c. Ah brethren this is good news for Zion and this is the news God hath sent me with behold the deliverer the Saviour is come O with what a welcome should such as this be received when he comes how welcome was the news to the captives that brought the news of their liberty why such should be the welcome that you should give to the news the Gospel brings you of a deliverer Now is your Jubilee blessed are the people that hear the joyful sound Psa. 89. 15. He alludes to the sound of the Trumpets in the time of the Jubilee but it is to be understood of the joyful sound of the Gospel It is blessed news that Christ the deliver is come Secondly I am to shew you how he is come There is a two fold coming of Christ his gracious and his glorious coming His glorious coming is not till hereafter at the last day This is the coming that he speaks of Rev. 1. 7. He speaks of it as if it were present because 't is as certain as if it were present Every eye shall see him But then there is his gracious coming and that is two fold corporal or spiritual His corporal coming in his admirable Incarnation his spiritual coming in the Gospel Invitation First His corporal coming in his admirable incarnation And this is blessed news to the world at this his coming there were a quire of angels to celebrate his praise Luke 2. 13 14. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God saying glory to Godin the highest and on Earth peace good will towards men We read that the great and glorious works of God they are celebrated by the angels And there are these four great works celebrated by them First The work of Creation So that 〈◊〉 Job 38. 7. When the morning stars sang together and all the sons of God shouted for Joy It is spoken with reference to the Creation the angels did list up their voices and sang the praise of their Creator Secondly The work of conversion Luke 15. 10. There is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth The work of conversion is a great and admirable work and therefore celebrated by angels Thirdly At Christs incarnation so Luke 2. 10 11. Fourthly At the resurrection Then all the angels of God shall appear then shall be a most glorious and general appearance of the angels to celebrate that work heaven shall empty it self of all its glorious inhabitants Secondly There is the spiritual coming of Christ and this is in his Ordinances This is his Chariot wherein he rides on conquering Psa. 45. 3 4. Gird thy sword upon thy thigh and in thy Majesty ride prosperously This is to be understood of Christs going forth in the sound of the Gospel which is his sword whereby he rides on to conquer the world Now in this respect Christ is come exhibiting himself in the voice of the Gospel there Christ doth shew himself and impart himself to his people Thirdly I am to shew you whence he is come He is come from the throne of his glory From the court of his Angels From the hosome of his Father First From the Throne of his glory O what a wonderful descent was this that he should come from the Throne of his glory to the manger among the beasts from the company of the angels to be crucified among the theeves he came among the beasts the world would not receive him but he was thrust out among the beasts Man by his Apostacy had brought himself among the beasts and hither did Christ come to find him But he was humbled more yet from the throne to the cross From the height of his glory to the extremity of shame O how should we think of the strange abasure of Christ that he that was heir to the Crown of glory should become man and viler then any of the Sons of men in some respect this should have your great admiration Secondly From the Court of his angels The Lord Jesus Christ he was the brightness of his Fathers glory the express image of his person that made his angels spirits and his Ministers a flaming fire All the angels you must know were his Messengers And what abasure was here that he should come from the company of angels to be contemned by the basest of men Thirdly From the bosome of his Father The Lord Jesus Christ he was the Son of Gods delight his darling the beloved object of his soul Math. 11. 27. Christ is he that lyes in the bosome of the Father and he alone is able to reveal the secrets of the Lord to the world so John 1. 18. Now that the Lord Jesus Christ should come from the bosome of God to the belly of hell that he should leave the glory of heaven for the torments of hell and all for our sakes what a strange wonder of Love was this hence was it that Christ came for us This is the bread that came down from heaven that a man may eat of and not dye Fourthly I shall shew you why he is come And that is To seek and to Save First To seek That is one end of his coming so Luke 19. 10. And who do you think that he is come to seek It is us that were lost All we like sheep have gone astray now Christ is that great good sheapherd that came to seek and to save that which was lost in Luke 15 you read of the lost groat the lost sheep and the lost Son and who do you think this was this was the lost sinner ver 32. who was it think you that sought us and found us when we were lost It was Jesus Christ it was he that sought us We had never found him had not he sought us I am found of them that sought me not 〈◊〉 65. 1. If Christ had stayed for us till we sought him our salvation had never been wrought The Lord Jesus Christ he sought us not and laid hold on us He took not hold of angels but of the seed of Abraham In effectual calling there he takes hold of the sinner he is fain to run after them and stop them or else they would run into perdition Secondly He is come to save so the Apostle to Timothy 1 Tim. 15. This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptation that Christ came into the world to save sinners of whom I am chief He puts in for one Oh brethren this is that should make the coming of Christ welcome to you he came to seek and save you O therefore welcome him at his coming Use. Is it so that Christ is come then go you forth to meet him Math. 25. 6. That was the cry there this is that which God sends his Messengers to call upon you for that you may go forth to meet him But how should you go forth to meet him First as a Bride doth her
callings make visits read or hear the word be sure you think on the rules that you are to read by or discourse by or hear by c. You cannot think of God in every motion but with a little pains watchfullness and prayer you may come to this to mind your rule and your end at the entrance of every solemn action And this I desire you to enjoyn upon your selves and take a daily account of your selves how t is performed This would be indeed to keep up the power of Christianity Oh be at the pains to put to this and you will know what it is to walk with God and to be in the fear of the Lord all the day long and will have learnt that happy â—…sson To walk up and down in the name of the Lord Prov. 23. 17. Zech. 10. 12. Rule 9. Be sure every morning to set out to a right point of the Compass If a Man takes a wrong turning and misseth his way at setting forth he goes miserably out it may be a great part of the day cut out your business in the moning and let your aym be well Set the hand of your watch to a right point and wind it up carefully and that will be a means to keep it right â—…oughout the day Never rise from your beds but with some such thoughts as these I will set sorth this day in the name of God Religion shall be my business this day I will surely spend this day for Eternity David would begin with God Psâ—…l 139. ver 18. 5. 3. Rule 10. Let the present days practice be still the meâ—…ding of the past daies errors If you would go through with the work of Religion you must take this course Every evening strictly to examine your selves about your whole carriage that day with reference to your Duties Sins Hearts Tongues Tables Callings as I have otherwhere directed you and when you find your selves tardy in any thing this day be sure to amend it the next day Was the Appetite too much indulged when you sit at meat the next day remember the error and hold the reins faster then Do you find that you were not heavenly in your discourse be sure that you be not caught in the same fault again the next day Have you let loose your Passions or given your tongues the reins be humbled and be sure that you be not caught again the next day in the same fault else to what purpose are all your self-examinations Psal. 119. 59. In vain doe we think on our waies except we turn our feet to Gods Testimonies Rule 11. You must deny your selves and keep under your carnal lusts and affections Where self bears the sway that will set you on work and you shall have enough to doe to follow its carnal designs If you 〈◊〉 your lusts and earnal assections to command you to be sure they will find you work enough you then will have little room and little leisure but these will be all the day long calling upon you to gratifie One while the appetite will be calling and there must be time to give to that what it craves another while revenge will be calling and employing you to contrive how to vent it and give it satisfaction another while pride will set you on work to satisfie that and then lust will be calling that you must gratifie and then covetousness will be chiding that you have neglected it and be putting you on satisfying that Thus your lusts will find you business night and day and your employment will be to make provision for the flesh Rom. 13. 14. Get these therefore under or else the business of Râ—…ligion will never can never go on Psalm 144. 3. Lord what is man that thou takest knowledge of him or the son of man that thou makest account of him THe Psalmist in the foregoing words had eminently set forth the strange goodness and Grace of God towards him upon which he breaks out into admiratâ—…n of him that ever God should look upon him What is man c. Hence observe Doct. That it is a wonder above all wonders that ever the great God should make such account of such a thing as man This I shall open to you in these three generals 1. It will appear if you consider what a great God the Lord is 2. What a poor thing Man is 3. What a great account the great God hath of this poor thing Man First If you consider what a great God the Lord is And here I may be confounded to think that I can speak no more of his greatness When I am studying to speak to you of his greatness that comes to my mind canst thou by searching find out God Alas we may all complain as Jobs friends did Job 8. 9. We are but of yesterday and know nothing yet notwithstanding though we are not able to comprehend much less to express the greatness of God yet some thing we may see and accordingly should conceive of it and should labour to set it out to others It is seen in his Works and Word 1. In his Works Herein God doth discover to us his wonderful greatness Job 36. 24. 25. Remember that thou Magnisie his work which men behold Every man may see it man may behold it afar off Man may see afar off if he dâ—… but cast his eye as he runs what a great God that is that made all the world If we doe but cast our eyes upon the Fabrick of the world that he hath made if we look down-ward and see how every creature serveth its end that it was made for if we see how the earth hangs upon nothing if we are in our wits what should we do but praise whatever we are doing whether plowing or eating c. this Hymn is to be sung to him It was he that gave me strength to work and appetite to eat Psal. 19. 1 2. The heavens declare the glory of God and the firmament sheweth his handy work day unto day uttereth speech c. Every day cloth preach to us this Doctrine what a great wise good glorious God he is who doth order every season and their occurrences Rom. 1. 20. Dost thou find thy heart begin to be listed up with pride Doâ—…t thou begin to forget thy maker Do but behold his Works see if thou canst do any such thing say let there be light and see whether there will be light Try whether thou canst bring sorth such a thing as this This doth God demand of Iob Chap. 38. But if man cannot come near any of these works of God then let him adore his power and greatness and subject himself to him 2. In his word What glorious descriptions doe we find made of him in the Scriptures Psal. 104. 1. O Lord thou art very great c. Iob. 25. 4 5 6. Man in comparison of God is but a worm a vile worm as the word signifies such a thing is man A worm that is bred
