the irradiations of his Holy Spirit and the light of his countenance whilest they are walking in the Law of the Lord the prospering of their Souls in the grace of God and the comforts of the Holy Ghost this is the sunshine of their lives Their countenance is fallen their heart is sick they reckon themselves among the dead when God and their Souls are parted He hath no part in God that can live comfortably without him It 's true the pleasure that the Saints take in God is more or less according to the different degrees of their love to God and accordingly will the sense of his absence be more or less There is a desiring love which is the highest attainment of some weaker Christians and there is a delighting love which is the attainment of the more grown Christians The purer and stronger the love the greater pleasures comes in from the object of it and the more impatience follows from its distance and estrangement from it The love of weaker Christians puts forth in thirstings after the Lord but they taste but little of the sweetness but the more grown can sit down under his shadow with great delight yet neither the one nor the other can be at ease or contented without him Again there is a difference in the Natural temper and constitutions of Christians some are naturally of lively and warm affections and of a chearful and serene Spirit others are of more flat and dull and heavy spirits and this will make a difference upon their sence of things Spiritual Yea and the same persons at several times may be differing from themselves by reason of bodily distempers or occasional discomposures which may have such an influence upon their Spirits that they may at such seasons not only have lost the sweetness of Divine communion but the sence also of its want and those very duties wherein they were wont to have delightful converse with God may seem the most uneasie and wearisome work of their time But yet whoever he be that in ordinary can be satisfied at ease and be merry whilst he is a stranger from God and neither finds pleasure in him nor takes comfort in pleasing of him this man can never conclude that God is his portion He that is least in the Kingdom of God will doubtless be able to say Lord whom have I in Heaven yea or in Earth besides thee Sinner thou sayest that thou also hast chosen the Lord but how is it that he is no more look'd after or regarded by thee How is it that thou canst live so much without God in the world and find no miss of his presence Art thou content to be miserable whil'st thou livest here or hast thou chosen two portions this world to be thy portion here and God only for hereafter I that 's the truth of the case thou foreseest that this world will not last alwayes but thou must after a while be gone and leave all behind thee whil'st these things will last thou wilt take up with them but when they fail thee thou countest upon God at last and so he must only stand by as thy last refuge when all else is gone then God must be thy happiness Is this thy choice of God when thou canst only say Rather God than nothing So I may be sure of thee hereafter I care not for thee now He that hath not chosen God for his happiness in both worlds hath sincerely chosen him for neither Canst thou say thou hast chosen him for thy happiness in this world also when thou canst count thy self happy without him canst thou want communion with him and yet be at hearts ease canst thou take the prosperities of this world to supply the want of a God the smiles of fortune instead of smiles from Heaven will thy twilight or candle-light serve thee instead of Sun-light Canst thou quiet and comfort thy self thus God is none of my acquaintance but I have good acquaintance enough in the world God is angry with me but I have many good friends about me that bear me good will My work for Heaven goes but sadly on but yet I prosper and thrive in the Earth I have none of the best hearts I confess but yet I have a good House and a good Estate 't would be sad indeed if I had nothing either above or below either within or without me if both Heaven and Earth had cast me out but whil'st one of them holds 't is well mine own Cisterne is full and so long I can spare the Fountain Canst thou comfort thy self thus Deceive not thy self God is not the portion thine heart hath chosen thou wilt never find rest in any thing else who hast pitch'd on him as thine only happiness and till thou hast made him alone thou hast not made him at all the portion of thy Soul 5. If you are willing and resolved to forsake all things for his sake God and this world are proposed to our choice and this is included in the very nature of choosing that one be taken and the other left 't is not choosing to take both one of the two must be parted with or neither can be said to be chosen and so the word tells us Luk. 14.33 Whoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath he cannot be my Disciple This seems to be an hard word but is it so indeed Is it hard to part with all our Brass and to receive it in Gold to exchange our rags for better clothing our husks for better seeding What is Earth to Heaven Is all thou hast in the world too great a price to redeem thy Soul from Death and to instate it in everlasting blessedness If these things could redeem thee would'st thou say 't is too much to give this Earth is more than Heaven is worth But farther consider It is not so hard as it seems to be for what is it to forsake all that we have God would not have us to throw away our Estates and make our selves voluntary Beggars to give away our Houses and take up our Habitation in Dens or Caves to give away all our bread and our clothes and leave our selves to hunger and nakedness God would not have us to break the peace with the world to disoblige and fall out with all our friends and to become strangers to our own flesh God would not have us studiously to offend Father and Mother to despise Brethren and Sisters to be undutiful or unnatural to be surly and rude and uncivil to any and thereby create our selves enemies and trouble 't is for the honour of Christianity that we behave our selves sweetly and courteously and dutifully towards all and 't is the Interest of Christianity that those that fear God be good Husbands and provident and have Estates to serve him withall in their generations This is not the meaning of our forsaking of all to cast our selves into voluntary poverty or studiously to make our selves
there can be nothing whether Good or Evil that can be hid from his Eyes If there be a God he is Almighty able to save and to destroy As his Eye will find out so by his Power he can revenge all ungodliness and wrong If there be a Judg one that is Holy Righteous All-seeing and Almighty if there be a Judg then there shall be a Judgment wherein every Man must give an account of himself and receive the reward of his doings whether they be good or evil Rom. 2.6 2 Cor. 5.10 'T is Mens Atheism that lies at the bottom of their Security in sinning The Devil would have found it hard work to have fill'd the World with so much wickedness if he had not first filled it with Atheists and Infidels Sinner how is it that thou darest be as thou art and live as thou dost How canst thou eat or drink or sleep for very fear Dost thou not see how much wickedness thou compassest thy self about withal What are thy Sins but so many Devils or worse and art not thou afraid of the Devil Whether thou art or no Remember that there is a God Can that Holy One but hate such a Beast as thou art Does not the All-seeing One see thee will not his Eye find thee out Will not the Almighty one be too strong for thee Art thou stronger than he and able to stand it out against him Is there not a Judg to sit upon thee before whose Bar thou must be brought forth to answer for all thine ungodliness Shall not the Judg of all the Earth do right Will he either destroy the Righteous with the wicked or will he spare the wicked with the Righteous There is a God Sinner there is a God believe and fear The belief of the very being of a God would make Sin to be feared But what will the belief of what God hath said The Word of God hath more plainly and fully declared beyond what might be gathered out of the bare notion of a God what the Sinners of the Earth must expect to receive from his hands Why what is it that the Lord hath spoken Search the Scriptures that 's a Book as to impenitent Sinners like Ezekiel's Roll Ezek. 2.10 Written all over with Lamentations Mourning and Wo. Herein is the Wrath of God revealed from Heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of Men Rom. 1.18 Who hath appointed a day wherein he will judg the World Acts 17.31 Who will appear in flaming Fire rendring vengeance on them that know not God and obey not the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the Presence of the Lord and from the Glory of his Power 2 Thess 1.8 9. Who shall be cast into the Lake of Fire Rev. 20.15 These and many more like words are written against Sinners in the Scriptures of God O were this Word believed that it is indeed the Word of God O were this God believed that he is not as Man that he should lye or as the Son of Man that he should repent but will certainly perform and do according to all things that are written in this Book This would make the stout-hearted to faint and the strong Sinner to bow down at his Feet But because of Mens unbelief therefore the Hearts of the Sons of Men are fully and fearlesly set in them to do evil O what Mettal are believing Sinners hearts made of What dost thou believe the Scriptures and yet not afraid to transgress Believest thou that God resists the Proud and yet does not thy Pride make thee afraid Believest thou that by thy lying and covetousness and oppression or but by thy vain life thy walking after the flesh and fulfilling the lusts thereof thou art treasuring up Wrath for thy self against the Day of Wrath and yet darest thou go on canst thou be quiet and secure Sure that heart of thine is a very stone within thee One would think it were not possible for such Sinners as believe the Scriptures but we should find them all fallen upon their Faces smiting upon their Thighs shivering and quaking for fear of the Wrath of God and the Judgment of the Great Day But canst thou hold up thine Head and keep on thy way and mock at Fear Sure either thy Belief is Unbelief thou believest not what thou thinkest thou dost or else thy heart is as the nether Milstone 3. Another Reason why Men Fear not is their Presumption As Mens Unbelief so some Mens Belief is the Reason why they do not Fear Presumption is Belief without a Bottom an House built upon the Sand a Spider's Web spun out of their own Hearts strong confidence founded on the weakness of a conceit or the belief of a lye This Presumption may be either 1. Of the goodness of Mens present State Or 2. Of the happiness of their future State what-ever their present State be 1. There is a Presumption of the goodness of their present State It is some Mens unhappiness that they believe themselves to be happy their great danger that they believe themselves to be out of danger Some Unbelievers and impenitent Sinners take themselves to be Believers and Converts to Christ some that are the Children of Hell believe themselves to be the Children of God This was the case of those Jews John 8.39 who said with great confidence Abraham is our Father we are the Children of Promise and vers 41. We have one Father even God What-ever thou accountest us we are the Children of God And this Confidence Men sometimes grow up unto upon little search or examining whether it be so or no. Nay it may be the Reason is their not examining at all how 't is with them Their case may be so extreamly bad and unsound that a very little search would break down all their confidence There are multitudes that are perswaded 't is well with them upon no other ground but because they cannot tell how bad 't is with them and therefore they understand not their misery and danger because they never search'd nor look'd into themselves nor ever spent a serious thought about the state of their Souls It is a wonderful thing that Men can so easily satisfie themselves in so great a case as multitudes do Let a Minister of Christ come to deal with such Persons let him go from House to House from Man to Man amongst the rude and ignorant Multitude how far may he go how many may he enquire of e're he meet with one that is so much as in doubt but all is well Let him ask How is it with your Soul what hope have you in God Why I doubt not but by the Grace of God my condition is good I hope in God all is well with me Let him go farther and ask But are you not mistaken are you sure you are not No I do not question but by the Grace of God my Soul is in a good condition Let him
but this and I will be thine but if this may not be away he goes sorry he must die but yet chusing Death rather than the loss of that Idol his great Estate Now Friends Is not such a Sin to be feared that will find such an easie entrance that has the command of all by which your Souls and Consciences all your Parts and Powers all your Time and Estates and Wayes are governed and disposed that must do what it will without check or controul that you can so hardly get rid of and will so greatly hazard your foregoing for ever your part in Christ if any thing in the World be like to keep you off or draw you back from him this is it that will do it your Beloved Sin Is not such a Sin to be feared Well by what hath been said you may find it out and know which it is or it may be there may be more than one of them some Sinners serve many Masters and know not which is the chief Fear all your Sins and do what you can to find out the Master-Sin and take heed of it where-ever you meet it Never count thy self in the least safety whilst that Lust is alive reward it as it would serve thee Put thy finger upon the right Head and then say Thou must die Jonathan thou must die O my Sin or my Soul must die by thine hand But of this more hereafter 2. Fear your Jezebels or your painted Sins An Enemy in a disguise is the more to be feared as his advantage against us is the greater The Devil is a Painter that can limn some of the foulest Vices into the form of Vertues As he can put an ugly vizor upon goodness and with this foolish World make Light pass for Darkness Holiness for Hypocrisie Tenderness for Troublesomness Zeal for Pride and Fury so can he paint Sin into the form of Godliness Covetousness must go for Frugality Profuseness for Liberality Sinful Complyance for Civility Sinful Connivence for Modesty Lukewarmness for Moderation Cowardice and Faint-heartedness for Prudence and Discretion Hast thou never a painted Jezabel with thee No Lust nor Vice which thou allowest thy self in thinking there 's no harm in it Fear this Harlot that looks more modestly than her that hath her whorish Heart on her Forehead Who is on the Lord's side who Throw her down Hast thou any thing within thee that is for Christ indeed Let it down with this Jezebel Pull off the Harlots Vail and cast her out Come in yea rather Get thee out thou Wife of Jeroboam why feignest thou thy self to be another Is this thy Frugality or Providence to hoord up and hold back what the Lord calls for from thee Is this thy good Husbandry Too good an Husband to be Merciful too good an Husband to be a good Christian Get thee out thou Wife of Jeroboam get thee out Covetousness why feignest thou thy self to be another Is this thy liberality to spend thine Estate upon Harlots or thy loose and vain Companions Must thy luxury and thy riot eat up all thou hast Is this thy casting thy Bread upon the Waters to throw it down those filthy Kennels Get thee out Prodigal why feignest thou thy self to be another Is this thy civility to have fellowship with the unfruitful Works of Darkness to hold friendship and intimacy with the lewd ones of the Earth to have a kiss for the precious and the vile Get thee out Ambo-dexter why feignest thou thy self to be another Art thou remiss and indifferent in the Matters of God Art thou cowardly and faint-hearted where his honour is concerned and is this thy Moderation or thy Prudence Get thee out Laodicean why feignest thou thy self to be another Friend pull off the Mask from the Face and see what 's under Thou knowest not what mischief thou mayest suffer where thou suspected no harm Fear a pretended Friend more than an open Enemy 3. Fear your Isaacs any beloved or over loved Creature Fear not only the sins of thy love but the Sons of thy love the latter will be temptations to the former thou mayest receive hurt from that which hath no hurt in it an Innocent Child may be an Idol and so may thine Husband or thy Wife or any Friend thou hast Wherefore honourest thou thy Sons above me 1 Sam. 2.29 Fear lest thy love to thy Friend make an abatement upon thy love to thy God thy love to thy Children should cause thee to abuse thy God and them by the neglect of that dury of Reproof and Correction thou owest them take heed that thy tendernes to them make thee not cruel to them and thy self By nursing their untowardness thou nourishest those Thorns that will pierce through thine own Soul Take heed thou have never an Isaac in all the World not one Child not one Relation concerning which if God should say to thee as to Abraham Gen. 22. Offer up this Isaac whom thou lovest or if Christ require of thee as he doth of all his Disciples Forsake Father or Mother forsake Husband or VVife forsake Son or Daughter take heed lest thine Heart should answer No I will not offer them up no I cannot forsake them VVhat thou canst not part with may be the parting of God and thy Soul And as any Beloved Friend so any other Creature or Affair that thine Heart is set upon may be a snare to thee Fear that House that thou lovest thy pleasant Habitation Fear thy Money and thy Fields and thy Flocks thy Meat and thy Drink that thou lovest those Businesses and honest Employments thou takest most pleasure in Thy good things may become thine evil things thy Table may become thy Snare thy savoury Meat may become thy Poison and that which is given thee for thy good may be an occasion of falling Thy Money may be thy Poverty and thine honest Labours when thine Heart is too much in them may be more mischievous than Idleness How many foolish Souls are there whom their Love hath held Prisoners to this Earth and Exiles from Heaven to whom their good things have done more mischief than things apparently unlawful could ever do them How is it Christian that thy Soul is so seldom Above O thy delights are below VVhence is it that thou hast suffered so great loss in the matters of thy Soul That whatsoever thou dost in the Matters of Religion prospers no more that so small increases and so many decayes are to be found upon thee Thou hast not been among the Drunkards nor hast been partaker with the Adulterers thou hast not been walking in the Counsel of the Ungodly nor standing in the way of Sinners nor sitting in the Seat of the Scornful thou hast been no Lyar or Scoffer or Oppressor these things thy Soul abhors O but thou hast been an Idolater thine Heart hath found thee out some Idol in the Earth some Friend or some Farm or some honest Business or some innocent Pleasure as
