day of their deaths Surely did they know and feelingly apprehend or would they be brought to believe what horrour and astonishment what terrour and anguish is like then to seize upon them they would count it the greatest point of wisdom in the World speedily to labour for an interest in Jesus Christ who alone can free them as from the sting of death so from these horrours and astonishments which accompany the same and would now ply all the blessed means of salvation as reading hearing praying fasting and the like which are now their burden and bondage yea the matter of their mocks and scorns would then be their daily delight and exercise CHAP. IX Sheweth the miserable and dreadfull condition of the Vnregenerate after their deaths IF this were the conclusion of Unregenerate men that death did put an end to all their miseries happy were it for many But this is their grief and sorrow their woe and misery that all this is the beginning of their sorrows that after all this there is a reckoning to be made for what is past For as it is appointed to men once to dye so after this cometh the judgement Where by the Iudgement that immediately followeth after death the Apostle meaneth the particular judgement which is at the end of each mans life as is evident by this phrase after this which intendeth the time of a mans death For as there is a general judgement at the end of the world So there is a particular judgement that passeth upon each man at the end of this life Ah sinner so soon as thy breath departeth out of thy body it fareth with thy soul as with that man of whom the Prophet Amos speaketh who did flee from a Lion and a Bear met him In like manner thy soul is no sooner escaped out of a miserable World but in a moment it is plunged into another and greater misery Herein lyeth a main difference between the Children of God and the wicked The course which God taketh with his Children is this When the soul is set at liberty from the prison of the body it is instantly conveighed by the Angels into Abraham bosome as is expresly noted of Lazarus And being cloathed with the long white robe of Christs Righteousness is joyned to the spirits of just men made perfect But with the souls of wicked and impenitent sinners it is far otherwise for so soon as they depart out of their bodies they are seized upon by wicked Angels and presently brought before Gods Tribunal-seat where receiving their doom they are instantly sent down into the Kingdom of darkness and bottome of the burning lake there to be reserved in everlasting chains unto the judgement of the great day For the better awakening the Consciences of wicked and impenitent sinners I shall briefly shew you the manner and degrees of this particular judgement 1. As the Iaylor at the Assizes brings forth the Prisoner out of Prison and sets him before the Judge So Sinner the Devil as thy Iaylor brings forth thy soul out of the Prison of thy body and sets it before the glorious presence of God the sight of whom will strike thee with such hellish horrour and astonishment that thou wouldst be glad to have the greatest rock to fall on thee and mightiest mountain to cover thee and there to lye hid everlastingly from the face of him that sitteth on the Throne 2. As when the Prisoner is come before the face of the judge then his accusers bring in their evidence So sinner thou art no sooner set before the face of the Almighty Judge but thy Conscience joyning with the Devil brings in evidence against thee And then all thy filthy thoughts and impure imaginations all thy lyes and oaths with all thy rotten communications and all the secret impurities and villanies of thy whole life will be set before thee and charged upon thy soul. And how dismally will all thy mirth and thy pleasures the houses that thou hast built the lands thou hast purchased the money thou hast hoarded up by iniquity how dreadfully will these look on thee in that day Now thou boastest thy self in thy wealth and blessest thy self in thy pleasures and sportest thy self in thy sins but in what a grim countenance will all these appear when they meet thee before the throne of God Ah sinner What wilt thou then do whither wilt thou fly from the revenging hand of God what mountain canst thou get by entreaty to fall upon thee Truly in this case one would not have thine heart in his breast one hour for all the riches honours and pleasures of the World 3. Then will the Lord hereupon proceed to the sentence of condemnation though haply not vocally yet effectually upon thy soul and say Depart thou cursed into everlasting fire there to be reserved to the Iudgement of the great day Ah sinner what horrour and astonishment will overwhelm thy soul upon that dreadful sentence 4. As the Judge having pronounced the sentence of death delivers up the Prisoners to the Jaylors So then shall God deliver up thy Soul into the hands of the Devils who being thy Jaylours must keep thee to the great day of account Whereupon they will instantly hurry thee into that horrible dungeon and fiery lake where is nothing but weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth Where thou shalt have no other comforter but the cursed Devils who will be continually insulting over thee with hellish spite for slighting and rejecting the offers and tenders of Jesus Christ for neglecting so great Salvation all thy life long and losing Heaven for thy base lusts II. Besides this particular judgement on the souls of the unregenerate at their deaths there will be a general judgement on their souls and bodies re-united at the great and last day For the fuller clearing and opening of this great and fundamental principle of Religion I will shew you 1. That there will be a day of Iudgement 2. The Person who shall be the Iudge 3. The manner of Christs coming to Iudgement 4. The order of Christs proceeding in Iudgement I. For the first that there will be a day of Iudgement is clear from that of the Author to the Hebrews Chap. 6.2 where he reckoneth it amongst the fundamental principles of Religion And Act. 17.31 The Apostle Paul speaking of God saith He hath appointed a day in which he will Iudge the World in righteousness Yea in 2 Cor. 5.10 he puts a MUST upon it We must saith he all appear before the judgement-seat of Christ which implyeth the necessity thereof And truly there is a necessity of a general Iudgement as for the declaration of the equity of Gods particular Iudgement on each man at his death in which respect it is called the day of the revelation of the Righteous Iudgement of God So for a clear manifestation of the justice of God Though God be most just in all his wayes yet
yet was he received to mercy Hast thou been a Blasphemer or a Persecutor of the Saints and servants of God So was Paul and yet he obtained mercy Hast thou been a Filthy unclean person wallowing and delighting like a Sow in the filth of sin and mire of sinfull filthiness So did Mary Magdalea and many of the Corinthians yet were they washed with the blood of Iesus Christ justified and sanctified Hast thou been an Oppressor and Extortioner who hast got thine estate by over-reaching thy neighbours and grinding the faces of the poor So did Matthew and Zacheus who yet found mercy Why then is there not hope of mercy for thee when grace hath embraced such great and heinous sinners Q. Wilt thou say thou art a greater sinner than any of these forementioned A. 1. This is scarce credible But suppose thy sins do exceed the proportion of any one thou canst find pardoned in Scripture yet this were no just ground of despair because the depth of Gods mercy was never yet fathomed God never acted his mercy so far but he is able to act it farther Greater sinners than ever yet were pardoned may be pardoned And therefore though thy sins were more and greater than the sins of others yet there is hope of mercy for thee unless by thine infidelity thou dost exclude thy self from the same 2. Consider that there was no more in Manasseh Mary Magdalen Paul nor any of the Saints now in Heaven to move God to have compassion on them than there is in thee The Apostle saith that there is no difference for all have sinned The true cause of any mans Regeneration is the free grace and love of God For saith the Apostle we were all by nature the Children of wrath even as others But God who is rich in mercy for his great love wherewith he loved us even when we were dead in sins hath quickned us And immediatly addeth By grace ye are saved Now seeing the free grace and love of God is the true cause of mans Regeneration and Salvation why shouldst thou imagine there is less love in God for thee than there was for them Obj. 5. Others object they fear their time and day of grace is past and gone having long stood out and rejected many offers of grace and that it is now too late to seek after the grace of God A. To this I answer that the slighting and rejecting the many offers of grace is very sad yea an heinous sin which calls for thy deepest sorrow and humiliation This made our Saviour to weep over Ierusalem because they neglected the day of their visitation But yet know 1. Though thou hast often refused and rejected the offers of grace yet is not thy condition hopeless in that it is not the sin against the Holy Ghost which alone cannot be pardoned but it is a sin though heinous yet pardonable Many have obtained mercy even for this and so mayest thou upon thy true humiliation and repentance For such is the mercy of God as he both can and will pardon even sins against mercy 2. It 's a question whether there be any Saint on Earth or in Heaven who before their closing with Christ by faith did not stand out against and reject many of his gracious invitations excepting such as were sanctified from the Womb. 'T is the Devil that puts it into thy mouth to say I have slighted many offers of grace therefore my day of grace is past and gone Do we not see by daily experience how Christ brings home some to himself in their old age who questionless in their youth and riper years turned many a deaf ear to his gracious invitations And that Christ is still willing and ready so to do appeareth by this that he continues his offers of grace though formerly neglected How oft would I have gathered thee saith Christ of Ierusalem 3. Christ hath several seasons of Conversion and Regeneration all come not in at the first hour of the day nor at the sixth hour Christ brings home some to himself in the latter end of their lives who have all the former part slighted and rejected his gracious invitations And therefore he will have them often renewed and tendred to poor sinners because though the time of some be to come in at the first offer yet the time of others is to come in upon renewed and multiplyed offers so that often renewing thy refusals is not an eternal prejudice 4. If thou art heartily sorry for thy former refusals and dost now unfeinedly desire to close with Christ I may with confidence say thy day of grace is not past For those affections wrought in thee by the Spirit of God are gracious hints that he intends thee good if yet thou wilt accept Such who have outstood their day are usually given up to a feared Conscience and reprobate mind and are hurried by the Devil to the committing of all manner of sin and wickedness and that with greediness and delight 5. Thou who fearest thy day of grace is past know this that if thou now findest in thy self a willingness to abandon thy former lusts and corruptions and to become a new creature to cast off the Devils service and to become the servant of the Lord Jesus thy day of grace is not past 6. It is evident thy day of grace is not past because the Lord hath not yet given over to strive with thee Is he not yet woing and beseeching thee by the Ministry of his Word by the motions of his Spirit to accept of the reconciliation purchased by the blood of his Son And doth not Christ himself stand knocking at the door of thine heart telling thee that if thou wilt open to him he will come in and sup with thee and thou with him It is yet the acceptable time and day of Salvation if thou wilt accept thou maist be accepted Say not foolishly my day is past but prove it is not so by coming in this day Harden not thine heart this day and thou shalt find God will not harden his ear against thy cry 7. Though thou hast long stood out yet know that God will not presently take the forfeiture of thee neither will Christ suddenly take his advantage against thee If the Lord were as hasty to punish sinners as they are forward to commit sin there would suddenly be an end of all And if Christ should be as forward to reject sinners as they are to reject him what hope of mercy were there But Christ is not so severe he is of great goodness and of great patience he makes tenders of grace and peace over and over again and waits our acceptance In which respect he is said to stand at their door and knock As knocking is usually a repetition of strokes so standing at the door and knocking implyeth his waiting for our opening Ah sinner doth Christ continue to renew his offers of grace and mercy unto thee and wilt
beginning it is said Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy And in the close it is added The Lord blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it that is sanctified it and set it apart to be wholly consecrated to him and to his worship and service That Parents and Masters of Families may the better discharge their duty herein observe these directions 1. Look that your Children and Servant go with you to the Ministry of the Word and let none be left behind without necessary and urgent occasion It being the ordinary means God hath sanctified for the reforming of their lives and the saving of their souls When Iacob went to Bethel to Worship he took his whole houshold with him When Elkaâ—ah went up to offer unto the Lord his Sacrifice all his house went with him In like manner do thou carry thy houshold with thee to the house of God 2. After the publick Ordinances be carefull to call together all under thy charge and let there be a repetition of the Sermons Preached either by thy self or some one of thy Family who can write best And then examine them one after another What they remember of the Sermons they have heard labouring to make them plain unto them and to apply them also Thus did our blessed Saviour with his beloved Disciples for after his Preaching when he was come home he said unto them Have ye understood all these things which ye have heard And Mark saith When they were alone he expounded all things to his Disciples Whereupon one observeth That Christ by his example doth instruct every Master of a Family how to carry himself in reference to those under his charge on the Lords dayes after their departure from the publick Congregation And truly much good will hereby redound as unto your selves so likewise unto all under your charge For 1. It will make them give better attention unto the Ministry of the Word when they know they shall be called to an account and examined what they have heard 2. It would much help and confirm as your selves so your Children and Servants in the understanding and believing of what hath been delivered publickly by the Minister if you would repeat and search the proofs of Scripture which were brought for the confirmation of the doctrine III. Another duâ—y to be performed in and with your Families for the better sanctification of the Lords day is singing of Psalms which as it was much practised by the Saints and people of God of old under the Law so is it both a lawfull and a meet thing to be used by Christians now under the Gospel and that as publickly in the Church so privately in the Family 1. We find it was an ancient custome of the people of God to sing Psalms in their Families according to that of the Psalmist the voice of rejoycing is in the Tabernacle of the righteous that is in the dwelling places and houses of good men 2. We have our Saviour herein for a pattern of whom it is recorded that after the eating of the Passeover which was in a private house he sung a Psalm with his Family IV. Another duty to be performed in and with your Family for the better â—anctification of the Lords day is Reading some part of the holy Scriptures whereof before Chap. VII As also some good Sermon or Treatise of practical truths V. Another duty is Family-prayer Whereof before Chap. VI. VI. Another is Catechising those under your charge whereof see Chap. VIII A conscionable performance of these will exceedingly help forward the sanctification of the Lords day and that without tediousness VII Another duty incumbent on Parents and Masters is godly conference Conferring before your Children and Servants about some good and profitable matter especially of the Sermons you have heard The counsel which the Apostle giveth concerning our words and discourses as it ought to be carefully observed and followed by us at all times so especially on the Lords day Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouths but that which is good to the use of ediâ—â—ing that is to the winning of them who are not converted or to the further building up of those who are already converted And the Prophet Isaiah forbiddeth the speaking our own words on the Sabbath day that is all discourses which are meerly Worldly and about earthly things more than charity and necessity requireth Under which prohibition of not speaking our own words is implyed a direction to speak the word of God or those things which tend to the honour of God and the spiritual good of others VIII That you may the better discharge your duty in looking to the sanctification of the Lords day Be sure you suffer none under your roof to spend any part thereof either in idleness or in sports and pastimes 1. Not iâ— idleness it being not a day of idleness but of spiritual action 2. Not in sports and pastimes especially such as tend to carnal and sensual delight For the Lord hath forbidden every man the following his own pleasure on his holy day And the truth is sports and pastimes are greater impediments to the worship and service of God than the ordinary works of our calling in that they do more subtilly steal away the heart from holy duties than those do Whereupon St. Austin thought it better to plow on the Lords day than to dance and sport Obj. Some Object and plead the hard labour their servants have undergone the week before and thence think they may be allowed a little recreation on the Lords day A. 1. The rest of the Lords day is the best and fittest recreation for the refreshing of their bodies who have been tired with labour the six dayes before And if they be spiritually minded the best and fittest recreation for the refreshing of their souls is singing of Psalms the perusing their spiritual evidences for Heaven the solacing themselves in the meditation of Christ of what he hath done and suffered for them holy conference and the like 2. If you think bodily recreations necessary for your servants health why do you not rather allow them some part of your own time on the week-dayes than to rob God of any part of his day which he hath wholly appropriated to the duties of his Worship and service Whereas the Lord might have reserved six dayes for himself and allowed but one unto us he hath dealt so bountifully and graciously with us as to reserve but one to himself and leave six for our business And shall we be so ungratefull as to encroach upon it and Sacrilegiously steal away some part of that small time which he hath reserved to himself for our Servants recreation CHAP. X. Of Exemplary lives in Parents and Masters of Families V. ANother duty incumbent on Parents and Masters of Families is To shew themselves patterns of piety and Godliness unto their Children and Servants by an holy
