but help thee out of the snares of sin and promote the saving of thy Immortal soul and thy comfortable appearance at the great day of Christ I have the thing which I intended and desired The Lord open thy Heart aud accompany his Truth with the Blessing of his Spirit Amen A SERMON Of Judgement Preached at Pauls before the Honourable Lord Maior and Aldermen of the City of London Dec. 17. 1654. 2 Cor. 5. 10 11. For we must all appear before the Judgement seat of Christ that every one may receive the things done in his body according to that he hath done whether it be good or bad Knowing therefore the terrours of the Lord we perswade men IT is not unlikely that some of those wits that are taken more with things new then with things Necessary will marvel that I choose so common a subject and tell me that they all know this already But I do it purposely upon these following Considerations 1. Because I well know that it is these Common Truths that are the great and necessary things which mens everlasting happiness or misery doth most depend upon You may be ignorant of many Controversies aud Inferiour points without the danger of your souls but so you cannot of these Fundamentals 2. Because its apparent by the lives of men that few know these Common Truths savingly that think they know them 3. Because there are several degrees of knowing the same Truths and the best are imperfect in degree the principal growth in Knowledge that we should look after is not to know more matters then we knew before but to know that better and with a clearer light and firmer apprehension which we darkly and slightly knew before You may more safely be without any knowlege at all of many lower Truths then without some further degree of the knowledge of those which you already know 4. Besides it is known by sad Experience that many perish who know the Truth for want of the consideration ofâ— and making use of what they know and so their knowledge doth but condemn them We have as much need therefore to teach and help you to get these Truths which you know into your hearts and lives as to tell you more 5. And indeed it is the impression of these great and master-Truths wherein the vitals and essentials of Gods Image upon the soul of man doth consist And it is these Truths that are the very Instruments of the great works that are to be done upon the heart by the spirit and our selves In the right use of these it is that the Principal part of the skill and holy wisdom of a Christian doth consist and in the diligent and constant use of these lieth the life and trade of Christianity There is nothing amiss in mens hearts or lives but it is for want of sound knowing and believing or well using these Fundamentals 6. And moreover me thinks in this choice of my subject I may expect this advantage with the Hearers that I may spare that labour that else would be necessary for the proof of my Doctrine and that I may also have easier access to your hearts and have a fuller stroak at them and with less resistance If I came to tell you of anything not Common I know not how far I might expect belief from you You might say These things are uncertain to us or all men are not of this mind But when every Hearer confesseth the truth of my doctrine and no man can deny it without denying Christianity it self I hope I may expect that your hearts should the sooner receive the impression of this Doctrine and the sooner yield to the duties which it directs you to and the easier let go the sins which from so certain a Truth shall be discovered The words of my text are the reason which the Apostle giveth both of his perswading other men to the fear of God and his care to approve to God his own heart and life They contain the Assertion and Description of the great Judgement and one Use which he makes of it It assureth us that Judged we must be and who must be so Judged and by whom and about what and on what terms and to what end The meaning of the words so far as is necessary I shall give you briefly We all both we Apostles that Preach the Gospel you that hear it must willing or unwilling there is no avoiding it Appear stand forth or make our appearance and there have our hearts and wayes laid open and appear as well as we Before the Judgement seat of Christ i. e. before the Redeemer of the world to be Judged by him as our Rightful Lord. That every one even of all mankind which are were or shall be without exception May receive that is may receive his sentence adjudging him to his due and then may receive the execution of the sentence and may go away from the barr with that Reward or Punishment that is his due according to the Law by which he is Judged The things done in his body that is the due Reward of the works done in his body or as some copies read it The things proper to the body i. e. due to the man even body as well as soul According to what he hath done whether it be good or bad i. e. This is the cause to be tried and Judged whether men have done well or ill whiles they were in the flesh and what is due to them according to their deeds Knowing therefore c. i. e. Being certain therefore that these things are so and that such a Terrible Judgement of Christ will come we perswade men to become Christians and live as such that they may then speed well when others shall be destroyed or as others Knowing the fear of the Lord that is the true Religion we perswade men Doct. 1. There will be a Judgement Doct 2. Christ will be the Judge Doct. 3. All men shall there appear Doct. 4. Men shall be then Judged according to the works that they did in the flesh whether good or evil Doct. 5. The end of Judgement is that men may receive their final due by Sentence and Execution Doct. 6. The knowledge and consideration of the terrible Judgement of God should move us to perswade and men to be perswaded to carefull preparation The ordinary method for the handling of this subject of Judgement should be this 1. To shew you what Judgement is in the General and what it doth contain and that is 1. The persons 2. The cause 3. â—he Actions 1. The parties are 1. the Accuser 2. the Defendant 3. Sometime Assistants 4. The Judge 2. The cause contains 1. The Accusation 2. the Defence 3. With the Evidence of both 4. And the Merit The Merit of the cause is as it agreeth with the Law and Equity 3. The Judicial Actions are I. Introductory 1. Citation 2. Compulsion if need be 3. Appearance of the Accused II. Of the Essence
Prophet or a Disciple in the name of a Disciple Mat 10. 40 41 43. shall all these decide the Question Beloved Hearers I profess to you all in the Name of our Lord that it is not your bold and confident affirming that you love Christ which will serve your turn when Christ shall judge he will search deep and judge according to the truth in the inward parts How many thousands will then perish as his utter Enemies that verily thought themselves his friends How easily now might they finde their mistake if they would but be at the pains to examine themselves Oh try try Sirs before God try you judge your selves before Christ judge you It would grieve a mans heart that knows what it is to love Christ to believe to be subject to him to see how rare these are in the world and yet how confident and careless most men are It may be that you may think much that I so question your love yet Christ that knew all things questioned Peters love to him and that three times till it grieved Pâ—tâ—r I am a stranger to the most of you and therefore know not your conditions or inclinations yet judge me not censorious if I fear the worst and if I measure you by the rest of the world and then I may confidently and sadly conclude that Christ hath few loving Subjects among you If we could hear your Oaths and vain speeches turned to heavenly soul-edifying discourse and your covetousness to conscionableneâ—s and see that the word of Christ were your Law and that you laid out your endeavours for heaven in good earnest then we should say These People are the loving Subjects of Christ But when men are enemies to Christs Doctrine and ways and worship and had rather live after the flesh and the world and the traditions of their Fathers and are notorious for profaness superstition and enmity to Reformation who can chuse but condole your case and if your obstinacy will not endure us to help you yet you shall give us leave whether you will or no to lament you Vse 2. But its time that I turn my speech to Exhortation And oh that you would encourage me with your resolution to obey My business here to day is as his Herauld and Embassadour to proclaim the Lord Jesus your King and Saviour and to know whether you will heartily acknowledg and take him so to be or not and to perswade you to take so fair an offer while you may have it and to kiss the Son lest his wrath be kindled This is my business here in which if I had not some hope to speed the Lord knows I would not have been here to day You will say This is a common Errand do you think we never heard of hrist before I confess it is common blessed be God for it and long may it so continue and encrease and let it be as constant and durable to us as the Sun in the Firmament and the Lord grant that Englandâ— sins or Enemies may never bereave them of the blessing of the Gospel and then it will be a 〈◊〉 Land then yet ever was on the face of the Earth but is it as common to receive Christ in love obedience I would it were I know the name of Christ is common the Swearer doth swear by it the Beggar begs by it the Charmer puts it into his charms and the Jester into his jests and every Papist and ignorant Protestant doth mutter it oft-times over his Prayers But who trembleth at it or triumpheth in it who maketh it his Fear and his Joy and give up their souls and lives to be governed by Christ I do here solemnly proclaim to you that the Lord Jesus will not be put off with your complements he cares not for your meer name of Christianity nor your Cap nor your knee If thy heart be not set upon him thou art none of his His word must be your Law and you must depend on him alone for soul and body or never look for mercy at his hands He is the Author of eternal salvation to them only that obey him Heb. 5. 9. What say you then Sirs in answer to my message and what course do you resolve upon shall Christ be your love and your Lord or not Will you kiss the Son or will you sleight him stil methinks you should easily be resolved and say Away with pleasure and credit and worldly gain away with these bewitching delights and companions Christ hath bought my heart and he shall have it he is my Lord and I will be ruled by him Hearers I hope God hath kept your alive till now to show you mercy and brought some sinners hither to day to prevail with their hearts And my hope is somewhat strengthened by Gods disposal of my own Spirit I was strongly tempted to have preached this Sermon in the enticing words of humane wisdom tending to a proud ostentation of parts But Christ hath assisted me to conquer the temptation and commanded me to preach him in plainness and evidence of the Spirit I come not to perswade you to opinions or factions to be for this side or for that but to be with all your hearts for Christ as ever you look that Christ should be for you to love him as he that hath bought you from eternal wrath and dyed to save you from the everlasting burnings to lay hold on him with most earnest affectionate apprehension as a man that is ready to drown would do upon a bough or upon the hand of his friend that would pull him to the shore to wait for the Law of thy direction from him and do nothing till thou hast asked counsel at his word and know his mind whether thou shouldst do it or no till thou feel thy Conscience bound by his Law that thou canst not stirr till he give thee leave that the commands of parents and Princes may stoop to his much more the commands of custome and company of credit or pleasure of the world or flesh These are the things that I exhort you to and I must tell you that Christ doth flatly expect them at your hands I will here back these Exhortations with some perswading Considerations Think of what I say and weigh it as we go If I speak not truth and reason then reject it with disdain and spare not but if it be and thy Conscience tell thee so take heed then how thou dost neglect or reject it lest thou be found a fighter against the Spirit and lest the curse of God do seize upon that heart that would not yield to truth and reason And I will draw these Considerations only from my Text. 1. Thou art else a Rebel against thy Soveraign Lord. This I gather from the command in my Text and indeed the scope of the whole Psalm God hath given thee into the hands of his on and made him Lord and King of all commanded all men to accept him and submit
