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A86053 Refreshing drops, and scorching vials; severally distributed to their proper subjects, according to the wisdom given that precious servant of the Lord, Mr. Christopher Goad. Sometimes Fellow of Kings Colledge in Cambridge, and Batchelor in Divinity, as men speak: but before his translation, became a disciple and learner again, sitting at the feet of Christ and his Spirit, where he took a higher degree, and now sits with Christ in heaven. Goad, Christopher, 1601-1652.; Sprigg, Joshua, 1618-1684.; Worsley, C.; J. N. 1653 (1653) Wing G896; Thomason E698_12; ESTC R207013 170,841 273

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Christ is given me both in heaven and in earth The Father comes forth in Christ and Christ comes forth in the Saints Christ comes forth in the flesh lower then the Angels He makes him lower then the Angels he comes forth as a servant while the son is under age he is kept as a servant he is made of a woman made under the Law at last the Father comes to own him as his son and Christ owns him as his Father When the time appointed of the Father comes he sends his spirit into our hearts saying 'T is your Fathers pleasure to give you a kingdom Christ hath the keys of hell and death and he exercises these keys in his Saints We at present do not know how he exercises these but we shall know how when we feel the want of them when we see our weakness and darkness and mourn after the Lord. God hath suffered the devil hell and sin to be a kinde of Cloak and covering upon himself but when he pleaseth he will come forth and command them The Saints need not the worlds power and force to go to the world for power is to go to the devil for power The Saints have power with God and therefore must needs have power over Satan And this power the Saints obtain by mourning as the Apostle hath it in the second verse Ye ought rather to have mourned Iacob wept and made supplication wrastled with God and so prevailed The Saints indeed they are great persons but few there are that know themselves We are the sons of God but the world doth not know us God hath brought forth himself and brought forth Christ in his Saints and people but that was but a first fruits to shew what he will do fully He shall come to be glorified in his Saints and to be admired in them that believe The spirit of God was withdrawn that the man of sin might appear This is that believers should do they should be looking after this power the power of the Lord Jesus What a poor thing it is to spend our time in an outward powerless profession onely If we are Christians and of Iesus Christ we cannot do so The kingdom of God is not in word but in power Do we profess Christ Where is the power of the Lord Iesus Why do lusts and corruptions reign in our hearts Why have Satan and the world such power over us Where is the power of the Lord Jesus Where is the spirit of Eliah as Elisha said when he had seen his master taken up into heaven and had received his mantle and had a promise of a doubling of that spirit Christ is taken up into Heaven He hath told us greater works then he did in that flesh should we do in his Spirit Where is that spirit Where is that power by which devils were made to tremble and submit to him 'T is time we should begin to know our selves that we are of God that we are the Temple of God the body of the Lord that we are the fulness of Christ and that in us he will manifest himself and 't is that we should look for We should be weary of a formal outward languishing profession and so bringing forth the Lord Jesus we shall make his name known O that thou wouldst bow the Heavens that thou would'st come down and make thy name known that Hell and Death and Satan and all the powers of darkness might melt before thee Resist the devil saith James and he will flie from you What is that power by which the devil is resisted 'T is the power of Christ the power of the Lord Jesus is with his people though not yet manifested we should wait for it and not rest contented with the name but look after power to command hell and death those that have commanded us We are comforting our selves that Christ hath done this for us 'T is true he hath done this for us he will do it in us The Apostle bids us stand to it in Eph. 6. You wrastle not with flesh and blood but with principalities and powers therefore put on the whole armour of God If you be true Israel you are able to deal with God and then the devil and the world are not able to stand against you Do you believe this Then wait for it The next thing I shall commend unto you is this That we must be delivered to Satan before we can be delivered from Satan For the destruction of the flesh that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord. And if this stick in your stomacks and will not go down let me offer it to you in an old expression of Divinity as they call it that is That God leads his people to Heaven by Hell We must be delivered to Satan if ever we will be delivered from Satan Satan hath carryed all the seed of God captive in the flesh 'T is under the law of sin sin and death hath captivated the whole seed of God here this seed lieth as it were dead in a swound and in this state we dream of nothing but life and happiness great enjoyments when we are captives to Satan at his pleasure God he quickens this same seed this divine nature and then they see where they are see how they were deceived what a fools Paradise they were in then they have no rest till they be delivered This is to be delivered from Satan to see that we are in Satans power So it comes to this That