that you are not troubled How came you by that peace which you have had for these many years You have gone on quietly and the Terms between God and your Souls have not troubled you But I this day in the Name of God demand of you How came you to have this Peace How came God and your Souls to be Friends This I can tell you That there was a time that every one of you were Enemies to God If God hath Revealed any Truth in this Book this is a certain Truth That every one in this place was an Enemy to God Now then how you have made up your peace your had need look to it Certainly it must come by the Gospel or else it is a Delusion If so be that the Treaties between God and your Souls were not the Treaties of the Gospel that is the Gospel Revealing the great Counsels of God unto you about this and the Terms upon which He would be Reconciled and then your Souls sending up your Answer to God how you would be willing to accept of those Conditions that are propounded in the Gospel I put this to your Souls What Treaties hath there been between God and you Have you found the Ministry of the Gospel to be powerful upon you and to bring this Peace into you If it hath not come in this way I say it is but a Delusion and the great Work of Reconciliation between God and your Souls is to make up at this day But thus much for this First Point But Secondly Your Peace shall rest upon it Shall rest that is Whosoever Entertains it they shall not only have some sudden Apprehensions of those Excellent things that you bring unto them they shall not only have some flashie Comforts in those things and feel some present Sweetness in them but the good and the Blessing of that blessed Doctrine of peace it shall abide with them all the days of their lives and to all Eternity That 's the meaning Your Peace shall rest upon them So that this is our Point now That such as do Entertain the Gospel Now what the Entertainment is that is what it is to be a Son of Peace That was a great part of our Work the last Lords Day But if you be such Sons of Peace as was Opened to you I say the Lord will not only grant you present Apprehensions of the Glorious things of the Gospel and some present Sweetness but He will Cause the Blessing of it and the good things of it to abide upon your Spirits to continue there for your Eternal good Many upon the first Hearing of the Message of the Gospel upon the first Opening of that Blessed Doctrine have their Hearts taken and begin presently to be stirr'd and affected but we find by Experience that many times all is but a meer flash it all vanishes again The good of the Gospel they did apprehend doth not abide upon them As the stony ground in Mat. 13. 20 21. But he that received the Seed into stony places the same is he that heareth the Word and anon with joy receiveth it Yet hath he not root in himself but endureth for a while He doth but continue a while he received it in a little way and that with joy He hath some present taste of the Sweetness of the Word he takes it in with joy but it doth not rest upon him it doth not abide in him The Seed doth not lie there so long as to Fructifie as to bring forth Fruit but comes to nothing as the Ears of Corn upon the House top they quickly are blasted and come to nothing Thus it is with many Hearers There were some that were the High-way ground and they were your ordinary Ignorant and prophane People the Word took no Impression upon them but it was presently taken away by the Fowls of the Air. But there were others that did seem to be affected with the Word of the Gospel to have it enter a little into their hearts their Spirits were taken with sudden Joy O it is a blessed Gospel that we hear this is a blessed Ministry indeed that we enjoy But mark it was but for a while The Seed of the Word it did but abide a little while it did not rest in them So in Luke 14. There upon the Preaching of Christ the Text saith in ver 15. That when one of them that sat at Meat with him heard these things he said unto him Blessed is he that shall eat Bread in the Kingdom of God When Christ had been Preaching unto them about the things of the Kingdom of God Mark There were some of His Auditors that were taken with His Preaching O blessed is he that shall have Communion with these things And yet you may observe by the very Words that follow after the Parable that Christ uses that even those that were thus affected and taken were such as prized their Oxen and Farms and other things above the Gospel and have that Doom pronounc'd upon them That those men that were bidden should not taste of the Supper And so in John 5. 35. It is spoken concerning John He was a burning and a shining Light and ye were willing for a season to rejoyce in his Light Mark John was an admirable Preacher he came as the Fore-runner of Christ and Preached Repent for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand John did open the Kingdom of Heaven unto his Hearers and they were mightily taken with him But now Mark what the Text saith For a little time they did rejoyce in the Light but they did not continue And in John 8. There you have a notable place concerning Christs Preaching unto the Jews and Christ did Preach so as did take their Heart in some measure the Text saith that some of them did believe in ver 13. As He spake those words many believed on Him But Mark what Christ saith in ver 31. Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on Him If ye continue in my Word then are ye My Disciples indeed Mark Christ would not own them to be His Disciples though their Hearts were taken with what He Preached but upon these Terms If you continue in my Word Which is all one If the Word abide in you and you abide in the Word then are you my Disciples I beseech you observe it Christ doth not own a Man or Woman to be His Disciple meerly because of some sudden flashes of Affection because they are taken with the Word and perhaps are Convinced by the Word and stirred for a time I say Christ doth not own them to be Disciples except that His Word abide in them and they abide in the Word And in Gal. 4. you have a most excellent Text for this purpose The Apostle shews there that the Galatians were mightily taken with the Ministry of the Gospel at first when Paul came among them but it seems in great part it Vanished from them ver 15. saith Paul Where is
his life And then he seeks to get riches by communicating of his riches That Scripture you have for this in 1 Tim. 6. 17. Charge them that are rich in this world that they be not high-minded nor trust in uncertain riches but in the living God who giveth us richly all things to enjoy That they do good that they be rich in good works ready to distribute The more good works he doth the richer he makes account himself is Now ordinarily a carnal heart when he is call'd to do good works he cannot for shame but do something I but he thinks he is the poorer by it What will you get away all my estate and make me a begger Why these often Contributions draws away my estate and they think they have so much of their heart-blood drawn away and so they grow poorer and poorer But a godly man he makes account that the more good works he doth the richer man he grows Why God himself accounts his riches to be in the works of mercy In Eph. 2. there you shall find that the riches of God are in the works of his mercy That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness towards us Why God is not said to be rich in power so much as in grace in the works of his mercy in the works of kindness And so a godly man that hath learned by the grace of God to be full doth account himself made rich in the communicating what fulness God hath given him for the glory of his Name and the good of others This is a second mysterious way of a godly mans learning how to be full And then the Third way of a Godly mans learning how to be full is this He doth learn how to have comfort in his estate by mortifying of his affections to his estate and by moderating of his spirit in the joy that he hath in his estate he comes to receive the greater joy in what he hath given to him This you will say is a riddle for a man to have greater joy in outward things by moderating of his joy and to have a greater fulness in his abundance by keeping himself within bounds This is the way of a godly man the more he keeps himself within bounds the more comfort he hath in his abundance and the more he can mortifie his affections to the comforts of the world the more comfort hath he in these comforts of the world Now because this may seem to be a great riddle and mystery for so it is I will give you one Scripture that will make it out fully and it is in Phil. 4. 4 5. Rejoyce in the Lord alway and again I say rejoyce Here the Apostle puts people to rejoyce to rejoyce in the Lord that is not onely in spiritual things but rejoyce in all Gods blessings in a spiritual way Now the men of the world when they are put upon it to rejoyce and again to rejoyce they think they know nor how to reioyce but by letting out their hearts without any bounds they know not how to keep any bounds But mark the words that follow Let your moderation be known unto all men As if the Apostle should say And would you rejoyce indeed truly and graciously and fully I exhort you to rejoyce and again to rejoyce Well then This is pleasing to the heart of a man we will give our selves liberty to rejoyce we will enlarge our selves in our joy I but saith the Apostle Let your moderation be known to all men though So that in that he adds this exhortation Let your moderation be known to all men it 's apparent that he means the joy in outward things as well as in spiritual things Let your moderation be known to all so that he doth not envy your rejoycing in your estate You may rejoyce in the comforts of this world that God hath given you But would you have true joy that that should glad your hearts indeed let your moderation be known to all men and do so bound your selves in your joy and let your hearts be so mortified to the world as that you may rejoyce in God even while you rejoyce in the outward blessings that God hath given to you And although many men may think this to be a mystery and scarce to be believed yet those who are truly godly find this by experience I appeal to you when have you had the greatest comfort and joy in your estates and comings in but at that time when you have found your hearts mortified to the world and that you could keep your selves in bounds If a man goes abroad and among company if he can keep his appetite in bounds and eat moderately he hath more comfort in his meat and drink than another man hath that eats excessively A man that eats and drinks moderately he preserves his health and by preserving his health he hath more sweetness in his meat and drink in a constant way than those that eat and drink immoderately and when a man hath been abroad among company and let out his heart profusely in way of laughter and merriment and all upon the merry pin why in the midst of this laughter his heart is even sad and when he comes home he comes home with a dead spirit He is like Nabal you know that when he was feasting his heart was merry but as soon as his drunkenness was gone from him his heart died like a stone Many Company-keepers that give liberty to themselves in jollity and mirth why the next day their hearts are even as dead as a stone and there 's a great deal of guilt upon their spirits and their consciences fly in their faces so that they have not so much joy in their spirits as those that can keep within bounds Those that can go in a sober way and meet with their neighbours and rejoyce one with another they when they come home can bless God for this their refreshing that they have had and the next morning their hearts are in a sweet and joyful frame The more we keep our selves in bounds in the use of the Creature the more comfort have we in the use of the Creature That 's the third way of a gracious hearts learning how to abound He learns how to enjoy the world by mortifying his heart to it and by keeping himself within bounds in the use of the Creature And then the Fourth way of mystery of the Godlies learning how to abound it is this He learns how to abound by getting all that he hath to be sanctified by the Word and Prayer It was one way of knowing how to want by having our afflictions sanctified to us and so it is the way to know how to abound Now this is a way that carnal hearts have little skill in they think they know how to abound by their natural wisdom I but the way that a gracious heart hath for abounding is this God
is the food of thy Soul though thou canst not remember and give an account of such and such things thou do'st hear in the word but yet do'st thou find that thou art nourished by it I say the good things of the Gospel then do rest upon thy Soul Then if this be so great a Blessing O that I could but convince you this day to go away with your hearts taken with this Blessing O that all of you were convinc'd this day We hear that it is not enough for us to have sudden apprehensions when we hear the Blessed things of the Gospel but that that is indeed the blessing of God upon a Son of Peace it is to have the good things of the Gospel abide and rest upon them O then that it might be so with us O that the Lord would help us that whatsoever we hear we may not only be taken with the hearing of it but that it might rest upon our Hearts I shall propound some Rules unto you First When you come you must endeavour to bring soft Hearts and tender Spirits What Truths you do know you must work upon your Hearts before you come to labour to soften your Hearts We know that the Truths of God are compared in Scripture to Nails that are fastened by the Ministers of God in the Assemblies Eccles 12. 11. Now when you come to fasten a Nail or a Goad if the thing be a Stone you cannot fasten it A Work-man if he would drive a Nail into a Wall if he meet with a Flint the Nail cannot enter but there must be some thing that must yield to make it rest So you must labour to bring yielding and soft Hearts Secondly When you come to hear come so as to make account that now you come to attend upon God and that while any Truth of the Gospel is Revealing to you God is coming nigh unto your Souls in those things that concern your Eternal good If the Hearts of People did attend upon the Ministry of the Gospel thus that is We are here O Lord in thy Presence now to hear what Thou hast to Reveal unto us and we believe that in this thine Ordinance when Thou art making known any Truth of the Gospel to us Thou art coming nigh to our Souls in a matter that Concerns our Eternal good If you did attend thus certainly every Truth would get into your Hearts Thirdly When you find the Truth beginning to work upon your Hearts then Dart up some Ejaculations in your own Thoughts Lord set home this So you may do and not hinder your hearing Lord Thou beginnest to stir my Heart O Lord keep my Heart in this frame As we read of David when as he saw the People in a good Frame 1 Chron. 29. 18. saith he O Lord God of Abraham Isaac and of Israel our Fathers keep this for ever in the Imagination of the Thoughts of the Heart of thy People And the truth is We would willingly Dart up such a Prayer to God if we knew how God did begin to stir you But you know how God is communing with your Hearts when you hear us speaking to you therefore do you your selves Dart up such an Ejaculation to God O Lord God keep this Truth in the Thoughts of my Heart for ever A Fourth Rule is this You must not trust your own Hearts never trust to sudden Affections and Resolutions This Text is most excellent for this purpose Mark how David Prays Keep this in the Thoughts of the Heart of thy People and prepare their Hearts unto Thee Why were they not prepared to God Their Hearts were mightily up for God and yet it appears that David would not take this scarce for a Preparation but the Lord must still work further and further So when thou feelest thy Heart a little stirr'd do not think that the work is presently done but pray to God to prepare thy Heart and that He would go on with that Blessed work of His. And then another Rule is this Labour after thou art gone to work the Truths upon thy Heart by Meditation that so they may abide Would you have a Salve that should do good to an Affected Member It is not only the laying of the Salve upon the Body but to rub it that it may get in and supple the part So when the Lord comes to present the Blessed Truths of the Gospel to you you must labour to rub them upon your Hearts by Meditation Another Rule is Turn all that you hear into Prayer That is When you have heard any truth that hath taken and affected your Souls get alone into your Closets and before you go about any other Business fall down before the Lord and turn that which you have heard into Prayer it were a good Rule for your Direction and you will find an admirable benefit by this you will find this to help your Memory much Do but henceforward observe this Rule that now is tendered unto you as from the Lord work the matter that you hear upon your Hearts by Prayer And further Take heed of Temptations keep a narrow Watch over your Hearts take heed that some Temptations do not come secretly to steal away that blessed Truth that you have heard For the Devil will labour as I told you the place is full of Angels and so it is full of Devils too The Devil is watching who it is that is stirred with the hearing of the Gospel and he presently is labouring to draw out all the Power and Efficacy Therefore watch against Temptations Another Rule will be this Often call your Hearts unto an account oftentimes be communing with your own Hearts in this manner O my Soul was there not such a time that thou wert stirr'd and affected when thou did'st hear such and such things Why what is become of all thy Stirrings and of all those Resolutions and Truths that thou hast heard O my Soul where are they What hast thou done with them O it would be of admirable Use if you would take an account of your hearts But when Men and Women are stirr'd sometimes and go away and never call their Hearts to an account what is become of them no marvel though the things of the Gospel do not abide but vanish all and are as Water spilt upon the Ground And further Take heed of secret sins Thou hast no power to purge thy Heart but thou may'st in great measure abandon the Acts of sin That Man or Woman that lives in a Secret sin I say that Secret sin will either Eat out the Truths that he hath heard or the Truth will Eat out that sin Thou comest to hear the Word and hast many Blessed things Revealed to thee I say they will either Eat out thy Secret sin or thy Secret sin will Eat out them And which of the two do'st thou think thou hadst best be rid of And if thou wouldst have them abide turn all into Practice that is fall a
