off the Son of God and everlasting life Still when the Prophets would speak unto the people this was their preface The Lord sent mee so sayes Isaiah the Lord sent mee Esa 48. 16. so sayes Jeremiah the Lord sent mee When they refused to hear what he said O sayes hee Truely the Lord sent mee of a truth the Lord hath sent me unto you to speak all these words unto you Jer. 26. 15. One would think it wore enough to strike terrour into the hearts of men to put off any Sermon any rebuke any exhortation of Christs Ministers when they know the Lord sends them Of a truth the Lord hath sent mee to speak all these words unto you May bee the Minister is as poore a creature in himself as one of you O but remember who sends him as Christ sayes hee that heareth you heareth mee and hee that despiseth you despiseth mee and hee that despiseth mee despiseth him that sent me Luk. 10. 16. So much shall suffice to have been spoken of the first way whereby Christ is said to have the seven Starres that is the Ministers of the Church namely he hath the sending of them Secondly Hee hath them that is hee hath the giving of them their Commission as they have their Mission from him so they have their Commission from him too They are not onely messengers but Embassadors This Commission hath two things first the heads of their Embassage that Christ sends them to treat of Secondly the authority of their Embassage that Christ invests them with For the first the heads of their commission Christ hath the appointing of them what they shall treat of and they are five First they shall preach the Word Goe and preach the Gospel to every creature Mark 16. 15. Secondly to remit the sin of all them that doe embrace the Gospel Joh. 20. 23. that is to pronounce all the promises of the Covenant of Grace and in particular forgivenesse of sins to all true penitent and beleeving Soules Thirdly to administer the Sacraments of the New Testament to all the said persons to whom the promises of eternall life doe belong for the assuring of their hearts concerning all the things of the Kingdome of God to them in particular Matth. 28. 19. Fourthly To build up the Church of God for the perfecting of the Saints and the edifying of the body of Christ untill they all come c. Ephes 4. 12. Fifthly to shut the Kingdome of Heaven upon all that have an evill heart of unbelief to goe on in their sins and not to stoop to the Scepter of Jesus Christ Mark 16. 16. and in divers other places These are the heads of their commission that Christ will have them treat of in their Embassage unto men Secondly now for the Authority that hee invests them with it is not any carnall or earthly authority to jet and to vaunt or to domineere as though they were Lords and Gods heritage 1 Pet. 5. 3. no sayes Christ it shall not be so with you But hee that is greatest among you hee shall bee as the least Luk. 22. 26. and therefore I doe not here speak of any earthly authority No the Authority that Christs Ministers have and they have it from him is a spirituall Authority uamely not onely to preach and to declare forgivenesse of sin and to administer the seales of the covenant and to build up the Saints and to denounce wrath and damnation to all that continue in their unregenerate estate through impenitence unbelief but to do all these things with a heavenly Power and Authority to have an Office under Christ for the doing of them so as to be the very mouth of Christ and that which they doe according to their commission from him to stand firme and good for ever and ever I will give power to my two witnesses Rev. 11. 3. The Lord hath given me power and authority sayes the Apostle 2 Cor. 10. 8. You will say this is great power indeed all the Kings Potentates of the earth have not so great power as this this is a power of life and death not naturall nor temporary but Spirituall and eternall this is a power not oven mens Bodies but over their soules not in small matters but either for salvation ordamnation This is a great Commission how come they by such a great one as this is O sayes Christ I am able to invest them with as much as this comes to For all power is given unto me in Heaven and Earth Matth. 28. 18. q. d. I am able to furnish you with all authority and power goe you in my name and preach you in my name in my name bid people repent and beleeve in my name open heaven to all that doe obey and shut it upon all that doe disobey and I will make it good The use of this is First have the Ministers of Christ such a Commission from Christ then they are the greatest Embassadors that ever were or can be Embassadors of earthly Kings have a great Commission they represent the Kings person from whom they come Alas what are they to these they come about petty things about civill peace or warre and yet they are Lord Embassadors they are Lords by their places they are much respected among men O then what great Embassadors are the Ministers of Jesus Christ that represent the King of Kings person that represent the person of the Lord of Lords that came to Treat of peace betweene God and Man or of open Hostility between the Creator and the Creature as Paul sayes now then wee are Embassadours for Christ As though God did beseech you by us wee pray you in Christs stead be reconciled unto God 2 Cor. 15. 20. that is we have a very great commission we represent the person of our Lord Jesus Christ we come to treat with you about eternity according as you heare us or heare us not so it will be with you unto all eternity O consider what we have to do you are enemies unto God from the womb as long as your sins doe remain ye are enemies still we come to set you at one again Yee know the condition yee know what the heads of our commission bee if yee will not hearken unto them and submit yee are damned for ever if ye doe blessed and happy are yee for evermore was there ever such a great Embassage as this as the Apostle sayes To make known the mystery of the Gospel for which I am an Embassadour in bonds Ephes 6. 19 20. q. d. though the wicked and blinde world look upon me as a Schismatique and a malefactour and cast me into the prison and here I am in bonds they see no such thing in me as an Embassadour of the great God yet the truth is though I bee in bonds they shall know it one day to their cost who I was and what a commission I had and what it is to slight it and put it off I
long he will continue us It s a dolefull signe when Christ takes away his Ministers from a place it s a signe he hath no more soules to save if he had he would let his Ambassadours lye beseeching still so that this is one great reason because Ministers are His Ambassadours Secondly Because Christ hath all power in Heaven and in Earth as he told his Apostles when he sent them out to preach All power is given to me in Heaven and in Earth Math. 28. 18 q. d. I have power to send you and I have power to continue your Ministery as long as I thinke fitting and I have power to take you away I have power to ordaine you either for salvation or the damnation of men Whom I will I can convert by your Sermons and whom I will I can deliver up to the counsell of their own hearts that they shall not be converted by you Now if Christ have all power in Heaven and in Earth then he hath power to continue his Ministers as long as his will is I need not stand to prove this it is too evident he hath power to lengthen his Ministers lives to prolong their liberties when he takes away one he hath power to put in another as good when he meant to take away Elias he anoynted Elisha in his roome If their enemies be never so many he can tye up their hands he deliverd Paul from the mouth of the Lyon though fortie men had vowed to take him away by death he diverted their plot and continued him still nay when he was in Bonds yet he was able to get him liberty to go abroad with his keeper and to preach the Kingdom of God to as many as came Suppose the world be never so mad against Christs Ministers yet as long as he hath any more worke for them to doe he can hold off their singers from meddling with them till they have finished the Taske that hee hath given them to doe The Use of this is first That Ministers should not fear to bee deprived of their liberty so long as they doe well indeed if they doe ill if they bee wicked or idle or unworthy such Ministers should fear they doe deserve to be put down But if wee bee godly Ministers it is our basenesse to feare any such thing Christ hath the continuing of us our times are not in mens hands but in his What a horrible thing is it that wee should goe against our conscience in any thing or bee afraid to speak what God bids us to bee mealemouthed to bee discouraged with rumours or dangers wee should keep nothing back of the whole counsell of God wee are starres in his hands and hee hath the continuing of us though men fight against us they cannot prevaile against us till our businesse is all done As the Lord told the Prophet Jeremiah They shall fight against thee but they shall not prevaile against thee for I am with thee Jer. 1. 19. Let us then be afraid of nothing but sinne Let us bee afraid to doe any evill either towards God or towards man let us be harmlesse in the midst of a crooked and a perverse generation Let us deale faithfully with our people let us undauntedly Preach Rebuke Exhort with all long suffering and Doctrine make our faces hard against the wickeds faces no matter for their railings their threatning speeches their malicious accusations and not feare the Lord Jesus hath the continuing of us Secondly Here we may see the reason why the Gospel continues in any place a man would wonder it should continue any where because the world cannot abide it Which of the Prophets have not your Fathers persecuted saves Stephen Act. 7. 52. They that doe evill hate the light it cuts them to the heart Every one hates mee sayes the Prophet hee was reproached for the Words sake Report say they and wee will report it One time they put him into a dungeon Another time they would have killed him Shemaiah writ Letters to the high Priest against him Jer. 29. 25. And yet hee continued his Ministery untill the day of the Captivity Nay hee had liberty when others had their liberty taken away Yee know Christ himself Preached dayly in the Temple and they took him not though they gnasht their teeth at his Doctrine and sometimes were in the minde to throw him down headlong and break his neck sometimes to stone him yet till his houre was come he had his liberty And the truth is a man would wonder how any of Gods Ministers have their Liberties continued when there bee so many Drunkards so many Enemies of all goodnesse so many that follow their own ungodly lusts and the Gospel is an eye-sore unto them and yet in many places it stands still This is Gods doing You see here Christ hath the continuing of his Ministers they shall have their liberty as long as God hath any use for them Thirdly Is it so that Christ hath the continuing of his Ministers then this is of use also unto you Now you heare whence to have your good Ministers continued even by seeking to Jesus Christ hee can lay a charge upon all the world where they are to let them alone He can say Doe my Prophets no harme Psal 105. 15. you will say why what shall we doe I Answer first let us repent of our sinnes it is our sins that removes the Ministers of God if we would repent us of our sins and turn from our wicked wayes and let the Word work upon our hearts this would continue the ministery of the Word as God told Judah when they should repent of their sins O sayes hee I will bee your God and you shall be my people and my Sanctuary shall be among you for evermore Ezek. 27. 27 28. that is by Sanctuary he meanes his publique Worship the preaching of his Word and other of the meanes of grace when they repented of their sins then these should be continued So Beloved if yee would repent of your sins I do not mean one or two or a few or so But if there might be a generall Reformation among us this would fasten the Word among us as in a sure place Secondly Let us prize the Gospell the Gospell loves to stay there where it is welcome it will never goe away if it might have good entertainment if wee would honour it and glorifie it and pluck up our affections in the dearest manner to it this would preserve it among us for ever The Church of Philadelphia that used the Word best had it longest c. Our Saviour Christ hath a saying Into what soever Towne or City yee enter enquire who is worthy there abide Matth. 10. 11. And as hee sayes Luk. 10. 7. Goe not from house to house The Gospell does not love to change houses till it be urged so it does not love to change Townes if it may have good usage So Beloved if wee would give the