there must be a discovery of our state under the power of darkness before we be delivered from it Deliver him unto Satan destroy him that he may be delivered destroy him that he may be saved kill him that he may be made alive convince him of sin then of righteousness Deliver him unto Satan is quicken him and enlighten him that he may see where he is in Satans power And whereas before there was peace when the strong man kept the house it was because he did not see Satan but now he sees him there is nothing but trouble there is no rest till he be delivered This is nothing but what the Apostle saith you hath he quickened that were dead in trespasses and sins Dead in trespasses and sins here is the seed of God under the power of Satan The spirit quickned sees whereabouts it is sees that it is in hell among devils lusts death and flames and it cannot abide here The Prodigal came to himself that was the quickning of this divine seed he was well enough before at the swine-trough till he comes to himself O then he cannot endure it he cannot live here any longer We must be delivered to Satan before we can be delivered from Satan And the ground and reason of this lieth thus God hath let all his seed fall under the hands and power of death and Satan and he would never suffer this state unless he meant they should be sensible of it unless he did
take notice that there is continual prayer therefore thou that hast thy times and thy hours and thy forms begin to look higher and be at it continually By him let us offer the sacrifice of Praise to God continually And 't is no more then what is held forth to us in the Prophecy of Isa the last chap. ver 23. And it shall come to pass that from one new moon to another and from one Sabboth to another shall all flesh come to worship before me saith the Lord. You that do not know continual Praise if you do praise God in the spirit if you are sincere and true in your makings unto God you shall know what it is They that are strong should bear with the infirmities of the weak and they that are weak should not judge the strong thou that dost not know what continual praise is judge not those that do thou that dost know it do not despise those that do not but go down to them to fetch them out of their weakness for Christ is come down to fetch thee up and let brotherly love continue Continually 'T is that we are designed to by Jesus Christ to be ever with the Lord Let us be making to it let us be looking after the price of the high calling of God in Jesus Christ Let us all know and acknowledge we are making forward not yet perfect By him let us offer c. That is the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his Name That is the fruit of our lips Here take notice how the tongue and the lips and the fruit thereof is sanctified by Jesus Christ and consecrated to God And this in all those that are sanctified by Jesus Christ The fruit of the lips is a sacrifice acceptable by Christ And therefore the Prophet Hosea Hos 14. 2. Calls the fruit of the lips the Calves of the lips The fruit of our lips by the sanctification of Jesus Christ is made a sacrifice acceptable unto God and not onely the fruit of our lips but the fruit of our hands the fruit of our feet the fruit of all our members The fruit of the earth as 't is said in Isa 4. 1 2. where the Prophet speaks of the manifestation of Christ in the spirit In that day shall the branch of the Lord be beautiful and glorious and the fruit of the earth shall be excellent and comely for them that are escaped That is for the spiritual seed the remnant that are taken out of the corruption of the world when he shall come who is the desire of all Nations seven women shall lay hold of him all shall make to him and own him and be one with him then the fruit of the earth shall be glorious then we shall eat our own bread and wear our own apparel we shall no more wear sins nor the devils robes we shall not borrow of sin we shall no more eat of his bread but of our own that which is in our Fathers house and that is Christ And in that day the fruit of the earth every part of us the whole body even the lips that have been full of poyson the tongue that hath had the fire of hell in it shall be filled with the fire of Heaven That that hath been darts and arrows and swords and venome and the sting of Aspes and Dragons even that shall be healing It shall be refreshing and delighting this is by Jesus Christ Christ shall come forth even in our tongues and season them with grace and make them to be a tree of life they shall minister Grace unto the hearers Christ doth recover all that the devil hath carried away as Abraham all that the King of Sodom caried away He recovers it he takes it out of pollution and out of filth There is a dumb Devil a beastly Devil a blasphemous Devil an accusing Devil a pratling and busie body Devil as Peter speaks of such Why Christ shall cast out every one of these Devils all the fruit of the lips shall be a sacrifice of praise there shall be no more of these no backbiting no slandering no going up and down to tell one anothers faults nothing but love and Praise and Thanksgiving Every member shall be restored and the tongue shall be restored I beseech you saith the Apostle as you have yeilded your members servants of iniquity unto iniquity so yeeld them servants of righteousness unto holiness This is by Christ and this is the effect of the spirit when he is poured forth making melody in your hearts which breaths forth nothing to God but love nothing to man but love nothing but praise nothing but joy Christ is a thorow Redeemer a thorow Restorer and therefore body and soul and