's on with the Purple and Scarlet and fare deliciously every day Come along cast in thy Lot among us What art afraid of Cherish thy Flesh please thine Eyes and thy Humour What will such Enticements do upon such an Heart 'T will be all one as if they should say Come let 's go Hang our selves or Drown our selves or Stab or Poison our selves Come let 's make our Souls over to the Devil and write our selves free among the Dead let us get us down quick into the Pit What would thine Heart answer other than this Away O my Soul have thou nothing to do with these Men come not into their Secrets no nor so much as into their Company The like success would all other Temptations have He that 's afraid of Passion would shun Provocation he that 's afraid of Covetousness would be afraid of an over-busie Life in the World c. O Friends how venturous are we how little fear of Sin And if there be any fear of Sin how is it that it brings forth no more fear of Temptation How seldom do we consider This Company may be a snare unto me God knows with what loss I may come off from them This Garment or this Ornament or this Fashion may be a Temptation to me my proud and vain Heart cannot bear it this over-thrifty or over-busie Life may be my undoing this full Table how can I allow it to my self who am given to Appetite I must lay a Law upon my Belly and put a Knife to my Throat when I see delicates and such variety before me Where almost is this tenderness and wariness to be found Yea rather is it not despised and decryed as foolish scrupulosity where it is Go Hypocrites blot that Petition out of thy Prayer Lead us not into Temptation Never mock God with such a Prayer against Temptation whilst thou deridest them that fear it Study Hell more till thou hast more fear of Sin study Sin more and thou wilt not slight Temptation 2. The fear of the Curse will much allay our sinful fear of the Cross The greater will swallow up the less The torment of the Stone will make us forget the aking of a Tooth Who will fear the barking of a Dog that hears the roaring of a Lion Moses and Aaron's living Serpent swallowed up the Serpents of the Magicians Luke 12.4 5. Christ there prescribes the Fear of God as a cure of the Fear of Men. As it is on the other side The Favour of God casts a contempt on the Flatteries of Men the rising Sun puts out all our Candles 't is in the night only that Gloworms shine The more lively hopes of the Glory to come darken the Glory of this present World the respect to the recompence of Reward makes to despise the pleasures of Sin What is a Comet in the day-light What is a Cottage to him that hath a Crown in his Eye What are Meat and Drink and Clothes and Sports what are all the blazes of these crackling Thorns to the Light of the Countenance of God Hast thou Faith Hath thy Faith given thee a prospect of the Inheritance of the Saints in Light Sure thou hast little of it who still blessest thy self in the Earth Get thee nearer the Lord acquaint thy self more with him say thou unto him Stand thou at my right hand and thou wilt say to the World sit thou under my foot-stool Carnal Men make the World their God and their Heaven when Riches increase and Friends abound and they are compassed about with pleasures then their Hearts are glad and their Glory rejoyceth But how comes this to pass Alas poor Men this is the best they know they never saw nor understood any higher things than these when they arrive to a plenteous and prosperous Estate they are at the top of their delight because they are come to the top of what they understand The Saints have higher things in their Eye they are gotten within ken of the Invisible Glory and can therefore write upon all things under the Sun Vanity of Vanities In like manner in the present case As the favour of God will eclipse the World's Sun-shine so the Terrors of the Lord will make all the World's storms to vanish away into a Mist The darkness of the Shadow will be lost in the dark of the Night the point of a Sword will heal the prick of a Pin. O what shall I do The Devil is come down and hath great wrath the World is all in a flame against me the Lions roar the Bears and the Wolves are abroad after the Prey I am despised and rejected and troden under-foot of Men I am persecuted and hunted up and down this Wilderness and am become a Runnagate and a Vagabond in this Earth I have lost my Friends lost mine Estate and they seek my Life also to take it away O what shall I do what will become of me Thou art in an hard case indeed but hast thou not greater things than that to trouble thy self about How is it with thy Soul Is not there a doubt that the Wrath of the Almighty may be hanging over thine Head Art thou in no danger of being rejected and reprobated of God of falling into the eternal Prison of being driven into everlasting Banishment What dost thou stand vexing and frighting thy self with the Wasps and the Hornets Look down look down to the Serpents and Scorpions that thy Soul is in danger of falling in amongst Take heed take heed lest the eternal God cast thee into his Prison lay thee in his Irons Let thy Soul dwell more amongst these greater Fears the Terrors of the Lord and thou wilt not so much mind the Terrors of Men. Thou wilt not regard the buzzings of those Hornets if thou fear more the bitings of those Serpents Sanctifie the Lord God in thine Heart let him be thy Fear let him be thy Dread and then thou wilt be more able to say I will not fear what Flesh can do unto me Now because this is the great Fear and that which will not only secure us from unnecessary fears but most powerfully stir up all other necessary Fears I shall enlarge a little further here And that this great Fear may be the more effectually wrought upon the Hearts of those to whom Fear especially belongeth I shall take the Hammer and drive home this Nail upon those who are in greatest danger of the Curse of God The unconverted Sinners of the Earth In order whereto I shall shew more particularly 1. What the Curse of God is 2. That all unconverted Sinners are under the Curse 3. That there is great danger that they may never escape it 1. What the Curse of God is It is called in Scripture sometimes the Wrath of God sometimes the Fury of God sometimes the Vengeance of God and his Fiery Indignation The Curse of God is properly his Will to punish and plague and take vengeance on Sinners You may call
and in that fear follow on towards perfection Particularly 1. Follow on the work of Mortification in fear lest whatsoever wound sin hath received it should recover and get head again Hast thou gotten it a little under make it as sure as thou canst though thou hast gotten over Jordan and hast set thy foot on the banks of Canaan yet the Canaanite is still in the land and will be a briar and thorn unto thee Thou wilt never have peace thou wilt never prosper in the Grace of God but according as thou prosperest in thy warre against sin Dost thou ever design to come to any thing in Religion and to grow up in the Grace of God Let thine eye and thine hand be upon this adversary which will otherwise certainly keep thee down and it may be bring thee much lower than thou art this day 'T is with Grace in an unmortified heart as with poor Israel in Egypt 't is under Oppression The task-masters were upon Israels backs to keep them in bondage they were not their own men to do as they would they could not go and serve the Lord their tyrants would not suffer them and thus it 's like to be with thee Rom. 7. When I would do good evil is present with me O these Egyptians have me in hold I am so captivated to the Law of sin that I cannot do the thing that I would What an hard servitude am I under wretched man that I am who shall deliver me Onely betwixt oppressed Israel and this oppressed Israelite the new Creature there is this difference Israel by how much the more they were oppressed by so much the more they grew and multiplyed 't was more than all Egypt could do to keep them barren But Grace will never grow and fructifie under the oppression of Sin Grace oppressed by affliction will prosper and grow as Israel did Christians are seldom in such a thriving state as when under trouble and that may comfort us under all the oppressions of men we may be as holy under them all we may serve the Lord as well it may be better we may enjoy the Lord as much it may be more in our afflicted than in our prosperous state But under the tyranny and usurpation of sin Grace cannot thrive 't will hardly be kept alive whiles lust so lords it over it When the poor Soul under this oppression of lust groans and cryes as poor Israel did Let me goe let me go that I may serve the Lord the flesh possibly when in a fright as the Egyptians did when they were smitten with their plagues may say Go go and serve the Lord be as holy as thou wilt get thee up out of Egyt get thee on towards Heaven But then shortly after when the fright is over it falls on again and it may be doubles the bondage Go serve the Lord To your work says the flesh or it may be To your play you shall not go Or if the Soul hath gotten a little more liberty than ordinary these Egyptians will after it again Israel can never get free and be let alone to serve the Lord indeed till the Egyptians be dead 'T is in vain to hold a treaty with our flesh to make terms and to article with it for a larger allowance till this enemy be dead thy Soul will never prosper nor go comfortably on its way Get Egypt into the Red Sea let thy Sin be drown'd in that Sea of Blood the Blood of Christ that 's the only Ocean in which Sin will drown and die when thou hast it there then that oppressed thing within thee will grow and increase mightily when Sin is dead then Grace will thrive Grace in an unmortified heart is as a spark of fire in green wood it will not burn all the blowing it up will hardly keep it alive the sap and moysture of the wood will choak it when the sticks are dryed then 't will burn O what a flame of holy Affections what a flame of Love and holy Desires would break forth what burning and shining Lights should we be if these green Faggots our lusts were dried up and withered when you are dead to sin then you shall be alive unto God Rom. 6.11 Christian art thou nothing concern'd for that little Grace that 's in thee preserve it for it is thy Life and look upon thy lusts as its Oppressors and Murtherers that would strangle the babe in thy womb and never count thy self secure till they be dead which seek this child's life Say within thine heart I go in fear of my life of them there 's no binding them to the Peace or the good Behaviour they are thy mortal Enemies and thou canst have no security but in their death But how shall I doe to get my sins mortified Why first let me ask thee art thou so sensible of the evil of them and the mischiefs thou art like to suffer by them that thou darest not let them live Art thou so heartily afraid of them that nothing less than their death will give thee quiet Art thou more afraid of thy living lusts than of the labour and the smart that their death will cost thee who would bear the cutting off of a limb an arm or a legge that is not sensible that his life is concerned in it This mortifying work is one of the most painfull works of a Christian It is not so difficult to tell you how you should do it as to make you willing to doe it Physicians sometimes have an harder task to perswade to the taking of the Physick than to cure the Disease when once the Patient is willing and when no other Arguments will prevail 't is Fear at last that must do it Art thou in such a fear of thy Disease that this does swallow up thy fear of thy remedy Art thou for the death of sin how painfull soever it may be to thee Why if thou art in good earnest then take these following Directions 1. Lay the axe to the Root of sin 2. Put a Knife to the Throat of sin 3. Put a Bridle on its Jawes 4. Set thy Foot on the Neck of sin 1. Lay the Axe to the root of sin When Christ appeared in the World to cut off impenitent sinners it is expressed thus Matth. 3.10 Now also is the Axe laid to the root of the tree every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewen down Sure enough the tree must down when it is cut up at the root What was to be done by those sinners do thou by sin lay the Axe to the root There are sometimes some hopefull assaults made against sin which yet prosper not because the blow goes not to the root the branches may be lopp'd the Acts of sin may be cut off the Drunkard may cease from his Wine and the Adulterer from his Harlots swearing and lying and oppression may be all cut down as to what appears but soon after all these branches and evil
in Christ am I in Covenant have I broken my Covenant with Death and disannulled my Agreement with Hell Am I no longer in League with my Sins and this evil World have I broken with them all and am I gotten within the Bond of the Covenant of God If I think I have yet am I not mistaken Many Souls have been mistaken have thought themselves within who have yet dyed without and am not I mistaken also Is the thing sure Is Christ mine indeed How is it that there is no more asking the way to the City of Refuge How may I get into Christ Or how may I know whether I be in Christ or not O how is it that we do not awaken our slumbring Spirits and call upon our careless Hearts Come on O my lingring Soul make haste get thee up to the Rock to Sanctuary to Sanctuary Awake thou Sleeper carest thou not that thou perish Come my Soul enter thou into thy Chamber hide thy self till the Indignation be over-past How is it that there is no more such care taken Are we so solicitous as we should be about this matter How is it with you Friends Are you busie in considering and fore-casting and enquiring how you may escape What is it that your fear of a Deluge hath put you upon to provide your selves against it Is there any more circumspection and heedfulness in your goings any more tenderness of Sin Are you throwing off those weights that will sink you with the multitude Are you busie in breaking down your Sins and building up your selves in hope of the Salvation of God Behold how generally our other Matters do still take up our Time and Thoughts we are building of Houses and planting of Vineyards and Buying and Selling and Marrying and giving in Marriage seldom giving our selves leave to think of a Flood that 's coming to take us all away O fear and let your fear set you on work to save your selves from Misery and Ruine The foolish World laugh at this Fear What jealous-headed melancholick Souls are these What Dreams and Fancies do they fright themselves withal And so did the old World doubtless laugh at Noah to see him such a Fanatick to amuse himself and others with such a strange conceit of a Flood and to go build an Ark to save himself from that Dream of a Deluge What laughing and mocking think you was there then amongst them to hear this Preacher of Righteousness to Preach and prepare for such a strange incredible thing Such mockings are there of the Men of this World at the fears and preparations of the Saints against the Judgments of God I but when the Ark was finished and Noah and his Family gotten in and the Flood came in earnest when they saw the Rain pouring down the Waters swelling the Seas roaring and tumbling in in whole Mountains of Waters upon them where was the laugh of the World then What a cry was their laugh then turned to Let Sinners laugh at last when they shall see all these things come upon them when the overflowing Scourge cometh and they shall then see the derided Saints gotten into the Ark and themselves left out to perish in the Waters Well by this time you may see what this Fear is or who is this Man that feareth The Man of Understanding that so knows God his Goodness and Severity that so knows Sin its Malignity and the Misery that it exposes to that so believes God