shall lye with the Kid and the Calfe and the Lion and the fat beast together and a little child shall-lead them and the Cow and the Beare shall feed their young ones shall lye together and the Lyon shall eat straw like the Bullock and the sucking child shall play upon the hole of the Aspe and the weaned Child shall put his hand upon the Cockatrice hole This is the mighty work of God therefore goe unto Gov and say O God thou that canst thus change the naturall disposition of beasts change my beastly disposition thou that couldest call a Lazarus out of the grave where he lay rotting Oh deliver me from a dead heart that have laine a long time rotting in sin thou that didest make the lame to goe make me to run the way of thy commandements which thou hast set before me thou that didst open the eyes of the blind open my eye that I may see to runne the race that thou hast set before me thou that didst cure the deaf bore my eares that I may heare and learn to feare thee Thus goe to God and pray unto God waite upon God and expect deliverances from him for there is none in Heaven or in earth that can give a deliverane but he alone intreat the Lord according to your need to work on your soules this grace of reforming under the rod goe to God and say father if thou wilt thou canst alter me and change me oh turne me and I shall be turned convert thou me and I shall be converted say Lord thou canst take away all transgression all sin and iniquity doe it for thy mercy sake say Lord thou canst pull out my right eye sin cut of my right hand sin there is no power but the power of an omnipotent God can doe it that can thus pull me out of sin and make me reformed doe it fot thy Goodnesse sake Lastly Are you all willing to enter into a covenant with God seeing we are all under the rod I doe not speak of any particular covenant but of a generall covenant will you now promise the Lord that you will reforme and sin noe more this is that that the Lord expects of us now we are under the rod this it is that the Lord doth both command and commend unto us this let us all bind our selves to performe that so we may with some boldnesse put up our prayers to God as well for others as our selves FINIS â— Doct. 1. Reas 1. Luke 5. 17. Use â— Let. 1. Let 2. â— 3 4 Use 2. Meanes 1. Meanes 2. Means 3. Means 4. Use 3. Object Answer Motive 2. Reason 1. â— Means 1. Manner 1. Manner 2. Manner 3. Manner 4. Manner 5. Object Answer Doctrine Object Answer Reason 1. Reason 2. Reason 3. Reason 4. Object Answer Use 1. â— Use 3. Doctrine 1. Reason 1. Reason 2. Reason 3. Use 1. Use 2. Use 3. Use 4. Object Answer Object Answer The sum of the Text. Observation 1. We must not rush upon the Sacrament Reason 1. Naturally we are not invited guests Simile Reason 2. We are indisposed Reason 3. Solemn preparations required to the Sacrament Use To take heed of rush performance of duties 2 Sam. 15. 17. Parts of the Text. Necessity of receiving the Lords Supper The Lords Supper to be received often Observ The manner of performance of duties to be regarded Reason 1. The Lord commands the manner as well as the matter Reason 2. Circumstances overthrow actions as in Prayer 2 Preaching 3 Receiving the Sacrament 4 Brotherly reproof 5 Eating and drinking Objection Answer Simile Reason 3. The right manner of doing duties gets the blessing Reason 4. Christs example Reason 5. From Gods glory Use 1. To reprove those that barely do duties without looking to the manner Use 2. The reason why men regard the matter and not the manner of duties Reason 1. The matter of 〈…〉 Reason 2. The matter of duties may be done with a proud heart Reason 3. The matter of duties may be done and yet a man be unholy Reason 4. The matter of duties brings not the crosse Use 3. To labour to do duties aright Motives to perform duties in the right manner 1. Motive 2. Motive 3. Motive Simile Observation 1. Eevery man must prepare himself before he come to the Lords Table Reason It is Gods ordinance Simile Reason 2. Christ hath made preparation for us in the Lords Sup Reason 3. Christ looks for good entertainment Observation 1. A guilty hardened reprover shall be destroyed Reason 1. It is against his office Reason 2. He cannot reprove to aright end Reason 3. Not in a right manner Reason 4. It is hypocrisy Reason 5. It mâ—kes inexcusable Reason 6. It is absurd Reason 7. It is impudency Use 1. Use 2. To be unblamable ere we reprove Simile The second exposition The Lord doth not destroy men willingly God destroys not but for sin Simile Observation 1. A great mercy to be reproved Reason 1. Reproofs come from love Prov. 10. 17. Reason 2. They tend to good Reason 3. It is brutish to reprove them Simile Use 1. The misery to want reprovers Or Angel Use 2. Against despisers of reproof The grievousnesse of standing out against reproof Doct. God proportions punishments to sins Reas 1. To shew the equity of punishment Doctrine Objection Answer Use Object Sol. Object Answer Object Answer Obj. Answer 〈…〉 Use Doctrine 1. Object Ans Use 1. 2 Gen. Object Answ Vox conscientiâ— est vox Dei Object Ans Object Answ Doctr. Quest. Answ Use 3. Reason 3. Universalia non operantur Doctrine 2. Reason 1. Reason 2. Reason 3. Doctrine Matth. 19. Use Doctrine Use 1. Use 2. Use 3. Doctrine Use 1. Use 2. Use 3. Doctrine 3. Use Ob. Answ Doctrine 1. Reason 1. Use 1. 2 Doctrine Object Answ Use 3. Doctrine Object Answer Use 1. Use 3. Use 4. Doct. 1. Object 1. Sol. Object 2. Sol. Object 3. Sol. Use 2 Use 3. The Authors Exhortation Parts Doctrine Reason 1. Reason 2. Reasan Use 1. Use 2. Use 3. Object Sol. Use 4. Doctrine 1. Use Doctrine
heart Stay till Samuel comes to direct thee yet Saul forced himselfe to disobey and to do Sacrifice 1. Sam. 13. 12. he was bold as Vatable turns it he confirmed himselfe as Pagnin translates it he thrust himselfe upon the doing of it God forbad him he would do it God urged him in his conscience not to doe it yet he would do it God again whispered to him not to do it yet he forced himselfe to do it as if he should say I hope I may do it I have stayed seven days wanting an hour or a piece of an houre and a little piece breaks no square No God rejected Saul for that venture God would have forced him by meditation O no doe it not by no means he made him think Oh it is against Gods commandements I may not do it No but neverthelesse he forced himself to do it Thus God deals with thousands and millions in the world Be not a drunkard God flings the meditation into the conscience yet a drunkard thou wilt be Be not a drunkard again a drunkard notwithstanding thou wilt be Be not again they force themselves they will go to the Ale-house And so of all other sins If men will cast off this work of meditation darted into their souls they cast off their own mercy God tels them pray not hear not offer not without directions from me they dread not the commandment they will I trust prayers are good I will say them Thus they will not meditate or if they do they break it off before it comes to any strength or perfection yea Gods own servants that desire to look towards Sion is not this your complaint oft I cannot finde sinne heavy I confesse the word discovers it to me but I cannot be troubled for it Look as it is with men in the world if five hundred pound weight be laid upon the ground if a man never pluck at it he shall never feel the weight of it Your sinnes are not many hundreds but many thousands yea many ten thousands selfe-love security hardnesse of heart base fears c. it is impossible to reckon them The least vain thought that ever you imagined the least vaine word that ever you uttered were weight enough to presse your souls down to hell Therefore what are so many sins and so great and so often committed What are they they are as heauy as rocks and mountains yet ye feel them not so heavy Why Ye weigh them not if ye did yee should finde them heavier than the sand as David did when his sinne was ever before him Psal 51. 3. that is his sinne was ever in his thoughts and in his meditation his sin was ever like a huge Milstone before him and he was ever tugging and pulling to remove it out of his way I but you will say How shall I come to feel my burden I answer three things are here to be discovered First the ground upon which our meditation must be raised Secondly the manner how to follow it home to the heart Thirdly how to put life and power into it The ground I referre to these foure heads First meditate on the goodnesse patience and mercy of God that hath been abused by any of your sins the greater they have been to you the greater is every sinne this maketh them out of measure sinfull because God is out of measure mercifull There are many sinnes in one when a man sinnes against many mercies See Judg. 2. 2 3. Why have ye done thus I have done thus and thus mercifully unto you why have yee done thus unthankfully to me Why was my mercy abused Why was my goodnesse sleighted Why was my patience despised as if the Lord should say I speak to your owne conscience think of it meditate of it why have ye done this Doe ye thus requite the Lord O foolish people and unwise Is not he thy Father Meditate of it first and tell me then For it is a question put to thy meditation to answer Do ye thus requite the Lord ye foolish people Wert thou ever in want but God supplyed thee Wert thou ever in weaknesse but God strengthened thee Wert thou ever in straits but God delivered thee When thou wert in sicknesse who cured thee when thou wert in poverty who relieved thee when thou wert in misery who succoured thee Hath not God been a gracious God to thee Every soul can tell never poor sinner hath had a more gracious God than I poor sinner have found to my soul All my bones can say Lord who hath been like unto thee This heart hath been heavy and thou hast cheered it this soul hath been distressed and thou hast eased it many troubles have befallen me and thou hast given me a gracious issue This poor man saith David pointing to himselfe this poor man cryed and the Lord heard him Psal 34. 9. And shall I thus reward the Lord shall I sinne against his goodnesse Then what shall I say Hear O heavens and hearken O earth Sunne stand thou still and thou Moon be amazed at this and be avenged on such a heart as this The Oxe knows his owner and the Asse his Masters Crib but here is a heart that will not remember to know the Lord. Hear O heavens this villany cryeth so loud that your ears may hear it Hear all ye Angels add be astonished here is villany to make your ears glow yea hear hell hear Devils if ever there were worse committed by you When men are but ingenuous if they haue received any kindenesse from a friend they were never in want but he relieved them never harbourlesse but he housed them never to seek but he found them Let a man deal thus kindly with a man if this man should deny him any ordinary favour he will be ashamed of himselfe ashamed to come into his presence What will he think his house was mine his cupboard was mine and his purse was mine and his friends were mine and that I should deal thus unkindly with him even nature rebukes me This serious meditation will help to break thy heart The second ground of meditation is to mediate on the justice of God God is a just God as well as mercifull Speak all ye Devils in Hell Doe ye not feel that he is a just God Speak Sodome Speak Gomorrah your fire and brimstone can testifie that he is a just God Speak Adah Zillah and all ye that were drowned in the old world your deluge can testify he is a just God His judgements are all in the world 1. Chro. 16. 14. What is become of drunken Nabal and swearing Saul and covetous Ahab and proud Jesabel and mocking Jehu and envious Shimei What is become of all blind Jebusites and parting cavilling Diotrepheses Justice hath taken hold on them What is povertie What is nakednesse What is famine sicknesse the gout the stone Feaver plague These are the little arrows of Gods justice What is shame disgrace crosses afflictions
bridle to restrain a man from vain thoughts than this consideration that he is to goe to God I speak not this to the men of this world Carnal men who can rush into Gods presence hand over head without any fear or reverence they can set upon any duty without any preparation but I speak it to the godly man whose heart dreads and stands in awe of God Wilt thou let thy mind rove and run all the day on worldly things how then wilt thou call upon God Dost thou not know that this is the cause of thy dulnesse thy deadnesse and wandrings of thy heart when thou art about any good duty namely because thou sufferest thy heart to be lashing out and roving abroad on the world all day no marvell if it keep his haunt at night and therefore thy heart being vain God will never hear thy prayer Job 35. 13. God will never hear vanity Comest thou to God with a vain prayer God wil never hear it Comest thou with a vain ear to the hearing of the Word God will never hear it or with a vain heart to the Sacrament God will not regard it Lay this seriously to thy heart if ever thou wouldesst have thy heart to the duty thou art about busie thy mind upon good things for if thy heart be accustomed to vain and worldly things all the day it is no marvell if it return to its hau nt again at night Thirdly consider that you have not so learned Christ It is the Apostles argument Ephes 3. consider then what you have learned of Christ hath Christ taught you so hath Christ taught you such a love and given you such a liberty that you should love the world more than him and imploy and bestow all your thoughts wholy in seeking after vain things Hath Christ taught you such a faith as this Hath Christ taught you such a repentance as this to have your thoughts more upon the world than upon Christ to repent of sin and yet never forsake sin Have ye so learned Christ Hath he not taught you such a faith as purifieth the heart such a sanctification as cleanseth the soul and the mind such an obedience as bringeth every thought into subjection unto himself Therefore if now thou shouldest still retain thy vain dead earthly and carnall thoughts it is not to learn Christ Christ teacheth thee no such doctrine nor giveth thee any such licencious liberty but thou learnest of the Devil and of thine own heart for all evil and vain thoughts arise from these three heads First from the variety and abundance of the thoughts of the world which our Saviour calls the cares of the world Secondly from the fountain of corruption in mans heart the heart of man being alwayes like a sink naturally running with filthinesse or like a living quickset always bearing so it is with the heart of man always imagining vain thoughts Thirdly from the damned malice of the Devil and his fearful suggestions and temptations both within and without the Devil is fitly called a tempter and tryer for by his suggestions and temptations he feels and tryes mens hearts and thereby knowing to what they are most inclined and which way they are soonest overcome accordingly he fits his temptations to intrap them Now these thoughts are infinitely variable according to the constitutions place quality passions affections and conditions of men as of the poor man in his beggary of the rich man in his abundance of the Minister in his calling of the Majestrate in his and so of all other men Now the whole world is not able to fill the heart how then shall we number the thoughts of it But for the better understanding we will rank them into these four heads to shew how thoughts become vain 1. Materially mens thoughts are vain when the matter of them is vain 2. Formally when though for the matter they are never so good yet the manner of thinking them is evil 3. Essentially when the man that thinks them is vain 4. When it is a thought that might become the best Saint upon the earth or a glorified Angel in heaven yet the drift of the soul being carnall and vain the soul thereby becomes vain also First then material vain thoughs are all thoughts of the world of the works of thy calling of thy recreations eating drinking sleeping thoughts of thy wife and children and the like they are vain thoughts not sinful necessarily yet they may come to be sinfull five manner of ways First when we think of them primarily that is in the first place when we think of them before we think of God Tell me then what are thy first thoughts in the morning Hereby a man may know his thoughts whether they be good or evill Consider I say what is that first presents it selfe unto thy thoughts certainly that which the heart is most haunted withall and most taken up with is most naturall unto it If the heart be carnall and earthly it will have carnall and earthly thoughts if it be a godly and gracious heart it will labour to make God the first in his thoughts I know the godly man fails in many things and many unruly thoughts in him may rebell but it is the very grief of his soul and he will never rest nor be at quiet till he hath got Balme from Gilead strength from Christ for the subduing and crucifying of them even of those vain and sinfull thoughts that stick closest unto their hearts and are most prone unto them naturally so that it is the practice of a godly man first in the morning to lift up his heart with his hand unto God and when he is up his thoughts are wholly upon God See this in David who considering that the Lord was present every where made this use of it When I awake I am present with thee Psal 139. 18. His heart was lifted up to God he did endeavovr to shake hands with God as it were in his holy meditations worshipping and adoring God with his first thoughts he would be sure to give God the flower and Maiden-head of his first service and thoughts as soon as ever he was awake his heart was in heaven This shews that the thoughts of men that live in their sins are damnable thoughts Thou that art a drunkard a swearer a prophane person a carnall worlding that never hast repented I tell thee that the very thinking of thy meat and drink is damnable the very thoughts of thy recreations and of thy sleep are damnable thoughts to think of the works of thy calling yea of setting thy foot upon the ground or of any thing that God hath commanded thee to doe are all damnable thoughts Why Because thou givest not God thy first thoughts Wilt thou think of thy belly and back before thou thinkest of God and how to be converted unto him Wilt thou think of thy Markets and Faires before thou thinkest of thy reconciliation with God The first