of this that made this rich worldling to be branded for a fool Give Alms plentifully and provide for your selves Bags that wax not old be sparing as to your selves but lay out and spare not upon the Service of God Give your selves unto prayer let reading the Word Meditationâ—… Self-examination be your daily exercises do good to all men serve your generation with diligence study to be useful sill up your relations with duties and when you have done all go out of your selves look wholly unto Jesus and live by faith this do and you shall have treasure in Heaven and let death come when it will it will but set you in possession of glory But woe to them that have laid up nothing on the other side the Grave Death will break them for ever and will prove their eternal undoing 4. Be the death of your sins that they may not fasten like Hell-hounds upon you when you are most helpless Mortifie your corruptions and then the bitterness of Death is past Sin is the sting of Death that makes it dreadful that makes it hurtful O do not arm your enemy against you death cannot hurt you but by the weapons that you put into its hands by your sins if Sin be dead death is conquered This is the top of misery when sin and death shall sly upon a poor creature together when death as the unclean Spirit taking with him seven other Spirits worse than himself shall set a man's Sins all upon him and besides the terrour of its own apaling looks shall shew him the more ghastly and affrighting faces of those Fiends and Furies his unpardoned sins this is the sting of death and makes that the King of terrours 5. Observe the approaches of your enemy daily and remember that you are for ought you know more than half dead already Let not gray hairs be here and there upon you and you know it not observe all the warnings of death and consider in all your pains and insirmities that these are but twitches and items from death How often is death knocking at your doores Death hath a great part of you already in possession whatsoever is past is death's and how little how very little is to come God knows sure I am nothing is yours but the present time Christians shall Death get ground upon you every day and be marching up towards you and will not you provide accordingly and make preparations for it every day as Death comes daily towards you do you labour to make it good against Death Let your fortifications go on daily let some breach be made up let somewhat be mended every day forget not that holy Counsel to meditate every evening that seeing thy dayes are numbred there is one more of thy number spent and thou art now nearer to thy end by a day 6. Dare not to live in such a case or course that you would not dare to dye in How know you but your next step may be into the grave and would you be found in your sins how do you know but death may meet you at the next turning and O how unwelcome a meeting will it be if you be found by it laden with the gains of unrighteousness or with lusts and pleasures would you have Death to find you out of your harnesses would you meet your enemy without a weapon or be found by him in a careless secure and sleeping posture If not how dare you live at such a rate are you at an agreement with Death 7. Be alwayes in your Fathers business that Death may not be able to find you doing evil or doing nothing the holy Calvin would not sorhear his labours in his dying Sickness but when perswaded to give over replyed what shall my Lord come and find me idle it was said of the laborious Willet who was alwayes very early at his work that he was half way on his journey before others did set out Blessed is that Servant whom his Lord when he cometh shall find so doing Remember in what you undertake that Death may overtakq you before you have ended therefore see that you do nothâ—…ng without Gods warrant carry this with you and you need not fear Death's surprisal Woe unto you if Death find you with your work to do How holily how happily ended that Blessed Saint Mr. Lovo who could dare to say in his last Prayer Father I have glorisied theâ—… on Earth I have sinished the work which thou gavest stâ—…ma to do and now O Father glorifie me withthy own self Surely the end of that man was peace The last words that ever he spake were Blessed be God for Jesus Christ. Blessed be God for peace of Conscience He lived a life of exemplary diligence and the comfort of his death answered the holy painfulness of his life This was Paul's joy I have fought a good sight I have sinished my course I have kept the faith henceforth is laid up for me tâ—…e Crown of life 8. Get Conscience to be your friend least that should set Death upon you to worry you when yóu come to dye Beware you mistake not the slumber of Conscience for a setled peace the Serpent may be but frozen in your bosoms when you think him dead Death will rouze the sleeping Lyon and then Oh fearful work that he will make his roaring will shake the heart of Rock and apale the countenance of Kings and loose their joynts and break all their bones If you be wise get and keep a good Conscience carry it to the fountain opened for sin and for uncleanness get it sprinkled with the blood of Christ. Exercise your selves to keep a Conscience void of osfence towards Goâ—… 〈◊〉 towards all men In all your undertakings let Conscience have the casting voice ask counsel of it diligently hear its rebukes patiently thankfully as a precious balm that will not break your heads make it to give in its judgment about your Estates If it be confident be sure it be upon Scripture evidence if it be doubtful get it well setled in time if it condemn you away with speed to your Redeemer sue out your pardon get it purified and pacified Follow after peace and holiness but accept of no peace but of God's speaking Please Conscience rather than all the world keep her and she shall keep you they that are careless of defending Conscience are preparing for their own torment at death 9. Remember your Sick-bed resolutions and set a mark upon those things that did make death look most ghastly Woe to you if Sickness find you again in the same sins which formerly stung you what will you say to Conscience or how will you look Death in the face if you be found at last to have been false to your Sick-bed vows Alphonsus King of Aragon sent to the Bishop to know how he should do to become a good man he answered he should be the man he promised to be when last sick of the Gout 10. Keep no
Idolatry of the land but God doth hear of it again by us before we sleep by Prayer This should be for a lamentation to us that the wounds that are given to God are no more upon our hearts We may say of the glory of God as they of David 2 Sam. 18. 3. 'T is worth ten thousand of us Our estates and names and all that is dear to us yea our very souls are not so much worth as the honour of God And how is it then that we can see God dishonoured and we cannot mourn sor it Gods glory is his Crown that is upon his head and shall we see his Crown trodden down in the dirt and not be affected with it we are far from the disposition of Gods Saints and servants heretofore When Moses saw the Idolatry of the people he was so zealous that he overturned the Tables that God wrote with his own finger And Ezra when the people had taken strange wives he sate down and 〈◊〉 his cloaths Ezr. 9. Bretheren how may we blush to hear and read this and to think how far our hearts are from this frame It may be you do think it enough that you did cry out upon it when you hearâ—… the Blasphemy so that you are free from 〈◊〉 your selves but this is your sin if you do noâ—… mourn over it 1 Cor. 5. 2. 7. No doubt the godly Corinthians did detest this sin but the Apostle tells them that is not enough whilâ—… they did not mourn over it When wicâ—…ness doth raign as if it were the time of 〈◊〉 Devils incarnation as if Hell it self were â—…ken loose upon us to Act its part 〈◊〉 ground and we not mourning ovâ—…r it Thirdly Do not I live in 〈◊〉 that I know or fear to be a Sin If I do thus there is no peace with God or Conâ—… to be hâ—… sor you Psal. 66. 18. If I 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in my heart God will not hear my Prayers It is a sign that God doth not regard thee if thou art one that dost live in the practice or allowance of any sin and he will not own thee for this Rom. 6. 16. If thou dost yield up thy self to any sin willingly that is a manifest sign that thou art none of Gods Thirdly For your hearts Ask several questions First Have I been much in holy ejaculation Thus we ought to Pray continually not onely at our set and solemn times but upon all occasions to step aside and speak a word or two with God in our Journeys and Occupations this is walking with God indeed when we do not onely take a turn or two with him in the morning and so in the evening but all the day long It is said of Mr. Dod that he never got up his Horse but he prayed before he came off Thus did Nehemiah while the King was talking with him he was praying to God Nehem. 2. 4. So I prayed to the God of Heaven this was a Heavenly ejaculation this would keep your hearts a praying all the day long When the hearts of men do naturally bend to God as the sparks fly upward this is a good thing indeed when we cannot go by the door but we must step in and have a turn with God you will take it as a great kindness for a man not onely to come on set times to visit you but when he comes in every time he comes by the door to see you And when thy heart is thus wont to turn into God this will be an 〈◊〉 to thee that thy heart is used to converse with God Secondly Hath not God been out of mind Heaven out of sight put that question to thy heart My Brethren this is our great sin and should be our great shame that the thoughts of God are such strangers to our souls that we are so little in heaven in the day as we are O what a loser is God by this in his glory what losers are we by this in our graces and comforts O were our hearts on all occasions thus thinking of God how holy a frame should we quickly grow into Why should not our hearts be as much with God as the hearts of the Worldlings be with the Creature Doth not God deserve it as much as the Creature His heart is always talking with the World If he come to hear his heart is talking with the world If he come to pray his heart is alway with the World Why should not our hearts be talking with God while our hands are employed about this world It was a Heavenly breathing of a gracious spirit a confounding passage that I met with Lord as formerly I lived without thee in the world so now let me 〈◊〉 without the world in thee If we did but love God as well as a worldly man doth love his wealth and riches we should be so taken up with the love of God as quite to forget the world For the world makes them forget God that he is not alwayes in their thoughts Yea says he we should be taken up always with God My Brethren what shall we say for this How shall we excuse this that we should be so unmindfull of God while the Worldling is so mindful of the world O what a shame is this For shame be ashamed at your selves before we go away hence I profess Christians I have wondred 〈◊〉 God will throw away his kingdome upon some that do care so little for it as we do O shame thy self out of this evil frame Brethren why do not we carry it towards the world as the world doth towards us The world doth carry it towards us as 〈◊〉 and we know not what it will do to us VVhy should not we carry it more strangely towards it O never leave till the thoughts of Heaven be thy natural thoughts O check thy heart ronndly in the Evening for this sin if 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 find thy heart faulty here and never leave till thou haâ—… brought it into a right frame Thirdly Have I been often looking into my 〈◊〉 made conscience even of vian thoughts you know your Rule Keep thy heart with all 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of it are the Issues of life Now hast thou been keeping thy heart with all diligence Brethren you may be sure your work will go but badly on unless you look to your hearts and keep your hearts Examine then in the Evening how hath my heart been employed to day hath it not been a thorow-fare of vain thoughts of evil imaginations I fear that many of us do make little conâ—… of this It may be thou dost make conscience of vain thoughts in duty but I fear that few 〈◊〉 do make conscience of vain thoughts at other times Ah Brethren you 〈◊〉 not known what it is to live the life of Christianity if you do not look to this This must be mended Brethren what a blessed thing would this be if we had but once attained this frame If our hearts did but naturally run