O the Lord the Lord forbid but let me the rather embrace it by how much the more it is neglected and dis-regarded by others What shall such a glorious Gospel be preached in vain What shall the precious Blood of Jesus Christ be shed in vain and it is in vain in respect of many Souls and shall it be in respect of my Soul the Lord forbid O that the Lord would put such kind of thoughts into your Hearts when you see others live under the Ministry of the Gospel in a sinful way And thus much for this Supposition If not What follows If not Let it return to you again Here we have first an encouragement to Gods Ministers in case their Ministry is rejected And Secondly A dreadful denunciation against those that shall reject the Gospel First the encouragement of the Ministers of God in case their Ministry be rejected Let it return to you again In this we have these two Things First That when any Minister Preaches Christ to a people if the people get no good by his Preaching yet he shall have the benefit of it upon his own Soul that 's the first let it return to you again if they will not embrace it so as to have the good and benefit of it to them it shall return to you and you shall have the benefit and blessing of it upon your own Souls Secondly Let it return that is though it prevails not here yet it shall not lose any thing of its efficacy of the life of the vigor of it but it shall return to you with as much efficacy and life as ever so as if you be sent to some other place there may be as much hopes of doing good as ever you had these are the two things that are for the incouragement of Gods Ministers in case their Ministry be rejected Briefly of these First That whena people rejects the Gospel Gods Ministers they shall not lose by it they shall have the blessing of their Ministry in Isai 49. 4. Then I said I have laboured in vain I have spent my strength for nought and in vain here 's a dreadful complaint but mark what follows yet surely my judgment is with the Lord and my work with my God there is a correcting of himself as it were as if he should say what did I say it was in vain that I had spent my strength in vain to no purpose that I had gotten nothing by what I had done No let me correct my self surely my judgment is with the Lord and my work with my God I shall not lose my labour though I do no good upon people yet I shall not lose my labour The truth is even this Complaint is not spoken so much in the person of the Prophet as of Jesus Christ It is a complaint of Christ for it is apparent in the reading of this Chapter that it is Prophetical of Christ for it follows And now saith the Lord that formed me from the Womb to be his servant to bring Jacob again to him though Israel be not gathered yet shall I be glorious in the eyes of the Lord and my God shall be my strength And he said It is a light thing that thou shouldest be my servant to raise up the Tribes of Jacob and to restore the preserved of Israel I will also give you for a light to the Gentiles that thou maist be my Salvation to the ends of the Earth c. Now who was he that was a light to the Gentiles and the Salvation of God to the ends of the Earth It was Jesus Christ and yet Christ himself is brought in here complaining that he had laboured in vain and spent his strength for nought and in vain but God comes in and incourages him and tells him that he should not lose the benefit of their labours his judgment should be with the Lord and his work with his God And further that though he did not prevail with some yet he should with others he should be given as a light to the Gentiles And likewise that place is well known in the 2 Cor. 2. 15 16. For we are unto God a sweet savour of Christ in them that are saved I that 's true but mark what follows and in them that perish A sweet savour of Christ in them that are saved and in them that perish as truly in them that perish as in them that are saved Gods Ministers are a sweet savour of Christ therefore their labour is not in vain To us belongs faithfulness we are to look to be faithful in our work but for the success that belongs to God himself It is a note that Bernard hath on the 1 Cor. 15. 10. saith the Apostle there By the Grace of God I am that I am and his Grace that was bestowed upon me was not in vain but I laboured more abundantly then they all Saith Bernard here he doth not so much glory in the fruit of his Labours as in his labouring for indeed we are to glory rather in our work than in the faithfulness of our hearts in our work rather than in the success Ministers many times may look too much after the success of their labour and yet if there be any thing in the world that a man may look for the success of his labour in it is in the work of the Ministry but especially he is to look after his faithfulness in his labour and if he be faithful there he shall not lose his labour But saith Bernard you must have a care rather to discharge your work to take care of Souls rather than the curing of them it is your work to take care of them but it is Gods work to cure them that 's to be left to God There is a Question among Divines Whether a Minister that Converts many Souls here by his Ministry or another that is as faithful every whit as he and as painful and yet doth not convert Souls or but very few which of these shall have most Glory in Heaven whether the one or the other Many think rather the Second because the one hath a great part of his comfort here and his incouragement the other goes on in his painfulness and faithfulness though he hath not such comforts and incouragements And indeed of all Works it is the hardest work for a man to go on comfortably in the work of the Ministry without success there is no work so hard as that is What for a man to think O that the Lord should send me to a people to what end to preach the Gospel indeed but to harden them but to aggravate their sin but so as their condemnation shall be increased O it is a dreadful thought unto the heart of a Minister to think that he should be sent about such a task as this is Jeremy was even weary and said He would preach no more in the Name of the Lord only the Word of God was as fire in his bones and he
take hold of this may be saved from sinking into the bottomless Gulf of Eternal Horror and Despair and there is no way to save any sinking Soul but only this Now if men slight and disregard this and put it off is it not just that men should sink down this that I speak will eb foundgood one day the Lord forbid that any one Soul in this Place should find this similitude made good upon them that is to sink into the bottomless Gulf and there to consider with himself had not I a line cast to me for the Saving of me and had I catch'd hold of it as others did might not I have been Saved as well as they This I say the Lord will make good one day But now because much may be said As doth not God call at the Eleventh hour and the like And grant God may call at the eleventh hour I but it is not said God will call eleven times That is God may let Men and Women go a long time and at length call them but what have you in Scripture after Rejection of Calls to Call again do not mistake me I do not say but that God may call eleven score times I but it is more than such a one may expect the Lord calls at the Eleventh hour but you do not hear if they refuse then what he will do afterwards So you say That the Theef on the Cross was called at the last hour but who knows whether ever he did hear of Jesus Christ before that time therefore your case is not his though it 's true he was Saved at the last I but it may be he did never reject Christ in his life and it was the first time that ever Jesus Christ was made known to him for ought any can tell and do you so though you be old sinners yet upon the offer of the Gospel if you shall presently come in then you may be received but what may be after the offer of the Gospel I cannot tell You will say That we find by Experience that God doth Convert those that lives a long time under Meanes It 's true he may be patient towards them I but it is more than they can expect that it should be so and mark it you must not venture upon Gods patience with another to think that he will be patient so long with thee I will give you a notable Scripture for that the Example is in Manasses in 2 Chron. 33. 1. there you have the Story of Manasses how wicked a man he was and Manasses did Reign Fifty five Years though he were a very Wicked man yet the Lord suffered him to Reign Fifty five Years and it is like most of this time was in his Wickedness but now comes his Son Amon after him v. 21. and perhaps Amon he might think thus Why may not I do as my Father did The Lord was patient with my Father many Years and why may not I venture as he did and so he did venture to live in the Wickedness that his Father had lived in but mark God was quick with him though he spared Manasses the Father yet he was quick with Amon the Son in vers 24. God spared him but Two Years for he died Wickedly as the Story shews you afterwards so that you must know Gods patience is his own God may be patient with one perhaps Twenty or thirty Years and he will not with another so many moneths Wherefore then by way of Application thus much First Hence Ministers may see cause when they come to Preach Jesus Christ to a People to come with trembling hearts and the truth is though it be that that their Souls desire above all and they account themselves or should do in their Element when they are opening Jesus Christ unto you yet upon the Consideration of this Point they cannot Preach Christ unto you without trembling Hearts for they have these thoughts whatsoever you have Lord I am now going to Preach Christ and open the Mysteries of Grace to this People I but if they should reject it how quick will the Lord Deal with them the Ministry of my Word How soon may it be to cut them down and to send them to their own places Therefore those that know what they do cannot but come with Trembling Hearts Secondly From hence Let all those that have liv'd under the Gospel and yet the Lord hath been patient towards them for a long time O let them learn to Bless the Name of God I perhaps was Born of Godly Parents and they instill'd good Principles into me and they were careful to set me under good Preaching yea and I not only had the outward Offer of Grace but God knows how often Gods Spirit came offered Christ to my Soul and yet I went on stubbornly and stoutly a long time O the rich Mercy of God that he did not wholly give me up and cut me off Rich Mercy And what hath God yet come and strove with me again for all this Rejection O the Riches of the Grace of God towards me more than towards others Thou hast cause to magnifie God for it is not an ordnary thing for God to deal so with People as he hath dealt with thee Thirdly Let all those that do come to hear the Ministry of the Gospel to hear the Word of the Gospel and yet their Consciences tell them that they are Opposers of it and secret Contemners of it and are resolved to go on in their wayes let there be said what will be yet they resolve to go on and to continue as Vile as formerly O that the Lord would strike some such bold Sinner this Day by this Word By this Point that hath been thus Preached unto thee the Lord strike thy Heart thou bold Sinner that darest be bold even against the face of the Mercy of God in Jesus Christ that darest be bold to kick as it were God in his Bowels If the Lord hath any purpose to do good unto thee he will strike thy Heart and humble thee before him in that that thou hast gone on thus against so much rich Grace as thou hast done as Jehu said in another case What hast thou to do with Peace get thee behind me So is God a Merciful God and the Preacher Preaches Mercy howsoever thou wilt live in the face of the Mercy of God in thy wicked wayes What hast thou to do with Mercy Now if this be so Hearken to the Exhortation in the Second Psalm Kiss the Son lest he be angry there indeed lies the Emphasis Kiss the Son saith the Psalmist What shall the Son of God that is Jesus Christ come to be Preached to you and do you reject him No take heed what you do Kiss him and that expression it is a sign of Obedience for so it was used in those times they came and Kiss'd the Prince as a sign of their Subjection to him Kiss the Son Obey the Gospel submit
conscience liberty to reprove you for being Truant in the School of Jesus Christ and let this humble your souls before the Lord. I shall speak more to that afterwards but for the present know that this is your work to go and be humbled before the Lord that you have not understood what it is to sanctifie God in the fulness that you enjoy Lord Through thy mercy I have all my dayes been full of outward comforts Thou hast been full-handed towards me in the wayes of thy mercy but Lord though I have had fulness a long time O how far have I been from knowing how to be full If this be to know it then I have been a stranger to it hitherto Tenthly A man doth know how to abound when he knows how to make use of the Comforts he doth enjoy of the world so as not to be hindered by the afflictions or troubles that doth attend his Comforts In mens abounding and being full of comforts in this world they cannot but have some affliction and some troubles attending these comforts for all Creature comforts are mingled comforts Now then Then a man knows rightly how to be full when he enjoyes his fulness so as though he hath some affliction mixed yet he can tell how to make use of his affliction for his humiliation and his comforts for thanksgiving unto God at the same time whereas now abundance of people when they enjoy comfort if they meet with any trouble and affliction mixed with their comfort they are filled so with vexation and bitterness and their spirits are so troubled that they lose all the good of their comforts As Haman he did abound but he did not know how to abound therefore when he was but crossed in one thing that Mordecay did not bow the Knee to him why all the comfort of his prosperity was taken away and his spirit was filled with rage and bitterness and malice And thus it is with many people that have abundance in their Families they are full of outward comforts they have their Yoke-fellows comfortable Children they have Estates they have their Tables furnished and all things that one would think might content the heart of a man almost But now if any one cross doth fall out that doth displease them they are put into such a vexation and fretting humour as they lose all the benefit of the comforts Do'st thou know how to abound when as thou goest abroad and something crossest thee or thy Servant doth something amiss why presently thou art in a rage and fretting and all thy thanksgiving to God for all thy mercies that 's forgot Nothing but fretting and vexing in the Family for one cross when as there are a hundred mercies that thou shouldest bless God for Thou dost not know how to to abound when thou canst not tell how to sever the good of mercy from the consideration of affliction And though God doth afflict thee in something yet he gives thee abundance of occasions to bless him and praise him But now when thou canst bless God for all mercies and be humbled for all afflictions at the same time If God doth grant me more mercies then affliction he shall have more thanksgiving from me then sorrow or then trouble I le have more joy then I will have trouble if I have more mercy then I have correction This man knows how to abound that can do thus then Eleventhly lastly That man knows how to abound that in his abundance yet knows himself Such a man or woman knows how to be full and to abound I say that if they are full and abound yet they know themselves It s ordinary for people not to know themselves when once they come to abound Saul was little in his own eyes when he was in a mean estate but when Saul came to abound he knew not himself And so it hath been ordinary with people that their abundance hath taken away the very knowledge of themselves they have grown wanton and foolish and proud that they have not known themselves when they have abounded But now when a man in the midst of abundance knows his own meaness and wretchedness and sinfulness and vileness notwithstanding his abundance here 's a man that hath learned this lesson of the Apostle how to abound But this is a very difficult lesson If there be such things as as these in learning how to abound surely the lesson must needs be difficult You that are Mariners think if you have Sea-roome enough you are safe you care not then but it 's otherwise in this that we are speaking of your Sea-roome may be your undoing and the more abundance you have the more difficult it will be for you to know how to order your selves in your way I gave divers reasons why this lesson was more difficult then the other to know how to be full than to be empty which few people in the world will think so but certainly it is so Now though the very naming of these things may shew he difficulty of it yet we shall come in the Second place to shew that there 's a great deale of difficulty in Mens and Womens knowing how to be full And I name this the rather because I would put your hearts upon exercise that you may not lightly pass over what is said when we speak of knowing how to be full for it is ordinary for Men that have estates and outward comforts to slight the Word Well Let me have what will satisfie me and for this lesson to know how to be full I hope we shall do well enough for that Now for this that you may not slight the lesson I shall shew you something about the difficulty of it You that are Marriners If you may have Sea-roome enough you care not you think then you can do well enough but though you can do well enough in your Art when you have Sea-roome yet the truth is you do the worst for your selves when you have the greatest Sea of prosperity there you do worst of all and it is your Sea-room that doth undo you I mean the abundance of outward prosperity it is that ordinarily which doth undo men So it is easier a great deal you know for one to manage a little Boat in the Thames then for one to be able to manage an East-Indian Ship The truth is less skill will serve for the ordering of a mans estate when it is low and mean in the world than when he comes to be full It were a mad thing for a man that can but onely row in the Thames to undertake the command of one of your greatest Ships And so it is for those that are mean if God doth not teach them how to be full they are like to undo themselves by their fulness as well as any way It is easier for a man to manage a little estate that he hath then for him to manage great merchandizing There is more difficulty and skill required
know his estate is begged why now to have an estate and know not how to use it for God is it not as great an evil Is that onely an excellency to be able to know how to use an estate and improve it for your own advantage and is it not as well to improve it for God O it 's a miserable condition that any man is in that is full and knows not how to be full there 's a man that is like to have his portion in this world I but that 's not all neither If God gives you an estate and you know not how to be full then all that thou hast is cursed to thee There is a secret curse of God goes a long with it As now when a man gives a thing in an anger saith he Here take it if you will and choke with it Such kinde of speech men have when they give things in anger But if you give to your Children things out of love you do not onely give it them but if there be any danger you have a care that there be a right use of the things So now when God gives out to his own people God hath a care of them after he hath given them I give it them but I must have a care least this turn to their hurt But now when God gives to a wicked man Take them saith God if you will but God never minds them farther to look after them to see whether this shall do them good or no God never minds them but lets them take them and spoil themselves with them God doth not care Were it not a sign of hatred to a man if I should see one that is a mad man and give him a Sword into his hand I may be guilty of murther It is as great an argument of hatred that God doth hate a man when he doth give him an estate and yet doth not give him a heart to make use of that estate he puts as it were a Sword into a mad mans hand But though I cannot do it justly yet God may do it justly as a punishment of sin The curse of God is mixed with Wine as well as Water and then it 's stronger in Psal 69. 22 23. There you may see how full comforts may be cursed unto men it is threatned as a punishment of their sin Let their table become a snare before them and that which should have been for their welfare let it become a trap O this is a terrible text Let their table become a snare It is a prophesie against those that gave Christ Gaul for his Meat and Vinegar when he was upon the Cross And so it is against all such as shall insult over the people of God in their affliction As men when they are full and rich and prosperous in the world they will add to the affliction of Gods people Now this is the curse of God upon them that shall add to the affliction of the people of God Let their table become a snare before them and that which should have been for their welfare let it become a trap Thou hast a Table well furnished but how do'st thou know but that it is a snare for thee and a trap We set traps to catch Vermin withal and if thou hast a wicked heart God looks upon thee but as a Vermin and doth set this to be a trap to catch thee withal Now perhaps thou do'st not see it Why mark the word that follows Let their eyes be darkened that they see not The Curse lies secret that thou canst not see now this is part of the Curse How few men do see a Curse upon their Tables No this I say is part of the Curse of God upon them that they should not O what need is there that we that have any fulness of the Creature learn to be full least that which should have been for our welfare is turned into a Curse unto us Well But though it be cursed yet if he may enjoy it still a wicked man will be content Then that 's the next thing in the evil of that mans condition that hath not learned to be full That God justly may rend away what thou hast in his wrath from thee And because thou knowest not how to use it it were just with God in his wrath to rend it from thee As you will do if you have servants or any in the house if they have a knife in their hand and you see that they are ready to do mischief with it you will snatch it from them Nay If you know not how to use it you shall have it no longer It is just with God to come upon thee in his wrath and to take away all thy outward comforts because thou do'st not know how to use them Thou knowest not how to make use of a Child for God or of an Estate for God and so he may justly take it from thee thou not knowing how to use it So God doth threaten in Psal 78. 25 31. Man saith he did eat Angels food he sent them meat to the full but in ver 29. So they did eat and were well filled for he gave them their own desires But then it follows They were not estranged from their lusts but while the meat was yet in their mouths the wrath of God came upon them They eat to the full and had enough I but they onely sought out of greediness to satisfie themselves and the wrath of God came upon them while the meat was in their mouths It provokes the wrath of God upon men when they have a fulness and yet have not learned to be full And as God may justly rend it all away from them so when they come to an affliction O how sad will it be to those men that have not learned to be full O then there will be matter for Conscience to gnaw upon and terrifie the Soul withal Afflictions will be dreadful to those men that have had a full Estate and not learned to be full Then Conscience will upbraid them and say O you once had plenty you once had the comforts of the Creature to the full O but how did you use them what glory had God by them Were they not made fuel for your lusts and serviceable to your wickedness And now it is a righteous thing with God to take these things from thee and these sorrows that are now upon thee are but the beginning of sorrows O the conscience of a man that hath been rich and afterwards is crossed in his Estate if while he was rich he was not godly this mans conscience will tear him and rend him Though now you enjoy fulness yet you may not expect to enjoy it alwayes What do you think will become of you when your fulness shall be taken from you O then it will be terrible to you Yea and further If a man be in a full condition and learns not to be full such a man will do