how apt are people to forget any thing that is good to put off any thing that should pull them downe before God and therefore we should labour to help our poore people that if it be possible we may stop them from going downe into the pit Fifthly we should labour to make the things that we preach as if it were lively before peoples eyes as the Apostle preacht Christ crucified to the Galatians even as if he were crucified before their very eyes Gal. 3. 1. so Moses had a very lively Ministry the text sayes he set his points before their very eyes I call heaven and earth to record against you this day that I have set before you life and death blessing and crusing Deut. 30. 19. marke he set before their eyes life and death heaven and hell he preached so evidently that the people might see as it were with their eyes the things that he preached this is lively teaching as the Orator sayes Hypotyposis is an excellent meanes to perswade when the speaker does as it were point before the hearers eyes when he represents the things he speakes of this is preaching in the evidence and the demonstration of the spirit 1 Cor. 2. 4. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 when a Minister demonstrates his points and this it is this is the sinne and this is the case and this is the misery and thus it stands with you when he labours to make people see it and they must needs see it unlesse they be wilfull and shut their eyes otherwise people heare a Sermon as if it did not concerne them there 's a man in the pulpit and they heare what he says but they never consider how deeply it concernes them Sixthly we should be truly affected with the word of God our selves laying nothing on our peoples shoulders but what we lift upon our owne we should speake the truth from the bottom of our hearts uttering the word of God with feeling and with a contrite heart we should be heavenly as the word is that lip and heart and word may be all a like O if we did drop downe our Sermons as dew downe from heaven on our people this would be a lively preaching indeed as the Prophet Ezekiel did He dropt the word of God on Ierusalem Ezek. 21. 2. if our Sermons did come dropping downe from us as if they dropt downe from heaven O how homely doe our Sermons come from our mouthes as though they never were higher then the pulpit we doe not preach as if the word came dropping down from heaven and therefore people doe not look up to heaven while they heare their mindes are no higher then our pulpits whereas if we had heavenlier hearts and lippes it would more quicken a thousand times or at least be a sitter instrument to quicken Seventhly and lastly we should get the Lord to goe along with our Ministry for it is not our preaching it selfe that hath any life nay it is but a dead letter as it issues from us if we were such men that had the Lord going along with us throughout all our Ministry what a deale of profit would there be in our Ministry as Micha sayes I am full of power by the spirit of the Lord Micha 3. 8. But I let this point passe thus ye have heard the words as they have relation to the Ministry of the Church in Sardis Thou art dead that is thy Ministry is dead Now I come to the words as they have relation to the Church it selfe Thou art dead Thou art a dead people though thou hast a name to live yet thou art dead that is thou art outwardly reformed thou hast goodly order'd congregations good sober civill and faire carriaged people all professing the true religion and frequenting the good Ordinances of God yet thou art dead that is thou art even as good as nothing the doctrine hence is a dead Christian is as no Christian at all Ye know we are all dead by nature in trespasses and in sins that is we are alive to the workes of the flesh and to the world but dead towards God And a true Christian is he that is made dead unto sinne and the world but alive unto God as the Apostle Paul sayes Likewise reckon ye your selves to be dead unto sin but alive unto God through Iesus Christ our Lord Rom. 6. 11. this is a true Christian that so leaves his sinnes and so takes up the worship and service of God that he is dead to his sinnes and alive towards God now when a man it may be leaves his sinnes after a manner and takes up the profession of Gods Service and yet he is alive still unto the flesh and dead towards God this is just nothing By dead I meane things first deadnesse of guilt when a man is guilty of any offence that is death by the Law he is said to be a dead man therefore every man hath sinned against God which is death by Gods Law so that every man is dead by nature when a man is pardoned of God then he is alive again and therefore it is called justification of life Ro. 5. 18. now when a man is not pardoned of God he is dead though he have never so many hopes and conceits of forgivenesse thought to apprehend himselfe to be pardoned yet as long as God hath not pardoned him indeed he is a dead man Secondly deadnesse of minde when the minde is Ignorant of God in regard of saving knowledge when a mans minde is without saving understanding then his minde is said to be dead true saving understanding is the life of so many mindes as David sayes give me understanding and I shall live Psal 119. 144. then my minde shall be alive sayes he then I shall know thee aright now let a man have never so much knowledge and learning yet in divine things is otherwise and have nothing his minde is still dead he is a dead man to all the things of God he cannot see God in all his wayes no more then a dead man he cannot minde God he may minde earthly things but he cannot minde God nay though he can mind learning divinity learning learning about God yet he cannot minde God his minde is dead to such savoury knowledge even as dead as a dead man he knowes not how to pray to God as a childe to his Father he knowes not how to doe any duty in a godly gratious manner his minde is as dead to these things as a simple Country-mans is to Latin or Greeke or Hebrew Thirdly deadnesse of heart when the heart is not inclined towards God then we say it is dead towards God and all goodnesse though he goe to good duties every day yet as long as the heart is not inclined to them it goes about them in a dead manner when a mans heart is once inclined towards God now it begins to be alive towards him as David sayes the heart
it I Matth. 26. 21. they all did apply it you see how his speech stirred their mindes they fell presently to apply so when a man cannot heare any sinne ripped up but presently he cryes out Lord it is I Is it I that am guilty of this sinne O if it be I let me see it that I may leave it if he heare of any threatning he sayes Lord is it I O teach me that I may be humbled when he heares of any grace Lord is it I that have this grace O if it be not I O let it be I a quickened minde is an applying minde now if the minde be yet dead it cares not for applying though it know never so much yet it lets the word still be a stranger unto it it does not take it home to it selfe like the hearers there in Hosea as God sayes I writ to them the great things of my Law but they were counted as a strange thing Hos 8. 12. they would not take them home now a quickened minde takes them home this reproofe is to me this Commandement is to me this reproof is to me nay when a reproof to ones thinking of all other should seeme least to concerne him as when our Saviour Christ spake against rich men O how hardly shall a rich man enter into the Kingdome of God! yet the Apostles took it to themselves they were amazed sayes the Text Matth. 19. 25. one would have thought the doctrine should little concerne them alas they were not so rich but they applyed it though fearing least that little that they had should draw their hearts away from God this then is the first Secondly the meditating of the minde this is another stirring act of the minde a naturall man may think of his eternall good now and then but this is nothing his minde is dead for all that But when a mans minde runnes on such things now it is alive look what your mindes doe run on that your mindes are alive to Because it is most certane that that is it which you respect most as David sayes I will meditate on thy precepts and have respect unto thy wayes Psal 119. 15. A dead mind may light on good thoughts but when a man meditates of them when his minde runneth upon such themes this mans minde is alive to them he gives his minde to them as Paul sayes to Timothy meditate on these things give thy selfe wholly to them that thy profitting may appeare 1 Tim. 4. 15. you may see this in ungodly men they doe not onely thinke of the world for so a godly man may doe and must doe but their mindes runne on the world they give their mindes to it it is the Apostles saying they minde earthly things Phil. 4. 19. it may be they know gracious things I but they minde earthly they cannot finde in their heart to give their mindes to Gods word and will so that would you prove your selves and your mindes to be alive towards God labour that your mindes may bend their meditations that way let your mindes runne on him and how ye may have his favour and how ye may keep it how ye take heed of offending of him a man is yet dead that does not give his minde to these things whose minde does not runne on them daily And therefore beloved as ever ye do desire to have a proofe of your life towards God let your mindes runne on these things give diligent heed that they may not slip out of your mindes as the Apostle sayes ye ought to give so much the more diligent heed to the things which ye have heard least at any time ye let them slip Heb. 2. 1. if they doe slip away ye know not how as the flesh will let them goe if ye doe not take heed call for them againe as God sayes Bring it againe to minde O ye transgressors Isa 46. 8. Thirdly the considering of the minde when the minde lookes cursorily on things what is this but the remissenesse and loosenesse of the minde now when the minde comes to consider seriously of them now it quickens up it selfe now it lookes wishly and intentively on them indeed alas all our knowledge of the truth all our approving of good courses all is nothing without consideration our knowledge and approbation are dead things without this even as good as if we had no knowledge at all for all the good it will doe us if we doe not consider as God sayes Israel doth not know my people doe not consider Isa 1. 