a fleshly heart a heavenly or au earthly heart Look now upon all the course of thy life and see whether thou didst live to me or to the world and thy flesh Oh how easily will God convince men then of the very sins of their thoughts and in their secret Closets when they thought that no witness could have disclosed them Therefore it s said that the Books shall be opened and the dead Judged out of the books Revel 20. 12. Dan. 7. 10. The second Evidence will be the knowledge of the Judge If the sinner would not be convinced yet it is sufficient that the Judge knoweth the Cause God needeth no further witness he saw thee committing adultery in secret lying stealing forswearing in secret If thou do not know thy own heart to be unholy it is enough that God knoweth it If you have the face to say Lord when did we see thee hungry c. Mat. 25. 44. yet God will make good the charge against thee and there needeth no more Testimony then his own Can foolish sinners think to lie hid or escape at that day that will now sin wilfully before their Judge that know every day that their Judge is looking on them while they forget him and give up themselves to the world and yet go on even under his eye as if to his face they dared him to punish them 3. The third Evidence will be the sinners Confession God will force their own Consciences to witness against them add their own tongues to confess the Accusation If they do at first excuse it he will leave them speechless yea and condemning themselves before they have done Oh what a difference between their language now and then Now we cannot tell them of their sin and misery but they either tell us of our own faults or bid us look to our selves or deny or excuse their fault or make light of it but then their own tongues shall confess them and cry out of the wilful folly that they committed and lay a heavier charge upon them then we can now do Now if we tell them that we are afraid they are unregenerate and least their hearts are not truly set upon God they will tell us they hope to be saved with such hearts as they have But then Oh how they will confess the folly and falseness of their own hearts You may see a little of their case even in despairing sinners on earth how far they are from denying or excusing their sins Judas cryes out I have sinned in bttraying Innocent blood Mat. 27. 4. out of their own mouth shall they be Judged That very tongue that now excuseth their sin will in their torments be their great Accuser For God will have it so to be 4. The fourth Evidence will be the witness of others Oh how many thousand witnesses might there be produced were there need to convince the guilty soul at that day 1. All the Ministers of Christ that ever preached to them or warned them will be sufficient witnesses against them we must needs testifie that we preached to them the truth of the Gospel and they would not believe it We preached to them the goodness of God yet they set not their hearts upon him we shewed them their sin and they were not humbled We told them of the danger of an unregenerate state and they did not regard us we acquainted them with the Absolute Necessity of holiness but they made light of all We let them know the deceitfulness of their hearts and the need of a close and faithful examination but they would not bestow an hour in such a work nor scarce once be afraid of being mistaken and miscarrying We let them know the vanity of this world and yet they would not forsake it no not for Christ and the hopes of glory We told them of the everlasting felicity they might attain but they would not set themselves to seek it What we shal think of it then the Lord knows but surely it seemeth now to us a matter of very sad consideration that we must be brought in as witnesses against the souls of our neighbors and friends in the flesh Those whom we now unfeignedly love and would do any thing that we were able to do for their good whose welfare is dearer to us then all worldly enjoyments Alas that we must be forced to testifie to their faces for their condemnation Ah Lord with What a heart must a poor Minister study when he considereth this that all the words that he is studying must be brought in for a witness against many of his hearers with What a heart must a Minister Preach when he remembreth that all the words that he is speaking must condemn many if not most of his hearers Do we desire this sad fruit of our Labours No we may say with the Prophet Jer. 17. 16. I have not desired the woful day thou knowest No if we desired it we would not do so much to prevent it we would not study and preach and pray and intreat men that if it were possible we might not be put on such a task And doubtless it should make every honest Minister study hard and pray hard and intreat hard and stoop low to men and be earnest with men in season and out of season that if it may be they may not be the condemners of their peoples souls But if men will not hear and there be no remedy who can help it Christ himself came not into the world to condemn men but to save them and yet he will condemn those that will not yield to his saving work God takes no pleasure in the death of a sinner but rather that he repent and return and live Ezek. 18. 23 32. and yet he will rejoyce over those to do them hurt and destroy them that will not return Deut 28. 63. And if we must be put on such a work he will make us like-minded The Holy Gost tels us that the Saints shall Judge the world 1 Cor. 6. 2 3. and if they must Judge they will Judge as God Judgeth you cannot blame us for it sinners we now warn you of it before hand and if you will not prevent it blame not us but your selves Alas we are not our own Matters As we now speak not to you in our own names so then we may not do what we list our selves or if we might our wills will be as Gods will God will make us Judge you and witness against you Can we absolve you when the righteous God will condemn you when God is against you whose side would you have us be of We must be either against God or you And can you think that we should be for any one against our Maker and Redeemer We must either condemn the Sentence of Jesus Christ or condemn you and is not there more reason to condemn you then him can we have any mercy on you when he that made you will not save you and he
God is the first and the last in our Ethicks and Politicks as well as in our Physicks that as there is ho Creature which he made not so it is no good right of Property or Government which he some way gives not that all Commonwealths not built on this foundation are as Castles in the air or as childrens tottering structures which in the very framing are prepared for their ruine and strictly are no Commonwealths at all and those Governors that rule no more for God then for themselves shall be dealt with as Traitors to the Universal Soveraign Thus far at least must our Politicks be Divine unless we will be meet confederate Rebels But it is yet a closer application which I intend Though we are not our own yet every mans welfare should he so dear to himself that methinks every man of you should presently enquire how far you are concerned in the business which we have in hand I 'le tell you how far The Case here described is all our own We are bought with a price and therefore not our own and therefore must live to him that bought us We must do it or else we violate our Allegiance aud are Traitors to our Redeemer We must do it or else we shall perish as despisers of his blood It is no matter of indifferency nor a duty which may be dispenced with That God who is our Owner by Creation and Redemption and who doth hitherto keep our souls in these bodies by whose meer will and power you are all here alive before him this day will shortly call you before his bar where these matters will be more seriously and searchingly enquired after The great Question of the day will then be this Whether you have bin heartily devoted to your Redeemer and lived to him or to your carnal selves Upon the resolution of this Question your everlasting Salvation or Damnation will depend What think you then Should not this Question be now put home by every rational Hearer to his own heart But I suppose some will say There is no man that wholly lives to God for all are sinners how then can our Salvation depend so much on this I answer in a word Though no man pay God all that he oweth him yet no man shall be saved that giveth him not the preheminence He will own none as true Subjects that do not cordially own him in his Soveraignty Be it known to you all there shall not a man of you enter into his kingdom nor ever see his face in peace that giveth him not the cheifest room in your hearts and maketh not his work your cheifest business He will be no underling or servant to your flesh He will be served with the Best if he cannot have All And in this sense it is that I say the Question will be put in that great day by the Judge of all Whether God or our carnal selves were preferred and whether we lived to him that bought us or to our flesh Beloved Hearers I will not ask you whether you indeed believe that there will be such a day I will take it for granted while you call your selves Châ—istians much less will I question whether you would then be saved or condemned Nature will not suffer you to be willing of such a misery though corruption make you too willing of the cause But the Common stupidity of the world doth perswade me to ask you this Whether you think it meet that men who must be so solemnly examined upon this Point and whose life or death depends on the decision should not examine themselves on it before-hand and well consider what answer they must then make and whether any pains can be too great in so needfull a work and whether he that miscarrieth to save a labour do not madly betray his soul unto perdition as if such rational diligence were worse then Hell or his present carnal ease were more desirable then his Salvation Let us then rouse up our selves Brethren in the fear of God and make this a day of judgement to our selves Let us know whether we are Children of Life or of Deaâ—h O how can a man that is well in his wits enjoy with any comfort the things of this world before he know at least in probability what he shall enjoy in the next How can men go cheerfully up and down about the business of this life before they have faithfully laboured to make sure that it shall go well with them in the life to come That we may now know this without deceit let us all as in the presence of the Living God lay bare our hearts examine them and judge them by this portion of his word according to the evidence 7. Whoever he be that takes not himself for his own but lives to his Redeemer he is one that hath found himself really undone and hath unfeignedly confessed the forfeiture of his Salvation and finding that Redemption hath been made by Christ and that there is hope and life to be had in him and none but in him as he gladly receives the tidings so he carefully acknowledgeth the right of his Redeemer and in a sober deliberate and voluntary Covetant renounceth the world the flesh and the Devill and resigneth up himself to Christ as his due He saith Lord I have too long served thine Enemies and mine own by cleaving to my self and forsaking God I have lost both my self and God Wilt thou be my Saviour and the Physitian of my soul and wash me with thy blood and repair the ruins of my soul by thy spirit and I am willing to be thine I yield up myself to the conduct of thy grace to be saved in thy way and fitted for thy service and live to God from whom I have revolted This is the Case of all that are sincere By many Scriptures we might quickly confirm this if it were lyable to question Luke 14. 25 26. If any man come to me and hate not his Father and Mother and Wife And Children and Brethren and Sisters and his own life also he cannot be my Disciple and whosoever doth not bear his Cross and come after me cannot be my Disciple So ver 33. Whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath he cannot be my Disciple which is expounded Mat. 10. 37. He that loveth Father or Mother more then me is not worthy of me Mat. 16. 24. If any man will come after me let him deny himself and take up his Cross and follow me for whosoever will save his life shall lose it and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall finde it Psal 73. 25 26 27. Whom have I in heaven but thee and there is none upon earth that I desire besides thee Psal 16. 5. The Lord is the Portion of mine Inheritance c. Heb. 11. 24 25 26. Moses refused honor chose rather to suffer affliction with the People of God then to enjoy the pleasures of sin for
contentedly give Christ the most glorious titles and full-mouthed commendations Luke 6. 46 But they have one that is neerer their hearts then he their carnal self must sway the Scepter God shall have all that the flesh can spare if he will be content to be served with its leavings they will serve him if not they must be excused they can allow him no more The crying time is the parting time when God or the world must needs be neglected In such a straite the righteous are still righteous Rev. 22. 11. But the unsted fast in the Covenant do manifest their unstedfastness and though they will not part wlth Christ professedly nor without some witty distinctions and evasions nor without great sorow and pretence of continued fidelity yet part they will and shift for themselves and hold that they have as long as they can Luke 18. 