hath prospered me in my way and course in any kind now let me go to God and exercise Faith in his Word and seek unto him in prayer that I may have a sanctified use of all these things then that God hath granted to me In 1 Tim. 4. 4 5. Every Creature of God is good and nothing to be refused if it be received with thanksgiving for it is sanctified by the Word of God and Prayer A little to open this Scripture That the Creature is sanctified by prayer that I suppose is easie for you to understand that is when I have any good in any Creature then I am to seek to God by prayer for a sanctified use of it unto me But how is it sanctified by the Word Now that that the Apostle doth intend here in sanctifying by the Word is this that he would shew to us That a godly man hath another kind of interest in the Creature than another man hath saith he All things are good but how shall they be good to me How shall I know that they are good to me That must be by the Word saith he I cannot know that they are good to me that I have a sanctified use of them that is that all the comforts I have I do enjoy them in order to eternal life for then a thing is sanctified when it is consecrated as it were and made holy that is when it is made useful to the highest and last end As a place is sanctified when it is separated from other things for God so when the blessing of God is upon my estate to make it to be to his glory and my last good then it is sanctified Now how comes this This is by the Word of God for we by our fall have lost all our interest in the creature unto our outward comfort Now God indeed out of his bounty doth give to some men abundance here in this world I he gives them those things that are in themselves good I but how shall they come to be good to him that must be by the Word saith he that is God by the Word of his Gospel the Covenant that he hath made with his poor servants in Christ revealed in his Word it is that that gives the godly man a sanctified use of what he hath If he hath it in a natural way it may prove a curse to him if he hath it onely by Gods general providence by the command of God in his works of providence that is no sanctified use But now if a man comes to enjoy what he hath by the word of the promise by the word of the Gospel that reveals Christ unto us and our renewed interest unto all we do enjoy by Jesus Christ This is the Word that sanctifies all to us Most men look upon what they enjoy onely but in a way of general providence Now a gracious heart looks upon what he enjoys by the word of the Promise the word of the Covenant that gives him a sanctified use and through the power of this word he comes to know how to be full and use all his abundance in a right way so that the way he takes for the making use of his fulness it is when God blesses him presently to exercise faith in the Word in the Promise to look into the Covenant Godliness hath the promise of the things of this life and of that which is to come And so he comes to make use of the promise and improve it by faith and so comes to have a sanctified use and improvement of all the good things that he doth enjoy in this world Is not this a mystery to most rich men Doth it put them upon prayer more than before and upon the exercise of Faith in the Word more than before One that is godly never prayes more than when God doth prosper him in this world It is usual for men to pray much in times of affliction In their affliction they will seek me early I but that 's a sign of a carnal heart But now a godly man when God prospers him he sees cause to pray most then I it is for poor people to live by faith that have nothing in the world You will think it 's fit for them to believe and trust in God I but a godly man uses the more faith when he hath the most in the world That 's a good way in the mystery of knowing how to be full And then a Fifth way in the mystery of knowing how to be full is this A godly heart by his fulness growes to increase his humility growes sensible of his unworthiness by his fulness Now this is a way of mystery too It is a good thing for a man to have humility together with his fulness but to have humility by his fulness this is a very great mystery it 's a rare thing to see humble prosperity but to see a man humble by his prosperity this is rare indeed Affliction will humble men that 's true every one can understand that but how prosperity should humble men that 's very hard to understand I 'll give you a clear Scripture for this how prosperity will humble a gracious heart it 's in the 2 Sam. 7. 18. The Lord there had told David of great things that he would do for him and spake to him of the honour that he had put upon him and that he would still put upon him and he would continue his House to be a great House and honourable like the great men of the earth Mark one would have thought that the heart of David should have been raised up when God told him not onely the great things that he had done but the great things he would do This would have pufft up a carnal heart But then mark in the 18 verse Then went King David in and sat before the Lord and he said who am I O Lord God and what is my house that thou hast brought me hitherto and this was yet a small thing in thy sight O Lord God but thou hast spoken also of thy servants house for a great while to come and is this the manner of men O Lord God and what can David say more unto tbee for thou Lord God knowest thy servant for thy words sake and according to thine own heart hast thou done all these great things to make thy servants know them wherefore thou art great O Lord God He doth not bless himself O God hath made me great but wherefore thou art great and what am I and what is my house and it is according to thine own heart and not according to any thing in me saith David The larger God was in telling of him the great things he had and should have the more humble was the heart of David O this is a good sign of true humility when you find your comings in to be more then heretofore as if you have had a great voyage many hundreds coming in of clear gain then for
themselves evenly with God and graciously with God in variety of Conditions Let the Condition be up and down this way and then another yet Grace helps a Man to lie square any way like a Dye cast it which way you will it lies square So put a gracious Heart into any Condition Full or Empty yet Grace will help him in any Condition whatsoever as the Apostle saith in the Corinthians Through Honour and Dishonour by Evil report and Good report by the Armour of Righteousness on the Right-hand and on the Left We find Use of our Weapons on the Right hand and on the Left the Armour of Righteousness helps not only on the Left-hand to Fence off the evil of Adversity but on the Right-hand to Fence off the Evil of Prosperity Here 's a Christian Souldier that can make use of the Armor of Righteousness both on the Right-hand and on the Left I had thought to have given some grounds Why it is that Grace will help any way as a Watch in a Mans Pocket if it be a good Watch though a Man sit upon it and it is tumbled up and down yet the Wheels they keep a constant steady motion So it is with the heart of a man if there be Grace within and the wheels work aright yet Grace makes the Heart stedfast within let the condition be never so various to be tost up and down this way or that way yet the heart keeps the same The Motto of Queen Elizabeth may be the Motto of every gracious heart Alwayes the same So in a constant way either in prosperity or adversity still he continues in an evenness with God If God casts him upon his Sick Bed there he rejoyces in God and blesses God and you will find savory and spiritual things come from him then and if God deliver him and you find him in prosperity there his heart is heavenly still and gracious and spiritual and raised above the Creatures which way soever he be put I cannot give you the grounds I 'll onely compare a Scripture or two together and so conclude all to see the evenness of the heart of a godly man in all conditions let them be what they will In Psal 57. To the chief Musician Al-taschith Mictam of David when he fled from Saul in the Cave That 's the Title of the Psalm A Psalm that David made in his very great affliction when he fled from Saul for his life in the Cave See what he saith and comparing that same with Psal 60. where it is To the chief Musician upon Shushan-Eduth Mictam of David to teach when he strove with Aram Nahaâ—aim and with Aram Zobah when Joab returned and smote of Edom in the Valley of Salt Twelve thousand David was low when he fled from Saul in the Cave there David had not the Kingdom well but afterwards David was high and had the Kingdom Joab was his Officer and smote of Edom in the Valley of Salt Twelve thousand Now you would think that this different condition of David should have made a different work in his Spirit yet you shall find a great part of that Psalm to be the very same In the 57th Psalm ver 7. My heart is fixed O God my heart is fixed I will sing and give praise awake up my Glory awake Psaltery and Harp I my self will awake early I will praise the Lord among the People I will sing unto Thee among the Nations c. Why you shall find likewise that David in the 60 th Psalm he hath much of this of blessing God as well in his Prosperous state in which he was as in his Afflicted estate Let us compare this with the 108 th Psalm ver 5. Be thou Exalted O God There David was in his Prosperous estate And here 's the same Expression O God my heart is fixed saith he I will sing and give praise with my Glory Awake Psaltery and Harp I my self will awake early I will praise Thee O Lord among the People and I will sing Praises unto Thee among the Nations c. Just he goes on in the very same words But now the 60th Psalm is to be compared with the 108th where it is God hath spoken in his Holiness I will rejoyce I will divide Shechem and mete out the Valley of Succoth Gilead is mine Ephraim also is the strength of my Head Judah is my Law-giver c. Now in the 108 Psalm God hath spoken in his Holiness I will rejoyce I will divide Shechem c. This is the Note from hence and so we have done That David in his various Conditions though at some times more Prosperous than others yet still you find him in the same Spirit and almost the very same words Be he â—n the Cave or when Joab had overcome or be he afterwards how he will in a higher Condition for the 108 th Psalm was made in a time after this Yet Davids heart is the same Praising God Blessing God Believing in his Word Trusting in his Word Now that 's the Note You should observe Whether you can make use of the same Scripture in one Condition as in another Those Scriptures that are comfortable to you in one Condition make use of them in another And whether you can Praise God in one Condition in the same way as in another Why Grace doth so satisfie and strengthen the Heart as the things that are without in the World makes very little alteration There is very little alteration that External things can make in a Gracious heart When a Man or Woman is so that a Prosperous condition puffs him up or Adversity makes him dejected it 's a sign of very little Grace or no Grace But thus much for this Text. A Sermon 1 Sam. 3. the latter part of the 18th Verse And he said it is the Lord let Him do what seemeth Him good THese Words are the Expression of a Gracious Humble Submissive Heart to Gods Dispose The Words of Ely the Priest who when the Hand of God was revealed against his Family he here falls down before Him and saith It is the Lord let Him do what seemeth Him good It is the Lord Whatever the means be that such and such sad things should fall upon my Family yet It is the Lord. Let Him do what seemeth Him good The things seem hard to me but they may seem otherwise to God whatever things seem to me however dark they look yet to God things may seem after another manner and therefore let things be done rather as they seem to God than as they seem to me We have in the Words before you these Four Doctrinal Points The first is That a Gracious Heart looks much to God in every Affliction that doth befal it It is the Lord. Secondly The sight of God in an Affliction is That that causes a gracious Heart humbly to fall down and to submit It is the Lord let Him do what seemeth Him good Thirdly That things seem
these things but to have the effectual working of these things upon the heart that 's not so easie To sanctifie Gods Name in the Fire Carnal hearts they have many poor things to help themselves in their Afflictions They say this It is my ill Fortune this befel me and another saith this This befals all Men one or other it 's common Others say thus We must we cannot help it and we must submit to it Another thinks thus Why I hope it will be over These are poor Reasonings to work upon the heart in the day of Affliction But now a gracious heart should get up higher above all these It is the Lord and there look into the Counsels of God and seek to know the Mind of God and to sanctifie the Name of God O Grace my Brethren hath many Excellencies in it but among other things this is not the least That it hath such a mighty Power to help Men in the day of their Affliction a mighty Power to sweeten the heart and to take away the sting and evil of all Afflictions and to carry the Soul on comfortably in the time of all Dangers and Trials O labour to have this wrought upon your hearts For by this you will manifest much Beauty in Grace much Excellency in Grace it will be a means to Convince all that are about you All those that profess Godliness should labour to behave themselves so as to do that that others cannot do in the time of Affliction They should then shew what Grace can do As David in another Case said to the King of Achish Thou shalt see what thy Servant can do So now in the time of Affliction a gracious heart should put it to this Come let 's see what Grace can do And certainly this will be the way for removing of Afflictions sooner when the heart is brought thus to yield unto the Lord Wherefore that you may bring your hearts to this in the day of your Affliction labour in the constant Course of your Life to Converse much with God Those that walk with God according to the Text that you know I am upon and Converse much with God in the day of their Health why their hearts will in a kind of Natural-way work up to God in the time of Affliction then the Thoughts of God will be as suitable to thee as Fire is to Fire Fire ascends up to Fire because of the suitableness of the Fire that is here to that that is above Why so the heart will work up to God in a kind of Natural-way because God is so suitable to the heart the heart having so much Converse with God in the day of Prosperity And labour throughly to Convince your hearts of this thing That there is no Good in any Creature but only in the Reference that it hath to God There is no Good in Health in Liberty in your Names in your Lives in your Estates any further than they have some Reference to God the infinite first Good the chief and high Good It 's an easie matter in a way of Reason to Convince any one that this is a Truth But now to have this Principle indeed wrought upon your heart not only to say so in a way of Arguing but I account in my Soul of no good in any thing further than it hath reference to God As now I have for the present Health of Body Where doth the good of the Health of my Body lie It is That while I have Health I have Ability to serve God and be useful in the place where God hath set me I have an Estate Wherein lies the good of it It lies in this That by this I may be Instrumental for God more than others If I Live Wherein lies the good of Life Why that I may be useful to the Church in the way wherein God hath set me Now when the heart is principled in this then if God takes away my Health then it seems God hath no further use of my Health for the present but would rather Honour Himself in another way upon me why now there is no good in my Health And if God take away my Estate then he would rather Honour Himself in the exercise of my Humility and of my Patience If God takes away my Life then God will rather have His Honour from my Soul to joyn with Angels and Saints in Honouring of Him that way rather than in Imploying of me any further in this World Such a Principle as this is would mightily help the heart in the day of Affliction Certainly our Happiness doth not depend upon what we have here in this World The reason why the heart is so troubled in the time of Affliction it is because of this That Men and Women look upon their Happiness to consist in the enjoyment of these things O no thou Dishonourest the Name of Christ and thy holy Profession to think that thy Happiness should depend upon such poor things as these are Surely Jesus Christ hath not come to shed His Blood and to purchase Happiness for the Saints and when all comes too it should be so poor as to depend upon all the uncertainty that we have in this World No no thy Happiness lies hihger Thy Life is hid with Christ in God If a man hath a Jewel worth many Thousands and his House should be on Fire why though he loses the Lumber and Stuff in the House yet if he be sure the Jewel is safe he is quiet Now the Saints they may be sure that they are safe for Eternity and therefore it is not much what other things be Oh consider of these things and work them upon your hearts That 's the Second Point But a word or two of the other that is That that which seems ill to us may seem good to God It is the Lord let Him do what seemeth Him good Certainly for the present it did not seem very good to Ely If that Ely's judgement had been askt of those things Ely would have said that they had been very sad I but as I remember Luther once said when he was Condemn'd and Rail'd upon at Noremberg saith he There 's one thing Concluded at Noremberg and another thing Concluded in Heaven In Heaven there 's not the same Judgment of my Cause as at Noremberg And so it may be said concerning Affliction There 's one thing many times Concluded in my Wretched Weak Foolish and Unbelieveing Heart and another thing in Heaven One thing concluded in the world and in mens rumours and another thing in Heaven It 's some comfort to a man though he hears rumours abroad in the world if then he can have his own heart to contradict them If he had nothing else to think but this Well that that 's spoken in the World is one thing and that that I find in my heart is another that 's comfortable But this is greater comfort Thou art my portion saith my Soul saith the