offering up a Morning Sacrifice of Prayer and thanksgiving Lord we acknowledge our great unworthiness to come into thy presence to present our Prayers and supplications unto thee But though we are unworthy yet Christ is worthy We beseech thee therefore for his sake to look graciously upon us to pass by our unworthiness and to strengthen our weakness To this end as we draw near unto thee so be thou pleased to draw near unto us enabling us to pray as with humility and sincerity so with zeal and fervency of spirit and with faith in Jesus Christ looking for audience and acceptance in and thorow him Blessed Lord God we cannot but acknowledge thou didst at first create us in a blessed and happy estate even after thine own image endowing us with true knowledge holiness and righteousness But we soon fell from that state of innocency and blessedness in the loynes of our first Father Adam and implunged our selves with him into a dreadfull gulf of sin and misery For O Lord besides the guilt of Adams sin we have contracted from him a Mass of corruption which hath poysoned our very natures polluted and defiled all the faculties of our souls with all the parts and members of our bodies So that we may more truly in regard of our spiritual uncleanness cry out Vnclean Vnclean than the Leper under the Law in regard of his bodily uncleanness And O Lord to this corruption of our natures we have added many many actual sins of our own which as they have been hainous in their quality so in their number and multitude have far exceeded the hairs of our heads and the sands on the Sea-shore which cannot be numbred The which we have committed through the whole course of our lives from our infancy to this present time So that we are now grown old in sin and overgrown with corruption Though the time thou hast allotted us here to live is very little even as a moment to Eternity yet alas how little of this little have we lived to thee our God or to the good of our own souls having mis-spent the greatest part of our dayes in vanity and pleasure We have continued ignorant of thee how much means of knowledge have we had and yet how little knowledge have we gotten oh how little have we done for our souls or the other World We have not considered what is like to become of us hereafter How little care and pains have we taken to make sure for Eternity we have taken the course to undo our selves for ever We have broken every one of thy most holy and righteous Laws ten thousand thousand times Yea we have sinned against thy Gospel in slighting the offers of grace Though thou hast sent unto us Ambassadour after Ambassadour to wooe and beseech us to abandon our sins and to receive Jesus Christ yet alas how have we slighted thy messengers and turned a deaf ear to all thy gracious invitations Though we are willing to take Christ for our Saviour to preserve us from hell and damnation yet alas how unwilling are we to take him for our Lord and King to yield obedience and subjection unto him Lord we cannot but acknowledge our great unthankfulness under those manifold favours and mercies thou hast in a plentiful measure conferred on us as also our unprofitableness under thy Fatherly chastisâ—ments laid upon us in love and for our good our discontentedness at our present state and condition And oh how careless and negligent have we been in the discharge of the duties of our places callings and relations Oh the multitude of worldly and covetous thoughts of proud and ambitious thoughts of wicked and prophane thoughts of wanton and unclean thoughts yea and of blasphemous and atheistical thoughts that lodge in the hearts of most of us and there revel it day and night And O Lord we cannot but acknowledge the deadness of our hearts the distractions of our minds in the performing holy duties We are active and lively about our worldly businesses but oh how dull and flat are we in our religious exercises praying as if we prayed not and hearing as if we heard not Lord make us truly apprehensive of our sins and misery that we may humble our selves under a sense of them and turn unto thee by true and unfained repentance Turn us O God and we shall be turned draw us and we will run after thee And O Lord whilest we are returning unto thee meet us we pray thee in the way and like a tender Father embrace us with the arms of thy mercy Our sins we confess are many and hainous yet we know and believe thy mercies are far more and the merits of Jesus Christ are far greater and therefore we are resolved to adventure our souls as upon the mercies of theâ— our God so upon the merits of Jesus Christ into whose arms we here cast our selves Oh be pleased to make us partakers both of the merit of Christs death in freeing us from the guilt of sin and of the virtue of Christs death in freeing us from the power and dominion of sin that it may not rule and raign in us as formerly Lord work in us a loathing and a true hatred of every sin especially of such we have been most addicted to and have most delighted in To this end convince us what a folly yea madness it is for the short fruition of a momentany pleasure here to implunge our selves into everlasting burnings Oh convert every unconverted soul among us bring us to Christ make us adventurers for the other World let us be resolved henceforth for an holy and righteous life instruct us in thy wayes and teach us thy Sâ—atutes Break the power of our sins subdue our rebellion and make us willing to be the Lord's Change our evil natures and give us another Spirit Help us sincerâ—ly to choose thee as our portion to love and fear and trust in thee and to walk humbly with thee all the dayes of our life Help us to set our affections on things abovâ— and no longer on this earth let us dye daily to sin and this World let us exercise our selvâ—s in keeping a good Consâ—iâ—nce towards God and men let us work out our Salvation with fear and trembling and give all diligence to make our calling and election sure and let not our labour herein be in vain Keep us O Lord from our iniquities keep us from the way of lying from all unrighteous and unjust dealing from wrath and evil speaking let us be true temperate peaceable and mercifull as the children of our heavenly Father Help us to be serious and savoury and tender and watchfull and hold us on constantly in our holy course to the end of our dayes Lord take us into thy keeping and protection this day keep us from all danger especially from sinning against thee To this end make us watchfull both against the occasions of sins and temptations thereunto Keep us we pray thee
A WORD to SINNERS And a WORD to SAINTS The Former tending to the awakening the Consciences of secure Sinners unto a lively sense and apprehension of the dreadfull condition they are in so long as they live in their Natural and Unregenerate Estate The Latter tending to the directing and perswading of the Godly and Regenerate unto several singular Duties As also a Word to Housholders stirring them up to the good old way of serving God in and with their Families from Ioshuah's resolution Josh. 24.15 As for me and my house we will serve the Lord. Set forth especially for the Use and Benefit of the Inhabitants of St. Sepulchres Parish London By Tho. Gouge Late Pastor thereof LONDON Printed for George Sawbridge living on Clerkenwell-Green 1668. To my dearly beloved Friends the Inhabitants of St. Sepulchres Parish London Beloved Friends TO further the salvation of mens souls as it is a most excellent work so it ought to be the study and endeavour both of every Christian in his place and calling and especially of the Ministers of the Gospel whose office and function calls upon them more importunately to labour therein Now since Regeneration is absolutely necessary to Salvation and that there can be no entrance into the new Ierusalem without a new birth I have according to that ability which the Lord hath given me set forth in this small Treatise the nature and necessity of Regeneration together with the Means on your part to be performed for the better attaining thereunto Most of these truths have been Preached in your hearing and now they are presented to your sight that thereby you may be put in remembrance of them and more thorowly affected with them Though I cease to be your Minister yet I shall not cease to do what in me lyeth to further your eternal happiness It was my hearty desire of your everlasting welfare that first put me upon Preaching on this Subject and the like desire hath ingaged me to present the same to your view Herein have I set before you Heaven and Hell Happiness and Misery Oh that you would be so wise as to choose Heaven rather than Hell Happiness rather than Misery That I should adventure these Notes into the World is not out of any conceit that there is any thing extraordinary in them being Conscious to my self of much Weakness but meerly out of that strong affection I bear to your souls welfare For my hearts desire for you is that you may be saved And will the Lord but bless this small Treatise to the Regeneration or Edification of any of your Souls I have the end of all my pains and cost Avoiding all affectation of Words I have used plainness of speech it being alwayes my chief design in the whole course of my Ministry to affect the Hearts and Consciences of my Hearers rather than to tickle their Ears and please their Phansie That I may not detain you longer I shall close this Epistle with three requests unto you 1. That you kindly accept of this small Book which treats on a subject so necessary to your everlasting happiness 2. That you would be pleased as to peruse it your selves so to take some time to read it to your Families If you cannot find leisure on the week dayes than to read some part thereof on each Lords day till you have read it through 3. That you would not lock it up in your closets but suffer it to lye in your houses where your Children and Servants may peruse it as they find opportunity Who knoweth how successfull and fruitful this plain Treatise may prove if the Lord shall be pleased to accompany it with his blessing That the Lord therefore would so bless these my poor and weak endeavours that such as are yet in their natural state may be converted that Converts may be improved and built up in that grace wherein they stand is the unfeigned desire and hearty Prayer of Your Servant in the Work of the Gospel who hath been and still is desirous of your Spiritual welfare Tho. Gouge THE CONTENTS THE Exposition of the first verse Page 1. The Observation thence raised The greatest of sinners are oftentimes received to mercy 3. The Exposition of the second verse 4. The Observation thence raised True faith may be exceeding weak ibid. The Exposition of the third verse wherein Christ declareth to Nicodemus the Necessity of Regeneration 7. The Observations thence raised 1. Christ is ready to entertain those that in truth and uprightness seek unto him though their weakness and infirmities be many 8. 2. Regeneration is necessary to Salvation 15. For the Explication of which point is shewed 1. The Nature of Regeneration what it is 16. 2. The Parts of Regeneration 19. 1. Mortification ib. 2. Vivification 20. 3. The causes which concurr to the work of Regeneration which are four 21. 1. The Efficient 2. The Material 3. The Formal 4. The Final 22. The Reasons proving Regeneration necessary to Salvation 23. Vse of Exhortation 1. To the Vnregenerate 2. To the Regenerate 28. 1. To the Vnregenerate that they earnestly desire and industriously labour after a saving change in the use of all means God hath sanctified thereunto ib. Quickning Motives thereunto drawn 1. From the Excellency of Regeneration 29. 2. From the Vtility of Regeneration 30. 3. From the Necessity of Regeneration 31. The Means to be performed for the better attaining thereunto brought to two heads 1. The Embracing some truths 2. The Practising some duties The Truths to be Embraced are these 1. That every man in his state of unregeneracy is in a miserable estate and dreadfull condition 33. 2. That there is hope of mercy for the greatest sinners ib. The miseries of the Unregenerate in this life 34. 1. They are Servants to their Lusts. ib. 2. They are slaves to the Devil 35. 3. They are under the curse of God which continually hangeth over their heads 36. 4. They are under the guilt of all their sins 37. 5. They are lyable to all sorts of Iudgements viz. Temporal Spiritual and Eternal 38. The miserable condition of the Vnregenerate at their deaths in several particulars 39. The dreadful estate of the Vnregenerate after their deaths in several particulars 47. Of the particular Iudgement that immediately followeth after death 48. Of the General Iudgement at the end of the World 49. The Person who shall be the Iudge 51. The Manner of Christs coming to Iudgement which will be As in great Glory and Majesty 53. So in great terrour to the wicked and impenitent 54. The Order of Christs proceeding in Iudgement 56. The dolefull condition of the Vngenerate after the Day of Iudgement which in general is most cursed 72. That Cursed estate is manifest 1. By privation of all felicity ib. 2. By subjection to all misery 73. Which misery is set out I. By sundry resemblances as 1. Darkness yea outer Darkness 76. 2. Torment which is the extremity of pain 77. 3. Fire
in this World it is not so evidently discerned Because God in Wisdom oft suffereth the wicked to prosper yea and to domineer over the Righteous Here the best men are ofttimes the worst used and most wronged Here the true Prophets of God are fed with bread and water in their Caves whilest the false Prophets of Baal fared plentifully at Iezabels Table Here Dives sits in his Palace cloathed richly faring sumptuously every day whilest Lazarus lyeth at his gate naked and hungry But then God will reader to every one according to his deeds When as Heaven and everlasting happiness shall be the lott of the righteous So hell and eternal horrour shall be the portion of the unrighteous Thus you see there will be a day of Judgement Oh how terrible will this day of Judgement be unto the unregenerate and wicked To them it will be a day of wrath a day of trouble and distress a day of darkness and gloominess Then shall the drunkard drink deepest of the cup of Gods wrath the fornicator and adulterer who burned with the fire of lust burn in the fire of Hell Then shall the glutton who gave himself up to the satisfying of his greedy appetite be pinched with hunger and parched with thirst not having a drop of water to cool his flaming tongue Then shall the worldling and covetous wretch feel his loads of ill-gotten goods sinking and drowning him in perdition and destruction pressing him down to the bottom of the infernal lake Ah sinner How doth it concern thee to retire into some secret place and there seriously to ponder on this day of judgement Ask thine heart this question Is it certain there will be a day of judgement or no If it be certain Oh then why do I not prepare for it by breaking off my sins and making my peace with God before that day come upon me why do I not labour for an interest in Christ by whom alone I can be freed from eternal death and condemnation why do I not now give all diligence to make my Calling and Election sure Oh sinner reason thus with thy self thou knowest not of what advantage a few such serious thoughts may be to thy soul. When Paul Preached to the Athenians he urged them to repent and turn from their sins from this very ground and reason Because the Lord had appointed a day in which he will judge the World in righteousness Oh repent therefore and turn ye from your wicked wayes for why will ye dye and perish eternally in your sins Seek unto the Lord while he may be found and call upon him while he is nigh Christ now stands knocking at the door of thine heart by the Ministers of his Word the motions of his Spirit and checks of thine own Conscience Oh give him speedy and willing entertainment The time will come when thou wilt knock with the foolish Virgins and shalt not be heard and repent with Iudas and not be accepted For the Lord will have his day when thine is past and a day of Iudgement for thy punishment that didst slight and reject the day of mercy for thine amendment II. For the Person who shall be the Iudge It is Christ that shall be Iudge who shall in a visible shape both judge and pronounce sentence upon all men as the sentence of absolution on the elect so the sentence of condemnation on the wicked Indeed judging the World being a work ad extra which is terminated upon or respects the creature it is common to the whole Trinity So that neither the Father nor the Holy Ghost are excluded but yet it is in Scripture more especially appropriated to the Son And that partly as a recompence of his humiliation and partly because the proceedings of the judgement being visible it seemed convenient that the Iudge himself should be conspicuous And therefore Christ in his humane nature shall judge the World and denounce the doom of condemnation against the wicked ones yet shall he do all as Immanuel God and man Oh how terrible will the sight of Jesus Christ as Iudge be unto all carnal and impenitent wretches who when they shall see him sitting upon the Throne whose gracious invitations they have slighted whose Ministers and Ambassadours they have wronged and contemned whose ordinances they have neglected and whom they have often crucified by their sins how then will their hearts be appalled with dread and terrour entreating the rocks and mountains to fall on them and hide them from the face of him that sitteth on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb. A poor believer on that day seeing Christ sitting upon the Throne may with comfort say Loe yonder is he who dyed to save me who shed his blood for my redemption and rose again for my justification and is now come to judge both the quick and the dead But thou who dyest in thy sins canst not but with much anguish of Spirit in that day cry out and say Loe yonder is he who came from Heaven to save poor lost sinners and who did Sabbath after Sabbath even all my life long by his Ministers wooe and bâ—seech me to abandon my lusts and to receive him as my Lord and Saviour to yield subjection unto him and his laws and to rest upon him alone for life and salvation who now would have received me into eternal bliss and happiness But I miserable wretch that I was did slight his woings and beseechings turning a deaf ear to the calls of his grace and preferred my lusts and corruptions bâ—fore the Lord and his salvation yea and all my life long opposed his Kingdom and government as quite contrary to my carnal heart and sensual pleasures wherein I took much content and delight This is the Iudge who now sits on life and death and from whom I must now receive my seâ—tence And oh what a fearfull sentence must I expect from such a wronged contâ—mâ—ed câ—raged righteous Iudge What will he award me whether will he seâ—d me Oh my sins my sins have cloathed his soul with fury against me O my soul what Talents of wrath and vengeance will this righteous provoked Iudge lay upon thee how will he bind thee in chains of darkness and setters of eternal fire Oh therefore that we were so wise as now in this our day and time of grace so to renounce boâ—h our own wickedness and righteousness as to joyn our selves to our Lord resigning up our souls to the government of his holy laws adventuring and relying upon the merit of his blood resolving to follow him in holiness that hereby we may make him sure to us against that terrible day III. For the Manner of Christs coming to Iudgement it will be as in great glory so in great terrour to the wicked and impenitent 1. Christ will come in great glory aâ—d Majesty even in the glory of the Father This is the most glorious work that Christ