every member of the body shall be Redeemed The spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead shall quicken your mortal bodies Christ gains the heart to God and out of the abundance of that the mouth speaks He makes the heart a treasury of good things and then comes forth nothing but good at the door of the lips The tongue and the lips are either the great instruments of the Devil or of God of Heaven or of Hell the fire of Heaven and the fire of hell is in the tongue Acts of life and death are in the power of the tongue Here is blessing and here is cursing God promises in the prophecie of Zachary to restore unto his people a pure lip or language and what is this pure language but Praise and Thanksgiving what is it but love but grace but edification they shall call upon the Name of the Lord and serve him with one consent a pure language is not in words and syllables but Christ fills the heart thence the mouth is fill'd as 't is in Psal 37. 30 31. He speaks there of the Righteous man His mouth speaks of wisdom and his tongue of understanding and the Law of God is in his heart This is that which is the New-Testament the Law in our heart and when the Law is in our heart then it will be in our tongue The old administration began in the tongue thou shalt speak of it at all times the New-Testament begins at the heart Thou shalt write it in the heart and then the tongue will speak nothing else The fruit of our lips There is a fruit of our lips that is seeming praise which coming not from the abundance of the heart is the greatest abomination unto God A flattering and deceitful tongue the Lord shall cut it out There is more of the fire of hell in a tongue that speaks to God and not from the heart then in a tongue openly blaspheming Therefore the Apostle Paul could not bear the devil that cried These are the servants of the most high God that shew unto us the way of salvation But Christ in the heart the fire of Heaven in the heart the Altar in the heart and there flaming out at the mouth O 't is
earth if I have told you earthly things and ye believe not saith Christ how will ye believe if I tell you of heavenly things There are higher and there are lower administrations wherein God appears Are we acquainted with them Do we know them God speaks on earth from Mount-Sinai and he speaks from heaven at Mount-Sion he spake from Mount-Sinai and he was refused yet there was a shew of entertaining All that the Lord saith unto us will we do but O said the Lord that there were such an heart in this people that they would obey my voice They said they would obey but their hearts turned back again to Egypt God speaks on earth and who doth hear who doth not refuse he speaks with a loud voice on earth he manifests his glory and every one seems to hear seems to stoop and bow before him but they are all lyars God speaks from heaven he speaks in the spirit he speaks in a low and still voice as it were afar off in a far Country and from this far Country he sends to his Subjects to see if they will own him but they say We will not have this man to reign over us God comes in a full manifestation of himself and then every knee stoops and bows to him some sincerely others feignedly and lyingly as it is said Thine enemies shall be found lyars When God shall make us Mount-Sion when he shall awaken the spiritual man when he shall quicken the new man that lieth as it were dead in us then we shall hear then we shall obey There is nothing so much concerns us as to know the voyce of God to hear him speak My sheep hear my voyce and the voyce of a stranger they will not hear John 10. God speaks and God gives an ear to hear him speak He that hath an ear to hear let him hear Sacrifice and offering thou didst not desire mine ears hast thou opened then said I Lo I come in the volumn of the book it is written of me I delight to do thy will Psal 40. 6 7. God is speaking and the Devil is speaking happy are they whose ears God hath opened that can distinguish that know the voyce of God from the voyce of a stranger See that ye refuse not him that speaks There is nothing in man but what refuseth to hear God speak but what refuseth God himself whether he speaks from earth or from heaven That man doth hear God speak that doth know the voyce of God it is the spiritual man the new man that is born of the Spirit The carnal man the natural man cannot possibly hear God speak he refuseth God The wisdom that is in him is enmity to God He is not subject to the Law of God nor indeed can be But they that will not know his voyce they shall know it They that will not yield to it shall be broken by it it is a terrible voyce When he shall come and speak from heaven those whose hearts are not brought to a compliance with him shall be destroyed by his presence He will come in flaming fire to render vengeance to them that obey not the Gospel Next we may take notice of the effects of this voyce whose voyce then shook the earth but he hath promised saying Yet once more I shake not the earth only but heaven also When you meet with shakings and violent motions then know what the matter is Why the Lord is speaking Heaven and earth are shaking at this time Do we see the Lord and hear the Lord We are fallen into shaking times His voyce once shook the earth but now it shakes not only earth but heaven Haggai 2. This Scripture shews what is to be expected the shaking of heaven and earth and then the desire of all nations What is that Why it is Christ he is called the desire of all nations All nations desire him though they do not know him and when he is come he shall fill Sion and Jerusalem he shall fill his Saints and people the City and the house built of living stones shall be filled with Glory he will fill all things Eph. 4. 