lest I should not be the man Now lest this should damp thy Joy let me give thee two Characters by which thou mayst come to know whether this be thy case Thou mayst know it by the Transactions that have passed between Christ and thy Soul and by the Treasure that hath been made choyce of by thee First By the Transactions that have passed between Christ and thee Hast thou passed under the Bond of his Covenant as Christ hath offered himself to thee hast thou again delivered up thy self to him hast thou renounced all thy known sins And took the Lord Jesus Christ for â—…hy Head and Husband to love honor obey him above all hast thou considered the conditions of Christ and accepted of them all and sayest as my Lord saith so I will do Doth thy heart close with the self-denying laws of Christ and art resolved not to allow thy self in any known sin but to rise again by repentance If so thou art the man I am speaking of Secondly Thou mayst know it by the Treasure that hath been made choise of by thee Every man is known by what he pitcheth his heart upon for his Treasure What is it man that carryeth thy heart The things seen or the things unseen Who hath most of thy heart God or the world Which way stands the bent of thy heart a godly manmust not judg of himself by what he is at worst under a prevalent Temptation Nor others by what they are at best in a fit but where is thy constant bent What is thy chiefest care and delight Is it to converse with God And be like to God VVhat doth please thee best when thou art contriving thy happiness Doth this that God is thine Or is it something here below VVhat is thy care Is it to please God If it be thus thou art the man that I am speaking to And now you that are thus that have passed under the bond of Gods Covenant and have made choice of him for your happiness know and understand First That you are the election of Grace The election hâ—…th obtained it saith the Apostle but the rest were blinded You are the handful that God hath taken out but the heap are left Oh Christians the great Transaction of God from all eternity hath been about you And the great transactions of God in time have been about you The Lord did from all eternity enter into a league with his Son for you and did give him to you God was laying the foundation of your happiness before he laid the foundation of the world God was making provision for you from all eternity Our Saviour is often speaking of this gift in John 17. so John 10. 29. My father which gave them me is greater then all John 6. 39. And this is the Fathers will that of all that he hath given me I should loose nothing And so All that the Father hath given me shall come unto me Oh Christian doth not this assect thy heart that the eternal Counsel of the great God should be taken up about thee that God should be bargaining and agreeing with his Son about thee that thou shouldst be mentioned by name from all eternity Christ knows his sheep by name And he bids such rejoice because their names are written in heaven O man did God design thee from all eternity by name How should this affect thy heart what did God build all this world for It was that Christ might have a seed And why do he continue the world 't is because Christ might have the elect sinished when the elect are numbred the Trumpet shall sound and away he comes togather his elect Christs coming what was it for that he might ransom his sheep And his second comming what is it sor but that he might receive his elect John 14. 3. I will come again and receive you to my self that wher I am ye may be also Math. 24 31. He shall send his angels with a great sound of a Trumpet and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds from one end of the heavens to the other What was the end of Christs low Humiliation even to death but to save his people from their sins Math. 1. 21. And what is the end of Christs glorious exaltation to all power and greatness it was all for the elect John 17. 2. Christ hath all power in heaven and earth delivered to him for your sakes for the elect That he might give eternal life to the elect Oh man what a heart hast thou if all this cannot move thee if thou hadst stood by when he laid the foundation of the fabrick of this world wouldst thou not have said surely 't is for some great end if thou hadst stood by when Christ was Crucisied and known the mistery wouldst thou not have said surely this is for some great end why all this was for thee Secondly You are the first born of God Heb. 12. 23. you are come to the general Assembly the Church of the first born which are written in heaven The Apostle speaks of our priviledges as if we were come to heaven already You are come c. you are Gods Israel and beside you areadmitted to have fellow ship with Jesus Christ and by faith are made one with him Now Christ is Gods first born and we being joyned to him are made one with him We are joynt heirs with Christ. Now the first born had many priviledges As. First The sirst-born had the dearest affestion Zach. 12. 10. They shall be in bitterness as one for his sirst born There is the great sorrow because there run out the great stream of affection in this respect you are the first-born of God you are they that have his dearaffection Eph. 5. 1. You are called the dear children of God O the dear expressions that he useth to you and the dear affections that he hath for you you are called the dearly beloved of his soul. O what drops of love doth God drop in these sacred leaves of this book how full is the book of the Canticles My love My dove My undesiled God doth out bid the love of all the parents in the world Can a woman forget her sucking child sho may but I will not forget thee saith the Lord. The dearest mother when she lets her child out of her hands may forget it but you are never out of my hands you are engraven there O what rouling bowels are there in those words Jer. 31. 20. Is Ephraim my Son is he a pleasant child For since I spake against him I do earnestly remember him still therefore My bowels are troubled for him I will surely have mercy upon him saith the Lord. Oh man dost thou consider that all this is spoken to thee All this love God hath in his heart for thee yea beyond all expression dear art thou to God Secondly The first-born do carry the inheritance This is your case the inheritance is for you Though a
man have many Sons yet not many heirs 't is his first-born is his heir though a King hath many Sons yet but one King 't is the first-born that is King after him In this refpect Gods children are the first-born for they are all heirs you are all Kings you that are begotten again you are begotten to an inheritance to a heavenly that fadeth noâ—… away Thirdly The first-born had a special blessing Gen. 27. 19. I am Esau thy first-born And you know when Esau knew that Jacob had got the blessing of the first-born he accounted himself undone and he lifted up his voice and wept Brethren you have the blessing Let others glory in their wealth and riches who ever have these benefits 't is you have the blessing Beloved you are the Jacobs when others are the Esaus you carry the blessing of the first-born Nay and God ratisies the blessing on you as that upon Jacob. I have blessed him and he shall be blessed Balaam was sensible of this He hath blessed and I cannot reverse it You that are Gods first-born God hath made you unchangeably happy you are unalterably blessed God hath blessed you and it cannot be reversed Fourthly The first-born did carry the honor and were accounted the excellency and strength of the fâ—…ily Gen. 49. 3. Reuben thou art first-born my might and the beginning of my strength the excellency of dignity and the excellency of power And God says of his first born as Jacob of his Thou art the excellency of dignity So God sayes of you I will make of you an eternal excellency You know if a Knight have mâ—…ny Sons there is but one Knight And so of a Lord 't is the first-born is Lord after him he carries the honor of the family So you my Brethren you carry the honor you are the onely honorable persons in Gods account Since thou hast been precious in my sight thou hast been honorable And those that honor me I will honor Brethren put this together and see if there be not reason to lift up the praise of God on high and to say Now I will lâ—…t up thine horn on high Surely God hath listed up your horn on high Thirdly You are the first sruits of the Creation Jam. 1. 18. Of his own will beg at he us with his word of truth that we should be a kind of first fruits of his Creatures Now there were several things observable in the first-fruits As. First The firâ—…t fruits they were the choice of the fruits And therefore God that did ever require them to bring the best would require them to bring the firâ—…t-fruites of the Creatures Beleivers are the first fruits of Gods works And God sets more value upon this workmanship then upon any thing else beside Other things they shew some footsteps of God but the new creâ—…ture thâ—…t hath the very Image of God and so is the firâ—…t fruit of all The first fruits are of a more higher price and esteem than any other So are you you are those that he cals his excellent ones Those whom he binds up amongst â—…s Jewels The Saints are the desire of his eyes and the joy of his heart Christians I speak this to you and you must apply it You are the desire of Christ Psal. 4. 5. 11. He asks no other portion but you Psal. 2. 8. And you are his delight as well as his desire Prov. 8. The wisdom of the Father from all eternity had his delight in the habitable part of the earth Isaiah 53. He shall see his seed and he shall see of the Travail of his soul and be satisfied You are his seed you are the Travail of his soul. Christ is content and satisfied to have this portion And as the woman forgets her sorrow when she sees her seed that a man child is born so Christ forgets all his pain and trouble when he sees his seed the travail of his soul. Secondly The first fruits were but few in number in comparison of the full number and harvest So 't is here the Saints are but few Thou art the fewest in number of all people saith Moses to Israel so may I say to you you are as two or three Olives upon the uppermost boughs or four or five upon the outmost branches Gods first fruits are but few Ah Christian stand still and admire free grace that thou shouldst be one of this few Christ doth manifest himself to you and not to the world He prayes for you and not for the world you are a peculiar people to him O what a little flock of kids hath Christ in comparison of the herds and droves and swarms that Satan drives before him to destruction and art thou one of that number that stand with the lamb upon mount Sion O how shouldst thou cause the praises of the Lord to be heard they are but few of the number of mankind that are admitted into this grace wherein you stand Therefore as you have special favor from God engage in the praise of God Thirdly The first fruits were holy to the Lord. These God did reserve for himself as it were for his own eating As you know the first fruits are preserved for to be presented to Kings at their table for their eating So are you Thou art a holy people unto the Lord thy God Psal. 4 〈◊〉 Know ye that the man that is Godly God hath set apart for himself God sayes as it were set this man by for me God says of his sirst fruits these shall be set aside for me These shall be mine Mal. 3. 17. As God would put a special honor upon the Sabbath day above all other dayes because upon this day he rested from his Labor so you are the honor of all the Creation because you are a people that God hath set apart for himself Ah Brethren here is your dignity and priviledge above all people that you are seperate to the Lord that you have special relation to him This makes you to be above all other people because the Sun of Gods favor shines peculiarly upon you Fourthly The first fruits were to be gathered into the Sanctuary Deut. 26. God had in his Temple the Chambers into which was to be gathered the first fruits as peculiarly dedicated unto God So we read in Neh. 12. 44. Thus you are Gods first fruits And God will gather his first fruits into his Chambers into his glory shortly He shall gather his wheat into his garner Math. 3. 12. Math. 13. 30. The husbandman there who is no other than God himself he speaks to his servants that they should let alone the tares for a season and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers gather you together first the Tares and bind them in bundles and burn them but gather the wheat into my Barn This harvest is the end of the world and the angels are the reapers and heaven is the barn and you are the fruits and God will send