of the Lord. Oh therefore let us here often keep a day of judgement in our own souls and consciences by a serious examining of our selves concerning our sins and judging and condemning our selves for the same and then let us in all humility prostrate our selves at the Throne of grace pleading the mercy of God and merits of Christ for the pardon and forgiveness of them all giving no rest to our souls till we have some comfortable evidence and assurance thereof which will cause us to lift up our heads with joy at the great day of account VI. After conviction and manifestation of all their sinfull actions follows the sentence of condemnation and what it is our Saviour himself hath shewed Matth 25.41 Depart from me ye cursed into everlasting fire prepared for the Devil and his Angels O dreadful sentence every word whereof carryeth much terrour in it and breatheth nothing but woe and misery yea fire and brimstone So terrible is this sentence that the first hearing thereof will make all ears to glow and tingle Depart from me that is from Iesus Christ the fountain of bliss and happiness This the wicked make light of at present for taking more delight in their sinful lusts and pleasures than in Christs presence they are willing to depart from him Whereas in truth it is a most grievous misery for as the Psalmist speaketh in his presence there is fulness of joy and pleasures for evermore So to be cast out of his presence is to be cast away from the fountain of all joy and pleasure yea from glory and Salvation for if from Christ then from all that is his even his glory and salvation Ah sinner What a terrour what a torment will this be unto thee at that great day This will be a great part of thy torment that thou shalt be excluded and that from Christ and his glory when others shall be admitted as our Saviour speaketh There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth when ye shall see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the Prophets in the Kingdom of God and you your selves thrust out Oh the fears and distractions the horrour and confusion the tearing of hair and gnashing of teeth the wringing of hands and dashing of knees that these words will produce Depart from me Oh that sinners would lay this to heart You that now bid God depart from you you will have none of his knowledge none of his commands God will requite you in your own kind he will then command you to depart from him Ye cursed To depart from Christ were hell enough but thou must also go with a curse even a curse that comprehends all woes and miseries under it This curse will be a thousand times more grievous than the cursed and bitter water was to the defiled woman which caused her belly to swell her thigh to rot and made her accursed among her people For upon the pronouncing of this curse not only the belly and thigh but likewise head and heart yea body and soul of the wicked shall be filled with rottenness and bitterness and become accursed before God men and Angels Now thou cursest every one that stands in the way of thy lusts and that crosseth thee in thy designs But at the great and last day all the curses of Heaven and Hell shall meet in thee so that thou shalt be cursed with a witness And truly to be under Gods curse is the quintessence of misery Into everlasting fire What! into fire and into everlasting fire Ah wretches cursed indeed For as the Prophet Isaiah speaketh who can dwell with devouring fire who can dwell with everlasting burnings which shall not be quenched night nor day but fed continually with Rivers of brimstone and kept still in flame and fierceness by the unquencheable wrath of the just God to all Eternity The torment of the wicked in hell will be as without any intermission so without any end After they have there been tormented hundreds thousands millions of dayes years and ages their torments will be as far from ending as if they were then beginning And is not this misery enough to lye in fire in everlasting burnings this is even beyond the expression of men or Angels If a man knew he must lye in a flaming fire but one day or hour Oh what fear and horror would possess his soul But what is a day or an hour or an age to eternity Oh then what stupidity and senselesness hath possessed the hearts of sinful men who by all this are not frighted from their sins The fear of Nebuchadnezzar's fiery Furnace made men do any thing to avoid it And shall not the fear of everlasting fire in hell make men do any thing to escape it this methinks should awaken them and cause them not only to humble themselves for their sins and to beg the pardon of them but also to cast away their transgressions to strive against them watch against them pray against them begging power and strength from Christ to keep down the power of their lusts that hurry them on in their sinfull wayes It is one of the wonders of the world how men who do believe the word of Christ to be true that the wicked shall go into everlasting fire can wittingly and wilfully adventure upon sinfull wayes the end whereof they know will be so dreadful and astonishing Prepared for the Devil and his Angels That is you shall not only be cast into a lake of fire and brimstone but you shall there dwell with those hellish Fiends the Devil and his Angels who are the best company you are like to have Sad company for distressed souls and yet in that dismal dungeon you shall have no better company or comforters who will be continually insulting over you with hellish exprobrations for neglecting so great salvation offered unto you time after time and being so foolish as to loose the joys and pleasures of Heaven which last to all Eternity for the enjoyment of some base lust which lasted but for a season It was a dreadful punishment which was executed upon Nebuchadnezzar when he was cast out of the society of men and turned a grasing with the beasts of the field But what was that in comparison of this to be cast out of the presence of Christ and society of Saints and to have only the company of the Devils and damned in hell We read in the Gospel of a Woman who came unto Christ and said unto him Have mercy on me O Lord for my daughter is grievously vexed with a Devil Now if it were such a grievous misery to be vexed with one Devil what is it to be vexed and tormented with all the Legions of Devils in Hell Oh what terrour and trembling what horrour and amazement will seize on their souls that have received this dreadful sentence When King Belshazzar saw his sentence written upon the wall though he could not read it it is said
his countenance was changed his thoughts troubled him so that the joynts of his Loyns were loosed and his knees smote one against another How much more shall the wicked tremble and quake and their knees smite one against another for fear at the great day when they shall hear the sentence of condemnation pronounced by Jesus Christ How will they then run like men distracted to the Mountains and Hills for covert and shelter How will they then beg and yell again for mercy to a judge that is justly inexorable I say justly inexorable to them having scornfully rejected his many loving invitations and earnest beseechings by his Ministers to accept of that peace and reconciliation which he hath purchased by his blood Oh that men would consider that one tear or sigh of a penitent heart will now more prevail for attainment of mercy than all their bitter and importunate yellings in that day of Gods wrath VII After the promulgation of the sentence followeth the execution and sending of the persons judged to their everlasting estate as it is written And these shall go away into everlasting punishment So that now comes the eternal separation from Christ and possession of those torments which are easeless and endless For then shall they be hurried by the Devils as their Iaylors out of Christs presence and dragged into the bottomless lake of outer-darkness that perpetually burneth with fire and brimstone Oh the hellish cryes and horrible shrieks that then will be heard no heart can conceive or imagine what an hideous cry it will be When the inhabitants of Sodom and Gomorrah felt the fire and brimstone falling from Heaven upon their heads And when the earth opened her mouth to swallow up Corah and his company and they saw themselves going down quick into the pit Oh the cryes which were then heard Oh the shrieks which then filled the air But alas what were these to the outcryes which will be made and to the scrieches which will be heard when the Devils and reprobate men and women shall be violently driven into Hell never never to return again For though they houl and cry to the judge for mercy and redemption pitty and compassion yet will they find no answer but too late too late Mercy and pardon and peace have been preached to thee but thou wouldst not hearken thou wouldst not accept Thy day is over the things of thy peace are hid from thine eyes henceforth no more for ever Ah sinner hadst thou now an heart to turn from thy sins unto God by true and unfaigned repentance and to pray unto him for mercy in and through the merits of Jesus Christ there were hope of mercy But at the day of judgement thy repentance and thy prayers will nothing avail The judge will not then be intreated by thee and no marvel seeing thou wouldst not hearken to him in the day of his merciful visitation But though he sent unto thee messenger after Messenger Ambassadour after Ambassadour to woe and beseech thee to abandon thy sins and to accept of him for thy Lord and Saviour yet wouldst thou not leave one beloved sin nor deny one fleshly lust for all his intreaties And therefore on that day will he not be intreated by thee notwithstanding thy manifold cryes and prayers If thou wilt not believe me hear Christs own words to this purpose Because I have called and ye refused I have stretched out my hand and no man regarded But y e have set at nought all my counsel and would none of my reproof I will also laugh at your calamity I will mock when your fear cometh as desolation and your destruction as a whirlwind when distress and anguish cometh upon you then shall they call upon me but I will not answer they shall seek me early but they shall not find me Ah sinner time was when he called to thee turn from thy sins cast away thy transgressions accept of grace submit to mercy be wise be happy thou maist if thou wilt but thou wouldst not but hast sold thy mercy and thy peace and thy Saviour and thy soul for thy lusts and the pleasures of sin And therefore though in thy greatest extremity thou cry unto him for mercy he will tell thee that thy day of mercy is past and gone and the day of vengeance is come wherein he will no longer entreat nor no more be entreated Ah sinner how will it then wound thy very soul to remember thy folly in neglecting thy season and refusing so great salvation How will it make thee with anguish of heart to cry out Ah silly wretch where was thine understanding to sleight such gracious invitations to preferr every base lust before the Lord of life to turn aside from him that spake unto thee from Heaven and to turn after thy companions and the pleasures of this earth to put off the turning from thy sins and making thy peace with God till it was too late Oh now would I give a World if I had it for one offer of Christ more for one Sabbath more to make my peace with God and to make sure of Christ but alas it is now too late Oh the fears and distractions the tearing of the hair and wringing of the hands the gnashing of teeth and dashing of knees the weeping and wailing the crying and roaring that this will produce especially when thou shalt consider how God every Sabbath called upon thee by his Ministers to turn from thy sins unto him but thine ear and thine heart were shut against him And how Jesus Christ was offered and tendred to thee only upon these terms that thou wouldst cast away thy sins and cast thy self into his arms and yet thou wouldst not go unto him but refusedst and rejectedst him and his grace This sad reflection of thy soul upon its own wilful folly in neglecting and outstanding thy day will be the everlasting worm that will gnaw on thy heart World without end Oh the folly and madness of all wicked men who go on securely and impenitently in their sins till they drop into hell-fire Is this thy Wisdom to sin awhile and burn for ever to laugh a while and howle for ever for a little momentary pleasure here to suffer the vengeance of eternal fire Ah sinner that thou wouldst now forethink of this dreadful time and woful misery which hangs over thine head that when thou art alone thou wouldst seriously consider with thy self as the certainty and dreadfulness of this day so what thy condition is like to be that thou mightest thereby be stirred up to make out after Christ by whom thou maist escape the wrath to come Now whilest Christ is Preached to thee in the Ministry of the Gospel mercy and salvation is offered and now if ever is the time to accept it Oh therefore that now even now in this thy time and day of grace thou wouldst know the things that belong to thy peace that thou wouldst now
in the fire So shall the wicked live for ever in the fire of hell Though they seek for death yet they shall not find it though they be alwayes burning yet they shall not be consumed though they be alwayes gnawed upon by the Worm of Conscience yet they shall never be devoured Which makes the misery of the damned in hell most exquisitely miserable Men in misery comfort themselves with hope of an end The Prisoner with hope of Goal-delivery the Apprentice with hope of a freedom and liberty the Gally-slave with hope of a ransome only the poor wretches in hell have no hope of freedom and liberty at all they are as far from an end of their torments as at their first beginning and entrance thereinto If there might be any end of their torments though it should be after so many millions of years as there are Sands on the Sea-shore or Stars in the Firmament it would be some comfort to those who endure them But Eternity is the very hell of hells and that which most of all breaks the very hearts of the damned The present sense of pain being not so grievous to the damned as it is to think that after thousands yea thousand thousands of years they shall be as far either from end or from ease as they were the first hour of their falling into it Surely if to a man tormented with the gout stone or collick one night seemeth exceeding long Oh how long do you think eternity that night which shall never know morning will seem to those who shall lye tormented and roaring in a bed of flame with wicked fiends and Devils about them daily and hourly adding to their torment If one short nights pain be so tedious and grievous what will that eternal night be Ah sinner thou art not now able to endure the sudden scorch of a fire nor to hold one of thy fingers over the flame of a Candle for a quarter of an hour How wilt thou then endure to lye in a fiery flaming Furnace not only an hour or a day but years yea millions of years Some have thus represented the eternity of hell-torments Suppose say they that all the vast space which is between Heaven and Earth were filled with Sands and God should command an Angel once in every thousand years to fetch away one small grain what an innumerable number of years would be spent before all those sands would be fetcht away yet shalt thou abide thus long in hell-fire and when they are expired continue as long again and again and a thousand times told for Eternity knows no beginning no middle no end but after a thousand thousand millions of years there are still as many more to come and when these many more are come and gone thy torments are as far from the last as they were at the first What heart can think of these things without horrour and amazement Suppose that for some high-treason against the Kings-person thou wert condemned to be cast into a fiery flaming Furnace or Caldron of boyling lead and there to continue a thousand years how sad would thy condition be yet this were a mercy to hell-torments For after thou hast layn ten thousand thousand years in a Furnace of fire kept up in the highest flame by the breath of Gods wrath there is full as much behind as there was on thy first-day Thou sinnedst in thine eternity and therefore must suffer in Gods eternity Thou sinnedst against an infinite God despising his infinite grace and mercy and the infinite merits of Christ and wouldst have drawn out thy sin to the length of eternity and therefore must suffer an infinite eternal punishment Thou never heartily repentedst of thy sins and therefore God will never repent him of thy sufferings This is the day of Gods-long-suffering and that will be the day of thy long-suffering when thou shalt suffer long for thine abusing the long-suffering of God Ah sinner sinner what stupidity hath seised on thee that thou shoulst be lyable to eternal torments in hell and yet live as carelesly and prophanely as if it did no way at all concern thee Know for certain that though thou dost not as yet feel these torments yet thou art every moment subject and hasting thereunto A cloud of fire and brimstone hangeth over thine head and the Lord knoweth how suddenly it may fall upon thee It is certainly decreed in Heaven that if thou turn not here from thy sins unto God by true and unfaigned repentance and turn over a new leaf leading a new course of life thou shalt lye in a lake of brimstone to all eternity and thou knowest not how soon God may seal the warrant for thine execution Oh sinner that I could prevail with thee once a day to steep thy thoughts in a serious meditation of the Eternity of hell-torments Certainly it would abate the heat of thy lusts and take off the edge of thy love to thy most pleasing vanities and stop thee in the eager pursuit of thy carnal pleasures For wouldst thou be content to run the hazard of such torments for thy present ease of such plagues for thy present pleasures of such thick darkness for the light of thine own sparks of such an Eternity for a few jocund hours Oh when wilt thou awake from this folly Thou who now givest thy self up to the gratifying of thy sinfull lusts to the satisfying of thy brurish pleasures who art sowing daily to the flesh sowing oaths and curses and lyes and adulteries c. without considering what a bitter harvest thou shalt have after such a black seed-time should I but ask thee how much pleasure thou wouldst take to lye but one day in such a burning Furnace as Nebuchadnezzars was after it was heated seven times more for the three Children I dare boldly say thou wouldst not lye therein one quarter of an hour for all the pleasures and riches in the World How is it then that for a little pleasure which endureth but for a moment thou dost so little regard the lying in the Furnace of hell-fire to all eternity In the fear of God therefore often think as of the extremity so of the eternity of hell-torments Me-thinks the very thought thereof should forthwith call off the drunkard from following the Ale-house with his vain companions and the swearer from taking the name of God so often in vain and the voluptuous person from his sensual delights and wanton dalliances and the worldling from his immoderate seeking after earthly riches and treasures and cause every of them out of hand to set upon another and a wiser course to mind the good of their immortal souls and bethink themselves in earnest how they might escape the wrath to come to cast away sin to cry after mercy to run over to Jesus Christ with their tongues with their eyes with their hearts full of prayers Lord save me or I perish Lord teach me what I must do to be saved Lord pardon me
believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life Where by the World is meant indefinitely mankind of what Nation or Condition Sex or State Age or other Difference soever they be And therefore the offer of Christ is indefinitely to all without exception of any there being no state or condition of men which God hath excluded from Salvation by Christ which doth clearly evidence his willingness to save poor sinners Oh sinner seeing God doth freely offer Christ to all without exception of any do not thou except thy self limit not where God hath not limited say not I am unworthy or my sins are many and heinous cloathed with many aggravating circumstances but stir up thy self to adventure thy soul on Christ upon the general offer of him in the Gospel The first work of faith in many hath been to adventure their souls on Christ upon the free offer of him to all indefinitely Do thou in like manner adventure to cast thy self upon the free grace of God in Christ with resolution to abandon thy lusts for the time to come and to take Christ for thy Lord and Husband as well as for thy Priest and Saviour This is that which God requireth and if he hath perswaded thine heart to this it is a good sign that mercy is intended for thee 7. Gods willingness appeareth from his beseeching poor sinners to be reconciled to him as the Apostle expresseth We are Ambassadours for Christ as though he did beseech you by us we pray you in Christs stead be reconciled to God Ah sinner rather than thou shouldst perish in thy sins God himself who is the God of mercy doth as it were kneel down before thee and beseecheth thee for the Lord Jesus Christ his sake to pitty thy poor soul and to accept of the reconcilâ—ation which Christ hath purchased by his bloody death and passion Oh the depth of the incomprehensible love of God to poor sinners that he should not only command and invite but likewise beseech and intreat them to turn from their sins unto him and accept of the reconciliation purchased by the blood of his Son Jesus Christ. Surely this must needs evidence his great willingness to save poor sinners 8. His willingness further appeareth by his sending Ministers as his Ambassadours unto poor sinners upon terms of peace and reconciliation as the Apostle expresseth in the forementioned place We are Ambassadours to beseech you to be reconciled to God As if he had said We are commanded by the Lord our Master to offer you terms of peace and reconciliation to profer you peace and pardon if you will heartily turn from your sins unto God We are sent as Ambassadours to acquaint you what Christ hath done and suffered for your redemption how he hath fulfilled the Law for you and offered up his life as a Sacrifice and satisfaction to Gods justice for your sins and how you may be happy for ever if you will rest upon Christs perfect righteousness and all-sufficient Sacrifice for life and salvation and give up your selves unto him to serve and obey his laws and commandments I do here therefore as Gods Ambassadour in his name proclaim to the worst of you to the greatest and oldest sinner that you may have mercy and Salvation if you will abandon your lusts and close with Jesus Christ upon the terms of the Gospel receiving him for your King Priest and Prophet Oh how can we but stand amazed at the riches of Gods mercy and goodness that when we upon the knees of our souls should have sought unto him for peace and reconciliation yet that he being the great Lord of Heaven and of Earth should condescend so far as to send Ambassadours unto us sinfull dust and ashes to intreat us to be reconciled to him to accept his grace and favour Oh how doth this evidence his great willingness that poor sinners should not perish but have everlasting life Certainly if God had taken more pleasure in your damnation than in your salvation he would never have sent his Ministers as Ambassadours to shew you the way and means of salvation by receiving Christ as your Lord and Saviour and giving up your selves unto him he would never have perswaded you by so many arguments and beseeched you to turn from your sins unto him that your souls might live in glory to all Eternity 9. Gods willingness doth likewise appear from the greatness of his patience in bearing with sinners For the Lord having used all means for the conversion of poor sinners he waits with much patience and long-suffering for their repentance to see whether they will turn from their sins unto him or no. He waits upon the Swearer the Drunkard the Whore-Master the covetous Worldling day after day week after week year after year crying after them as he did after Ierusalem Oh will ye not be made clean Oh when will it once be When wilt thou leave thy Swearing thy Drinking thy Whoring thy Covetousness and the like And when will thy prophane heart be sanctified thine unclean heart be purified and thy carnal heart spiritualized oh when will it once be oh sinner who art now grown old in sin how long hath the Lord waited on thee for shame let him wait no longer but turn thee turn thee from thy wicked wayes and courses that thou maist receive mercies from him This patience of God towards sinners must needs evidence his willingness to have them saved For if he had not been willing he would have cut them off long agoe and have dealt with them as he did with the Devils who had no sooner sinned but he clapt his chains upon them and still reserves them to the great day in chains of darkness 10. Gods willingness appeareth in that he hath made the way of salvation as easie as can stand with his honour For the way of salvation now is only believing in Iesus Christ for so runs the covenant of grace believe and ye shall be saved Whereas the Covenant of works ran thus Do this and live So that now whosoever believeth in Iesus Christ shall be saved that is whosoever receiveth Jesus Christ as his Lord and Saviour giving himself up to be ruled by him and resteth upon his perfect righteousness and all-sufficient Sacrifice for the pardon of his sins here and for eternal salvation hereafter Shall not perish but have everlasting life The covenant of works required perfect obedience in every mans own person But the Covenant of grace requireth only our sincere endeavour to keep the Commandements of the Lord and accepteth the obedience performed by our surety Jesus Christ for us For we being disenabled by the fall of Adam for performing obedience to the law Jesus Christ the only begotten Son of God came down from Heaven took our nature upon him and therein became our surety and as our surety in our steed for us subjected himself to the Law perfectly fulfilled the same and his obedience is by God