Church in the Book of the Lamentations as if she should say Well the temptation saith that God hath left me the Devil saith thus I but thou art my portion saith my Soul That was comfortable If so be that God speaks peace it 's more than if our own Souls speaks peace Thou shalt choose our inheritance Thy choice is better then our own If we had alwayes what 's good in our own Eyes wo were to us we were undone You would not think it but certainly it is as heavy a judgment as can befal one in this world that God should say You shall do and you shall have what is good in your own eyes Suppose that God should say but this morning concerning every one of you Well you shall hencforward have whatsoever is good in your own Eyes why you would think that you might go away and be glad of this Glad you had cause of going away with ringing of Hands and howling and crying if God should say thus concerning any of you O no it 's better that our Lives Liberties Estates Comforts Happiness and all be in Gods Hands than our own to be disposed of so as seemeth good in Gods Eyes rather than to be disposed of so as seemeth good in our own Eyes I verily believe that many of you may be able to look back to the providences of God towards you and to say That suppose God had Twenty years ago said to me I 'll give you leave to dispose of your selves as you would O many may be able to say They certainly could never have disposed so well of themselves as God hath And they would be loath to go back again to the Twenty years past though they should begin and have liberty to dispose of themselves as they please In Heb. 12. 11. saith the Apostle there No Affliction for the present seemeth Joyous to us but Grievous but afterwards saith the Text it works thus and thus I but things do seem to God as they are present alwayes but they do not seem so to us till afterwards After the Affliction is over then they seem good to us but they seem good to God at the very present We judge things by the outward appearance but God judges things according to what they are Things seem to us according as they either make for or against our outward good we are led so much by sense But they seem to God according as they are for or against his Glory and the last good of all They seem good or ill to us according as they are for or against some particular good if they strike at such a particular we judge by particulars But now God he judges things by the proportion they have to the general to all things at once It 's that that makes us to give very wrong Judgment of things when we look but to particulars and do not compare one with another and raise a Judgment upon things all things considered So God doth God doth not so much look at things how they are in reference to this or the other good but how things are in reference to all together in the general We know some things may cross some particular but they may be useful to another Now that that 's good in the general doth seem good to God though it may go cross to some particular And then further We look at things but just as they appear present to us but now God looks upon things as they shall be a great while hence God is working that that we shall not understand perhaps in our lives or working in his Administrations towards us some thing that he intends shall come to pass a great while hence so that if they come to pass in our Lives yet we shall not have the fruit of them for many years God He looks a great way off Wherefore learn by this Not to be too Sudden nor so Peremptory in the judging of Gods Administrations Why Why because whatever they may seem to you they may seem otherwise to God stay till you know Gods Judgment about them As you if you have any Wisdom when you hear of strange Rumours if you know that there be any that knows the thing better than you you will not give a judgment upon it till you have the judgment of such and such that you know may understand it better than your self So in the Wayes of God towards us Let not us presently give a Judgment upon those things but let us stay first till we have the Mind of God O let 's learn to resign up our Judgments to Gods and let Him Judge Neither let us trouble our selves about other mens Judgments As things seem otherwise to God than to us so they seem otherwise to God than to other men As we should not trust too much to the judgments of our own hearts so we should not be so much troubled at other mens Judgments For whatever they think still it is otherwise in Gods account Men they will say 't is for this Cause and the other Cause and the like but it 's otherwise concluded in Heaven And that 's the Third Point The last should have been this That 't is not enough for Christians after a great deal of ado to submit to God that is after the Affliction hath been upon them a great while and when they see they cannot help themselves then to begin to have thoughts of yielding to God It 's well that they do it at last O but it 's more commendable a great deal if we do it at first At what instant God strikes presently for the heart to come in and yield As it is a most excellent thing to yield to Gods Word when God first speaks upon the least intimation of Gods Will O this is acceptable unto God For those that are young ones the first time they come to hear the Word or if not the first time they come to hear it yet the first time God speaks to their hearts the very first word that speaks presently for them to yield it 's a most excellent thing So in the time of Affliction for the heart to bow and submit presently to God O this is an Argument of much cleanness that there is in the heart that the heart is very clean that there is not much Corruption there for then there would be a standing out against God and it would manifest it self in time of Affliction As we know where there is Corruption in the Body it will manifest it self if it come to endure Hardship so it is with the Soul c. And it argues much Grace as little Corruption So there is strength of Grace that can make the Heart bow presently to God When Grace reigns in the Heart when Grace can say Come and the Soul comes Go and it goes when Grace can say This is the Administration of God towards you and now you must work thus and presently the Soul doth it It should not
be enough to us that we hope that we have that Grace which possibly may bring us to Heaven at last but we should labour to have that Grace that may reign in the Heart now and bring all into a due Order As in a Family when the Governors are Wise you shall have them if there be but the least Disturbance speak but a word and all is quiet And you shall have other Families that where the Reins of Government are loose if there be but a little Disturbance it grows more and more and to such a height that it 's tedious for one that hath a quiet Spirit to be in the Family and so it is in the Heart though the best hath some Disturbance But now where Grace Rules and Governs it stills all presently without any great ado But now in other men though they have some Grace yet if the Heart begins to be in a Disturbance it 's a long time before it can be quieted My Brethren I have gone through these Points briefly and you will say 'T is a harder thing to do this than to speak it It 's true it is yet some of the Saints have done it They have through the Mercy of God been brought to these things that have been spoken and it 's possible to be done Some have attained it and there is strength enough in Christ for the weakest to attain it And He delights as much to Communicate His strength in helping of His poor Servants in the times of Affliction as at any time Consider what hath been said in these several Truths and lay them up against the Day of your Affliction that you may say It is the Lord let Him do what seemeth Him good A Sermon Phil. 1. 21. For to me to Live is Christ and to Die is Gain THis blessed Apostle Paul had in the Course of his Life many things befel him that seem to be very Cross much Opposition great were his Sufferings even unto Bonds And much hard Usage he had not only from open Enemies but from false Brethren whose Spirits were full of Envy against him And who can stand before Envy They were vexed to see how his Ministery prevailed in the Hearts of People to see what great Esteem he had how precious his Name was among the Saints They knew not what course to take to Darken him and therefore among others some of them would set upon Preaching Christ as well as he and see what they could do that way they would be as forward as he Well saith Paul all this makes for my Good and I rejoyce in it so be it I may be any occasion that Christ may be Preached whether of Good-will or Envy I am glad Christ is made known by this and this shall turn saith he to my Salvation to the Glory that I expect from Christ and with Christ That shall be furthered by it so long saith he as Christ is Honoured I shall never be ashamed No matter what becomes of my Body of my Life so that Christ may be Magnified in my Body whether it be by Life or by Death For to me to Live is Christ and to Die is Gain And this is the Coherence of the Words Here then we have a Man of brave Resolution of a truly Noble raised Spirit while other men are Grovelling here in the World in seeking Contentment unto the Flesh Here 's the Spirit of Paul raised above Life and Death To me to Live is Christ to Die is Gain To me to Live is Christ You have it in your English only so To Live and to Die But those that understand the Original know that besides the Word that signifies To Live There 's an Article in the Greek 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And besides that word there 's an Article 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 So that if you would have it Translated according to the Propriety and Elegancy of the Greek it is thus To me the thing that is to Live is Christ and the thing that is Death is Gain As if he should say That thing that you call Life is nothing but Christ If Christ may be Magnified in me if I may be of any Service for Him any way then I am content to Live but if so be that He may be no more Served by me here let me Die and I shall lose nothing by that neither For that same thing you call Death the thing that People keep such a stir about and are so scar'd withal That to Die it 's nothing to me but that which will be Gain So that the words they speak out the frame of Gracious Heart blessing it self in Jesus Christ both in Life and Death To me to Live I 'll not make any curious Definition nor raise more Points than I shall go through at this time and the Points will be nothing but the opening of the Text in both Parts First That a true Godly man accounts Christ to be his Life And Secondly To a Godly man Death is Gain For the First To me to Live is Christ That same thing that you call life It 's Christ all is wrapt up in him I account nothing Life but Jesus Christ As for my natural Life that 's no way considerable but so far as Christ is in it Christ is the life of the Saints It 's more indeed then if he should say Christ is my life 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the thing that is to live is Christ It 's a greater Elegancy than to say Christ is my life Christ is the life of the Saints First in this That they are by him freed from a Legal death Every man by nature is under the Curse of the Law he is a dead man as we say of a man that is condemn'd he is a dead man dead by the Law But now the Saints in Christ are dead to the Law Gall. 2. 19. But they live to God they are freed from that Legal death and so Christ brings life to them Secondly Christ is the principle of Spiritual Life in them It 's Christ that brings me to the Fountain of Life that unites my Soul again to God and puts me in a principle of Life to inable me to live to God and to injoy communion with him I in my self am as a dead Carkass without Jesus Christ To me to live is Christ Thirdly Christ is the preserver of this life of mine Notwithstanding all the corrupt and silthy and dead stuff that is in me yet Jesus Christ preserves this life in me And then in the Fourth place which I take to be the chiefe meaning of what the Apostle intends To me to live is Christ that is the great comfort of my Life that 's Christ A man doth not live except he hath Comfort in his Life For so the Scripture calls Life when a man hath Comfort Joy and Contentment in his Life Psal 38. 19. But mine Enemies are lively so you have it in your Books Mine Enemies are living so you
may Translate it the meaning is this Mine Enemies are Jolly and Jocond in their wayes And so it follows And they are strong They are Jolly and Jocond in their wayes and they that hate me wrongfully are multiplied There 's a like phrase in Eccles 6. 8. For what hath the Wise more than the Fool what hath the Poor that knoweth to walk before the Living That is before the Rich men that have all Comforts in their Lives to Live bravely according to their hearts desire What 's the Wise more than the Fool All things comes alike to them and there 's no great difference in their Lives And what hath the word hath is not in the Original but what a Poor that knoweth to walk before the Living If a Poor man hath but Health of Body and hath but Ability to work and Wisdom to carry himself and order his Affairs why he can walk before Rich men and can live a Comfortable life before them Before the Living that is before the Rich that have all things to Live bravely in the World So that 's the meaning of Life in Scripture not only in opposition to Death but to Sorrow and Trouble Now saith the Apostle To me to live is Christ Will you take Life in this sense that is for a Comfortable a Contented a Joyful life Why I have it saith Paul Where had Paul such a Joyful and Contented life For alas look upon him in the Course of his Life and he suffered almost as much as ever man did sometimes he wanted Bread and he wanted Clothes to cover the Nakedness of his Body and whipt like a Rogue and yet he accounted himself to live a brave life notwithstanding all this But where lay all this In Christ I find it all made up in Christ whatsoever I want in the Creature whatever is cast upon me whatever Scorn and Imprisonment whatever it be that here I suffer yet I find it all made up in Christ and in Him I have as comfortable a life as a mans Heart can desire That 's his meaning by this same 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is in Christ because I am Imployed in the Service of Jesus Christ And I bless God that Christ hath Honour by me that I do the Work of Christ and so To me to live is Christ That 's the Fourth thing Fifthly To me to live is Christ that is Christ is the end of my Life So you have the Five particulars 1. I am by Christ freed from a Legal Death being Dead by the Law 2. Christ is the Principle of my Spiritual Life 3. The Preserver of it 4. The Comfort and Contentment of my Life 5. The end of my Life Thus to me to live is Christ But because these two last are the two chief that I verily believe are intended here by the Apostle I will a little open them more than the former Now to shew how Christ is the Comfort and Contentment of a Christians Life that I 'll shew unto you in several particulars Though he hath not Comfort as others have though he hath not such a Table and such Comings in as others have yet he hath a life more comfortable than others As First The very Contemplation of Jesus Christ it is incomparably Sweet and Comfortable to a Gracious heart For what doth a Godly man see in Christ In Christ I see the Brightness of the Glory of the Father I see the Character of the Ingraven Image of God the Father in Him When I look upon the World it 's comfortable it 's comfortable to the Eye to behold the Light But there I see but the Foot-steps of God but in Christ I see the Face of God the Face of the Living and Eternal First-Being of all things That I behold in Him and this is Life to me It 's Eternal Life to know thee O Lord and thy Son whom thou hast sent into the World 2. O the sweet Influences of the Grace of God that I feel out of His Fulness do I receive and Grace for Grace I have the flowings of the Water of Life into my Soul daily and therefore Christ is to live to me 3. I have the Love of God shed abroad into my Soul O the Beams of the Love of the Eternal God that are shed abroad in my Soul by Christ and those Beams of Gods Love they are Life to me 4. In Him I have an Interest in all the Treasures of the Riches of the Grace of the Infinite God they are all mine they are all made over to me in Jesus Christ 5. And then fifthly In Him I have blessed Rest and Satisfaction to my Soul for my Eternal Estate I am sold for Eternity in Him 6. And then in Him I have the Joy of the Holy Ghost shed abroad into my Heart and it is the comfort of my Soul to see Him Honoured any way more than to enjoy any good to my self 7. In Him O the Communion that I have with Him is more than Life those lettings out of my Heart to Him and those lettings out of His Heart again to my Soul What is it It 's more than a Thousand Lives unto me 8. In Him I have the Conveyance of all the Good that God the Father Conveys to the Hearts of His Saints in order to Eternal Life and therefore O the Comfort and Contentment my Soul hath thereupon And then He is the end of my Life To what purpose do I live if it were not in order to Him For He is the first that God did aim at in all his Works Ab extra and therefore Christ is called the First-begotten of all He was the first in Gods Intention yea the Scripture saith in Ephes 3. 19. All things are by Him and for Him Now if Christ be the End of all the Works of God the Father God in all that ever He aim'd at in His Councils from Eternity He did aim at the setting up of the Honour of Christ and at His own Honour in Him and by Him Therefore surely He is my Life He is that I aim at He is the End of my Life And all the Glory that God the Father hath from all His Creatures it is through Him Ephes 3. 21. Then while I live to Him I serve the greatest Designs that God the Father hath I am useful unto God in the greatest Designs that ever He had from Eternity or ever shall have and therefore for me to live is Christ Thus you have the opening of what the Apostle saith Now then by way of Application for this In the first place Learn to Examine your Hearts from this what your Life is Examine in this thing what is your Life Whether you can say as the Apostle here did To me to live is Christ What do you account your Lives to be It would be a very near Point if God would but help you to understand it and seriously to weigh it I say What do you account your Lives