23. In a word the sanctified are heartily devoted to God and live to him and were they uncapable of serviug or enjoying him theâ—r lives would afford them little content what ever else they did possess But the unsanctified are more strongly addicted to their flesh live to their carnal selves might they securely enjoy the pleasures of this world they could easily spare the fruit on of God and could be as willing to be dispenced with for his spirituall service as to persorme it And thus I have given you the true discription of those that live to their Redeemer as being not their own and those that live to themselves as if they were not his that bought them Having thus told you what the Word saith it followeth that we next enquire what your hearts say you hear what you must be will you now consider what you are Are all the people that hear me this day devoted in heart and life to their Redeemer Do you all live as Christ's and not your own If so I must needs say it is an extraordinary Assembly and such as I had never the happiness to know O that it were so indeed that we might rejoyce together and magnifie our deliverer in stead of reprehending you or lamenting your unhappiness But alas we are not such strangers in the World as to be guilty of such a groundless judgement Let us enquire more particularly into the case 1. Are those so sincerely devoted to Christ and do they so deny themselves whose daily thoughts and care and labour is how they may live in more reputation and content and may be better provided for the satisfying of their flesh If they be low and poor and their condition is displeasing to them their greatest care is to repair it to their minds if they be higher and more wealthy their business is to keep it or increase it that hunt after honour and thirst after a thriving and more plenteous state that can stretch their consciences to the size of all times and humour those that they think may advance them and be most humble servants to those above them and contemptuously neglect whosoever is below them that wil put their hands to the feet of those that they hope to rise by and put their feet on the necks of their subdued adversaries and trample upon all that stand in their way that applaud not men for their honesty but their worldly honours and will magnifie that man while he is capable of advancing them whom they would have scorned if providence had laid him in the dust that are friends to all that befriend their interest and designs and enemies to the most upright that cross them in their course that love not men so much because they love God as because they love them Are these devoted to God or to themselves Is it for God or themselves that men so industriously scramble for Honours and places of Government or of Gain Will they use their offices or honours for God that hunt after them as a prey as if they had not burthen enough already nor Talents enough to answer for neglecting Are those men devoted to God that can tread down his most unquestionable interest on earth when it seems to be inconsistent with their own Let the Gospel go down let the Church be broken in pieces let sound doctrine be despised let Ministers be hindered or tired with vexations let the souls of people sink or swim rather then they should be hindered in the way of their ambition I shall leave it to the trial of another day whether all the publike actions of this Age with their effects have been for God or for self This doth not belong to my examination but to his that will throughly perform it ere long and search these matters to the quick and open them to the world There were never higher pretences for God in an Age then have been in this had there been but answerable intentions and performances his affairs and our own had been in much better case then they are but enough of this Should we descend to mens particular families and conversations we should find the matter little better with the most Are they all for God that follow the world so eagerly that they cannot spare him a serious thought an hours time for his worship in their families or in secret that will see that their own work be done but for the souls of those that are committed to their charge they regard them not Let them be never so ignorant they will not instruct them nor cause them to read the Word or learn a Catechism nor will spend the Lords peculiar day in such exercises and it s much if they hinder not those that would Is it for God that men give up their hearts to this World so that they cannot have while once a day or week to think soberly what they must do in the next or how they may be ready for their great approaching change Is it for God that men despise his Ministers reject his Word abhor reformation scorâ— at Church Government and deride the persons that are addicted to his fear and the families that call upon his Name These men will shortly understand a little better then now they will do whether indeed they lived to God or to themselves 2. If you are devoted to God what do you for him Is it his business that you mind How much of your time do you spend for him How much of your speech is for him How much of your Estates yearly is serviceable to his interest Let Conscience speak whether he have your studies and affections let you familiars be witnesses whether he have your speeches and best endeavors let the Church witness what you have done for it and the Poor witness what you have done for them and the souls of ignorant and ungodly men what you have done for them shew by the work you have done who you have lived to God or your carnal selves If indeed you have lied to God something will be seen that you have done for him nay it is not
by your parents resign your self to Christ as his and renounce the flesh the world and the Devil and promise to fight under Christs banner against them to your lives end O happy person that performeth this Covenant and everlastingly miserable are they that do not Fides non recepta sed custodita vivâ—â—â—cat saith Cyprian It is not Covenant making without Covenant keeping that is like to save you Do you stand to the Covenant that you made by your parents or do you disclaim it If you disclaim it you renounce your part in Christ and his benefits in that Covenant made over to you If you stand to it you must perform your promise and live to God to whom you were resigned To take Gods oath of Allegiance so solemnly and afterward to turn to his Enemies which we renounced is a rebllion that shall not be alwaies unrevenged 11. Gods absolute dominion and soveraignty over us is the very foundation of all Religion even of that little that is found left among Infidels and Pagans much more evidently of the saving Religion of Christians He that dare say he believeth not this will never sure have the face to call himself a Christian Is it not a matter of most sad consideration that ever so many millions should think to be saved by a Doctrine which they believe not or by a Religion that never went deeper then the braine and is openly contradicted by the tenour of their lives Is a true Religion enough to save you if you be not true to that Religion How do men make shift to quiet their Consciences in such gross hypocrisie Is there a man to be found in this Congregation that will not confess that he is rightfully his Redeemers But hath he indeed their hearts their time their strength and their interest follow some of them from morning to night you shall not hear one serious word for Christ nor see any serious indeavours for his interest And yet these men will professe that they are his How sad a case is it that mens own Confessions should condemn them and that which they called their Religion should judge them to that everlasting misery which they thought it would have sav'd them from And how glorious would the Christian Religion appeare if men were true to it if Christs Doctrine had its full impression on their hearts and were expressed in their lives Is he not an exellent person that denyeth himselfe and doth all for God that goeth on no businesse but Gods that searcheth out Gods interest in every part of his calling and employment and intendeth that that whether he eat or drink or whatever he doth doth all to the glory of God 1. Cor. 10. 31. that can say as Paul Gal. 2 20. I am crucified with Christ neverthelesse I live yet not I but Christ liveth in me And Phil 3. 7 8. What things were gain to me those I counted loss for Christ yea doubtless and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord for whom I have suffered the loss of all things and do count them but dung that I may win Christ And Phil. 1. 21. For to me to live is Christ and to dye is gaine Perhaps you think that the degree of these examples is unimitable by us but I am sure all that will be saved must imitate them in the truth 12. Self-seeking is self-losing and delivering up your self and all you have to God is the only way to save your selves and to secure all The more you are His the more you are your own indeed and the more you deliver to him and expend for him the greater is your gain These Paradoxes are familiar tryed truths to the true Believer these are his daily food and exercise which seem to others such Scorpions as they dare not touch or such stones as they are not able to digest He knoweth that self-humbling is the true self-exalting and self-exalting is the infallible way to be brought low Luke 14 11. 18. 14. Mat 23. 12. He believeth that there is a losing of life which saves it and a saving of it which certainly loseth it Mat. 10. 39. 16. 25. O that I could reach the hearts of Self-seekers that spend their care and time for their bodies and live not unto God! That I were but able to make them see the issue of their Course and what it will profit them to win all the world and lose their souls O all you busie men of this world hearken to the proclamation of him that bought you Isa 55. 1 2 3. Ho every one that thirsteth come ye to the waters buy wine and milk without money or price wherefore do you spend money for that which is not bread and your labour for that which satisfieth not hearken diligently to me and eat ye that which is good and let your soul delight itself in fatness incline your ear and come unto me hear and your soul shall live and I will make an everlasting Covenant with you O sirs what a deal of care and labour do you lose how much more gainfully might your lives be improved Godliness with contentment is the great gain 1 Tim. 6. 6. That which you now think you make your own will shortly prove to be least your own and that is most lost which you so carefully labour for you that are now so idlely busie in gathering together the Treasurie of an Ant-hillock and building Childrens tottering piles you forget that the foot of death is coming to spurn it all abroad and tread down you and it together You spend the day of life and visitation in painting your phantasies with the images of felicity and in dressing your selves and feathering your nest with that which you impiously steal from God and you do forget that the night of blackness is at hand when God will undress you of your temporary contents and deplume you of your borrowed bravery How easily how speedily â— how certainly will he do it Read over your case in Luke 12. from 16. to 22. How can you make shift to read such Texts and not perceive that they speak to you When you are a pulling down and building up and contriving what to do with your fruits and saying to your selves I have so much now as will serve me so many years I will take mine ease eat drink and be merry remember then the conclusion But God said unto him Thou fool this night thy soul shall be required of thee then whose shall those things be which thou hast provided So is he that layeth up treasure for himself and is not rich towards God Are these things Yours or Mine saith God! whose are they if they are yours keep them now if you can either stay with them or take them with you But God will make you know that they are his and disrobe such men as thieves that are adorned with that which is none of their own this honour â—aith
God is mine thou stolest it from me This wealth is mine this life and all is mine Only thy self he will not own They shall require thy soul that have conquered and ruled it Though it was his by right of Creation and Redemption yet seeing it was not his by a free Dedication he will not own it as to everlasting salvation but say Depart from me I know you not ye workers of iniquity Mat. 7. 23. O with what hearts then will self-seeking Gentlemen part with their honours and estates and the earthly minded with their beloved possessions when he that resigned all to God and devoted himself and all to his service shall find his consumed estate to be increased his neglected honour abundantly repaired and in this life he shall receive an hundred fold and in the world to come eternal life Mat. 10. 30. Joh. 4 56. 1 Tim. 6. 12. 19. 13. Lastly consider When judgement comes enquiry will be made whether you have lived as your own or as his that bought you then he will require his own with improvement Luke 19. 23. The great business of that day will be not so much to search after particular sins or duties which were contrary to the scope of heart and life but to know whether you lived to God or to your flesh whether your time and care and wealth were expended for Christ in his members and interest or for your carnal selves Mat. 25. In as much as you did it not to these you did it not to him You that Christ hath given Authority to shall then be accomptable whether you improved it to his advantage You that he hath given honor to must then give account whether you improved it to his honor In the fear of God Sirs cast up your accounts in time and bethink you what answer will then stand good It will be a doleful hearing to a guilty soul when Christ shall say I gave thee thirty or fourty years time thy flesh had so much in eating and drinking and sleeping and labouring in idleness and vain talking and recreations and other vanities but where was my part how much was laid out for the promoting of my glory I lent you so much of the wealth of the world so much was spent on your backs and so much on your bellies so much on costly toyes or superfluities so much in revengeful suits and contentions and so much was left for your posterity but where was my part how much was laid out to further the Gospel and to relieve the souls or the bodies of your brethren I gave thee a family and committed them to thy care to govern them for me and fit them for my service but how didst thou perform it O Brethren bethink you in time what answer to make to such Interrogatories your judge hath told you that your doom must then pass according as you have improved your talents for him and that he that hideth his Talent though he give God his own shall be cast into utter darkness where is weeping and gnashing of teeth Mat. 25 30. How easily will Christ then evince his right in you and convince you that it was your duty to have lived unto him Do you think sirs that you shall then have the face to say I thought Lord that I had been made and redeemed for my self I thought I had nothing to do on earth but live in as much plenty as I could and pleasure to my flesh and serve thee on the by that thou mightest continue my prosperity and save me when I could keep the world no longer I knew not that I was thine and should have lived to thy glory If any of you plead thus what store of Arguments hath Christ to silence you He will then convince you that his Title to you was not questionable He will prove that thou wast his by thy very Being and fetch unanswerable Arguments from every part and faculty He will prove it from his Incarnation his life of humiliation his bloody sweat his crown of Thorns his Cross his Grave He that had wounds to shew after his Resurrection for the convincing of a doubting Disciple will have such Scars to shew then as shall suffice to convince a self excusing Rebel All these shall witness that he was thy rightful Lord He will prove it also from the discoveries of his Word from the warnings of his Ministers from the mercies which thou receivedst from him that thou wast not ignorant of his Right and of thy duty or at least not ignorant for want of meanes He will prove it from thy Baptismal Covenant and renewed engagements The Congregation can witness that you did promise to be his and seale to it by the reception of both his Sacraments And as he will easily prove his right so will he as easily prove that you denyed it to him He will prove it from your Works from the course of your life from the streame of your thoughts from your love your desires and the rest of the affections of your disclosed hearts O Brethren what a day will that be when Christ shall come in person with thousands of his Angels to sit in judgment on the rebellious world and claim his due which is now denyed him when Plaintiff and Defendant Witnesses and Jurors Councellors and Justices Judges and all the Princes on Earth shall stand equal before the impartial Judge expecting to be sentenced to their unchangeable state then if a man should ask you what think you now Sir of living to God Is it better to be devoted to him or to the flesh which now do you take for the better master what would you do now if it were all to do again what would you then say to such a Question how would you answer it would you make as light of it as now you do O sirs you may hear these things now from your poor fellow-creature as proud-hearted Gallants or as self-conceited Deriders or as besotted worldlings or senseless blocks or secret Infidels that as those Deut. 29. 