accepted for us and imputed unto us as if we our selves in our own persons had kept the whole Law of God and perfectly fulfilled the same Indeed personal obedience is required under the Gospel of believers but not as the matter of our justification but as an evidence and fruit of our justification I say as an evidence of our justification that we may make it manifest both to our selves and to the World that we are justified and made righteous by Jesus Christ. And also as a fruit of our justification that by our good works we might glorifie God for God is much glorified by the good works of his people Now in that God hath made the way of salvation so easie to poor sinners accepting of their sincere endeavour to keep his Commandements for perfect obedience And of the obedience and righteousness of Jesus Christ their surety for personal obedience it must needs evidence his willingness to have poor sinners saved 11. Gods willingness to save the very worst of sinners is most lively represented in the Parable of the Prodigal as it is recorded Luke 15.20 c. where we read how the Prodigal no sooner resolved to go to his Father and acknowledge his offences but his Father prevented him for when he was yet a great way off his Father saw him and had compassion and ran and fell on his neck and kiss'd him Where there are several passages very observable in the Father of the Prodigal 1. His quick observation For when he was yet a great way off his Father saw him Before he espyed his Father his Father saw him Though God is many times unwilling to see the sinner yet is he at all times very willing to espy the penitent Yea no sooner doth a sinner resolve to turn from his sins unto God but he spyes him and pittyes him 2. His present commiseration His Father saw him and had compassion on him Though God looks on obstinate sinners with indignation yet he looks on the penitent with commiseration When the heart of a sinner is penitentially touched then the bowels of Gods mercy are moved within him When Ephraim repented and turned the Lord saith My bowells are troubled for him I will surely have mercy on him 3. His spâ—edy readiness to embrace him It is said the Son went to his Father but the Father ran to meet his penitent Son shewing how ready and swift the Lord is to shew mercy to a penitent returning sinner There is a great difference betwixt Gods coming to punish a sinner and his coming to shew mercy to a penitent He is said to be slow to wrath but he is fâ—ist to shew mercy As soon as ever Ephraim said I repented instantly it follows I will surely have mercy upon him saith the Lord. David had no sooner said I have sinned but Nathan had commission presently to reply the Lord hath done away thy sin A sinner no sooner turnes from his sins unto God by repentance but God turns unto him in mercy 4. His wonderful tenderness The Father fell on his neck To have taken him by the hand had been much but to fall on his neck and embrace him and that as he was in his loathsome stinking rags was a greater favour than could be expected How open are the arms of mercy to embrace a penitent returning sinner 5. His strong affection expressed by kissing his penitent Son for as it follows He kissed him He did not only embrace him but he likewise kissed him And as St. Austin observeth Before the Son had spoken one word unto his Father the Father falleth upon his neck and kissed his ragged and deformed Son which sheweth Gods willingness to receive and embrace all poor penitent sinners that have but a thought of turning from their sins unto him Yea the Fathers kissing of his returning Son was to make him know that he was truly reconciled to him notwithstanding his former wicked and lâ—â—d courses and to shew that he rejoyced as much at his penitential return as he had grieved at his sinfull departure Oh sinner What an encouragement should this be unto thee to turn from thy sins unto God who hath as an eye of mercy to espye a returning sinner so an heart full of mercy and compassion to pitty a returning sinner and feet of mercy to meet a returning sinner and arms of mercy to embrace a returning sinner and lips of mercy to kiss a returning sinner in token that he is reconciled to him Oh therefore let me prevail with thee whosoever thou art how many and hainous soever thy sins are to turn from them unto God by true and unfained repentance and that with hope of mercy and acceptance in and through the merits and intercession of Jesus Christ. CHAP. XIII Of the all-sufficiency of Christs Sacrifice III. THat there is hope of mercy for the worst of sinners appeareth froâ— the all-sufficiency of Christs Sacrifice offered upon the Cross and the fulness of satisfaction that was therâ—by made to the justice of God for the sins of the whole World So much the Apostle expresseth where he saith He is able to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him The word translated able doth impâ—y power to do a thing And the word translated uttermost is of a very large extent it extends so far that we cannot look beyond it no not in our â—houghts for let a mâ—n imagine his case to be never so desperate his sins to be never so many and hainous yet Christ by his death is able to save him from them all And therefore this we must lay as a foundation-truth that Christs Sacrifice was a full saâ—isfaction to the justice of his Father for the sins of the World it being the Sacrifice of the Son of God even of him who was God as well as man For this is that which added an infinite value to what Christ did and suffered for our redemption that it was the obedience and the sufferings of the Son of God of him who was God equal with the Father whereupon the blood of Christ whereby we are redeemed is called precious blood being of infinite price and merit able to countervail and answer for all our sins and to free us from the punishment due unto us for the same Bâ—sides Christs resurrection from the deaâ— is an eviâ—â—nt demonstration that his death was an all-sufficient Sacrifice and full satisfaction to Gods justice for our sins For God having seized on Christ as our Surety and cast him into the prison of the grave for the debt of our sins he could not have come forth till he had payed the uttermost farthing But by his rising out of the prison of the grave we are assured that Gods justice is abundantly satisfied by the death of Jesus Christ. Labour therefore to get thine heart truly satisfied in the all-sufficiency of Christs Sacrifice that his death was a full satisfaction to
worketh faith to close with Jesus Christ. For untill thou beest truly humbled under a sense and apprehension of thy sins and misery it is not possible thou shouldst heartily desire Christ much less cordially embrace him as thy Saviour and redeemer Oh therefore labour in the use of all means God hath sanctified to get thine heart kindly humbled and broken for thy sins To this end 1. Look back into thy life and call to mind as many of thy sins as possibly thou canst the sins of thy youth as well as of thy riper years thy sins of omission as well as thy sins of commission yea the sins of thy holy services Especially call to mind the greatest and grossest of thy sins though they were committed long ago Thus did the Prodigal begin his humiliation and repentance by a serious examination of his former course of life calling to remembrance his departure from such a gracious Father his own wandrings in the wayes of wickedness in which he had lost himself and then as the text noteth He arose and came to his Father and with tears said unto him Father I have sinned against Heaven and against thee and am no more worthy to be called thy Son To acknowledge thy self in the general to be a sinner works but a formal kind of repentance and humiliation if any at all But if thou wouldst be truly humbled thou must descend to thy special and particular sins saying this evil have I done and that good have I left undone 2. Consider together with the number the hainousness of thy sins To this end call to mind the aggravating circumstances of them as how thou hast sinned against the motions of Gods Spirit the admonitions of his Ministers the checks of thine own conscience against the light of nature against the patience and long-suffering of God which should have led thee to repentance 3. Seriously consider the fearful threatnings against sin and sinners which are all judgements and plagues here and eternal death and condemnation hereafter and apply them to thy self reasoning thus If the least transgression of the Law deserveth the curse of God yea all judgements and plagues here and eternal condemnation hereafter then how many curses and plagues what and how great condemnation have I deserved who have committed sins innumerable for number and hainous in their quality And withall consider the truth and faithfulness of God in making good his threatnings as well as his promises 4. Beg this great Mercy of an humbled heart from God For it is he who must strike our stony hearts these hard Rocks of ours before they can yield any water of true repentance it is he who must pour out of the spirit of grace upon our hard hearts before we can pour out any penitent tears or lament as we ought for our sins It is he that must thaw our frozen hearts before they can dissolve into kindly sorrow To him therefore alone thou must go for this great work of humiliation And that thy prayers may be the more prevalent 1. Confess unto God the hardness of thine heart how it is grown to such an adamantine hardness that neither the thundrings nor threatnings of the Law nor the sweet showers the promises of the Gospel can make it relent or dissolve Confess unto God that Though thou hast broken his holy and righteous Laws ten thousand thousand times yet the consideration thereof hath not broken thine heart Oh this rock this rock when shall it be pierced Oh this hard heart I cannot break it I would melt I would mourn but cannot I can mourn for a lost friend for a lost estate but I cannot mourn for a lost soul. Oh what groanings and sighings and lamentations will afflictions press out of me but my sins my sins how little do they move me The pains of my body I can feel and roar under but O what a stock am I under the plague of my heart Lord smite this rock My plaints are before thee mine eyes are towards thee I cannot weep but I can cry for a broken heart Lord hear me 2. In thy Prayers plead that gracious promise of God to take away the stony hearts out of our flesh and to give us hearts of flesh Hath God promised and is there no hope in the promise Is there hope and wilt thou not lay hold on that hope plead with thy God upon his own word Is not this thy Word O Lord Hast not thou said thou wilt make this stone flesh will it ever be done if thou dost it not wilt not thou do what thou hast said Is it not thy will that I should believe thou wilt Oh perform thy word unto thy Servant wherein thou hast commanded me to put my trust 3. Be importunate in this request of thine unto God often renewing thy prayers and never give over till thou find thine hard heart brought into a mourning and melting frame Though God for a while seemeth deaf to thy prayers yet be not thou dumb many petitions he cannot deny IV. Resolve to give a present bill of divorce to all thy sinful lusts and pleasures utterly to renounce and forsake thine old sinful course of life and to set upon a new course to serve God in holiness and righteousness all the remaining part of thy life It s vain for thee to lament and bewail thy past sins if thou wilt not give over thy sinning trade For as the Apostle adviseth Thou must first put off the old man with his corrupt-lusts before thou put oâ— the new man Thou therefore who hast accustomed thy self to swearing and cursing to whoring and drinking to scoffing and railing against the people of God resolve to swear and curse no more to whore and drink no more to scoff and rail no more but cast them away with detestation avoiding the places and occasions of these sins For it is a vain thing to think thy self strong enough to abstain from any sin when thou canst not withdraw thy self from the occasions thereof Ah sinner if thou hast any regard to thy precious soul it will be thy wisdom speedily to resolve to leave thine old course of life and to turn over a new leaf Think not of peace with God whilest thou art at peace with sin Think not that thine old scores are crossed whilest thou art so freely scoring up a new Deceive not thy self thy divorce from sin and thy marriage with Christ must be both on the same day And count not thy self divorced till thou and thy sins be parted Resolve this day to have done with thy old wayes for ever At once give Christ his welcome and thy lusts their farewell There is no true humiliation for sin where there is not a resolution against it Say not thou art not humbled enough how little soever thy sorrow be if thou art sincerely resolved against iniquity And say not thou art humble enough how deep soever it hath been if there follow not this resolution
Thy Furnace hath not yet been hot enough if thy sin be not too hot for thee Resolve for Christ resolve against the Devil and all his works And that thy resolution may hold observe these following directions 1. Be sure thou do not ground thy resolutions upon any confidence in thine own strength but in the strength of Iesus Christ without whose assistance thou canst do nothing as our Saviour himself expresseth Iob. 15.1 But through Christ strengthening thee thou wilt be enabled to do any thing As David therefore when he was to encounter with Goliah went not out in his own name but in the name and strength of the Lord of Hosts So must thou resolve to fight against thy lusts and corruptions not in thine own name or strength but in the name and strength of Jesus Christ. Otherwise thy lusts may reply to thee as the Devil did to the Sons of Sheva Iesus I know and Paul I know but who are ye And know that the more sensible thou art of thine own weakness and insufficiency the more ready Christ is to help thee and the more strength shalt thou receive from Christ. Which the Apostle Paul found true in his own experience for saith he when I am weak then am I strong that is when I am weak and insufficient in my self in mine own apprehension then do I most of all feel a gracious supply from Christ. 2. Back thy resolutions with Prayer As thou dost resolve in the grace and strength of God to abandon thy lusts to forsake thy former wicked and ungodly course of life so be earnest with God in prayer for power and strength against the power and strength of sin For as it is Gods power by which alone thou canst keep down the power of thy lusts so prayer is the means sanctified for the obtaining thereof Oh therefore pray and pray earnestly yea add fasting to thy prayers For old sins to which thou hast been long accustomed are like those Devils which possessed the man from his youth which could not be cast out without fasting and prayer 3. Second thy Prayers with thy diligence and faithful endeavours striving against thy lusts and corruptions though never so sweet and dear unto thee For these are vain and insignificant resolutions which promise great matters but do nothing Whereas true resolutions are active and stirring putting men upon the work Hast thou resolved through the grace of God to abandon thy lusts up then and be doing set on it presently without any farther delay For shouldst thou consecrate the prime and strength of thy dayes to the service of Satan and gratifying thine own carnal lusts and reserve thy decayed strength and decrepit old age the dregs of thy dayes for God and his service Canst thou think God will accept thereof Surely no. For mark what the Prophet Malachy speaketh Cursed be the deceiver which hath in his floâ—k a male and voweth and sacrificeth unto the Lord a corrupt thing What then can they expect who dedicate the prime and strength of their dayes to sin and reserve only the lees their old age full of sores and corruptions unto God 4. Frequently call to mind the resolutions thou hast made of a speedy and through reformateon which will be an especial means to keep them fresh in memory and a fresh remembrance of them will stir thee up to a conscionable performance of them 5. Often renew thy resolutions It is not sufficient frequently to review thy resolutions but thou must likewise frequently renew them For a resolution renewed is as new made and thereby becometh fresh and vigorous And truly there is great power in a resolution when it is fresh upon the heart new cords are strong V. Having resolved to give a bill of divorce to thy sinful lusts and pleasures make choice of Christ for thy Lord and Husband as well as for thy Priest and Saviour Take him as the Bride doth her Bridegroom for better for worse for richer and poorer with his cross as well as with his Crown resign and give up thy self unto Christ to be ruled and governed ordered and disposed in all things by him and resolve as to cast thy self at the feet of Christ in subjection to him so to cast thy self into the arms of Christ and upon his shoulders for Salvation from him adventure thy soul upon him rest upon his perfect righteousness and all-sufficient Sacrifice for the pardon of thy sins here and for eternal life and Salvation hereafter Let the consideration of those many melting invitations of Jesus Christ unto poor sinners to come unto him stir thee up to go unto him to cast thy self into the merciful and meritorious arms and embracements of thy Crucified Saviour to throw thy self upon his grace and mercy As God hath laid thy help upon him so do thou lay thy hope upon him both for the pardon of thy sins past and for power against sin for the time to come for grace here and glory hereafter saying If I perish I will perish in the arms of Iesus Christ. And if thou canst bring up thine heart to this then is the match made between Christ and thy soul so that thou maist with confidence say Christ is mine and I am his And oh what a joyful day will this be unto thee In this consisteth thy new birth and work of Regeneration whereby thou art become a new creature This day is salvation come into thy heart All other things are but preparatives unto this Oh therefore let me prevail with thee above all things to make this choice of Christ for thy Lord and Saviour to resign up thy self unto him and his Laws as well as to expect salvation from him For no man can take Jesus Christ savingly who takes him not wholly as his Lord and husband to serve and obey him as well as his Priest and Saviour to free him from the guilt and punishment of all his sinsâ— He is the author of eternal Salvation only to those who obey him Many I know are willing to accept of Christ upon their own terms Some are willing to accept of Christ provided that together with him they may enjoy their sinfull lusts and pleasures Others are willing to accept of him provided that together with him they may enjoy their worldly riches and treasures But he who will take Christ savingly must take him upon his own terms He will be all to thee or nothing he will rule thee or else he will not ransome thee Away then with thy sins be divorced from thine old Husband let sin no longer rule in thee if thou wilt be marryed to the Lord and have any part in his righteousness Ah sinner whosoever thou art how many soever thy sins are this day in the name of the great God I do tender Jesus Christ unto thee And as thou tendrest the life and happiness of thine own soul refuse him not but stir up thy self to accept of him both his person