3. looke what our mindes doe consider from day to day that our minds are lively on consideration is the eagernesse of the minde when the minde cares not for an object it will not trouble it selfe to consider of a lesse act will serve such a thing well enough but looke what the minde is inclined unto there it will not goe slightly and lightly to worke there 't will take paines nay it counts it no paines to perpend and to weigh things as in a Ballance as it is said of Mary looke what she heard from Christ she kept it and pondered it in her heart Luk. 2. 19. she pondered it and weighed it in a ballance O it was matter of great weight with her minde where the minde is alive there it will consider and ponder and weigh nay there is not a circumstance but the minde will take it to consideration Take a man that is alive to the things here below how considerative is that man in all matters of that nature As for example now for his gaine he takes every thing into consideration that may make for his gaine He will have his wits about him when he buyes or sels when he sowes or reaps he considers with himselfe that he will not sow too soon or too late in the year or a grain that the ground will not beare he considers how long it was since it was fallow how long it will beare till it be laid fallow againe he considers when he may sell dearest when he may buy cheapest when is the best time to put off a commodity This is the livelynesse of his minde in these things Take this man now for his soule his minde is starke heavy any loose thoughts shall serve turne for that he does not consider here But when a man is a live unto God now his considerations runne out this way now he is considerative this way for his soule for his spirituall and eternall good Beloved consideration is a lively act of the minde as you may see there in Moses Know therefore this day and consider it in thy heart that the Lord he is God in heaven above and upon the earth beneath Deut. 4. 39. that is doe not onely know it but quicken up thy minde to consider it this will doe thee good indeed this is a very perfect Act of the minde as we see in David when I consider the Heavens the worke of thy hands the Moone
and the Starres which thou hast ordained then I say Lord what is man Psal 83 4. you see how stirring his minde was when he considered the heavens and the earth it wrought mightily on him it made him the more humble Others see the Heavens every day and it does not move them one whit to Humiliation before God But when the minde comes once to consider then it shakes off its dulnesse and remissnesse then it growes busie such a man will not goe to Prayer but he considers what he goes about what a great God he is to speake to what a vile creature himselfe is that is to pray to him he will consider how he may pray with faith and hope and feeling of his wants how he may rise up from his knees not without profit Now he will not goe to the word but he will consider what it is he repaires to now all his mind is how he may get good now he is busie in every duty when he is tempted to doe as others doe he considers what the issue will be and this makes him forbeare Beloved this is the life of our mindes when they consider things when we consider our latter end when we consider Gods promises when we consider his threatenings when we take his commandements into our deep consideration when we consider the danger of sinne we doe not onely know all these things but we consider them Though we know neere so much yet except we consider what we know our mindes are lumpish and dead consideration is the activity of the minde and therefore if we would prove our selves to be alive towards God let us put on consideration a dayes Fourthly the remembring of the minde when the minde forgets it selfe every day this is nothing but the deadnesse of the minde for if it be alive to a thing it will be sure to remember it selfe of that if it oan Can a maide forget her ornaments or a Bride her attire yet my people have forgotten me dayes without number Jer. 2. 32. that is my people are dead-minded to me if they regarded me they would remember themselves every day to serve me looke what a man is alive to the minde will be sure to remember us of that we can have no journey to take but our mindes remember us of it no businesse to doe to feed our Cattell to milke our kine every morning and evening to sheare our sheepe every Lammas if we forget any thing in this kinde presently it 's a 100. to one but we remember our selves now when a man is alive to the best things in some measure he will remember himselfe of them every day so David did I remembred thy name O Lord yea in the night too and so I kept thy Law Psal 119. 55. I remembred my selfe and I would be sure to doe what God bid me do it may be his heart began to arise but presently he remembred himselfe and beat it downe againe it may be some other lust began to be up but by and by he remembred him and checked his owne soule when the minde is alive towards God the knowledge of the word does not lie dead in that man but still he remembers it at every need when the Sabbath is coming then thinkes he I remember what God bade me doe Remember the Sabbath day to keepe it holy when the Sacrament comes then he remembers himselfe O thinkes he let a man examine himselfe and so let him eat of that Bread and drinke of that Cup now the minde thinkes I will labour to remember God continually what ever I forget I will not forget him when I rise up when I lie downe still I will set my selfe to remember him when I goe out when I come home what ever the Devill say what ever the flesh whisper I will labour still to remember God if I be tempted to wrath then I desire to remember what God sayes give not place to the Devill when I feel spirituall lazinesse then I will unfeignedly endeavour to remember what God speakes unto me cursed is he that does the worke of the Lord negligently c. Fifthly the inventings or the devisings of the heart where the minde is naturally bent and alive there it is witty if riches if preferment if pleasure if learning be a mans lust that he lives in there he is witty so when a man is a live unto God his wit will have that way it's vent as Christ sayes I finde out witty inventions Prov. 8. 12. he speakes not onely of himselfe But of his grace in every one that is this when the minde is alive set towards Christ it will finde out witty inventions nay it 's a strange thing though men have no parts yet if they be worldly how witty they are for such matters and so for good people whose mindes are turned towards God though they be of very weake parts yet how witty they will be in good things what pretty ways they will have to doe good to shunne offences to break occasions of sinne as a Minister in his preaching as Paul sayes I caught you with guile 2 Cor. 12. 16. so let man have a liberall minde the Prophet sayes he will devise liberall things Isa 32. 8. mercy and truth shall be to them that devise good Prov. 14. 22. whence comes the blockishnesse of our mindes but from this that our mindes are so dead if our mindes were more alive towards God it would make us more graciously witty we should devise good things finde out admirable inventions it would teach us plots against Satan plots against the flesh as the wicked their mindes are full of sinfull devises fetches stratagems policies a man would wonder to see how witty the devill is in them to carry them headlong to hell c. Sixthly and lastly the judging of the minde But I spake of this not long agoe and therefore I will let it alone now thus I have shewed you what a lively Christian is in regard of his minde Now the next is that we shew you what a live Christian is in regard of the heart c. And then in regard of the conscience c. and then in regard of the affections c. REVEL 3. 1. And art Dead THe point we are in is this That a dead Christian is as good as no Christian at all First we have opened the meaning of this point and shewed you what is meant by a dead Christian Secondly we have shewed you that this is so by going over all the graces of Gods spirit a man hath near a one of them all that is dead againe by going over all the duties of Christian Religion ye heard a man does neare a one of them all as long as he does them onely in a dead hearted manner Thirdly I shewed you the reasons of this point why a dead Christian is even as no Christian at all there be many reasons of it it stands with good reason that it
Lord. So the seale of us Ministers are yee in the Lord though I have not converted others yet doubtlesse I have converted you unto God as he sayes Truly the signes of an Apostle were wrought among you 2 Cor. 12. 12 c. Fifthly this is that which will give us comfort when we lie upon our death-beds when we can say we have been faithfull in our callings and can shew a token of it too by blessing of our faithfulnesse in the gaining of foules as Paul saith to the Thessalonians What is our hope or joy or crown of rejoycing Are not even yee in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at his coming For ye are our glory and joy 1 Thess 2. 19 20. This is a pledge of our glory The promise is cleare They that turn others unto righteousnesse shall shine as the starres Dan. 12. 3. I doe not deny but a wicked Minister that hath parts and is gifted of God with an Art of speaking to the conscience may convert and therefore it is not a naked argument But when a man hath had this successe by his faithfulnesse and hath set himself to doe it in Gods way indeed what an unspeakable comfort is this He is not the wisest Minister that can plot most for prefermet or can preach best for applause or the like No no but he that can most compose himselfe to doe good He that winneth soules is wise Prov. 11. 30. that is as he had need to be a wise man and to goe wisely to work that would doe it so he is a wise man he is wise to himself he layes up to himself a good foundation of comfort against the world to come Sixthly and lastly if we can endure to be unprofitable not to stirre up our selves not to point and sharpen our Ministery that it may pierce into mens consciences nor never study how to doe good what a heavie woe will lie upon us You read what was done to the unprofitable servant he was bound hand and foot and cast out into utter darknesse where is weeping and gnashing of teeth Matth. 25. 30. O then how carefull should we be to doe good and to be effectual Preachers that we may say these and these I have been an instrument of good to by the mercy of God these and these I have begotten through the Gospel then are we Angels indeed that are sent out for the good of Gods elect I confess it is good to civilize our people to abate their wickednesse to make them Professors and I would to God we could see more of these effects rather then none But to gather in Gods elect this is an Angels work the conversion of one soule is better then the civilizing of a thousand And therefore let us be diligent and industrious and preach in season and out of season let us con the skill of preaching not to tickle mens itching eares not so much to make our people say our Minister is a fine Scholar a good Churchman as to rouze up the consciences of our hearers to pull down their hearts before God to feed their souls with divine meat with the good knowledge of the Lord to shew them the severall wiles of Satan as Paul sayes Speak thou the things which become sound doctrine that the aged men be sober and grave c. Tit. 2. 1. that is so preach as to good to old men to old women to young men to young women to Masters to servants to all as it follows there wee must look unto our life that we defile not our Angels place that we doe not undoe what we preach Alas if we doe not sincerely practice all that we doe deliver if our lives doe not answer our teaching we are like unto kine that give very good milk but then put their feet into the paile or throw down the paile when they have done This is to make our preaching of no effect and therefore as the Apostle says to Timothy Take heed unto thy selfe and to thy doctrine continue in them for in doing this thou shalt both save thy selfe and them that heare thee 2 Tim. 4. 