19. do bless themselves in their hearts and say We shall have peace though we walk in the imagination of our hearts But then you will heare them as trembling prisoners Read the 20 verse at leisure Such a sight will work when words will not especially words not believed nor considered of When you shall see the God that you disowned the Redeemer whom you â—eglected the Glory which you forfeited by preferring the plesures of the flesh before it the Saints triumphing whom you refused to imitate and a dolefull eternity of misery to be remedilesly endured then Saints will seem wiser men in your eyes and how gladly wouldâ— you then be such but O too late what a thing is it that men who say they believe such a judgment and everlasting life and death as all Christians profess to do can yet read and hear and talk of such things as insensibly as if they were dreames or fables I know it is
unto him Who can shew such title to the Soveraignty such right to rule thee as Christ can do He is thy maker and so is not Satan he dearly bought thee and so did not the world Thou wast not Redeemed with silver and Gold and corruptible things 1 Pet. 1. 18. I make this challenge here in the behalf of Christ let any thing in the world step forth and shew a better title to thee to thy heart and to thy life then Christ doth shew and let them take thy heart and take thy rule But why do I speak thus I know thou wilt confess it and yet wilt thou not yield him thy chiefest love and obedience out of thy own mouth then art thou condemned and thou proclaimest thy self a knowing and wilful Rebel 2. To deny thy affections and subjection to Christ is the most barbarous unkindness that a sinner can be guilty of Did he pitty thee in thy lost estate and take thee up when thou laist wounded in the way and make thee a plaister of the blood of his heart And is this thy requital Did he come down from heaven to earth to seek thee when thou wast lost and take upon him all thy dept and put himself into the prison of the world and flesh hath he paid for thy folly and born that wrath of God which thou must have suffered for ever and doth he not now deserve to be entertained with most affectionate respect but with a few cold thoughts instead of hearty love and with a few formal words instead of worship What hurt had it been to him if thou hadst perished what would he have lost by it if thou hadst lain in Hell would not Justice have been glorified upon a disobedient wretch Might not he have said to his Father What are these worms and sinners to me must I smart for their folly must I suffer when they have sineed must I debase my self to become man because they would have exalted themseves to become as God if they will needs undo themselves what is it to me if they will cast themselves into the flames of Hell must I go thither to fetch them out Thus Christ might have put off the suffering and the shame aud let it fall and lie where it was due but he did not His compassion would not suffer him to see us suffer Justice must be satisfied the threat must be fulfilled Christ seeth that we cannot overcome it but he can therefore hee comes down into flesh he lives on earth he fasteth he weepeth he is weary he is tempted he hath not a place to put his head he is haâ—ed he is spit upon he is cloathed as a fool and made a scorn he sweateth blood he is Crucified with Theeves he bares the burden that would have sunk all us to Hell and must he after all this be neglected and forgotten and his Laws that should rule us be laid aside and be accounted too strict and precise for us to live by O let the Heavens blush and the Earth be ashamed at this barbarous ingratitude How can such a people shew their faces at his comming or look him in the face when he shall judge them for this would you use a friend thus No nor an enemy Me thinks you should rather wonder with your selves that ever Christ should give you leave to love him and say Will the Lord endure such a wretch to kiss him will he suffer himself to be embraced by those arms which have been defiled so oft by the embracements of sin will he so highly honour me as to be his subject and his servant and to be guided by such a blessed and perfect Law and doth he require no harder conditions then these for my salvation Take then my heart Lord it is only thine and oh that it were better worth thy having or take it and make it better the Spear hath opened me a passage to thy heart let the Spirit open thee a passage into mine deservedly may those Gates be fuel for Hell that would not open to let in the King of Glory 3. To deny thine affection and subjection to the Son is the greatest folly and madness in the world Why doth he require this so earnestly at thy hands is it for thy hurt or for thy good would he make a prey of thee for his own advantage is it for any need hat he hath of thee or of thy service or because thou hast need of him for thy direction or salvation would he steal away thy heart as the world doth to delude it would he draw thee as Satan doth to serve him that he may torment thee if so it were no wonder that thou art so hardly drawn to him but thou knowest sure that Christ hath none of these ends The truth is this His dying on the Cross is but part of the work that is necessary to thy Salvation this was but the paying of the debt he must give thee moreover a peculiar interest and make that to be absolutely thine which was thine but conditionally he must take off thy rags and wash thy sores and qualify thy soul for the prepared Glory and bring thee out of the prison of sin and death and present thee to his Father blameless and undefiled and estate thee in greater dignity then thou fellest from and all this must he do drawing thee to himself and laying himself upon thee as the Prophet upon the Child and closing thy heart with his heart and thy will with his will and thy thoughts and waies with the Rule of his Word And is this against thee or for thee is there any hurt to thee in all this I dare challenge Earth and Hell and all the Enemies of Christ in both to shew the least hurt that ever he caused to the soul of a believer or the least wrong to the soul of any And must he then have such a stir to do thee good must he so beseech thee to be happy and follow thee with entreaties and yet art thou like a stock that neither heare's nor feeâ—'s Nay dost thou not murmur and strive against him as if he were about to do thee mischief and would rather cut thy throat then cure thee and were going to destroy thee and not to save thee I appeal to any that hath not renounced his Reason whether this be not notorious bruitish unreasonableness and whether thou be not liker a beast that must be cast or held while you dress his sores then to a man that should help on his own recovery Foolish Sinner It is thy sin that hurts thee and not thy Saviour why dost thou not rather strive against that It is the Devil that would destroy thee and yet thou dost not grudge at they obedience to him Be judge thy self whether this be wise or equal dealing Sinner I beseech thee in the behalf of thy poor soul if thou have such a mind to renounce thy Saviour do it not till thou hast found a
my knees with this request and advice in my Text O kiss the Son lest he be angry and you perish But if thy heardned heart make light of all and thou go on still in thy careless neglect of Christ and yet wilt not believe but thou art his friend and servant I do here from the Word and in the name of Christ pass this sentence upon thy soul Thou shalt go hence and perhaps linger out in thy security a few days more and then be called by death to judgement where thou shalt be doomed to this everlasting fiery wrath Make as light of it as thou wilt feel it thou shalt put it off and scape it if thou canst and when thon hast done go boast that thou hast conquered Christ In the mean time I require this Congregation to bear witness that thou hadst warning This to all in general My Text yet directeth me to speak more particularly to the Rulers and Judges of the Earth Honorable and Reverend Judges worshipful Magistrates if you were all Kings and Emperors all is one to Christ you were but high and mighty dust and ashes Christ sendeth his Summons first to you he knows the Leaders Interest in the Vulgar you are the Commanders in the Host of God and must do him more service then the common Soldiers If one of you should neglect him and stand out against him he will begin with you in the sight of the rest and make your greatness a stepping stone to the honour of his justice that the lowest may understand what they have to doe when they see the greatest cannot save themselves Shall I say you are wiser then the People and therefore that this Admonition is needless to you No then I should accuse the Spirit in my Text The Cedars of the Earth have always hardly stoopt to Christ which hath made so many of them rooted up Your Honors are an impediment to that self-abasing which he expecteth your Dignities will more tend to blind you then to illuminate There 's few of any sort but fewest of the great wise and mighty that are called Yet a man would think that among those that have held out in these trying times there should be no need of these suspitions But hath there not been always a succession of Sinners even of those that have beheld the ruines of their Predecessors Who would have thought that a generation that had seen the Wonders in Egypt and had paâ—â—ed through the Sea and been maintained in a Wilderness with constant Miracles should yet be such vile Idolaters or murmuring unbelievers that only two of them should enter into Rest The best of Saints have need of self-suspition and vigilancy My advice therefore to You is this Learn wisdom by the Examples that your eyes have seen Them that honor God he will honor and they that despise him shall be lightly esteemed 1 Sam. 2. 30. More particularly let me advise you as your Duty to the Son 1. That you take your commission office as from him I think it a doctrine more common then true that Ministers only are under Christ the Mediatour and Magistrates are only under God as Creator Christ is now Lord of All and you are his Servants As there is no power but from God so none from God but by Christ Look upon your selves as his Vicegerents therefore do not that which beseemeth not a Vicegerent of Christ Remember that as you see to the execution of the Laws of the Land so will Christ see that his Laws be obeyed by you or executed on you Remember when you sit and judge offenders that you represent him that will judge you and all the world And oh how lively a resemblance have you to raise your apprehension Think with your selves Thus shall men tremble before his Barr thus shall they wait to hear their doom and be sure that your judgement be such as may most lively represent the judgement of Christ that the just may depart from your Barr with joy and the unjust with sadness Let your justice be most severe where Christ is most severe and so far as you can exercise your clemency let it be about those offences which our laws are more rigorous against then the laws of God Be sure yet that you understand the extent of your commission that you are not the sole officers of Jesus Christ you are under him as he is head over All Ministers are under him as he is head to his Church Eph. 1 22. Ministers are as truly the Magistrates Teachers as Magistrates are their Governors yea by as high and undoubted authority must they over-see govern and command ministerially as their Lords Embassadors both Kings and Parliaments to do whatsoever is written in this Bible as you may command them to obey the laws of the Land yea and as strict a bond lieth on you to obey them so far as they speak according to this word and keep within the bounds of their Calling as doth on them to obey you in yours Heb. 13. 7 17. Deale not with them so dissemblingly as to call them your Pastors Teachers Over-seers and Rulers as Scripture bids you and yet to learn of them but what you list or to deny them leave to teach or advise you further then they receive particular warrant direction from your selves Should our Assembly limit all their Ministeriall advice to the warrant and directions of Parliament and not extend it to the warrant and directions of Christ would they not become the servants and pleasers of men If you do not your best to set up all the Government of Christ even that in and proper to his Church as well as that which is over them and for them men may well think it is your own seats and not Christs that you would advance I would all the Magistrates in England did well consider that Christ hath beene teaching them this seven yeares that their own peace or honours shall not be set up before his Gospel Government and that they do but tire themselves in vain in such attempts then they would learn to read my Text with the Vulgar Apprehendite disciplinam And if the Decisive power of the Ministry be doubtfull yet least they would set up their Nunciative in its vigor Christ will rule England either as subjects or as Rebels and all that Kings and States do gain by opposing his Rule will not add one cubit to the stature of their greatness Yet I do not understand by the Government of Christ a rigid conformity to the modell of this or that party or faction with a violent extirpation of every dissenter It is the ignorant part of Divines alas such there are who with the simple fellow in Erasmus do expound Paul's Haereticum hominem devita i e. de-vitâ tolle It is the Essentials not the Accidentals of Discipline that I speak of And if so me disengaged standers by be not mistaken who have the advantage by standing out