in reading of play-books and unprofitable pamphlets which thou mightest spend in reading the Word which is able to make thee wise unto Salvation to this end carry it about thee as Alexander did Homers Iliads for his fellow and companion in the Wars Oh that every one of us were ambitious of that commendation which Eusebius gives of St. Origen That he could repeat all the Scriptures at his fingers ends 3. Pray unto God for the change of thine heart beg of him that he would be pleased by his spirit to regenerate thee to plant his image in thy soul that thou maist become a new-creature What the Apostle Iames saith of wisdom is true of all grace If any one lack it let him ask it of God that giveth to all men liberally and upbraideth not and it shall be given him Oh therefore beseech him to open thine eyes and shew thee how sad and deplorable thy condition is so long as thou continuest in the state of unregeneracy that thou maist be truly sensible thereof that he would shew thee the excellency and necessity of a new birth that thine heart may be raised up in some earnest longing desires after the same that he would vouchsafe unto thee his Holy Spirit which may quicken thy dead soul and renew it after the Image of God in righteousness and true holiness And in thy prayers plead the promise of God to give his Spirit to those who ask him That thy Prayers for a new birth may the better speed 1. Be earnest therein Pray withall thine heart and with all thy might with the highest intention of affection If thou wouldst be a prevailing Israel thou must be a wrastling Iacob wrastle with God in prayer for it is the fervent prayer only that is effectual 2. Be unâ—â—ssant in thy Prayers as one that will take no nay nor give over till thou find the work wrought in thy soul. Be as importunate with God as the Widdow was with the unjust judge For God loveth importunity If the unjust Judge was overcome with importunity how much rather will the righteous God who is compassionately affected towards those who seek unto him Resolve with Iacob I will not let thee go except thou bless me Lord help me Lord break me humble me change and turn me I cannot turn my self Ministers cannot Ordinances cannot afflictions cannot turn me If thou wilt thou canst turn thou me and I shall be turned draw thou me and I will run after thee O suffer thy self this once to be overcome by a poor Worm I cannot be denyed I dye I am undone if thou deny me I cannot be denyed I will not be denyed I will not let thee go untill thou bless me Lord hear Lord turn me Obj. But some are apt to object and say how can I pray without the Spirit A. Put thy self upon the duty of prayer and who knoweth but thou maist soon feel and find the assistance of Gods spirit in the performance though thou findest it not in the entrance of the duty Go therefore unto God in prayer spread before him thy wretched miserable state and condition plead thy miserable necessity the dreadfulness of thy present state how much better it had been that thou hadst never been born than not to be born again And then waiting for the assistance of the Spirit be earnest and importunate with God that he would not let thee live a day longer in thine Unregenerate state least death should find thee therein and then thou perish everlastingly Obj. Some I know do question whether carnal and unregenerate men may be put upon that duty of prayer because the Scripture saith that the Sacrifice of the wicked is abomiâ—ation to the Lord and that God heareth not sinners A. 1. The Scriptures give us warrant to press carnal and unregenerate men upon the duty of Prayer For at the time when Peter told Simon Magus that he was in the gall of bitterness and in the bond of iâ—iquity then he pressed him to pray unto God saying Repent of thy wickedâ—ess and pray unto God if perhaps the thought of thine heart may be forgiven thee 2. We do not exhort men to pray and still hold themselves resolved to continue in their wicked and ungodly courses such prayer indeed would be an abomination but to resolve upon turning and so to go unto the Lord for his grace to assist and accept them And therefore saith Peter to Simon Magus Repent of this thy wickedness and so pray for pardon 3. The young Ravens cry for want of food and God is said to hear them Why may he not then hear the cryes and Prayers of carnal and unregenerate men especially when they pray unto him for changed and renewed hearts which prayers cannot but be agreeable to the will of God How graciously did God reward that petition of Solomon when he asked not for riches or long life but for a wise and understanding heart So may God say unto them because ye have not asked temporal blessings as health wealth or the like but a renewed heart a new birth be it according to your desires your natural carnal heart shall be changed and renewed And to thine own Prayers call in the help of other mens prayers beg of them that in their Prayers they would be mindfull of thee and of thy condition that they would be earnest with God on thy behalf that he would make thee a new creature by endowing thee with true saving sanctifying graces Thus Simon Magus begged the Prayers of the Apostles apprehending their prayers to be more prevalent than his own For it is possible that God may hear the Prayers of Iob for his friends when he will not hear them for themselves And the Iaylors Conversion is set down as the Consequent of the Apostles Prayers Not only their deliverance out of his prison but his deliverance out of the Devils prison is set down as a fruit of their prayers To thine own prayers therefore call in the help of other mens Prayers VII When either in hearing reading praying or at any other time thou feelest any motions of Gods spirit in thy soul and conscience make much of them surrender up thy self thereunto presently turn those motions into resolutions and those resolutions into endeavours Let not the motions of Gods Spirit be nipped in the bud but nourish and cherish them that they may bring forth good fruit Ah sinner as thou tendrest the good and happiness of thy precious and immortal soul slight not the motions of Gods Spirit in thee but labour to improve them to the ends for which they are sent Are they motions tending to the working in thee a loathing and abhorring of thy former sinful lusts second those motions with strong resolutions to leave and forsake them for the time to come at least so to strive against them as they may not rule and raign in thee as formerly they have done Are they motions tending to the
thou thereupon continue to refuse them know assuredly that though renewed offers are doubled mercies yet renewed refusals are trâ—bled sins which will exceedingly aggravate thy condemnation I speak not these things to encourage any to deferr and put off their turning from their sins to farther day upon a presumption they shall have mercy at last Beware of that madness Thou that wilt not to day thy soul may be in Hell before to morrow But I speak this to encourage old sinners to a speedy turning Old sinner it is the last time with thee for ought thou knowest thou art just come to thy Now or Never And two things I would speak to thee 1. It 's a great doubt whether thou who hast stood it out so long wilt come in now fear and tremble few very few of those that stand it out to the last hour do come in at the last hour yet 2. If thou wilt thou maist if in this thy day thy last day thou wilt come in thou shalt be saved Obj. 6. If once I be Regenerate and become a new creature I shall never live one merry day more then farewell all delights and pleasures for the life of a godly man is full of uncomfortableness and sadness A. 1. True it is every Regenerate man ought to renounce all sinfull delights to bid adiew to all unlawfull pleasures which in truth is no bondage but rather a spiritual liberty The bondage of a Christian is in being a servant to his sinfull lusts and his liberty in being delivered from them The Apostle bewails the time when himself and other Saints were foolish serving divers lusts and pleasures And reckons it amongst the prime benefits they received by the grace of the Gospel to be delivered from that slavery and bondage 2. Though every Regenerate man ought to renounce all sinfull pleasures and delights yet he may in some measure enjoy any lawfull pleasures which the Creature affords Yea none doth or can enjoy the sweetness of the Creature more than the new creature For he hath not only a fleshly palate like other men whereby he relisheth the carnal pleasure which the Creature affordeth but he hath likewise a spiritual palate whereby he tasteth the sweetness and goodness of God in the Creature So that this Objection is a meer slander which the Devil and his Agents have raised to fright men from looking after grace 3. The work of Regeneration is so far from depriving a man of all delights and pleasures that there are unspeakable delights peculiar to the Regenerate they have dainties which their spirits feed upon that the World knows not of a stranger doth not intermeddle with their joy As they have higher and more noble principles than other men so they feed upon higher and more noble comforts Their comforts are spiritual administred unto their souls by a special work of the Holy Ghost who is designed by the Father and the Son to be the Comforter to cheer and revive the spirits of his servants And certainly the comforts and delights which he conveyes into the souls of the Regenerate must needs be soul-satisfying and soul-ravishing consolations What Blasphemy is it to affirm that the joyes of the World are better than the joyes of God Oh how sweet and delightfull must it needs be to know that we are brought out of the state of nature into the state of grace that we are the Children of God beloved of him the members of Christ and dear to him that our sins are pardoned in and through the merits of his bitter death and passion and that so soon as our earthly Tabernacles are dissolved we shall have a building of God an house not made with hands eternal in the Heavens and there raign with him in everlasting bliss and happiness Oh what a comfort must it needs be seriously to fix our thoughts on those joyes and pleasures which hereafter we shall enjoy at Gods right hand to all Eternity Ah sinners What folly then hath bewitched you to think it greater pleasure to live in foolish sports and fleshly delights than in the sense of Gods love and in the believing thoughts of glory Did you but know the peace and the comfort the pleasure and the joy which springeth from the apprehension of Gods love and walking in the wayes of holiness you would soon be of another mind and take another course than you do Much good may do you with your crackling thorns walk in the light of your fires and the sparks which you have kindled make the best of your present pleasures till that vanity and vexation which is all you are like to reap from them bring you to a better mind The new birth is the very beginning of a life of peace and comfort and the greatest pleasantness is to be found in the wayes of holiness Would you but make enquiry of those who have tryed both stares both that of sin and that of grace they will tell you that their first state was a state of trouble and misery and that they never found any true peace and comfort in their souls till they were brought home to God and came to be acquainted with an holy life Yea that they have enjoyed more sweetness and delight in one hours communion with God than ever their flesh brought them in in all their lives Solomon who had experience of all other pleasures yet saith of the wayes of godliness Her wayes are wayes of pleasantness even soul-satisfying pleasantness If you will not believe the reports of the people of God yet hearken to what God himself speaketh in his word Being justified by faith we have peace with God thorow our Lord Iesus Christ and not only so but we glory in tribulation And saith St. Peter Believing ye rejoyce with joy unspeakable and full of glory And the Psalmist often calleth upon the righteous to rejoice Rejoice in the Lord ye righteous and shout for joy all ye that are upright in heart And saith the Apostle Rejoice in the Lord alwaies and again I say rejoice Will you believe God this you see is his testimony that true joy is proper to the Regenerate the Children of God are the only heirs of joy and glory Obj. 1. But some are ready to object and say how can the state of the Regenerate be so comfortable and joyful when as none are more afflicted and persecuted than they In the World saith our Saviour speaking to his Disciples ye shall have tribulation And saith the Apostle All that will live godly in Christ Iesus shall suffer persecution which made Luther to say a Christian is a Cross-bearer A. 1. True it is none are more afflicted and persecuted than they but their afflictions and persecutions do not alwayes deprive them of true spiritual joy and comfort For saith the Apostle Being justified by faith we have peace with God and we rejoice in tribulation And saith our Saviour When men shall
prophane men to be uncomfortable because all the causes of uncomfortableness are found on them as guilt of sin death in sin enmity against God alienation from Christ and therefore lyableness to all judgements and plagues here and to eternal death and condemnation hereafter Surely if carnal men understood themselves throughly they would find all both within and without them like Ezekiels roul nothing but lamentation mourning and woe CHAP. XVII The second branch of the Vse of Exhortation unto the Regenerate HAving done with the first branch of the Use of Exhortation unto the Unregenerate Come we now unto the second which concerneth the Regenerate and consisteth of divers heads 1. Admire and adore Gods special mercy and goodness in thy Regeneration Let thine heart be ravished with the consideration of his love to thee in Christ Jesus the bottom whereof cannot be fathomed by any Angel in Heaven And therefore well maist thou cry out Oh the heighth and the depth the length and the breadth of the love of God unto thy soul If David upon the consideration of the goodness of God to man in his Creation cryed out so affectionately Lord what is man that thou art mindfull of him and the son of man that thou visitest him Surely upon the consideration of Gods mercy unto thy soul in this work of new Creation hast not thou cause to say the like Lord what is man that thou art mindfull of him and the son of man that thou visitest him Lord what am I among the Sons of men that thou shouldest have respect to me That the Lord should pluck thee as a brand out of the fire that he should take thee into his special grace and favour when he left many millions of Men and Women to perish in their sins that he should make thee an heir of Heaven when he left so many to be fire-brands of hell that thy nature should be renewed and sanctified when others are left in their filth and pollution hast not thou unspeakable cause to sit down and admire the freeness of Gods grace and riches of his mercy towards thee Surely nothing but free Grace hath put this honour upon thee and put such a difference between thee and others For what did God see more in thee than in others to move him to set his special love on thee Oh cast thine eyes round about thee look upon thy neighbours who live under the same Ministery partake of the same Ordinances as thou dost and yet never felt the power and sweetness of them in their souls Let the abominable wickedness which thou daily seest in others fill thee with wonder at the loving kindness of the Lord to thee That the dew of his free Grace should fall upon thy soul when the hearts of so many about thee should be dry not having one drop of that dew upon them is not this a mercy to be admired Oh consider it and adore it and say Lord how is it that thou shouldst bestow thy grace on me and deny it to so many who in many respects are better than I That thy heart may be the more raised up in admiration of the mercy and goodness of God unto thee herein take notice of the manifold priviledges which do follow and accompany such as are Regenerated 1. The love and favour of God wherewith they are embraced Love is weighty and falleth downward from Father to Child Yea love in God is as a Fountain and spring-head and the channel or pipe in and through which it runneth is Christ now that spring continually floweth forth through that pipe to every Regenerate person Observe the love of earthly Parents to their Children how great how constant it is withall consider how far God exceeds them in his love even as far as he doth in greatness which is infinitely So as every Regenerate person may with assurance rest on the love of God his Father which cannot be but most sweet to the soul and exceeding comfortable For in Gods fatherly favour consisteth our happiness II. Union with Christ. For Christ is the head and by Regeneration we are his members The Apostle writing to the Corinthians who were born again by the Spirit saith Now are ye the body of Christ and members in particular meaning of the mystical body of Christ. This Union of the Regenerate with Christ is one of the great mysteries of our Christian faith and it is a Mysterie of an unspeakable comfort and consolation For by vertue of our Union with Christ God is our Father Christ is our Brother and our Husband and Head Heaven is our inheritance Angels are our attendants and guardians who are sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of Salvation These Angels are those Horses and Chariots of fire which were round about Elisha and which are also round about every member of Christ in all their dangers though they see them not If the eyes of the Regenerate were but opened to see their glorious attendants how would their hearts be comforted and cheered in all their distresses III. Adoption Such as are Regenerated are thereby the adopted Sons of God Whereas by natural propagation they were the children of wrath by this Regeneration they are the Children of grace being translated out of the Family of Satan into Gods own Family and in and through Christ they are made the adopted Sons of God Oh that the Lord would open our eyes to see this priviledge Behold saith St. Iohn what manner of Love the Father hath bestowed on us that we should be called the Sons of God The Apostle not being able to express the greatness of Gods love to us therein he breaks forth into an admiration thereof And truly well might he say Behold what manner of love the Father hath bestowed on us For here is not only love but love to admiration that we vile wretched sinfull creatures who were dead in sins and trespasses enemies to God by wicked works yea and children of wrath as well as others that we should be thus advanced in and by Christ as to be accounted not only servants which is much nor only friends which is more but also Sons and consequently heirs and co-heirs with Christ which is most of all IV. Christian freedom As it is the great unhappiness of the unregenerate that they are in a state of vasalage so it is the great happiness of the regenerate that they are in a state of freedom being freed 1. From Satan Though not from the assaults and temptations of Satan yet from the power of Satan For our Saviour Christ by his death hath destroyed him that had the power of death that is the Devil He hath now broken the Serpents head so that though he may hiss against us yet he cannot sting us though he may assault us yet he cannot overcome us and though he goeth about like a roaring Lion sâ—â—king whom he may devour yet Christ hath him in a