crying and screeching as if she meant to pierce the heavens the Juge and those on the bench bid her hold her peace O my Lord said she it is for my life I beg I beseech you it is for my life So when a soul comes before God and begs for mercy he must consider that it is for his life O Lord it is for my life Now though the Lord will not answer and though he call the soul all to naught letting it go up and down with a heavy heart yet the soul crying out 'T is for my life If I must go to hell I will go to hell from the throne of grace weeping and waâ—ling for my sins and catching hold on the horns of the altar this soul shall finde mercy I have wondered at the story in the 5. chapter of Luke it is a strange passage where this godly kind of impudencie was seen Our Saviour Christ was preaching in the house to the people and there was a poor man that could not tell how to come to Christ so the poor man got some to lift him up to the top of the house and to untile it and so to let him down now the rubbish could not choose but fall either on Christs head or on the heads of some of his hearers Was not this an impudent action could not this man have staied until the sermon had been ended But importunity hath no manners And although he did interrupt Christ yet Christ ask'd him not why he did so but says Man be of good comfort thy sins be forgiven thee Let us therfore come with boldness unto the Throne of grace Heb. 4. 16. with freedom to talk any thing Not as if God had given us leave to be irreverent but as to a loving generous man of whom we use to say He is so kinde you may say any thing unto him come to him at dinner he will rise up and hear you or what businesse soever he be about yet he will hear you Even so it is with God he is such a God that all poor souls may be bold before him to speak what they will they may lay open their cases and shew their estates Now when souls come boldly and give the Lord no rest till he establish them Esai 62. 7. then saith God How now cannot I be at rest for you c. This holy kinde of impudencie is in prayer and it will give the Lord no rest Reasons why we must seek importunately are three First in regard of Gods majesty he loves to be sought unto and it is fit he should be sought unto Among men we account it a matter of too much statelinesse to be much intreated and we use to say he loves to be intreated this is a fault among men yet for all this Quis vestrum c as Seneca speaks what man of us can be content to be but once or slightly intreated when a man comes to intreat a kindnesse of a man there is I sing and Anding and shall I c. nothing but importunity can get a kindnesse of a man and this is a sin among men because men are bound to do good but the Lord is not bound to us If we sin he is not bound to pardon us therefore the Lord being a God of majesty lookes to be sought unto of us for his mercy and he lookes that we should be importunate and hence it is that God saith I will give you a new heart Ezech. 36. I will vouchsafe you all these favours yet I will look to be inquired for of you verse 76. I will look that they shall send to me for these things Suppose a man should need a 1000 pound What saith the gentleman doth he think a thousand pound is nothing I will have good security for it So when we come for such high mercies as these for such infinite compassions these are somewhat and God looks to be sought unto for them and Christ the Son of God is a great heir and those that are faulters to him must be importunate with him if they mean to be at peace with him If one will marry a rich heir who hath all the preferment and dignity that the country can afford he looks to be well sued unto So the Lord Jesus is a great heir heir of the whole world if thou goest to be married unto him thou must sue unto him and he looks for prayer he loves to heare his children crie this is one of his titles though he be a God yet he is the hearer of prayer Psal 65. 2. Again we have wronged his Majestie Suppose thy servant wrong thee thou wilt say thou wilt pardon him but first thou wilt make him humble himself unto thee he shall and must know that he hath wronged a good master So God is willing to pardon thee but yet he will make thy bowels know that thou hast sinned against a good God he will make it appear by thy prayer he will make thy spirit melt he will fill thy face with shame and confusion he will make thee know what a patient God thou hast rebelled against or else the Lord will never pardon thee Doest thou think to pacifie God with a lazie prayer with coming to Church and saying Have mercy upon me most mercifull Father Doest thou think that the Lord will have mercy upon thee for this No no he may send thee quick to hell for all this he will make thee cry and cry again with groans he will make thee cry out and pray on another gates fashion and he will make the soveraignty of his mercy to be seen in thy salvation therefore in regard of Gods majesty he loves men should be importunate Secondly in regard of Gods mercy it is a disgrace for Mercy to be begged frigidly 't is a disgrace to Gods bounty for a man to beg it with lukewarm importunity What makest thou of the mercy of God dost thou think that it is not worth a groan with the running over of a Pater-noster dost thou make Gods mercy of such base reckoning this is a disgrace to Gods goodnesse to be so cold or frigid in prayer Thou hast offered many offerings yet I scorn them saith God Isaiah 43. 23. Thou hast not honoured me with them thou hast not called on me thou hast been weary of calling on me thou hast too short a breath in thy prayers thou carest not how soon thou comest to an end Do you come and lay lazie prayers upon my altar Thou hast not honoured me It was a custom among the Romans when any was condemned to die if he looked for mercy he was to bring father mother and all his kinsmen and acquaintance and they should all come with tears in their faces and with tattered garments and kneel down and beg before the Judge and cry mightily and then they thought Justice was honoured Thus they honoured justice in man for a man condemned to die and so the Lord loves his mercy
will never set themselves to work So many there be that if they can get pardon of sin for begging then they wil have it but let such know that the Lord will not give it for such lazie kind of praying but if thou wilt have pardon of sin thou must labour for it thou must get it with thy fingers ends God gives not men Repentance Faith c. by miracles but by means Thou must then use the means and keep watch and ward over thine own soul that so thou maist get the grace thou praiest for Secondly a praier that is not a full praier never speeds with God but an importunate prayer is a full praier it is a pouring out of the heart yea of the whole heart Psal 62. 8. the Psalmist saith poure out your hearts before him trust in him at all times poure out your hearts the addition is made in the Lamentations of Jeremy like water It may be thou powrest out thy praier like tar out of a tar-box halfe sticking by the sides but when thou praiest thou must out with all before God When thou givest thanks dost thou labour to remember all the blessings of God when thou dost petition to God dost thou poure out all thy heart before him dost thou cast all thy care on God Thirdly Snatch-prayer is no importunate prayer when men pray by snatches or peecemeals by breaking off a limme of their prayer because of sluggishnesse or because their hearts are eager about other businesse it is not good to trust fits of devotion 't is a base kind of praying when men gallop over their prayers that so they may come to an end quickly Should I accept this at your hands saith God by his Prophet when they brought a sheep it wanted a lim they were loth to give God a whole offering Mal. 1. 13. Many pray a peece of a prayer in the mornig and then they go after the world he down's on his knees and gives God a rag of a prayer a companie of ragged ends And God counts it an indignitie shall I accept this saith he What a lame prayer No no the Lord looks for a prayer that hath its full grouth it is a shame to speak in the congregation what men do in secret before God which many have confessed after they have been converted how they have gone into Gods presence and have shuffled over their prayers thinking every hour seven untill they had done Fourthly Silent prayers are never importunate I mean by silent prayer when a man is silent in that which God looks he should most insist upon David made a prayer Psal 32. and the Lord looked that he should stand much upon his adultery and murther which he had committed to see what shame he took on him for it but he shuffled it over and what saith the Text When I kept silence what did the Prophet roare and yet keep silence these are contradictions Yea the Prophet roared and kept silence as if he should say the Lord counted his prayer but roaring so long as he laid not open that sinne which the Lord lookt he should have stood on the Lord let him roare and roare he might long enough but saith he I brake my silence I said I will confesse my transgressions and then thou forgavest the wickednesse of my sin So many go to God and tell God they must needs have mercy and fain they would have mercy and yet they are silent in confessing the sinne they should I say the Lord will never hear that man he may pray to God all his life and yet go to hell in the end Hast thou been a drunkard and dost thou think that the Lord will forgive thee for crying Lord forgive me c No no thou must insist on it and say Against thy word I have been a drunkard my conscience told me so but I would not hear I have felt the motions of thy holy spirit stirring against me and I regarded not Now if thou shouldest turn me into hell I were well requited so many Sermons have I neglected I have wronged others in this kind and I have been the cause why many are now in hell if they repented not I have prayed for mercie yet with the dog to his vomit have I returned and therefore for all my prayers thou mayest cast me into hell for ever and now I have prayed yet it is a hundred to one but I shal run into my old sin again yet as I expect forgivenesse so I desire to make a covenant to give over all my sinful courses and I am justly damned if I go to them again Such a kind of prayer the Lord loves Fifthly Seldome-prayer is no importunate prayer when the soul contents it self with seldome coming before the throne of grace an importunate soul is ever frequenting the way of mercie and the gate of Christ he is often at the threshold before God in all prayer and humiliation The reeling'st Drunkard in the world sometimes can do so too the basest Adulterer in the world sometimes can be chast the Devil is quiet so long he is pleased and the wicked may sometime have a fit in prayer But this is the condition of an importunate heart he is frequent at the throne of grace The Prophet David prayed seven times in a day and Hannah continued in prayer night and day Sixthly Lukewarm prayer is not an importunate prayer when a man prais but is not fervent when a man labours not to wind up his soul to God in prayer That man that prayes outwardly only that man teaches God how to denie his prayer Though you make many prayers saith God yet I will not hear you why Your hands are full of blood Qui frigidè or at docet negare They are like luke warme water that never boils out the blood So they have been guilty of murder and abundance of other sins and they did indeed pray against them but they were never but luke-warme they have never boiled away the blood of their sins Thou must pray fervently with a seething hot heart if thou meanest to get pardon for all thy sins as securitie and deadnesse of heart c. And as it is in Jonah 3. let every man crie mightily unto the Lord. Seventhly and lastly Bie-thoughts in prayer keep prayer from being importunate as when a man prayes and lets his heart go a wool-gathering I remember a storie of an unworthy O ratour who being to make an acclamation O earth O heaven when he said O heaven he looked down to the earth and when he said O earth he looked up to heaven So many when they pray to God in heaven their thoughts are on the earth these prayers can never be importunate When a man praies the Lord looks that his heart should be fixed on his prayer for our hearts will leake and the best child of God do what he can shall have bie-thoughts in prayer And that First from corrupt nature Secondly from nature curbed
were but now you cannot help it these things and times are gone and cannot be recalled such a one hath been a drunkard a swearer a worldling c. but he cannot help it now True he might have helped it and because he did not his heart shall bleed for it if he belong to God but doe not stand poaring too much upon it but consider now what you have to doe now you are to humble your selves now you are to strive with God in all manner of prayer for more grace and more power of obedience and assurance and be not discouraged Fourthly If the soule be discouraged it will breed nothing but sorrow What is the reason that many Christians are alwayes weeping and mourning and sighing and sobbing from day to day all their life time and will not be comforted because of these discouragements 1 Thes 4. 13. Sorrow not saith the Apostle as those that have no hope as if he had said sorrow if you will but do not sorrow as they that have â—o hope How is that it is a sorrow with nothing but sorrow from which they have no hope of inlargement or freedome O then my brethren suppose you have dead hearts suppose you want zeale you want assurance suppose it be so yet labour to attain these grace sorrow and spare not weepe and mourne and powre out whole buckets of teares for your sinnes if you can but sorrow not with nothing but sorrow be not discouraged suppose that thou hast a dead heart that thou art an hypocrite that thou hast a rotten heart it is a heavy thing and a fearful case indeed for which thou hast great cause of humiliation and sorrow but yet sorrow not desperately as men without hope be not wholly discouraged but as you sorrow for your sinnes so also labour with incouragement to get cut and be rid of your sinnes Fifthly Discouragements breed and procure a totall perplexity They leave the soul in a maze that it knows not whither to turne it self When men come to be discouraged O what shall I do saith one I am utterly undone saith another I know not what will become of me saith a third Oh I am utterly lost I shall perish one day one day God will discover me and be avenged on me for this and that sin I were as good go to he lat the first as at the last for that will be the end of me I have gone to prayer but that doth not helpe me I have gone to Sacraments but I find no help still my soule lies under the power of sinne still my sinnes are as strong in me as ever Thus the soule is discouraged and cries out Oh what shall I doe I know not what to doe What shall I doe sayest thou Alas thou hast things enough to doe if thou wert not discouraged Utterly undone No man thou mightest see that thou art not utterly undone but that thou art discouraged Dost thou not know what will be come of thee yea poore soule there is mercy grace and peace for thee if thou wilt not be discouraged Sixthly Discouragements whisper within a man a sentence of death and an impossibility of escaping As far as the discouragement of life goeth so far goeth the sentence of death We despaired of life and had the sentence of death in our selves saith the Apostle 2 Cor. 1. 8. 9. he despaired of life in himselfe and therfore had the sentence of death in himself this was good but he did not despaire of life in God for then he should have had likewise the sentence of death from God in his conscience If you despaire in the Lord you have the sentence of death and damnation from God in your conscience take heed of this my beloved be not discouraged in God do not despaire in the Lord that will work a miserable effect in your souls it will secretly whisper a sentence of damnation in your soules It is strange to consider how many poore soules rub on with these whispering sentences in their bosomes suffering their consciences day by day to tell them that they are rotten to tell them that they were never yet converted to tell them that they are yet in the state of damnation and yet they will not root out these discouragements O goe to the Throne of grace begge for grace and for mercie and for power against sinne and bee not discouraged What wilt thou carry thine owne sentence of death in thy breast if thou wilt not rouze up thy soule and pray with more affection and confidence and shake off discouragements take heed least thou carry the sentence of thine owne death and damnation in thy bowels Oh therefore once more let mee beseech you to take heede of these discouragements and now hearken unto the voice of God which calleth upon you Feare not Thou drewest nigh in the day that I called upon thee Thou saidest Feare not THE MISERY OF THE CREATURES BY The Sinne of Man In a SERMON By WILLIAM FENNER Minister of the Gospel sometimes Fellow of Pembroke Hall in Cambridge and late Lecturer of Rochford in Essex London Printed by E. T. for John Stafford They are accusing groanes They are judging and condemning groanes First they are upbraiding groanes Give ears Oh ye heavens and I will speak and hear Oh earth the words of my lips Deut. 32. 1. as if God had said mark O ye heavens and let all the whole world hear what I testify against this people as if the heavens and the earth did upbraid them of their unthankfulnesse God commands the Sun to shine and it shineth the earth to fructify and it obeyeth But this wicked people he commands to repent and forsake their sins and they will not Chrysostome saith wicked men although they have naturall reason in them are more senceless than sencelesse creatures the rocks and the flints the flye and the gnats may upbraid them the rocks rent in sunder but this people will not rent their hearts swarmes of flies were hiss'd for to come and they yielded obedience and the livelesse creatures groan under the slavery of sin but they will not obey they will not be brought to groan for their sins How do all the creatures upbraid man Do ye thus requite the Lord O ye foolish people and unwise Beloved how do the heavens and the earth upbraide thee for unthankfulnesse wert thou ever in sickness and God did not deliver thee wert thou ever in misery and God did not comfort thee wert thou ever in any straight and God did not direct thee in sickness who was life unto thee in poverty who supplyed thee in danger who delivered thee was it noâ— God that hath done all for thee And shall the Lord command thee obedience and wilt thou not grant it him doth he command thee to part with thy lust and crucify all thy corruptions and wilt thou not obey him doth the Lord command thee to be meek humble patient and dost thou refuse then hear O heavens