Satan would not let us go and therefore he must be overcome too First Use Is it such blessed news that to us is born a Savior then my brethren let this stir you up to Joy and thankfulness for this salvation O let me hear you say with Mary my soul doth magnifie the Lord my Spirit hath rejoyced in God my Savior Luke 1. 46. Brethren methinks you should now meet your redeemer with songs of salvation Methinks you should come forth to meet him as they did Saul and David when they returned from their victory the women came out singing and dancing c. and they answered one another as they played saying Saul hath slain his thousands and David his ten thousands Thus should you meet your Redeemer You should go forth to meet him as Miriam and the women with her with timbrels and with dancings and sing unto the Lord Exod. 15. 20. 21. Oh brethren with what joyful heart should you welcome Jesus Christ your Savior this is glad â—…idings to all them that are saved by him Blessed be God that giveth us cause to triumph in him 'T is true in many other things it goes sad with us but here is cause always for us to â—…o triumph in Christ for the Spiritual deliverance that he hath wrought for you which is a sure pledge that Christ will deliver you in outward respects How blessed a time was the year of Jubile to the slaves that were in bondage how did they reckon every day and week till it came how glad was that sound that sounded their deliverance methinks I see the prison doors open and the prisoners running out and crying salvation to our God O methinks nothing but the songs of salvation should be heard in your tabernacles O let not complaining be heard for outward calamities VVhat are those outward flea-bitings to that which our Savior hath delivered us from go home and blesse the Lord and what ever ill news you hear let this comfort your heart that Christ hath made such a deliverance for you Second Use Is it such blessed news c. then this reproves our unthankfulness for Christ and the news of Christ in the Gospel Oh brethren how is it that the praise of our redeemer is no more in our hearts and no more heard in our mouths how is it that we can be so unmindful of and â—…thankful for this Saviour hath God sent usâ—… Saviour and shall not we be thankful for him It is a great sin to be unthankful for his creatures but how much more to be unthankful for his Christ he hath given you Christ and what can he give you more how is it that you are so seldome in blessing the Lord for this mercy bless the Lord O my soul saith David and forget not all his benefits that is none of his benefits If God had given you all this worlds goods and had not given you Christ what would it have done for you what had it been but a smooth and pleasant way to hell what if the Lord had given you honor and made your brethrens sheaf to bow before yours and had not given you Christ what good would it have done you if a man were condemned at London to be hang'd drawn and quartered and were to be brought down into the Country to be executed and all his way should be strowed with rushes and he attended with Musicians what would all this have done him O what should we have done if Christ had had not step'd in and sâ—…ved us none could have redeemed man but Christ. Heaven and Hell and the Earth and the Sea would have said it is not in me all the things in the world could never have satisfied for our sins Wilt thou look to thy brethren wilt thou look to the angels they could not do it The Spirits of just men made perfect could not save themselves none could do it but Christ and can you be unmindful of this the Heavens and the Earth will be astonished at this if you are not thankful for it There are two things that will heighten this â—…in First Because Christ hath given you so many helps to it Secondly Because thankfulness is all that he expects from us First Because he hath given us so many helps All the calls and invitations of the Gospel are as so many helps to this duty But more than these he hath appointed a special day and a special ordinance First A special day The Sabbath day Wherefore was this day changed but that you may be mindful of this mercy Secondly A special Ordinance The Saâ—… of the Supper is appointed upon this account that we might remember this mercy to our souls Secondly It is much aggravated by this because this is all that he expects from you for all that he hath suffered for you Christ hath done and suffered beyond all you can conceive or I can expresse to you and what Homage doth he now expect from you nothing but that you should be thankful to him And will you be unthankful now for this mercy This is that he expects by way of requital and return that you be thankful Had the Lord required some great thing of you or some hard condition if he would have dyed for you and redeemed you would you not have done it and how much more now he hath done it and and requires no more but this that you be thankful had you lain but one million of years in hell with what gladness would you have heard that sound that he would have redeemed you would you have stood upon the terms no no any terms then should have served Third Use Then prepare to receive your Saviour Oh if he be come take heed that you receive him in Let him not complain of you as he did of his native Country-men the Jews that he came unto his own and his own received him not When this news come that there was a Savior born one would have thought that all the world should have received him with triumph but there was no room for him in all the world but he was thrust out in the mâ—…nger Let it not be so with you Question But how shall we receive him I shall shew you whither and how First Whither you shall receive him receive him into your hearts not in your stal as he was at first but into your parlour into your hearts Your parlour is but a stable Thou mayst wonder that Christ will accept of thy heart send the key of your hearts to Christ let him take his choice where to lye give him the upper room in your hearts Secondly How or after what manner you should receive him First As the Centurion did humbly I am not worthy that thou shouldest come under my roof So should you receive him with a deep sence of your everlasting unworthiness Receive him with a lively sence of your sins that you have wronged him This is a right receiving of Christ when he is received
nâ—…tion above other nâ—…tions anâ—… herein we have cause to blesse the Lord. There is but little of the profession of Godliness in other nations to what there is in this nâ—…tion 〈◊〉 a great glory to any place or people to have a multitude of converts born to God out of it This was the commendation of those places that this and that man was born there Psâ—…lm 87. 4 5 6. This is cause of singular joy and praise which they were wont to sing to the Lord in those days with instruments of Musick Secondly In the honour of her Sabbaths This is that my Brethren where in the Lord hath vouchsafed singular favor to this nation Oh bless God for honoring this nation with his Sabbaths as he hath done that they should be so saâ—…ctisied as they be Nehemiah reckoneth this as a singular mercy of God to them So Isaiah 58. 13. Thou shalt call the Sabbath a delight and shalt honor it If you honour them they will be an honour and blessing to you Thirdly In the Crown of her Martyrs Ah Brethren this is the Crown of glory upon the head of England that God should raise up so many Martyrs in this kingdome of our flesh and kindred that there should be so many caught up like Elijah in siery Chariots to heaven Who can tell of what effect their prayers and blood hath been for our good so that according to that holy prophesic of Latimer when going to the stake God hath lighted up such a light by this as shall never be put out Fourthly In the glory of her ministers Brethren I confess my self not worthy to speak to you of the worth of this mercy However vain men have accounted them the off-scouring of the world c. yet you whose hearts are touched with the sence of spiritual blessings you must needs know and understand the Ministers of Christ not onely to be the glory of the nation but are so far honored as to be said to be the glory of Christ 2 Cor. 8. 23. Oh blesse the Lord this day that he hath blessed this nation with such an unspeaâ—… blâ—…ssing Do not undervalue such a mercy T is a Covâ—…ant-gift of Christ to his Church He gave some Apostles some Pastors and Teachers And 't is part of the grand Legacy that Christ hath bequeathed to believers in the Gospel 〈◊〉 Paul or Apollo all are yours And though God hath now observed this mercy ye we may not forget former mercies Neither hath God lâ—…t them unuseful you know neither to your nor others souls In this respect I may boldly say God hath not dealt so with any 〈◊〉 Those that have had experience intravelling other Countries have sadly bewailed this how little heat and vigor there is in the labor of the Ministers abroad in other nations for the most part Fifthly In her singular and choise deliverances Herein hath God dealt with us signally I would that all those mercies might be remembred by us this day to our fore-fathers for they were our mercies though not in our days Oh what a mercy was it that God did deliver us from the Spanish invasion This mercy was our mercy and therefore we may not forget it And then when they thought to do that by plot what they could not do by force in the powder-plot when they were like to cut oâ—… the 〈◊〉 of our nation at one blow God was pleased you know to prevent it just at the nick of time and bring it upon their own heads Oh what cause have we to bless the Lord who saved us from so cruel a bondage as neither we nor our fathers were able to bear Oh forget not such a mercy wherein God hath broken the yoke and brought in that light that hâ—… hath commanded into the nation Secondly If we com nearer look upon the Place of our desires you shall find that he hath not dealt so with any other place If you consider it in the long 〈◊〉 of your Ministry The powerful success of the Gospel In the peace and unity of its professors In the plenty and variety of its provision In the strange preservation of your liberty In sâ—…ving you by your enemies Counsel In eminâ—…nt and gracious returns of your prayers in keeping you from the Ecclesiastical Courts In your glorious Salvations and deliverances Put these nine things together and tell me whether God 〈◊〉 dealt so with any place as with this place First In the long continuance 〈◊〉 your Ministry Forty years was God striving with Isracl but many more years hath God been striving with Taunton iâ—… the powerful preaching of the Gospel We read of Gods comming the first and sâ—…cond year and 〈◊〉 no fâ—…uit would have cut it down the third had not 〈◊〉 dressor prayed sor it But 't is not three years but threescore years that God hath come waiting on Taunton notwithstanding all their praying and their great unprositableness for the greatest part of them I beseech you think of it Is it a little mercy there are many of you that have been born and bred under the powerful preaching of the Gospel Look upon many other places and how many may you see left to blind guides Oh bless God that you have not been bred up under such Ministers and in such places It was the lot of many and it might have been your lot to have been brought up there How many places may you look upon again where there have been excellent Ministers and they have been flocked to from all about but God hath put out those lights and now if you come there you shall scarce find the very foot steps of Religion And God might have done so to you but God hath sent you one Minister after another one out of one Country another out of another for you Oh blesse the Lord for it Secondly In the powerful success of the Gospel True it is and sadly to be bewailed the Gospel hath not had so desired an efficacy but however we must not forget Gods signal and singular mercy to this place in that he hath brought so many to the profession of his Gospel Oh how many Parishes are there where professors are so thin that they are for signs and wonders to be pointed at Oh bless the Lord that he hath cast your lines in that place where there are so many to strengthen your hands How doth David bemoan himself in the want of this mercy that he dwelt in the tents of Kedar you might have lived out in those places and Parishes where you might have had none to help you Thirdly In the peace and unity of its professors Here in God hath been singular in his mercy This is a mercy not slightly to be valued Do but look abroad into other Cities and Towns and see what work there hath been by the breaches that have been made one upon another Oh do but consider the mischief of strife and contention and you will be raised to praise Jam. 3. 16.