10. When Christ came forth in flesh there were shakings in heaven and earth When Christ came forth in Spirit upon the Apostles and primitive Christians what a shaking was there then of heaven and earth What strange workings were there in the hearts of men through the light and evidence and demonstration of spirit that went abroad That was the beginning of this last shaking after that God was pleased to draw in and to retire that the wicked one might return again to shew what he was that Antichrist might appear and set up his trade under the name of the Spirit and when the man of sin is fully revealed then the Lord will come forth again and by the Spirit of his mouth and the brightness of his coming will he utterly destroy him and that will be a terrible shaking indeed Yet once more I shake not earth only but heaven This shaking is begun Are we sensible of it What wars and rumors of wars are there What overturnings Let us see whether we be not under the appearance of this shaking shaking of earth shaking of heaven shaking of Forms of Religion of Churches All that is earthly shall be shaken that the earthliness being removed the true body may be brought forth anew in the Spirit How many in these times hove lost their wisdom and their righteousness that they looked upon as great gain was ever such confusion as there is at this day Yet once more I shake not the earth only but heaven It is certain we are come to it but are we sensible of it God is shaking us out of fleshly and formal Religion out of mans Religion and mans Righteousness he is destroying the old man and bringing forth the new man he is destroying the old earth and heaven and bringing forth a new earth and heaven wherein righteousness shall dwell He hath promised saying yet once more This terrible shaking cometh forth in a promise It is a mercy a blessing a deliverance It is the Redemption of the people of God Lift up your heads for your Redemption draweth nigh When Paul and Silas were in Prison and in the Stocks at Midnight there was an earthquake that shook the foundations of the prison and that became their deliverance How many of the Saints will lie in Prison and in the Stocks at midnight till this earthquake come and shake them out Then shall come the desire of all nations By terrible things in righteousness wilt thou answer us O God of our salvation How will God answer us Why saith he I must remove all this corruptible frame I must create a new heaven and a new earth I must shake the Civil Estate and the Religious Estate I must shake off old Adam I must shake out Antichrist Christ must go away in his appearance in flesh that he may return again
it from heaven or from men So your knowledge is it from God or from men have you received it from your good Ministers or from your own reason or light or from the Spirit of the Father It concerns us to consider this Let the world Jeer and Scoff and cry Fancy and Whimsie and what they will There is no true knowledge of Christ nor of the Scripture but by revelation It is that the Apostle prays for That God would give unto you the Spirit rf revelation All the learned in that only Church of the Jews were all blind and did not receive Christ Who were they that received him they were born of God If we speak of Consciences testimony let us remember that it is my conscience bearing me witness in the holyghost This is the witness of the Father in your consciences then the voice of conscience is a glorious voice This is speaking in Christ I speak the truth in Christ I lye not saith Paul my conscience bearing me witness he speak in the Father these three are one and make up one witness that is true When it pleased God to reveal his Son in me c. Look now what your faith stands in stands it in the wisedom of men or the power of God Let every one of us be looking after the power and life of the Father and of Christ that we may see the Father he that hath seen me hath seen the Father saith Christ to Philip. Let us dwell no more in man nor upon man but let us look higher It is written all thy sons shall be taught of God You never come to peace nor rest till you come to God to the Father As the Father appears more clearly to you in Christ so you come to true peace stability and Settlement and till ye come to him ye are like children tossed up and down with every wind of Doctrine One Sect of men blows this way another Sect blows an other way and so we are tossed up and down till we come to know the Father by the Spirit in Christ We are weary of all Religion and settle nowhere till we come to find the rock to find God till we come to hear him speak that hath the words of eternal life that speaks power and life and not as the Scribes We never come to put off the old man till we come to hear Christ and the truth as it is in him Then we stand firm in all winds that blow and puff This is to hear the Father then we put off the old man Silly women we are weak and foolish creatures till then He that establisheth you is God when shall we cease from man There is another that bears witness of me and his witness is true And when we have his witness it will satisfie And we shall know that his witness is true but the world doth not know him This is satisfaction to Christ that he knows the Father and the Father knows him though the world doth not know him but they shall know him to their destruction and confusion when he comes forth to be revealed and to be glorified in his Saints I know his witness is true I mind not I esteem not the judgement of the world Let