Chain and he cannot go one link thereof farther than he pleaseth 2 From siâ— Though the Regenerate are not freed from the in-being of sin which doth and will live in them so long as they live in this World yet are they freed both from the guilt of sin and from the power and dominion of sin 1. From the guilt of sin that is from that wrath and punishment which is due to sin so that none of our sins shall be able to condemn us For Christ as our Surety Saviour and Redeemer did bear all our sins in his body upon the tree and there offered up his life as an all sufficient Sacrifice and full satisfaction to Gods justice for the same So that God being fully satisfied by the death of Christ for our sins he will not nay he cannot in justice require satisfaction again from us Well therefore might the Apostle make this bold challenge who shall lay any thing to the charge of Gods elect seeing Christ hath dyed and by his death fully satisfied Gods justice for their sins 2. From the power and dominion of sin which cometh to pass by the Spirit of Christ conveighed to them whereby their sins are in some measure mortified and subdued so that they do not rule nor raign in them as formerly Sin shall not have dominion over you saith the Apostle and why because you are not under the Law but under grace In our unregenerate estate sin had not only possession of us but dominion over us so that we did yield a willing subjection unto the command of sin But since we are regenerated by the Spirit of God we are freed though not from the in-being yet from the dominion of sin So that though sin may tyrannize over us yet shall it not raign in us We shall not yield a free and willing obedience to the command thereof This is the great comfort of Gods Children that though sin be not removed yet it is subdued Though they oftentimes feel the workings and stirrings of corruption in them which make them to have many a sad heart and wet eye yet are they freed through Christ from the dominion of sin 3. The Regenerate are freed from the Law not only from the Ceremonial and Iudicial Law which were peculiar to the Jews and dyed with the decay of their Common-wealth but likewise from the Moral Law which concerns all men at all times in all places yet not as it is a rule of Obedience and Christian walking for so it still remains in force even to the Children of God even after their Regeneration But 1. As it was a Covenant of works or as the Covenant thereof was works We are not absolutely bound to such rigour and exactness as that required Indeed we ought to endeavor after the most perfect obedience and to be humbled for our defects and failings therein but not to despair because of them for all failings not allowed are pardoned Besides Christ our surety hath in all things fullfilled the Law and performed perfect obedience thereunto So that the strictness of the Law being fulfilled by our surety it s not expected that it should be performed by us in our own persons 2. We are freed from the Curse and condemnation of the Law Christ saith the Apostle hath redeemed us from the curse of the Law being made a curse for us So that although we do not perform it in that exact manner and measure which it requireth yet our transgressions shall not be imputed to us to condemnation The Law may condemn the actions but not the persons of the Regenerate it hath nothing to do with them therefore the Apostle saith There is no condemnation to them which are in Christ Iesus V. Provision of all needfull good things is another priviledge of the Regenerate who have a right to all good things through Christ and the possession of all things God seeth good for them It is observable that when God was with Israel in the Wilderness where nothing was to be had they lacked nothing It is naturally engrafted into all Parents to provide for their Children what then can they want who have God for their Father who as he is all-sufficient so a most loving Father to his Children whose love far surpasseth the love of natural Parents to their Children Art thou a Child of God by Regeneration then look up to thy Heavenly Father for a supply of all good things For can they that are evill know how to give good gifts to their Children saith our Saviour And shall not your Heavenly Father give to you the things whereof ye have need He feedeth the Fowls of the air and the Beasts of the Field and he that is carefull to provide for his Hawks and his Hounds will he suffer his Children to beg and starve who must one day be his heirs Be not then faithless but believe and say not What shall we eat or what shall we drink or wherewithall shall we be cloathed For your Heavenly Father knoweth whereof ye have need and shall relieve you VI. Acceptance of their Services though full of weaknesses infirmities and imperfections Natural Parents are not more ready to accept of the weak Services performed by their Children than God is to take in good part the imperfect services of his Children How maimed and broken are our prayers many times yet coming from a broken heart they find acceptance with God Though he regardeth not the glorious works of hypocrites yet he graciously accepteth of the weak Services of his Children done in sincerity When we cannot pray with that affection and fervency as we desire yet if we set upon it with an honest and sincere heart doing it in obedience to the command of God with a desire to approve our selves unto him therein and grieving for our failings and imperfections God will overlook our failings and crown our weak endeavours with acceptance VII Protection from things hurtfull is another priviledge of the Regenerate They are here subject to manifold casualties and contingencies from which the Lord in mercy protects them keeping Watch and Ward for them Yea he is said to be a wall of fire round about his people A wall to defend them and of fire to consume those that rise up against them So that they shall not be afraid of evil tydings for their hearts are fixed trusting in the Lord. I deny not but the Children of God may be wronged oppressed spoiled of all they have and unjustly stain yet in all these shall they not be hurt for God will turn all to their good Note what David said of Shimei's cursing him The Lord will look on my affliction and requite good for his cursing this day On this ground the Hebrews took joyfully the spoyling of their goods VIII Support under all afflictions is another priviledge of the Regenerate For God is present with them in all their afflictions supporting their weakness with his might
and manifesting his greatest power in their greatest impotency Yea though sometimes he seems to leave them in their distress yet he giveth such sufficient strength as they are thereby enabled to bear it and well to pass it through This is evident by the Apostles holy triumph in this case We are perplexed but not in despair persecuted but not forsaken cast down but not destroyed The ground hereof is the assistance which God affordeth us and the strength which he communicateth to us IX All things shall work together for the good of the Regenerate And God will do them good by all in the latter end He will turn their losses into gain their crosses into comforts their sorrows into joy their cursing into blessings Those afflictive providences which seem to be most prejudicial unto them will in the issue prove most beneficial As we see in Ioseph The evil which his brethren intended against him turned to his good Their selling him as a slave to the Ishmaelites proved the means of his advancement How did Maâ—asses imprisonment work for his good For the text saith When he was in affliction he besought the Lord and humbled himself greatly and the Lord was entreated of him To know that nothing shall hurt a child of God is ground of exceeding great comfort and consolation But to be assured that all things even all cross-providences shall work together for his good is enough to fill the heart with joy Oh then how great is the happiness of every Regenerate person who may be assured that whatsoever befalleth him shall be for his good and doth work together for the best Certainly he may truly say Soul take thy spiritual ease for here is much spiritual good treasured up for thee X. A blessed death For so saith the Spirit Blessed are the dead which dye in the Lord that is in the faith of Christ. Who are blessed both because then they rest from their labours from all their toyl and pains from all their griefs and sorrows As also because their works do follow them through free-grace in glorious rewards The souls of the Regenerate so soon as they are by death separated from the body go immediately into Heaven as is clear from that speech of our Saviour to the converted thief on the Cross This day thou shalt be with me in Paradice which place the Apostle expoundeth to be the third Heaven The word in the Original translated this day implyes that immediately after the breathing of his soul out of his body his soul should go to Heaven And thus it is with all the Regenerate unto whom death is like the red-Sea to the Israelites even a passage and thorow-fair into the Heavenly Canaan XI An happy Resurrection For at the sound of the last Trumpet all the Regenerate shall arise out of their graves like so many Iosephs out of Prison Whatsoever imperfections were before in their bodies as blindness lameness crookedness shall then be done away Though the body was sowen in corruption yet it shall be raised in incorruption not to be subject to any manner of aches pains diseases or imperfections Though it were sowen in weakness it shall be raised in power And though it was sowen in dishonour it shall be raised in glory Here it is many times deformed but then all deformities and defects shall be removed and the body made more glorious through the admirable beauty thereof Certainly if the Beauty of all the Men and Women in the World were concentred in one it would be far short of the Beauty of the Saints in Heaven whose bodies shall shine more gloriously than the Sun in the Firmament XII The last and highest priviledge of the Regenerate is That they shall have an Heavenly inheritance Fathers on earth use to provide inheritances for their Children And the Apostâ—e Peter Blesseth God who hath begotten us to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that fadeth not away reserved in Heaven The Regenerate in this life possâ—ss Heaven in Christ but hereafter they shall enjoy it in their own persons When they come to enjoy this heavenly inheritance they shall not only be freed from all evils both bodily and spiritual but likewise replenished with all good Their minds shall be inlightned their wills reformed their memories made blessed treasures their consciences purged their hearts purified their affections rectified their bodies glorified and all these perfectly There shall be a blessed communion of all the Saints together who shall enjoy the society of Angels and fellowship with Christ himself whose surpassing excellency they shall cleerly behold and partake of that glory wherewith he is arrayed What tongue can express what heart can conceive the excellency thereof If Peter Iames and Iohn seeing but some small glimpse of Christs glory and Majesty in his transfiguration were so ravished therewith that setting aside all worldly desires they wished only the continuance thereof Then how shall the Saints in Heaven be ravished with joy and comfort when they shall continually behold their Saviour Jesus Christ sitting at the right hand of his Father like a triumphant Conquerour having subdued his and his Churches enemies Thus have I shewed you some of the glorious priviledges of the Regenerate Oh happy day may that Man or Woman say as long as they live when God by his Spirit Regenerated them and made them new creatures Many keep their birth day as a day of rejoycing and feasting But they who know the day of their new-birth may well make that a day of rejoycing while they live in regard of the many glorious priviledges whereof they are thereby partakers CHAP. XVIII An Exhortation to bless God for the work of Regeneration And to walk worthy thereof II. A Second branch of the Use of Exhortation unto the Regenerate is To be thankfull unto God for this great mercy Admire the grace of God and bless his name for ever Art thou made alive Is the life of God begotten in thee And hast thou evidence of it O bless God whilest thou hast any being Let thine heart and mouth and life be filled with his Praises Take up the Psalmists words Bless the Lord O my soul and all that is within me bless his holy name Bless the Lord O my soul and forget not all his benefits Wilt thou be thankfull unto God for thy natural birth And wilt not thou be thankfull to him for thy spiritual birth wilt thou bless him for that he hath made thee a reasonable creature And wilt thou not bless him for making thee a new-creature wilt thou bless him that thou art not a Toad And wilt thou not bless him that thou art not a Devil Is not Regeneration of all mercies the most necessary And wilt not thou be thankfull for that which is the one thing necessary If the Children of Israel praised God for their deliverance from the Aegyptian bondage how much more cause hast thou
lay out the strength of our bodies in the Service of God Then may we have occasion to bless God and say Lord thou mightest have left me to have spent my strength in sin in the gratifying my carnal lusts but blessed be thy name who hast made me willing to spend and be spent in the service of my God III. Labour to keep close to God in holy duties It were well if in the performance of holy duties we did keep close to the duties themselves few go so far But it must be our care not only to keep close to the duties but likewise to keep close to God in the duties We must labour not only to mind what we are about but likewise have an eye upon God and to hold communion with him therein In the use of every ordinance let our main desire care and endeavour be to find God therein and not to rest satisfied without meeting him and conversing with him Let us never go from God without God Never go from the ordinance of God without some special communion with God therein without finding our hearts raised and affected in the duty and revived and refreshed in his presence IV. In regard of our great inability and insufficiency for the performance of any spiritual duty after a right manner In the first place let us beg of God that by his Spirit he would enable us thereunto For it is the Spirit of God only that can help our infirmities he can soften our hard hearts quicken our dead hearts enlarge our straightned hearts c. And in praying for the assistance of the Spirit let us plead the promise of God saying Lord thou hast promised in thy Word that thy Spirit shall help the infirmities of thy Servants Oh make good that promise unto me let me feel and find the sweet breathings and actings the lively quicknings and enlargements of thy Spirit upon my heart carrying me forth with much life and vigour in the duty I am now going about This pleading the promise of God puts a strong ingagement upon him to perform what he hath said CHAP. XXI Of walking Circumspectly and Exactly IV. ANother singular duty incumbent upon the Regenerate is To walk circumspectly and exactly according to that of the Apostle See that ye walk circumspectly not as fools but as wise The word in the Original translated circumspectly cometh of two words which signifie to go to the extremity of a thing We must be willing to go to the utmost of every command The same word is used by the Evangelist St. Matthew when Herod charged the Wise men to search most diligently and narrowly to make a close and a thorow search for the young Child Jesus So that by this Phrase is intended great accurateness and exactness in our Christian conversation which the Spirit of God accounteth the greatest point of wisdom as appeareth from the following words not as fools but as wise men It is no part of folly but a great point of wisdom to be circumspect in the whole course of our lives I know the men of the World count preciseness of life the greatest folly that may be and therefore often call those precise fools who endeavour to live soberly righteously and Godly in this present World But at last it will appear the greatest point of Wisdom For the better clearing and pressing this duty I shall shew you wherein this exact walking doth consist 1. In walking by rule As the Carpenter when he would do his work exactly doth all by rule So must the Christian that would walk accurately he must walk by the Word of God which is the only adequate rule of holiness He must eat and drink and buy and sell and work and rest and all by this rule Therefore saith the Apostle As many as walk by this rule peace be on them and on the Israel of God Let our walking be never so specious and glorious yet if it be not strait and according to the rule of Scripture as it will afford no true solid comfort at the last so neither will it find acceptance with God For as nothing is a sin how great a shew of evil soever it beareth but that which swerveth from the direction of Gods Word So nothing is a good work how great a shew of goodness soever it beareth but only that which is according to the direction of his Word Therefore Moses giveth this in express charge to the Israelites Ye shall observe to do as the Lord your God hath commanded you ye shall not turn aside to the right hand nor to the left 2. Our exact walking consisteth in having respect to the inward and spiritual part of the Law as well as to the outward and external In every command of God there is both an outward and external part and also an inward and spiritual part The former I may call the letter of the Law the latter the Spirit of the Law This our Saviour excellently clears in his Sermon on the Mount where reciting the sixth Commandment he saith Thou shalt do no Murther there is the letter of the Law And then adds by way of Explanation But I say unto you whosoever is angry with his Brother without a cause shall be in danger of Iudgement there is the Spirit of the Law So afterwards reciting the seventh commandment saith Thou shalt not commit Adultery there is the letter of the Law And then adds But I say unto you that whosoever looks on a Woman to Lust after her hath committed Adultery with her already in his heart There is the Spirit of the Law or the Spiritual part thereof The most diligent observation of the letter or external part of the Law without a care of the inward and spiritual part is as a body without a soul a dead thing which is no way acceptable unto the living God Hence our Saviour spent so many words to convince the Pharisees who were many of them punctual in their outward observations that they were yet horrible Hypocrites violating that Law in their hearts which they so boasted of and pleaded for with their mouths being Murtherers in heart Adulterers in heart though they committed no such wickedness in the outward man And hereby is the hypocrisie of many professors of Christianity discovered who reach no farther than the outside of Religion whose Godliness is nothing but carnal service and bodily exercise Whereas the Law is spiritual as the Apostle speaketh reaching to the very inwards of the Soul And saith our Saviour God is a Spirit and will be worshipped inwardly with the spirit as well as outwardly with the body Whosoever therefore walks exactly contents not himself with the externals of Christianity but labours to bring up his heart to the inwards thereof striving to suppress evil thoughts to mortifie unclean lusts and all inordinate affections to abhor and watch against secret impurities as well as open impieties This is to walk exactly and
Yet how many professors are there in our dayes who though they pretend much love to Christ yet by their practice it appears that their love of riches is greater and stronger than their love of him 1. For how are their thoughts more upon the World and the things thereof than on Christ No sooner are they awake from their sleep but the World presently takes possession of their hearts and their thoughts are upon their estate how they may encrease the same and that with unwearied care and labour when every little that is done for Christ is a weariness to them 2. How do their discourses run out more upon their riches than on Christ Yea with what freedom and delight do they talk of their wealth and of the means of getting and increasing the same And scarce a word of Christ all the day long Which doth clearly discover the covetousness which lyeth in their hearts for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh As the door-keeper said unto Peter Thou art surely of Galilee for thy speech bewrayeth thee So whosoever shall make the World the whole matter and subject of his discourse it may be truly said of him He is a Citizen of the World for his speech bewrayeth him 3. How eager and keen are their desires after the riches of this World or at least after a further portion and provision for themselves Wives and Children 4. How do they toyle and labour spending their sweat and strength in seeking after riches thinking no care and study too much nor pains too great for encreasing their wealth and store How do they rise earlyer for their Worldly businesses than for their Prayers or any spiritual exercises 5. How do they suffer the World to take up so much of their precious time that they can scarce find any leisure either for closet devotions or family Prayers but make their Religion give place to their Worldly businesses And when at any time they fall upon the performance of holy duties how are their hearts in that very time taken up with Worldly thoughts and imaginations So that insteed of conversing with God in his holy Ordinances and enjoying communion with him therein they converse with the World and hold communion with the Devil O what a shame is it for such as are brought out of darkness into marvelous light having their understandings inlightned with the knowledge of God and of his Son Jesus Christ and are able to discern the mysteries of Godliness that they should set their hearts and affections upon base and transitory things that they should lay out themselves so much in the pursuit of them and never think they have laid up sufficient of these earthly treasures What a shame is it for such as profess themselves the Sons of God to live like Sons of men as if their portion and happiness were only in this life That they who profess themselves Heirs to an Heavenly inheritance should so much dote upon earthly things what a shame is it for such as have reasonable souls capable of an everlasting life and of communion with God both here and hereafter should so far debase their natures as to live like Moles and Worms in the Earth and to root like Swine in mudd and dung Oh how doth it concern you daily to humble your selves for this sin and to loath and abhorr it and watch against it for the time to