not I am a liar and where then is the honor of my truth but mercy pleaded if he dye where is the honor of my Grace and mercy Why now wisdome puts in a surety and that â—…oes for the principal Righteousness and peace have kissed each other How can this be Gods justice and righteousness did require that man should give satisfaction but this is all reconciled in Christ he reconciled God and man together Fourthly The greatest good coming out of the womb of the greatest evil Sin is the mother of all evil You will say can any good come out of such a womb as this It is true it cannot naturally come but God did so order it that it should be the occasion of it Were it not a wonder to see grapes come of thorns and Olives of thistles such a wonder you may see in Christ. You may see out of the sin of man comes great glory to God and good to man First Great glory to God for had not man sinned neither Gods justice nor mercy had been so magnified His justice had not been seen at all in a manner in punishing the offenders but 't is eminently seen in punishing of Christ who dyed for sinners This is a louder demon stration of the Justice of God than if God had turned all heaven and earth into confusion upon the sin of man Again hereby is way made for magnifying Gods mercy The sin of man as God hath ordered it hath given way to God in the demonstration of his mercy in forgiving and his justice in punishing It could not have bin thought that God had been of so gracious a nature able to put up such great affronts as man had given him had not sin given him occasion to magniâ—… his mercy Secondly Again as the sin of man hath given occasion to the advancing of Gods glory so for the promoting of mans good By this man is raised to a higher state of happiness and felicity than ever he should have been Now there is a nearer conjunction between God and man than ever was before the fall or ever should have been had it not been for the sin and fall of man Before it was said that man was made a little lower than the angels but now it may be truely said that he is so much higher than the Angels more nearly joyned to God Had man continued in innocence he had had onely a lengthening out of his temporal life in paradise but now by his sin Christ hath opened the door of heaven to him O then wonder at the power of Christ Fifthly Perfect justice raging against perfect innocence You know that God is perfect in his Righteousness and justice A God of truth and without iniquity just and right is he And yet notwithstanding his perfect Justice was set against his own son in whom there was nothing but perfect innocence He was the Lamb of God a lamb without spot and blemish full of grace and truth No guile was sound in his mouth and yet you know how the wrath of God brake out upon him It brake out upon him to the very uttermost that if he would but put himself into the room of man he must dye for it tho Justice it self said I find no fault in him yet he must dy all could not save him but if he will stand between God offending man and take our sins upon himself though he had none of his own yet justice takes hold of him Let me say as the Apostle behold the goodness severity of God Goodness to thee but severity unto Christ. O what had come upon you if you had been to bear the blow you see how Justice runs upon the Son of God and fals upon him and tears him to the ground and le ts out his blood and would not spare him though he were the only belovedSon of God O consider how fearful a thing it is to fall into the hands of the living God! You read how when Daniels enemies were cast into the Lions den that they brake all their bones before they came to the bottome of the den O how wouldst thou have been torn had the Justice of God taken hold of thee Sixthly Insinite wisdome at cost upon meer worthlessenesse God expects the blood of his own Son which was of insinite value to redeem worthless man Would you not wonder to see a wise man to be changing Pearls for pebbles yet here it is a greater wonder the wise God redeeming by the death of his own Son sinful man out of the hands of his own justice Why what is man are not all the nations of the world as nothing before him and yet upon this nothing this vanity is Gods insinite wisdome at this cost that he might save us from eternal death Seventhly The Son of the Blessing made to be a curse Gal. 3. 13. Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the Law being made a curse for us Observe it 't is not said he was ACCURSED for us but a CURSE for us Christ hath delivered us from the curse but how by taking the curse upon himself You know the curses of the Law that were denounced against sinners all these curses met together upon one Jesus Christ. How is the book of Gods word full from one end to the other with Curses against sinners what a load then was there upon the back of Christ when all these curses met together upon him what a wonder is it that God should be cursing of his own Son to hear God say all my curses shall meet upon thee cursed shalt thou be in thy body and cursed shalt thou be in thy soul. To hear the great God speaking thus to his own Son go thou Cursed I will engage my Justice and wrath against thee to torment thee and put thee to death O what a sight was this yet thus it was with Jesus Christ. He had as many torments as members and all the torments that he endured had the curse of God in them Eighthly The Father of mercy forgetting his Bowels to his own Son VVe read of a very strange thing that was done by the King of Moab 2 Kings 3. 27. When he saw that the Battel was too sore for him c. he took his own Son that should have reigned in his stead and osfered him for a burnt offering what a strange sight was this yet there is a greater wonder than this to be seen in Christ to see God sacrificing his own Son and offering him up for a burnt-offering to appease his wrath against sinful man O shall not your hearts stand a wondering at this to see he that was a God of mercy to have no mercy for his own son he that had bowels of pity for you to have no pity for his Son O behold and wonder By this time I hope you are convinced that Christ is wonderful A SACRAMENTAL Speech grounded on Eph. 3. 19. And to know the love of Christ which
God doth go to deceive thee far be it from thy thoughts Believer 't is so of a truth Christ is thine thy husband and thou mayst boldly lay claim to him Consider what a husband Christ is is not he the King of the Kings of the earth This is he unto whom Angels and authorities and powers are made subject This is he whom all the Angels of God do worship Heaven and earth are at his beck he is exalted above all heavens and hath a name above every name that is named this is thy beloved and friend O should not thy faith triumph in him Fourthly By way of resignation in giving up your selves to Jesus Christ. Faith as it takes Christ so it delivers up the soul to Christ. Faith makes a happy exchange for us giving away the man to Christ and receiving Christ for us Thus between Christ and a believer there is a mutual delivery of themselves over to one another As faith receives Christ so it gives up the soul to Christ and all that it hath Lord saith faith I here resign to thee I quit all claim to my self I am not my own and will own it henceforth that I have no right to my self I give up soul and body to thee I will hold back no part of the price And as faith takes first the person of Christ and then the benefits of Christ so it gives away the person of the man to Christ and then with the person it gives all the rest the estate interest and all to Jesus Christ thus you should be exercising your faith Fifthly By way of Adoration thus saith should put forth its self upon Christ casting our Crowns before him setting up the Lord Jesus Christ in the throne of his own excellency and we should admire nothing but him breaking in pieces all our Idols and pulling them down that Christ alone may be exalted Sixthly By way of Appreciation prizing and esteeming of Christ debasing self and all other excellencies in comparison of Christ accounting all things but dung for Christ such was Pauls faith Seventhly By way of Appropriation so your faith should put forth it self It should not only put forth it self in a way of Affiance onely leaning upon Christ but in a way of assurance You should labor to come up to this not only to believe that Christ dyed for his people in general but to believe his death was intended for you in particular to appropriate him to your self Thus faith acts upon Christ. This was Thomas his faith when once it was stirred up My Lord and my God Applying Christ to himself as his Lord saith faith I am weak but thou art my strength I am a sinner but thou art my righteousnesse I am unclean but thou art my sanctisication I am miserable but thou art my redemption A SACRAMENTAL Speech grounded on Mark 1. 15. Repent ye and beleive the Gospel MY dearly beloved brethren you have often heard our Savior preaching to you by his Ambassadors but now he is come to preach to you as it were in his own person What was said of Abel is true of Christ he being dead yet speaketh Christ being dead yet preacheth to you But what doth Christ preach to you now he is dead Why he preacheth no other thing to you now he is dead than he did in his life Repent and believe the Gospel That Christ preacheth to you faith and repentance repentance towards God and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. First Repentance towards God see here Christian what thy sins hath done Now is a time to have your hearts filled with sorrow and your faces with shame to see what you â—…ave brought upon Jesus Christ. Look upon him every wound in his body and thorn in his head calls upon the to repent The wounds in his side and the blood that flowed from thence calls upon thee to repent Now let thy repentance by stirring seeing he calls thee to repentance what shall stir thee up to repent if this shall not here you may see the Lords severe wrath against sin See it here in the beloved Son of God who is slain before your eyes for your sins Ah Christian if thou hadst stood with Abraham and seen the fire of Sodom Or with Adam and seen God commanding and then thrusting them out of the garden If thou hadst been in heaven and seen what the wrath of God did there what work it made when the Angels sinned Or if thou hadst been in hell and seen and heard the damned there how wouldst thou look upon thy sin O see here more than all this Gods wrath burning against his own Son for thy sin O see here the love of Christ in vain were all thy tears and sorrow had not Christ made way for thee O see him and hear him speaking from the crosse my wounds shall heal thy soul if thou wilt but repent These hands shall work out thy salvation if thou wilt but return and repent Ah sinner what is not thy soul melted yet methinks I should hear thee making thy submission and return to the Lord as one that melteth at the word of his Lord. Lord is thy mind thus shall I have all this if I will but repent behold I cover my head with sackcloth I am the offender as for this lamb what hath he done O Lord it repenteth me of my rebellions I lay down my w pons I swear I will be a resolved enemy against sin as long as I live Secondly Another thing that Christ in his costly death preacheth to you is faith Faith in our Lord Jesus Christ he calls upon you to believe now he is upon his crosse Methin 〈◊〉 hear him calling upon you from the crosse Believe the reality and greatness of my love Believe the infiniteness of my power The full expiation of all thy sins The truth of all Gods threatnings The certainty of all my promises Thy unquestionable right and title to the Kingdom of glory First Believe the reality and greatness of my love Methinks he speaks thus to thee O man what should I have done more to testisic my love to thee than I have done read all the Antiquities and see whether there was any love like mine thou canst not believe but that thy parents love thee when they take eare of thee but whose love is like mine did these ever suffer for thee or do for thee what I have done what are all these sufferings that I have suffered for thee did I despise my fathers glory and leave it for thâ—… did not love 〈◊〉 O slow of heart to believe all that I have done and suffered for thee if I did not love thee what should move me to dye for thee did any thing in thee no did any profit from thee move me no I knew that man is not profitable to God Was it any returns from thee no I knew how thou wouldst be how unkind thou wouldst be to me O Christian doubt not of my love