the world say and think what they will My witness is in Heaven and my Record is on high I mind not I esteem not the judgement of the world I know my witness is true There is the rest of the Saints of God Men call you before their judgement seats and you cannot satisfie them They cannot be satisfied but your satisfaction is in God And the world cannot see God yet the Saints can pitty the world in their madness and blindness Now he comes to the testimony of Iohn Ye sent unto John and he bare witness of me but I received not testimony from man Christ humbles himself very low to plead Johns witness He alledges Johns testimony against them They did not own him but they did own John They inquired of John whether he was the Christ John told them plainly he was not the Christ but he pointed them unto Christ yet they receive not Iohns testimony and so Christ makes it a testimony against them This is all that carnal Professors get that do not love the truth by searching out the truth they meet with a testimony against themselves See how low God hath put himself into such a condition that he needeth mans witness He hath withdrawn himself and set up the world While God is in this low state the world sits in judgement and the Devil hath the power But there will be a time when God will come forth without witness And when he appears he will say Bring forth your witnesses and your strong reasons We look what witness God hath among men How few and inconsiderable were the witness that Christ had in respect of the world He sent to John a man that had nothing to commend him according to the flesh Ye have heard of old Simeon he bare witness unto Christ And of Hanna an old woman she bare witness also But look among the Priests and Elders the Scribes and Pharisees Famed Learned and godly men and how few were there among them that bare witness unto Christ How should we long that the witnesses might finish their testimony when the Lord himself will come forth that every eye may see him and all people own him Christ sent unto Iohn but received not testimony from man but these things saith he have I spoken unto you that ye might be saved Here is a people had nothing in their hearts but killing and Christ had nothing in his heart towards them but saving And upon this design did Christ travail all the while he was amongst them There was wheat among the chaff of the world and all his dealing in the world was to gather the Wheat from the chaff There is no testimony worth any thing but where God appears Christ testifies of Iohn that he was a burning and a shining light The face of God shining is day This day dawned in Iohn such witnesses we expect such a Ministry we expect in whom we may see the light and purity of God consuming sin burning up chaff The Ministry of God in John the light of God set up in Iohn was that which made him a burning and shining light Do we know such a Ministry or no It is this only that is to be desired The Ministry of the Spirit of the Holy Ghost and fire This is the Ministry we should look after We have too long dwelt in men and languished in mens gifts and parts Wisdom and Elocution Let us be looking after the light and life of God after God in Christ manifested unto us and in us by the Spirit SERMON III. JOHN 5. 30. I can of my self do nothing as I hear I judge and my judgement is just because I seek not mine own will but the will of him that sent me TO
honourable and noble they are Kings and Queens and Princes and they shall appear so Verse 15. And they that conducted Paul brought him unto Athens c. Athens was an University where were learned men See the Apostles entertainment here wheresoever he came else his entertainment was persecution but here he hath little besides scoffs and jeers He had more to do here with the wise heathen then with the professing Jews and 't is observable what the Apostle saith 1 Cor. 1. We preach Christ crucified to the Greeks foolishness to the Jews a stumbling block The wise Greeks looked after wisdom the Jews after a sign Christ crucified was foolishness to the Greek and a stumbling block to the Jew Here Paul deals with the Greeks which say What saith this babler What strange Doctrine is this Verse 16. Now while Paul waited for them at Athens his spirit was stirred in him when he saw the City wholly given to Idolatry His Spirit was stirred in him There is body soul and spirit as the Apostle hath it in the Thessalonians What is this spirit but the partaking of the divine nature as Peter calls it The new man born of God in which God doth act This spirit lieth dead and is asleep further then God doth quicken and act it This spirit is the seat and Temple of God where God moves the devils business is in the flesh there he works his work the spirit is entire unto God here God appears sometimes and sometimes he does not We cannot do any handsome work in the Gospel without a stirring in spirit we cannot sail without a gale we cannot stir in a calm He was stirred in spirit It is the spirit of God that stirs the spirit of his people Sometimes there is a discovery of Idolatry the spirit of the Saints is not stird Sometimes God saith as of Ephraim He followeth Idols let him alone Here was a whole City in Idolatry and Pauls spirit is stirred to deal with them if it may be to help some of them out of it the spirit of God will strive with some and it will not strive with others 't will give over striving my spirit shall no longer strive with man as 't is in Genesis Here the Lord was pleased to appeare to some of them When he saw the City wholly given to Idolatry That which is given to Idols is given to devils Here was a City given to