than Paul did and yet death was Gain to him he should get much by it Why many things might make the death of Paul Gainful I remember the last time I spake to you I spoke about an Argument of the Victory over Death that we have by Christ I will not speak now of what then I spake to but meerly Confine my self for otherwise the Argument might be very large to shew the Gain of death to Believers But I 'll confine my self to the very thing that the Apostle speaks of here in this Chapter That he should be present with Christ Therefore now I 'll speak of the Gain of being with Christ Now I confess there are many things that might be opened The Communion of the Soul departed with Jesus Christ As First It shall be immediate the Souls of the Saints while they are in the Body they have Communion with Christ but it is Mediately by other things by Ordinances and Means whereby Christ conveys Himself to them but there they shall have Communion with Christ Immediately only Christ and the Soul together Now the more Immediate the Communion is with Christ it is the more pure Here we have some Communion with Christ but a great deal of Sin mixt together with it That that is immediately from the Fountain is more pure that that comes in the Streams hath Dirt mixed with it So that that we shall have with Christ immediately shall be pure we shall have Communion with Him and nothing else We shall have no mixtures at all of any evil in our own Spirits And then Secondly Immediate communion with Christ it is more Sweet As the more Pure so the more Sweet As now the Wine that comes immediately from the Grape it hath more Spirits and is more delightful than that that is poured from Vessel to Vessel That which we have here from Christ it is that that is poured from Vessel to Vessel but that which Souls departed have from Christ is immediate and so comes more Sweet As if the Child suck Milk from the Breast it is more sweet to the Child than the Milk in a Spoon That that we have from Christ here is Milk as it were from the Spoon but that that Souls have that are departed they suck from Christ immediately and so comes to be more sweet Thirdly And more especially we account that that comes Immediately to have more Love in it As that that a Friend gives by his own hand is better and more comfortable to us So that that comes from God Immediately it 's a great deal more sweet As now here while we Live in the World the more immediate a Mercy is the more sweet it is to a gracious Heart Indeed a Mercy that comes by second Causes it 's comfortable because God Over-rules all the Causes but when it can see God immediately in a Mercy the more immediate the Hand of God is here Though God doth not work so Immediately here as He will do afterwards but the more Immediate God is here the more sweet it is And therefore in a Judgment the more Immediate the Hand of God is the more Terrible as in the Plague So in a Mercy though every Mercy is sweet yet the more Immediate God is in a Mercy the more sweet it is And then O how sweet is all the Good that the Saints have immediately from Christ therefore it 's Gain to them And then Fourthly It 's more strong The first Rebound is more Powerfull than a second and the first Gushings out are more strong The Beams of the Sun when they are first Reflected than if you take a Glass and Reflect them again and again And so that that comes Gushing out as it were of the very Heart of God it 's more strong a great deal and there is greater Impressions upon the Heart by it than that that comes by second Causes Fifthly That that comes Immediate it comes without Labour The Soul draws it from Christ and is not put to so much Pain and Labour as now we are put to If we would have Communion with Jesus Christ we must stir up our selves to the Humbling of our Hearts to the Acting of our Faith to Exercise our Graces and put the Body to it If you would have any communion with Christ in Prayer it must put you to some Labour And so in the Word and Sacraments And the Labour of a Christian is very great But when we come to have Immediate communion with Christ it will be the flowings in of Christ to the Soul without any Labour at all Sixthly It shall be more full when we come to be United to the very Fountain it self there it will be more full than the Stream Certainly there is that Good and Excellency in Christ that is too much for any Creature in the World to convey Yea take all the Creatures in the World and Ordinances they are too scant to be able to convey the Good that is in Christ yea that Good that Christ takes delight to communicate to the Souls of His People And that 's the Reason that here we have but a little Why Because the Conduits are so Narrow and Small that there can be but a little let out through those Conduits but when the Soul is with Christ immediately then it hath the Fulness of the Lettings out of Gods Mercy There will be an Eminency of every sort of Good to every poor Christian I remember Jerom speaking of that Text Christ being All in all He makes this Interpretation of it saith he Christ is here but some to some but not all to all As for Instance saith he Here some Men have some Eminency of some particular Grace conveid to them and some other Eminency of some particular Grace As Moses had an Eminency of Meekness Abraham an Eminency of Faith Job an Eminency of Patience and Solomon an Eminency of Wisdom but saith he Where was there ever a Man Eminent in all Graces But then saith he Christ shall be All in all That is Christ shall convey all Grace to all His Saints that all the Saints shall have an Eminency and Fulness in all Grace whatsoever This will be an Excellent thing Surely it 's Gain then to Die for a gracious Heart where Christ shall be thus All in all to them to convey this Fulness of Good in all things unto them Those Saints that are the Meanest now whose Souls have the least degree of true Grace they shall have an Eminency of all Grace Wouldst not thou think thy self happy if thou hadst as much Faith as Abraham as much Meekness as Moses and as much Patience as Job and as much Insight into the Misteries of the Gospel as Paul Now hadst thou as much as all the Saints ever had were not that Gain Why now as soon as thy Soul is departed from the Body thou shalt have an Eminency in all Graces as much as all the Saints ever had since the beginning of the World
such an Esteem of Ministers of the Gospel And what do they do It is only Preaching peace to the Souls of Men. But Lastly If this be so That the Errand is to bring Peace to your Souls Then hence you Learn what you are to come for when you come to hear Sermons you hear that at such a time there is such a Sermon or a new Man there is come among you and you come to hear what he can say or you hear that in such or such a place there is a very witty Man and of Excellent parts and you come to hear what he can say But alass you deceive your own Souls all this while You should come with a Disposition of Spirit I am now going to hear the Doctrine of Peace between God and my Soul to attend upon the Ministry of Reconciliation this day And though the very word be not spoken of Peace yet the Word that doth tend to the making peace between God and my Soul And indeed when you feel the Ministry of the Gospel working of your Hearts into peace with God then hath it had the true genuine proper Effect upon your Hearts that God hath appointed it for But if you only shall sit under the Ministry of the Word and it may be only Gain some further knowledge in the things of Religion that you never knew before or be inabled to Discourse of something in Divinity more than you could before What 's this to the Fruit of the Ministry of the Gospel No But can you say Blessed be God the Lord hath made known to my Soul what my Estate was by Nature The Lord hath opened to me the Doctrine of Reconciliation The Lord hath shewn to my Soul how I am to make peace with God and that in another manner of way than ever I thought of I come now to see it to be another manner of Mistery of Godliness than ever I imagined before Can you say so now Hath the Gospel had this end of it upon your Hearts O then it hath had the Effect that the Lord doth send it for And thus much for the Third Note of Observation That the Work of Ministers is to bring Peace the Message of Peace to People Observ 4. The Fourth Point is this That the Ministers of the Gospel are to offer Peace unto every one For so you have it Into whatsoever House ye enter say Peace be to it Offer terms of Peace to it If you come to a place where there are the most Notorious sinners of all yet offer peace to them Though they be the most Prophane and Ungodly people that should Live yet offer peace to them Though they be Old sinners that have Liv'd a long time in most vile sins yet offer peace to them Into whatsoever House you come you have a Command to offer peace in the Name of God even to them For my Brethren the Merit of Christ it is of such infinite value that we may if we knew what the meaning of that is comfortably offer peace to the most Notorious vile sinners that do Live upon the Face of the Earth We read of Christ that He would have His Disciples to go and Preach in the High-wayes Mat. 22. Saith Christ unto His Servants Go your wayes into the High-way and as many as you shall find bid to the Marriage Into the High-wayes to Note those that were the most Unlikely the most Vile and Wicked Go unto them and bid them to the Marriage And in the last of Mat. 15. Go saith Christ into all the World and Preach the Gospel to every Creature They might say Lord perhaps we shall meet with some that are most Notorious Villains and Blasphemers and Prophane and Ungodly Creatures Must we Preach the Gospel to them I Go and Preach the Gospel to every Creature Into any place whatsoever you come you shall offer Peace unto them I but you will say This may harden many in their prophaneness If God would have His Ministers offer Peace to the most prophane People that are Then may some prophane one say I hope we shall do well enough then To that I answer The Lord will venture this The Lord is so desirous of Magnifying His Grace to offer it to those that belong to His Election as that He will venter the Hardning of other men If they will be Hardned saith God let them be Hardened And so Though a Minister ought to be as Careful as he can to prevent all Stumbling Blocks yet certainly he is to Venter the Hardning of many Hundreds rather than not to Preach the Gospel of God to any one Soul He should more regard the Offering of the Gospel of Peace in hope that there are some few that belong to Gods Election than to fear the Hardning of many Hundreds And if you should be Hardned by the offer of the Gospel of Peace there could be no greater Brand of your Rejection and that will make it appear that you are no such Son of Peace I but then may some say that are more Civil and Fair What if God send the Gospel to the most prophane surely there is no question but God will have mercy upon us for He doth appoint His Ministers to offer the Gospel of peace to the worst I but know what Christ saith That the Publicans and Harlots did enter into the Kingdom of God rather than the Scribes and Pharisees God offers to the worst yea many times makes it more effectual to the worst than He doth to some that are more Fair and Civil in their Conversations because indeed they do not see the need that they have of Peace I suppose you would think it to be one of the most Hard and Harsh things in the World if you should be told that all of you naturally were Enemies to God and yet there is nothing more plain in the Scripture than this Now because it is so hard to convince Civil men of this therefore they are not so soon wrought upon as prophane ones are Wherefore then my Brethren if this be so it is an Encouragement First to Ministers when they come to any place never to be troubled whatsoever people they be if he come to Preach to them and offer the Gospel of Peace to them for who knows but those that are the Worst and Vilest ones may come in and embrace the Gospel of Peace may be Vessels of Mercy and may hereafter stand and admire at the Riches of Gods Goodness and may live Eternally to Bless His Name for this blessed Peace that is made between their Souls and Himself And Secondly All you that do hear this Point stand for the present and admire at Gods Goodness that ever this should be so that ever you should hear such a Truth as this is that Christ would have His Ministers offer Terms of Peace to the Worst in the World I say Admire at this Goodness of Christ and especially you that are prophane ones stand and wonder
at the Goodness of God whereas He might have Curst thee and sent thee long since down to thine own place yet He doth give His Ministers charge to offer peace to thy Soul Think thus The Lord in this hath done more to me than He hath done to all those Thousand Millions of Angels that sinn'd against Him Those that were once glorious Angels and did sin against God the Lord took Advantage against them for their first sin and upon that cast them down into Chains of eternal Darkness and did resolve that He would never so much as enter into a Plea about any Condition of Peace with them to all Eternity This was the Way of God towards the Angels that did sin against Him that are now Devils O you that think the Lord to be a God of Mercy altogether do but consider of this and consider to Tremble before Him that God should take Advantage against Millions of Angels for so they were For we read in Scripture that Legions of Devils were in one man and they were once Angels and they did but commit one sin against God and the Lord would not Plea with them about Terms of Peace But mark now The same God that was so severe against Angels that were His own Creatures as well as thou and were more glorious Creatures and committed but one sin yet would never enter into any Terms of peace with them this God is not only willing to Treat with thy Soul to be at peace with thee but He sends forth His Messengers unto thee to Treat in His Name and doth give them command that when they come to thee they should offer Terms of peace to thy Soul Admire at this thou that hast not been guilty of one sin but of Thousands thou that hast Liv'd like a Monster in the place where thou hast Liv'd and hast liv'd in Rebellion against the Lord yet He doth give Command to His Ministers to offer peace to thee I say stand and admire at this when thou goest Home lay it to thy Heart O that the Great God should so Condescend to me rather than to Angels He doth so this day and in His Name I say according to the Text Peace be to every Soul that shall yet come in and return yet come and repent whatsoever they have been whether thou mayst live to have any further offer of peace or no the Lord knows It is an Offer that thou hast this day Look to thy self come in for there are many things in the Text that might put you on For if there be not a Son of Peace this Peace will turn back again Observ 5. But the last Point of all is this That Ministers of the Gospel are when they come to a place to say First Peace be to this place It should be the first Message that they should declare they should begin with this And there is a great deal of Emphasis in this word First say First So we read of John Baptist his first Sermon was this Repent for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand And likewise the First Sermon of Christ in Mat. 4. 16 17. And again the Apostles you shall read of them Repent for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand The First Sermon of John Baptist of Christ and of the Apostles was this Repent for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand And the First Sermon that the Seventy Disciples was to Preach was Peace And in this the Lord deals with sinners according to the Order He gave in Deut. 20. 10. The Lord required that the First thing the Children of Israel should do when they came against a City it was to proclaim peace And we read of Alexander the First thing that he did was to set up a Lamp and his White Colours and to Proclaim That whosoever did come in before that Lamp was out should have his Life and Peace So when the Lord sends Ministers of the Gospel to any place he sets up a Lamp in that place and the First thing that He would have done it is to Proclaim to all People to come in that so they might have Peace And it is to be done in the First place First Because the Bowels of Gods Compassions are very strong and Gods Mercy lies at His Heart uppermost and therefore that is most ready and He is most ready to vent it That 's the most proper Work of God that He doth delight to Vent His Mercy Jer. 9. 24. Secondly Because that when the Offer of Peace is that hath a great deal of power to work upon the hearts of People Now the Lord therefore would have that done at First that is like most to prevail We know that People at First when a Minister comes amongst them they are set upon Novelties now it is good to take advantage of that their Humour and when they are hearkning after Novelty that they should come to have some principal Doctrine of Salvation to be secretly Instill'd into them that they should Drink in that before they are aware So the Lord uses to work upon Mens Self-love Every Creature loves it self and therefore the Lord sees that it is a good advantage to work upon Mens self-love to offer terms of Peace And the truth is that is it that gains the Heart of a Sinner And God will out-bid the World and Devil and Flesh What do they offer any thing that may delight you saith God I will out-bid them all Christ out-bids the World and Devil in offering unto sinners a greater Good than World or Devil can possibly bring unto them And indeed this offer of Peace doth out-bid the World that is doth proffer a greater Good to a sinner than World or Devil can possibly proffer to them Nay then saith the Soul if I see that I may have a greater good by Repenting and Believing than by going on in my sin I will go that way I will rather attend upon the Word for I hear of great things that are there about Reconciliation between God and man Now this is the way to take the Hearts of men and it is the way to break them of their stoutness and stubbornness For certainly every man naturally hath a very stout and stubborn Heart against God Therefore if First he be opposed he will be ready to rise against God and against His Truths and against His Servants Therefore it is good to come First with those things that their Hearts may close with all that so they may be in a more preparation that they may hearken to what the Lord shall reveal after as necessary unto them But you will say If it be thus Why is it then that Ministers do Preach so much of our miserable Condition in which we are The answer is It 's true at First there should be a tender of peace and I make no question but you have had it so here But now it 's true before the full Doctrine of Reconciliation with God is to be opened