End 1. Thoughts are Meterially vain When the matter of them is vain ibid. Such are the thoughts of the world our calling or recreation these are evil 1. When we think of them primarily that is before we think of God 59. 2. When we think of them too usually too often ibid. 3. When we think of them too savourily 60. 4. When we think of them without counsel ibid. 5. When they are thoughts needlesly ibid. 2. Thoughts are vain formally when though the matter of them be never so good yet the manner of thinking them is evill 61. It is possible for a man to go to hell though he perform the same things for the matter of them that a godly man doth ibid. 3. Thoughts are vaine efficiently when the heart that thinketh upon them is earthly and vaine 62. 4. Thoughts are vain when the drift and end of the soul in thinking on them is vain 63. Wicked men will be thinking of God 1. To make God amends for their dishonouring of him by their wicked thoughts ibid. 2. To collogue with God and to flatter him 64. 3. To smoother and choak their own consciences ibid. The Contents of the fifth SERMON 1 Corinth 6. 2. 1. AN Explanation of the Text together with the veses foregoing and following 67. Doctrine The Saints shall judge the world 68. Objection How shall the Saints judge the world 69. Answer 1. By their consent unto Christs Judgement ibid. 2. By their applause to Christs judgement ibid. 3. By their Majesty then shall they shine as stars in the firmament and the wicked shall be amazed at the sight of them ibid. 4. By their lives and conversations their accepting of the Lord Jesus Christ they shal judge the worlds rejecting of him ibid. Three Reasons of the point 1. First because of that mystical union that is betwixt Christ and his Saints so when Christ judgeth the world the whole body of Christ may be said to judge the world 70. 2. In regard of their sufferings with Christ as they are judged by the world so they shall be judges of the world ibid. 3. For the greater terror to all wicked men at the day of judgement ibid. 4. Because the mouthes of wicked men may bee stopped and that they may have no excuse for themselves ibid. Use 1. For information in five particulars 1. Hence we may learne that the Saints by their now being Saints do now judge the world 71. Wherein Heb. 11. 7. is cleared from an Objection 2. Hence let the world learne that when any one sinner is converted there is one Judge more to sit upon them 72. 3. Hence we may learn that it concerns all the world to take notice of every grace in Gods children because there is never a grace in any of the Saints but it shall make for the condemnation of them that want it ibid. 4. Learne hence that if the Saints then much more the word that begets them shall judge the world 73. 5. Learne hence also that the Ministers of God by every Sermon they preach shall judge the world ibid. Use 2. For to condemn the world who see not an amiablenesse in the faces of the Saints who shall one day be their Judges who shall judge both Saints and Angels 74. 2. This sheweth the folly of the wicked who prepare not for these Judges ibid. Lastly it condemnes all those that do not see glory and majesty in the face of Gods Saints he that revileth the Saints revileth his Iudges ibid Who shall judge the World 1. God the Father by way of authority all judgement is originally from him 75. 2. God the Son by way of dispensation ibid. 3. God the holy Ghost by way of conviction 76. 4. The Word of God by way of form it being the platforme according to which Christ will judge the whole world ibid. 5 All the Ministers of God shall sit as Justices in common 77. 6. All the Saints from one end of the world to the other shall assist the just Iudge of Heaven and Earth ibid. So that the wicked shall not be able to plead ibid. 1. Their Ignorance ibid. 2. Nor their Poverty ibid. 3. Neither their sinning at their masters command 78. 4. Neither Callings or Trade ibid. 5. Neither the sinfull times they live in ibid. Use 3. First for the just reproof of many of the Saints of God because they are not so circumspect over their wayes as they ought how will they be able to rise up in judgement against the wicked for such sins as they them selvs live in ibid. 2. It may serve to condemne some of the Saints of God in regard of that little difference that is to be found betwixt the wicked of the world and them in their lives and manners it is hard to tell which is a Saint and which is a Reprobate by their conversations 3. It may serve to condemn the scandalousnesse of many persons in their behaviour and actions 80. The Contents of the sixth Sermon on 1 Cor. 11. 30. Doct. 1. FRom the 18. v. that whosoever will come to the holy Communion they must examine themselves that so they may come warthily 83. The Apostle gives three Reasons of it 1. From the end of the Sacrament 2. From the wrong men offer to Christ if they come in their sins ibid. 3. From the wofull wrong that a man doth to his own soul that cometh without preparation ibid. The Uses of the point are these 1. For the reproof of those that coming unpreparedly get no spirituall strength thereby ibid. 2. For terrour to unworthy receivers 85. 3. To shew they make themselves liable to Gods temporary plagues ibid. 4. For instruction to examine our selves ibid. 5. He concludes with an use of exhortation 86. An Explanation of the Words Doct. 2. God doth most severely punish the unworthy receivers of the Lords Supper 87. Foure Reasons hereof 1 Because Christ himselfe instituted it ibid. 2. Because Christ is the matter of it and therefore the more heynous the defilement 89. 3. Because Christ is the forme of it wherein confirming grace is sealed to the soul 90. 4. Because Christ is the end of the Sacrament ibid. Use 1. For Instruction shewing whence sicknesse weaknesse c. come 91. From whence comes hardnesse of heart c. 92. Use 2. For comfort unto every poor afflicted soul c. 93. Use 3. For terror to those that come unpreparedly 94. Object Do all that come unworthily eat and drink their own damnation Answ A man may eat and drink his own damnation three ways 1. In regard of guilt and liablenesse to Gods wrath 96. 2. In regard of the seal and obligation in the conscience ibid. 3. In regard of the sigillation in heaven ibid. Lastly the conclusion denouncing terror to all those that dare rush upon this holy ordinance 205. But for comfort to all them who with all diligence set upon the preparing of their souls for this great Ordinance ibid. The Contents
conversion there Christ and his Spirit in one closet there all his Jewels in that and that box all is manifest within doors Fourthly it labours to affect the heart it doth not only labour to know more and more of the truth but also it labours to bring it home to the heart The good woman considers a field and buys it Prov. 31. 16. This is saith Ambrose the good Christian soul if in civility then much more in Divinity he considers the truth and buyes it he taketh it as his own and appropriates it unto himself Lo this saith Eliphaz we have searched out so it is hear it and know it for thy self Iob 5. 27. When thou canst say of the truth lo this is it we have searched it out I have dived into it perused it so it is even so indeed all this is that thou mayest apply it unto thy self and know it for thy good The first Reason is because meditation musters up all weapons and gathers all forces of arguments for 〈◊〉 presse our sins and lay them heavy upon the heart This usury is 〈…〉 good when meditation like usurers who grind and suck 〈…〉 of the needy and are not content with their Principal bu◠〈…〉 have consideration for every pound they lay out yea for every shilling and that for every week and every moneth and every quarter and every yeer the poor man could be content to pay the principall but to exact use upon use this kills him so meditation exacteth upon the soul and holdeth it to use upon use You have committed evil in a corner but you shall â—â—t carry it away so Item it was against the knowledge of God revealed Item against many mercies received Item against many Judgements threatned against many checks of conscience against many Vows and Promises remember that O my soul Item for that and Item for this Item for every lust and every circumstance thus oft and in this place and at that time in that manner So meditated the prodigal Look as it is in warrs were there but many scores come against an Army they might be conquered or many hundreds they might be resisted but if many thousands should come against a smal Army it would be in danger indeed Meditation leadeth a whole Army of arguments a whole Army of curses miseries judgements commandments against the soul how ever one misery or plague will not knock it down but the soul may brook it and goe away with it but meditation brings a great Armado of arguments and tels the soul God is against thee and against thy wayes God is against thee where ever thou art or what ever thou doest Then the heart begins to cry out as Elisha his servant did Master what shall we do 2 Kings 6. 15. So many horses against us so many charets and so many men against us Master what shall we do so many sins and so heinous so many judgements and so heavy and so many evils and spiritual maladies Oh what shal I do to be saved that I should commit sin against a God that hath damned innumerable Angels millions of Kings Princes and Nobles that I should commit it against this God so mercifull to me so gracious so patient so good to my soul that I wretched rebel should for a cup of drink refuse heaven for a lust not worth a straw under my foot cast off Christ and grace and all how shal I do Then the soul stands in a maze The second Reason is because meditation having hundled up all Items against the soul and brought it in all bils of account it fastens sâ—â— upon the soul I mean it makes the soul feel it so that it must needs be convinced without any evasion Meditation deals with a man as Elisha dealt with the messengers of the King Joram the murderer he was coming to do mischief to the Prophet and the prophet did shut the door and held him fast at the door 2 Kings 6. 32. and then he made him know that the evill was from the Lord before he could stirr so meditation when the soul would fain out of doors into its old course again it shuts the door upon it and holds it fast Meditation tels the soul this evil is from the Lord upon thee O my soul if thou stirr in or out upon this or that lust any more this evill that course that vengeance and damnation if ever thou stir forth thou losest thy mercy thou losest Christ thou losest all possibility of comfort Stir not out if thou dost thou wilt rue it Sometimes when men hear the Word they go away touched they resolve not to commit sin again as they have done yet when they are gone it works not but the heart recoyls again and turns to its old passe The reason is because they meditate not upon the Word they fasten it not upon their consciences It is with the word as it is with a salve if a man that hath never so good a salve that will heal any thing in four and twenty hours if a man should do nothing but lay it to the wound take it off lay it on and take it off it will not heal the wound and no marvel Why he will not let it lye on the best salve will not heal the soare nor eat out the corruption unlesse it be bound on and let lye so it is with the Word many a soul hears it heart conscience affections all toucht but when he is gone out of the Church all is gone his affections dye his heart dyes and his conscience becomes unfruitful Why he is still removing of the salve and will not let it lye on and therefore the Word over-powers not his corruptions the Word is like the salve conviction of conscience is like the laying on of the salve meditation the binding of it to the soare St. James compares a slight hearer to a man that looks into a glasse who soon forgets his visage but a good hearer doth two things First he stoops down and looks into it to take a perfect view of his estate Secondly he continues looking into it Iames 1. 25. he doth not leave the glasse behind him but he carrieth away the glasse with him This man shall be blessed in his deed If the pills be never so bitter yet let a man swallow them speedily there is no great distaste but if a man chew a pill it will make him deadly sick Thy sins are like those pills they go down very pleasingly because thou swallowest them thou swallowest down thine oaths lies ignorance pride thou swallowest down the threats of the Lord but if thou wouldest chew these bitter pills and meditate and ruminate and chew the cud drunkennesse would be as bitter as hell swearing and security and Saboath breaking would be as bitter as wormwood thou durst not go on in them they would make thee look sourely upon them for ever like a man that hath chewed a pill he can hardly ever