not where to be better then he will stick resolvedly to him Ioh. 6. 66 67 68. There are two great Pillars upon which Religion stands The one is a belief that God is and the other that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him Heb. 11. 6. Well let this dwell upon you then that you cannot better your state nor promote your happiness any way in all the world so much as by Religion No pleasure nor profit to that of Religion Riches and honour are with her all her ways are pleasantness she is a tree of Life to them that lay hold upon her and happy is he that retaineth her Prov. 3. 17 18. Here is true delight Psal. 40. 8. Rom. 7. 22. Here is meat and drink Iohn 4. 34. work and wages Psal. 19. 11. Pr. 5. That your time is short and your work great and must be done now or never Our Saviour made Religion his business Luke 2. 49. And Oh how busie was he He went up and down doing good and so much was he taken up with his work that he had not time to take his bread yea his carnal friends seeing how earnest he was said he was besides himself and began to lay hold on him Act. 10. 38. Mark 3. 20 21. And what did put him upon this earnest diligence The sense of the shortness of his time Ioh. 9. 4. Oh Sirs remember with him that now you have a day to work in and you have but a day and the night is hasting upon you when there is no work to be done no more praying no more hearing no more exhorting nor admonishing Now serve your generation now exhort one another dayly doe good with your Estates call upon your friends dayly for it must be now or never let it ever dwell upon you That there is no work nor device nor knowledge nor wisdom in the grâ—…ve whither thou art going and that will put you upon doing the work of Religion with all your might Be convinced of the weight of your work and that will make you answer intervening disturbance that would take you off as Nehemiah did Chap. 6. 3. Then remember of what dreadfull consequence t is your salvation is at stake and therefore you must work it out with fear and trembling Prin. 6. That except you make it your business all your Religion is in vain While you halt and halve it in Religion you come but half way to heaven Settle it upon your hearts that except you are throughout Religious you are Religious to no purpose Be sure you shall never come to heaven except you seek it in Gods order Mat. 6. 33. First seek c. It were not suitable to the wisdom of God so to undervalue his Christ and glory as to throw them away on those that account other matters better worth their pains and care Rule 4. You must have the love of God and Religion lying next your hearts Love is a busie Grace 1 Thes. 1. 3. Your labour of Love We may say of Love as Solomon of the vertuous woman she layeth her hands to the spindle and her hands hold the distaff she eateth not the bread of idleness she worketh willingly with her hands Prov. 31. Love will constrain you and put you upon a willing and dilligent keeping Gods commandements 2 Cor. 5. 14. 1 Ioh. 5. 3. Get your hearts in love with the Laws and Waies of God who more busie than David Morning evening and noon he was praying and praising yea talking and thinking of God and his ways all the day and all from his love to them Psal. 55. 17. 119. 147. 118. 71. 24. Oh how I love thy Law Psal. 119. 97. Lord I have loved the habitation of thy house Psal. 26. 8. You must beware of taking too much of the world into your hands When a mans heart and head is full as it can hold of worldly care and businesses and he cannot tell which way to turn himself in a crowd and throng of worldly affairs how can the care of Religion live in such a ones heart Luke 10. 41 42. If Martha will trouble her self about many things the ONE THING needfull shall be neglected You must buy and marry and weep and rejoyce and trade and care for these things as if you did it not not laying too much stress upon these things nor engaging too eagerly in seeking after them or else you will neglect the better things and learn to pray and hear and read as if you did it not 1 Cor. 7. 30. T is true that the work of your callings is part of your business for Heaven but then you must be sure to keep your affairs so at command as that you may have so much room for dayly Prayer and Meditation and self-reflection as may season your worldly business with Religion and sanctisie it to you that it may become a help and not a snare Rule 6. You must alwaies work as under your Masters eye When the Masters eye is known to look on there is as much work done in an hour as many times is done in two when the sence of his oversight doth not quicken the workman Psal. 16. 8. I have set the Lord alwaies before me Rule 7. You must ever carry your eye upon your mark So did Paul in the text I press towards the Mark for the prize of the high-calling of God in Christ The mark that a Believer ayâ—…s at is Gods Glory and his own that God may be glorisied in him and he with God This glorious prize will animate you to your work and swallow up the sense of labour and difficulty and make you for the joy set before you to endure the Cross and despise the shame Heb. 12. 2. Paul carried the Crown incorruptible in his eye and that made him with patience invincible to run and fight and keep under his body 1 Cor. 9. 25 26 27. All the afflictions and reproaches that attended Gods poor people and wayes in the time of their thralldom could not discourage Moses when he eyed the recompence of reward Heb. 11. 25. 26. Keep heaven in sight and your work will go on with pleasure and all your difficulties will seem light and easie and not worthy once to enter into comparison with the expected bliss 2 Cor. 4. 17 18. Rom. 8. 18. Rule 8. You must at the entrance of every action remember the Rules that you are to act by Else in vain doe you receive and lay up Rules if when occasion is you doe not apply them to the particular Case To what purpose have you rules for prayer if you do not remember and use them when you come to prayer To what purpose have you rules to examine your selves by if you do not observe them in examining your selves accordingly As ever you desire to make any thing of your Religion remember when you come to your tables the rules that you are to eat by when you go to your
is set upon us He is bent for our good he is still designing for us Psal. 40. 5. Many O Lord are thy thoughts to us ward c. 2. As it appears by the care so by the cost that God hath laid out upon man 1 The Riches of his love 2 The gold of his grace 1. The riches of his love The free grace favour and love of God is called Riches in Scripture Ephes. 1. 7. The Apostle speaking of the Riches of Christ shews how unsearchable they are Ephes. 3. 8. So Rom. 11. 33. O the depth of the Riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God Now all these were laid out to determine mans deliverance They are glorious Riches that God doth lay out upon his sons and servants Rom. 2. 7. And well may these be called Riches There must be two things to make Riches there must be 1 Plenty 2 Preciousness First There must be Plenty For a little of never so good will never make a man Rich. Secondly There must be Preciousness for abundance of that which is worthless will never make a man Rich. Now both of these are in Gods Mercy there is plenty and 't is precious The Mercy and Grace of God is very precious David sought most for this when others set their hearts upon other things Psal. 4. And as 't is of great worth so 't is of great plenty It is abundance of grace that God doth put forth in repairing mans Nature and making him a New Creature But this great cost of God upon us will further appear in that he hath laid out upon us 1 His Creatures 2 His Christ. 1. His Creatures upon us That he should lay out all these Creatures upon us These Heavens and this Earth to be for the comfort of man Oh how doth this discover Gods goodness to man This made David admire him Psal. 8. 5 6 7 8. Here you may see what an account God doth make of man in that he should make him a little god among the Creatures that their sheaf should bow to his sheaf that they must spend and be spent for man yea the invisible Creatures the Angels they must be ministring spirits for them who are the heirs of Salvation Heb. 1. ult 2. In that he hath laid out his Christ upon us This was a costly gift indeed It is much that God should give his Creatures to dye for us to give us food but oh that he should give us his Christ to dye for us Oh how incredibly hath the Lord advanced man in this In this he hath abundantly shewed how man was esteemed by him This shews that he had a great regard to us We were redeemed by the blood of Christ which was the blood of God himself Act. 20. 28. Now is it not an admirable thing that so mean a purchase should be made with so great a price This was that which God did commend his strange love with 1 Joh. 3. 16. that he laid down his life for us Look into thy self man what hast thou that thou shouldest have this great purchase to be laid out for thee Oh How should man be continually in the praisâ—… of God! 2. In the gold of his grace that God hath laâ—…d out upon mâ—…n Grace is call'd the true Riches and this hath been laid out upon man Rev. 3. 