the devil this learned City this seeing City is wholly in the devils hands wholly given to Idolatry given to Satan He is the God of the world the wisdom of the world and flesh worship him and Jesus Christ in whom the true God makes his appearance is crucified by the world Verse 17. Therefore disputed he in the Synagogue with the Jews and with the devout persons and in the Market daily with them that met with him He disputed with them There are some to be disputed with and some to be let alone He disputed with the Jews in the Synagogue and on the Market day Paul is a market-man What doth Paul in the Market Paul in the Market hath no worldly design Paul is a spiritual man in the Market as most men are carnal in the Congregation Paul's design was Heaven and God in the Market and many a ones design is the world and flesh in the Synagogue The Saints in the world they are not worldly carnal men are worldl● even in the Church Spiritual men in their dealing in outward things are spiritual 't is God that they look at and 't is him that they seek Carnal men even in prayer and all their worship are carnal and make use of God onely for the world and flesh Verse 18. Then certain Philosophers of the Epicureans and of the Stoicks encountred him and some said What will this babler say Othersome he seemeth to be a setter forth of strange Gods because he preached unto them Jesus and the Resurrection Certain Philosophers Students in this University lovers of wisdom some of the Epicureans those that were taken up in a search after true pleasure true contentment true rest we do not look upon that Sect as making after fleshly or beastly lusts it was a gallant study And some of the Stoicks those that studyed the subduing their passions a brave study but both of them fruitless and nothing but labour in vain without the spirit Paul comes to them with that Ministery it had pleased the spirit to communicate to him They that are Ministers of the spirit cannot minister the spirit to whom they will but as it pleaseth the spirit to go forth by them These encountred him and some said What will this babler say This is the repute that all those have that minister the spirit and that they must look for that will hold forth onely the learning of the spirit among the wise of the world a spiritual man must reckon to be looked upon as a fool a trifler a babler Whatever natural wisdom cannot understand and reach the pride that is in it will scoffe and jeer at What will this babler say Thus the language and expression of the spirit is unto the world the wise of the world The wisdom of the world is enmity to God Some said He seems to be a setter forth of strange Gods Why Gods in the plural number Paul held forth one God and the onely God as he shews afterward This God is strange unto wise and learned men they look upon him as setting forth strange Gods because he preached unto them Jesus and the Resurrection Like enough they looked upon him as holding forth Jesus to be one God and the Resurrection another Carnal men are very apt to have gross mistakes when they hear of spiritual things Jesus and the Resurrection Mark how these are joyned together I am the Resurrection and the Life saith Christ So far as any man doth know Jesus he lives in the Resurrection All the knowledge of Jesus that is saving is above the world above the natural man It is life eternal to know Jesus and this is the Resurrection And this Resurrection is above the reach of all the learned and wise men of Athens The natural man comes not into it it lieth within a veil therefore he that preaches Jesus indeed must needs be a Barbarian and a babler to a meer natural man Whosoever doth preach Jesus in the spirit he must not look nor think to be generally understood For my part if all I hold forth concerning Jesus should be commonly understood I had very good ground to question whether I preach Jesus or no. Verse 19. And they took him and brought him unto Areopagus saying May we know what this new Doctrine whereof thou speakest is Here was some ingenuity he was not barred up indeed it was their profession their business at Athens to tell or hear some new thing as ver 21. May we know c. Paul might answer them I cannot tell whether you may or
in you Christ in you dead Christ in you alive He is alive that was dead then you live Because I live ye shall live also Look if ye know this life You are in him that is true and he in you that is true he is risen and you risen with him ascended with him and set down with him in heavenly places FINIS THE MAJESTY of GRACE OR The Soveraignty of SALVATION SERMON I. TITUS 2. 11 12. For the grace of God that bringeth Salvation hath appeared to all men teaching us that denying ungodliness and worldly lusts we should live soberly righteously and godly in this present world c. VER 15. These things speak and exhort and rebuke with all authority Let no man despise thee IN the beginning of this Chapter the Apostle is directing Titus how to carry himself in his Doctrine towards all Sexes and Ages of men But speak thou the things that become sound doctrine That the aged men be sober grave temperate sound in Faith in Charity in Patience The aged women likewise that they be in behaviour as becometh holiness c. Young men exhort to be sober-minded Exhort Servants to be obedient to their Masters c. And here he laies the ground and foundation of it which is an encouragement to Titus to set upon this preaching it should not be in vain For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men teaching us c. The grace of God shall teach with thee therefore be thou a Minister of the grace of God be thou bringing