of Judgement 1. Debate by 1. the Accuser 2. Defendant called the Disceptation of the cause 2. By the Judge 1. Exploration 2. Sentence 3. To see to the Execution But because this Method is less suitable to your capacities and hath something humane I will reduce all to these following heads 1. I will shew what Judgement is 2. Who is the Judge and why 3. Who must be ludged 4. Who is the Accuser 5. How the citation constraint and appearance will be 6. What is the Law by w h men shall be judged 7. What wâ—ll be the cause of the day what the Accusation and what must be the just Defence 8. What will be the Evidence 9. What are those frivolous insufficient excuses by which the unrighteous may think to escape 10. What will be the sentence who shall dye and who shall live and what the Reward and Punishment is 11. What are the Properties of the Sentence 12. What and by whom the exâ—cution will be In these particular heads we contain the whole Doctrine of this Judgement and in this more familar method shall handle it I. FOR the first Judgement as taken largely comprehendeth all the forementioned particulars As taken more strictly for the Act of the Iudge it is the trial of a Controverted case In our case note these things following 1. Gods Iudgement is not intended for any Discovery to himself of what he knows not already he knows already what all men are and what they have done and what is their due But it is to discover to others and to men themselves the ground of his sentence that so his Iudgement may attain its end for the glorifying his grace on the Righteous and for the convincing the wicked of their sin and desert and to shew to all the world the Righteousness of the Iudge and of his Sentence and Execution Rom. 3. 4 26. and Rom. 2. 2. 2. It is not a Controversie therefore undecided in the mind of God that is there to be decided but only one that is undecided as to the knowledge and mind of creatures 3. Yet is not this Iudgement a bare Declaration but a Decision and so a Declaration thereupon the cause will be then put out of controversie and all further expectation of Decision be at an end and with the justified there will be no more Accusation and with the condemned no more hope for ever II. FOR the second thing who shall be the Iudge I answer The Iudge is God himself by Iesus Christ 1. Principally God as Creator 2. As also God as Redeemer the humane nature of Iesus Christ having a derived subordinate power God lost not his right to his creature either by mans fall or the Redemption by Christ but by the latter hath a new further right but it is in and by Christ that God Iudgeth For as meer Creator of innocent mar God judgeth none but hath committed all judgement to the Son who hath procured this right by the redeeming of fallen man John 5. 22. But as the Son only doth it in the neerest senâ—e so the Father as Creator doth it remotely and principally 1. In that the power of the Son is derived from the Father and so standeth in subordination to him as Fountain or Efficient 2. In that the Iudgement of the Son as also his whole Mediatorship is to bring men to God their maker as their ultimate end and recover them to him from whom they are faln and so as a means to that end the Iudgement of the Son is subordinate to the Father From hence you may see these following Truths worthy your consideration 1. That all men are Gods creatures and none are the workmanship of themselves or any other or else the Creator should not Iudge them on that right 2. That Christ dyed for All and is the Redeemer of the world and a sacrifice for All or else he should not Iudge them on that Right For he will not Iudge wicked men as he will do the Devils as the meer enemies of his Redeemed ones but as being themselves his subjects in the world and being bought by him and therefore become his own who ought to have glorified him that bought them 2 Cor. 5. 14 15. 2 Pet. 2. 1. 1 Cor. 6. 19 20. 1 Joh. 2. 2. Heb. 2. 9. 1 Tim. 2. 6. 7. 3. Hence it appeareth that all men were under some Law of grace and did partake of some of the Redeemers mercy Though the Gospell came not to all yet all had that mercy which could come from no other Fountain but his Blood and which should have brought them neerer to Christ then they were though it were not sufficient to bring them to believe and which should have led them to Repentance Rom. 2. 4. For the neglecting of which they justly perish and not meerly for sinning against the Law that was given man in innocency Were that so Christ would not Iudge them as Redeemer and that for the abuse or not-improvement of his Talents as he tels us he will do Mat. 25. per totum 4. If God will be the Iudge then none can expect by any shifts or indirect means to scape at that day For how should it be 1. It is not possible that any should keep out of sight or hide their sin and the evill of their actions and so delude the Iudge God will not be mocked now nor deceived then Gal. 6. 7. they grossly deceive themselves that imagine any such thing God must be Omniscient and All-seeing or he cannot be God Should you hide your cause from men and from Devils and be ignorant of it your selves yet cannot you hide it from God Never did there a thought pass thy heart or a word pass thy mouth which God was not acquainted with and as he knows them so he doth observe them He is not as Imperfect man taken up with other business so that he cannot mind All. As easie is it with him to observe every Thought or Word or Action of thine as if he had but that one in the world to observe and as easie to observe each particular sinner as if he had not another creature to look after in the world He is a fool indeed that thinks now that God takes no noâ—tice of him Ezek. 8. 12. and 9. 9. or that thinketh then to escape in the croud He that found out one Guest that had not on a wedding Garment Mat. 22. 12. will then find out every unholy soul and give him so sad a salutation as shall make him speechless Job 11. 11. For he knoweth vain man he seeth wickedness also and will he not consider it 2. It is not possible that any should scape at that Day by any Tricks of wit and false Reasoning in their own Defence God knoweth a sound Answer from an unsound and a Truth from a Lye Righteousness may be perverted here on earth by out-witting the Judge but so will it not be then To hope any of this is
Lord we would fain have drawn them with us to hear the word and to read it and to pray in their families and to santifie the holy day and take such happy Opportunities for their souls But we could not get them to it we did in our places what we were able to give them the Example of a Godly Conversation and they did but deride us they were readier to mark every slip of our lives and to observe all our Infirmities and catch at any Accusation that was against us then to follow us in any work of holy obedience or care for our everlasting peace The Lord knows it is a most heavy thing to consider now that poor neighbours must be fain to come in against those they love so dearly and by their Testimony to Judge them to pâ—rdition Oh heavy case to think of that a master must witness against his own servant Yea a husband against his own wife and a wife against her husband yea parents against their own children and say Lord taught them â—hy word but they would not learn I told them what would come on it if they returned not to thee I brought them to â—ermons and I prayed with them and for them I frequently minded them of thâ—se everlasting things and of this dreadfull day which they now see But youthful lusts and the temprations of the flash and the Devil led them away and I could never get them throughly and soundly to lay it to their hearts Oh you that are parents and friends and neighbours in the fear of God bestir you now that you maâ— not be put to this at that day of Judgement Oh give them no rest take no nay of them till you have perswaded their hearts from this word to God lest you be put to be their condemners it must be now that you must prevent it or else never now while you are with them while you and they are in the flesh together which will be but a little while Can you but now prevail with them all will be well and you may meet them Joyfully before the Lord. 3. Another wittness that will testifie against the ungodly at that day will be their sinful companions those that drew them into sin or were drawn by them or joyned with them in it Oh little do poor drunkards think when they sit merrily in an Ale house that one of them must bear witness against another and condemn one another If they thought of this me thinks it should make them have less delight in that company Those that now joyn with you in wicked ness shall then be forced to witness I confess Lord I did hear him swear and curse I heard him deride those that feared the Lord and make a jest of a holy life I saw him in the Ale-house when he should be hearing the Word of God or reading or calling upon God and preparing for this day I joyned with him in fleshly delights in abusing thy creature and our own bodies Sinners look your companions in the face the next time you are with them and remember this that I now say that those men shall give in Evidence against you that now are your associates in all your mirth Little thinketh the fornicator and lustful wanton that their sinful mates must then bear witness of that which they thought the dark had concealed and tell their shame before all the world But this must be the fruit of sin It s meet that they who encouraged one another sin should condemn one another for it And marvail not at it for they shall be forced to it whether they will or no Light will not then be hid They maâ— think to have some ease to their consciences by accusing and condemning others When Adam is questioned for his sin he presently accuseth the woman Gen. 3. 1â— when Judas his conscience was awakened he runs to the Pharisees with the money that drâ—w him to it and they cast it back in his own face See thou to it what is that to us Mat. 27. 4 5 6. Oh the cold comfort that sinners will have at that day and the little pleasure that they will find in remembring their evil waiâ—s Now when a fornicator or a worlding or a merry voluptuous man is grown old and cannot act all his sin again he takes pleasure in remembring and telling others of his former folly what he once was and what he did and the merry hours that he had but then when sinners are come to themselves a little more they will remember and tell one another of these things with another heart Oh that they did but know now how these things will then affect them 4. Another witness that will then rise up against them will be the very Devils that tempted them They that did purposely draw them to sin that they might draw them to Torment for sin They can witness that you harkned to their Temptations when you would not harken to Gods Exhortations They can witness that you obeyed them in working Iniquity But because you may think the Accusers Testimony is not to be taken I will not stand on this Though it is not nothing where God knoweth it to be true 5 The very Angels of God also may be witnesses against the wicked Therefore are we advised in Scriputre not to sin before them Eccl. 5. 6. 1 Cor. 11. 10. 1 Tim. 5. 21. I charge thee before the Elect Angels c. They can testifie that they would have been ministring Spirits for their good when the wicked rather chose to be slaves to the Spirit of malitiousness The holy Angels of God do many a time stand by you when you are sinning They see you when you see not them they are imployed by God in some sort for your good as well as we And as it is the grief of Ministers that their labours succeed not so may we suppose that according to their state and nature it is theirs For the that Rejoyce in heaven at the conversion of one sinner may be said to sorrow or to lose those joyes when you refuse to be converted These noble Spirits these Holy and Glorious attendants of Christ that shall wait upon him to Judgement will be Witnesses against Rebellious sinners to their Confusion â—irs you have all in you naturally a fear of Spirits and invisible powers Fear them aright lest hearkening to the deceiving Spirits and refusing the help of the Angels of God and wilfully sinning before their faces you should cause them at that day to the terrour of your souls to stand forth as witnesses against you to your Condemnation 6 Conscience it self will be most effectual witness against the wicked at that day I before told you it will be a Discerner and force them to a Confession But a further office it hath even to witness against them If none else in the world had known of their secret sins conscience will say I was acquainted with them 7. The spirit of Christ