come For as every evill is to be abhorred so especially such as are disgracefull to the Gospel of Jesus Christ and to the Religion which you profess Let us all therefore who have given our names unto Christ labour to mortifie this sin in us Let us use this World and the things thereof as if we used them not neither in our judgements esteeming nor in our hearts affecting nor in our practice seeking them before spiritual grace and Heavenly glory That we may be the better quickned up thereunto let us oft consider the manifold mischiefs that do usually follow and accompany this sin of covetousness I. It is the Root of all Evil. There is no evil which a covetous man will forbear his covetousness will put him upon the acting and committing all manner of sin that will serve his greedy design It will make a man turn the day of Sacred rest into a day of bodily labour It will make him use wicked ballances and deceitfull weights For this they are full of violence and lyes saith the Prophet Micah It oft-times raiseth Warrs and sets the World together by the ears It occasioneth the neglect both of our own and others souls It enticeth us into Hell for the sake of living plentifully on earth It causeth Parents to neglect the souls of their Children and Children to wish the death of their Parents It maketh people to hate their Ministers and Ministers to neglect their People II. Covetousness alienates the soul of man from God and that several wayes as 1. From the thought of God For God is not in all his thoughts When he awakes in the night his mind is wholly taken up with worldly matters without a thought of God or of any good thing When he is following the works of his calling how is he wholly drowned and swallowed up therein 2. It alienates the soul of man from the love of God For if any man love the World the love of the Father is not in him 3. It alienates the soul of man from attending upon God in his Ordinances As you may see in the invited guests in the Parable whose eager desire after the things of this World kept them from coming to the wedding feast III. Covetousness makes a man unthankfull for his present state and condition though in it self an estate very full and comfortable His mind is so much upon what he hath not that he neither takes notice nor tastes the sweetness of what he hath His full vessel in his own apprehension is an empty bottle Finding no contentment in what he hath he is full of murmuring and repining that he hath not what he would have Many a gracious poor man that hath little of this Worlds goods hath oftentimes more satisfaction and contentment in his little than he that hath the greatest earthly revenews in all his abundance IV. Covetousness works the heart to a mean and low esteem of things spiritual and heavenly From such as love the World and the things thereof over-much Christ to be sure hath love little enough Their eyes are so blinded that they see not his beauty and their pallat so distempered that they taste not his sweetness And therefore with Esau preferr a mess of pottage before a birth-right and with the men of Shechem preferr the bramble before the Vine the Olive and the Figg-tree Worldly men preferr these poor empty things the Brambles of the World before Jesus Christ the true and living Vine yea and above the blessed birth-right of Gods new-born Children Covetousness
oft-times ended in outward uncleanness and actual Adultery From the heart saith our Saviour proceed evil thoughts adulteries fornications c. Noting evil thoughts to be the cause of the uncleanness in the life In Athaliahs Massacre of the blood-royal young Ioash was hid in the bed-chamber there he was nurst and afterwards came to be King and ruled in the Throne Save any Lustfull thought nurse it in the bed-chamber of thy heart hide it there and it will in time come to be King and rule over thee So soon therefore as any lustful or exorbitant thoughts begin to arise in thine heart speedily reject the same quench the fire in the thatch crush the Cockatrice in the Egge stifle the first conception of sin Certainly as it is a dangerous neglect not to observe and embrace the first motions of Gods spirit in us so likewise not to take notice of the first thoughts and rising of sin in our hearts He who slights sinfull thoughts is in a fair way to sinfull actions They that are Christs saith the Apostle have Crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts The very affections and lusts of the flesh must be Crucified if we would prevent the works of the flesh IV. Sir up in thy self an earnest desire to have thy lusts mortified and subdued The reason why no more is done against sin is because we are too well contented to let it alone when nothing but the death of sin will satisfie thee thou wilt then use thy Weapons when once thou desirest in earnest the destruction of thine iniquities there 's hope they will not be long liv'd For God hath promised to satisfie the desire of those that fear him he will hear their groanings and deliver them Come unto me saith Christ all ye who labour and are heavy laden and I will give you case and rest Certainâ—y one special reason why many complain so much of the strength and prevalency of their corruptions is because they are not heartily willing to have them mortified and subdued They will indeed profess a willingness to part with their sins that they may be freed from the guilt of them and punishment due unto them but unwilling they are to part with the pleasure they find in them Thus Austin acknowledgeth of himself I prayed said he that my sins might be forgiven and mortified but yet I was afraid lâ—st my prayer should be heard and answered If therefore thou wouldst have thy sins mortified indeed stir up in thy self a willing mind thereunto V. Complain unto God of the prevalency of thy lusts and by prayer beg strength from him against the power of thâ—m From God it is that strength must be had it is his power alone that can support us against the power of sin And Prayer is the means of obtaining it This was the course that Paul took when he was troubled with that thorn in his flesh which expositors generally enterpret to be some strong motions and inclinations in him to some foul sin For this saith the text he besought the Lord thrice that is oftentimes And though he did not presently obtain a full deliverance yet did he receive strength sufficient to resist them so that he could not be overcome by them If we in like manner shall go unto God by prayer for his help laying open our condition and complaining to him thereof we shall for the present receive strength sufficient to resist and in Gods due time deliverance from our iniquities VI. Act faith in Christ for the mortifying thy sinfull lusts and corruptions To this end 1. Be sensible that thou art in thy sâ—â—f weak and unable to grapple with thy Lusts. Thou must despair of thine own strength ere thou wilt take hold on the strength of the Lord. Thou must be beaten out of thy self-confidence ere thou wilt go unto Christ. When thou seest thou art weak thou wilt turn to the strong hold 2. Bâ—lieve that Christ is able to succour and help thee In him doth all fullness dwell As he hath a fullness of grace in his heart so fullness of power in his hand whereby he is able to kill all thine enemies Sin is mighty but Christ is mightier The Devil is strong but Christ is stronger than he 3. Believe that Christ is as able so willing to subdue thine iniquities Thine enemies are his enemies and he will have their death if thou be a believer he hath undertaken for thee He is thy great High-Priest and thy Lord and King and hereupon not only by his mercifulness and kindness but by his office and interest he stands ingaged to pitty and relieve thee he will not be unfaithfull to his trust nor deaf to his own bowels which plead with him to save and help thee 4. By faith cast thy self upon Iesus Christ rest upon his power and goodness for his help and strength 'T is here in regard of Christs power as in regard of his promises As our resting and relying upon his promises in a time of danger and distress makes them our own So our resting and relying upon Christs power for help and support doth make it our own 5. By faith wait upon Christ in expectation of relief and succour against the working and stirring of thy corruptions Though relief come in but slowly from him yet wait for it because it will most surely come in the most seasonable time Hereby wilt thou ingage Christ to appear for thy help For as nothing doth more ingage the heart of a man to be helpfull to another than an expectation of help from him So certainly the raising up thine heart to an expectation of relief from Christ must needs be a great ingagement unto him to assist thee accordingly When Christ cured many of their bodily diseases and distempers while he lived upon the Earth we find their cure is still ascribed to their faith Now what was their faith They believed that Christ was both able and willing to cure them and thereupon with confidence went unto him for cure and so drew vertue from him accordingly This you may see in the poor Woman that had an issue of blood twelve years who came behind Christ and said If I may but touch the hem of his garment I shall be whole To whom Christ replyed Daughter be of good comfort thy faith hath made thee whole This is written as all other Scripture is for our learning to teach and instruct us what course to take for the curing of our spiritual maladies and diseases Hast thou any foul issue of Worldliness and Covetousness of pride or frowardness of passion or envy or the like running upon thee And wouldst thou be cured of them Do as that poor Woman did go unto Christ set thy faith at work on him believe his power and willingness let thy faith touch but the hem of his garment lay hold on him cast thy self on his blood and bowels wait at his door resolving not to return
from â—dleness as knowing that our idle time is the Devils working timâ— who is most busie with us when we are most at leisure And bless all our undertakings So spâ—ritualize our hearts and affections that we may have heavenly hearts in earthly imployments and so may serve thee our God whilest we are serving our own necessities Together with us bless we beseech thee thy whole Church Call thine ancient people the Jews and bring in the fulness of the Gentiles And particularly we pray thee for our own Nation the Land of our Nativity pardon the crying sins thereof Showre down thy blessings upon it both temporal and spiritual In special we pray thee so to bless our royal Soveraign that under him we may live a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty Bless likewise all our Magistrates and Ministers of thy holy Word Thou the Lord of the harvest send plenty of Labourers into thy harvest And O Father of mercy look down with the eye of pitty and compassion upon all thine afflicted ones let thy mercies be suitable to their several needs and necessities Bless all Christian families this in particular enrich every soul with all needfull saving graces Blessed Lord God according to our bounden duty we offer up our Sacrifice of Praise and Thanksgiving unto thy blessed Majesty in the name and mediation of thy beloved Son Jesus Christ. Blessing and praising thee for our health wealth food and rayment for our preservation from our first being to this present time We bless thy name above all for that gift of gifts the Lord Jesus And for the Gospel wherein thou hast freely offered Christ with all his benefits to us We bless thee for whatever grace hath been wrought in any of us by the Gospel and for that good hope thou hast given us through grace We bless thy name for the last nights quiet rest this dayes protection hitherto Add we Pray thee this mercy give us grace to live as in thy sight who seeth all our wayes and art privy to every secret thing which we do And now O Lord accept our persons though sinfull and our service though full of weaknesses in thy beloved Son with whom thou art well pleased In whose name and words we further call upon thee saying Our Father which art in Heaven c. An Evening Prayer for a Family O Most great and glorious Lord God and in Jesus Christ a loving and a gracious Father We thy poor and unworthy Servants being by thy good providence brought to the end of this day desire to conclude the same with an Evening spiritual Sacrifice of Prayer and Thanksgiving Lord we do here profess we come not in our own names nor in our own strength we are unable of our selves to perform any spiritual duty after an acceptable manner But we come in the alone name and strength of thy beloved Son Jesus Christ beseeching thee for his sake to pass by our unworthiness to quicken our dead hearts and to carry us forth with life and vigour in the duty we are now going about Blessed Lord God we do acknowledge our selves to be vile wretched sinners Sinners by nature sinners by birth sinners in the whole course of our lives having sinned as if we had come into the World for no other end but to sin against thee Though thou hast been pleased to restrain us from many hainous scandalous sins yet Lord thou knowest what evil thoughts do lodge in our hearts and what Lusts bear rule and sway there Blessed Lord God though we are in some measure convinced of the need and necessity that we have of Jesus Christ that we are undone for ever without an interest in him yet how have we slighted and rejected the tenders and offers of him in the Ministry of the Gospel and preferred our lusts and the pleasures of this World before him We have indeed outwardly made profession of the Gospel yet have we disgraced the profâ—ssion thereof by our carnal and sinfull conversation Lord we cannot but acknowledge our desires cares and endeavours have run out more after the things of this life than after the things of a better life We have slighted thy judgements abused thy mercies prophaned thy Sabbaths and polluted all thy holy Ordinances When we have drawn near unto thee with our bodies and honoured thee with our lips then have our hearts been far removed from thee when we have had communion with thine Ordinances we have oftentimes had little communion with thee our God therein Blessed Lord our sins are many and hainous yea there seemeth a kind of infiniteness in our sins but we know and believe there is indeed an infiniteness in the mercies of thee our God and in the merits of Jesus Christ and therefore with an utter disclaiming of all righteousness of our own as filthy rags we place our whole confidence for life and salvation upon thy mercies in Christ. As thou hast laid our help upon him so on him will we lay our hope for the pardon of our sins here and for eternal salvation hereafter Lord be pleased to accept of his all sufficient Sacrifice and perfect satisfaction thereby made to thy justice for all our sins Pardon us we pray thee and free us as from the guilt and punishment so from the power and dominion of all our sins that we be no longer the servants of sin but may be henceforth the servants of God Lay hold on all our souls and bring us in effectually to Jesus Christ. Subduâ— our rebâ—llion take away our unwâ—llingness answer all our objections and excuses and work our hearts to a resolved adventuring upon him an hearty acceptance of him and a total resignation of our selves for ever to him to his goverâ—â—ent and dominion Lord we beseech thee not only to jâ—stifie us by thy grace but likewise to sanctifie us by thy Spirit that we may be an holy people serving thee in holiness and righteousness all the dayes of our lives Mortifie our flesh with the affections and lusts let us be proud no longer nor covetous nor envious nor froward nor mâ—litious Let thy grace be sufficient for us both for the killing of our dearest lusts and strongest corruptions and for the quickning of us on in a conscionable discharge of the Duties of our places callings and relations by which grace let us be carryed on throughout our whole course in an holy humble and sincere conversation Lord let it suffice us that we have spent so much of our precious time in seeking after earthly things help us now in earnest to seek after spiritual and heavenly things after spiritual grace and heavenly glory We pray thee convince us thorowly that upon the little inch of time in this life depends the length and breadth of all Eternity and that as we live here we shall fare everlastingly hereafter And O let the consideration thereof stir us up to a fruitfull improvement of our short time to the best advantage
for the spiritual and eternal good of our poor souls Help us to keep alwayes upon our hearts a deep sense as of the certainty of our death so of the uncertainty of the time thereof that we may live as those who believe we must shortly dye Lord take us into thy keeping and protection this night Grant we may lodge in the arms of Jesus that we may rest in his bosome Give unto us such sweet and comfortable rest and sleep that our bodies may be refreshed and we the better enabled to serve thee the next day in our several places and callings In mercy remember thine all the World over And in special we pray thee for this sinfull Land and Nation Pardon our sins be reconciled to us in Jesus Christ. Let thy Gospel have a free passage therein Pour the choicest of thy blessings upon the head of our King that he may be a blessing unto us Bless all our Magistrates with the Ministers of thy Word and Sacraments Pâ—tty the afflicted members of Jesus Christ. Bless all Christian Families this in particular giving unto every member thereof all needfull saving sanctifying graces And now accept our Sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving which we offer unto thee for thy manifold favours and mercies conferred on our souls and bodies especially and above all for that great gift of thine the Lord Jesus Christ and for all those great things he hath done and suffered for our redemption We bless thy name as for the enjoyment of the Gospel so for any spiritual good we have received thereby that any of us have fiducially and cordially closed with the tenders and offers of Jesus Christ. We bless thy name that thou hast withheld us from the company and wayes of those who live without God in the World giving themselves up to work all wickedness with greediness and hast set our hearts to seek the Lord and wait for thy Salvation For every other good thing whether temporal or spiritual concerning this life or a better blessed and praised be thy great and glorious name And now O Lord we beseech thee in mercy to overlook all the weaknesses and infirmities which have accompanied this holy duty Sprinkle both our Persons and our Services with the blood of that immaculate Lamb Christ Jesus To whom with thee O Father and the holy Spirit be rendred as is most due all honour and praise and glory both now and for evermore Amen A Prayer for a single Person O Eternal and ever-living Lord God the fountain of all blessing the Father of Mercy and God of all Consolation I thy poor creature altogether unworthy to appear in thy sight to present my Prayer and supplication unto thee do yet in the name and mediation of thy beloved Son Jesus Christ prostrate my self at the footstool of thy grace looking for acceptance and assistance in and through him For his sake look graciously upon me pardon my sins which are many and hainous Lord I cannot but acknowledge that besides the guilt of Adam's sin there is in me a fountain of corruption which I brought with me into the World from whence hath plentifully flowed many poisonous streams of actual transgressions and that in evil thoughts evil words and evil actions which I have committed through the whole course of my life from my tender infancy to this present time I have been alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in me I have walked after the course of this World fulfilling the desires of my flesh and of my mind minding earthly things I have broken thy Law neglected thy Gospel refused the offers of Christ and am in great doubt that to this day there hath been no good work wrought upon me but that I continue in the gall of bitterness and the bond of iniquity Lord I cannot but acknowledge I have shamefully abused the ricâ—es of thy goodness forbearance and long-suffering which should have led me to repentance as also thy Fatherly corrections and chastiâ—ements laid upon me in love and for my good oh how little have I been bettered thereby How do I spend my time and strength for the getting of earthly riches and satisfying my self with sensual pleasures and in the mean time am careless of my precious and immortal soul Lord I have often for my profit and pleasure sake omitted and put off the holy exercises of Religion which ought to have been performed by me and have been exceeding dead and dull lifeless and heartless in performing those good duties I have taken in hand I have been unfruitfull under a plentiful dispensation of the means of grace unthankfull under those favours and mercies thou hast conferred on me unfaithfull to those manifold vows and promises I have made unto thee my God Truth Lord my sins are many and hainous but this is my comfort that Jesus Christ came into the World to save sinners and why not me why not me I acknowledge my self to be a great sinner but yet again thy Word testifieth That Jesus Christ came to save the chief of sinners Therefore will I not despair of mercy but am resolved to cast my self and the burden of my sins into the arms and upon the shoulders of Jesus Christ. Be pleased to accept of what Christ hath done and suffered for me and to accept of me in him Turn me O Lord unto thee and through him let me be reconciled unto thee Slay the enmity and subdue the rebellion of mine heart against thee Wash my polluted soul with his most precious blood cloath my nakedness with the long white robe of his righteousness fill my emptiness out of that fulness which is in Jesus Christ. Enrich my soul with all needfull saving sanctifying graces Let the faith of Gods Elect let the love and fear of thy name be shed abroad in my heart Oh that every grace may more and more flourish in me and my lusts more and more wither and decay in me Let my covetousness dye let my pride and envy and passion and sensuality dye let the whole body of death be destroyed that I may no longer serve sin Oh give me grace in this my day to know the things that belong to my peace to make a right use of this time of my visitation As Christ is now frequently tendred in the Ministry of the Gospel as a Saviour to poor sinners So Lord give me grace fiducially to close with the offers and tenders of him that Christ may be mine and I his And as thou hast been pleased to afford unto me the means of grace so I pray thee help me to carry my self in some measure suitable and answerable thereunto that I may not be a shame but rather a credit to Religion and my profession thereof To this end teach me to deny all ungodliness and Worldly lusts and to live soberly righteously and godly in this present World Blessed Lord seeing without thy blessing it will be in vain to put forth my own