18. It is called gold yea 't is much more precious than gold When you see the Quâ—…n attired in Gold Psal. 45. all this is to set forth the Grace that is upon the Saints of God I tell thee Christian thou that hast but one dram of Grace he hath giveâ—… thee more than if he had given thee a whole world In the Creation there were some footsteps of God upon other Creatures but upon man there was his Image And now that God should distinguish thee from others by one dram of Grace this is admirable Secondly It appears what great account this great God hath of this poor thing Man in what he hath laid up for him This makes the Psalmist to cry out as one overcome with admiration Psal. 31. 19. O How great is thy goodness which thou hast laid up for them that fear thee It is much that God hath laid out for us but more that he hath laid up â—…or us The Psalmist could not express it he could but 〈◊〉 it onely 1 Cor. 2. 9. Eye hath not seen nor 〈◊〉 heard neither have entred into the hâ—…rt of man the things which God hath prepared for them that love him Eye hath noâ—… seen The eye of man hath seen much especially those that have travailed in other Countries But the eye of man hath not seen any thing that may be compared with this that God hath prepared Nor ear heard We have heard oâ—… more than we have seen We have heard of gold Mines and the like that are in other parts oâ—… the world but the ear hath not heard of any thing like this And though the eye hath seen much and the ear hath heard more yet the heart of man can conceive of more again yet the heart of man cannot conceive of what God hath laid up for them that love him Now lay these two together what God hath laid out upon man and what he hath laid up for him and will it not appear that the great God makes a great account of man How can you chuse but cry out in the words of the Psalmist What is man c. But Thirdly This will appear by that near union that he hath taken him up into with himself Oh how wonderfully hath God dignified man in this By uniting his Nature to the nature of man as 't is in the second person of the Trinity Joh. 1. 14. And the word was made flesh and dwelt among us or in us That God should take up the nature of man into personal union with himself what an unspeakable dignity is this So the Apostle he took not upon him the nature of Angels but the seed of Abraham Heb. 2. 16. Herein is man dignified above the Angels of glory in the near union between God and man in the Godhead This is that which the Angels do desire to pry into well may the Apostle say great is the mystery of godliness and this is the top of it God manifest in the flesh Greatly hath God dignified man in these two things that Man should be partaker of the Divine Nature and that God should partake of the Humane Nature 1. That Man should partake of the Divine Nature 2 Pet. 1. 4. Oh this is a great priviledge that we should bear the Image of God Let the world scorn at holiness yet I tell thee Man that hast one dram of grace he hath done more for thee than he hath done for all the world How ever this is out of fashion in world I am sure 't is not in heaven O glory in this you that are made partakers of Gods Nature 2. In his taking upon him our Humane
Nature In this mans Nature is more exalted yet The Nature of Man in Christ is lifted up far above all Principalities and Powers 1 Pet. 3. ult Angels and Authorities and Powers being made subject unto him This is spoken of Christ not onely in his Divine Nature but his Humane Nature for his Divine Nature was there before therefore it must be understood of his Humane Nature And he hath all power of Angels and Authorities and he sends them forth to Minister at his peoples need Heb. 1. 〈◊〉 Ephes. 1 20 21 22. Which he wrought in Christ when he raised him from the dead and set him aâ—… his own right hand in the heavenly places far above all Principality and power and might and dominion And hath put all things under his feet and gave him to be head over all things to the Church Mark the Man Jesus Christ is head and Lord over all things for it is spoken of Christ as to his Humane Nature as I told you before for 't is spoken of him as raised from the dead which was his Humane Nature So that you see how wonderfully mans Nature is exalted in Christ. Fourthly It appears by his near Relation to him This is another way by which God hath signified what a great account he hath of man that he will take him near to himself You know 't is a great honour to be next to the King Now what a great honour is it for a man to be next to God now he hath taken man near to him 1 As a husband 2 As a father 3 As a friend 1. As a Husband They twain shall be one flesh God hath owned man in this Relation Isa. 54. 5. Thy Maker is thy husband the Lord of hosts is his name O what a thing is this that he should not be ashamed to own us in that Relation Jer. 3. 14. I am married unto you Eph. 5. 30. We are flesh of his flesh and bone of his bone Hos. 2. 19. I will betroth thee unto me for ever 2 Cor. 11. 2. I have â—…spoused you unto one husband O what a great exaltation is this that we should become the bride of Christ the wife and spouse of Christ what honour hath the Bride the Lambs wife A believer is espoused to Christ and therefore the Apostle propounds the example of Christ to his Church unto men towards their wives to imitate his example in the performance of their duties to them Now what a wonder is this that such beggars as we are â—…hould be taken from the dunghil be made a bride prepared for him 2. As a Father So he is nearly related to us This is an astonishing consideration 1 Joh. 3. 1. O what a wonder is this that he should take such a thing as man so near to himself as to make him become his son That he should take him from the dunghil of sin From the dungeon of darkness The family of Satan The furnace of hell There be two dignities confer'd upon man here 1 He is taken into his family 2 Admitted to sit at his Table 1 He is taken into his family Ephes. 3. 15. Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named Mark the Lord is a great house-keeper and all believers are his family And though these be in different degrees and orders some glorified in heaven and some here on carth yet we are all but one family so that we are taken into the same family and houshold that the Saints in glory be in And what a dignity is this Ephes. 2. 19. Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners but fellow-citizens with the Saints and of the houshold of God We that were sometimes strangers are now by our Adoption become of Gods houshold You may think they shall not want good keeping 1 Tim. 5. 8. He that provides not for those of his own house is worse than an infidel God will be sure to provide for those that be of his own house Now we that are his children shall thus be provided for O how doth David commend their state that shall be admitted to dwell in Gods house He prefers it above all the honour of Princes dignity Psal. 84. This is our priviledge We are in Gods house of his family If the Queen of Sheba did think the servants of Solomon blessed how much more blessed are they that are the servants of Jesus Christ Happy said she are those thy servants c. but how much more may this be said of Gods children 2 We are admitted to sit at his Table God doth admit his children to his own Table This is the childrens portion and when he hath fed them a while at his table here he will translate them to an upper-table in the other world Luk. 23. 28 29 30. Ye are they which have continued with me in my Temptations And I appoint unto you a kingdom as my father hath appointed unto me that ye may eat and drink at my Table This is the priviledge of Gods children O what a dignity is this to sit and eat and drink with Christ at his Table This is in part given us here and shall be perfected upon us hereafter God sayes to believers as David said to Mephibosheth 2 Sam. 9. 7. I will surely shew thee kindness c. and thou shalt eat bread at my Table continually And therefore sith we are admitted to this priviledge to eat and drink at God's Table let us do as he and say with him vers 8. And he bowed himself and said what is thy servant that thou shouldest look upon such a dead dog as I am When Nathan would express the tenderness of the poor man to his 〈◊〉 he doth it by this 2 Sam. 12. 3. That it did eat of his own meat and drink of his own cup and lay in his bosom This is the priviledge that Christ vouchsases us to eat of his own bread and drink of his own cup and be as his children 3. The Relation of a friend This you know is a very familiar and loving relation Amongâ—…t others there may be some strangeness but this is a most familiar relation Abraham was called the friend of God It is the Epithite that Christ gives his Disciples I call you friends Friends you know do unbo some their secrets one to another Thus it is with God and believers The Lord opens his secrets to them and they rip opâ—…n their hearts to God The secrets of the Lord are with them that sear him Fiftly It appears that God makes a great account of man in that he doth enteâ—…tain such â—…amiliar communion with man O how wonderfully doth Go condescend to man on this account How familiarly doth he treat with us He doth open all his miâ—…d to us Joh. 14. 2. In my fathers house are many Mansions if it were 〈◊〉 so I would have told you Intimating that he would keep back nothing from them that would be sor their good He tells all
such a change as from being lost to be found A sinner in his Natural state is a lost man in a lost condition but when he is recovered by conversion he is found again The Son of man is come to seek and save that which was lost And so in this Luke 15. What was this lost sheep and lost groat and lost Son What was the meaning of all this but the recovering of lost Souls So that its a great change a coming from death to life from being lost to be found If our gospel be hid 't is hid to those that are lost that is for the present they are lost but when they are converted then of lost they are found Use. Is it so blessed and glorious a change that God doth work in the condition of a believer when he bringeth him to himself no less than from being dead to be alive from being lost to be found Then you that are believers rejoyce in and be thankfull for that blessed and happy condition that God hath translated you into Ah brethren how may you look one upon another and consider what God hath done for you 1. How that you were dead and are alive again You were diseased yea dead creatures diseased full of all that may render you miserable all diseases are met together in a poor sinner Now that God hath recovered thy diseased soul yea thy dead soul and brought thee to life again Oh what matter of joy is this How should you wonder at so great a change as this We read that at the Miracles that our Saviour did upon the diseased there was great astonishment among the people they were amazed at this but here are more miraculous cures than those the cure of dead souls is more than the cure of dead bodies O Brethren if all the diseased that Christ had cured should have confer'd together what