like may Evidence against his Condemnation The drunkard shall Remember In Such an Ale house I was so oft drunk and in such a â—avern I wasted my time The Adulterer and Fornicator shall Remember the very Time the Place the Room the Bed where they committed wickedness The Thief and Deceiver will Remember the Time Place the persons they wronged and the Thing which they robbed or deceived them of The worldling will Remember the business which he preferred before the service of God the worldly matters which had more of his heart then his Maker and Redeemer had the work which he was doing when he should have been Praying or Reading or Catechising his Family or thinking soberly of his latter end A thousand of these will then come into his mind and be as so many Evidences against him to his Condemnation 3. The very effects also of mens sins will be an Evidence against them The wife and children of a Drunkard are Impoverished by his sin His family and the neighbourhood is disquieted by him These will be so many Evidences against him So will the abuse of his own Reason The enticing of others to the same sin and hardning them by his example One covetons unmerciful Landlord doth keep a hundred or many hundred persons or families in so great necessities and care and labour that they are tempted by it to overpass the service of God as having scarce time for it or any room for it in their troubled thoughts All these miserable families and persons and all the souls that are undone by this Temptation will be so many Evidences against such Oppressors Yea the poor whom they have neglected to relieve when they might the sick whom they have neglected to visit when they might will all witness then against the unmerciful Mat. 25. The many ignorant worldly careless sinners that have perished under an idle and unfaithful Minister will be so many witnesses against him to his Condemnation They may then cry out against him to his face I was ignorant Lord and he never did so much as teach me catechize me nor tell me of these Things I was careless and minded the world and he let me go on quietly and was as careless as I had never plainly and faithfully warned me to waken me from my security And so their blood will be required at his hands though themselves also shall perish in their sins Ezek. 33 7. 8. 2. And as these Evidences will convince men of sin so there are many more which will convince them of the Greatness of their sin And these are so many that it would too much lengthen my discourse to stand on them A few I shall briefly touch 1. The very mercy of God in Creating men in giving and continuing their Being to them will be an Evidence for the Aggravation of their sin against him What will you abuse him by whom it is that you are men will you speak to his dishonor that giveth you your speech will you live to his dishonor who giveth you your Lives will you wrong him by his own creatures and neglect him without whom you cannot subsist 2. The Redemption of men by the Lord Jesus Christ will be an evidence to the exceeding Aggravation of their sins You sinned against the Lord that bought you 2 Pet. 2. 1. When the Feast was prepared and all things were Ready you made light of it and found excuses and would not come Mat. 22. 4 5 6. Luke 14. 17 18. Must Christ Redeem you by so dear a price from sin and misery and yet will you continue the servants of sin and prefer your slavery before your freedom and choose to be Satans drudges rather then to be the servants of God The sorrows and sufferings that Christ underwent for you will then prove the increase of your own sorrows As a neglected Redeemer it is that he will condemn you And then you would be glad that it were but true Doctrine that Christ never dyed for you that you might not be condemned for refusing a Redeemer and sinning against him that shed his blood for you How deeply will his wounds then wound your consciences You will then Remember that to this end he both â—yed rose and revived that he might be Lord both of the Dead and the Living And that he therefore dyed for all that they which live should not henceforth live to themselves but to him that dyed for them and rose again Rom. 14. 9. 2 Cor. 5. 14 15. Mat 28. 18. 19. 20. 1 Pet. 1. 17 18. You will then understand that you were not your own but were bought with a price and therefore should have glorified him that Bought you with your Bodies and Spirits because they were His 1 Cor. 6 19 20. This one Aggravation of your sin will make you doubly and remedilesly miserable that you Trod under foot the Son of God and counted the blood of the Covenant wherewith you were sanctified an unholy thing Heb. 10. 26 27 28 29. and crucified to your selves the Son of God afresh and put him to open shame Heb. 6. 5 6. 3. Moreover All the personal mercies which they received will be so many Evidences for the condemnation of the ungodly The very earth that bore them and yielded them its fruits while they themselves are unfruitful to God The Air which they breathed in the food which nourish'd them the cloaths which cover'd them the houses which they dwelt in the beasts that laboured for them and all the creatures that dyed for their use All these may rise up against them to their condemnation And the Judge may thus expostulate with them Did all these mercies deserve no more Thanks should you not have served him that so liberally maintained you God thought not all these too good for you and did you think your hearts and services too good for him He served yous w th the weary labours of your fellow creature and should you have grudged to bear his easie Yoak They were your slaves and drudges and you refused to be his free servants and his Sons They suffered Death to feed your bodies and you would not suffer the short forbearance of a little forbidden fleshly pleasure for the sake of him that made you and redeemed you Oh how many thousand mercies of God will then be reviewed by those that neglected them to the horrour of their souls when they shall be upbraided by the Judge with their base requital All the deliverances from sickness and from danger all the honours and priviledges and other commodities which so much contented them will then be Gods Evidence to shame them and confound them On this supposition doth the Apostle reprove such Rom. 2. 4 5 6. Despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and long suffering not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance But after thy hardness and impenitent heart treasurest up unto thy self wrath against the day of wrath revelation of
you in the Congregation by the Minister or might have done if you would And if your Parents did neglect you in your youth yet when you came to a fuller use of Reason and heard of the matters of salvation from Gods Word did it not concern you to have looked to your selves and to have redeemed that time which you lost in your youth by doubling your diligence when you came to riper years The Apostles gathered Churches among Heathens that never heard of Christ before and converted many thousand souls that were never once told of a Saviour or the way to salvation till they had past a great part of their lives If you loitered till the latter part of the day it behoved you then to have bestirred your selves the more and not to say Through the fault of my Parents I lost the beginning of my life and therefore I will lose all they taught me not then therefore I will not learn now hav you not seen som of your neighbours who were as ill educated as your selves attain to much knowledge afterwards by their Industry And why might not you have done so if you had been as Industrious as they May not God and Conscience witness that it was because you cared not for knowledge and would not be at pains to get it that you knew no more Speak truth man in the presence of thy Judge was thy heart and mind set upon it Didst thou pray daily for it to God Didst thou use all the means thou couldst to get it Didst thou attend diligently on the word in publike and think of what thou heardest when thou camest home Didst thou go to the Minister or to others that could teach thee and intreat them to tell thee the way to salvation Or didst thou not rather carelesly neglect these matters and hear a Sermon as a common tale even when the minister was speaking of Heaven or of Hell It was not then thine unavoidable Ignorance but thy negligence Yea further answer as in the presence of God Didst thou obey so far as thou didst know Or didst thou not rather sin against that knowledge which thou hadst Thou knewest that the soul was better then the body and everlasting life more to be regarded then this transitory life But didst thou regard it accordingly Thou sure knewest that God was better then the world and Heaven then earth at least thou was told of it But didst thou accordingly value him and love him more Thou knewest sure that there was no salvation without Faith and Repentance and newness of life and yet they were neglected In a word many a thousand sins which were committed and duties that were omitted against thy own Knowledge and Conscience will marr this Excuse The fifth Excuse I lived not under a powerfull Minister to tell me of these things but where there was no Preaching at all Answ And might you not have gone where a powerfull Minister was with a little pains Yea did not the very plain Word that you heard read tell you of these things and might you not have had a Bible your selves and found them there The Sixth Excuse I was a Servant and had no time from my labour to mind these matters I lived with a hard master that required all his own work of me but would allow me no time for the service of God Or else I was a poor man and had a great charge to look after and with my hard labour had much adoe to live so that I had no time for heavenly things Answ 1. Who should be first served God or man What should be first sought after heaven or earth Did not Christ cell thee One thing is necessary Luke 10. 41 42 Was it not as needfull to see that you escape Damnation and get safe to Heaven when this life is ended as to see that you had food and raiment for your selves and yours 2. Did you spend no time in Recreation nor Idleness nor vain talking why might not that at least have been spent about Heavenly things 3. Could you have taken no time from your rest or eating or at other Intermissions Mans Body will not endure so great Labours as have no Intermission And why then might not godliness have been your ease and recreation 4. Or might you not have minded these things even when you were about your labour if you had but a heart to them 5. At least you might have spent the Lords own Day in hearing reading and pondering of these matters when you were forced to forbear your worldly labours even by the wholsom Law of the Land These therefore are all but vain Excuses and God will shortly make thee speak out and plainly confess It was not so much for want of Time or Helps or warning as for want of a heart to use them well I should have found some time though it had been when I should have slept if my heart had been but set upon it The Seventh Excuse Little did I think â—o have seen this day I did not Believe that ever God would be so severe I thought his Threatnings had been but to keep men in awe and I suspected either that the Scripture was not his word or else I thought he would be better then his word I thought all that I heard of another life had been uncertain and therefore was loth to let go a certainty for an uncertainty and lose my present pleasures which I had in hand for the hopes of that which I never did see Answ He that will not know his misery by believing to prevent it shall know it by feeling to endure it You were told and told again what your unbelief would bring you to Did Gods Word make Heaven and Earth doth it support them and secure them and is not his Word sufficient security for you to have trusted your souls upon did you know where was any better security to be had and where was any surer ground for your confidence And did you think so basely and blasphemously of God that he would falsifie his Word lest such as you should suffer and that he was fain to rule the world by a Lye Did God make the world so easily and can he not govern it by true and righteous means what need God to say that which he will not do to awe sinners can he not awe them by Truth is it not just that those should eternally perish that will entertain such desperate thoughts of God and then by such wicked imaginations encourage themselves in sin against him And for the Truth of Scripture God did not bid you believe it without Evidence He stamped on it the Image of his own Purity and Perfection that you might know it by that Image and superscription if you had eyes to see them He sealed it by uncontrouled multitudes of Miracles He delivered it down to your hands by infallible witnesses so that he left you no room for rational Doubting And you knew that the matters