forth this grace of God which hath appeared that hath appeared in us and hath appeared in thee Thou hast a Ministry of the Spirit go thou forth in that and bring up men from the grave of ungodliness to the grace of God do thou bring forth that redemption which is come forth in Jesus Christ do thou bring forth Jesus Christ in those to whom thou preachest And what do we unless this grace go with us The grace of God which is also The God of grace unless God be in grace it is such a grace as may be received in vain I laboured more abundantly then they all saith the Apostle yet not I but the grace of God which was with me and in me The grace of God that bringeth Salvation to all men hath appeared Therefore exhort all men and teach all men and make a proof where this grace of God will further appear it hath appeared teaching us see whom it will teach besides I shall speak to the words as they lie in order and as I shall conceive may be most profitable for us The grace of God The kindness of God the favour of God as it is called in the next Chapter After the loving kindness of God appeared c. The grace of God or the God of grace Grace without God will be abused but grace from God and with God is Salvation The grace of God is God in Christ The Scripture that tels us in one place of the grace of God tels us in another place of the God of grace and the grace of God doth give God himself unto his People I am thy exceeding great reward The grace of God that bringeth salvation There is Grace and there is Salvation the Scripture speaks of but grace is not all nor salvation is not all Salvation will not satisfie him that hath the God of grace but he must have glory as well as salvation it will not satisfie an heir of heaven to be safe only but he must have a Kingdom It is your Fathers good pleasure to give you a Kingdom We must take the Scriptures in their extent There is one place speaks only of grace there is another tels us of God One place speaks only of salvation another tels us of glory God will give grace and glory Each single Scripture doth not express the whole mind of God They that will take the Scriptures by pieces and not the whole Scriptures must make account to be deceived The grace of God that brings salvation God in grace brings salvation and is salvation and there is no salvation but where the God of grace is come Gods appearing in his love owning us and manifesting himself to be our portion this is salvation In his favour is life Whosoever doth not believe the wrath of God abides upon him His anger and absence is death and destruction every man is under destruction and death till the grace of God come to him till that appear If you look for salvation where is the grace of God or the God of grace appearing The grace of God is salvation and salvation is the grace of God or the God of grace The grace of God that brings salvation There is grace that doth not bring salvation there is the grace of God in these outward things there is the grace of God in gifts this grace bids us look after salvation this grace leads unto repentance but here is the grace of God that brings salvation and that is salvation it self Here is God in grace come to us here is the grace that turns the heart from the world and sin and hell This is salvation The grace of God that brings salvation There is no salvation by Works there is no salvation by the Law salvation is by the grace of God by that grace that makes us to do the works of God by Gods working in us by Gods taking us into himself All our works are wrought in God It is the Scripture expression The grace of God that brings salvation unto all men The Apostle spake before of aged and young male and female of Servants and Governours teach them all for the grace of God hath appeared to all and for all It is come to every mans door brings salvation to all to all that God doth make any reckoning or account of the holy seed Of others it is said Thou puttest away the wicked like dross Psal 119. There is a generation of men that are in no better esteem with God then those creatures begotten of corruption Thou puttest them away like dross These are the seed of the Serpent You are of your father the Devil and his works will you do It is a poor languishing controversie that in which so many are exercised about Vniversal Redemption Let every man look whether salvation be come to him and whether he hath entertained it and embraced it and if so let him rejoyce Let every man make his Calling and Election sure and let him be a good Minister of this grace of God to others leave disputing and jangling and begin to live By denying ungodliness and worldly lusts live soberly and righteously and godly in this present world And be a pattern and example Make thy self a pattern of good works Let thy light shine before men that they may see thy good works and glorifie thy Father which is in heaven Salvation to all hath appeared Grace ever was but it appears