strange stories would they have told One would have said I was born deaf and he said Ephatha and my ears were opened Another I was born blind and he anointed mine eyes I washed and received my sight Another I was thirty eight years under a disease and by a word of his mouth I was healed Another I was eighteen years in a sad condition and by a touch of his garment I was cured And so of the rest Ah brethren you were not onely diseased but dead and Christ hath recovered you O! what matter of thankfulness is here You that are believers should not look one upon another without wondering What should move you to wonder if not this It will be a strange change when we shall see all the sons of Adam come forth at last out of their graves when we shall see those that were buried in the great deep brought forth by the power of Christ and made all appear together this will be a strange change But the change of dead bodies is not so great as the change of dead souls O how should you praise God that hath raised you from so great a death as this How is it that we are taken up no more with wonderment for this that he hath done for our souls God doth rejoyce over it it is heavens joy when a lost sinner is found And doth God and Angels take notice of it and rejoyce and do you not take notice of it O what ingratitude is this This should excite sinners to â—…eed their return to God for this will rejoyce heaven and earth Shall I leave my wine saith the Vine whereby I make glad the heart of God and man I may say truly the recovery of a sinner makes glad the heart of God and man not onely will Christians and Ministers rejoyce over thee when thou turnest to God but God himself will rejoyce over thee when thou returnest he will call for the fatted Calf c. O the Mirror of unthankfulness that is upon our hearts that we should be no more moved with any work that God hath done upon our souls You that are converted and wrought upon by Sanctification one would think that you should be able to enter upon no other talk than this to tell what God hath done for your Souls My brethren if while we are here together we should see our dead friends that have been dead ten or twenty or thirty years agoe to eat and drink and walk and talk and converse with us how should we be astonished at it And how would they wonder one at another One that dyed at such a time and another that dyed at such a time and here they live again and talk again But now here is a greater wonder than this here are dead souls and they are brought together and live again and talk again O! me thinks you should wonder to see one another restored from so great a death Obj. But you will say how shall I know that I am recovered from death to life Ans. I shall give together the Characters and the priviledges of you that are recovered from death to life that so your evidence and comfort may be promoted together And there are these four that belong to you First He hath raised you from a state of corruption and rottenness to a state of health and holiness You know a state of death is a state of corruption the grave is a place of rottenness and putrifaction You that lye in your old lusts still certainly you have no portion or part in this matter But you that are changed are brought from this state a state of sin is a state of corruption The Scripture every where speaks of sin by the Metaphor that carries in it the highest pitch of filthiness Psal. 14. 3. They are altogether become silthy or stinking And so in Job 15. 16. How much more abominable and silthy is man which drinketh in iniquity like water Man in his natural state is a most silthy creature no comparison is 〈◊〉 to set forth the odiousness of his condition before he is sanctified by grace and the reason is because he drinketh in iniquity like water As the fish doth swim in and take in water naturally so sin is his very element wherein he doth naturally live as it were Thus the Apostle Rom. 3. 13. Their throat is an open Sepulchre And so our Saviour compares the Pharisees to to whited Sepulchres But now you that are believers God hath raised you from a state of Rottenness to a state of health and holiness Grace is the health of the soul Holiness is the soundness of the soul. An upright heart is a sound heart O beloved what a priviledge is this to be translated from a state of corruption to a state of holiness O what cause have you of thankfulness that can find the stamp of God again upon your souls you are highly favoured indeed whom God hath priviledged with this There is all that is desirable in grace and holiness Riches Wealth beauty all How often do we read of the beauty of Holiness And so of its
shortly and gather you into his barn when the wicked shall be turned into hell in bundles they shall be cast into Tophet but you shall be gathered into Gods barn into his glory God do but stay awhile till the fruits be ripe and ready and then you shall be all brought safe into his Treasury Fifthly The first fruits were to be set before the Lord as a monument of his faithfulness Deut. 26. 1. c. Where you may observe these particulars First The first fruits they were to be presented before the Lord as a thank-offering so you Secondly The first fruits were to be brought to the priest though you are the first fruits yet you can expect nothing of God but at the hands of the priest the Lord Jesus Christ. Thirdly They were to be offered up with a thankful acknowledgement of Gods mercy and their former misery the priest shall take the basket out of thine hand and set it down before the altar of the Lord thy God and thou shalt speak and say A Syrian ready to perish was my Father and he went down into Egypt and sojourned there with a few and became there a Nation great mighty and populous Fourthly They were to be set before the Lord as a monument of his faithfulness thus beleivers my Brethren they shall be taken by Christ and presented by him unto God as a monument of his faithfulness And thou shall profess before the Lord thy God I am indeed come unto the Country concerning which the Lord sware unto me surely the Lord is faithful in all that he hath promised and there hath not one word failed of all that he hath said by the mouth of all his prophets Fourthly You are the remnant of escape 't is Ezrahs phrase Brethren you know that all mankind was interested in Adam all in one common bottom Adam miscarryed and so all mankind is shipwracked at once And O how few are the number of those that escape and art thou one of them O how should you bless the Lord methinks you that God hath taken out of all the kindreds of the earth you should run to God as the several messengers to Job Thy Sons and thy Daughters were eating and drinking wine and the house fell upon them and they are dead and I onely am escaped to tell thee So should you say oh so many of the Tribes of the earth are famished and I am lest alone to tell thee to praise thee O methinks so should the redeemed of the Lord compass him about O methinks I should see you in the posture of those redeemed lifting up your voices together as the voice of many waters Oh Christians look back to your former bondage Do not forget the Egypt that you were in bondage in and the bonds of your luâ—…s that you were held Captive in O look back to the house of bondage and to the Iron furnace the cruelty and tyranny from whence yâ—… have made your escape and now lift up the praise of your Redeemer How should you stand upon the brink and look down into the horrible pit from which God hath plucked you Brethren you all suffered in that common shipwrack yet as in the voyage of Paul they all escaped safe to land so God hath ordered you that all that were with Jesus Christ are escaped O methinks you are like the world full of corn and in comes Satan and mows down whole swarfs and you are left as a single ear here and there upon a ridge O remember â—…ire and brimstone is coming down upon the world and God hath laid his hand up-you and made you escape and provided a Zoar for you O while you see the Egyptians drowned upon the shore and you escaped how should you be much in praising the Lord the deluge is coming down upon the world and but one Ark of men shall be saved And are you the men that God hath purposed to save are you the men that God hath put forth his hand and took in O â—…less the Lord for this mercy Fifthly You are the Burgesses of heaven Heb. 12. 23. To the general assembly and Church of the first born which are written in heaven We read of a City that hath foundations whose builder and maker is God of that City art thou a Denizen Thou art no more a stranger and forreigner but a fellow Citizen and of the houshold of God though heaven and earth are so distant in place yet there is a real communioâ—… the Saints here are free burgesses of heaven Christian thou art the man that art made free of heaven and who art born free Sixthly You are the members of Christ we are members of his body of his slesh and bone Consider Christian beleivest thou this if thou dost thou needest not be called uâ—…on to praise O what to be a real member of Christs living body yet so ' t is If thou be touched 't is Christ suffers wrong Saul Saul why 〈◊〉 thou me He is as tender of you as of a member of his own body and as dear doth he love you And as sure as he carryed the members of his body into heaven so sure will he carry thee And as sure as the members of his natural body are glorified in heaven so surely will he glorisie thee Seventhly You are the living stones of the Temple 1 Pet. 2. 5. Thou art cut out of the common quarry with others as rugged a stone as the rest but thee hath God pitched upon and chosen to be a polished stone for his own building VVhen God hath left others he hath pitched on thee Christian it little matâ—…rs though thou art undervalued of men yet herein God hath honored thee those that men rejected God hath made the chief of the building Now put all this together and see whether God hath not done much for you you are the election of grace the first born of God the first fruites of the Creation the remnant of escape the Burgesses of heaven the members of Christ the living stones of the Temple O whence should God have praise if not from you who should lift up his name if not you but Secondly Consider what God hath done for you as you are the inhabitants of Taunton in pâ—…rticular Though the former should ever ring loudest and carry the principal part in your praise yet the other may not be forgotâ—…n Now will I sing a song to my welbeloved touching his vineyard Isa. 5. 1. The vineyard of the Lord of hosts is the Town of Tauâ—…ton and the inhabitants thereof his pleasant plant And now I will tell you what God hath done sor his vineyard He hath plucked up the fence thereof and yet it is not eaten up Her hedges are broken down yet they that passe by the way do not pluck her nor the wild Boars of the sorrest eat her nor the beasts of the sield devour her Shee is burnt with fire and yet is not burnt up O what hath God done