a full â—ustifiction A Heathens conscience may excuse him from those sins which he was never guilty of but not from all But no more of them 2. The case of those that have had the Gospel is more plainly opened to us in Gods Word Their Sentence is opened in many places of Scripture but most fully in Matth 25. whence we will now collect it There we find that Jesus Christ the Redeemer as King of the world shall sit in Judgement on all men at the last and shall seperate them one from another as a Shepherd divideth the Sheep from the Goats and so shall pass the final Sentence This Sentence is twofold according to the different Condition of them that are judged To them on the right hand there is a Sentence of justification and Adjudication to everlasting glory To them on the left hand there is a Sentence of Condemnation to everlasting Punishment The Sentence on each of these containeth both the state which they are Judged to and the reason or cause of the Judgement to that state For as God will not Iudge any to Life or Death without just cause so he will publish this cause in his sentence as it is the manner of Judges to do If you say Christ will not use a voice Let it satisfie that though we know not the manner yet if he do it but by mental discovery as he shews men what shall everlastingly befall them so he will shew them why it shall so befall them 1. The Sentence on them on the Right hand will contain 1. their Justification and Adjudication to Blessedness that both as generally denominated and as particularly determined and described 2. And the cause of this Iudgement 1. In general they shall be pronounced Blessed Satan would have had them cursed and miserable the Law did curse them to misery Many a fearful thought hath possessed their own brests least they should prove at last accursed and miserable But now they hear the contrary from their Iudge All the Promises in the Gospel could not perfectly overcome those their fears all the comfortable words of the Ministers of the Gospel conld not perfectly subdue them all the tendâ—er mercies of God in Christ dâ—d not perfectly subdue them But now they are vanquished all for ever He that once had heard his Redeemer in Iudgement call him Blessed will never fear being Cursed more For he that Christ Blesseth shall be Blessed indeed The Description of their blessedness followeth Come inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world And also they are called Blessed Of the Father Here is the fountain of their Blessedness The Father and the state of their blessedness in Being the Fathers For I suppose they are called the Blessed of the Father both because the Father blesseth them that is makes them Happy and because these blessed ones are the Fathers own And so Christ will publish it to the world in Judgement that he came to glorifie the Father and will proclaim him the Principal Efficient and Ultimate end of his work of Redemption and the blessedness of his Saints and that himself is as Mediator but the way to the Father It is the Father that prepared the Kingdom for them and from the foundation of the world prepared it Both for them as chosen ones and for them as future believers and Righteous ones It is called a Kingdom partly in respect to God the King in whose glory we shall partake in our places and partly Metaphorically from the Dignity of our Condition For so it is that our selves are said to be made Kings Rev. 1. 6. and 5. 1. 1 Pet. 2. 9. and not that we are properly Kings for then we must have subjects who must be Governed by us Thus we see their Blessedness in the Fountain end and state of Dignity As to the Receptive Act on their part it is expressed by two words one signifying their first entrance on it Come the other their Possession Inherit that is possess it as given by the Father and Redeemed by the Son and hoâ—d it in this Tenure for ever The true Believer was convinced in this life that indeed there was no true blessedness but this enjoyment of God in the Kingdom of heaven The Lord revealed this to his heart by his Word and Spirit And therefore he contemned the seeming happiness on earth and laid up for himself a Treasure in heaven and made him friends with the Mammon of unrighteousness and ventured all his hope in this Vessel And now he findeth the wisdom of that choice in a rich return God made him so Wise a Merchant as to sell All for this Pearl of greatest price and therefore now he shall find the gain As there Is no other true Happiness but God in glory so is there nothing more suitable and welcom to the true Believer O how welcome will the face of that God be whom he loved whom he sought whom he longed and waited for How welcome will that Kingdom be which he lived in Hope of which he parted with All for and suffered for in the flesh How glad will he be to see the Blessed face of his Redeemer who by his manifold Grace hath brought him unto this I leave the believing soul to think of it and to make it the daily matter of his Delightful Meditation What an unconceivable Ioy in one moment his Sentence of Christ will fill his soul with Undoubtedly it is now quite past our comprehension though our imperfect forethoughts of it may well make our lives a continual Feast Were it but our Iustification from the Accusations of Satan who would have us Condemned either as sinners in general or as Impenitent Unbeleiving Rebels against him that Redeemed us in sp cial it would lift up the heads of the Saints in that day After alâ— the fears of our own hearts and the slanderous Accusations of Satan and the world That we were either Impenitent Infidels or Hypocrites Christ will then Iustifie us and prononce us Righteous So much for the Condition to which they are Iudged 2. The Reason or Cause of this Justification of the Saints is given us both 1. In a general denomination and 2. In a particular Description 1. In General it is because they Were Righteous as is evident Mat. 25. 46. The Righteous shall go into life Everlasting And indeed it is the business of every just Judge to justifie the righteous and condemn the unrighteous And shall not the Judge of all the earth judge righteously Gen. 18. 25 God makes men Righteous before he judges them so and Judgeth them Righteous Because they are so He that abominateth that man who saith to the Righteous thou art wicked or to the wicked thou art Righteons who Justifieth the wicked and Condemneth the Righteous will certainly never do so himself Indeed he will Justifie them that are sinners but not against the Accusation that they are sinners but against the Accusation that they are
the next words Depart fromme in to Everlasting fire prepared for the Devil and his Angels 1. Depart From whom from the God thâ— made them in his Image From the Redeem that bought them by the price of his blood anâ— offered to save them freely for all their unworthyness and many a time intreated them to Accept his offer that their souls might live From the Holy Ghost the Sanctifier and comforter of the faithful who strove with their hearts till they quenched and expelled him O sad Departing who would not then choose rather to Depart from all the friends he had in the world and from any thing Imaginable from his life from himself if it were possible then from Christ Depart from what why from the presence of the Judge from all further Hopes of salvation for ever from all possibility of ever being saved and living in the joyful inheritance of the Righteous Depart Not from Gods Essential presence for that will be with them to their evelasting misery but from the presence of his Grace in that measure as they enjoyed it Depart Not from your fleshly pleasures and honours and profits of the world These were all gone and past already and there was no further need to bid them Depart from these Houses and Lands were gone Mirth and Recreations were gone Their sweet morsels and cups were gone All the Honour that men could give them was gone before they were set at Christs barr to be Iudged But from all expectations of ever enjoying these again or ever tasting their former delights from these they must Depart No from their sin for that will go with them But the Liberty of commiting that part of it which was sweet to them as Gluttony Drunkenness Whoredom Idleness and all Voluptuousness from these they must Depart But this is consequential It is Christ and the Possibility of salivation that they are Sentenced to Depart from But Whither must they Depart 1. Into fire 2. Into that fire which was prepared for the Devil and his Angels 3. Into everlasting fire 1. Not into a Purifying but a Tormenting fire Whether Elementary or not Whether properly or Metaphorically called fire let us not vainly trouble or selves to enquire It is enough to know that as fire is one of the most grievous Tormentors of the flesh so grievous will be those infernal Torments to the whole man soul and body Such as is most fitly represented to us under the notion of fire and of burning It s easie for a secure unbelieving soul to read and hear of it but woe and ten thousand woes to them that must endure it In this life they had their good things when it went harder as to the flesh with better men but now they are tormented when the godly are comforted as Luke 16. 25. 2. But why is it called a fire prerared for the Devil and his Angels 1. What is this Divel That hath Angels 2. Who are his Angels 3. When was it prepared for them 4. Was it not also prepared for wicked men To these in order 1. It seems by many passages in Scripture that there is an Order among Spirits both Good and Bad and that there is one Devil that is the Prince over the rest 2. It seem therefore that it 's the rest of the evil spirits that are called his Angels And some think that the wicked who served him in this life shall be numbered with his Angels in the life to come Indeed the Apostle calls him The God of this world 2 Cor 4. 4. as is ordinarily Iudged by Expositors and the Prince of the power of the Aire the Spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience Eph. 2. 2. And he Calleth false seducing Teachers the Ministers of Satan 2 Cor. â—1 15 But that wicked men are Here meant as part of his Angels is not clear 3. If it be the preparation of Gods purpose that is here meant then it was from Eternity but if it be any Commination of God as Ruler of the Angels then was this fire prepared for them Conditionally from the beginning of that Commination and was Due to them at their fall 4. It seems that the Reason why here is no mention of preparing Hell-fire for the wicked but only for the Devils is not be cause indeed it was not prepared also for the wicked but to note that it is the Torment which was first prepared for or assigned to the Devils thereby shewing the greatness of the misery of the wicked that the Devil and his Angels must be their Companions Though some think as is said before that the reason why wicked men are not Mentioned here is because they are part of the Angels of the Devil and so included And some think it is purposely to manifest Gods General Love to mankind that prepared not Hell for them but they cast themselves into the Hell prepared for the Devils But the first seems to be the true sense And how apparently Righteous are the Judgements of the Lord that those men who would here entertain the Devil into their hearts and daily familiarity should be then entertained by him into his place of Torments and there remain for ever in his society Though few entertained him into Visible familiarity with their bodies as Witches do who so make him their Familiar yet all wicked men do entettain him into more full c â—nstant familiarity with their so uls then these withces do with their bodies how famliariar is he in their thoughts to fill them with vanity lust or revenge How familiar is he in their hearts to fill them with covetousness malice pride or the like evils and to banish all thoughts of returning to God and to quench every motion that tendeth to their recovery How familiar is he with them even when they seem to be worshipping God in the publike Assembles stealing the word out of their hearts filling them with vain and wandring thoughts blinding their minds that they cannot understand the plainest words that we are able to speak to them and filling them with a proud rebellion against the Direction of their Teachers and an obstinate refusal to be ruled by them be the matter never so necessary to their own salvation How familiar are these evil Spirits in their houses filling them with ignorance worldliness and ungodliness and turning out Gods service so that they do not pray together once in a day or perhaps at all How familiarly doth Satan use their tongues in cursing swearing lying ribaldry backbiting or slandring and is it not just with God to make these fiends their familiars in Torment with whom they entertained such familiarity in sin As Christ with all the Blessed Angels and Saints will make but one Kingdom or family and shall live altogether in perpetual Delights so the Devil and all his Hellish Angels and wicked men shall make but one house-hold and shall live altogether in perpetual misery O poor sinners I you are not troubled now
far mortified the flesh and subdued the world and the Devil that the Authority and Word of God can do more with him then any other and doth ordinarily prevail against all the perswasion and interest of the flesh so that the main scope and bent of the heart and life is still for God and when he sinneth he riseth again by true Repentance I say that soul and that only shall be Justified in Judgement and be saved 5. That soul that hath such Believing thoughts of the life to come that he taketh the promised blessedness for his portion and is resolved to venture all else upon it and in hope of his glory doth seâ— light comparatively by all things in this world and waiteth for it as the end of this life choosing any suffering that God shall call him to rather then to lose his hopes of that felicity and thus persevereth to the end I say that soul and none but that shall be justified in Judgement and escape Damnation In these five marks I have told you truly and briefly who shall be Justified and saved and who shall be condemned at the day of Judgement And if you would have them all in five words they are but the Description of these five Graces Repentance Faith Love Obedience Hope But though I have laid these close together for your use yet lest you should think that in so weighty a case I am too short in the proof of what I so determine of I will tell you in the express words of many Scripture Texts who shall be Justified and who shall be condemned John 3. 3. Except a man be born again he cannot enter into the Kingdom of God Heb. 12. 14. Without holiness none shall see God Luk. 13. 3 5. Except ye repent ye shall all likewise perish Acts 26. 18. I send thee to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light and from the power of Satan unto God that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an Inheritance among the sanctified by Faith that is in me Joh. 3. 15 16. 17 18 19. Whoever believeth in him shall not perish but have everlasting life he that believeth on him is not condemned he that believeth not is condemned already because he hath not Believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God and this is the condemnation that light is come in to the world and men loved darkness rather then light because their deeds were evil John 5. 