see a pill but his stomack riseth against it Behold I wil hedge up thy way with thorns Hos 2. 6. I wil not be so precise saith the heart I wil go on as I have done I wil go after these and these courses I will hedge up thy way with thorns saith God meditation is Gods instrument and sets a thorn in the way to every sin to bring the heart back again Would the heart lash out into luke-warmnesse Meditation sets a thorn in the way God will spue thee out of his mouth Would the heart sally forth into any sin Meditation sets a thorn in the way Cursed art thou if thou dost err from Gods Commandements The heart cannot step forth into any lust but meditation meets it with a thorn this curse and that curse this plague and that plague Would the heart reach at mercy in its sin Meditation pricks it mercie is vengeance unto thee so long as thou hankrest after sin Would the heart reach after Christ in his sin Meditation pushes it back with a thorn no Christ for thee but a severejudge so long as thou itchest after thy vanities What shal we think of them then which are loth to practice this duty Most men are loth though they be willing enough to meditate on their worldly affairs The Mariner meditates and considers his course by his Compasse or else he might soon runne on the quick-sands a Pilgrim is full of thoughts what am I in my right way He never comes to a doubtfull turning but he stands in a study and muses O which is my right way The Merchant meditates and his mind runs on his Count-book or else he is soon bankrupt The voluptuous man his thoughts run on his pleasure the drunkard on his cups the proud man on his credit But it is one thing to look to that which is thine and another thing to look to thy self Take heed to your selves saith the Lord Deut. 11. 16. Deut. 12. 30. Deut. 4. 9. Exod. 34. 12. as if he should say think on thy self of thy poor soul let thy Meditation run on thy poor soul The heart is untoward unto this duty and as unwilling as a Bear to be brought to the stake the Bear would rather be rambling abroad then be baited so men had rather let their hearts ramble about any thing then bait them for their sins yea men scoff at it saying shall we alwayes be poring on our sins shall we run mad shall we drive our selves to despair cannot men keep themselves well while they are well The poor man he hath no time for this tedious duty the rich man he needs it not the wicked they dare not so no man will No man repented him of his wickednesse saying What have I done Jer. 8. 6. no man would meditate and think with himself what is my case how stands my condition before God what evil have I done in the Ark and in the old Law if there were any beast that chewed not the cud it was a sign of an unclean beast the word implies the bringing up of their meat into their mouths again and sitting down to chew it again But now men like unclean beasts swallow down the food of their souls unchewed and will not meditate thereof that it may turn to good nutriment but like Cormorants they take it down by whole-sale and are never the better So the Word is to them as the Quails to the Israelites while the flesh was yet between their teeth ere it was chewed the wrath of the Lord was kindled against them and smote them them with a very great plague Num. 11 33. So the Word of God sticks in their teeth ere they chew it or meditate upon it the wrath of God falls upon them and strikes them with a very great plague of hardnesse of heart and leanness of soul But the truth is you that will not now see your sins nor meditate on them you shall see them and meditate on nothing but on fear Lord when thy hand is lifted up they will not see but they shall see and be ashamed Isaiah 26. 11. Now the Lets of serious meditation are First vain company When Peter saw the people touched Acts 2. 37. he said unto them Save your selves from this untoward generation verse 40. as if he should say If you love your selves God hath touched your hearts suffer not Satan and these wicked instruments to steal away these impressions of terrour from your Souls If ever you love your souls sort not your selvs with this untoward generation See as it humbles you so let meditation follow upon it so that it may still humble you Ill company brings a man to the gallows as the proverb is and ill company will bring a man to hell say I and meditation cannot be admitted to it David would not have a wicked man to abide in his sight when he was to meditate he wisht that there were never a wicked man in the world much less would he keep company with them My meditation of him shall be sweet let the sinners be consumed out of the earth and let the wicked be no more Bless thou the Lord O my soul ps 104. 35. The second Let is multitude of worldly businesses A dream saith Solomon comes through multitude of businesses Eccles 5. Multitude of businesses causeth the mind so to run on them that they do even dream of them in their sleep as Lucretius Seneca Claudian and many others of the hearthens haue observed He that over-imploys himself his meditations of heaven are dreaming meditations his thoughts dreaming thoughts he can never seriously meditate on the good of his soul Many ingrosse businesses into their hands never thinking they have enough they are so greedy after the world and so carelesse of heaven So they make their hearts like high-way-ground the word sown in their hearts is like seed sown in the high-way where is such a throughfare and a broad Carriers road of earthly affairs that all the word and meditation thereof is trodden down as the grasse in the high-way which cannot grow so neither meditation in a busie-bodied heart For a good meditating mind Nemo ad illam pervenit occupatus saith Seneca no man ever came to it surfeited with imployments David although he had abundance of State-affairs both his hands ful yet he would not to be over-charged but that he might meditate in Gods word My hands also not all down to businesse only in the world but also up to thy Law will I lift up to thy commandements which I have loved and I wil meditate on thy statutes Psal 119. 48. Take not too much upon thee like those grasping worldlings that wil have a finger in a hundred things Martha Martha thou art cumbred about many things but one thing is needfull and Mary hath chosen the better part Luke 10. 41. and what was that one thing Mary was sitting and meditating in and pondring Christs words not
this it not enough This is a solemne Ordinance of God and an ordinary disposition will not serve the turn Though every child of God be ordinarily disposed to every good word and work to pray and to hear the word of God he is prepared and furnished to every well-doing ordinarily and habitually but a man must be disposed farther There is a solemne preparation required to the Communion as in Deut. 16. 15. there were solemn feasts in the Law so there is this solemn feast in the Gospel and there are solemn preparations required thereto When we come to the Communion to eat the Lords Supper it is not eating and drinking in Christs presence for so may any reprobate do and yet Christ may say to him Depart from me thou worker of iniquity It is not to come and sit in your Pewes and wait till the Bread comes and take it and till the Cup comes and drink it so many a Reprobate may doe as the Corinthians did that did eat and drink their own damnation But there must be a solemn preparation to it to be sealed with the Spirit of Promise to be righteous by faith in the body and bloâ—d of Christ For a man to be humble and empty of his sin to be â—â—â—â—sâ—y aâ—â—â—â— the precious bloud of Christ to be fed and built up in the promises It is a weighty thing to come to the Communion a man must be a worthy man or else he hath nothing to do here As Solomon said of Adonijah if he be a worthy man not a hair shall fall from his head but if wickednesse be found in him he shall dye 1 Kings 1. 52. So if we be worthy men and women not a hair of our heads shall fall to the ground none of the curses shall light on us that light on unprepared persons but if wickednesse be found in us if we be guilty of any sin if we live in any lust not mortified if there be any prophanenesse in our lives in our families in our courses and callings though we catch hold of the horns of the Altar though we partake of these holy mysteries yet we shall be so far from having any mercy as that we shall hasten our own ruine we set a seal on our own judgement and make our case worse than it was before Let us take notice of it and never dare to rush on any of Gods Ordinances You know what became of the foolish man in the Gospel that when they were invited to come to the marriage supper he thought it was nothing but to come with them that came to crowd in with them and sit down among the rest he considered not what he went about that he might be prepared accordingly the event was this he was cast out into utter darknesse Matth. 22. 13. It is dangerous rushing on any of Gods ordinances To rush upon prayer for a man to fall down upon his knees and to utter any thing before the Lord hastily with his mouth not considering that God is in heaven and he on the earth A mans word may damn his own soul and pull vengeance on his own pate his prayers may prove a curse his prayer for mercy may be turned into vengeance So the higher the service the greater the danger As the servants of Abigail said to her Consider what you do when evill was determined against them so consider what you do when you come to the Sacrament you come to a weighty thing to that that will either set you neerer to the Kindome of God or hell and condemnation But I let this passe and come to the words themselves Let a man examine himself and so let him eat of that Bread and drink of that Cup. In these words observe First the matter of the duty commanded that is to eat of that bread and drink of that cup. Secondly the manner of doing the duty not only to eat of that bread but so to eat and not only to drink of that cup but so to drink Thirdly the rule of direction how to come in a right manner to partake of it that is by examining of our selves Let a man examine himself and so let him eat of that bread and drink of that cup. Fourthly and lastly the benefit following that direction and that is in this word But let a man examine himself He had said before He that eats and drinks unworthily is made guilty of the body and bloud of the Lord and he discerneth not the Lords body verse 27. But saith he as if he should say if a man would prevent this if a man would take order that he be not guilty of the body and bloud of Christ that he do not come undiscerningly to these heavenly mysteries but with comfort and title to the promises with hope and confidence and speeding there of the benefits of Christ exhibited then let a man examine himselfe and so let him eat of that bread and drink of that cup. Now I will passe over some of these points namely that we are to eat that bread and drink that cup. There is a necessity that we should receive the Lords supper I need not stand on this you know it sufficiently proved by the Sacrament of the Law which was the fore-runner of this Sacrament that soul that did not partake of that was to dye the death he was to be cut off from Gods people Num. 9. 13. If the Lord was so carefull of those Sacraments that were inferior to these and yet they were of the same substance as these that the man that neglected to come to them to partake of them was to be cut off to be excommunicated from the people of God and to be rent off from the congregation of the Saints then how much more for these heavenly and weighty and glorious Ordinances of the Gospel which are farr more glorious than them of the Law But I will not stand upon that I might here take notice too of the frequency of the duty for so it hath dependence on those words formerly As oft as you eat this bread and drink this cup ye shew the Lords death and so that is as oft as ye eat do it in this manner This is the command of God that we oft receive the Lords Supper In the Primitive times St. Basil observes that they eat it three or four times in a week on Wednesdays Frydays and on the Lords day but that was a time of persecution I will not stand upon that I think it not neeedfull But it should be often we should not thurst it only upon Easter and Whitsuntide and Christ-tide three or four times in the year Again I might observe here from this mystery received in that he calls it Bread I might observe against the Papists Transubstantiation that the bread received is not transubstantiated but is bread still and against that of receiving in one kind So let him eat of that bread and drink of that
Jews Prayer without preparation it as a carkesse without the soul that is a loathsomething so is prayer without life and without a right manner of powring it forth Let us labour therefore in the fear of God to pray and pray aright to hear and to hear aright to seek God and to seek him with all our hearts aright and to do every thing in the right way Let us consider first wee doe not pertake of any ordinance at all except wee doe it in a right manner I remember a fit place for this in Numbers 11. 14. It is said there The stranger shall eat the Passeover and partake of of it according to the ordinance and the manner of it Where the text puts in the Ordinance of the Passeover and the manner of it For it is all one they are Synonima's So the Ordinance in every duty Gods ordinance in praying in hearing the Word in the Sacramement in reproof in every good duty it is all one as the self-same thing So that if we pray and do not pray in a right manner we have not prayed we do not partake of the ordinance So when we come to the Sacrament the ordinance and the manner of it is all one it is one compleat concrete action we do not partake of it except we partake of both Secondly consider it is nothing but hypocrisie when a man prayes and doth not pray in a right manner when a man doth any dutie to God and not in right wise it is nothing but hypocrisie Mark how our Saviour Christ sets forth the hypocrisie of the Pharisee Luke 18. 11. The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himselfe hee marks this manner of prayer hee doth not say Hee stood and prayed this these words but Thus he prayed he did not pray in a right manner there was his hypocrisie and that was the reason he went home not justified Thirdly consider it makes the ordinance of God of no effect Thus they make the Conmandements of God of none effect Matthew 15. 6. Hee speaks there of their duties that they did in a wrong manner and their expounding the Scripture that they did in a wrong wise and their sacrifice their offerings and tithings their precepts and many things that were all done after another fashion than God had commanded therefore saith Christ Thus they make the Commandement of God of none effect So we make all the duties of Gods worship of none effect Wee know there is never an ordinance of God but it hath great effect if it be rightly performed Prayer is of great effect it is able to rend heaven it is able to pull down God to the soul it is able to wrastle out a blessing to quicken the heart to obtain of God every thing we want but if a man pray not aright a man may pray and go away never a whit the more holy nor more quickened nor neerer to heaven nor comfort So preaching and hearing they are admirable Ordinances what powerfull effects have they wrought when they have been done in a right kind People have cryed out and been converted at them and many a man hath been pulled out of the power of Satan to the Kingdom of Jesus Christ They had royall glorious effects upon many thousand souls But what is the reason that our hearing is so uneffectuall Because we hear not in a right manner this makes the Ordinance of God of none effect it makes prayer of no effect the Word of no effect the Sacrament and Sabbaths of none effect you see people partake of these things and are never the wiser Lastly it cannot please God it is onely the right manner of doing duties that pleased God as in 1 Thessalonians 4. 1. As ye have received of us How ye ought to walk and to please God Marke there is the manner That we may know HOW to walke and by that to please God It is not enough for a man to walk in good duties that a man may do and not please God but saith he ye haue received the manner HOW to walk and to please God It is the manner how that pleaseth God A man may walk to hell upon heavens ground he may go to hell in the wayes of God it is possible Suppose a man should go and take if it were possible all the surface of ground between this place and York and lay it between this place and Dover a man might go to Dover upon York ground So many a man lays the Ordinances of God in hell way he walks in the way to hell and there he lays his prayers and there his hearing and his good duties he prayes every day and hears every day and doth good duties every day and yet walks to hell he goes to hell on heavens ground The reason is because he doth the duty and doth not observe the manner how he doth it The third thing is the rule of direction how we may come to the right manner of receiving the Sacrament that is by preparing of a mans self and the preparation is here set down by the specification of it namely in examining himself Let a man examine himself and so let him eat of that Bread and drink of that Cup. The general scope of the words and the Apostles meaning in them is this That Every man must prepare himself before he come to the Lords Table I cannot stand on this I will only name it As in the Sacrament of the Passeover there was preparation for the Passeover In John 19. 14. it is said of the Disciples of Christ that they made ready the Passeover In Matthew 26. they made the Lamb ready and the room ready and themselves ready and the Table ready and every thing ready So in the Sacrament of the Lords Supper wherein Christ is the true Pascall Lamb when we come to eat of him we must make every thing ready faith ready and repentance ready and interest in the promise ready and hunger and thirst after these spirituall dainties ready every thing must be ready Or else like a man that comes into the field to battell that hath not gotten his sword nor his weapons ready that is the way for himself to be killed so it is when we come to the Communion and have not all things ready it is the way to be damned The Reasons of this are First because the Sacrament is an ordinance of God Now all the Ordinances of God require preparation they are all spirituall and naturally a man is carnall and therefore cannot be prepared As it is with wood there is never a tree in the wood but it is unprepared for building Is there any tree in the wood of the fashion of a Chimney or of a Lintell or a Door It must first be prepared as it is in Prov. 24. 27. First prepare thy work without and then build thine house So every ordinance is to build a man up in the fear of God