that hath such a love for God and his own Soul and such an aversation from Sin that so foresees the danger he is in of running into Sin and falling into Misery that he wisely and warily looks to himself keeps himself from Iniquity and hides himself from those Mischiefs and Miseries which the rest of the World foolishly venture upon and are destroyed by in the end This is the Man that feareth this is the happy Man 2. What is that blessedness that is pronounced to him that feareth Happy is the Man that feareth To Happiness two things are required 1. Sufficiency 2. Security 1. Sufficiency He that is in want is in misery what-ever he hath how greatly soever he abounds yet if he hath not all that he needs yea all that he desires In the fulness of his Sufficiency he is in straits The pain of what he desires and hath not imbitters the pleasures of what he hath No Sufficiency no Satisfaction short of Satisfaction so far short of Happiness He must have all things that would find rest in any thing He that possesses what-ever he can desire that 's an happy Man only to this must be added 2. Security What we have to day may be lost to morrow He that hath most and holds it by such an uncertain Tenure is so far from finding rest in what he hath that he may be in greater perplexity than he that hath nothing Therefore can there be no happiness in any thing under the Sun for besides the insufficiency of these worldly things the whole Earth is too little to fill the Soul all this great World is not enough to fill the little World Man but besides this were they sufficient what security can be had for the continuance of them to us They are all but casualties they come and go they have all their Wings and who knows how soon they may take their flight At the best The things that are seen are but Temporal 2 Cor. 4.18 There must be permanence durableness in the matter of our Happiness The durable Riches the enduring Substance an Inheritance that fadeth not away and there must be security against their being lost or taken away Now this is the happiness of him that feareth he hath sufficient and what he hath is in safety 1. He hath a sufficiency This Fear as appears from what hath been spoken is a Religious Fear the Fear of God is sometimes taken for all Religion here only for one particular Branch of it yet such as argues the Truth of Religion and intitles the Soul to the whole income and revenue of Religion He that knows believes and loves God and therefore fears and flies from Sin and Wrath is certainly a Godly Man and shall have his Inheritance with the Just The first Sermon that ever we read that Christ Preached begins with an enumeration of the Beatitudes of this very Man He shall inherit the Earth he shall be comforted he shall be filled he shall obtain Mercy he shall see God his is the Kingdom of Heaven All these Graces that are there mentioned Poverty of Spirit Purity in Heart hunger after Righteousness Meekness c. are the particular Qualifications of this very Man And we may write down after that Copy Blessed is the Man that feareth for his is the Kingdom of God Blessed is the Man that feareth for he shall be comforted he shall obtain Mercy he shall see God This is the Man who shall inherit all things Rev. 21.7 and shall want nothing Psal
to Wrath and Vengeance Wouldst thou be content the Day of the Lord should find thee thus Art thou sure but that Day may find thee thus Would not such a Voice from Heaven Thy Day is come strike thee into horror and amazement and strike through thy easie lazie Soul as a Dart through thy Liver O why wilt thou not try what some thoughts of that Day might do whether it would not perswade thee to a wiser course and put thee into a better case against it comes indeed It is a strange thing that it should be possible for Sinners that believe the Scriptures not to think of a day of recompence Hast thou not heard dost thou not read that the Wages of Sin is Death dost thou not know that every working day must have its pay-day Canst thou be Sowing daily and never think of Reaping And hast thou not learned That as thy Sowing is such must thy Reaping be that an evil Seed-time will bring forth an evil Harvest Canst thou be Sowing Tares and either not think of Reaping at all or think of Reaping Wheat Is this all the wit thou hast Be not deceived as Men Sow so shall they also Reap he that Soweth to the Flesh shall Reap Corruption he that Soweth to the Spirit shall Reap Life Everlasting Gal. 6.7 8. Know it in time and throughout thy Sowing think of thy Reaping-Day 2. Men put the Evil Day far from their Loyns That is though they do think of the Judgments of God and as such as both may overtake them and if they fall will fall heavy upon them and grind them to Pouder yet they count 't will be a great while first there may be time enough to prevent them or at least the distance they apprehend of them from them makes them the less to be feared or regarded Eccles 1.8 Because Sentence against an evil work is not executed specdily therefore the Heart of the Sons of Men is fully set in them to do evil Because Judgment is so long a-coming therefore they grow bold in their Sin as if 't would never come Not till after a long time is almost the same with them as never at all As if because the Bench and the Gibbet stand not both together because the Sin and its Sentence the Sentence and its Execution are not on the same day therefore there will be no Sentence no Execution as if because it's Sun-shine to day there were no fear of a Storm for many dayes after The Thoughts of Sinners are like those words of Rebellious Israel Ezek. 12.27 The Vision that he seeth is for many dayes to come and he Prophesieth of the Times that are far off Those Scoffers who walk after their own Lusts 2 Pet. 3.4 demand in derision Where is the Promise of his coming Where is the Promise that is where is the Threatning of his coming The same word that is a Promise to the Saints is often a Threatning to Sinners Where is the Threatning of his coming There hath been much Preaching and Talking of the Day of the Lord of a Black Day that 's coming to pay all our Scores this hath been foretold a long time agone even in the dayes of our Fore-fathers who are yet gone to their Graves in peace and behold to this day after the revolution of so many Ages we see no sign of it but all things are still as they were and Men may sin at as cheap rates now as they did then Those Rebel Jews Isa 5.19 That drew Iniquity with Cords of Vanity and Sin as it were with Cart-ropes are so bold as to say Let the Day of the Lord come let it hasten that we may see it let the Counsel of the Holy One of Israel draw nigh that we may know it Such Infidels were these Rebels become that they made the Threatnings of the Lord a meer Mock or a Dream or a lying Vision that would never come to pass But even among those that do believe that there is such a day a-coming wherein the Lord will confirm the Word of his Servants and perform the Counsel of his Messengers even amongst them there are who say Yet the Lord may delay his coming I may have time enough to repent before it comes not considering that though to day it be said Time enough yet to morrow the word may be Too late too late though now the word be My Lord delayeth his coming the next word may be He is come the Day of the Lord is come and I must no longer escape O my foolish Soul thou thoughtest such a day might come but didst thou think it so near Wo wo unto me the Day of Vengeance is come in a day that I thought not of in an hour that I was not aware He is come he is come to cut me in sunder and to give me my Portion with Hypocrites It is fallen unto me as to some Women with Child my Time is come before my Reckoning was out Friends Is there nothing of this kind of Security also to be found even among those that take themselves to be wiser than this Bedlam-World How is it with many Professors of Religion Do we live in hourly expectation of the Day of Retribution Are we so vigilant and so circumspect in our daily course as Men that do believe that the Day of the Lord is at hand How didst thou live yesterday didst thou carry it so as if that should have been thy last day How dost thou behave thy self to day Dost thou now carry it so as if thou expectedst to hear This night shall thy Soul be taken away Dost thou hear daily as if thou wert hearing thy last Sermon Dost thou pray daily as if thou wert making thy last Prayer Dost thou not sleep daily and sin daily as a Man that presumeth on many dayes to come Dost thou never venture on a little sin or on remisness in thy Duty with this thought it will but be repenting of it after Wouldst thou dare to do what sometimes thou dost wouldst thou dare to neglect what sometimes thou dost neglect wert thou sure there would be no time for repentance Wouldst thou be so proud as thou art or so covetous as thou art or so vain or so slothful as thou art if thou didst not count upon more day before thee Darest thou never lie down one night in an unrepented Sin for fear of what may be before the morning O what Holy-Dayes what Sabbath-Dayes would every day be did we but daily think this may be my Judgment Day But dost thou use to think so Thou hast thy fleshly designs already laid for to morrow and next day and next year to morrow thou sayest thou wilt go to such a City to buy and to sell and to get gain next day to such a Fair next day to such a Feast to make merry with thy Friends and there thou goest and eatest and drinkest and tradest and so thou meanest to go on from Year to Year and
the first and highest Form in the School of Christ but for such as are but newly come in or what-ever their standing be are but of low stature by how much the more out of doubt they are by so much the more it is to be doubted that they deceive themselves 3. To answer more particularly There are more mistakes than one that Professors of Religion may be subject to 1. They may be mistaken in Faith and count that to be Saving-Faith which is not so 2. Though they have the true Notion of Saving-Faith yet they may be mistaken in themselves I shall speak more at large to this afterwards yet this word or two I shall put in here 1. They may be mistaken in Faith and count that to be Saving-Faith which is not so That definition of Faith given by some Antinomians That it is a believing that we are justified and shall be saved hath doubtless deceived many For 1. If this be Saving-Faith then one of these absurdities will unavoidably follow either that all Men are not bound to believe with a Saving-Faith or that some Men are bound to believe a lye Is there any Man to whom the Gospel is Preached that is not bound to believe in Christ Is it not their Sin who refuse Christ when he is tendred to them Let these two Scriptures be considered 1 John 3.23 This is the Commandment that we should believe in the Name of his Son Jesus Christ and Job 16.9 He shall reprove the World of Sin because they believe not in me Now if all Men be bound to believe and this be that belief they be bound to to be perswaded they shall be saved how can it be avoided but that some are bound to believe a lye Are all Men in a state of Salvation Are all the Children of God Hath the Devil never a Child in the World Not one if this Doctrine be true that all are bound to believe they shall be saved and yet none are bound to believe a lye 2. If this be Saving-Faith then happy are multitudes of the ungodly World Who more confident that they shall be saved than many ignorant and impenitent Sinners amongst whom the first and most difficult Work of the Ministry lies in this to break down their vain Confidence Much of our hardest work might be saved if we found the Sinners of the Earth under a desperation of Salvation in their present cses 'T is this that is the great block in our way and keeps back our Word from reaching their Hearts that they will not be perswaded otherwise but they shall to Heaven when they die But shall they be saved indeed who believe they shall what every one of them the believing Hypocrite the believing Drunkard the believing Impenitent even the very final Impenitent Can Charity it self be so blind as to think that not one of those Confidents ever died impenitent And can this be counted the Gospel-Faith that will justifie final Impenitents Come ye Hypocrites come ye Earth-worms come ye blind and bruitish among the People lift up your Ears and Heads here is a Gospel if it were but true according to your own hearts Fear not to be as wicked as you will only believe you shall be saved and you shall be saved But is this Gospel I know the consequences of this Doctrine will be abhorred by its Assertors But how can they be evaded Divers other Errors there are concerning Faith which may lead Men into damnable mistakes too long to mention 2. Although they have the true Notion of Faith yet they may be mistaken in themselves They may think they have it when they have it not There are not a few amongst those that profess Religion who understand aright what Faith is what a real Work of Grace means and wherein the Truth of Christianity stands who yet understand not their own hearts There are who do not think that to be something which is nothing who yet may be of those of whom the Apostle speaks Gal. 6.3 who think themselves to be something when they are nothing and so deceive their own selves The Heart of Man is deep and dark who can know it Jer. 17.9 we have need of other Light than our own the searcher of Hearts alone can help us to understand what there is within us The Heart of Man hath many Devices Prov. 19.21 it hath so much folly as to study to make the best of its case being loth to see the worst and it hath so much subtilty as to put the best side outwards and to hide the worst out of sight Many Mens great labour in Religion is to perswade themselves that all is well instead of a plain-hearted and impartial enquiry whether they be upright or no their business is only to study Arguments to prove they are so They will search out all the Arguments they can imagine for it but they dare not look too far into the Objections against it We would fain comfort our hearts and thereupon greedily catch at every shadow that looks well but dare not critically examine that which seems to speak good concerning us whether it speak truth or no. The great question is whether there be Grace in our Hearts or no and we are so willing to believe there is that we dare not look too deep lest we should find there is none The labour and trouble that a conviction of our unsoundness would put us to is so unpleasing to us that we do all we can to save our selves that trouble If we be sound we think the work is done now we may sing Return to thy Rest O my Soul but if I should find my self to be short of sincerity how much labour would it require to get to be sincere Now hereupon the heart being so partial and overly in studying its case what wonder is it that it should be deceived and mistaken what wonder is it that he should think himself something who is nothing who is too willing and hath so many devices to make his nothing look like something And that it is so that there are many that are thus deceived there is too great evidence in the World There are many that can deceive none but themselves and yet themselves they can deceive Every one that sees them sees the very marks of an Hypocrite upon them no body can think well of them but themselves They have taken to themselves the Name and have something of the Complexion of the Children of God yet their spot is not the spot of his Children Their Complexion is rather a Paint than their natural Visage and their spot looks out through their Paint Whilst there is the Profession of a Christian of the Faith of a Christian of the Hope of a Christian what is there to be seen of the Holiness of a Christian if there be a Paint of the Holiness too yet he that observes it may see Sin looking through it The Humility that appears the Meekness the Spirituality