come with their hearts filled with hope that there are Sons of Peace in that place and there is nothing that can incourage a faithful Minister of the Gospel to spend his time in Studying and Opening of the Mysteries of Grace more then this that he comes with his Heart filled with hope that there are some Sons of Peace in that place O do not frustrate this expectation It is a vile thing for the Ministers of the Gospel to come to any place but to gain Sons of Peace And indeed upon this expectation the heart of a faithful Minister who understands what the meaning of Peace with God is cannot but be drawn forth towards a People why he comes with this expectation and he looks after his Ministery to see what becomes of it O therefore do not frustrate the Expectations of your Ministers in this Do not give them occasion to make their Complaint that they have spent their Strength in vain Yea and further As it is the Expectation of the Ministers that Preach so it is the Expectation of all the Saints of God None of Gods People that know a place that hath Liv'd in Darkness and Blindness before but if they see the Lord by His Providence carrying the Ministry of the Gospel with Power in that place they think thus with themselves Whom is it that the Lord intends good unto Surely the Lord hath a Mercy to such a People And they will wait to see who it is that God will pitch upon O likewise Do not frustrate the Expectation that the Angels themselves in 1 Cor. 11. a place I suppose you know where the Women are to be Covered because of the Angels It doth appear by that Text that the Angels are in Congregations when a Congregation is met together to hear the Word of God Preached and for other Accounts there the Angels are Met And I make no question but this place is as full of Angels as of Men and they are here present and do look upon our Behaviour and wait for the time when God will be pleased to Work upon the Hearts of some or other O to what Family to what particular Soul doth God intend good unto O that we might know it that we might have Joy in Heaven For so the Scripture tells us That at the Conversion of sinners there is Joy in Heaven and surely they wait for it O that we might see the Ministry of the Gospel work effectually upon Souls that so we might joy for it And now let every particular Soul reason thus with it self What is it so that there is hope that there may be some Sons of Peace why may it not be I though vile though a very wretched Creature Yet I hear that the time of Ignorance God winks at only now He calls to Repent If I feel God beginning to jogg my Heart now I may be the Man or Woman that the Lord intended from all Eternity For we are to know that which God doth now in time is no other than He did determine from Eternity And I say if you feel your Hearts stirred and wrought upon by the Ministry of the Gospel you may know that God did intend you in particular And Christ when He did Pray to God the Father for this acceptable time that you were particularly intended in that Prayer of His and you are not excluded to be saved any more than any and therefore it may fall upon you Perhaps in a Family it may fall upon the poor Servant or Child and the others may be left But some or other it is like it will fall upon And my Brethren If this be so if there be hopes when the Gospel comes to be Preached that there are Sons of Peace in that place it is a most Cursed thing for any to stand to oppose the Gospel when it comes to any place It is very seldom but some or other will be Railing and Crying out against it But take heed what thou dost Wilt thou stand against God to cross God in such a blessed End as this is It may be the Lord hath some Souls in that place He intends Eternal good unto And wilt thou stand out against that and cross God But especially take heed you do not oppose the Gospel in any place where there is not only a remote hopes but it comes to be Nearer and Fuller than it was before and there is some real Manifestation that God intends Good unto some O take heed of thy Opposition of it there This was the Reason that Paul was so mightily provok'd when Elimas came to resist his Ministry of which you may read in Acts 13. There was one Sergius Paulus which sent for Barnabas and Saul and desired to hear the Word of God Now this Sergius Paulus was a Chief Man in the place where Paul Preached he was the Deputy and there was good hopes that God would Convert his Soul And Elimas the Sorcerer he stood and opposed and sought to turn away the Deputy from the Faith Now when Paul was in so good a hope that he should gain not only a Soul but a publick Man that might do a great deal of good O the Spirit of Paul was mightily provok'd He looks upon Elimas and sets his Eyes upon him the Text saith and and said O full of all Subtilty and all Mischief thou Child of the Devil thou Enemy of all Righteousness wilt thou not cease to pervert the Right Wayes of God c. Paul was a Man of a very Quiet and Meek Spirit and yet mark how full of Passion he was at this time O this provok'd the Spirit of Paul he was not able to bear it We never read that Paul was so troubled when they Persecuted him when they put him into Prison But as if Paul should say Do with me what you will put me into Prison do what you will with my Carcass but do not frustrate my Expectation in Gaining a Chief Man that may do a great deal of Service for God When he was but in fear that he should be frustrated of his hope he was not able to bear it And certainly nothing can go so near to the Heart of any Faithful Minister as that there should be any to stand to frustrate his hope of Gaining of Souls Perhaps in a Family if one or two doth but go to hear the Word the others will be Scorning and Jeering and one Neighbour will be Scorning at another and all to frustrate the Hopes of God of His Ministers and of the Saints and Angels But know when thou do'st any thing to oppose the Ministry of the Gospel thou do'st set thy self what in thee lies both to frustrate the Hopes of God and His Ministers and His Saints and Angels and thou wilt find this to be a hard work thou do'st but Kick against the Pricks And thus much for this Point we come now unto the next That good Hearers of the Gospel are called the Sons of Peace
then the Blessedness you spake of For I bear you record that if it had been possible you would have plucked out your own Eyes and have given them to me The meaning is this When the Gospel came at first to be Preached among them generally they cried out O this Blessed Gospel O the Blessedness O these blessed Truths that is come among us such Truths as we were not acquainted withal O they are blessed Truths indeed Mark They were thus taken with the Truths of the Gospel when they were first Preached But now saith Paul Where is the Blessedness ye spake of Your Hearts are not now so taken with the Gospel as they were at first now you seem to be taken off from it Where is the Blessedness you spake of I make no Question but many Ministers in many Congregations have Cause to make Use of these words of the Apostle when God sent them at first The Hearts of People were taken with the Ministry of the Gospel but within a while they are off again And well may their Ministers say Where is the Blessedness you spake of The Peace of the Gospel it doth not abide upon them but one thing or other takes it off from them So in Heb. 6. There you read of some that yet were not Sav'd by the Gospel or were not in a Condition at least for the present to be Sav'd yet they had a taste of the Heavenly Gift They did not only hear the Word and understand it but they Had a taste of the good Word of God O they said It was the good Word of God And Mark Of the Powers of the World to come That is of those powerful Truths of those Truths that do concern the World to come that were powerful Truths For so certainly my Brethren the Truths that do concern the World to come as powerful Truths they have a mighty deal of Power to work upon the Heart And these had not only the Apprehensions but a taste of the Powers of the World to come and yet it appears that they had not those things that did accompany Salvation Many other Scriptures might be shewed that there are many that are Affected with the Gospel yea they are Convinc'd and they have some taste of it and their Spirits taken yea almost perswaded with him that we read of almost perswaded to become a Christian and yet for all this this Mercy that is here promised to the Sons of Peace is not their Portion the peace of the Gospel doth not rest upon their Spirits It is a Blessing beyond that which any Hypocrite in the World hath to have this peace of the Gospel to rest and abide upon his Spirit That is First To be set up as a constant Light before the Soul not to come as a meer flash of Lightning suddenly come and suddenly gone but then it may be said to rest when the Lord sets up those glorious Truths of the Gospel as a constant Light before the Soul And Secondly When as the Lord works those Truths by Meditation upon the Heart the Lord causes those Truths to follow the Thoughts of the Mind and so to work them upon the Heart yea into the Heart of the Thoughts of the Mind when the Lord gives a constant real Taste of those Truths and Savour of them that though they be not alwayes Hearing of them yet the Savour and Relish doth abide in a constant way upon their Hearts when the Lord causes those Truths of the Gospel to spread all over the Faculties of their Souls that it is as the Holy Ghost compares it in Scripture to Leven The Kingdom of God is like unto Leven which in a little time doth Leven the whole Lump So when the Lord causes the Truths of the Gospel not only to be in the Mind in the Understanding in the Conscience but to get into the Heart to get into the Affections and as it were to Leven in a good sense the whole Soul by the Sweetness and the Goodness and the Excellency of those Truths Yea when the Lord shall cause those Truths to be dearly Rooted in the Heart to take such Root as Temptations and Deducements any Provocations without shall never be able to take out those Truths which are upon the Heart When the Lord shall cause them to stick so fast to sinck so deep into the Heart let there come what will to take off the Heart from them or take them out of the Heart yet they shall never be able to take them out of the Heart As a Martyr said saith he You may take my Heart out of my Body but you shall never take the Belief of these things out of my Heart O the Blessing and the Truths of the Gospel did so rest upon his Soul and they had gotten so near into his Heart that nothing in the World could take it off Many People that are a little stirr'd upon the Hearing of the Gospel and they think it is good and the Truths are Blessed Truths and they had good Resolutions but perhaps when they come Home from Hearing of the Word they shall have a Fellow-servant Jearing of them or the Father or Mother Speaking against them or the Husband the Wife or the Wife the Husband and so perhaps they come to lose all those Truths which formerly they were so taken with But those that are the Sons of Peace they have the Peace of the Gospel resting upon them as hath been Opened to you and this is a very great Blessing of God O this is a Mercy indeed for the Lord to grant the Truths of the Gospel and the Good of it thus to rest upon the Heart that the Heart doth keep it as a Treasure within it it is a great Mercy First Because it is a special Fruit of the Covenant of Grace according to that Text in Jer. 31. where God promises as the Fruit of the Covenant that he will Write His Law in their Inwards parts Now certainly by the Law it is not meant the Letter of the Ten Commandments But when He saith I will Write my Law that is My Will The great Counsels of my Will And the saving Truths of God are there meant by the Law For when David Expresses his love to the Law he means also the Soul-saving Truths that are Revealed in the Word of God and certainly there because it was in the time under the Law the Language of the Holy Ghost was suitable to the Time But certainly It is meant in a more especial manner the Truths of the Gospel That look as the Law was Written in Adams Heart at first so now those that are received into the Covenant have the Law of the Gospel and the Truths of that Written in their Hearts That is When ever they shall come to hear the Truths of the Gospel Opened to them they shall find as it were a Counterpain of the blessed Truths of the Gospel in their Hearts Yea further To have the Word of
the Gospel in the Heart and for the Heart to keep it It is a very great and close Mercy a greater Mercy than to have Christ to be Born of the Body of a Woman in Luke 11. 27. And it came to pass as He spake these things a certain Woman lift up her voice and said unto Him Blessed is the Womb that Bare thee and the Paps which thou hast Sucked But He said Yea rather blessed are they which hear the Word of God and keep it Those that when they have heard the Word of the Gospel and shall keep it in their Hearts and not let it Vanish away from them but keep it I say in their Power and Life upon their Hearts they are rather Blessed than the Womb was Blessed that Bare Jesus Christ or than the Paps were Blessed that gave Jesus Christ Suck I suppose there is no Woman here but would account her self a blessed Woman if her Womb had Porn Jesus Christ and if her Paps had given Jesus Christ Suck Now here is a greater Blessedness than this for a Woman to hear the Word of the Gospel Preached unto her and to have this Word of the Gospel to rest in her Heart and for her to keep it in her heart in the Power and Life and Efficacy of it this Woman now hath a greater Blessing than if she had Born Jesus Christ in her Womb. Surely it is a great Blessing to have the blessed things of the Gospel to be kept in the Soul after the hearing of them And further A great Mercy because there is such a wonderful Power in the good things of the Gospel and therefore it must needs be a great Mercy to have those things abide upon the Heart They have such a mighty power to work good upon the Heart a mighty Convincing power they have to Convince any Soul in the World Let a Man or Woman be never so Wicked or Prophane yet there are such blessed Truth in the Gospel that is enough to Convince his Soul I say though it be never so vile and to take his Heart And we have little Cause to fear the working upon the Hearts of People only if we could but procure this that those things that we Speak might but abide upon their Hearts If we were but sure that what we Deliver in the Name of God would but abide upon their Spirits we need not fear the working upon any Soul Living let them be never so Vile there is such a mighty Power and Efficacy in those blessed things of the Gospel when they come to be Revealed And so there is a mighty Comforting power to Comfort the Soul with such Consolation as is Infinitely above all Consolation that ever it was Acquainted withal before There is a mighty Power to resist any Temptation If the Truths of God were but kept in the Soul we might make little of all Temptations in the World The Devil could have little hope to prevail with any Temptations if the Word of the Gospel did but abide upon the Heart of a Man or Woman that doth hear it This is the advantage that the Devil hath at any time when one hath been hearing of the Word if he knows that the Word is past from them and it doth not abide then he can come with Temptations and makes no question of prevailing But if the Devil knows that those Truths do abide and rest upon the Soul the Devil can have little hope to prevail The Peace of God shall keep your Hearts Fro Resi shall Guard your Hearts It shall be as a Troop of Horse to keep you from Temptations from the power and strength of Temptations You complain and say O that you would do better but Temptations are so strong that they prevail upon you Why are Temptations so strong It is because thy Soul is not acquainted with the Blessed and Glorious things of the Gospel and the Power and Life of them doth not abide upon thy Spirit And likewise the Truths of the Gospel O they have a mighty deal of Power to cleanse your Hearts 1 Pet. 2. 20. There you have mentioned the Power of the Knowledg of the Gospel when it abides in one that might be an Hypocrite and therefore not of that Efficasie that the true saving Knowledg is Yet Observe what is said there For if after they have escaped the Pollutions of the World through the Knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ Now then If that Knowledg have such a cleansing Power O what Power then hath the true saving Power of the great things of the Gospel and the Glorious things of it to Cleanse the Heart Yea If those Truths do abide upon the Spirits they have a Transforming power they have a power to change the Heart into the same likeness According to that Scripture 2 Cor. 3. 18. But we all with open face beholding as in a Glass the Glory of the Lord are changed into the same Image from Glory to Glory even as by the Spirit of the Lord. Now this Gospel of the Lord is nothing else but the good things of the Gospel We behold them and that as with open Face as we do behold the Gospel of the Lord. And what then We are changed into the same Image Oh! this is a Blessed abiding it is a Blessed thing for the things of the Gospel to rest upon the Soul Why Because they have such a Power in them to Change the Heart to Transform the Heart into the very Image of them and the Truths of the Gospel have the clearest Image of God upon them the Glory of God is Imprinted upon the Truths of the Gospel Now that these should rest upon the Spirit it must needs be a great Mercy Another is this It is that which makes them indeed to be Saving All those Blessed things of the Gospel that are Revealed they never come to be Saving until they come to rest upon the Soul to be got into the Heart and there to dwell and rest Mark that Scripture in James 1. 21. Wherefore lay a part all Filthiness and Superstuity of Naughtiness and receive with Meekness the Ingraffed Word which is able to save your Souls Mark Receive with Meekness the Word But how The Ingraffed Word which is able to save your Souls The Word of God can never save your Souls till it comes to be an Ingraffed Word Now these things I premise to shew you the Excellency of this that so I might have the more ground for an Exhortation by and by To labour to keep the Word of God I mean those Truths of the Gospel that at any times comes to be discovered to you Now by way of Application as brief as may be First In the First place Hence we see cause the Ministers of the Gospel especially see cause bitterly to Lament the want of this in their Auditory ordinarily It 's true There are few that are faithful Preachers of the Gospel but they do find that
God doth at sometime or other Convice Men and somewhat stir their Hearts O but this is that that they have cause bitterly to complain of that those things that they deliver to them that are the Precious and Glorious things of Jesus Christ yet though they stir them a little for the while yet they do not rest upon them It was a Complaint of Chrisostom saith he We Ministers are in a worse Condition than any Work-men whatsoever Take a Carpenter he comes and works and leaves his Work over-night and comes the next day and finds it where it was as he left it his Work is no more forward neither backward Oh! But it is not so with us Preachers for we come and work upon the Hearts of People and we bring it into a reasonable good forwardness and we leave it one Night and come the next day but woe to us we find it not where we leave it We work upon their Hearts one Lords Day and it may be they go away with some Resolutions that they will break off their evil way and they will attend to the Ministry of the Word but before the next Lords Day they are quite off again They are got again into some wicked Company or other and they begin to harden their Hearts against those Blessed Truths so that our Condition is worse than any Work-mans whatsoever But though it be a sad Condition for the Ministers of the Gospel yet know it is a sadder Condition for your selves You that heretofore have heard those Blessed things of the Gospel and your Hearts have been taken with them have they rested upon you I put this to you in the Name of God I say Hath the Peace of the Gospel rested upon your Hearts It may be some of you may know Two or Three years ago God began to work upon you you began to have some Enlightning of Jesus Christ and of the Kingdom of God and you began to say Blessed are those that shall be partakers of those things but have these rested upon you Hath not the Ministry of the Gospel been to some of you like a Ship that when it is Sailing in the Water it makes a great Impression for the present but let the Ship be gone and the Water is as smooth as ever it was So many times when the Minister comes and open the Blessed Truths of the Gospel they make a mighty Dent upon the Hearts of their Auditors but within a little while their Hearts are like the Water no man can see that ever there was an Impression of any Truth upon their Hearts Now know that this is a very sad thing to have the Gospel begin to Affect the Heart but not to Rest First Consider How vile is thy heart it is an argument of strong corruption that is in thy heart that the things of the Gospel cannot stick there And Consider How vild it is that wicked thoughts vile base unworthy unclean filthy thoughts can abide upon you If the Devil dart in temptations they will abide and rest why when he darts them in over-night he can find them in the morning perhaps if you have some vain or unclean thoughts you can role them up and down in your mind for half a night together perhaps day after day and night after night base and filthy thoughts are rol'd up and down in your Spirits these things can abide Now what shall vile filthy ungodly thoughts rest in your hearts and shall not the Blessed and Glorious Truths of Jesus Christ and the things of the Kingdom of God rest upon your hearts Yea Consider further That it is a most dangerous thing for an essay of mercy to pass away and to do no good for mercy to come and as it were make a trial upon the heart and then leave it and no good done this is a sad condition It is not so dangerous while Men and Women are in such an estate as the mercy of God hath not made an essay as it were upon them But now When the Grace of the Gospel shall come to make an essay upon the heart to make as it were a tryal upon the heart and to have the repulse this is a dangerous thing for an offer of Gods Grace to be rejected is very sad to loose one opportunity of Gods Mercy is a very sad thing how dost thou know that ever they will come upon thy heart with that power that once they did and therefore thy condition is very sad And know further That when the Lord begins to reveal to thee the things of the Gospel and thou puttest them off those flashes of affection and conviction that thou hast had will prove to be matter of terror of conscience another day Some poor Soul may say Then Lord what shall become of me God knows this is my condition I come many times to hear the word and I meet with those truths that do mightily take my heart for the present but the Lord knows all vanishes again I think I could remember every thing that the Minister speaks while I am hearing of them but they go out again I hear that this is the Blessing of God upon the Sons of Peace that the Truths of the Gospel should abide upon their hearts and rest there O they do not rest with me Now and then they come to me but they do not rest with me Now for the Answer to this Perhaps they may not rest in thy memory but yet if the Fruit and effect of them doth rest in thy heart thou hast the Gospel resting in thy heart As thus Why perhaps the Water may pass through a Vessel go quite through it and not stay I but yet there is so much Fruit of the passage of it thorow as to keep the Vessel sweet Though you cannot take up any Water from it but it is all gone yet I say it keeps the Vessel sweet So I may say to those that have the weakest memories and yet the Lord hath wrought any degree of Grace though thy memory be so weak that thou canst not remember I speak this to those that have weak memories naturally and there is nothing that their Souls do more desire then this O that they might keep those things that they hear they would think themselves the most happy Creatures in the world if those truths that sometimes they hear might rest upon them I speak to those Is it so with thy heart Then though thou canst not remember yet if those truths keep thy heart sweet they keep thy heart from filthy lusts that they do not abide in thy heart thy heart is kept savory by them if there be this effect abiding upon thy heart to keep it savory and sweet this Peace of the Gospel may rest with thee though thou canst not remember particulars A Man or Woman perhaps they cannot remember what Meat they ate a little while since but they find themselves nourished by that Meat So for the word of God that