16. They are the best Ministers that carry people unto heaven when men think to send people to heaven and not goe themselves suppose this should doe the deed yet what will it profit us if our people goe to heaven and we stay behind and never come there Nay we cannot look they will go except they see us goe before them and therefore let us do nothing that may hinder the fruitfulnesse of our Sermons Thus shall we be Angels indeed Fourthly another use is If Ministers be Angels then let us know that we are mainly for Gods elect as the Psalmist sayes of every elect person God shall give his Angels charge over thee to keep thee in all thy wayes Psal 91. 11. Mark the Angels have the charge of the elect they are their main charge may be they are to doe many things towards others but these are their principall charge so it must be with Gods Ministers their chiefe charge is towards Gods elect as the Apostle sayes I endure all things for the elects sake that they may also obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus which is eternall glory 2 Tim. 2. 10. Wee that are Gods Ministers have all our gifts and graces for their sakes He gave some Apostles and some Prophets some Evangelists and some Pastors and Teachers For what For the perfecting of the Saints for the work of the Ministery for the edifying of the body of Christ Ephes 4. 11 12. And therefore if wee have any that feare God in our Parishes wee should bend our main Ministery unto them and for the adding of more to them wee should not bee like those wretched Ministers that count such persons the worst of their flock and they doe most hate them and oppose them and jeere them No no we should most dearly love them and tender them and bend our selves unto them nay we should not altogether in these bad times stand declaiming against drunkards murtherers and so leave the Lords Saints without their portion The truth is yee that live in your ungodly courses yee that walk after your wicked lusts and wil not be gotten to forsake your cursed doings we could bee content to lay hell here before you in every Sermon and spend our shot on you all the houres that we have of preaching in the week are little enough to tell you what a damned condition yee are in But if yee wil not enter in into the strait gate we must not neglect them that wil if yee will be filthy be filthy still and if yee wil to hell and we cannot perswade you to live out of your sins Though there be but two or three that are wel-minded in our Parishes we are to bend our selves chiefly unto them Indeed as long as we have any hope of adding more to their company we must preach points for them
too May be some of Gods elect are among you and if there be the Word wil find them out I say this is our main charge to be groping for Gods elect and when any of them appeare to tender them most so shall we shew our selves Angels indeed for the good of Gods chosen More uses I might make and very many too But I will content my self with one more and that shal be to you that are hearers If Gods Ministers be Angels then how should you come to the hearing of the word of God Even as if an Angel should drop down from heaven unto you How should you receive the Ministers of God that desire to be faithful Even as the Galatians received Paul even as an Angel of God Gal. 4. 14. yea even as Christ himselfe yee must not look up into the Pulpit as seeing nothing but a poor mortal man there but as though an Angel of God were standing there How grave should our meetings here bee how reverently should yee sit in your Pewes how sacredly should we stand in our desks how graciously should we deliver Gods errands and you heare them with feare and trembling When a good Minister appeares in the Congregation it is as if an Angel of heaven appeared unto you to speak unto you O what a homely manner doe we come to Churches the Majesty of the Word is not seen nay we may speak it with shame neither by us the speakers nor by you the hearers we do not come to the Word as if an Angel from heaven had spoken it But generally most people see little more then a poore mortall creature in the Pulpit and so they deal with the Word accordingly c. Thus yee have heard the first Doctrine To the Angel of the Church in Sardis write I should now speake of the singular number he does not say To the Angels though there were many Ministers in Sardis yet he speakes to them all as if they were all one From whence we are taught The unity that is between true and right Ministers they are all as one man And then whereas he inscribes the Epistle To the Angel of the Church though he write to all the Church and blames and condemnes all the Church yet he names none but the Angel here we are taught That a Minister shares in the good and in the evill of his Parish if they bee good it is to his praise if they be evill commonly he is guilty of it REVEL 3. 1. And unto the Angel of the Church in Sardis write These things saith he that hath the seven Spirits of God c. I Have made an entrance into the words yee have heard the Analysis of the whole Epistle and a short exposition or a paraphrase upon all the verses Unto the Angel of the Church in Sardis write This is the inscription or superscription of the letter that Christ would have written to the Ministers and Christians in the town of Sardis Where first yee heard this point of Doctrine That Ministers are as the Angels of God unto their Parishes When God sends his Ministers unto a people it is as if he sent his Angels from heaven unto them But I will not trouble you with any repetitions The next point I foretold you of that ariseth out of these words is this That all the true Ministers of the Church are all one as it were there is or ought to be an unity between them all even as if they were all one Angel Unto the Angel of the Church in Sardis write and yet the Town was a great Town and there were many Ministers in it so we may see it was in Ephesus the text sayes that Paul called all the Elders of the Church of Ephesus together and said unto them Take heed unto your selves and to all the flock over the which the holy Ghost hath made you overseers Acts 20. 28. he speakes to the Ministers there as to many and yet S. John is to write to them all as to one Minister Unto the Angel of the Church of Ephesus write Rev. 2. 1. noting thus much unto us That Ministers should be all as one Minister there should be a sweet harmony and a glorious agreement and consent and unity between them all even as if they were all one Minister so that the doctrine is plain So again John prophecying of John Husse and Jerome of Prague and other godly Ministers in succeeding ages that should mightily strive against the primacy and domineering of the man of sin sayes There followed another Angel saying Babylon is fallen Babylon is fallen Rev. 14. 8. he calls them all one Minister intimating unto us how that they all agree in one I do not mean first that if one Minister be a drunkard that all others should be so too if one be a man-pleaser and a dawber that all others should be so too that if one be an ignorant Sir John all others should be so too every unity is not good there is unity as our Saviour Christ shewes even among the very Devils in Hell For if Satan be divided against Satan how can his Kingdome stand Mat. 12. 26. There is a unity among rogues and theeves Come say they cast in thy lot among us and letus have one purse Pro 1. 14. There was unity among Ahabs foure hundred false Prophets they all hung together in a string Go up and prosper All the Prophets prophesied so 1 Kings 22 12. as the messenger said to Micaiah All the Pophets prophesie good to the King with one mouth let thy word be like theirs be not thou singular be not thou an odde fellow by thy self they all agreed in one There was unity among the Priests that were met together in a Synod for the condemning of Christ they all were in one note That he was worthy to die The Prophet observes that there was unity amongst all the blind watchmen of Judah They are all ignorant sayes he they are all dumb dogges they cannot bark sleeping lying downe loving to slumber they all look to their own way every one for his gain from his quarter Isai 56. 10 11. This is an unity the world is full of nay and hell is full of like the unity of Sodom against Lot the men of Sodom compassed his house round both old and young from every quarter Gen. 19. 4. This is a Devillish unity this is no true unity True unity is in Bono no matter how many are of one mind and of one heart and of one accord if it be not an union in good it is faction and no union as Tertullian told the Marcionites when they brag'd of their Churches forsooth they were the Church saith hee Wasps have their swarms so when wicked Ministers shal cry The Church the Church I say these are swarmes of Wasps I doe not mean such a unity when it is not in good the greater the unity is the lesse union is indeed Secondly I do not mean neither
unto the Angell of the Church in Sardis write these things saith hee that hath the seven Spirits of God and the seven Starres I know thy works that thou hast a name that thou livest and art dead These things saith hee that hath the seven Spirits of God and the seven Starres THese words contain the Description of our Lord Jesus Christ from whom this Epistle is sent unto the Church in Sardis and in particular to the Minister there who is here called the Angell of the Church in that place And the description does instance in two royalties of our Saviour Jesus Christ First That hee hath the seven Spirits of God that is he hath the Holy Ghost and all his spirituall graces in his hands to give to whomsoever hee pleases for the quickning of them and the sanctifying of them that if any of his members want spirit or any spirituall good hee hath it for them These things saith hee that hath the seven Spirits of God This wee handled the last day Now wee proceed to the second Royalty of our Lord Jesus Christ That hee hath the seven Starres hee speaks of the seven Churches of Asia Christ hath all their Ministers in his hands and hee calls them starres First because the starres doe direct It s a great help when Mariners can see a starre in a dark night When Paul and they that sailed with him could see neither Sun nor Starre the company were without all hope of comming safe to Land Act. 27. 20. they knew not what to doe when there was not a starre to bee seen The starres serve for direction in the night So good Ministers are for direction unto people they serve to direct people to Christ Like the starre in the East When the Wisemen saw the starre they rejoyced with exceeding great joy Matth. 2. 10. that starre directed them to Christ it went before them all the way and shewed them where to finde Christ so a poore soule rejoyces to finde a godly Minister O thinks hee he is a starre to direct mee to Christ Secondly Because the starres doe shine so good Ministers doe shine forth and hold out a light to give light to them that sit in darknesse and in the shadow of death Yee are the light of the world sayes Christ Matth. 5. 