have attained it before you have Be sure before you be confident whilst the case is doubtful suspect your selves whilst you hope the best fear the worst Put it out of doubt by searching more narrowly and a more diligent improving True Grace where 't is weak is hardly discernable the narrowest search will not do it What-ever Arguments there may be for there will be so many Objections against it that will darken the evidence of them The Confidence of a truly gracious Soul that is but weak may be a kind of Presumption though he doth not presume he hath what he hath not though he hath it indeed yet his Confidence that he hath it may be a kind of Presumption because the Evidence is not so clear that he can rationally bottom a peremptory conclusion upon it To conclude this matter Art thou perswaded that thou hast Faith and that there is a gracious saving change wrought upon thee Fear that thou mayest be mistaken and in this Fear search whether thou art mistaken or no lest thou also at last should be found and have thy portion with the Presumptuous and self-deceiving Souls But of this more in its place 2. There is a Presumption on future Mercy how bad soever Mens present condition be There are some self-condemned Persons the Die of whose Sins is so deep that it cannot be varnished over nor hid from their own eyes their Consciences pass Sentence upon them for Hypocrites and Ungodly and yet though they see they be stark naught abominable Branches reprobate Silver at present they are still without Fears but it shall be well with them hereafter Though their Consciences condemn them yet they hope God will justifie them Conscience charges them as God did those ungodly ones Psal 50.17 Thou batest Instruction and casteth the Word of the Lord behind thee when thou sawest a Thief thou consentedst to him and hast been partaker with the Adulterer Thou hast been a Thief an Adulterer a Lyar a Scoffer a Slanderer these things thou hast done Canst thou deny it Or as Jer. 2.23 How canst thou say I am not polluted How canst thou say I am not a Transgressor See thy way in the Valley trace thy Foot-steps consider the course of thy Life and see if all thy wayes do not speak thee a wicked Man But though Conscience charges them thus and they cannot deny the Charge but are forc'd to acknowledg all is true and to confess if there be ever a wicked Man in the World I am one if there be ever a vile Person in the Earth I am one if there be ever a graceless one under Heaven I am the Man yet though they know that they are wicked Ones and have no Grace at present they still presume they shall have Mercy at last God is a God of Pardons if he should be extream to mark Iniquities who then shall stand God is a merciful God for whom did Christ die but for Sinners Wo be to the World if God were no more merciful if Christ were no more gracious than Men speak This was the Confidence of those pointed at before Deut. 29.19 Who bless themselves in their Hearts saying I shall have peace though I walk in the imagination of mine own heart and add drunkenness unto thirst Mich. 3.11 The heads of the People judg for Reward the Priests thereof teach for Hire the Prophets thereof divine for Money they build up Zion with Blood and build up Jerusalem with Iniquity Here were a wicked Generation Perverters of Judgment Covetous Oppressors Bloody Men. What could these Men think of themselves Could they be ignorant that they were abominable in the sight of God What hope can they have of themselves Yes they have hope yet they will lean upon the Lord yet they trust in God no evil shall come upon them This is a more common case than is imagined Men could not be so hardy nor so venturous upon a course of known Iniquity as we see them to be did they not maintain in their hearts a secret hope of Mercy yet I shall have Pardon yet I shall have Peace the Lord I trust will spare me notwithstanding all that I have done But let such Men consider that by this their hope of obtaining Mercy in a state of Sin 1. They make the Scriptures a lye 2. They make Christ to do the Work of the Devil 1. They make the Sciptures a lye Thou doubtest not but that thou shalt be saved But what art thou It may be thou art an ignorant Soul all this while one that knowest not God nor his Gospel But what sayes the Scriptures of such Look into Job 18.21 Surely such are the Dwellings of the Wicked this is the Place of him that knoweth not God Where is his Dwelling what is his Place Look back into the former verses vers 14 c. His Confidence shall be rooted out it shall bring him to the King of Terrors Brimstone shall be scattered upon his Habitation he shall be driven from Light to Darkness and chased out of the World This is the place of him that knoweth not God Thou sayest no this is not my place my Confidence shall never be rooted out it shall bring me to the King of Glory I shall go out of Darkness into Light I shall see the Salvation of God What dost thou herein say but Scripture thou lyest this is not my place this dark and dismal Habitation shall be none of my Dwelling I shall dwell with God in the Land of the Living It may be thou art one that walkest after the Flesh a Person of a carnal worldly Life a Drunkard an Epicure an Earth-worm given to thy pleasure and ease and mirth a vain Person yea and one of the most vile of the Earth and what saith the Scriptures of such Why look into Rom. 8.13 If ye live after the Flesh ye shall die Colos 3.5 6. Mortifie therefore your Members which are upon the Earth Fornication Vncleanness inordinate Affections evil Concupiscence and Covetousness for which things sake the Wrath of God cometh upon the Children of Disobedience Rom. 2.8.9 Indignation and Wrath Tribulation and Anguish upon every Soul of Man that doth evil Psal 9.17 The Wicked shall be turned into Hell with all the Nations that forget God Thou art a wicked Man thou canst not say but thou art and yet thou art perswaded thou shalt to Heaven when thou diest What then dost thou make of the Scriptures dost thou not herein say 't is a lying Word there is no heed to be given to what it speaks Whilst the Saints build their hopes on the Truth what are thy hopes built upon but on a supposition of the falshood of the Scriptures And so this Word must prove the Word of that God that cannot lye must prove a false Word or thou wilt be damned for ever 2. They make Christ to do the Work of the Devil to help to fill the World with wickedness Whilst God sent Christ
same course That which hath hindred doth hinder thee that which hath deceived doth deceive and will deceive thou canst never be secure from it whilst thou continuest in this World Wherefore O my Soul since I cannot be out of danger let me never be out of fear Let Fools be secure and at rest but as for me Let me pass the time of my Sojouring here in Fear 3. Another reason why we should Fear is because of the weight and importance of that work which we have to do in the World What is our Work here wherefore are we born and live upon this Earth 'T is to serve the Lord in the saving of our Souls The Lord that made us may and does require our whole Service as there is none besides him to whom we owe our Being so is there none other to whom we owe our Service Him only shalt thou serve Mat. 4.10 And God hath so ordered the matter that we cannot better serve our selves than by serving of him this is the Work of God which he requires of us to work out our own Salvation Phil. 2.12 The best Men are the greatest self-seekers 'T is a piece of self-denyal which God never requires of any Man To neglect his own Soul God would have all Men to be saved 1 Tim. 2.4 There are two Lords that are served in the World God and the Devil The great Service that the Devil hath to be done is to destroy Souls his Name is the Destroyer Rev. 9.11 and his work is to destroy and this is it which he imposes upon all his Servants to destroy every Man his own Soul God is the Saviour so call'd Isa 45.15 and his whole work that he has to be done by his is Salvation-work Friends the first and great Service that God hath for every one of you to do is to look well to those Souls of yours to recover your selves out of the Snares of the Devil that you may obtain everlasting Salvation if you can but acquit your selves so in this World that you get safe to Heaven when you die God will say to you Well done good and faithful Servant 'T is true we have every one of us more Souls than our own to look too I not only Ministers whose special work it is but every one should do what he can to save the Souls of others but our first Service is to look to our own Souls Our Charity and so our whole care must begin at home Deut. 4.9 Take heed to thy self and keep thy Soul thine own Soul diligently As Christ sayes Luk. 16.12 He that will not be faithful in that which is anothers who shall trust him with that which is his own May we not much more say here he that is not faithful in that which is his own will be much less faithtul in that which is anothers He that serves the Devil in destroying his own Soul is not like to serve God in the saving of others Souls Well this is your work you have to do in the World To serve the Lord And this is the Service that God expects That you save your own Souls What-ever you are faithfully doing this way you are therein serving God You may be saving your Estates and therein serve the Devil you may save your Names and save your Lives and therein serve the Devil but when you are saving your Souls you are still serving the Lord. The working out of our Salvation is not only the business of our Religious Duties but of all the Actions of our whole course We are not only to Believe and Repent and Hear and Fast and Pray for our Lives but to be carrying on our Salvation-Work in every thing we do As we may say whether you Believe or Repent or Pray or Hear so also whether you Eat or Drink or whatsoever else you do do all to the Glory of God and your own Salvation Our future state whether we are for Life or for Death is not to be determined by some few of our better Deeds but by the tenour of our whole course look what thy Life is in this World so shall thy Judgment be We are here in this World upon our good behaviour for the other World and the short time we have here is all we have for Eternity our Everlasting Life or Death will be determined by this little inch of time Do in your day the Work you were sent into the World for and you live and are blessed for ever spend your time in idleness or impertinencies live in the neglect of God or your Souls let your great Work be left undone or but half-done and done deceitfully and you die without remedy die eternally And do you not yet see what cause you have to Fear If you were doing any thing of this World's Business and knew your Life lay upon it 't would make your hand shake Psal 2.11 Serve the Lord with Fear Phil. 2.12 Work out your Salvation with fear and trembling Why should we Fear why should we Trembie Why because there is so great a Work lying upon our hands What if this Work be done and well done Then you are made for ever What if you neglect or miscarry in this Work Then you are lost irrecoverably 'T is a matter of Life and Death that you are every day and hour upon how can you think such a thought without a trembling Heart What a mighty influence would this consideration have upon your Duties When you go to Pray whether in the Closet or in the Family or in the Congregation were you perswaded that your eternal state were so much concern'd in it would you not fear how you trifled in so great a Duty and would not this Fear command in all your Powers to joyn in so important a Service how would it stand at the door and keep out all those stragling thoughts that at such times use to be thrusting in Would such hasty and cursory Praying such a flat and formal Devotion which you ordinarily take up with then suffice you you would sooner sweat than sleep at Prayer your Hearts would burn within you and not freeze as they too often do Tongue-Prayers and Knee-Prayers and Eye-Prayers would be of as little account with you as they are with God all the Males in your Flock would be brought in you would not dare to offer to the Lord a corrupt thing You would take your best time and time enough you would put forth the utmost of your strength you would not make your Souls to wait the leisure of your Flesh or to take its leavings It must not then be what you can spare from the World what you can spare from your business or your pleasures that will do the turn your eating time your sleeping time your working time must be taken up this way rather than want time for God and your Souls Dost thou complain of sleepiness in Prayer of wandrings in Prayer of want of time for Prayer Think Man
ingenious Spirit fear more than to be base and unworthy Should you ask such a Person Why are you so exact and so tender and so circumspect in your way Why are you so busie and so studious and so laborious in your course Why can you not as well as others take up with a lower and more remiss way of Religion O I dare not be so unworthy I am the Servant of God and through his Grace I will serve him the best I can He that is most Holy and most Circumspect that keeps the closest to his Work and his Rule he is the best Servant to God and as I am obliged so I am resolved through the help of God to do him the most Honour and the best Service I can I should be a Wretch a vile and unworthy Person if I were otherwise minded The great God hath but few Servants in the World hath he taken me into the number of those few O what shall I render how can I be sufficiently thankful for that Grace God hath but few Servants in the World and the fewer the more serviceable have they need to be The Devil hath many Servants he hath those that serve him in every House in every Town there are whole Countries that are wholly peopled with the Servants of the Devil and their Work is to do all the dis-service and dishonour they can to God to cherish the Flesh and foment the Lusts thereof to fill the World with wickedness and to trample upon all that 's left of God in it What multitudes hath the Devil that serve him every-where and how busie are they at their Work God hath but a few Servants and since he hath made me one of them I 'le do him the best Service I can Such a blessed and quickning influence would such abiding thoughts have upon all the People of God As 't would be on the contrary If Sinners would carry this thought upon their Hearts I am every day serving the Devil it would be a Bridle to hold them in so if People kept up such a thought I am serving the Lord 't would be a Spur to quicken them on Such a thought upon Sinners Hearts I am serving the Devil would strike such a fear as would drive them quite backwards The very same fear which would animate Saints would strike Sinners dead in the Nest If a Sinner that 's going to the Ale-house would seriously consider and ask himself Whither am I going and upon whose Errand And his Heart should answer I am going to the Ale-house to serve the Devil the Devil hath some Servants at work there for him at their Drinking-work Swearing-work Scoffing-work and I am going among them to help on the Devil's Work And if others that are serving their Covetousness or their Pride or their Envy if their Hearts should tell them This also is serving the Devil the Devil hath a great Work for thee to do to damn that Soul of thine and as many others as thou canst The Devil would have thee to Hell with him and hang up that Soul of thine in Chains of Fire This he cannot do unless thou wilt put thine own hand to the Work and now he hath brought thee to it in the course thou art now taking thou art doing the Devil's Work to destroy thine own Soul Such thoughts would put Sinners to a stand or at least slacken their pace If the Devil should possess a whole Countrey of People as he hath sometimes possessed some particular Persons and should set them a pulling down their own Houses a burning their Corn and their Cattel a tearing their own flesh a pulling out their own Eyes a butchering their Children a pulling out one anothers Throats who would no the afraid to go dwell in that Countrey to be hired to that cruel Work Why Sinners 't is worse work than this that the Devil hath set you upon and you are now a-doing He hath set you on work to stab every Man his own Soul to strike in Darts through our Livers to kindle those Fires that will burn to the bottom of Hell and to cast your selves headlong into those Eternal Flames Hadst thou such a thought as this upon thy Heart didst thou but consider that this is it thou art doing 't would cool the heat of thy Lust and hold thee back at least from much of that wickedness thou art rushing upon And so it would be here if Christians did consider what 't is that they are a doing in their following Holiness and Righteousness that they are herein serving the Lord and that in his recovering and saving Design O how would it provoke them on How is it that thou art such a slow-belly that thou art such a drone and such a slug in thy Work Is he whom thou servest worthy of no more than this Pluck up thy Spirits Man thou art upon Service for the God of the whole Earth and upon the noblest Service that thou art capable of thou art sent forth upon the same Service for which the Son of God was sent into the World to save Souls and to destroy the Works of the Devil Jam. 5.20 If God should have employed thee but in those lower Works that Christ did for the Bodies of Men to open the Eyes of the Blind to unloose the Tongue of the Dumb to cast out Devils to heal the Sick and raise the Dead wouldst thou have been so unwilling and so backward at such Works Thou art upon greater Works than these to save thine own Soul and those that see and hear thee God hath made thee one of that Chosen Generation that Royal Priesthood that Holy Nation who are to serve him by shewing forth the Vertues of him that hath called them 1 Pet. 2.9 To bear his Name and to set forth his Praises in the World thou art set up as the Image of God as the Epistle of Christ thou art sent forth as a Factor and Agitator for God to negotiate for him in the Earth to bear up his Name to propagate his Gospel to enlarge his Kingdom Art thou not afraid to trifle in such noble Works Think O my Soul what 't is thou art for and for whom thou livest Shall I be as the Ox that eateth Grass or as the Swine that lyeth in the Mud and tell the World behold your King This is the Image of your God Shall the Epistle of Christ be nothing else but a Blank or Blots Shall the Factor for Heaven have so much of his Occupation for Earth Shall I teach Men to despise and pollute and blaspheme that worthy Name which I am intrusted to advance and exalt Shall any little that I do suffice me in so great a Trust Come on O my Soul remember thou servest the Living God and therefore let me do him the best Service I can Canst thou be too Holy Canst thou be too Circumspect and too Active I may be too sluggish and too silent and too shie and too shamefac'd