not judge well of him that reproves him There is an excellent place Prov. 12. 1. He that puts off reproof is brutish he that hates reproof is the brute that man hath no reason in him Art thou a swearer and art reproved for it thy brother tells thee thou wilt be damned for it Dost thou chafe at that man thou art a beast thou hast no more understanding than an Oxe or an Asse As it is with a horse when the Ostler comes to rub him he kicks with his heel when he only beats of the dirt he lifts up his hinder leg on him and it may be wounds him so thou hast no more understanding than a beast that finds fault with one that reproves thee for thy sins So that whatsoe'r thy sin be he that tels thee of it there is no reason in the world but that he should be a dear man to thee Me thinks of all men under heaven godly Ministers that are faithfull in their place and calling should be the dearest men to you upon the face of the earth Why because they reprove you and tell you of your sins and what will become of your souls what will be the issue and Catastrophe of all you wayes You that come to Church every day may read a Lecture in the Word of God what will be your doom at the last day you are told of your pride and adultery of your whoredom and oaths carnall Gospellers of their secure and carnal condition and common professors of their formality and other lusts that men are given to you are told of all I say the feet of Gods messengers should be beautifull you should hug the messengers and put their reproofs in your bosomes and let them have power and efficacy on your souls and go and put them in practice The Use of this is First is it so that it is the infinite mercie of God to reprove men of their sins to tell them of whatsoever is amisse in their hearts and lives let me tell you First see here what an infinite punishment God is bringing upon that kingdom when he is taking away reprovers from them when God takes away reprovers he takes away all mercy and loving kindnesse Therefore God when he threatned to deliver up Judah to curse that Kingdom to plague them for their rebellion and utterly to give them over he saith he will take away the reprover saith he to the Prophet Thou shalt be dumb and not open thy mouth thou shalt not be a reprover to this people Ezek. 2. 26. When the Lord would curse that people and bind them over to a reprobate sense and deliver them to wrath the Prophet shall not be a reprover he silences the Prophet Or as Piscator thinks the anger of God silenced him or confin'd him to his house that he should not prophesie So when God silences his Ministers that he takes them from a place or threatens to take them away it is a sign of heavy vengeance towards such a people It may be wicked people laughed at them and made it a matter of nothing they were glad that Ezekiels mouth was gagged and it were no matter if the country were rid of a company of Puritans though they had no such word then they had as bad they think all is well but the time will come that they will curse the day that ever they provoked God to take away their Ministers we enjoy them by the mercy of God other places have lost them God knows how soon we may lose ours In Hosea 4. 4. the Lord there when he would set out the desperate estate of the children of Ephram delivers them up to such a state and condition that none should reprove them Let none reprove another If they will sinne let them if they will go on in Idolatry let them If they will harden their own hearts let them if they will dye in sinne let them if they will perish and be damned for ever let them Let no man reprove another It is a lamentable state Generally people are glad when the Land is swept of all the good Ministers and the good servants of God they had rather hear a fine song in a pulpit of one that preacheth morally or it may be preacheth his own selfe or the like but the time will come when they shall say as Solomon saith It is better to hear the reproof of the wise than the song of fools Ecclesiastes 7. 5. people love alife to hear the song of fools When a fool comes up and preacheth At what time soever a sinner shall repent him of his sinne And be not just overmuch and what need such a do Here is more puther than need and abuse places and wrest Scripture As for example the thief on the Crosse was saved at the last with a word or two and they bring the example of the Publican that cryed God be mercifull to me a sinner and went justified to his house rather than the Pharisee that made long prayers And rush what need men be so zealous and precise and puritanicall Whosoever calls upon the name of God shall be saved people love alife such songs of fools but the time shall come when peoples eyes shall be opened and their consciences awakened and then they will wish O that we had heard the reproof of the wise The second use makes against those that despise the reproofe of the wise ye despise not men but God ye have despised me Prov. 1. 30. You thinke you despise a poor Minister he is strict and harsh with your souls and presseth these things upon your consciences and it may be more than he hath warrant to do so you think you do not despise God but only the Minister Nay saith Christ you have despised my reproof When you despise them that Christ sends you despise him This is an expresse and an explicite sign of a mans everlasting destruction when he despiseth reproof as in that speech of the Prophet to Amaziah I know that the Lord hath determined to destroy thee because thou hast not hearkened to my reproof 2. Chron. 25. 16. So I may say I know that God hath determined to destroy a Nation a City or people when they will not take counsell of Gods Messengers when they will not hearken to instruction They have been called upon nationall sinnes have been ripped up parochiall sinnes have been spoken of yet when they are told they will not be reproved We that are the Ministers of God know that God will destroy as many as turn not at reproof I let this pass I should now shew the grievousnesse of this ill of standing out against reproof it is expressed two ways First in the sinfulnesse of it to harden a mans heart Secondly in the punishment He shall be destroyd without remedy And in the destruction you may see here First the unexpectednesse of it He shall be destroyed suddenly Secondly the totalnesse of it He
Canaan she sought the Lord God of Heaven and earth she was of the cursed stock of Cham whom the Lord commanded to destroy yet she repented and became of the faith of Abraham to see if the Lord would own her but the Lord seemed to reject her and suffered the devil to possess her daughter Now what might not this poor woman think she had made a sorry change of religion seeing that God the author of it would not own her but suffered the devil to possesse her daughter But see the importunity of this woman she would not be quiet untill she had found Christ Mark 7. 24 25. Christ could not be hid No What could he not hide himself in some corner No. no thinks she there is a Christ and if he be to be had under the cope of heaven I wil have him Even so it is with the soul that is importunate in prayer it is restlesse What if Christ do hide himself in the Word c. and will not own a poor soul yet the poor soul knowes there is a Christ and if he be to be found in the whole world he wil have him I wil saith he turn over all duties I will go to all the Ministers that are neer I will use all the means Now Christ cannot be hid from such a soul that is thus importunate Now as it is a prayer that will take no nay so first it will take no privative nay of silence Secondly no possitive nay of denial First no privative nay of silence A man that is importunate in prayer must and will have some answer he is not like Baals Priests that could get no answer 1 King 18. 26. nor like wicked men that pray in their pewes they know not what nor whether God hears them or no but an importunate prayer will have an answer like the woman of Canaan Have mercy on me O Lord saith she but Christ answered her not a word Hath she done then No she cries so much the more Have mercy on me O Lord yea she was so importunate that his Disciples were ashamed to hear her yet she cried Have mercy on my daughter the devil hath my daughter and misery will have me unlesse thou wilt have mercy on us Christ answered her never a word It was much trouble to her to have her daughter vext with a devil but this troubled her much more that Christ in whom all her hope was would not hear her nor lend her one look What might she think Is this the merciful Saviour that is so ful of pitty compassion Is this he that hath made proclamation to all the world saying Come unto me all ye that are weary c and I am tyred and wearied by reason of the devil that possesses my daughter c. yet he regards me not Thus she might have said yet these discouragements could not put her off but she cried so much the more yea so that the Apostles were ashamed that Christ should let her stand on that fashion yet she stood it out and prevailed Secondly it will take no positive nay of deniall For when she had an answer and that flat against her it was like bellowes to the fire she was so much the more inflamed she doubles her forces Have mercy on me O Lord c. Chist put her off with a deniall I am not sent but to the lost sheep of the house of Israel I come for sheep not for goats you are of the Canaanites on whom I have set a brand of damnation a servant of servants a slave of hell and darknesse These are all of your blood but I come to save them of the house of Israel But the deniall of an importunate soul is like the stop in a passage of water the more it is stopt the more violent it is so this poor woman is so much the more eager with Christ she did but cry before now she worships him verse 24. 25. as if she should have said Lord help me now I am one of thy lost sheep I confesse I am a Canaanite I am of that damned blood yet Lord help me I am perswaded that thou canst take a course whereby to help me Thou canst cast some mercy on a Canaanite Thus you see an importunate soul will take no deniall but will renew its forces at the Throne of grace Thirdly an importunate Prayer will take no contumelious repulse suppose God should answer never a syllable of thy prayer yet thou wilt pray suppose he do answer and that against thee yet still thou wilt pray Nay suppose he call thee all to naught making thy conscience tell thee of all thy sins and abominations making thee think that heaven is shut up against thee and God hath shut his ears calling thee Dog hell-hound and wretch c. yet nothing can break thee off if thou be importunate indeed So this woman was not beaten off with Christs sending the Devill into her Daughter nor with Christs hiding himselfe when she sought him nor with Christs answering never a word nor with the Apostles frumps nor with his deniall nor contumelious repulse for he called her dog vers 26 Hence dog I had as lieve â—ling my mercy on a dog as on thâ—e What creature but an importunate one could have gone so far But see here the nature of importunity it gets within Christ and takes advantage she confest the cause saying Truth Lord thou hast hit me right I am a dog or a wicked woman let me then have the priviledges that dogs have though dogs may not be equal with children at the cable yet they may wait under the table I acknowledge that thy children are so plentifully fed that some crummes fall from the table therefore let me have the priviledge of a dog Naaman the Syrian was a dog as well as I Rahab the harlot was a dog as well as I Ruth a dog as well as I yet these got câ—ums truth Lord I am a dog yet thy mercy can metamorphose a dog Of these stones thou canst raise children to Abraham Thus it is with an importunate soul though God call it all to naught and cast all ignominious terms upon it as I had as lieve thou shouldest offer me swines blood as to speak in my hearing yet if thou be importunate thou wilt bear any contumelious repulse Fourthly an importunate prayer is impudent in an holy manner And as an impudent begger that is needy counts it no manners to hold his peace from begging although he be bidden Or as a poor petitioner to the King the King bids him hold his peace yet he will not but still he goes on The officers say Thou filthy fellow wilt thou never have done dost thou not see that the King is angry Yet he still cries Help me Lord ô King So the Canaanitish woman or an Importunate prayer is an impudent prayer yet in a holy manner I remember a story of a poor woman in Essex condemned to die she falls to
that doth the office of prayer and yet never gets the end of prayer A man hath never gotten the end of his prayers till he hath gotten that he prayed for It is not with praier as with a Physician that may give the best physick under heaven and yet the Patient may die under his hands and therefore one gives counsel that a Physician never meddle with a desperate man But if the soul be an effectuall suitor with God it can never faile of its suite because it is an unsatiable Suitor that never leaves his prayer till it terminates the end of it I cryed unto the Lord with my voyce and he heard me out of his holy hill Selah Jerom translates it for ever Psal 3. 4. never doth a child of God pray but he prayeth so as that his praier and Gods eare may be joyned together I cried unto the Lord and the Lord heard me This also sheweth how the Prophet cried and prayed namely so as his crying and Gods hearing were coupled together But some may object How can a man be unsatiable in his prayers till he speed must a man be alwaies a praying God calls men to other duties of his worship and of his own particular calling after morning I must have done till noon after noone I must have done til night whether God hear me or no must I be alwaies a praying till I speed then I should doe nothing else but pray how then are we to continue our praiers till God hear us and give the grace that we pray for to this I answer A man must give over the words and times of prayer for other duties but a man must not give over the suit of prayer A poor begger comes to a house-keepers gate and begs but none hears him now he being a poor man hath somthing else to do and therefore he sits down or stands and knits or patches and then he begs or knocks and then to his work again though he do not alwayes continue knocking or begging yet he alwaies continues his suite O that my suite might be granted me or that I might have an almes here so when the soul is begging of any grace though it doth not alwaies continue the words of praier yet it alwaies continues the suite of praier David he would dwell in the house of the Lord for ever Psal 23. 6. A wicked man it may be will turne into Gods house and say a prayer c. but the Prophet would and so all godly men must dwell there for ever his soul lyeth alwayes at the throne of grace begging for grace A wicked man he prayeth as the cock croweth the cock crows and ceaseth and crowes again and ceaseth again and thinks not of crowing till he crowes again so a wicked man praies and ceaseth praies and ceaseth again his mind is never busied to think whether his praiers speed or no he thinks it is good Religion for him to pray and therefore he takes that for granted that his praiers speed though in very deed God never hears his praiers nor no more respects it than he respects the lowing of Oxen or the gruntling of hoggs He is found in his praiers as the wilde Asse in her moneths Jer. 2. The wild Asse in regard of her swiftnesse cannot be taken but in her months she hath a sleepy moneth and all that while she is so sleepy and dumpish that any man may take her in her months you shall find her so a wicked man hath his prayer moneths his praier fits it may be in the morning or in the evening or day of his affliction and misery you shall have him at his prayers at his prayer fits then you shall find him at it but otherwise his mind is about other matters But the child of God what ever he ailes he goes with his petition presently to the throne of grace and there he never removes till he hath it granted him as here we see the praiers of the Church consisting of many years yet are counted but one suit The application follows Use 1. Try therefore and examine whether thy praiers be unsatiable praiers yea or no and for helpe herein take these markes first if thy prayers be unsatiable praiers then it is a begging prayer thou praiest as if thou hadst never praied before as if thou hadst never begun to pray and thou never thinkest that thou hast done any thing till thou hast done the deed As a hungry man eats as if he had never eat before so the unsatiable soul praies as if he had never praied before till he hath obtained that he hath praied for but a wicked man he prayes not thu Job speaking of carnal professors Job 27. 10. Will he call upon God at all times seest thou a wicked man go to a good duty go to praier do you think that he will hold out alwayes he will never do it for a wicked man he reasons with himselfe I have called upon God thus and thus long I hope I need not pray any more for this thing and so he gives over But a godly man he will be alwayes calling upon God Beloved there is a beginning to an action and a beginning of an action thou never beginnest to lift up a weight till thou stirrest it from the ground indeed thou maist begin towards the action by pulling at it by reaching at it but thou never beginnest the lifting up of the weight till thou stirre it from its place thou mayst give a pull at prayer and tugge at a grace but thou hast not so much as begun that duty till thou seest God begin to hear thee till thou seest the grace a coming therefore the Prophet David when he prayed and had not that he prayed for his praiers returned into his own bosome Psal 35. 13. there to lie to be a continuall suit unto God A wicked man praies and he leaves his praier behind him in his pew or in his hall or chamber but a godly man praies and his prayer is in his heart his prayer is not out till the grace be in Secondly an unsatiable prayer it is evermore a proceeding praier you would think that these are two contraries and one opposite to the other but they are not only they are two severall things as it is ever a beginning praier because in his own thoughts he reckons or thinks that he hath nothing till he speeds so the soule that is unsatiable in prayer he proceeds he gets neer to God he gains something he windes up his heart higher As a child that seeth the mother have an apple in her hand and it would fain have it it will come and pull at the mothers hand for it now she lets go one finger and yet she holds it and then he pulls again and then she lets go another finger and yet she keepes it and then the child pulls again and will never leave pulling and crying till it hath got it from his mother So