14. when a man sits in a dark house hee cannot see to doe any thing but if one come and open a window or a casement and letteth in light now hee may see to goe about his businesse so Beloved people that dwell in dark Parishes where no sound Ministery of the Word is they know not what to doe to bee saved they erre they wander they grope they stumble and fall they see not how to bee godly and happy for evermore But when a faithfull Minister comes now light is let in and those that have a minde to goe to Heaven now they may see the way thither so that in this sense too Ministers are starres Thirdly Because starres have influence upon these inferiours bodies as God sayes of the Pleiades and Orion which are a company of starres in the heavenly Orbe Canst thou binde the sweet influences of the Pleiades or loose the bands of Orion Job 38. 31. the starres have influences into things here below The Pleiades open the earth they make herbes and flowres grow the spring is when they arise once Trees begin to sprout and the plants do waxe green Orion it produces cold the Winter comes when that shews it self the starres have a great influence into sublunary bodies so it is with Ministers Bad Ministers are like the starres of Orion they serve to coole peoples hearts and dead them to all goodnesse But good Ministers are as the starres of Pleiades no soule can have any minde in him to that which is good but they doe exceedingly help and further they quicken the heart they warme and fructisie the soules of Gods Elect. Againe the Starres doe hang high so the Ministers of Christ are set high they hang high that all the people may have the benefit of their glistering Zachany calls them the Prophets of the most High And thou childe shalt bee called the Prophet of the most High Luk. 1. 76. But I have handled this Point in effect when I spake of Ministers being Angels and therefore I will omit it now Thus yee see the Ministers are starres Now hee calls them seven because hee speaks of seven Congregations Ephesus Smyrna Pergamos Thyatira Sardis Philadelphia and Laodicea Seven Churches seven Congregations and every one had their severall stars Whence wee see that every Parish should have a particular faithfull Minister Paul appointed Titus to ordain Elders in every City Tit. 1. 5. The Apostles ordained Pastours and Elders in every Church Act. 14. 23. So it was in the time of the Law as the Text sayes Moses of old time hath in every City them that Preach being read in the Synagogues every Sabbath day Act. 15. 21. The Reason is first because those Towns that have not a faithfull Ministery in it generally doe all perish I doe not deny but some soules in such blinde places may come otherwise to bee converted and saved but generally they perish for ever that live in such places as the Evangelist sayes of Galile True they had sorry Priests but they had not a faithfull Ministery sayes hee The people sate there in the region and shadow of death Matth. 4. 16. that is till they had a better Ministery they were in a damnable estate So that it is a pitifull thing when any Town or Parish are without a faithfull Ministery no starre of Heaven shining among them Secondly because when people have no faithfull Minister of their own generally they care not for removing of their dwelling neither will they goe a mile or two for the meanes they content themselves with what fare they have at home though it starve them to death Like the people under the false Prophets they liked them well enough My people love to have it so Jer. 5. 31. Nay they love such prophets better than them that would deale plainly with them Nay there bee many that when they have a faithfull Minister at home will bee sneaking out to a drunken Minister abroad they would rather live under such a one Thirdly Another Reason why every Church should have its particular Starre every congregation had need of a faithfull Ministery of their own Because if there be any godly Soule or any one that desires the salvation of his Soule and lives under a blinde guide hee cannot goe out without giving very great offence it will bee thought a giddinesse and a flighting of their own Minister at home now if every Parish had a sound Ministery in it this would not bee When people came out of every Parish round about unto John they had no Pastour of their own but they came flocking unto John no question but this bred heart-burning against John I and ill-will against those
Embassadors of Peace to treat with him of Peace as Theseus said once Goe sayes hee and tell Creon Theseus offers thee a gracious offer Yet I am pleased to bee friends if thou wilt submit This is my first message But if this offer prevaile not look for me to be up in Armes So Beloved Gods offers of peace have been made already again and again and they have been rejected Now his Embassadors must cry Armes Blood and fire and pillars of smoak At the first God dealt with us as Tullus with his Enemies Quae verbis componere potuit armis non decrevit as long as hee could reconcile them with his word they should not have his blows So the Lord hath dealt with us at the first he perswaded us with the promises of his Word now seeing no more can be gotten in that way hee will have his Ministers lay the axe at the rootes to hew down and to destroy and to slay people with the sword of his lips Doe not wonder when we preach hell and damnation to all rebellious soules You will say here is nothing but judgement Preachers send us all to the devill they preach as if they would drive us to despaire they should put in except wee repent I Answer it is enough now to understand it when the Gospel hath been a long time in a place Gods Embassadors must hold out the black flagge when Tamberlane had hung out his White flagge and that would not doe and his Red flagge and that would not doe neither then he hung out his Black flagge Now look for no mercy So Christs Embassadours should doe When Paul knew that the Gospel was contemned in Corinth the white and red flagge had ceased to doe good You see how hee hung out his black one Know yee not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the Kingdome of God Bee not deceived No idolaters nor adulterers nor effeminate nor railers nor covetous shall ever inherit the Kingdome of God 1 Cor. 6. 9 10. He does not put in now except yee repent no no now look for no mercy So the Apostle John The fearfull and unbeleevers and whoremongers and lyers shall be cast into the Lake that burnes with fire and brimstone Rev. 21. 8. hee does not put in except ye repent if we should bee ever putting in except yee repent and concluding with mercy upon condition of repentance what would hard-hearted people say O wee had a terrible Sermon to day but the Preacher gave us comfort in the closure he had a sweet bit at the last and thus they heale all again Nay when people grow once to be stubborn then Prophets have been so farre from putting in except yee repent or any other tearm of mercy that they used to meet with the peoples presumption of repentance So Jeremiah and Ezekiel and others they threaten destruction to the wicked and they adde this above all though they cry for mercy nay though they fast and could get Noah and Samuel and Job and Daniel to pray for them yet they shall have no mercy q. d. ye think to avoid these judgements by repenting another day no no when yee cry for mercy yee shall not have it When a Nation or a Parish or any people grow perverse and have rejected the sweet tenders of mercy Gods Embassadors are to look upon such wretches as rebels no indenting with them more no tearms of peace more as the Law sayes with Pirates and Traytors and Rebels the Law of Armes is not to bee observed as Baldus speaks they have broken the league as Florus speaks when Spartacus the Rebell desired an Embassage of peace hee would faine have Crassus contract a league with him Crassus scorned the motion when Talfarinas that egregious Robber and Traytour sent an Embassador with treaty of Peace to Tiberius the Emperour Tiberius took it with indignation that hee should bee so sawey with him No Embassage of peace is to be made with rebellious wretches wee need not put in except yee repent when we are to deal with such No no when ye grow once to despise reproof see you to that True if yee doe repent who knows what God will doe Though Crassus would not parlee with Spartacus about peace yet when hee did repent indeed hee received him to mercy So will God doe with you But in the mean time know that the God of Heaven is at defiance with you and all the curses in his Book are directed against the face of you Yee have played the deaf Adder against the gracious tenders of mercy from day to day and therefore see your damned condition The Embassadors of Christ have not one tittle of mercy of you if we could see you melt and cry out and down on your knees and your hearts turn and your spirits sink down before God then wee might say something unto you therefore Brethren if the Ministers of the Gospel doe daily preach more and more judgement doe not think much they ought so to doe Sixtly and Lastly one Use to you that feare God and beleeve his Embassadors and are besought by them Let me say to you as the Prophet Isaiah said Who is among you that feareth the Lord that obeyeth the voyce of his servants that walketh in darknesse and hath no light let him trust in the name of the Lord and stay upon his God Esa 50. 10. that is bee of good comfort though all the world and all the devills in hell bee against you yet bee of good cheare what although yee meet with never so many temptations and feares such a fogge of them that ye can see no light yet it shall assuredly goe well with you Though others have not come in at the preaching of the Word ye have Howbeit others will not reform will not see the Lords hand lifted up they will not acknowledge their sins and sinfull doings and damned case yet ye have Yee have seen it and felt it and run to the throne of Grace and have sought the Lord according as Gods Embassadors have directed you out of his Word yee have feared God and obeyed the voyce of his servants though others make a mock of such as will be ruled by Preaers tush they shall not curb mee sayes one and they shall not controll mee sayes another What does hee think to lead mee in a string Yet yee doe fear God and yee dare not stand out against the preaching of his servants yee desire that yee may ever practise their Word and lead your lives according to it what ever others doe Bee of good chear sayes the Prophet The Lord is your God and doe yee stay your selves on him the Doctrine that God hath sent unto you by the Ministery of his servants is the only Doctrine of Salvation and therein yee shall finde eternall life Revel 3. 1. These things saith hee that hath the seven Spirits of God and the seven Starres THese words are the Subscription of the Letter unto the Angell