but can I be too busie a too zealous for the Living God Can I say of my best this is too much Can I say of any thing less than my best this is enough 'T is the Lord God whom thou servest fear to be unworthy This is the advantage of our carrying this thought upon our Hearts I serve the Lord it will put us upon the best and highest Service Give me leave to add another Advantage though not of so proper consideration here This thought whilst it provokes us to the highest will yet comfort us touching the least and meanest of all our Services Some poor weak Christians are apt to discourage themselves in all they do from this that it is so very low and little that they do I am a poor Creature 't is but little that I have to serve the Lord withal I am ignorant and of weak understanding I have not the Parts nor Gifts that others have I might possibly serve the Lord better were it not for this Fear which is upon me I am afraid to speak of God or of the Things of God I am of slow Speech and rude Language I cannot express my self to any purpose I am ashamed of my teaching my Family of my praying in my Family I do it so brokenly and confusedly that I fear I do more hurt than good in it I but poor Man as weak as thou art and as weakly as thou dost what thou dost if thou do what thou canst This is serving the Lord and whether it be little or much if thou canst but truly say This is serving the Lord thou mayst be comforted in it If Sinners considered that their little Sins were serving the Devil 't would make them afraid of the very least transgression Some Sinners are not so great Sinners as others they are not guilty of those higher and more notorious Crimes that some others are and this quiets them and keeps off Fear from them Thou art no Drunkard thou sayest nor no Adulterer nor no Blasphemer I but dost thou not live a carnal vain careless earthly Life and is not this serving the Devil Though thou dost not serve the Devil in the Ale-house or the Whore-house though thou dost not serve the Devil with Oaths and Curses and Blasphemies yet is it not the Devil still thou servest Thou servest thy Covetousness thou servest thy Pride and thy sensual Appetite thou neglectest Christ and thy Soul and is not this serving the Devil Such a thought upon the most harmless of Sinners Hearts yet I serve the Devil would make him afraid Is it a light thing to serve the Devil Though I be not numbred among the chief of Sinners though there be others worse than I yet am not I under the same Master Though I be among the hindermost of the Company yet am not I one of them This Life I live is no serving God and therefore 't is doubtless the serving of the Devil Take heed O my Soul If the Devil can but hold thee 't will be all one whether it be by greater or smaller Cords the Devil is dragging thee to Hell and so he can but get the thither at last it will be upon the matter all one to him whether it be by greater or lesser Sins Though he can't perswade thee to ride post into the Pit yet if he can but toll thee in that shall suffice him though it be but by a slower pace Now as such a thought I serve the Devil would afright the least of Sinners so will such a thought I serve the Lord comfort the least of Saints But this by the way 4. Another Reason why we should Fear is because of the great Treasure we carry about with us whither-ever we go Christians are Travellers and they travel with charge about them This World is a dangerous World the Passengers through it are in danger of falling among Thieves which will spoil and rob them of their Treasure A Christian carries more Riches about him than the whole World is worth He hath the whole Gospel within him he hath the two Tables of the Covenant his Heart is the Ark in which they are laid up He hath Christ in him the Fruits of his Blood his Pardon and Reconciliation the graces and comforts of his Spirit his evidences for Heaven all the Records of the gracious Transactions betwixt God and his Soul the Pawns and Pledges of Divine Love the King's Broad-Seal and the Earnest for Glory all the Income of his Faith the Returns of his Prayers all that he hath gotten all the Manna he hath gathered the Hidden Manna the White Stone with the New Name he carries all his Riches up and down with him whither-ever he travels Hast thou any Divine Light in thine Heart any love for Christ any zeal for God and his Gospel any Tokens of his Love or Tenderness of his Honour Is there Peace or Joy or Hope within thee All this thou art in danger of being rob'd and spoil'd of This is the Design that Satan hath upon thee this is the Errand of every Worldly Lust of every Temptation every Companion every Carnal Relation every Change of Condition every Carnal Pleasure all thy Earthly Possessions the Devil hath set them in ambush and they lie in wait for thee to rifle thee and spoil thee of all that ever thou art worth Hast thou never fallen amongst these Thieves and suffered great loss by them Hast thou been rob'd and art thou not afraid thou mayest again Will not thy loss make thee more wise and wary How many Instances have there been of secure and unwary Christians who whilst they have been venturous upon Temptations have trusted themselves amongst their vain Companions indulged themselves a more free and jolly and easie a more remiss and flesh pleasing Life or a more busie drudgery for this VVorld have as to their sense at least lost all they had for the other VVorld VVho when they have come a little to themselves fall a mourning out Naomi's bitter Song Ruth 1.20 Call me no more Naomi but call me Marah I went out full but I returned empty Whilst mine Heart was tender and mine Eye jealous whilst I kept my watch and kept my distance from this World and its Temptations O what Light Love Peace Joy did then shine upon and possess my Heart then I had a God whom I could call mine own then I had a Jesus and could lean upon my Beloved then I could believe love serve delight in enjoy and praise the Lord. But wo wo to me how is it now Whilst I allowed my self a little more boldness with this Flesh and this World I have even lost all ere I was aware I am fallen among Thieves and what have they left me O mine Ease my Pleasures my Money my Lands which I have turned aside to how have you served me Whilst I have been loving and following and serving you how have you rewarded me Ah me they have taken away my
Sins strange and unaccustomed Sins there 's no Sin so gross but it may be thy Sin and there 's no Sin so small but it may be thy undoing there 's no Sin so great a stranger to thee but one time or other it may give thee a visit thou mayest be tempted to that Sin which thou wast never tempted to in all thy life thou mayest be over-come of that sin which thou never committedst all thy dayes before Say not of any sin this I fear not it may be the next that comes and if it come thou hast that within thee may bid it welcome Fear all Sin but especially fear thy Beloved Sin Fear what-ever thou lovest in all the World but especially the Sin of thy Love there be some Sins that that thou canst better spare and what thou canst better spare thou needest least to fear But what is this Beloved Sin or how may I know which it is 'T is worth your enquiry and I shall give you the following marks or discoveries of it by which you may understand both what Sin it is that is your Beloved Sin and how great reason you have to fear it 1. The Beloved Sin hath easie entrance The Apostle calls it Heb. 12.1 The Sin that doth easily beset us It layes Siege to the Soul and it hath an easie Siege of it it lies not long without the Walls the Gates are quickly thrown open to it when-ever it comes to the Door 't is usually let in at the first knock Strangers may be made to wait or be sent packing but this Friend must be fetched in and bid welcome the Devil may save his labour to tempt to this Sin it self is temptation enough It is the Familiar of the Heart one of its nearest Acquaintance 2. It hath the command of all The Beloved-Sin is the Master-Sin 't is by love that Sin rules what-ever hath gotten thy love hath therein gotten the dominion in thee Lovest thou God then at his command thou art Lovest thou Sin then this becomes thy Lord thou wilt deny or keep back nothing it will have This Herodias may ask what she will and she shall have it not half but all not the Baptist's Head but thine own Head and Heart and Soul and Life all must be sacrificed to it All the good thou hast and not only this but all other Sins and Lusts must stoop to it and serve it For instance If Pride be the Master-Sin the whole Man and all that ever he hath must be Servants to it yea and every other Lust must either serve it or give place to it Covetousness must get in Wealth to maintain it Envy must throw Dirt in others Faces that would eclipse it Curiosity must provide it of Ornaments all the parts and powers of the Soul all its vertues and inward Endowments all the actions of the Life must all be made use of to serve and uphold it Meekness Temperance Patience Charity Chastity Preaching Praying Fasting all our Religion must be press'd to do homage to this Idol and whatsoever would be a disgrace whether it be good or evil must be laid aside or trodden under-foot If it be a disgrace to be covetous Pride will be content to be poor if it be a disgrace to be quarrelsom Pride will be peaceable yea if it be a disgrace to be proud Humility must serve it for a Covering and Ornament If it be an honour to be Godly and Conscientious the Proud will be a Professor and if it be a disgrace or reproach then farewel to Religion Conscience hide thine head Every thing must be entertained or rejected according as it may serve or hinder it and this Pride must have the ordering and disposing of all If Covetousness be the Master-Sin then all we are or have must be at its command The Sensual Appetite must be denyed and Hunger and Thirst must be born for its sake Expensive Pride or Wasteful Prodigality must no longer be endured Slothfulness and Idleness must by no means be indulged to All our time wits parts strength all those vices injustice oppression unmercifulness must be hired to gather in Dust to feed this greedy Worm And the like may be said of any other Beloved Sin it hath the command of all 3. It must have no check nor controul The Beloved must dwell in quiet do what I will and none must say to it What dost thou Like that Fondling Adonijah of whom 't is said 1 Kings 1.6 His Father had not displeased him at any time nor said Why hast thou done so The Darling must be dandled but never corrected or questioned or if there be a necessity and it cannot be avoided that some check be given it then the same charge must be given as concerning that other of David's Fondlings Absalom 2 Sam. 18.5 Deal gently with the young Man Not too harsh not too close Nay my Sons 't is not well that I hear of you said Eli to his wicked Sons 1 Sam. 4.24 And that 's the hardest word that will be born 4. It 's the last that 's parted with Reuben shall go and Simeon shall go and Judah shall go but must Benjamin go to My Son shall not go down said once old Israel Gen. 42. this Pride let it go sayes the covetous Man and this Sloth and this Pleasure but must this Mammon and my Heart be parted it shall not go This Covetousness let it go saith the proud Man and this Ease and this Pleasure but shall this Honour and these Ornaments go If I be put to Labour I can bear it or if I be Poor I can bear it I can work hard or fare hard but I cannot be despised though my Estate be brought low and my Back be bowed down yet my Spirit will not come down this Pleasure I can spare and this Ease and this Honour saith the peevish but I cannot help it to be angry and impatient when I am provoked Nature will have its vent any thing but this but in this thing the Lord pardon me I cannot help it 5. It 's often the parting penny betwixt Christ and the Soul betwixt the Soul and Life 'T is the last that 's parted with and sometimes 't will never be parted with Christ must go and Life must go the Soul must die rather than this Sin not be saved alive Doubtless there are Souls in Hell that have parted with much and would have parted with all but this one thing their Beloved Sin and for the sake of this they perish everlastingly Was it not the care of that young Man that came to Christ for Eternal Life Mark 10.21 He was fair for Life only Christ tells him One thing thou lackest Get thee loose from the love of this Earth and Heaven shall be thine O sayes his Heart I have too much to lose and I love it too well to part with it so sorry I am I cannot I have a good will to thee I have a mind to live abate me
it God's Ill Will against Sinners God's Blessing is his Good Will and his Ill Will this is his Curse Joseph's Blessing The good Will of him that dwelt in the Bush Deut. 33.16 is the Portion of all the Saints and in God's good Will is every good Thing the precious Things of the Earth and the fulness thereof yea and the precious Things of the Heaven also Psal 30.5 In his favour is Life And in God's Ill Will is every evil Thing thou needest no more to make thee perfectly miserable than this that the Almighty bears thee ill Will. 'T is an Affliction to be under the ill Will of Men for a Child to have the ill Will of his Father for a Wife to have the ill Will of her Husband for a Man to have the ill Will of his Neighbours for a Subject to be under the ill Will of his Prince But what-ever there be in this God's good Will will make amends for all though all the Family where thou livest yea though all the Countrey bear thee ill Will if God bear thee good Will thou art a blessed Man If thou hast the good Will of all the World and only God bears thee ill Will thou art cursed with a Curse This Curse of God is 1. Revealed in his Word 2. Executed in part in this World 3. Pronounced in the last Judgment 4. Executed in full in the World to come 1. The Curse of God is revealed in the Word of God Rom. 1.18 The Wrath of God is revealed from Heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of Men. It is revealed from Heaven that is by the Law of God The Law of God binds Sinners under the Curse of God and declares to them what this Curse of God is 2. The Curse of God is in part executed in this World The Curse followed Sin close at the heels and is executed on Sinners here 1. In temporal Plagues There is a Curse upon the Creatures which were made for their use Gen. 3.17 Cursed is the ground for thy sake The whole Earth with all things therein hath something of the Curse cleaving to it whereupon though it still be useful yet there is something in it that is noxious to Man Vpon their labours which often become fruitless and ordinarily irksome and tiresome In the sweat of thy face thou shalt eat thy bread Gen. 3.19 Vpon their Estates sometimes blasting and devouring them entring into their Houses and eating out the Timber thereof and the Stones thereof or else turning them into temptations and snares Vpon their Bodies Sin wounds and bruises in Sickness and Death 2. In Spiritual Evils inflicted upon the Souls of Sinners The Curse of God not only falls upon their outward Man but enters into their very Hearts upon which the Lord most signally executes this Curse by leaving Sinners and giving them up to blindness of Mind to a reprobate Mind Rom. 1.28 to hardness of Heart Isa 6.9 to the power of their Lusts Psal 81.12 whereby they are filled with all unrighteousness and reserved as in Chains under darkness to the Judgment of the great Day Sinner thy blindness thine hardness thy walking after thy Lusts in the Counsels of thy wicked Heart this is the Curse of God upon thee thy Sins are thy Curse And that Impenitence and that reprobate Mind which God gives some Sinners up unto is their sealing under the Curse God sometimes curses Sinners in this Life as Christ cursed the fruitless Fig-tree Mat. 21.19 Never Fruit grow on thee for ever Be thou never good for any thing never good Thought never good Motion come into thee never a drop of Dew or Rain fall upon thee never a Bud or Blossom spring up in thee nothing prosper in thee but be thou barren for ever of every good thing let that Soul wither and perish and die for ever This Curse is the most dreadful of all Curses above-ground and the very next to Hell 3. The Curse is pronounced in the last Judgment in that terrible Sentence Matth. 25.41 Depart from me ye Cursed into everlasting Fire prepared for the Devil and his Angels Now that if it be possible Sinners may be awakened out of sleep and be wrought to this Fear I shall a little open the Mouth of the Pit by opening this fearful Sentence Depart from me Depart whither why whithersoever it is 't is sad enough that 't is depart from me from Christ Christ is the Life it can be no less than Death to depart from Life Ye Cursed You that are bound under the Curse you that have been filling your selves with Curses clothing your selves with Curses treasuring up Curses to your selves all your time against this day Get you gone with your Curses upon you your Sins be upon you your Guilt be upon you your Blood be upon your own Heads for ever Ye are cursed with a Curse bear ye that burthen for ever and ever Into everlasting Fire And now you see whither 't is they are to depart I told you but now that 't is Misery enough that they must depart from Christ and from the presence of the Lord. If Sinners were to be sentenced down to this Earth again sent back to their Fields and Vineyards to their Ale-houses and Whore-houses to the best of their dirty pleasures here below yet this that they are sent into banishment from the Presence and Paradise of God when God shall so far open their Eyes as to let them see what they have lost this would be an unspeakable torment to them But this is not their place when they are taken hence they shall return hither no more they must bid an eternal farewel to all their carnal and bruitish ease and pleasures their Houses and their pleasant Places shall know them no more for ever God will not leave them so much as the least of the left-hand Blessings not a drop of Water to cool their Tongues 'T is into the Fire they must go The pain of Fire is the most tormenting of all the pains we know and therefore made use of to shadow out those inexpressible intolerable pains to which the ungodly shall be sentenced in that day Everlasting Fire What not yet at the bottom No this Gulf hath no bottom they shall be ever knowing and yet never know the worst of their Case what-ever they feel the worst is still behind because Eternity is still behind they shall never have ease nor rest again but shall be tormented night and day for ever and ever Prepared for the Devil and his Angels These are their Companions in their Tribulation Must we into the Fire But may we not have good Company in the Fire God may be in the Fire with me So he was in the case of the three Confessors and then the fire could not burn No t is the Devil that will be with you in the fire to torment and to be tormented with you for ever What is it to dwell in an Earthly House that 's