a child of God seeing all graces to be in God he draws neer to the throne of grace begging for it and by his earnest and faithfull praiers he opens the hands of God to him God dealing as parents to their children holds them off for a while not that he is unwilling to give but to make them more earnest with God to draw them the neerer to himselfe A wicked man praies and his praiers tumble down upon him again and his heart is as dead as ever it was before as sensual as ever as carnal and earthly as ever as hard as impenitent and secure as ever A godly man when he praies though he have not gotten the thing totall that he desired yet he is neerer God then he was before his heart grows every day better than other by his praiers he obtains still something as the Prophet Hosea speaks of knowledge Hos 6. 3. Then shall we know if we follow on to know the Lord so I may say of prayer and of all other good duties then we pray if we proceed on wards in prayer A man may know and know and yet never know the Lord till he go on in knowledge so a man may pray and pray yet if he goe not onwards in his prayers his prayers are nothing A godly man prayes as a builder builds now a builder he first layeth a foundation and because he cannot finish in one day he comes the second day and finds the frame standing that he made the first day and then he adds a second dayes work and then he comes a third day and finds his two former dayes work standing then he proceeds to a third dayes work and makes walls to it and so he goes on till his building be finished So prayer is the building of the soule till it reach up to heaven therefore a godly heart prayes and reacheth higher and higher in prayer til at last his prayers reach up to God It is a signe of a wicked man to pray and to let his prayers fall down again upon him And here I appeale to the consciences of wicked men if it be not so with them they pray and pray but their hearts are as dead and deceitfull as proud and vaine as ignorant blockish and rebellious as if they had never prayed Thirdly it is more and more a fervent prayer if a little prayer will not serve the turn if he speeds not to day then he will pray more earnestly to morrow and if that will not serve the turne he will adde more As a man in winding up of a bucket if two or three windings will not fetch it up he will winde it up higher and higher till it comes up for if he should onely winde up once or twice and no more but hold it just at the same pin the bucket would never come up So if a man prayes and prayes and windes not up his heart higher but holds it just at the same pegge it was prayes in the same fashion he did grace will never come up Mark then how thou prayest examine thy heart dost thou pray to day as yesterday with no more zeal nor feeling affection nor sensible desire thou prayest not unsatiably No thou restrainest thy praying from growing an excellent description of an hypocrite Job 1â— 4. though falsly applied to Job Thou restrainest prayer before God in some translations it is Thou keepest thy prayers from growing thou restrainest thy prayers as a dwarffe is restrained from growing so thou restrainest thy prayers from being more and more earnest and effectuall and fervent unsatiable prayer is growing in zeale and affection Fourthly it is a more and more frequent prayer so that if twice a day will not serve the turne he will pray three times a day Psal 55. 17 and if that will not prevaile he will pray seven times a day Psal 119. 164. and when that is not enough he will be even ever a praying hardly broken off day or night Psal 88. 1. he cares not how often he prayes it may be that thou hast been a suitor for strength and grace against corruptions and hast put up many prayers to the same purpose It now thou stickest at any prayers thy prayers are not unsatiable an unsatiable soul never resteth though it have made ten thousand prayers till it have gotten the grace it is so with other things and therefore we need not wonder at it when a man doth not finish his work one day he will do it another and so on as long as he lives till his worke be done so must we do for heaven and for grace Fifthly it is ever more and more a back'd praier if ordinary praiers will not serve the turne a godly heart will cut off time from his recreations and pleasures though in themselves lawfull Beloved it may be with thy soul in its wrastlings and strivings for grace and power against corruptions that ordinary praiers will not satisfie it but it will be necessry to give over even lawfull delights and give that time to praier so a man will do for the world if he have a businesse of importance that will bring him in gaine he will be content to part with his delights and recreations and pleasures to follow after it so a man must do for his soul and if that be not enough then lay aside the duties of thy calling to take time from that If a man have two houses on fire both together the one his mansion dwelling house the other some back room or stable if he can he will save both but if he see that by spending his time on quenching the fire on the stable that his great mansion house will burne downe he will then neglect the other and let it burne if it will and imploy himselfe about his house So when the soul is in misery under the want of grace that it cannot live under but must perish eternally if it have it not then the soule being better than the body rather than that the soul miscarry we will neglect the body sometime And if this will not serve abstain from meat and drink fast it out thus the people of God are faine to do many times their lust and corruptions being even as the devill himselfe which cannot be cast out but by prayer and fasting there is an excellent place Joel 2. 12. Therefore now turn unto the Lord with fasting weeping and mourning rent your hearts c. Therefore now now your sinnes are so divelish now your sins are so deepely rooted in your soules now your corruptions are come to be such plague sores within you do you not think that your ordinary repentance and ordinary praiers and humiliations will serve the turne but now backe them with fasting and mourning Here now thou maist examine thy soul whether it have praied effectually unsatiably yea or no hath it ever a begging praier that thou praiest as if thou hadst never praied before is it evermore a proceeding prayer that
Isaiah 27. 11. He that made them will not have mercy on them and he that formed them will not pitty them It is commonly beleeved if men come to Church heare the Word and call upon God that then presently they are good Christians Beloved it is not so Mat. 7. 21. Not every one that saith Lord Lord shall enter into the Kingdome of Heaven Men are ready when they can but call Lord have mercy on me O sweet Saviour pitty me most mercifull Lord Jesus have compassion on me if they can pray in their families and pray at Church c. to think now all is well with them and Christ cannot but save them and give them the Kingdome of Heaven but our Saviour puts a not upon it and saith not every one that saith Lord Lord it is noâ— a Lord a Lording of Christ with the tongue onely it is not a taking up of an outward profession of Christ only that is sufficient for a man that shall inherit the Kingdome of Heaven no saith Christ but he that doth the will of my Father which is in Heaven But of this by the by Secondly there are needlesse discouragements which doe much hurt in prayer Nee lesse discouragements do much hurt to many a poor soule that hath forcible wouldings and wracked desires after grace and holinesse and yet is held by discouragements yea many a Christian heart lieth a long time under it wrestling and striving under its wants and yet kept out from grace and from growing in grace because of discouragements yea the best and strongest of God Saints have been kept off and have hung much on discouragements Fear not saith God to Abraham Gen. 15. 1. So fear not Joshua saith God to Joshua Josh 1. 9. Intimating that both Abraham and Joshua were afraid of discouragements they were afraid that many evils would befall them that they should meet with many rubs and difficulties that would be too hard for them therefore the Lord calls to them fear not be not djsmayed nor discouraged I â—ou saidst fear not Hence observe That God would not have any Christian soul to be discouraged in prayer Thou saidst fear not For our clearer prooceeding herein first let me shew you what discouragement is and secondly how it comes to be dangerous and hurtfull in prayer What is discouragement It is a base dismayment of spirit below or beneath the strength that is in a man under the apprehension of some evill as if it were too hard for him to grapple with it There be foure things in this diffinition First I say it is a base dismayment of spirit and so I call it to distinguish it for there is an humble dismayment which a Christian is commanded A man is bound to be dismayed for his sinnes I say 32. 11. Tremble ye carelesse women that are at ease be troubled ye carelesse ones these carelesse ones went on in their sinnes and feared not God calls to them and bids them to be dismayed But the dismayment and the discouragement I speak of it is a base dismayment of spirit which is either when he is dismayed that ought not or he is dismayed at that whereat he ought not to fear where no cause of fear is As he that riding along upon the high way spying a mans shape thought it was some Spirit and thereupon he sickened and died So many a poor soul looking in the perfect Law of God and seeing his own uglinesse and filthinesse he is discouraged and thinks himself undone his heart waxeth cold within him and he begins to fear that he is but a dead and damned man Secondly it is down beneath the strength that is in a man that man is properly said to be discouraged not that he hath no strength at all in him nor no courage at all for such a one is an infeebled man not a man discouraged but a discouraged man is a man put besides the courage that is in him when a man hath strength enough to grapple with the evill before him but through dismayment of spirit he cannot put it forth Have not I commanded thee saith God to Joshua Be strong and of a good courage be not afraid neither be thou dismaied Iosh 1 9. God had given Joshua strength enough whereby he was inabled to observe and do according to all that Law which Moses the servant of the Lord commanded him God had now doubled his Spirit upon him yet he commands him be not afraid neither dismayed as if he had said Joshua if thou beest dismayed and discouraged though thou hast strength and power to go through the businesse that I have called thee unto yet thou wilt not be able to use it nor to put it forth if thou beest discouraged Thirdly it is at the apprehension of some evill I say not at the sight of some evill for a man may be dismayed at the apparition of good as Mary when she saw nothing but a good Angell Luke 1. 29. she saw nothing but a glorious Angel neverthelesse she was afraid and discouraged Why because she had a secret apprehension of some evill either of some evill proceeded in the salutation or some unworthinesse in her selfe to receive such a gracious salutation it cannot be the apprehension of any good that discourageth a man but the apprehension of some evill Fourthly not of every evill neither for if the evill be but small courage will stand it out but it is of such an evill as he fears he is not able to grapple withall If the evill before him be inferiour to him he scornes it as the barking of a toothlesse Dog If it be but an evill equall to his strength then he makes a tush at it because he knowes or thinkes himselfe able to encounter with it But if it be an evill above his strength then his spirit melts and droops before him See this in Saul 1 Sam. 17. 11. and his people When they saw the Champion of the Philistims coming against them when they saw him so hugely and marvelously armed and heard him speake such bigge words they thought they were not able to stand and to encounter with him and therefore saith the Text when Saul and all Israel heard these words of the Philistim they were dismayed and greatly afraid Thus you see what discouragement is Now we come to the second question to shew how discouragements come to be hurtfull in prayer such discouragements the Lord would not have our hearts to be in when we pray unto him For first God cannot give ear to that man that is out of heart in his prayers Thou canst never pray if thou beest dismaied in prayer When the soul begins to feare and reason O I am so unworthy that God will not looke at me I am so sinfull so blockish so dead and dull to all good that God will never regard me Thou canst never pray Rom. 10. 14. How shall they call on him in whom they have not beleeved If
the wildernesse for here is neither bread nor water and our soule loatheth this light bread So beloved if we suffer our soules to be discouraged we shall soone come to murmure against God wherefore hath he brought me up to this strictnesse and precisenesse when I was a drunkard a worldling when I followed the lust of my flesh and liberty then I enjoyed onions garlick and the flesh-pots of Egypt pleasures and delights for my soule then I had a good hope in God and a good perswasion that my soul should goe to heaven and then Preachers told me that if I would give over such and such sinnes and look after Heaven a little more and doe such and such things O then I should come to a Land flowing with milke and honey then I should not misse of glory and salvation But alas I see nothing but Gyants and Anakims I am in a wildernesse now now I see a man may have a great deal of repentance and yet be a cast away A man may have a great deal of faith and yet be but a reprobate A man may give over a great many sins and yet perish in hell now I see a man may live civilly and well and have and do a great many good things and yet be damned when he hath done all A man may even go to Heaven Gates and yet the gates be shut against him and he turned into hell Alas my poor soul is in a wildernesse now I know not which way to goe I am ready to lose my selfe I see nothing here now but huge Gyants the sons of Anack strong corruptions inclining and forcing me to evill most fearefull and violent suggestions and temptations of the Devill ready to thrust me into the gulfe of wickednesse and despaire And now the soule begins to thinke that it is good for it to returne again into Egypt to fall to its old courses again for certainly God looks for no such matter he requires no such strictnesse and precisenesse And so it falls a whining and repining at the Word and Ministers of God that have call'd men to it and laid it upon them and hath no heart now to do thus and thus any longer And thus it falls into discouragements because of the way and into a thousand quandaries whether it may not go back again or no. And all these murmurings and repinings are because men suffer themselves to be discouraged Thirdly discouragements will cause thee to think that God hates thee When the soul like Baals Priests 1. Kings 18. 26. hath been crying from morning to noon ten twenty thirty yeeres it may be and yet hath no answer now it will begin to think if God did love me then he would grant me my petitions Then hereupon comes into a mans secret thoughts and feare that God hardly loves his soule So was it with Israel when they were discouraged they said because the Lord hated us therefore he brought us out of the Land of Egypt Deut. 1. 