comfort is brought in to men before they seek for it Page 223 Contention All Contention ariseth from scantiness Page 47 Conversion see moment Creator Men should comit themselves unto God
the fire it self So when the Lord Jesus Christ is united to a soul look what Excellencies there are in Christ what Graces in Christ the same are Communicated to it the soul shines with Christs shining and warms with His warming there is Grace Answerable for His Grace You know there was a blessed union between the second Person and our Nature our flesh the second Person takes our Nature upon him and being united to our flesh by vertue of the hypostatical union the idioms and properties of the one are given to the other God hath no flesh God hath no blood and yet we reade in the Acts of the Apostles of the blood of God because of the union the properties of the flesh and of mans nature are given to God Eph. 4.10 So saies the Apostle He that descended is the same also that ascended God does not descend for He is every where but by reason of the union what is proper to the flesh is given to God And so now in this mistical Vnion there being such a glorious and blessed union between Christ and a Christian whatsoever Grace or Excellency or property is in Christ Himself there is an Answerableness of Grace an excellency wrought in the heart of every Christian he hath Grace for Grace he hath stamp for stamp And again Secondly Rea. 2 The Lord Jesus Christ is our second Adam a Common person between God and us Now look as it was concerning our fore-father Adam being a Common person look what nature he had we have He was made up of soul and body and so are we His body had legs and arms and other members and we have member for member we have head for head and arms for arms and legs for legs And so he sinning we have sin for his sin pride for his pride and unbelief for his unbelief because he was a Common person So I say Jesus Christ being our Second Adam look what Grace he had the Saints have they have Grace for His Grace they have Holiness for His Holiness The Apostle saies in the 5. of the Romans That as by one mans offence death came So through the gift of Grace Grace hath abounded But not as the offence saies he at the 15. verse So also is the Free-gift For if through the offence of one man many be dead much more the Grace of God and the gift by Grace which is by one man Jesus Christ hath abounded unto many Now if we should not have Grace for Grace from Christ as we had sin for sin from the first Adam how should Grace superabound Our Lord and Savior Christ saies himself I have life in my Self The Son hath life in Himself Joh. 5.26 which laid to that expression which you have in the 1. of Genesis speaks to our purpose the 11. and 12. verses God said Let the Earth bring forth grass the herb yeelding seed and the fruit-tree yeelding fruit after his kind whose seed is in it self And so again at the 12. verse Whose seed was in it self That is these Creatures had a power in themselves to bring forth their like And so saies Jesus Christ as other Creatures had seed in themselves to bring forth their like So have I life in my Self and am able to bring forth my like and so He does for He is our Second Adam and therefore as we had sin for sin from the First Adam we must have Grace for Grace from the Second Adam also Thirdly There is an incomparable and glorious Rea. 3 blessed love between Christ and a Christian Love loves to make a thing loved to be like it self Love in an Inferiour is of an Imitating Nature and love in a Superiour is of a Similitating Nature Now therefore if there be love between Christ and a Christian they must needs be very like and love there is Christ loves the Saints above all the world and the Saints love Christ above all the world Only Christs love exceeds for when the Spouse speaks of Christ in the Canticles she cals Him My beloved in the Concrete but when He speaks of her He cals her my love my dove in the Abstract Jesus Christ had loving thoughts towards the Saints before the world was as ye reade in the 8. of the Proverbs and the 29. verse Saies wisdom and so Christ there When He gave to the Sea His Decree that the waters should not pass His Commandement when He appointed the foundations of the earth Then I was by Him as one brought up with Him I was daily His delight verse the 31. Rejoycing in the habitable part of His earth and my delights were with the sons of men Jesus Christ was then in the bosom of His Father He had enough to take up His heart with full delight and yet notwithstanding before the Saints were His love was towards them and His delight was in them Surely if He loved them so much before they had a being when they have a being He will exercise and put forth that old and ancient love of His in more abundance towards them When a man loves a Maid or a Virgin while she is in her fathers house she is set a part for him but now afterward when she leaves her fathers house and all her kindred that she may only cleave unto him then his heart is drawn out more How am I ingaged saies he to love this woman that hath left all the world to come unto me So there was love in Christ towards the Saints while they were but set a part for Him in Gods Decree but now when they shall leave their fathers house for Him will He not then delight in them See what is said in the 45. Psalm Hearken O daughter at the 10. verse and consider and incline thine ear forget also thine own people and thy fathers house So shall the King greatly desire or delight in thy beauty But delight in them and love them he cannot unless they be like unto him for the lover loves to make a thing loved to be like himself or himself to be like to it The lover would if he could melt himself into a One-ness with the thing loved Indeed our love is scant and we cannot do it Moses of whom the Law is signified might chip and pare his wives nailes but he could not change her countenance A man may love his wife and bestow much upon her but he is not able to change her countenance to make her to be like himself But Jesus Christ hath this happiness above all the world His love hath this happiness above all other love that He is able to melt the person loved the soul loved into His own likeness and therefore wherever Jesus Christ sets His heart upon any soul to delight in any He draws His Image upon them makes the soul to be like unto Him what Grace He hath Himself He does communicate it unto that soul that there is an Answerableness of Grace Even Grace for