Doing Do not content thy self with Affections and Resolutions but fall a Doing and that doth mightily settle the Truth when it comes once to be Practised As now in a Temptation the Temptation is not settled until the Devil hath got something done according to the Temptation and when something is done then the Temptation settles So concerning the Truths of the Gospel a Man it may be hath some Resolutions and Desires but till there be somewhat done some Duties set upon some Reformation in thy Way and Life the Truth doth not settle but the doing somewhat according to what thou do'st hear that doth mightily settle the Truth upon thy Soul O think thus There is such and such a thing made known to me O it may do my Soul good for ever And if you did but keep those things that you hear they would do your Souls good they would do your Souls good in time of Affliction If the Truths of the Gospel did rest upon your Hearts they would Comfort you then So it was with David I had perished in mine Affliction but thy Word did Comfort me So if you would lay up that which you hear when you come upon your Sick-beds or in any Trouble it would mightily help you and comfort you O these Truths of the Gospel would be very good Companions when you are in your Journey or in your Business they would Commune with your Hearts And O what Comfort would they be unto your Souls So we read in Prov. 6. 21. Bind them continually upon thine Heart So I may say What Truths of the Gospel you hear bind them continually upon thy Heart and about thy Neck when thou goest it shall Lead thee when thou sleepest it shall Keep thee and when thou awakest it shall Talk with thee When you awake in the Night season you Toss up and down upon your Beds and know not what to think upon but had you kept the Truths of the Gospel they would Talk with you yea you might Converse with Jesus Christ even as you lie in your Beds And if they did rest in your Hearts then when Death did come they would be Comfortable then they will be sweet one day Ask a Dying Soul what Peace with God is worth How many have lain upon their Sick and Death-Beds and then remembred O the sweet Truths that once I heard I would give a Thousand Worlds I had them again O that they did but come now at this time to my Heart with as great a power as they did at such a time Now that you might have those Blessed things of the Gospel to Comfort your Hearts keep them now And besides They will be a Means to make you to be very useful to others What 's the Reason why Men and Women when they go to Visit their Sick Neighbours they are so Barren in their Conference they say How do you And God comfort you and so I but what have you of the Doctrine of Reconciliation with God and the way of Attonement with God What have you to help their troubled Consciences and to pacifie them Can you bring unto them any Truths you have heard You have Liv'd under the Ministry of the Gospel a long time what is become of them If you had been a Child of Peace then you would have been able to have carried these things unto your Sick Neighbours and to have done a great deal of good unto them But alas You go with a barren Heart and carry nothing at all And why Because the Truths of the Gospel have not abode with you O how full should our Hearts be with Jesus Christ if but one Truth every Sermon we heard did rest in our Hearts And take but this one Meditation along with you the Blessed things of the Peace of the Gospel are such as if ever I be Sav'd I must be Praising of the Name of God for unto all Eternity Now shall I not Labour that they should rest upon my Heart here seeing they must be the Matter that I must Bless the Name of God everlastingly for And thus though I have past some things over you have had the Substance of what I intended to Speak of And that is That those that are the Sons of Peace have this Blessing upon them They have not only the sudden apprehensions and flashes of Affection in being moved with the Glorious things of the Gospel but all the good things of the Gospel abides and rest upon them Sermon IV. Luke 10. 6. Your Peace shall rest upon it c. THe Third Note from the Blessing that here the Entertainers of the Gospel shall have is this That where there is but any one in a Place or in a Family that shall Entertain the Gospel the whole Family shall be the better for that one And the Note is Raised from this Particle It Your Peace shall rest upon it He doth not say Your Peace shall rest upon him only though that 's true It shall rest upon him principally But he saith Your Peace shall rest upon it That is If a Son of Peace be in the Family your Peace shall rest upon the Family that is there shall be some good come unto the Family by reason of any one Son of Peace that 's there If there be but one that doth Entertain the Gospel the Family may come to have a Blessing by that If it be but a poor Servant or poor Child that shall receive the Gospel there may come a great deal of good to the Family by such a Servant but if it be a Governour of the Family then the Blessing will be more For we find in the Gospel often where the Governour of the Family Believed it is said that the whole Houshold did believe and were Baptized And we find often in the Gospel of Believing Families and indeed there is a greater Blessing of God upon a Family where the Governours are Believers than we are aware of A Blessing I say upon the Family That let there be any Governour or any that is a Son of Peace the Family is the better for it God many times will spare them the rather because of them In Isa 65. 8. Thus saith the Lord as the new Wine is found in the Cluster and one saith Destroy it not for a Blessing is in it So will I do for my Servants sake that I may not Destroy them all Many times in a place where there are a great many Ungodly ones yet if there be but a few that are Godly as the new Wine in the Cluster the Lord saith Destroy it not for a Blessing is in it There are some good Grapes there though a great many Rotten ones and a Blessing is in it and therefore Destroy it not So saith God many times of a Family where there are some good ones Destroy it not saith God for a Blessing is in this Family It is very observable that which we read concerning the House of Jeroboam 1 Kings 14. 10.
hear it my Soul shall weep in secret places for your Pride and mine Eyes shall weep sore and run down with Tears because the Lords Flock is carried away Captive If ye will not hear That indeed should be the work of the Ministers of the Gospel when they are Rejected Not to be Careless and say I have done my Work and what need I care But they should take it to Heart and Lament it as the greatest Affliction that can befal them yea more than any Affliction whatsoever That the Blessed Message that they are sent withal is Rejected by Wretched and Sinful Men. Secondly If God in Christ be sometimes Rejected all the Mercy of God in His Son we should not think much though our love and kindness towards others be many times Slighted and Disregarded Indeed there 's nothing goes more to any Ingenuous Heart than to have his love and kindness to be Disregarded But when we find our Hearts troubled at this O that such a one that I have done so much for and yet that he should deal thus with me Lay thine hand upon thy Heart and consider what God hath done for thee in Christ and how ill thou hast requited Him Is it so much for thee a poor Worm not to have thy Love and Kindness imbrac'd What is it then for the Infinite God not to have that Infinite Love and Mercy of His to the Children of Men not Imbraced but Rejected Thirdly Let 's learn from hence never to trust our own Hearts We think often had we such means as others have then we should not do as they do surely we should do better Men are very ready to trust their own Hearts and in the use of Means But let us learn from hence never to trust in our own Hearts or in the use of any Means God may send you Means and Reveal glorious Truths unto you yet it may so fall out that you may never come to be partakers of the good of those things It hath been so with many and you must look to your own Hearts Do not Bless your selves in this Through Gods Mercy the Lord hath sent us His Word plentifully and the Gospel comes to be Opened clearly among us That 's not enough what God hath done but look you into your own Hearts how you Imbrace it otherwise the Gospel may come among you and yet you never come to be Saved by it But this indeed is a sad Condition wheresoever it is Fourthly Further Gods Ministers are to Learn from hence not to be Discouraged They come and Preach and with an Expectation to prevail with the Hearts of People to draw them to Christ When they have been in their Studies labouring to find out some Truths of the Gospel and to sit it to the Hearts of their Auditors and have been Praying over it They come now with Expectation that some good may be done that some Soul may be drawn in to Christ yet perhaps find it quite otherwise and the People to sit Dead under it it may be Slight it Contemn it Scorn it Disobey it But they must not be I say Discouraged in this as if so be a strange thing had befallen them What art thou more than Jesus Christ thy Master What art thou more than Paul and other of the Apostles They have been rejected all in their Ministry and what art thou that thou canst not bear any Rejection Indeed it is the hardest thing to be Born by a Minister of the Gospel that possibly may be But consider That it is not a new thing for the Gospel to be Rejected I remember I have read of Melancthon he had such thoughts that when he began to Preach he should Convert all that heard him He thought there was so much Reason in what he Spake and so much Evidence and Power to prevail with the Hearts of People that he thought he should prevail with every one but he found it otherwise by Experience And though indeed when any Minister that is acquainted with the Glorious things of God and Christ come to open them to People they are ready to think such things will surely prevail with the Hearts of People but the Lord teaches him to know that the Blessing depends upon Himself That though the things be never so Excellent and Moving yet all will not do except the Lord comes in by His Almighty Power Fifthly Let all those with whom the Ministry of the Gospel doth prevail in any measure Bless God that makes such a difference between them and any others It is Preached unto many but doth them no good But the Lord hath Called thee out and it hath struck thy Heart converted thy Spirit Thou seest cause to stand and admire at the Glory of God in Christ and thou wonderest perhaps that all People are not taken with the Riches of the Glory of Gods Grace in Christ Well Bless God that hath made a difference between thee and others It may be in the same Family another Scorns it and Contemns it perhaps one that came out of the same Womb despises it and God hath taken thee and revealed Himself to thee it may be thy rich Neighbour Contemns it but God looks upon thee a poor Creature and makes Himself known to thee It may be a Learned Man he slights it and makes nothing of it and thou who art but a Babe hast those things Revealed Thou hast cause to thank God for it For Christ doth He thanks His Father for this thing That He should be pleased to pass by the Wise and great ones of the World and chuse Babes Mat. 11. 25. At that time Jesus Answered and said I thank thee O Father Lord of Heaven and Earth that thou hast hid these things from the Wise and Prudent and hist revealed them unto Babes Now this Scripture that I bring not only to shew you that God doth sometimes Reveal the great Mysteries of the Gospel to Babes and hide them from the Wise but as a Text to stir up your Hearts to Bless God if He hath done so for any of you Upon this ground Jesus Christ doth thank His Father for it then surely thou hast cause to thank God the Father for this great Mercy of His to put such a difference between thee and others For indeed it is one of the most glorious Works of God This Work of the Lord making known the Great and High Mysteries of the Gospel to poor weak ones when as the Great and Rich and Mighty and Learned of the World do not come to understand it It is one of the great Miracles by which the Lord doth Confirm the Gospel to be His own as great a Miracle as other Miracles that were Wrought by Christ And for that this is very observable that we have in the place where John sends to Christ to know whether He were the Messias or no. Now mark the Answer that Christ gives unto John's Messengers Jesus Answered and said unto them Go and
shew John again those things which ye do hear and see the Blind receive their sight and the Lame walk and the Lepers are cleansed and the Deaf hear and the Dead are raised and the Poor have the Gospel Preached to them And as some of the Evangelists have it Poor receive the Gospel Observe why Christ brings this He brings it in as an Argument that he was the Messiah John would know whether He was the Messiah How shall he know it Why go and tell him The Blind receive their sight the Lame walk the Lepers are cleansed the Deaf hear the Dead are raised These are good Arguments to prove that Christ was the Messias If Christ could Work such Miracles as to give sight to the Blind to make the Lame to walk to cleanse the Lepers to cause the Deaf to hear and to raise the Dead these indeed were good Arguments But how comes in the last And the Poor receive the Gospel How is this an Argument that Christ is the Messias One would think that this should rather be an Argument that He is not the Messias They might say I indeed there are these great things done by Him but there is one thing makes us suspect that He is not the Messias For our Great Rich and Learned Men they do not receive Him only a Company of poor Ignorant People this Vulgar sort For so was the Arguing of the Pharisees there in John 7. 48. say they when the Officers were Affected with the Ministry of Christ Have any of the Rulers or of the Pharisees believed on him Have any of them Believed on Him But this People that knoweth not the Law are Cursed Only a Company of poor Ignorant People they believe on Christ But the Rulers have any of the Rulers or of the Pharisees the Great Men and the Rich Men the Learned Men Have they believed You see that this was a Stumbling-block whereby they would perswade Men that Christ was not the Messias But mark That which Men make the great Stumbling-block why Christ is not the Messias that Christ makes unto John the great Argument why He was the Messias Because the Poor receive the Gospel And Christ doth put this among his other Miracles And you will say How is this an Argument Thus It is one of the greatest Miracles that ever Christ wrought and it may well be Reckoned among those Miracles of giving Eyes to the Blind and Hearing to the Deaf Thus To make one that is a poor weak Creature that hath but a mean Capacity yet that such a one shall be able to see into the Great and High and Glorious Mysteries of the Gospel that the Angels desire to pry into So to see into the Reolity and the Certainty and the Glory of those Mysteries that he dares venture his Soul and his Eternal Estate upon I say This is as great a Work of a â—od as ever any Work that God did in this World and therefore it may well be put among Christs Miracles â—nd an Argument that Christ is the Messias If Christ shall Reveal such Glorious things that are the Objects of the Understanding of Angels to poor Illiterate People when as the Wise of the World shall not be able to see them but shall Reject them They shall not see so much as to dare to venture the loss of a Lust for them of any Creatures contentment for them but a poor weak Man or Woman Illiterate that understands but little in other things shall come to see so much the Glory of God shining in the Face of Christ as he dares venture not only all outward Comforts in this World but his Soul and Eternal Estate upon the Grace of God in his Son Here 's a mighty Work of Christ The Poor they come then to receive the Gospel it is Preached to them and they receive it and hereby Christ shews his Power Now hath Christ shown such a Miraculous Work of his upon thy Soul when he hath past by others that are Understanding and Men of Parts yet Reveal'd such deep and hidden Mysteries of the Gospel unto thee Oh admire at the Grace of God in his Son to thee and Bless him for this is not an ordinary Mercy it is a choice Mercy The Gospel is Rejected many times where it comes and thou seest it only God hath made a separation between thee and others As I told you of that Speech of Judas not Iscariot Lord saith he Why is it that thou Revealest thy self unto us and not unto the World Thou hast cause to wonder at it indeed Sixthly And then further that we may hasten to what remains If this be so that Gods sends the Gospel where it is Rejected hence be not Scandalized when you see it Despised and Contemned Let none be Scandalized at it so saith Christ in Mat. 11 when he saith The Poor have the Gospel Preached to them in the next words And Blessed is he whosoever is not offended in me For Men are ready to be offended when they see great Ones Reject the Ministry of the Gospel But you hear that God sends it where it is Rejected therefore be not you offended do not think that because others do not Imbrace it therefore there is nothing in it and why should I There is this Temptation in the Hearts of many though while they are Hearing of the Gospel Preached their Hearts are taken with what they Hear and they are Convinc'd but when they go away and are among their Companions and others that they find to slight all and to disregard all their Hearts are taken off likewise But O learn by this Point never to be Scandalized by others casting off the Gospel For it is that which Christ hath forewarned his Ministers when they go to Preach he doth intimate to them that they must expect that their Ministry must not prevail with all 7ly Lastly Is this true That God sends the Preaching of the Gospel where he sees it will and doth not prevail with many Now let every one of you lay his hand upon his Heart and think thus with himself Is it I Am I the man am I the Woman to whom Jesus Christ shall be Preached and shall not prevail O the Lord forbid that this should be so though it doth not prevail with others such and such yet God forbid that it should not prevail with my Heart let me imbrace it so much the rather Do I see Jesus Christ rejected by others O it is that which should go neer to my Heart that the Lord is rejected by any and shall he be rejected by me too the Lord forbid that as Christ said to his Disciples when others forsook him And will ye also go away O whither shall we go from thee saith Peter for with thee are the words of Eternal life so dost thou see others slight and neglect the glorious Ministry of the Gospel and wilt thou do so wilt thou add to the dishonour of the Gospel too