praise and the glory of his happy change saying Not unto us not unto us but unto thy name be the praise and the glory of this great work Quest. Doth Regeneration admit any degrees Answ. Yes verily For Regeneration may be considered in the beginning and progress of it or in the consummation and perfection of it It is begun and increaseth in this life it is consummate and perfect in the life to come In this life there is spirit mixed with flesh that is grace with some corruption of nature as is evident by the Apostles complaint in these words When I would do good evil is present with me For I delight in the Law of God after the inward man But I see another law in my members warring against the law of my mind and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my mâ—mbers So that sin and corruption doth remain in all the regenerate as long as their souls remain in their mortal bodies it remains though it doth not raign in them It is in this life cast down but not cast out And this God in great wisdom is pleased to permit to keep us humble and low in our selves and to drive us unto Jesus Christ that as long as this flux of blood runneth we should alwayes be desirous to touch at least the hem of his garment But at death that corruption will be utterly consumed and body and soul clean freed from it insomuch as at the resurrection when body and soul shall be again united the regeneration begun in this World will be manifested to be most perfect Whereas in this life the most regenerate are imperfect through the Reliques of sin and remainder of corruption which will abide in them so long as they abide and continue in this World Now seeing the work of Regeneration is imperfect in the very best here in this life and that there remains flesh and corruption in them so long as they remain in this World Do not thou look too high I mean after a greater measure and degree of grace than here is to be had Many there are who being regenerate by the spirit of God and so brought out of the state of nature into the state of grace presently look for a freedom from all sin and corruption which because they find working and stirring in them thereupon question the work of Regeneration and truth of grace in their souls But let such know that they look for more than here is to be found or than God expects from them For God doth not expect or require of us here freedom from sin and corruption but that we should endeavour to subdue and mortifie it more and more according to the measure of grace and strength which we have received from him He doth not require of us that we be without sin but that sin do not rule nor raign in our mortal bodies according to that of the Apostle Let not sin raign in your mortal bodies Neither doth the Lord require of us exact and perfect righteousness which is impossible to our corrupt nature but only that we strive and labour after it that we sincerely endeavour to serve him after the directions of his Word And that for our failings and imperfections we do in an humble confession bewail the same and then beg the pardon and forgiveness of them in and through the merits of Jesus Christ. And this God will accept of for he esteemeth more of our affections than of our actions and accepteth the will for the deed according to that of the Apostle If there be a willing mind it is accepted according to that a man hath and not according to that he hath not CHAP. IV. Of the Parts of Regeneration and Causes concurring thereunto HAving shewed you what regeneration is and how it doth admit degrees I shall shew you the Parts of Regeneration which are two 1. Mortification 2. Vivification Mortification is implyed under the phrases of casting off and crucifying the old man and destroying the body of sin This is a duty expresly enjoyned in these words mortifie your members which are upon the earth By members on the earth he meaneth all sorts of lusts and sins whereunto a natural man is given as is evident by the particular instances which he himself reckoneth up in the words following as fornication uncleanness c. These must be mortified that is put to death It is not enough to curb and hold in sin but the life of it must be let out And indeed it is not possible to put on the new man till the old man be cast off Therefore there is a necessity of mortification first before vivification For the bringing in of one form presupposeth the putting out or destroying of the other Wherefore after Mortification followeth Vivification 2. Vivification is the begetting of the life of grace in us whence we live in holiness and righteousness It is set forth in Scripture by Gods quickning us and by our walking in newness of life Vivification then implyeth a new spiritual life which God by his spirit worketh in us which is clean contrary to our former natural corrupt course of life For the effects of this life are holiness and righteousness and all manner of good works Now it is absolutely necessary that this part of regeneration namely Vivification be added to Mortification which is the other part even as necessary as that Christ being dead should be raised Where had been the benefit of Christs death if he had not risen from the dead And what can be imagined to be the profit of mortification without vivification It is therefore the accustomed course of Sacred Scripture to infer the following of holiness upon the flying of sin the doing of good upon eschewing of evil Now the things which God hath joyned together let no man put asunder Let us therefore prove our regeneration not only by ceasing from sin but following holiness and working righteousness Content not thy self to say I am not what I was unless thou canst also add I am what I was not It will be but little boot to thee to say I am no drunkard nor swearer nor covetous nor a walker after the flesh unless thou canst also say By the grace of God I now walk after the spirit in faith and love and holy obedience watchfull unto and endeavouring after a fruitfulness in every good work Thou art not unjust thou sayest but doest thou shew mercy Thou art no longer earthly but art thou heavenly minded Thou art no longer contentious or quarrelsome but art thou a peace-maker Thou hast no longer fellowship with the ungodly but art thou a familiar of the Saints Thou wilt not now curse or swear or lye or scoff but dost thou pray and bless Dost thou hear and read and meditate on God Dost thou study thine heart and govern thy thoughts and affections Dost thou bridle thy tongue set a watch
over thine eyes and ears and steps Is it thy care to please and in all things to walk worthy the Lord Look to thy self that thou be not deceived Cast off the works of darkness and put on the armour of light Cast off the old man and put on the new man which as it is created after the image So will it carry thee on according to the will of God in righteousness and true holiness Having shewed the Nature of Regeneration and the parts thereof I come now to shew what Causes concurr to the work of Regeneration 1. The efficient Cause or primary Author is God For in this respect we are born of God God hath begotten us Jam. 1.18 Even God the Father of our Lord Iesus Christ. 2. The procuring causes are Gods will and Gods mercy There could be nothing out of God to move him It must needs therefore arise from his own meer will So faith the Apostle Iames Of his own will begat he us And there could be nothing in man to move God hereunto for man by nature is most miserable It must needs therefore arise from Gods meer mercy For misery is the proper object of mercy On this ground it is justly said that God according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again 3. The immediate worker of Regeneration is Gods Spirit In this respect we are said to be born of the spirit and regeneration is stiled the renewing of the holy Ghost For it is a divine work above humane ability 4. The ordinary instrumental cause is Gods Word Of his own will begat he us by the word of truth whereby is meant the Gospel In this respect the Word is stiled incorruptible seed The Gospel is that part of Gods Word which is most effectual hereunto and it is thereupon stiled the Gospel of salvation And the power of God unto salvation 5. Ministers and preachers of the Gospel are Ministerial causes of Regeneration who are in relation to their Ministery said to beget us and stiled Fathers All these are comprised under the Efficient cause and are so far from thwarting one another as they sweetly concurr to produce this divine work of Regeneration being subordinate one to another and may in this order be placed together It being the will of God to shew mercy to man he ordained Ministers to cast the seed of his Word into mens souls which being quickned by the Spirit men are thereby born again II. The material cause of Regeneration is the parts whereof it doth consist which are two I. Mortification 2. Vivification of both which I have spoken in the fore-going Chapter III. The formal cause of Regeneration is Gods Image planted in us which consists in holiness and righteousness After this Image we are said to be renewed This makes an essential difference betwixt a natural and a regenerate man IV. The final causes next and subordinate to the glory of Gods free-grace and rich mercy are especially two 1. To make men able to do good namely such good as may be acceptable and honourable to God profitable to other men and truly advantageable to themselves The Apostle therefore speaking of Regeneration which we have shewed to be a kind of Creation thus expresseth this end we are created in Christ Iesus unto good works 2. To make men fit for glory For corrupt flesh cannot partake of Coelestial glory Whereupon faith Christ Except a man be born again he cannot see the Kingdom of God So far shall he be from being admitted into it as he shall not come so near as to see it God will not take a sinner reeking in his lusts and presently invest him with a Crown of glory And therefore that we may be fitted for Heaven the Lord is pleased by his spirit to regenerate us making us new-creatures and thereby making us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the Saints in light Behold the Riches of Gods mercy and goodness that he not only created us at first in a most happy estate even after his own image and likeness But when we wittingly and willfully fell from the same and plunged ourselves into misery wherein he might justly have left us as he did the evil Angels Yet he hath not only restored us again to that former estate by renewing his image in us but thereby fitted us for a more glorious and excellent estate wherein his goodness appeareth to be as his greatness infinite incomprehensible Who can sufficiently set it forth For as the Heaven is high above the earth so great is his mercy towards them that fear him CHAP. V. Sheweth the Reasons why Regeneration is necessary to Salvation HAving spoken of the point by way of explication I come now to speak of it by way of confirmation To this end I shall shew you the reasons of the point why Regeneration is necessary to Salvation Reas. 1. From the immutability of Gods purpose God who hath chosen us to life hath chosen us also to holiness as our way to it We are bound to give thanks to God for you brethren beloved of the Lord because God hath from the beginning chosen you to Salvation through the Sanctification of the Spirit Whoever will pass into glory must take grace in his way You ask why may I not be saved unless I be regenerated Why because God is resolved on the contrary This is the will of God your sanctification first and then your salvation Now the purposes of God shall stand With him is no variableness nor shadow of turning All the world shall sooner be damned then the purpose of God shall be made void The Lord God must cease to be the unchangeable God if thou ever be saved who wilt not be sanctified Reas. 2. From the stability of Gods Word God hath said Except a man be born again he cannot enter into the Kingdom of God Is the word of God yea and nay doth he say and unsay Heaven and Earth shall pass away but his word shall not pass away Count upon it sinner as sure as God is true thou shalt never see the salvation of God unless thou be first made partaker of the renewing of the holy Ghost Reas. 3. From the respect that Regeneration hath to Salvation Regeneration is a degree and part of Salvation Grace is glory begun holiness is the beginning of blessedness the perfection whereof will be in Heaven hereafter where the image of God which consisteth in knowledge holiness and righteousness will be perfected in our souls where we shall perfectly love God and delight in him and be ever praising him with the Heavenly host Now how canst thou expect the participation and enjoyment of this blessed estate without regeneration and renovation here Unless the image of God be renewed upon thee in holiness and thou dost truly love God and delight in communion with him here Canst thou expect the consummation without
day do most perfectly Some have found by woful experience what an intollerable burden one sin is to the conscience when the Lord hath been pleased to set it home When Iudas had betrayed his Master and his conscience began to accuse him for the same it was such an intollerable burden to him that he was not able to stand under it but went and hanged himself Now if one sin proves so intollerable who then can stand under the weight of the many millions of sins which he hath committed in the whole course of his life especially when God shall set them all home together upon his conscience Ah sinner If the reading one leaf of this book was so dreadful to Iudas how dreadfull and terrible will it be to thee when thou shalt read not only one leaf but the whole book from the beginning to the end and therein see the millions of sins committed by thee whereof as thy whole life so thy whole book will be filled within and without and interlined with lamentation mourning and woe Ah in what a woful case will thy heart then be what horrour and astonishment will then possess thy soul when all thy lies and oaths all thy raylings and rotten speeches all thy filthy and unclean thoughts thy mispent time in Taverns and Ale-houses thy worldliness and covetousness the vanities and rebellions of thy whole life shall be brought to thy remembrance and at once charged upon thy graceless soul. 2. At the day of Iudgement there will be a discovery of thy sins to all the World For as the Apostle speaketh Hidden things shall on that day be brought to light They shall not only be called to remembrance by the sinner himself but likewise exposed to the view and censure of others There is no sin so secretly and closely committed but then shall be discovered to the view of all There is scarce a wicked man in the World though never so formal but he hath at some time or other committed some such sin in secret which he would not have others to know for all the World But know for certain that at the day of judgement all the World shall hear thereof For then all thy secret sins and close villanies shall be discovered and layd open before Angels Men and Devils thy secret Whoredomes and close Adulteries thy Pilfrings and stealings thy false Weights and Measures thy Hypocrisies and Dissemblings shall be discovered to the view of all and that to thine eternal shame and confusion And therefore the day of Judgement is called the day of revelation when many Murthers Thefts Adulteries and other abominations which come not to light here shall at that day be made known and discovered to the view of all The Husband shall then behold the Whoredomes of his Wife and the Wife the Adulteries of her Husband the Master the Pilferings of his Servant and the Servant the deceitfulness of his Master Yea then not only thy words and actions but also thy secret thoughts and imaginations how vain and wanton how filthy and abominable soever they have been shall appear to the view of all Never therefore adventure upon the committing of any sin in hope of secrecy because thou seemest safe from the eyes of men For suppose thy sin lyeth undiscovered unto the last and great day yet then shall it out with a witness and be made manifest to the view of all Q. If any shall ask how their sins shall be discovered to all the World at the last and great day A. 1. By their own confessions and complaints extorted from them by the power of God For then will they cry out in the bitterness of their souls with these or such like expressions Woe and alas that ever I slighted the manifold gracious invitations of Iesus Christ and preferred my base lusts and corruptions before him that I have opened the door of my heart to every sinful temptation but never would open it to let in Iesus Christ that I so often rejected the motions of Gods spirit stirring me up to turn from my sins unto God and hearkened more unto the solicitations of the Devil than to the motions of Gods spirit that I neglected the many opportunities and means of grace afforded unto me and trifled away my pretious time in vanity and pleasure yea sin and wickedness spending that time in the Ale-house and in following my sinful lusts and pleasures wherein I should have been praying in my closet or attending upon the Ministry of the Word or reading the Scriptures with other good books that I should preferâ— my Wordly business before the service of God that the World should have more of my heart and time than my maker and Redeemer 2. By the cryes and complaints of those whom they have wronged and oppressed Then Abels blood will cry out afresh against Cain and the hungry bellies of the poor will cry out against those hard-hearted rich worldlings who would not afford them the least comfort or relief And starved souls will then cry out against their ignorant scandalous Ministers for not giving them the bread of life The Wives and the Children of Gamesters Drunkards and Whore-masters being impoverished by their sins will then cry out against them for spending their small means in the satisfying their sinfull lusts The poor Tenants will then cry out against their covetous unmerciful Land-lords for raising and racking their rents to such an height as they could not earn their bread by all their care and labour 3. By the testimony of Gods spirit who will then come in as a witness against thee saying at such a time I shewed thee the evil of thy sins and how sad the issue of them would be and thereupon perswaded thee to turn from thy sins unto God but thou wouldst not at such a time I shewed thee thy misery without Christ and thy need of him how thou wouldst be undone for ever without an interest in Christ and how willing Christ was to receive the worst of sinners unto mercy upon their coming in to him but thou hearknedst to the Devil more than to me to his suggestions rather than to my motions 4. By the testimony of the Devil who is now a tempter but will then be an accuser whose chief design in tempting us to sin is that he may have wherewithall to accuse us in that great day that so he might drive us into the same condemnation with himself Thus you see there are several wayes of discovering the sins of the wicked and ungodly at the day of judgement even to the view of all Now I know no better way to prevent the discovery of your sins at that great day than here in this time and day of grace to call your selves to an account to search and examine your own hearts and lives and thâ—n to judge and condemn your selves for your manifold sins and transgressions for as the Apostle speaketh If we judge our selves we shall not be condemned