of abilities to move the affections of their hearers not only to informe their judgements but also to work upon their affections not onely to illighten their understanding but also to stirre up their hearts as Peter sayes I think it meet as long as I am in this tabernacle to stirre you up 2 Pet. 1. 13. a Minister is to stirre up his people to stirre their hearts and affections hee may preach a wholsome Sermon and the hearers bee like Mill-posts and not stirred a jot Paul laboured to stirre affections too Knowing therefore the terrour of the Lord we perswade men 2 Cor. 5. 11. that is wee labour to work upon your affections and therefore Christ sent a Seraphim with a live coale unto the Prophet Isaiah to touch his lips Esa 6. 6. he had need of live coales in his lips to fire the affections of his auditory So hee sent the Holy Ghost down upon his Apostles in fiery tongues without this the information of the judgement is little worth Religion consists more in the will and the affections of men then in any other faculty of the soule I confesse the Minister must shine too I but he must heat too John the Baptist was a burning and a shining light Fifthly To speak Pro re natâ a Minister hath need of extemporary abilities sometimes hee shall bee called before Councills hee preaches such doctrine as angers the world and therefore he is in danger to be had before Councills and therefore hee had need to have an extemporary faculty that he may answer as hee sees cause as Christ sayes When they deliver you up take no thought how or what yee shall speak for it shall bee given you in that same houre what yee shall speak Matth. 10. 19. sometimes to preach upon short warning as Augustine did when hee relyed upon his Brother Severus to Preach for him hee not comming hee was faine to goe up extempore himself and so hee preacht upon the 95 Psalme So when there was a suddain judgement of God that fell out there in Hippo though Augustine had preacht twice that very day before yet he went up again and preached the third time O sayes hee doe not wonder my deare Brethren Si hodie ter Sermonem c. doe not wonder that I preach thrice this same time it is not without cause c. Again a Minister may be put upon it as Philip was by the Eunuch concerning the meaning of a place of Scripture to speake of it at first sight a Minister must not only have this knowledge in his note-book but in his lips that is to be in a readinesse upon every occasion His lips must preserve knowledge Mal. 2. 7. Sometimes he may come among his people he may light upon their company by chance now if he have not good abilities he cannot doe the part of a Minister As Paul sayes I long to see you to impart unto you some spirituall gift Rom. 1. 11. A Minister when he sees his people he should be a well-stored man to impart some spirituall thing or other to them a word of instruction a word of exhortation a word of admonition when he does but see them he should be able to drop something among them Sixtly to observe seasons to be able to make choice of speciall Texts for speciall occasions For howsoever all Scriptures are full of divine and Heavenly truths yet some Scriptures sit some persons and some occasions better than othersome Aarons bells must be wisely rung sometimes in one tune sometimes in another as the occasion serves A Minister is to change his note as the circumstances do require A Steward in a family must have aswell wisedome to Minister every owne his portion in due season as fidelity to dispence his Masters goods A word fitly spoken in due time is like Apples of Gold in pictures of Silver Pro. 25. 11. The very Heathen man Commends much 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 When a man speakes in due season S. Paul had this gift in all his preaching to ponder all circumstances who and what and where when how I made my self a servant unto all saies he that I might gain the more To the Jewes I became as a Jew that I might gain the Jewes to them that are under he Law as under the Law that I might gaine them that are under the Law To the weak I became as weake that I might gain the weak I am made all things to all men that I might by all means save some 1 Cor. 9. 22. To Beloved we are the ministers of God and we have need of abilities to fit our doctrine to the present time and occasions and persons that we may profit hearers When the Apostle came to Athens he tooke his Text according to the present hint He found an Altar with this inscription To the unknown God and so he spake of that Act. 17. 23 24. He tooke occasion from thence to speake of the God of Heaven and Earth to them When our Saviour Christ saw the woman of Samaria come to draw water hee tooke opportunitie to preach unto her of the living water Joh. 4. 10. Ministeriall gifts are for this very purpose as the Prophet sayes The Lord hath given me the tongue of the learned that I should know how to speake a word in season Isa 50. 4. It is noted of John Baptist that when he saw the Scribes and Pharises came in to heare him he had about with them O generation of Vipers who hath forewarned you to slie from the wrath to come q. d. What do you make here yee are Hypocrites ye are vile wretched persons repent or else you 'l to hell This was now in due season So when a Drunkard comes in we should let fly at him Weepe and howle yee drunkards See what God saies of you to whom is wo but to you See what the Scripture sayes of your courses yee shall never inherit Gods Kingdome none of you as the Apostle speaks So when Whoremongers step in we should give them their doome O ye Whoremongers Adulterers God will judge you one day This is like the former and the latter Raine Then it comes when the ground hath need of it So when a Minister observes seasons then the word comes when the soule hath need of it It comes pat as we say Then people may see a speciall providence in it I see a speciall providence of God that the Minister should speak of such a Theme this day that he should hit so right upon my sin when a man hath beene cozening then to come to Church and there heare of it againe When a man hath beene swearing and lying then to turne in to the preacher and heare of that very sinne and the danger of it and the damned estate of the commit of it When a man hath beene thinking to do evill then to sit in his seat and heare his evill ript up and all his secrets laid open and wo
every soule present this is the way to catch some When a Minister labours to hit all Fourthly some Ministers may be unsuccessefull for not preaching roughly enough Beloved our times are knotty times Rough hewing is needful Now people had need heare of hell and damnation and wrath and vengeance against their sins Some save with feare as the Apostle speaks plucking them out of the fire Jude 23. Fifthly Again May bee a Ministers successe is not seen may be he is successefull though he shall not live to see it as Christ sayes One sowes and another reaps Joh. 4. 37. as the Prophets sowed and the Apostles reapt So Beloved we may sow now and those that come after us may bee they shall be the reapers The present age now may sow seed for the succeeding Arbores serit quae alteri prosuit saeculo As the Chinah make their dishes the Fathers lay them into the fire and the third generation after takes them out Though we doe not see our seeds to come up may be we meet with no harvest this may be our comfort if we can but sow for others afterwards to reap Let us have a care of sowing many a man that now hears the word and now is brought up under a good teaching Ministery though yet he doe not obey it who knows what God will doe may be God may cast him into some horrible affliction yet before he dyes and sling terrour into his Soule and then what we have delivered may doe him good And therefore we should never lin sowing though wee never see the Harvest this should bee our comfort that the ground hath the seed Let us still powre in good examples into our people Parents into their children Masters into their servants Ministers into their hearers let God alone with it when and what and where the Harvest shall bee Lastly Some Ministers are not godly and then how can they looke for good successe as God sayes If they had stood in my Counsell and caused my people to heare my words then they should have turned them from their evill way Jer. 23. 22. I dare not say absolutely that a carnall Minister shall never have good successe in his Ministery As if a Minister should conclude hee were a good man because God hath blessed his labours No that is not a good argument for First It is the Word that converts and not the person of the speaker I dare not tye God to the goodnesse of any mans person God as he is a Creator he is a wise God and can write well with a bad pen and cut well with a blunt naughty knife Secondly Such may bee sent of God and gifted for the Ministery and therefore for all that I know they may bee an Organ of conversion sometimes Thirdly Paul rejoyced that Christ was preached by the false Apostles though it were but of envy Phil. 1. 15 16 17 18. you will say how could he rejoyce in that that was a wicked manner of Preaching Why surely hee could not rejoyce in it but that hee did think that it might doe some good Fourthly This may bee thus or else no man can be assured of his salvation For if a carnall Minister cannot be the meanes of conversion c. Fifthly They may say at last day Lord Lord wee have Prophesied in thy name and in thy name have we cast out devils and yet Christ will say unto them I know you not c. Sixthly Why else does our Saviour Christ bid people heare the Scribes and Pharisees but that he implies they may be a meanes of good to them Seventhly Judas was sent out to Preach Matth. 10. 4. Christ said to him as well as the rest When yee goe Preach saying the Kingdome of Heaven is at hand ver 7. Eightly Experience hath found this to bee true some godly soules have confessed this very thing that such as now they see to be palpably carnall have been the means of their conversion c. Many helpt Noah to build his Arke that perished in the waters God may make the crowing of a Cock to be a meanes of a wakning Peters Conscience The temptations of the Devill to be the means of Luthers quickning and therefore I doe not simply affirm that carnall Ministers cannot convert But this I say it is a very rare thing as Christ sayes If the blinde lead the blinde both shall fall into the ditch Matth. 15. 14. So if a Hypocrite lead a hypocrite the Drunkard lead the drunkard c. It is a woe to a Parish when their Ministers are not godly Woe to the City sayes God Zeph. 3. 1. why so Her Prophets are light persons ver 4. Woe to such Townes whose Ministers will goe to the Alehouse whose Ministers will keep company and bee haile fellow with every vain fellow whose Ministers will embrace this present world whose Ministers are proud and envious and malicious that give a bad example to the people that depend upon their charge Woe to them sayes God The curse of God is upon such Parishes God hath hardly any intention to save such peoples soules Or if he have any of his Elect there God will save them some other way as God told the naughty Shepheards I even I will search out my sheep and seek them out Ezek. 34. 11. that is I will search them out some other way I will not do it by you and therefore when he hath a minde to save a poore people he sends good Ministers among them or them to good ones Turn o backsliding children sayes God and I will take you one of a city and two of a family and I will give you Pastors according to my heart Jer. 3. 14. c. God would have none but wise-hearted men to work in his manuall Tabernacle Exod. 35. 10. how then doe we think he will let fooles as all carnall Ministers are c. Saint Paul said it was a part of the hope that he had in the presence of Christ at his comming that God had made him the instrument of gaining soules to his Kingdome For what is our hope or joy or crown of rejoycing are not even you in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at his comming 1 Thess 2. 19. and hath made a promise to such as convert soules so runs the Promise They that turn others to righteousnesse shall shine as the stars Dan. 12. 3. indeed this is but a secondary evidence of Salvation c. O Beloved if we could convert any of your Soules what a comfort would it be whereas if a man be a wicked man what hope can he have that God will blesse his labors nay he hath said expressely that if a man will not obey the voyce of the Lord cursed shall he be in the field and in the house and so in the Pulpit in his studies he cannot look for Gods assistance as God told the wicked Priests I will curse all your blessings if ye will not lay it to heart Mal.