28 29. The hour is coming in which all that are in the graves shal hear his voice shall come forth they that have done good to the Resurrect on of life and they that have done evil to the Resurrection of damnation Mat. 25. 30. Cast the unprofitable servant into outer darkness there shal be weeping gnashing of Teeth Lu. 19 27. But those mine enimies which would not that I should raign over them bring hither and slay them before me Mat 22. 12. 13. Friend how camest thou in hither not having on a wedding gatment And he was speechless Then said the King to the servants Bind him hand and foot and take him away and cast him into outer darkness c. Mat. 5. 20. For I say unto you that except your Righteousness exceed the Righteousness of the Scribes and Pharisees ye shall in no wise enter into the Kingdom of heaven Mat. 7. 21. Not every one that saith Lord Lord shall enter into the Kingdom of Heaven but he that doth the will of my Father which is in Heaven Heb. 5. 6. He is become the Author of eternall salvation to all them that obey him Rev. 22. 14. Blessed are they that do his Commandments that they may have right to the tree of life and may enter in by the Gate into the City Rom. 8. 1. 13. There is then no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus that walk not after the flesh but after the Spirit For if ye live after the flesh ye shall dye but if ye through the Spirit do mortifie the deeds of the body ye shall live Rom. 8. 9. If any man have not the Spirit of Christ he is none of his Gal. 5. l8 But if ye be Led of the Spirit ye are not under the Law Gal. 6. 7. 8. Be not deceived God is not mocked for whatsoever a man soweth that shall he also reap for he that soweth to the flesh shall of the flesh reap Corruption but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit read life Everlasting Matth. 6. 21. For where your Treasure is there wil your heart be also Read Psal 1. and many other Texts to this purpose of which some are cited in my Directions for Peace of Conscience Dir. 11. p. 115. 116. And thus I have told you from Gods Word how you may know whether you are ready for Judgement which is the fourth thing that I would advise you to enquire after O Sirs what shift do you make to keep your souls from Continual Terrours as you as long remain unready for Judgement How do you keep the Thoughts of it out of your mind that they do not break your sleep and meet you in your business and haunt you every way you go while Judgement is so neer and you are so unready But I shall proceed to say next Question Qu. 5 AND in the last place to those of you that are not yet Ready nor in a Condition wherein you may safe at that day ' my Question is How are you resolved to prepare for Judgement for the time to come Will you do no more than you have done hitherto Or will you now set your selves with all your might to make preparation for so great a day me thinks you should be now past all demurs delays or further doubtings about such a business and by the consideration of what I have said already you should be fully Resolved to lose no more time but presently to awake and â—eâ— upon the work Me thinks you should all say We will do any thing that the Lord shall Direct us to do rather then we will be unready for this final doom O that there were but such hearts in you that you were truly willing to follow the gracious Guidance of the Lord and to use but those sweet and reasonable means which he hath prescribed you in his Word that you may be ready for that day Alas it is no hard matter for me to tell you or my self what it is that we must do if we will be happy and it is no very hard matter to Do it so far ar we are truly willing but the difficulty is to be truly and throughly willing to this work If I shall tell you what you must do for preparation shall I not lose my labour Will you resolve and promise in the strength of Grace that you will faithfully and speedily endeavour to practise it whoever shall gainsay it Upon hope of this I will set you down some brief Directions
that all shall go well with you and that the bitterness of death is past and in a forbearance of some disgraceful sins and being much in the Exercise of your Gifts and in external wayes of Duty and giving God a Cheap and plausible obedience in those things only which the Flesh can spare you are then faln into that deceitful hypocrisie which will as surely condemn you as open prophaness if you get not out of it You must live as in a fight or you cannot overcome You must live loose from all things in this world if you will be ready for another You must not live after the flesh but mortifie it by the Spirit if you would not dye but live for ever Rom. 8. 13. These things are not indifferent but of flat necessity THE tenth Direction Do all your works as men that must be judged for them It is not enough at least in point of Duty and Comfort that you Judge this preparation in General to be the main business of your liveâ— but you should also order your particular Actions by these Thoughts and measure them by their Respects to this approaching Day Before you venture on them enquire whether they will bear weight in Judgement and be sweet or bitter when they are brought to tryal Both for matter and manner this must be observed Oh that you would Remember this when Temptations are upon you When you are Tempted to give up your minds to the world and drown your selves in earthly cares will you bethink you soberly whether you would hear of this at Judgement and whether the world will be then as sweet as now and whether this be the best preparation for your Tryal When you are Tempted to be Drunk or to spend your precious time in Alehouses or vain unprofitable company or at Cards or Dice or any sinful or needless sports bethink you then Whether this will be comfortable at the Reckoning and whether time be no more worth to one that is so neer eternity and must make so strict an account of his Hours and whether there be not many better works before you in which you might spend your time to your greater advantage and to your greater comfort when it comes to a Review When you are tempted to wantonnese fornication or any other fleshly intemperance bethink you soberly with what face these Actions will appear at Judgement and whether they will be then pleasant or displeasant to you So when you are tempted to neglect the daily worshipping of God in your families and the Catechizing and Teaching of your children or servants especially on the Lords Day bethink your selves then what account you will give of this to Christ when he that entrusted you with the care of your children and servants shall call you to a reckoning for the performance of that trust The like must be Remembred in the very manner of our Duties How diligently should a Minister study how earnestly should he perswade how unwearyedly should he bear all oppositions and ungrateful returns and how carefully should he watch over each particular soul of his charge as far as is possible when he Remembers that he must shortly be Accountable for all in Judgement And how importunate should we all be with sinners for their Conversion when we consider that themselves also must shortly be Judgâ—d Can a man be cold and dead in prayer that hath any true apprehension of that Judgement upon his mind where he must be accountable for all his prayers and performances O Remember and seriously Remember when you stand before the Minister to hear the word and when you are on your knees to God in prayer in what a manner that same person even your selves must shortly stand at the Barr of the dreadful God! Did these thoughts get throughly to mens hearts they would waken them out of their sleepy Devotions and acquaint them that it is a serious business to be a Christian How careful should we be of our thoughts and words if we believingly remembred that we must be accountable for them all How carefully should we consider what we do with our Riches and with all that God giveth us and how much more largely should we expend it for his service in works of Piety and Charity if we believingly remembred that we must be Judged according to what we have done and give account of every Talent that we receive Certainly the believing consideration of Iudgement might make us all better Christians then we are and keep our lives in a more innocent and profitable frame THE eleventh Direction As you will certainly renew your failings in this life so be sure that you daily renew your Repentance and fly daily to Christ for a renewed pardon that no sin may leave its sting in your souls It is not your first pardon that will serve the turn for your latter sins Not that you must Purpose to sin and Purpose to repent when you have done as a Remedy for that is an hypocritical and wicked purpose of repenting which is made a means to maintain us in our sins But sin must be avoided as far as we can and Repentance and Faith in the blood of Christ must remedy that which we could not avoid The righteousness of pardon in Christs blood is useful to us only so far as we are sinners and cometh in where our Imperfect Inherent Righteousness doth come short but must not be purposely chosen before innocency I mean we must rather choose as far as we can to obey and be innocent than to sin and be pardoned if we were sure of pardon THE twelfth Direction In this vigilant obedient penitent course with confidence upon God as a Father Rest upon the Promise oâ— Acceptance and Remission through the Merits and Intercession of him that Redeemed you Look up in hope to the Glory that is before you and believe that God will make good his Word and the patient expectation of the righteous shall not be in vain Cheerfully hold on in the work that you have begun and as you serve a better matter than you did before your change so serve him with more willingness gladness and delight Do not entertain hard Thoughts of him or of his service but rejoyce in your unspeakable happiness of being admitted into his family and favour through Christ Do not serve him in drooping dejection and discouragement but with Love and Ioy and filial fear Keep in the Communion of his Saints where he is cheerfully and faithfully praised and honoured and where is the greatest visible similitude of heaven upon earth especially in the celebration of the Sacrament of Christs Supper where he seals up a Renewed pardon in his blood and where unanimously we keep the Remembrance of his Death until he come Do not cast your selves out of the Communion of the Saints from whom to be cast out by just Censure and Exclusion is a dreadful emblem and fore-runner of the Iudgement to come where the ungodly shall
be cast out of the presence of Christ and his Saints for ever I have now finished the Directions which I tender to you for your preparation for the Day of the Lord and withall my whole Discourse on this weighty point What effect all this shall have upon your hearts the Lord knows it is not in my power to determine If you are so far blinded and hardened by sin and Satan as to make light of all this or coldly to commend the Doctrine while you go on to the end in your carnal worldly condition as before I can say no more but tell thee again that Iudgement is neer when thou wilt bitterly bewail all this too late And among all the rest of the Evidence that comes in against thee this book wil be one which shall testifie to thy face before Angels and men that thou wast told of that Day and intreated to prepare But if the Lord shall shew thee so much mercy as to open thy eyes and break in upon thy heart and by sober Consideration turn it to himself and cause thee faithfully to take the warning that hath here been given thee and to obey these Directions I dare assure thee from the word of the Lord that this Iudgement which will be so dreadful to the ungodly and the beginning of their endless terror and misery will be as joyful to thee and the beginning of thy glory The Saviour that thou hast believed in and sincerely obeyed will not condemn thee Psal 1. 5 6. Rom. 8. 1. Iohn 3. 16. It is part of his business to Iustifie thee before the world and to glorifie his merits his Kingly power his holyness and his rewarding Iustice in thy Absolution and Salvation He will account it a righteous thing to recompence Tribulation to thy Troublers and Rest to thy self when the Lord Iesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty Angels in flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God and that obey not the Gospel of our Lord Iesus Christ who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his power Even then shall he come to be glorified in his Saints and to be admired in all them that believe in that day Even because his servants Testimony and his Spirits among them was believed 2. Thes 1. 6 7 8 9 10. That day will be the great marriage or the Lamb and the Reception of thee and all the Saints into the glory of thy beloved to which they had a Right at their first Consent and Contract upon earth And when the Bridegroom comes thou who art Ready shalt go in to the Marriage when the door shall be shut against the sleepy negligent world and though they Cry Lord Lord open to us they shall be repulsed with a Verily I know you not Mat. 25. 10 11 12 13. For this day which others fear maist thou long and hope and pray and wait and comfort thy self in all troubles with the remembrance of it 1 Cor. 15. 55 56. 57 58. 1 Thes 4. 17 18. If thou were â—â—ady to be offered to death for Christ or when the time of thy departing is at hand thou maist look back on the good fight which thou hast sought and on the course which thou hast finished and on the Faith which thou hast kept and maist confidently conclude that henceforth there is laid up for thee a Crown of Righteousness which The Lord the Righteous Judge shall give thee at that day and not to thee only but unto all them also that Love his Appearing 2 Tim. 4. 6 7 8. Even so Come Lord Jesus Rev. 22. 20. FINIS This Sermon was proached in the time of the Ecclipse