27. Because that they were discouraged and because that their Brethren that went for spies had disheartned them therefore they were apt to say the Lord hated them Beloved it is a miserable thing when the soule calls the love of God into question Consider that as thou canst not have a friend if thou beest suspitious and jealous of his love to thee So thou canst never have the love of God settled on thy heart so long as thou art jealous of his love to thee Fourthly If thou root them not out it is to be feared that they will bring thee to despair Melancholy thoughts and feares and discouragements drive the soul to despaire For when the soul sees it selfe still disappointed of its hopes at the last it growes hopelesse If it have waited one day and the next day too if it have prayed this weeke this moneth this year and yet still it seeth it selfe held off and disappointed it will at last grow hopelesse Take heed therefore I beseech you of all needlesse discouragements to fear because that thou findest not that that thou wishedst or prayedst for to day or to morrow in thine own time that therefore thou shalt never get it that now thou shouldest for ever despaire of the grace and love of God and think that now God will never hear thee that thou shalt never get grace and power over thy corruptions Men think that the preaching of the Word of God brings men to despaire the preaching of such strict points and the urging such precise doctrines makes men despaire men are loth to be at the paines to root out their discouragements It is rather a cold or dead preaching of the Word that is the cause of this for when the soule is instructed by holinesse humbled by holinesse converted by holinesse at the last when it comes to be thorowly awakened when it sees that this and this is required in a true conversion of the soule to God that herein true repentance must declare and demonstrate it selfe by these and these fruits or else it is but false and rotten Why now the soul must needs be brought to despaire because it seeth that though it have been thus and thus humbled though it have praied fasted and mourned in this and this manner yet it sees it hath not a soundesse of grace There is such a grace in it such a worke and such a fruit of Gods Spirit in it that yet he could never finde in himselfe this makes the soule to despaire Indeed Preachers may be to blame if they speake and preach onely the terrours and condemnations of the Law without the promises of the Gospel for these should be so tempered that every poore broken soule may see mercy and redemption for him upon his sound and unfeigned repentance and humiliation But if men doe despaire they may thanke themselves for it their owne sinnes for it their owne discouragements for it because they suffer these to continue in them Cain his heart grew sad his conntenance fell he was wroth and disquiered in his minde and heavily discouraged why Gen. 4. Sin lay at the dore what dore the dore of his conscience rapping and beating upon his heart Beloved when the soule lets sin lie at the dore drunkennesse pride and worldlinesse security hardnesse and deadnesse of heart lie at the dore when a man lets his negligent and fruitlesse hearing of the word lie at the dore when a man lets his vaine and dead praying his temporizing and fashionary serving of God lie at the dore of conscience to tell him that all his hearing of the word of God profits him nothing that his praiers are dead and vain that his mourning fasting and all his humiliation is counterfeit and rotten and that he hath no soundnesse of grace in him but that for all this he may fall into hell when sin lâ—eth thus at the dore thus rapping at the conscience it is no wonder if the soule fall into desperation as it was here Cain let
his sinne lie at the dore there it lay rapping and beating and told him that his carelessenesse and negligent sacrificing to God was not accepted and therefore no marvell if Cain be so cast down in his countenance and that he fall to despaire O beloved when sinne lieth bouncing and beating at the doore of thy heart when thy sinne whatsoever it is search thy heart and finde it out lies knocking and rapping at the dore of thy conscience day by day and moneth by moneth and thou art content to let it lie and art unwilling to use meanes to remove it and art loth to take the paines to get the bloud of Christ to wash thy soule from it or the Spirit of Christ to cleanse thee from it then thy soule wil despaire either in this world or in the world to come But let us take heede then that our conscience condemne us not in any thing or course that we allow in our selves for if that doe then much more will God who is greater than our consciences and knows all things The Apostle hath an excellent Phrase Rom. 8. 1. There is no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus c. As if he should say there is not one condemnation there is none in Heaven God doth not condemne them there is none in earth their own heart and conscience doth not condemne them to him that is in Christ Jesus that walks not after the flesh but after the Spirit there is none no not one condemnation to him none neither in Heaven nor in earth no word no commandement no threatning condemns him But if thy conscience condemn thee and tell thee thou lettest sinne lie at the doore rapping at thy conscience day after day and moneth after moneth telling thee that yet thou art without Christ that yet thou never hadst any true faith in the Lord Jesus that yet thou hast not truly repented and turned from thy sins this will at last drive thy soul into heavy discouragements if not into final despaire O beloved religion and piety and the power of Godlinesse goe down the wind every where What is the reason of it but because of these discouragements that men live and go on in Men pray and pray and their prayers profit them not men run up and down and come to the Church and heare the Word and receive the Sacraments and use the meanes of grace but to no end they are unprofitable to them they remaine in their sinnes still the ordinances of God bring them not out of their lusts and corruptions hereby they disgrace and discredit the ordinances of God in the eyes and account of the men of the world making them think as if there were no more power nor force in the Ordinances of God than these men manifest There is no life in many Christians mens spirits are discouraged these secret discouragements in their hearts take away their spirits in the use of the meanes that though they use the meanes yet it drives them to despaire of reaping good or profit by them Beloved I could here tell you enough to make your hearts ake to hear it First All your complaints they are but winde Job 6. 26. Doe you imagine to reprove words and the speeches of one that is desperate which are as winde Jobs friends taking Job to be a man of despaire they accounted all his words but as wind Doe thou nestle any discouragement in thy heart thou maist complaine of sinne as much as thou canst yet all thy complainings are but as winde thou mayest cry out against thy corruptions with weeping and teares and pray and fight against them and yet all thy weeping mourning and praying is but as the winde thou maiest beg grace thou maiest seek after God thou maist heare the Word receive the Sacraments and yet all will be to thee as wind all will vanish be unprofitable not regarded Secondly discouragements drive us from the use of the meanes If ever we meane to come out of our sinnes if ever we meane to get grace and faith and assurance and zeale we must constantly use the meanes 1 Sam. 27. 1. David saith There is nothing better for me than that I should speedily escape into the Land of the Philistins and Saul shall despaire of me to seek me any more David thought in himself if I can make him out of hope of finding me certainly he will give over seeking of me So when the soule hath any secret despaire of finding the Lord that soul will quickly be drawn from seeking of the Lord in the use of the meanes What ever you doe then O be not discouraged lest you be driven from the use of the meanes if you be driven from the use of the meanes woe is to you you will never finde God then Be not driven from prayer nor driven from holy conference nor driven for the Word nor driven from the Sacrament nor from meditation nor from the diligent and strict examination of thy selfe of thy heart and of all thy wayes for these are the wayes of finding the Lord. If you nourish any thoughts and fears of despaire in you if you be discouraged you will be driven from the use of the meanes which is a lamentable thing therefore be not discouraged Thirdly discouragements will make you stand poaring on your former courses This I should have done and that I should have done woe is me that I did it not it will make a man stand poaring on his sinnes but never able to get out of them So it was like to be with them in the Ship with Paul Acts 27. 20. In the tempest at Sea they were utterly discouraged from any hope of safety now indeed Paul told them what they should have done if they had been wise Sirs you should have hearkned to me and not have loosed verse 21. as if he had said you should have done thus and thus but now doe not stand poaring too much on that you should have hearkned to me and not have launched forth c but that cannot be holpen now therefore I exhort you to be of good chear c. So beloved when the soul is discouraged upon these thoughts I should have prayed better I should have heard the Word of God better and with more profit I should have repented better I should have performed this and that religious and good dutie better but ah wretch that I am I have sinned thus and thus it is alwayes looking on this sinne and that sinne this imperfection and that failing when now I say the soule is discouraged it will be alwayes poaring upon sinne but it will never come out of its sinne alwayes poaring upon its deadnesse and unprofitablenesse but never able to come out of it O beloved be of good cheare and be not discouraged it is true you should have prayed better you should have heard the word of God better heretofore you should have been more carefull and circumspect of your wayes than you
and hearken O earth Secondly the groans of the creatures are witnessing groanes I call heaven and earth to record against you know that you shall shortly perish said Moses to the Israelites Deut. 4. 26. So beloved let me say to you I call heaven and earth to record against you that woe and damnation shall be to that man that obeys not the commandments of God Cursed be that man that goeth on still in his wickednesse The heavens write his curse and the whole earth do witness his vengeance that will not give over his lust at the commandment of the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ As Joshuah said unto all the people Josh 24. 27. Behold this stone shall be a witnesse unto us for it hath heard all the words of the Lord which he spake unto us it shall be a witnesse c. so may I say unto you the walls of this house shall cry the timber of the Church shall answer this Sermon that you have heard this doctrine that hath been preached unto you if you will not repent if you will not humble your selves and obey the voyce of your God all these shall witnesse against you another day that you had a time that you had a day to repent in you had the word of God calling you to it but you would not Dost thou commit a sinne and none by but the stones in the streets even they see thee like Joshuah's stone with seven eyes and they shall witnesse against thee Dost thou pray thy lazie prayers unto God thoughtlesse of God and none by but the walls of thy Closet or thy bed or thy hangings they shall witnesse against thee Dost thou swear and blaspheme the King of Heaven though none were present but the fowles of the aire they shall carry thy voyce and declare the matter Eccles 10. 20. If the creatures groan against thee then they are sensible in some sort to witnesse against thee Beloved mens hearts are so stubborne that we the Ministers of God may do as the Prophet did 1 King 13. 2. who cried O Altar Altar thus saith the Lord. What was the Prophet sent unto the Altar had the Altar eares No he was sent unto Jeroboam his message was to him but he knew that he would not hear nor believe nor obey therefore he turned from the King and spake to the sencelesse Altar So may we say for all the hearing some will afford us O walls walls thus saith the Lord cursed is the man that obeyeth not O House of the Lord witnesse against this rebellious generation So Jeremy he cried out O earth earth earth hear the Word of the Lord this saith the Lord write this man a cast-away that shall never prosper Jer. 22. 29. he meant wicked Jeconiah the King but because he was a deaf Adder he preacheth to the dead earth as being more likely to listen than he O fearfull doom When Jeconiah will not hear God he roars so loud that he makes the dead and sencelesse earth to hear Beloved in the fear of God take heed if there be any dead worldly-hearted Professor here if there be any loose prophane sinner here any impenitent wretch that hath not repented if after the Lord hath sent his Ministers to thee his Word and Gospell to thee and thou wilt not hear take heed lest the Lord direct his speech to the dead earth and say O earth earth earth hear the Word of the Lord write these men men that shall never prosper they will still covet and lie they will still fret and chafe they will still content themselves with forms of godlinesse they will still be lukewarm or key-cold they do still pray as they did rub on as they did seven years ago no more holy no more zealous no more heavenly they will not be bettered O earth earth earth hear the Word of the Lord write them a people that shall never prosper a people that shall never be converted write them men damned for ever let them come and hear Sermon after Sermon but write them men that shall never prosper let them pray and let their prayers never prosper let them go on in their dead-hearted profession but write them men that shall never prosper Beloved God forbid that it should so be written against you but woe be to you if ever it be for if once the earth hath wrote this eternall decree of God upon thy soule it can never be altered I will warrant thee thy damnation sure Thirdly they are accusing groanes they shall accuse thee for casting thine eye upon a creature without taking notice of God They shall accuse thee for thy touching tasting handling using any of the creatures without adoration of God Dost thou think of a creature speak of a creature meddle with a creature or take possession of a creature they shall accuse thee if thou dost not live to the glory of God the Creator Fourthly these groans are judging and condemning groans He shall call the Heavens above and the earth to judge his people Psal 50. 4. The creatures groan why then dost thou not groan the creatures account themselves oppressed and fore afflicted because they are constrained to serve sinne why then dost thou injure them If the King should build him a stately Palace and one should willingly deface it or abuse it or pull it down would not the very Ravens judge him a Traytor The creatures are Gods Palace and thou demolishest their beauty by making them the instruments or abettors or matter or incentives of sinne thou shalt be adjudged of High treason against the King of Kings for we know that every creature groaneth with us and travelleth in pain together untill now Now we come to a third use Of Exhortation doth the creature groan to serve sinne take heed then you do not abuse the creatures of God There is not any one of them but if it be abused to sin or by sin but it will presently make its complaint like a little child to his Father with groans unto God Labour to be a true Convert unto God otherwise if thou beest not regenerate and a Convert every creature that thou hast is in bondage under thy hands and it groans unto God against thee till God recover it out of thy hands again I will recover my wooll and my flaxe saith God Hosea 2. 9. the creature groaned under thraldome because it was possessed by them that were carnall and therefore God sayes he would recover it Secondly labour not to sinne against God For if thou sinnest against God thou canst not meet with a creature but it groanth against thee When Jonah had sinned against God the Sea roared against Jonah and he at last knew it well enough for when the Marriners askt what he was I am an Hebrew saith he and I fear God the God of Heaven which hath made the Sea and the dry Land Ionah 1. 9. as if he should say I fear the Lord for now I see