haunted with the Devil What terror do they live in whose dwelling is in haunted Houses How are they scar'd and frighted to see the face of that Dragon though shap'd into the most beautiful form Those that tremble so to see the Devil in their own Houses what will it be to them to be carried with him into his House where he will be unclothed of all his Vizors and no longer appear in the snape of a Man no nor of a Lion or Bear but will shew himself a Devil And his Angels All the Legions of those unclean and damned Spirits together with all those damned Souls their fellow-Sinners All the filth and garbage of the Earth must lie rotting and stinking together in that dismal Hole All the Atheists and Blasphemers all the Adulterers and their Whores all the Rioters and Drunkards that have spent so many Days and sat up so many Nights at the Wine and the strong Drink shall now be filled with the Company they loved and shall have an everlasting Night to lie drinking up the Wine of the Wrath of the Almighty and of the Lamb and suck up the dregs and bottom of that deadly Cup which the Fury of the Most High hath mingled and appointed for them This is their Sentence 4. The Curse is executed in full in the World to come Mat. 25.46 And these shall go away into everlasting punishment Of this Sentence there will be 1. no Repeal or Reversing 't is the final Sentence and must be executed 2. Nor will there be any Reprieve but as the doom is past away they immediately go into the place of Execution Esther 7.8 As the Word went out of the King's Mouth they covered Haman 's Face and away presently they carried him to the Gallows and hang'd him up As soon as ever this Word is spoken Depart from me ye Cursed c. Down they are tumbled into that Fire prepared for them which the Breath of the Lord as a River of Brimstone doth kindle and make to burn for ever Lay all this together and then you will know what the Curse to be feared is 2. Vnconverted Sinners are under the Curse We are all by Nature Children of Wrath cursed Children Ephes 2.3 All the World is become guilty before God Rom. 3.19 The whole World lyeth in wickedness 1 Joh. 5.19 and he that lyeth in wickedness abideth in Death and the Wrath of God abideth on him This wicked and cursed state is naturally the state of every Man and whosoever is not Converted he is under this Curse to this day Not only the first-born of Sinners the worst and most monstrous among them whose Iniquities have mark'd them with a Curse in their Foreheads but every Sinner the most harmless amongst the whole Rout every one of them the Wrath of God abideth on him and if he should die and go out of the World in such a case there 's no hope of him but he must perish everlastingly How unsuitable are the jocund and merry Hearts of Sinners to their state and condition These Sons of Death are most of them Sons of Laughter the jolly ones of the Earth When you pass by the Tents of evil Men and behold them drinking and dancing singing and sporting and rufling it out in their gallantry as some of them do or find them sleeping at their ease and out of fear as 't is with others of them would you not say Is this the noise is this the guise of Men appointed to Death Is this the sound of the Vessels of Wrath Are these the Guilty Ones and the Cursed Ones whose Souls are in Chains dragging down to the horrible Pit One would think by their Faces and Carriages by their merry Dayes and quiet Nights that the Sinners of the Earth were fairest for Heaven that they had shot the Gulf and were past danger of miscarrying for ever But what art thou O Sinner To whom dost thou belong Whither art thou falling What is thine Inheritance or thy Portion from the Lord Consider the Scriptures Psal 11.6 Vpon the Wicked he shall rain Snares Fire and Brimstone and an horrible Tempest this is the Portion of their Cup. This shall be their Portion hereafter but what is their Portion here John 3.18 He that believeth not is condemned already And Joh. 3.6 The Wrath of God abideth on him Every unconverted Sinner is under the Curse 3. There is great danger he may never escape or be delivered from it If he never be Converted he can never escape The Devil shall as soon break Prison and make an escape from Hell to Heaven as thou who diest an Impenitent canst escape falling into that Prison Mat. 18.3 Except ye be converted ye cannot enter into the Kingdom of God Continue Unconverted till thou diest and 't is impossible thou shouldst escape And there is very great danger that thou that art yet an Unbeliever and an Impenitent to this day mayst never be a Convert to thy dying day This is the last hope thou hast that however it be with thee at present yet hereafter thou mayest be brought in But know that what-ever hope thou hast of that there is a very great hazard that it may never be which will appear if thou consider these three things 1. The multitudes of those that miscarry that die in final Impenitency and so perish everlastingly to a very few that are Converted and Saved 2. The constant miscarriage and succeslesness of all the means that have been hitherto used for thy Conversion 3. The potent Adversaries and the mighty opposition they make and will make against thy Conversion 1. Consider the multitudes of those that miscarry and die Impenitents to a very few that are Converted and Saved The Scriptures tell us That there are but few that shall be saved The real Converts are but a little Flock Luk. 12.32 Mat. 7.13 14. Strait is the Gate and narrow is the way that leadeth to Life and few there be that find it But wide is the Gate and broad is the way that leadeth to Destruction and many there be which go in thereat Shall we believe our own Experiences How many poor Souls do we see in the World who walk on in the courses and after the Lusts of this World some in a blind and ignorant State some in Lewdness and Luxury some in Covetousness and Sensuality in Carelesness and Carnal-security who after a long course that they have thus run at length drop into the Grave and go out of the World without the least token of sound Repentance How many such Instances have we of Men going Unbelievers and Impenitents out of the World to here and there one that gives any hopeful testimony of real Conversion The number of Converts to them that die in Impenitence even in the judgment of the greatest Charity is but a very small number Now if any of you were sick of some dangerous Disease as suppose the Pestilence which were so generally mortal that it swept
fright thee out of the Fold but to fright thee into a Sheep I shall do thee no harm if I can fright thee to Heaven 2. What 's one Man's Meat may be another Man's Poison and what 's one Man's Poison may be another Man 's necessary Meat All Christians are not of a like Spirit and what 's poison for some may be proper for others Same poor broken melancholick Souls are all fears and must have Comforts preached unto them others are secure confident and yet careless Ones and these have asmuch need of terror Comforts preached to the doubting and distressed Ones may be poison to the secure and careless and yet for the sake of the distressed they must be preached and terror preached to the secure may be poison to the distressed and yet they must be preached for the securers sakes The Ministers of the Gospel must be good Stewards giving to every one their Portion Luk. 12.42 Comfort to whom comfort belongeth and fear to whom fear On some have compassion making a difference others save with fear Jude 22 23. And as Ministers must give so People must take every one their own Portions as Ministers must divide so People must apply the Word of God aright Let every Man take his own Portion and not be catching at that which is another's There is too great an aptness in the distressed to lay hold on those words that are spoken to the secure if there be ever an afrighting word in a whole Sermon that 's my Portion saith the Distressed this Word belongs to me and so the secure are too ready to lay hold on those healing and comforting words which belong to the broken and distressed both these Evils must be heedfully avoided but whether People will apply the Word of God aright or no there 's no help for it but Ministers must divide it aright and give to every one their Portion 3. There is an awaking fear that quickens to our Duty and prepares for comfort and this will lightly hurt no Body and there is a disquieting and discouraging fear that disheartens to Duty and deprives of Comfort and this will do no Body any good 4. This Fear I am preaching to you will lead you to the better and surer hope These Doubtings will be of great use to put us in the way of getting above our Doubts As there is a Confidence which will end in terror so there are Fears and Doubtings the Fruit whereof will be Quietness and Assurance for ever This will more fully appear in the next Particular wherein I am to shew 2. How this Fear will work towards a farther search Hitherto I have been endeavouring to work this Fear upon Professors Hearts concerning their States and now I shall shew how this Fear will work The Fear lest our Souls should be yet unsafe will 1. Put hard to come to a certainty And to this end will 2. Put us close upon a more narrow search 3. Put in Objections in order to the making all clear and plain 1. It will put hard to come to a certainty nothing short will satisfie it Fear hath pain in it the fearing Christian is in pain till his Doubts be resolved and this pain will press him to make sure He will be thankful for Probabilities and will make the most of them as a drowning Man will catch at every Twig that may keep his Head above Water till he can get better hold A Christian that Fears will not make nothing of Probabilities nor yet will take up with them instead of Certainties The Confident Sinner will venture all upon conjecture if his Heart do but speak him fair and tell him he is safe that shall satisfie him 'T is an amazing thing to consider what broken Reeds Fools do stay themselves upon Fear will make all as sure as it can And there is some hope in that that we ae bent upon making sure He that will not rest in uncertainties is in the fairer way to come to a certainty 2. Fear will put us on close upon the narrowest search It will not take up with Reports or Opinions but will search the Records whence it may be like to get satisfactions And there are two Books of Records that will be enquired after and look'd into the Book of the Scriptures and the Book of Conscience In one the Book of the Scriptures it will examine what are the plainest and most certain Marks of Sincerity when it hath found a Mark it will enquire May not this be also in an Hypocrite and will not pitch on any thing but that which cannot be found in any Hypocrite in the World Then it enquires into Conscience and compares the two Books together The word tells me He that is in Christ is a new-Creature 2 Cor. 5.17 He that is born of God is a Believer 1 John 5.1 Is a lover of God 1 John 4.7 He that loveth doth keep the Commandments of God and his Commandments are not grievous 1 John 5.3 The Children of God are Children that will not lye are meek merciful holy harmless The Disciples of Christ are such as deny themselves take up their Cross and follow him These and such-like are found in the Scriptures to be the signs of the Children of God And what sayest thou O my Conscience are these things found in me Where is my Faith What Love have I for God What witness to my Love in my Obedience What Truth Mercy Meekness Humility Patience is to be discerned in me Come forth O my Graces where are you Shew your selves in the light of the Sun And what can you testify O my ways for me Speak Conscience what is the life which I have lived Is it a life of Faith a life of Love and Holy Obedience If Conscience speaks in the affirmative and gives in its answer through the Grace of God I find it thus with me Then 3. Fear will make Objections and put in farther Questions It 's true he that is a New-Creature is in Christ he that believeth and loveth and obeyeth the Lord is born of God and I find that there is something in me that looks like the New-Creature that looks like Faith and Love c. But may not all these be but the Images of Grace Is my Faith the very Faith of God's Elect Do I love the Lord Jesus in sincerity do I obey from the heart that form of Doctrine that is delivered to me May there not be as great a change upon an Hypocrite may not Hypocrites believe and love and obey as far as ever I have done And until the matter be brought to this issue that there is something found such a Faith such a Love such Holy Obedience as cannot be found in Hypocrites till then this Fear which will ever suspect the worst will nor give over but still will come on with question upon question How shall I know my Faith is right and how shall I prove my Love and Obedience to be sincere I am
be many that say God is my portion I have chosen him for my inheritance and they think as they speak and yet do but deceive themselves I hope I have sincerely chosen the Lord but yet am in fear lest I also may be deceived How may I know whether it be so or no To this I answer you may know that you have sincerely chosen the Lord 1. If you have chosen him deliberately 2. If you have chosen him absolutely 3. If you carefully pursue your choice 4. If you measure your present happiness by the communion you have with him and the clearness of your title to him 5. If you be willing and resolved to forsake all things for his sake 1. If you have chosen God deliberately if your choice be not in a sudden fit but be the result of the deepest consideration Suddain bargains are often as suddenly repented of A light unadvised choice is not like to hold and while it holds there 's no great heed to be given to it Some men are such unstable Souls that their whole life almost is nothing else but choosing and changing when we choose understandingly and deliberately when we have throughly considered the great reasons for our choosing God his worthiness and excellency and our own necessity and have also weighed all the inconveniencies thereof and all the objections against it and do find that the reasons for do infinitely over-ballance all that can be said against it and hereupon determine for God that 's like to be found a sincere choice 2. If you have chosen him absolutely as that which you will stand to to the last whatever inconveniencies may follow When there are no ifs nor ands no reserves in your heart nor place lest for repentance When your choice runs not as Jacob's conditional vow Gen. 28.20 If the Lord will be with me and will keep me in the way that I go and give me bread to eat and raiment to put on so that I return to my Fathers house in peace then the Lord shall be my God but without any such if's whether he will feed me or no cloth me or no let him do with me as he will for that I am resolved however the Lord shall be my God And indeed so was Jacob too however the words sound This was never intended by him as the condition of his Religion there 's no other condition of that but if or since the Lord will be my God he shall be my God Jacob was in bond to God before and here he enters into a new bond layes a new obligation upon himself every one of these Mercies shall be so many new cords to bind me fast to the Lord but whether these new cords were added or no whether the Lord would keep or feed or cloth him or no 't was never his intent but his old bond should stand however that the Lord should be his God And as there are no reserves nor conditions in this our choice of God so is there a resolution against repenting of our choice whatever should happen A Christian chooses once for all chooses and changes not His choice of God is like to Gods choice Psal 110.4 I have sworn and will not repent sayes he concerning Christ The gifts and calling of God much more the Election of God are without repentance Rom. 11.29 where we choose God absolutely we leave no place for repentance 3. If you carefully pursue your choice Thus was it with Paul who had chosen for himself above and taken his aim at the right mark the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus he sayes Philip. 