feeth wickednesse also will not he then punish it Job 11. 11. The reasons of this point that God knowes all mens sinnes and sinfull courses hee knowes all that they ever have done or doe doe or will doe or can doe or would doe are First because God is infinite in knowledge as David sayes his understanding is infinite Psal 147. 5 as the Prophet Esay sayes ther 's no searching of his understanding Isa 40. 28. well if he be infinite in Knowledge what can a poore Creature keepe close from him who can hide his iniquities from him who can set such a colour upon his wicked devises that hee can not discover them let a man excuse himselfe may be his excuses may passe currant among men but God must needs know the falsenesse of his excuses and that they are but Fig leaves men may pretend what they will and deny what they will with an impudent forehead and set a good face upon what they will and this may goe unperceived among men but Gods understanding is infinite and therefore hee knowes all that men do he knows how every man stands affected unto him he knows how people come to Church and whether they meane to doe what they have been taught whether they meane to reforme what they have been reproved for for He is infinite in Knowledge and therefore he is privy to all the sins of men Secondly as he is omniscient so he is omnipresent he is present every where whether can any Creature goe from his presence if hee goe into Bed or Chamber or Closet or Street or high way or Alehouse or Drab-house home or abroad hee can go howhere but where God is and how can hee doe ought but God must needs see him God himselfe argues on this manner Can any hide himselfe in secret places that I should not see him 〈◊〉 not I fill Heaven and earth sayth the Lord Jer. 23. 24. qâ—d if I be every where I must needs be able to see every where Thirdly the Lord is omniprovident as I may so speak hee hath a hand either in the making of all things or at least in the permitting and disposing of all things All that is good hee does it himselfe or else it cannot be done All that is evill hee must permit it to be or else it cannot be committed nothing is done without his concurrence or sufferance therefore he must needs know all mens sins he knowes what hee hath suffered to be or does suffer or will suffer not so much as the sinnes of men can fall out without him as Peter speaking of Judas his sinnes and the Iewes and Pilats and Herods they did nothing but what he knew they would doe why they did nothing but what his Hand and Counsell determined before to be done Acts 4. 28. therefore he knew the Jewes would be betray Christ he could tell the Prophet Zachary diverse hundred yeares before that hee would take 30 pieces of Silver to doe it He could tell the Prophet Esay that they would fmite him and buffet him that they would reck on him among transgressors he could tell the Prophet David that they should pierce his hands and his Feet and that they should offer him Vineger to drinke the Lord knew all these sinnes of yours why because hee had decreed them True hee did not decree that hee would make them commit them but he decreed that they themselves should be the agents of them it should be meerly their fault their covetousnes their malice their men-pleasing their wicked disposition I but he ordred these things and therefore he must needs know them The drunkard could not hold up the cup to his mouth if God had not intended to preserve his armes and his mouth at that time hee could not goe to the tipling house but that God intended to continue him his feet and his health no man could thinke a wicked thought nor speake a naughty word but that God upholds his heart and his tongue in the interim if God should forbeare his goodnesse to them he would be speechlesse and not able to thinke so much as any thought at all and this aggravates mans sinnes that hee hath need of Gods goodnesse at the same time and yet that he should sin against his Maker Fourthly the Lord knowes every mans sinnes because he hath a Candle in every mans bosome hee hath made mens hearts on that wise that he hath a Candle in them all Yee know there is a spirit in a man that we call conscience that is Gods Candle as Solomon sayes The spirit of man is the Candle of the Lord searching all the inward parts of the belly Pro. 20. 27. well if he have a Candle shining in every mans bosome what can there be hidden in the darke nay he knoweth mens hearts and wayes better then they knew them themselves as the Physitian can better judge of his Patients body then himselfe Christ knew Peters unbelieving heart when he knew it not himselfe though all men be offended in thee yet will not I Christ knew he would be offended in him that very night so hee knew Hazaels wicked life when the man that owned it would not believe it is thy servant a Dogge sayes he that I should be so wicked yet he knew he would be so wicked and cruell and therefore God can bring to a mans minde a thousand things that he never dreamt of before many a man deceives himselfe all his life time But when hee comes to sicken and die then God shewes him what he is and what he hath done and now he sees he is a damned wretch and yet before though all the Ministers in England had told him so much hee would not have believed it Fifthly he must needs know every mans sins because he is the Judge of all the World and he is to judge every sinner according to his deeds now if hee should not know all his sins he could not judge righteous judgement The Judge must know all secrets otherwise he cannot well judge Now beloved God is a righteous Judge and therefore no sin can scape him God shall bring every work into judgement with every secret thing whether it be good or whether it be evill Eccl. 12. 14. True it is he shall not want witnesses in the day for conscience shall be a thousand witnesses yet it is needfull that himselfe should have perfect knowledge of all the actions of men For why is conscience so ready to accuse a man when it is awakened it is onely because it is conscious that God knoweth all its doings now if God had not perfect knowledge himselfe conscience would not witnesse all then neither could it make a sinner confesse all But Gods knowing all this is it that will make conscience to speake truth The Psalmist being to dispute against a company of Atheisticall people that sayd tush God shall not see Psal 94. 7. marke how hee reasons against them He brings
an argument from Gods judging of men to prove that God must needs see O sayes he it is he that chastiseth the hea hen shall not hee correct hee that teacheth man knowledge shall not he know vers 10. q. d. yee deny God to be judge if hee say hee does not know how can he correct them will he judge men for that he knowes not what no if he be the judge of the whole World he must needs know all that men doe The use of this is First is it so that God knowes all mens sinfull courses if men be dead-hearted he knowes it if they be heartles in good duties he knowes it though they would be loth that men should know what they are and doe keepe it from them yet they cannot dawb it before God he knowes it then this may serve to confute them that say God does not know sin This was Averroes his opinion who sayes God does not know sin God knows all that ever he knowes by knowing of himselfe and how can hee know sin because hee can see no such thing in himselfe I answer this is to derogate from the knowledge of God and to deny the perfection of it True sin is an evill yea the greatest evill of all evills yet the knowledge of it is good nay it were strange to say that God does not know who sin against him that were a pity if men be abused wee say it were pity but that they should know of it and if wee doe love them wee tell them who they be that abuse them and what the abuses are Certainly God knowes who doe abuse him and how people carry themselves towards all his Commandements and worship it is a part of his perfection to know it Againe we our selves may know sin and may know sin by the contrary as wee know what darknesse is by the contrary which is light and shall we say that God doe not know it God damnes all the wicked one after another for it and therfore he does know it nay we see that God brings secret things to light here in this World when people had thought that no body should ever come to know it yet hee does often bring secret sinnes to light here in this World how much more at the last day And though God knowes all that ever he knowes by looking upon himselfe and sin be not there but nothing but good and goodnesse it selfe yet hee can know it as a Medium to bring good out of it And so it is good as he wils it and therefore hee decrees it and therefore he must needs know it and know it in himself For the permission onely of it is in himself and the acting which is evill is out of himselfe neither does it follow that Gods understanding should become vile by knowing so many vile things as Vorstius and others do blasphemously astirme thence they would conclude their cursed Atheisticall axiomes we indeed may make our selves vile by looking upon vile and base things because we cannot keepe our hearts from savouring of them whose end is damnation c. who minde earthly things Phil. 3. 19. that is their minde becomes vile by so doing Hereby people come to be unacquainted with God and with Heavenly things They know how to buy and sell how to earne and get gaine how to plough and sow and such earthly things and they do so savour their minds that they make their minds base with them and therefore we are commanded to ennoble our minds and understandings for these things make them vile and therefore we should think of them no oftner then needs must for our minds are debased by base objects This is to be meant in regard of us not as though any thing that God hath made were vile but our corruption makes us vile when we looke upon vile things we are apt to run a whoring after them and our affections to bee hampered by them but God can daily and every howre see and looke what vile things men doe for he keepes a continuall and an uninterrupted hatred of them as the Psalmist sayes he is angry with the wicked every day so hee hates their courses every day Againe does God know all mens sins then this confutes the Anomists that say God cannot see the sins of his people God sees no sin in his people say they abusing that place there of Balaam Hee hath not beheld iniquity in Jacob neither hath he seene transgression in Israel Numb 23. 