the Heavens are black against me and the clouds mourn at me and the Sea groaneth under me seeing I am fled from the presence of the Lord. Thirdly labour never to set your hearts on any creature for then you abuse it to worldlinesse and covetousnesse What greater injury can we offer to the creatures than by making them occasions of turning from God which were given us the more to oblige us to God If you be covetous and earthly the creature must needs groan under this wrong Covetousnesse is Idolatry saith Saint Paul Colos 3. 5. thou turnest the creature into an Idoll every creature is the workmanship of God but an Idoll is a thing dedicated to Divels Fourthly labour to use all the creatures in humility and thankfulnesse There is not a creature but it hath this Motto engraven upon it it is the gift of God In every thing then give thanks 1 Thes 5. 8. A thing and a creature are convertible termes if in every thing then for every creature must we give thanks why because every thing that God doth for us or doth bestow upon us it is a gift and a gift groans under unthankfulnesse there is never a sicknesse that thou hast been delivered from but it groans against thee if thou hast not had thine iniquity purged by it never a blessing but it will groan against thee if thou serve not God the better by it never an ordinance of life and grace but it groans against thee if thou art not sanctified and made holy by it Fifthly use them all as so many Bookes and as so many Ladders or Rises to climbe up with the soule to God When thou seest how kindly and favourably the Sun shineth on thee think are Gods creatures so comfortable how comfortable is the light of Gods countenance When thou tastest the sweetnesse of any creature think then O what infinite sweetnesse is there in God himself still from the creatures winde up thy soul to the Creator use all the creatures as a rise to winde up thine heart to see and know to meditate and conceive of some thing of God Saint Anthony being found fault withall for want of Books answered My Books are Gods creatures and in them I may read as in the silent Oracles of God this is my Book and it hath three pages and as many Letters Heaven Water Earth they are the pages of this book Stars Fishes Fowles and all the Terrestriall creatures they are the letters of this book There are but three main Books in the world to be read all other books are but Commentaries upon them The Book of the Creatures The Book of the Scriptures The Book of every Mans conscience Read but these three and meditate of them and thou shalt have understanding in the wayes of God to know God in all thy wayes Beloved this is rightly to use the creatures and thus using them thou shalt prevent their groanings against thee to behold and see God present in them all It was the saying of an Ancient that that man is blind deaf senseless brutish that knows not God Thou canst not see a creature but thou mayest see God thou canst not feel a creature but thou mayest feel God thou canst not smell nor taste nor meddle with a creature but thou mayest smell and taste God in the creature thou canst not behold a creature but thou mayest behold God in the creature O saith one if I could see God as he appeared to the Fathers then I should obey him and fear him and trust in him and love him I answer God appeares now as he did then How did God appeare to Abraham Isaak c. and to all the holy Patriarches and Prophets Did God appear to them in his own essence and nature No it is impossible that any should see God and live When God appeared to them and shewed himselfe to them he did it in the creatures And I pray you doth not God appeare thus amongst us now God having made man to behold by sense by sight hearing smelling tasting handling that all the knowledge he hath he must have it by these God makes as it were a manifestation of himselfe in the Sunne Moon and starres he takes the Cattle plants and therein he shewes something of himselfe thou never seest any creature but it is a manifestation of God to thee the whole world is an apparition of God to thee God appears in the heavens in the earth and in every creature If therefore when thou lookest on any of the creatures thou makest not an holy use of them beholding God in them using them as a rise to wind up thy heart and soule to God then thou abusest the creatures and makest them to groan against thee For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travelling in paine till this present THE CHRISTIAN HIS IMITATION Of CHRIST In a SERMON By WILLIAM FENNER Minister of the Gospel sometimes Fellow of Pembroke Hall in Cambridge and late Lecturer of Rochford in Essex London Printed by E. T. for John Stafford THE CHRISTIAN HIS IMITATION Of CHRIST 1 JOHN 2. VER 6. He that saith he remaineth in him ought even so to walke as he hath walked THis our blessed Apostle in the beginning of this Chapter doth declare these four things First a generall proposition of an advocate for the sinnes of the world If any man sinne we have an advocate verse 1. 2. Secondly an actuall application of this to all true beleevers who may all know that Christ is theirs and that they are Christs ver 5. And hereby we know that we know him if we keep his commandements We know and are acquainted with this principle that Jesus Christ is the propitiation for our sinnes if we keepe his commandements Thirdly here is the fantasticall presumtion of many men that hope and think and say that they are in Christ when indeed they are not in Christ ver 4. He that saith I know him and keepeth not his commandements is a lyar and the truth is not in him Fourthly here is an universall direction to all men whereby to try and examine themselves whether they be in Christ yea or no. He that saith he abideth in him ought himselfe to walk as he walked These words branch themselvs into a Thesis and an Hypothesis The Thesis is this He that abideth in Christ must walke as he hath walked The Hypothesis is this If any man be conceited of the subject that he abideth in Christ he must be assured of the predicate that he walk himselfe even as Christ walked If he say he is in Christ he must be sure to walke as Christ walked To walke as Christ walked there is a life of a Christian if he walke not as Christ walked it is a plain demonstration that he is not in Christ He that saith he abideth in him ought himselfe also to walke as he walked He that saith as if the Apostle had said If there be any that saith he abideth in
maist say The Lord knowes what a deale adoe he hath had with me this heart was as hard as the neaher mil-stone but the Lord in some measure hath mollified it this heart was as proud as the devill but blessed be Gods name he would let me see it at the last goe home and say Who am I and what is my fathers house that the Lord hath brought me hither Oh that God should thus stoope to man the Lord hath stood and knockt thus many yeares and he might have given over but blessed be his name I have received mercie I lived under the means but that prevailed not with me the Lord sent such and such sicknesse but that wrought not on me at the last I went to hear a Minister and methought that Minister spake nothing but what he spake to me and then the Lord set conscience on worke and that affrighted mee Looke to it the Lord will either breake thy necke or thy heart doe not thinke to goe to heaven by good meanings no it will cost thee somewhat more before thou come there Another time the Lord set on me and then I set on good duties I would have Christ to justifie and sanctifie me and blessed be his name he was not wanting unto me in any meanes the Lord make me thankfull c. I tell thee thou wilt be in deede and God shall have all let the voluptuous man have his pleasures c. what is that to thee so thou have Christ For the just reproofe of all such as are yet in the gall of bitternesse and in the bonds of iniquity there will come a time when God will strive with thee no more the old man thinks he hath time enough to repent in and the young man thinks he needs not so much as enter into a Parley with godlinesse Esau went away when he had eat and drunk he esteemed not his birth-right I have heard some goe away with this resolution when they are married then they will live thus and thus c. Suffer me first to go bury my Father c. Master Minister you speak well I like your counsell but I have a rich Uncle and he hath no childe and I am likely to be his heire but he cannot abide a Puritan of all the men in the world and if I do not humour him I shall never have a Foot of his Land let me bury him first when Father and Friends are dead then the children must provide for themselves and then they will seek after God and repent and by this time they grow old and though they cannot make so good a shew as others yet their hearts are as good as the best But stay a while all is not gold that glisters alas poor souls they were given over many years ago this is also the sin of young men and women for the most part and this is the great sin of England the sin of many Gentlemen and Gentlewomen God must pardon when they call and that must not be till they be old and then in all post-haste send they to and for master Priest and he must bring God to them or them to God but the God of Heaven and earth cannot endure this mockerie For terrour to all wicked and ungodly men woe woe woe that ever they were borne that are thus given over and of these there are two sorts Some are insensible and some sensible The insensible are they who die like stones as did Nabal We have many King Harry Protestants Others are sensible God hath opened the eye of their soules and hath let them read the red letters of the Gospell It is a heavie thing for old friends to part so Acts 20. 38. They grieved most in that he said you shall see my face no more so when soule and body part it is heavie but when the soul and God part it is lamentable when God takes his leave never to be seen more then whether thou look upward or downward there is nothing but amazement and astonishment If thou look upward there is the anger of God if downward there is the bottomlesse pit if on the right hand thou shalt see all his mercies which could not allure thee if on the left hand all his Judgements which could not terrifie thee if before thee the black day if behind thee the Devils this will be fearfull I remember a Story of an adulterate woman her Conscience pricking her she determined to repent but God in the mean time did visit her so sore that she lay crying out oh my time my time Another time a covetous woman her House being on fire she to save her goods left her child in the Cradle but a neighbour of hers hearing it crie tooke it away she afterwards remembring her child ran about crying Oh my childe my childe and would not be comforted So when the fire and indignation of the Lord breaks out if not now yet at the last day it will then the parties against whom it breakes will crie Oh my soul my soul what will become of thee my soul It had been better I had never been born for neither Mercies Judgements nor the Word could allure me oh woe is me Now the condition of such is miseracle in three respects First because if God forsake thee all forsakes thee when thou liest a dying thou sendest for the Minister and thou wouldest faine have a word of comfort from him but alas if thou dost not receive comfort from Heaven how can the Minister comfort thee If thy outward Estate faile Friends may help but if they faile there is a God in Heaven and he will help but if he go away then all help is gone Secondly when God goes restraining grace goes this was Sauls case and you may observe that such as have been enlightened and fall away fall into one of these three sinnes either into the hands of the world and that is their Master or else into the sinnes of uncleannesse or into the spirit of malice to persecute them that are holy Thirdly if God leave us then common protection leaves us we are left to the clutches of all things both in Heaven and earth your houses are left unto you desolate Matth. 23. 38. All the creatures are up in armes against us the stiles we goe over look up to Heaven and say Master shall we break his neck the Horse we ride on says Master shall I throw him down to destruction thou knowest that he hates thee and thine So the aire we breath in and all Creatures are readie when the Lord gives the watchword to lay us in the goal Conscience will witness against us oh what will become of such men I will tell you either the world heales them up or else some carnall companion saith you have been a good neighbour you have kept a good house amongst us c. tush tush man it may prove a lye for all this I but the Minister tells me so pish pish as
not to take away his anger but to take it up from a worldly thing and to set it against sinne which is truly evill that so he may be angry and not sin Grace comes to qualify his anger and to take it from the waies of sin and to set it upon Gods wayes Again a man is subject to be merry Grace comes to temper him not to take away his mirth but to set it upon a right object as to delight in God to be merry in Christ to rejoyce in his Word and Ordinances in his children and in all the waies of Grace Another is given to impatiency Grace comes not to take away his impatiency but to set his impatience against his sins so that when he sees his sins he shall not be able to endure them but his soule will groan for them and his heart will rise against them Another is given to revenge now Grace comes and takes him away from being revenged on his neighbour to be revenged on his sinnes so that with the Apostle we may call revenge a piece of Repentance therefore this is a true triall whether our sins be mortified if our affections be taken away from the wayes of sinne and fast set upon the wayes of Grace and godlinesse Secondly if a man be mortified indeed and in truth then he is dead unto every sin if a man be killed he is dead in every member so if a man be dead to sinne no sinne can ever raigne in him not one lust nor bosome sinne no not the sinne of his trade no corruption though never so deare though it be the sinne of his right hand or right eye yet it can never have dominion over him if he be dead to sinne therefore if a man live in any one sin or sweet lust whatsoever he is a dead man and hath not one jot of Grace if there be but one knowne iniquity in a man that he lives and dies in without repentance that one iniquity shall kill him to the put of hel Ezek. 28. The Schoolemen say that if a Sow doe but wallow in one mirie or dirty hole she is filthy so if a soule wallow but in one sinne it is abominable If a man stab himselfe but with one knife so that he die he is as truly killed as was Julius Caesar who was stabbed with three and twenty knives So if a man should be free from an hundred diseases and should die of one what would it benefit him to be free from the rest in respect of his life surely nothing at all That man that hath his pride his Covetousnesse his usury hatred malice deriding of Gods people all these being dead in him yet if selfe-love and security c. be not dead in him these argue his case to be naught he is not yet qualified for Christ for there is no mortification at all in him There be many sweet meanes to allure us unto mortification but time will not permit us to speake of them but this let every man take notice of that so long as he liveth in sin he is altogether uncapable of Christ The Apostle saith we know that the Law is not given unto a righteous man but for the lawless and disobedient for the ungodly and for sinners for the unholy and prophane and whatsoever is contrary to wholsome doctrine the Law is for such men But the first Doctrine of the of Christ is Repent of thy sins deny thine own wayes take up Christs crosse and follow the Lamb wheresoever he goes Here the Kingdom of Heaven is laid open to all the world Let mens miseries be what they can be and although their sinnes be never so great Christ cometh to redeem them yea though they have a whole Hell of sinne in them yet if they have a heart to entertaine Christ his Grace is so rich and all-sufficient that it will save every man that enterteineth him There is a Proclomation openly made in the Market place Hoe every one that thirsteth come unto the waters Isa 55. 2. As if he should say Hoe every one that hath a mind to Christ come and have him every one that hungers and thirsteth after Christ let his sinnes be never so great and the number never so many here is hue and crie after him Come unto the waters He saith not come unto the water but waters not a little low brook or stream which is not able to wash away all his sins but there is an Ocean of waters ndefinitely waters in the plural number declaring the fulnesse and sufficiency to cleanse the most leprous soule be he never so much stained with corruption It is said by the Prophet Obadiah that the Lord will send unto his People Saviours verse 21. not in the singular number but Saviours in the plurall number not that there were moe Christs then one but to manifest the fulnesse of Christ he is a rich Christ full of salvation for all them that come unto him Therefore if there be any man that mourns and laments for his sinnes let him come unto Christ and welcome for there is a Fountain laid open for Judah and Jerusalem to wash in but let him know upon what terms he must come if ever he meane to have Salvation by Christ observe the strict Conditions and walke by the strait rule of Christ he must resolve with himselfe come what will come to stand or to fall with Christ delivering up all his lusts and corruptions at his command whensoever he calls for them he must not part stakes with Christ to delude him but he must be true and faithfull unto him he must wholly deny himselfe and lie down before Christ to let Christ doe what he wil with him and these onely are the termes he must expect Heaven upon and thus doing he may have Salvation according to the desire of his soule THE SINFULNESSE And Danger OF HYPOCRISIE As it was delivered in a SERMON upon an extraordinary day of Fasting and Humiliation By WILLIAM FENNER Minister of the Gospel sometimes Fellow of Pembroke Hall in Cambridge and late Lecturer of Rochford in Essex London Printed by E. T. for John Stafford THE SINFULNESSE And Danger OF HYPOCRISIE ISA. 58. 4. later part Ye shall not fast as ye doe to day to make the voyce to be heard above YE shall find that there are two maine things in this Chapter First A commission the Prophet hath to doe his duty it is from the Lord. Secondly the Execution of his duty The Commission is in the first verse Cry aloud spare not lift up thy voice like a trumpet and shew my people their transgressions and to the house of Jacob their sins this is his Commission to tell them roundly of their sinnes spare not saith the Lord and it is no other commission than all the Ministers of God have especially upon such fasting dayes as this is to be faithfull to the people to make known unto them all their sins Now in the execution of