3.12 13. I follow after I reach forward I press to the mark Some vain men perswade themselves that they have chosen God and yet seldom or never look after nor take any care to obtain and make sure of him whom they have chosen they choose God but never follow God nor take the way that leads to the blessedness to come Sincere choice takes in both end and means When the choice of our hearts doth govern the course of our lives and doth effectually bend our course towards the obtaining of him whom we have chosen when this becomes our main drift and scope This I pray for this I wait for this I labour for this I live for I have nothing else to do but to serve and make sure of God if I can but so live as to please God here and get to Heaven when I dye whatever I miscarry in 't is all I look for this argues such a choice of God as will certainly argue us to be of God To choose God and yet to live to our selves to choose Heaven for our portion and yet to have our conversation in the earth an idle and inefficacious choice that doth not effectually command us after him whom we have chosen but let us run our old carnal course is a vanity and a delusion 4. If you measure your present happiness by the communications of God to you and the clearness of your title to him He that hath chosen God for his happiness look how much he possesses and enjoys of God and to what degree of clearness he is come concerning his Evidences for Heaven to such a degree of happiness he counts himself to have arrived whilst he can love and please and serve the Lord and maintain a confidence of his acceptance with him so long he can rejoyce when he is estranged from God he is as a man undone Therefore is it that Christians set themselves to get as much of God here and as sure a claim to the inheritance of the Saints in light as possibly they can Every one would make as sure of happiness as he can and would be happy as soon as he can would get as much as may be into present possession Hence are those breathings and thirstings and rejoycings of the Saints which we read of in Scripture As the hart panteth after the water brooks so panteth my Soul after thee O God my Soul thirsteth for God for the living God Psal 42.1 2. My Soul thirsteth for thee my Flesh longeth for thee thy loving kindness is better than life My Soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness when my mouth shall praise thee with joyful lips Psal 63. O that my wayes were so directed to keep thy Statutes O let me not wander from thy Commandments Psal 119.5.10 For in keeping them is great reward Psal 19. I have set the Lord alwayes before me because he is at my right hand I shall not be moved therefore mine heart is glad and my glory rejoyceth Psal 16.8 9. Lord lift thou up the light of thy countenance upon me thou hast put gladness in my heart Psal 4.6 7. Christians can never have good dayes longer than they are walking with God and beholding his face in righteousness this is their Heaven on Earth The reflection of the face of God in his Holy Image that appears upon them
3. That you may not fear the severities of Religion fear the severity of Christ against Irreligion Thou canst not bear the work of Righteousness but how wilt thou bear the wages of Unrighteousness if thou canst not be tied up so strait by the cords of his Discipline how wilt thou endure the chains of his indignation If the severities of his service be to thee a stumbling-stone the wrath of the Lamb will be a mill-stone if this stone fall upon thee it will grind thee to powder Matth. 21.44 Sinners let their tongues run at a wild rate I must have my ease I must have my liberty I was never in bondage and cannot now endure it to come under such a severe restraint But thou that professest thy self to be one of his Disciples wilt thou say as these say I cannot bear it I cannot endure it Canst thou burn what thinkest thou of the everlasting severity Consider what thou dost either submit to Christs Pastoral Rod or fall for ever under his Iron Rod wherewith he will crush thee to pieces like a Potters Vessel Why is this the case must I bow or burn must I come under his Government or be ground under his Milstones O I have done no more reasoning with flesh and blood no more picking quarrels with Religion whatever there be in it I dare not but submit to it all for fear a worse thing come unto me Well but wilt thou submit then wilt thou set thine heart to all his words wilt thou set thy Neck to all his works This is the third thing now I exhort you to follow after Severity and strictness in the wayes of the Lord which because it hath something more of asperity and roughness in it than those that follow there will be so much the more need of Fear to bring us to it 4. Simplicity Severity may be in Hypocrisie the Scribes and Pharisees were severe severe in their Fasts disfiguring their faces looking with sad and dejected countenances severe in the observation of the Rites Customs and Traditions of their Fathers yea and of the Letter of the Law of God there were very strict sects of them Act. 26.5 and yet they were Hypocrites Simplicity notes The Heart in our work Singleness of heart 1. Simplicity notes Heartiness in our Work nothing is plain and honest but that which is hearty doing the Will of God from the heart Ephes 6.6 Ye have obeyed from the heart Rom. 6.17 My Son give me thy heart Prov. 23.26 What is it to give God the heart This is one thing comprehended in it to give him the heart for a servant or to serve him with the heart He that gives God the heart gives him the best he hath and gives him all he hath the heart will command the tongue and the hands and the time and the Estate to be all at his service which way the heart goes all goes Serving the Lord with the heart is serving him in good earnest we do but play with duty we do but mock God where the heart is not 't is only serving him in spirit that is serving him in truth Friends be real and in good earnest in what you doe let all your Religion come deep let your Prayers and your Prayses and all the exercising your selves to Godliness of life be the streamings and issuings forth of your hearts to the Lord. Whatever you doe do it heartily as unto the Lord. Serve the Lord as you have been used to serve your flesh in good earnest What you have done for your Estates what you have done for your Names or for your safety you have done it heartily and shall that only which we do for God and for our Souls be done without an heart what is God what are our Souls and the concernments of them that they should be thus put off Is this heartless service all that God is worthy of will he accept it at our hands or is it no matter whether he accept it or no Is this spiritless service answerable to the worth of our Souls and the weight of Eternity will you venture all upon shadowes and lyes Are we but in Jest when we talk of a God or a Christ or a World to come Are our hopes and fears about hereafter but delusions and dreams Do you believe from the heart and dare you not obey from the heart How can you say you believe there is a God indeed that of a very truth there is such an Heaven and such an Hell in one of which your immortal Souls must dwell for ever how can you believe such things and not feel your very inwards even all the Powers of your Souls engaged about them Am I speaking to those that believe not is it not to you that believe that I now direct my words Consider friends The God in whom you believe is a Spirit and will be served in Spirit and in Truth God is a great God and infinitely worthy of the best and of all you have your Souls are precious eternal Life and eternal Death are serious things and which of these two will be your lott is a serious question and sure these most serious things do call for your most serious and hearty attendance upon them Away with all guile and hypocrisie provoke not the jealous God fool not away your Souls by trusting to lyes Worship God in the Spirit lift up your Souls in your Prayers chasten your Souls in your Fastings And as your Souls must be in your Lips in your Eyes in your Ears while you are solemnly worshipping of God so let your Hearts be in you Hands too in all that you have to doe Let your heart have an hand in all the actions of your lives Eccles 9.10 Whatever thine hand findeth to doe do it with thy might that is do it with all your heart the heart is the might of the man God is the strength of the heart and the heart is the strength of the man Sinners when they go forth upon service for the Devil they carry their heart in their hands Micah 7.3 They do evil with both hands earnestly Earnestly there 's the heart in their hands They do their worst that God will suffer them Thou hast done iniquity as thou couldest Jer. 3.5 as much as ever thou wert able As Sinners do their worst so let Christians do the best they can Whatever thou hast to do for thine own Soul by gathering in and treasuring up against the time to come do the most and the best thou canst be as hearty in laying up treasure in Heaven as ever thou hast been in laying up treasure on Earth Whatever service thou hast to do for God in thy generation by doing good to others do it with all thine heart In your instructing admonishing counselling reproving in your working righteousness in your shewing mercy in your promoting and encouraging any good work or preventing evil in your propagating serious Religion in your pulling poor sinners as
brands out of the burning and rescuing them out of the power of the Devil in compelling the stragling and wandring Sheep into the Fold of the Lord or whatever else you have before you do it heartily as unto the Lord. What a world of good might a generation of hearty Christians do in the World how many Souls might be the better for them how many Families might bless God for them The blessing of Souls ready to perish might come upon them they may be the blessings of a whole Countrey they may be Lights to the World and Life to the dead Eyes to the blind Tongues to the dumb Feet to the lame and strength to them that have no might the Kingdom of God the Gospel of Christ would be advanced and adorned by them and the Synagogues of Sathan even depopulated and destroyed And how greatly would this both abound to their own account and tend to their own improvement in the Grace of God But wo to many of us yea and to the poor world also because an excuse must serve us instead of an heart we want time we want parts either opportunity or ability we have not thus we talk when 't is an heart only that 's wanting Hence 't is we stand so many of us like cyphers a company of useless and insignificant Souls which the Gospel and the Interest of Christ might spare and find little miss of in the world Friends do but find an heart and that will find you time and ability for other manner of service than hitherto you have done Well this is one thing implyed in Simplicity Heartiness 2. Singleness of heart Singleness of heart notes both plainness of heart without juggles and cheats or pretensions of what is not intended and oneness of heart as I may so speak that does not divide it self betwixt more Lords than one more Ends than one but runs out one way that has but one to serve and but one thing to do But of this having spoken largely elsewhere I shall say no more here 5. Ingenuity with good will doing Service Ephes 6.7 this good will notes that good nature which by grace we are wrought to inclining and disposing us to a more noble and free to a more chearful and ready serving the Lord. An ingenuous Christian doth not only serve the Lord really and without guile but readily and cheerfully it 's sweet to him to do good he bears good will to God for himself he feels the infinite goodness and worthiness of the Lord to melt and draw forth his Soul towards him the name and honour of God is in his heart and is so dear and precious to him that he feels something within him prompting him to all manner of expressions of love and duty to him He is become good natur'd and so not only in point of gratefulness he returns love for love good will for good will duty for kindness which he hath received but it is a pleasure to him to return good will for goodness love for his worthiness to be beloved The name of God he would have to be above every name it is his delight and therefore his desire that as the Lord is infinitely honourable so he should be abundantly honoured the very thing the magnifying and exalting the Lord is the great thing that sits upon his heart it is a pleasure to him that God is pleased and this he loves that God should be loved and served and hence is his care hence are his labours this is the spring-head of all his duties and God is the Ocean into which his streams do run He speaks for God and works for God and lives for God he studies to be holy and righteous he is busie and industrious he is watchful and painful and fruitful in good works that he may thereby shew forth the vertues of him that hath called him and glorifie his Father which is in Heaven He understands and feels that what he thus does for God is to himself also and will abound to his own account and everlasting blessedness and the good will he bears to his own Soul and the hopes he has of his own reward are as oyl to his wheels but his good will to his God is the main spring that sets them all a going O follow after this blessed frame get you such an ingenuous Spirit and then how sweet and easie will the very severities of Religion be The nearer you come up to this by so much the less need will you have of that fear which is so necessary to bring you hitherto Fear will now resign up to love to do its work more immediately by it self Not but that there may be still some use of it more or less so long as there is sin before us and any danger of our falling into it so long will love cause us to fear but as we are more grown up above the power of sin and are not so greatly in danger of it so fear abates By how much the more perfect love by so much the more hatred of sin and so much the less fear of it Love will now make as effectual a resistance against sin by Hatred as it did before by fear and for our course of duty we shall now run not with patience only but with chearfulness the race that 's set before us a chearful willing horse will the less need the rod or spur 6. Spirituality This and the former are twins and grows up together How fit is the spiritual man and how free will he be for spiritual work The new man is a spiritual man he is such from his birth Joh. 3.6 that which is born of the Spirit is Spirit but whil'st he is a child there is so little of spirit appearing in him that the Apostle sticks not to call him carnal 1 Cor. 3.1 I could not speak to you as to spiritual but as unto carnal even as to babes in Christ but as this Child grows up towards a perfect stature so he becomes more spiritual from day to day and accordingly he prospers in his work O Christians get you to be of a more elevated raised spirit through the more abundant diffusion of the spirit of Grace upon your hearts Live more in the contemplation of God Behold his face in righteousness and you shall be satisfied with his likeness Psal 17.15 2 Cor. 3.18 Beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord we are changed from glory to glory into the same Image Hereafter we shall be perfectly like him because we shall see him as he is 1 Joh. 3.2 and by how much the more we see him here by so much the more like him Acquaint your selves with God divine converses beget intimacy in Heaven and none so Heavenly as God's intimates we are too great Strangers in Heaven to have much of Heaven upon our hearts distance breeds difference by being such strangers we become more alienated from the life of God There is nothing more ordinary