could not forbear but had not Gods Word been as fire in his bones certainly he would have forborn Hence it is that we read when God was to send his Ministers to People that they should not prevail withall the Lord made mighty preparations and there was much ado for to get the hearts of his Servants to go about their work I 'll give you two Instances remarkable for this The first is in the Prophet Isaiah the Lord had a Message to send by the Prophet he would send him to Preach but to a People where he should not prevail yea the Text saith Go and tell this people hear ye indeed but understand not and see ye indeed but perceive not make the heart of this people fat and make their ears heavy and shut their eyes lest they see with their eyes and hear with their ears and understand with their hearts and convert and be healed The Lord sends his Prophets to go and to harden the hearts of people as the truth is there is nothing in the world will harden mens Hearts more than the Ministry of the Word if it doth not soften them If it doth not prevail with mens hearts to convert them I say there is nothing will harden mens hearts more There are no People in the world have harder Hearts than those that live under the Ministry of the Gospel Go and make the heart of this People fat but this was a mighty hard Message How must this Prophet be prepared There needs be a mighty deal of preparation to make him go chearfully on in his work You shall see that the Prophet had a most Glorious Vision to prepare him He saw the Glory of God silling the Temple and above it stood the Cherubims and one cryed to another and said Holy Holy Holy is the Lord of Host the whole Earth is full of his Glory and the posts of the door moved at the voice of him that cryed and the house was filled with smoak Then said I woe is me The Lord was fain first to reveal his Glory to him secondly to humble his heart Then said I wo is me for I am undone because I am a man of unclean lips thirdly the Lord caused a Serophim to fly unto him having a live coal in his hand which he had taken with the tongues from off the Altar and he laid it upon my mouth and said Lo this hath touched thy lips and thine iniquity is taken away and thy sin purged Here 's three notable works of God to prepare the heart of this Prophet then in v. 8. I heard the voice of the Lord saying whom shall I send and who will go for us then I said here am I send me After he had first seen the glory of God secondly after he had been humbled for his sin and thirdly after he had had such an extraordinary testimony of the pardon of his sin Now Lord as if he should say send me about the hardest work that thou hast to do and then the Lord tells him what that hard Message should be that he should carry he should go to a people and Preach but it should be to harden their hearts and not to prevail with their Spirits And the like we have in the Prophet Ezekiel if you read the second and the beginning of the third chap. the Lord tells him that he was to go to a Rebellious House but you shall observe such a strange work of God for the preparing of his Heart for it in the most part of the first Chapt. the Prophet had a most glorious Vision of God for the setting of him a work that teaches us that indeed there is nothing will set us so much a work as the sight of God Secondly such a voice of God as humbled him for when I heard I fell upon my face and then God comes and comforts him and sets him upon his feet Further the Spirit enters into him and spake unto him and then declared his Message and gave him the roul and bid him eat it and made it to be sweet unto him though it was a message of threatning I speak all this to this end to shew that there is no work more difficult than the work of a Minister and especially when his Ministry hath not success and therefore this point is very reasonable to tell unto them all that though they have not the success that they desire yet the good of their Ministry shall return upon them again Are there a People that they are sent to to whom do they offer Christ Why they would fain gain their Souls unto Christ that they may live for ever in praising the riches of the grace of God in Christ in the highest Heavens But will they not Know thou shait have the blessing of that peace look what glory and comfort they should have had it shall return into thy bosom It is here in the Ministry of the Word as in other Duties suppose you pray for a Child or Friend or Kinsman you do not see that he is turned to God according to your prayers but know your prayer is not lost for all that the blessing of your Prayer shall return into your bosom and therefore be encouraged in every good work as Ministers should be encouraged in their Ministry though they have not success so you every one in your measure should be encouraged in every work that God hath called you unto go on therefore with peace and with comfort in all the work that heretofore you have been so much discouraged in for the reward is to your faithfulness and not to the success of your Works The next to this is Your peace shall Return that is as I shewed you it shall return with as much power and efficacy for they may think thus Lord do we go to preach to this People and do they reject it what hope shall we have that now the Gospel shall do good it hath received a foil and now the edge seems to be off and never like to do good any where No saith Christ do not reason so do not think that your Gospel hath lost the edge of it it shall return to you again with as much power as ever it did at first It is not so with the Gospel as with other things Many things in the World if once they receive a repulse their edge is taken off but the Gospel though it doth receive a repulse yet still the edge of it shall continue and the power of it this is that which the Apostle saith 2 Tim. 2. 10. Wherein I suffer trouble as an evil-doer even unto bonds but the Word of God is not bound Mark though I suffer Bonds yet the Word of God is not bound I am slighted and contemned I but the Word is not bound the Word is the same that ever it was though I be hated and cast out that am the Minister of the Word yet it remains in as much strength as ever it did
before the great God to answer for all unto the Infinite Justice and this the Gospel would have delivered you from had you entertained it Doth it return from you Why then you stand before the Lord under the sentence of Condemnation a Condemned Creature even to Eternal Death and this the Gospel would have freed you from Doth the Gospel return again Why then you stand a Child of Wrath before the great God under all the Viols of his Infinite Wrath ready every moment for ought thou knowest to be poured out upon thee and this the Gospel would have freed thee from Doth the Gospel go away from thee Why then thou standest under the Curse of the Law and all those dreadful Threatnings that are Written in the Book of God they are all thy Portion and this the Gospel would have freed thee from Is the Gospel returned from thee Then thou standest before God as an Enemy unto him he looks upon thee as one that is an Enemy to him and thou canst expect no other but to be dealt withal as an Enemy to have God in all his Attributes to come out against thee to have all his Creatures to come out against thee to Avenge Gods Quarrel upon thee and this the Gospel would have freed thee from And so we might further name Infinite Evils no peace to the wicked no peace to those who are so Wicked as to reject the glorious Gospel and therefore thy Case is Dreadful Secondly If the Blessing of the Gospel be returned from thee then know thou hast lost the most Happy opportunity of good that ever Creature had Never can a Creature be made capable of a Happier opportunity of good than the Creature hath when Jesus Christ comes to be preached to it Here 's the most Blessed opportunity of good I say that a Creature can have to have Jesus Christ come to be offered to him Now when the Gospel is returned thou hast lost this opportunity of Mercy the tender of Salvation that 's worth ten thousand thousand Worlds such an opportunity as the Devils and Damned in Hell would give 10000 Worlds to have it and yet that is come to thee and is gone and lost and therefore it is a sad thing for the Blessing of the Gospel to return Thirdly If it doth Return from thee thou dost not know whether it will ever return back again upon thee whether ever it will come any more When God offers Grace and it is rejected many times he doth cause the Offer to pass away and it never comes more again Thou mayest perhaps lye hereafter in the distress of thy Conscience and think of former dayes that thou hadst and cry out O that I had such dayes again O that I had Jesus Christ preached to me again as I had at such a time O that I had such stirrings of the Spirit of God as I had at such a time but now no Friend Time was when thou hadst them and thou didst reject them and therefore they are gone and thousands of Worlds will not purchase them again I do not now speak only of taking away the Ministery of it but of the Blessing of the Gospel perhaps thou mayst live under the Ministery of it and yet the Blessing of the Gospel may be returned Fourthly If the Gospel come and return with the Blessing of it thou art now in a far worse condition than any Heathen whatsoever a Heathen is not in so sad a condition Some times you will speak in way of Indignation What do you think me a Heathen a Turk Thou art in a worse case than any Heathen whatsoever because they never had the offer of Jesus Christ and the course of Mercy hath never come to them but to thee and left thee there 's hope before God makes a tryal as it were before Mercy hath as it were her turn upon the Creature that it may belong to Gods Election but now when Mercy hath had her turn and left the Soul then it is a sad condition it hath not done so to the Heathens and therefore it is worse with thee than with the Heathens in that regard Yea Fifthly Hence follows that there is the greatest Judgment except being sent to Hell it self immediatly as a punishment of the greatest Sin that ever Creature committed but only the unpardonable Sin the Sin against the Holy Ghost For God to take away the Gospel from us the Blessing of it to return it is the greatest Judgment that can befall a man in this World except God should send him quick to Hell presently A greater Judgment than if thy House were fired or thy Body diseased and tormented that were no such Judgment as this and this is the fruit of the greatest sin the sin of the rejection of the Gospel except the sin against the Holy Ghost Now that Man or Woman is in a sad condition that hath the greatest Judgment that God can inflict in this World but only that one Excepted I say this is an exceeding sad condition Fifthly Yea further Then it is to be feared lest Christ should dye in vain as for thee though Christ hath come into the World and shed his Blood to save Souls yet all should be in vain as for thee O this Thought will pierce thy heart one day if it doth not now for the present the very thought that there should be so great Salvation and I not be made partaker of it it is a Soul-wounding Thought Yea and Lastly Hereafter it shall be to thy extream Torment when thou shalt see others that have embrac'd the Gospel and Sav'd Eternally and thou thy self cast out I heard the same Sermon that Converted such and such a one and they are now Saved in Heaven for ever O I was at the same Sermon and rejecting of it am now cast down here to be sweltering under the wrath of God Will not these be sad thoughts another day If not your peace shall return and you see the dreadful Fruit of the returning of Peace Wherefore then a word by way of Application For indeed the Point it self is enough to strike our Consciences The very naming of these things and the opening of them hath power to stir and awaken the Heart and therefore I will only say thus much Learn to know that when you come to hear the preaching of the Gospel you do not come to a matter of Indifferency it being no great matter whether you received it or received it not Many people they come to hear Sermons and look upon them as a very indifferent matter whether their Hearts be taken with what they hear or no whether they yield and submit to what they hear or not but learn to know that it is not a matter of Indifferency I may well make use of that Speech of Moses to the people in Deut. 32. 46 47. And he said unto them set your hearts unto all the words which I testifie among you this day which ye
shall command your Children to observe to do all the words of this Law Mark it Why what 's the matter v. 47. For it is not a vain thing for you because it is your life It may be some of them when they heard Moses declaring the Law of God they would be ready to think it is a good Law and Moses doth well in telling of us the Law but there is no great consequence of it how our Hearts be taken with it O but saith Moses do not you come to hear the Law upon such tearms but set your Hearts upon what you hear Why because it is your life Much more cause have the Ministers of the Gospel thus to say when they come to preach Jesus Christ to a people Set your hearts to what is delivered When they come and say Peace be to this place to this People the Doctrine of the Gospel be preached to them O set your hearts to what is delivered Why for it is your life When you come to Hear a Sermon you should come so as to consider that your Life may lye upon that Sermon for ought you know and the rather look to it because the Lord with whom you have to deal is a great God and a God that will not be dallyed withal and trisled withal but if you disobey the Message of the Gospel the Lord may deal very quick with you and that let 's me into the Last Point which now we are to finish this Text in and that is this That those that shall not Entertain the Gospel the Lord will deal very quick with them Your Peace shall return again the Lord will not stand long about the matter I in the naming of the point have already spoken of a Scripture or two Now is the Axe lay'd to the root of the Trees when John Baptist came to Preach the Kingdom of God And that in the Last of Mark v. 16. Go and Preach saith Christ to his Disciples he that believes shall be Saved he that believes not shall be Damned The Lord Christ tells how quick the Lord will be with those that shall not entertain the Gospel and there are many Texts that are very full for this purpose and because it is a great Point and that it should strike much upon your Consciences therefore I will present it in the fulness of the Evidence of Scripture That place that you have in Matth. 10. it is just parallel to this in Luke 10. there where Christ sends his Apostles forth as he doth the 70. he gives the same Directions in effect but mark here Saint Matthew goes farther than Saint Luke Let your Peace Return to you and whosoever shall not receive you nor hear your words when you depart out of that House or City shake off the dust of your feet Verily I say unto you it shall be more tollerable for the Land of Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of Judgment than for that City See here the quickness of God with those that do reject the Gospel So in John 3. that is very famous for this in ver 18. He that believeth on him is not Condemned but he that believeth not is Condemned already You will say he is Condemned already because his Natural Condition is such that he is under Condemnation No but I take it the Scripture doth aim at something further He is not only Condemned by reason of his sins against the Law but he is condemned already because he hath not believed on the Name of the only Begotten Son of God How could he Believe in the Name of the Only Begotten Son of God before ever he heard it but here it is spoken of Light that is come into the World for so it follows in ver 19. And this is the Condemnation that light is come into the world and men love darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil That is when Christ shall come to be preached to any People and they will not believe presently there is a sentence of Condemnation that 's the meaning of the Text he is Condemned already the Lord is very quick with such And in Acts 17. 30. a place famous And the Times of this Ignorance God winked at He saw and would not see as it were he overpast that but Now saith he that is Now when Christ comes to be Preached Now he Commandeth all men every where to Repeent as if he should say Look to your selves that you Repent now whatsoever you did before though you could prophane Sabbaths before look to your selves now though you were vain and superstitious and carnal take heed now to your selves as if the Holy Ghost should say The Lord is willing to pass by all that was before but for rejection of his Son look to that he will not pass by that so easily that One sin so easily as he will pass by all the other All the sins that men have Committed all their Lives before may more easily be past by than that one sin of Rejection of the offer of Grace by Jesus Christ Now he calls all men to Repentance And then a third Text is that in 2 Cor. 2. a Text that I made use of the last Day for another purpose For we are unto God a sweet Savour of Christ in them that are saved and in them that perish to the one we are the savour of Death unto Death What 's the meaning of that It is somewhat a strange phrase and expression we are the savour of death unto death Savour of death I take the meaning of the phrase to be thus he compares his Ministery that was the Ministry of the Gospel unto those things that had a mighty efficacy in them a strong vertue so strong as their very savour was enough either to kill or to make alive As there are some things so strong as the very sent of them can kill a man or even raise a man from a Sound so saith the Apostle our Ministry to sin is the savour of death unto death it is a deadly savour to them Thus you may see that the Ministry of the Word it hath a mighty quickness in it one way or other either from Heaven or Hell to Save or to Destroy And another Scripture we have in Heb. 4. there the Apostle speaking of the Word the Word of the Gospel for certainly that 's that that he speaks of v. 12. For the Word of God is quick and powerful and sharper than any two edged Sword piercing even to the dividing asunder of Soul and Spirit and of the Joynts and Marrow and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the Heart The Word of the Gospel whensoever it comes to any Congregation it is no dull matter you may not look to sit dully under that but it is a quick Word it will either slay thy sin or slay thy Soul one of the two it must slay one and that quickly And in Heb. 6. there the Apostle compares