and Godliness There 's the life of man and the life of beasts and the life of Devils and there is the life of God when the grace of God that brings Salvation appears And now for the time and place where this lesson is taught and where this Sobriety and righteousness and godliness is brought forth in this present World a little of the time and I have done In this present World In this place in this time the World the present World the mad World the unrighteous World the ungodly World the World that lies in the wicked one in the power of the wicked one in this time of darkness and hour of temptation in this Kingdom of the World and Kingdom of Satan God he hath let Satan possess himself of this World and of this Creation and God is here trampled upon and oppressed by Satan and his Instruments and he lies under foot as madness and unrighteousness as filthiness and the Devil and the World they stand up and boast of sobriety and godliness they stand in the power of the Creature and the glory of God is shut up in his Servants Notwithstanding all this power and rage he appears in his servants in this present World He teaches us to oppose and confront and adjudge the World and the wickedness of it I have made thee a fenced City and a wall of brass says God against the princes of Judah The grace of God enables a man where it appears he fears not faces he fears not Hell he sees him that is invisible Moses feared not Pharaoh It sets us above all scorn and all reproaches in this present World We must needs be signs and wonders signs to be spoken against we are contented to be so we can bear it The grace of God that brings Salvation teaches us so Persecution comes and troubles come we can take up our Cross and we can follow Christ This sobriety which the grace of God teaches and this godliness and righteousness exceedingly enables a man to be contented to be scornd and spit on My life is not dear to me says the Apostle that I may finish my course with joy and the Ministry I have received Endure the afflictions of the World says Paul to Timothy by the power of God And when the grace of God hath broken forth and I have seen him that is invisible what 's this World when God hath set it up only to make a fool of it God uses the Devil and wicked men and enemies to make fools of them and we see God standing behind then what cause is there to fear in this present world under their very nose to their face to their teeth The grace of God teaches us to live soberly righteously and godlily God out of the mouths of babes and sucklings ordains strength God suffers himself to be brought into a very seed by the Devil and the World and thence he rises up and the lower he suffers himself to be brought the more glorious is he in the Conquest The Kingdom of heaven comes to be like a grain of mustardseed it is a very little seed and it is hid in the earth a little leaven is hid in three measures of meal that nothing is seen but the power of darkness the Kingdom of Satan and sin this little grain of mustardseed springs up and though all the power of the World rise against it it prevails and is glorious Here 's two or thre things I would but hint at by way of application Vse 1. The grace of God teaches us to live soberly righteously and godlily in this World First of all this shews how much out they are that think to carry Religion so that they 'l sleep in a whole skin will carry it like a Talent bound in a napkin The grace of God teaches us to live soberly in this present World 'T is as possible to carry fire about us and not to be burnt If it be true Religion it will be burning Is that Religion that lies under fleshly lusts and worldly lusts From the Devil it came and to him it must go it hath his life in it God is not in it but one that is truly Religious he may for a time think of hiding and concealing himsel as Nicodemus came to Jesus by night but where godliness is in truth it will he like new wine that will vent or break the vessel God hath not given light to put under a bushel but to set on a candlestick 2. Again There are many professing Religion that excuse themselves that the times are evil and therefore they cannot do this or that If the grace of God hath taught thee it shall teach thee in evil times to appear soberly and righteously There is a love grows cold as iniquity abounds this is not the love of God that like fire grows hotter in the coldest weather God had Saints in Nero's house he had them in Sodom and they shined there and appeared there and opposed this world this present World 3. And again Some are putting off this day This is for heaven say they this is not for the present It seems grace and Salvation is not come to such they that are not here in heaven will never be in heaven One Scripture that may conclude us in this is No man ascended into heaven but he that came down from heaven If ye are not in heaven while ye are in the world you 'l never be in heaven The grace of God that brings Salvation hath appeared Heaven hath appeared to you and heaven is in you you are in heaven and that same heaven shall be interpreted into you and an entrance shall be given more abundantly If you say this is a hard Saying to live soberly righteously and godlily to convince the world to challenge the world to dare the world what a life must we live what suffering must we meet with You are appointed thereunto God hath given us another hope a blessed hope that is that follows Looking for that blessed hope at the appearing of the great God and our Saviour Iesus Christ The grace of God that brings Salvation it will be a strong help to you even in persecution for the joy that is set before us we shall bear up against all the persecutions we meet with in the world under all reproaches all burdens under all scoffs and sufferings The grace of God brings Salvation Let the world do what they can do let hell do what it can do I 'le be a sanctuary to them says God The grace of God teaches us to live soberly and righteously in this present world even in the midst of enemies It lifts up our heads even here before men and enables us to judge the world and condemn the world and so shall all do that are heirs of that righteousness which is by faith And thus much for this time FINIS The Authors last Testimony The brief heads of a Sermon Preached by Mr. Goad at Mr. Wallis his Funeral