than to receive the tincture of our society upon our hearts we like our acquaintance and are apt to grow like them Be familiar with the spiritual God and you will become more spiritually minded no such advance towards divine conformity as divine communion conformity will prepare for communion and communion will increase conformity Christians Be spiritual your work is spiritual it lyes in the exercise of spiritual Graces in the performance of spiritual duties in the offering up spiritual Sacrifices Your encouragements are spiritual encouragements spiritual priviledges comforts and rewards favour and acceptance with God fellowship and friendship with God peace of Conscience and joy in the Holy Ghost What are all these spiritual works and spiritual encouragements to carnal hearts how unfit is the spirit of a brute for the work of a man and how unsuitable is the Spirit of a man the carnal mind to the work of a Christian They that are in the flesh fleshly men cannot please God Rom. 8.8 1 Pet. 2.5 Ye also as lively stones are built up a spiritual house an holy Priesthood to offer up spiritual Sacrifices acceptable to God by Jesus Christ Sowing of fields planting of Orchards buying and selling and trading are as proper works for the beasts of the earth and as much they are like to do at it as blessing and praising and serving the living God to carnal men Sinners you also come together to pray and hear and Sing and serve the Lord but you are like to make as good works of it as to the spirit of these duties as your Cattel would do at building your houses or keeping your markets and by how much the more any amongst Christians are like you by so much the more unskilful are they like to be at the work of God And what are spiritual encouragements to carnal hearts how little would it quicken and provoke carnal men on in the Service of God to tell them as you grow more serviceable so you shall be more acceptable to God as you abound in duty so your grace and your comfort and your hopes and your joy shall abound If you could tell them This is the way to be rich to rise and grow great in this world you shall gain favour and friendship with men the Dignities and Preferments the Gold and the Silver shall be shared amongst the most active and industrious Christians What multitudes would this fetch in to be Disciples and what contending would there be who should be the most forward of all Christ's followers But whil'st this is all we can say you shall find grace in the eyes of the Lord you shall have treasure in Heaven we see by experience enough how little this will move them Get these hearts to be more Spiritualized and then you will find both the work of God and his rewards to be most acceptable work and the highest encouragements Friends what 's the reason that we so lose all our arguments which the Lord puts into our mouths to perswade you to more serviceable and fruitful life we open the good treasure of Heaven to you we set the unsearchable riches of Christ before your eyes and do what we can to enamour you of them thereby to allure on your lazy hearts to kindle desire to quicken to labour but nothing will do you are as slow and as heartless in your pursuit of these invisible treasures as if nothing had been told you of their worth and excellency how comes this to pass why are you 〈◊〉 yet carnal I that 's it that spiritual good things are no more taking with you your fleshly wayes your fleshly pleasures your fleshly converses and correspondencies have so kept alive and fed and fomented the carnality of your hearts that they cannot discern or taste the things of the Spirit When we are become more spiritual we shall savour and relish spiritual things and then shall we feel what attractives they will be our desires will be above our delights will be above our hearts will be lost to these carnal things we shall leave this earth to earthly minds when this mantle of flesh is fallen off and we are gotten up into the Chariots of fire then shall we ride upon the high places of the Heavens and our wings shall carry us on swiftly towards the mountains of Spices As far forth as we are become spiritual our motions upward will become natural and by how much the more natural by so much the more strong and pleasant the rougher things of Religion will be then more smooth and the hard things easie 't is this flesh that creates us difficulties when the flesh is swallowed up of Spirit difficulties shall be swallowed up of delight and then shall we go on our way rejoycing then shall we labour and abound in the work of the Lord when we shall thus taste and see that our labour is not in vain in the Lord. Lastly Follow after pleasure the Pleasure of Religion This will spring up to you out of the former branches as I have already hinted Get you such a Spirit of power and holy activity grow up to that exactness simplicity ingenuity and spirituality that you may drink of their pleasures Here I shall shew 1. That Religion hath its pleasure 2. That the pleasures of Religion are the portion of the grown Christian 3. What the particular pleasures of Religion are that we should be reaching after 1. Religion hath its pleasures You may remember I have been lashing and leading you on hitherto at least within a step or two by fear And though your fears will now in great part be left behind you I would not yet leave you That which follows will be of this use to you to encourage you to bear the rougher conduct of fear all along your younger time by that sweeter course you shall have of it when fear shall give up to love as the pleasures that comes in from the hopes of freedom doth allay and sweeten the the severities of an apprenticeship Religion hath its pleasure It hath its tartness and its trouble as you have seen already so much unpleasantness it hath in its fore view that foolish Sinners shun it and run away from it for fear They will not touch the Roses for fear of the prickles As 't is with Saints so 't is with Holiness 't is a Lilly among thorns these thorns not only hurt the Lillies but keep back the hand of the gatherers how many more than there are would be reaching after this precious flower but for fear of being scratch'd Well but whatever there be in Religion to affright it hath much more to invite us to it Her wayes are wayes of pleasantness and all her paths are peace Prov. 36.17 They shall be abundantly satisfied with the fatness of thine house and thou shalt make them drink of the River of thy pleasures Psal 36.8 what and how great the pleasures of Religion are will be made appear in the third particular
flesh can do to hinder thee can prevail thou wilt never be converted Consider here two things 1. Thy Flesh is against it 2. Thy Flesh hath great power with thee 1. Thy flesh is against thy Conversion Rom. 8.7 The Carnal Mind is enmity against God It is not subject to the Law of God neither indeed can be Particularly 1. The Interest of the Flesh is against it 2. The Inclinations of the Flesh are against it 1. The Interest of the Flesh is against thy Conversion By the Flesh I mean corrupt Nature called often Flesh in Scripture Our carnal Minds the Will of the Flesh our fleshly Desires and Dispositions and all the Lusts of it This Flesh is concerned against God and the Lord Jesus Christ Christ comes to Crucifie the Flesh Rom. 6.6 1 John 3.8 For this cause the Son of God was manifested that he might destroy the works of the Devil No more Gluttony no more Drunkenness no more pleasing our Eyes or our Throats or our Appetites Christ will have Lust starv'd and no longer pampered Christ will allow Necessaries but his way is to keep the Flesh low he will allow good Bread and Bread enough but often 't is but coarse and such as Lust will never be contented with nor ever prosper by Hereupon the Flesh is concerned against Christ to resist him and to do what-ever it can to keep him out Who comes there sayes the Flesh when Christ knocks Who is it that calls after thee To whom art thou joyning thy self What to Christ Wilt thou hearken to him then farewel all No more Mirth and Pleasure no more Ease or Jollity no more Credit or Gain Look to thy self all 's a going and will be gone if Christ once sets footing in thee Christ tells me saith the fleshly Heart I shall find favour with God I shall obtain the pardon of my Sins and all the good things of the other World if I will hearken to him But who will keep me alive in this World I must have Money and Meat and Drink and Credit and Friends or else I am like to have but a poor Life of it here The blessings of the other World will never help me to live and prosper in this World I can't feed my self nor cloth my self nor provide for my Family with the promises and hopes of good things to come and God knows how little else Christianity will leave me I am like to be but a poor hunger-bitten melancholick forsaken Soul if I hearken to Christ Away saith the Flesh no more treaty about any such thing which doth so evidently tend to thy prejudice and undoing 2. The Inclinations of the Flesh are against it The Flesh hangs towards Earth and Sin and is contrary to God and Holiness Rom. 8.5 Those that are after the Flesh do mind or savour the things of the Flesh and so do hang back from things Spiritual and Heavenly What is this way of Life that Christ calls me to It 's quite contrary to me my very Nature disgusts it my temper and genius is against it I was never acquainted with nor accustomed to such a way and I cannot abide it This preciseness and this scrupulosity and tenderness I have more mind to laugh at it than submit to it It even turns my Stomach to see the folly of it in others and I hate to be such a fool my self I should be glad of the Salvation of Christ but sure I shall never endure his Discipline I am willing to save what I have and to make the best of what 's before me and that I am sure Christ will never suffer me and therefore run after him who will he must have me excused Dost thou know O vain Man what 't is to swim against the Stream and dost thou not feel thine inward Stream running against Holiness and serious Christianity O when art thou like to come to it Art thou not yet afraid it may never be especially when thou considerest That 2. The Flesh hath great power with thee In Sinners the Flesh is the great governing Principle it bears rule in the whole Man 'T is their Lord and their Law and hence they are called the Servants of Sin Joh. 8.34 and said to live after the Flesh Rom. 8.13 What-ever wickedness is done by them it is the Flesh that commands them to it When-ever the Heart works to Envy or works to Wrath or to Pride or to Covetousness 't is the Flesh that sets it thus on work It is no more I that do it but Sin that dwells in me Rom. 7.17 And what-ever good Works are hindred 't is the Flesh that hinders them Rom. 7.19 I find a Law that when I would do good evil is present with me so that the good that I would I do not 'T is said of the Regenerate much more true is it of Sinners Bid a Sinner Repent alas he cannot bid him Pray he cannot Pray Bid him turn to Christ and trust in Christ and follow him alas poor Man he cannot his Flesh is against it and hath such a rule over him that he cannot resist it The Devil rules without and the Flesh rules within and who can act against two such potent Rulers By the way Sinners are in a poor case the while that are under two such potent Governours the Devil and Sin How is it possible O Sinners you should be so secure when the Devil is your King and hath set up that young Devil Sin to be his Viceroy If you saw a poor Man cast into a Den and there committed to the custody of a Lion and his Whelp would it not pity your Heart to think in what a case that poor Man were betwixt two such Keepers Sinner Sinner Look to thy self Behold the Lion and his Whelp thy Soul is in a more dreadful case under the command of Sin and of the Devil than thy Carcase would be under the Paw of those Ravenous Beasts Save thy self from these Murtherers 3. If all that the World can do to hinder Sinners Conversion will do it they will never be Converted The World is against it the evil Men of the World I here mean they are all against the Conversion of Sinners Particularly 1. The Spirit of the World is against it 2. The Examples of the World are against it 1. The Spirit of the World is against it The whole World is of the same Spirit which the Scribes and Pharisees are said to be of Mat. 23.13 They shut up the Kingdom of God against Men and neither will enter in themselves nor suffer those that are entring to go in They are all of another Kingdom and thereby Parties against Christ and his Kingdom they are for making Proselites but 't is for Hell not for Heaven This Spirit of the World is a Spirit of Envy and Hatred against Christ and his Followers Joh. 15.19 And this evil and envious Spirit is that which vents it self in those Scoffs Reproaches and Persecutions which they let fly
and raise against every Soul that so much as looks after serious Christianity How full is the World of Experiences of this kind No sooner is any Soul awakened from his Sins making out after Christ and shewing himself among the Disciples but presently the Birds of Prey are picking at him His carnal Friends will disswade and discourage him the Ishmaels and Nimrods will be upon his back mocking and reviling hunting and persecuting him Christ tells us Luk. 15.10 There 's joy in Heaven over one Sinner that repenteth But what is there in Hell or in the World the Territories of Hell O they are all in a rage the Devil is madded when he hath lost a Captive and resolves if he will be gone not to let him go without some marks of his Fury and Rage Sinner thou art yet under the Power of the Devil it may be thou mayst never make an offer to be gone but wilt abide with him in quiet till he carry thee home with him to his place But if ever thou shouldst make an attempt to be gone from him and to joyn thy self to Christ behold he hath a whole World of Instruments ready either to block up thy way or stick in thy sides And art thou not afraid if it should come to this that thou shouldst rather abide as thou art than adventure on such Discouragements 2. The Examples of the World are against it How great is the power of Example the whole World is much governed by Examples Laws can do little in comparison of what Examples can do There is a great influence that good Examples often have upon Mens Minds and Manners Therefore Christ did not only make a way into the Kingdom by his Blood nor only shew us the way in his Doctrine but also led us the way by his Example 1 Pet. 2.21 Therefore also the Ministers of Christ are required not only to feed the Flock by their Instructions and to rule them by good Discipline but to be Examples to the Flock 1 Pet. 5.3 And therefore also Christians are required to give a good Example to the World and one to another 'T is a vain thing for us to exhort one another Be humble be sober be meek be merciful whilst we our selves are proud and unmerciful passionate and revengful Give a good example if you would do good by your good words let not your Feet tread down what your Lips build up destroy not by an evil Life what you build by good Counsel Thou that teachest another should not steal dost thou steal Thou that sayest a Man should not commit Adultery dost thou commit Adultery Rom. 2.21 22. Thou that sayest to another Swear not Lye not give not place to Wrath speak evil of no Man Dost thou the same thing Thou dost more mischief by thy evil Works than ever thou art like to do good by thy good Speeches O by the way let us learn to bewail and to be ashamed of our evil Examples that we have given Ah Wretches that ever any People should be charged concerning any Professors as the Disciples were once charged concerning the Scribes and Pharisees Mat. 23. Do as they say but do not as they do Shall this evil World have occasion to speak thus of any of the Preachers or Professors of Christianity Beware of them follow not after them for behold they bid Men beware of Covetousness and yet who more covetous They bid Men beware of Pride and yet who more proud They charge it upon others to be just to be true to be meek and yet who more fraudulent more false and peevish than themselves O how much mischief do poor Sinners suffer by the evil Examples of some Professors Good Examples draw mightily but evil Examples more But yet the evil Examples of Professors are not they by which Sinners are in the greatest danger of being kept back from Christ though these be pernicious enough but the evil Examples of the World Sinners are of the World and they are professedly for following of the World Now what Examples do the profane World set before them whither are they leading them Are they making towards Christ and running from their Sins unto God Does not the Stream run quite contrary And does it not pass for a sufficient Encouragement to them in their evil wayes to think they do but as their Forefathers did before them and as their Friends and their Neighbours do See how the Example of the World is urged against following of Christ John 7.48 49. Have any of the Rulers or of the Pharisees believed on him But this People who knoweth not the Law are cursed What do ye mean ye foolish People to follow this Jesus Do ye see any of the wise Men or great Men do any of the Rulers believe on him And will ye think your selves wiser than they Go not after him be none of his Disciples And is not the same Argument urged upon Sinners daily Why should you trouble your heads about these Matters About Repentance and Regeneration and Conscience and making sure for the other World Do the Pharisees and High-Priests do the great Men and the wise Men trouble themselves about any such Matters It 's true there are a sort of People which know not the Law a company of ignorant Souls an heady and a giddy Generation that trouble themselves and the World about these things but what heed is to be given to them a company of despicable simple Souls Do any of the wise or great Ones take this course Sinner think with thy self what a mighty influence this sort of Argument hath had upon thee hitherto The World despise the Gospel the World neglect Christ The World are for the Flesh for Liberty and Care and Pleasures and Idleness and against the Spirit of Christianity the Stream runs downwards towards Sin and Hell and hitherto thou hast been swimming with the Stream hast gone with the Multitude and hast troubled thy self about Christ and Religion as little as any of them O tremble to think what great danger thou art in that thou mayest still run down that Stream and never stop till thou fall into that Gulf from which there will be no Return or Redemption for ever Now Sinner lay all these things together and then judg if thou hast not reason to fear thou mayest never escape the Wrath and Curse of God It is evident that whilst thou art unconverted thou art under the Curse Well but yet thou hopest that one time or other thou mayest be Converted But how great fear is there thou mayest not All the ungodly World are against thy Conversion thine own Flesh and the Devil are against it all these will joyn together to hinder it if they can And besides all the means that have been hitherto used prosper not thou hast been Preach'd to thou hast been Prayed over thou hast had many years of Warnings and yet nothing hath prevailed And what multitudes are there that have been in thy