21. what 's this but to pervert Scripture hee speakes there of the eye of his Justice He does not speake of the eye of his Knowledge He speakes of such things as is in the wicked That indeed God doe not see in his people for it is not there to be seene otherwise if Gods people sin God makes them know and confesse that hee sees it as David sayes O God thou knowest my foolishnesse and my sinnes are not hid from thee Psal 69. 5. The garments of salvation that God puts upon his people are not to hoodwinke Gods Al-seeing Knowledge but to keep of the destroying Angell Secondly another use is to condemne the most sorts of men that doe not consider of this truth they little thinke that God sees all their doings I feare there is hardly any among us that will seeme to deny but that God can see all his wayes and yet we see it is too apparent by mens lives that few men do believe this indeed There is this vile Atheisme sculking in all our hearts naturally otherwise we durst not doe as wee doe that either God is such a God as the Epicures made him that sits in Heaven and regards not what men doe here below or at least we doe not charge this truth on our hearts that God sees us this is the cause of all the sinnes that are among us That there is so much luke warmenesse in the better sort so much heartlesnesse in holy performances before God so much wickednesse among others for why if men did seriously consider that Gods sees all and markes all nay hee markes all that men do so curiously that hee can set them in order before them all that ever they have done Psal 50. 21. in the same order that they committed them marke he can set before us in order all that ever we doe from day to day this sin then and that sin then such a sin wee did at such a time such sins in the morning such at noone such the last night such lusts were in our hearts in such a place and such in such a place hee can set them in order before us he knowes them so well and will too before he hath done I say if wee did charge this upon our soules we could not live so loosely as we doe You will say yea but we are Christians why do you tell us such a known truth what need so many arguments to prove that God knowes all our sinnes wee
omit any duty but hee does perceive it nor slubber over any good duty but hee stands by and lookes on may be when yee are among your selves yee can shoot out your Arrowes even bitter and malicious words may bee no body can tell what yee said tush it shall never come to such a ones Eare Who can tell that you did say so Who why God can Thus yee sayd and thus yee said sayes the Lord That have you sayd O house of Israel for I knew the things that came into your minde every one of them Ezek. 11. 5. Hee knowes thy adultery and with whom and in what Bed neither Curtaines nor Doores nor Lock and Key can hide from him Hee knowes how thy heart hath risen up against the Word Hee knowes how many times thou hast smothered thine owne conscience and gone against it and outwrestled it He knowes how thou lettest thy minde rove in Prayer how many times thou hast come to the Lords Table unworthily omitted Family duties or hudled them over without due regard Hee knowes what trickes thou hast to put off conviction what a base esteeme thou hast of the strictnesse that Gods Word doth require when thou hearest it layd open O I say this should make thee to feare God this should make thee to feare everywhere as the Psalmist sayes Thou compassest my paths and my lying downe and art acquainted with all my wayes Psal 139. 3. Thou hast beset mee behind and before within and without thou possessest all my reines O what an awe should this breede in us But I let this Use passe This Use will better come in the next Doctrine Well then the next Doctrine is this The knowing that God knowes all our workes is the powerfull meanes to all Gods elect to do them good and to quicken them and to make them take heede of all manner of sinne when the Lord would quicken his people here in Sardis hee uses this as his first meanes to doe it by I know thy workes wee may see this in David I have kept thy Precepts and thy Testimonies for all my wayes are before thee Psa 119. 168. when Solomon would confute a whorish heart hee uses this for his argument Why wilt thou my Son bee ravisht with a strange Woman and embrace the bosome of a stranger for the wayes of man are before the eyes of the Lord and hee ponders all his goings Prov. 5. 20. 21. why wilt thou doth us q. d. thou art madde thou art desperate if this argument will not prevale with thee The reasons of this point are First because the Lords knowing of our workes is not onely a meere knowing of them but also a marking and a pondering of them too Hee diligently observes what wee doe hee ponders and considers whence it proceeds and whether it tends as the Prophet sayes The Lords Throne is in Heaven his Eyes well consider his Eye-lides try the Children of men Psal 11. 4. And therefore when the Scripture would tell us that God knowes mens hearts it sometimes expresses it thus The Lord pondereth mens hearts Prov. 24. 12. if God did onely see what we doe it were another matter but when the soule shall heare that hee markes and that hee ponders and considers mens sinnes and weighes them how haynous they are what punishment they deserve and how horrible it is that they do how much it is against his glory it s a signe of a desperate heart when this will not work Secondly because when God sees all our sinnes it is with a most holy and pure Eye and such an Eye as cannot abide such an object before him as the Prophet Habakuk speakes Thou art of purer Eyes then to behold evill thou canst not looke on iniquity Hab. 1. 13. if God saw our sinnes with such an Eye as men see them now and then it were no such great thing for wee know that most men can endure to see our sinnes well enough and like us little the worse but they are infinitely offensive unto God he sees them with such an eye that if ever the conscience be a wake but to perceive how he lookes it will burst the very heart of a man Thirdly because when God sees our sinnes he records them he notes them in a booke that he may never forget them as he told the people of the Jewes behold it is written before me I will recompence and render it into your bosome Isay 65. 6. if God did see our sinnes and ther 's an end then indeed this doctrine of Gods seeing would doe little may be God would forget them againe yea but when he sees he registers too nay he layes it up in record to be in store by him against another day nay he seales them up in his treasure is not this laidup in store by me and sealed among my Treasures Deut. 32. 34. now when the Soule shall come to marke this this will wound it to the quicke this must needs doe a man good and strike an awe into him of God Fourthly because when Gods sees our sinnes it is even all one as if all the world should see them too as Origen notes for let our sinnes be never so secret our inward unsoundnesse never so unknowne yet if God know it it is as bad and worse then if all the world knew it for all the world shall know it one day God will lighten all things that are hid in darknesse and will make manifest the secret counsailes of mens hearts then shall every man have praise of God 1 Cor. 4. 5. that is whosoever have been godly God will bring all their godlinesse forth and every one of them shall have praise of God this shall be an honour to them before all the world so if a man have been evill then God will produce all his naughty courses forth then shall he have shame from God God will shame him before all the World There is nothing now covered that shall not then be revealed nothing hid that shall not then be laid open what a shame then will this be for thee that thou which hast gone so many yeares for an honest man and may be hast been some body here in this world when all the Saints shall see thee standing as a wretch as a hell-hound as a limme of the Divell on Christs left hand what a shame will it be if we that are now earnest Preachers if any of us shall then be found among the goats what a shame to any of you that would count it a sore disgrace to be called a wicked man to be led forth with evill doers and sholed among the damned well then if Gods seeing of mens sinnes be such a kind of seeing as this is no marvell it worke so effectually on them that are of God Fifthly an other argument may be taken from our disposition our disposition is such that we cannot abide that our wickednesses should be seen of any body
that we know can't abide them Which among us when we pray and have base roving thoughts would not be ashamed that a man should see our thoughts rove which of us that are unsetled and dead-hearted would not blush that men had a casement to see how dead he sits at a Sermon and how dead at a Sacrament how dead in other of Gods Ordinances what base and impure thoughts sometime doe arise in his minde if he did thinke that any man should see them he would not hardly be able to shew his face among men Let but an adulterer that is naught with a whore have but a few men or but one man come and take him in the act O how it will gall him and vex him to be seen 〈◊〉 as Iob speakes if one know them they are in the terror of the shadow of death Job 24. 17. they abhorre the light they cannot abide to be brought out to be knowne Now beloved if this be our disposition by nature that we cannot abide that so much as a man should know us nay not a child of six or seven yeeres of age then O what a terror is it that the God of Heaven and Earth should know us that he should see all our lusts all our sinnefull and vile thoughts all our uncleane and noy some affections all our by ends and carelesnesse of God! O what a powerfull thing is this to worke upon the heart except it be delivered up to a reprobate sense to sleight God and care lesse for him then for a little Boy or a mortall man so then yee see this is a powerfull meanes to work upon a soule to know that God knowes all his workes though the Woman of Samaria stood jesting and playing and contesting with our Saviour a good while yet when she perceived that he knew all her villany this burst her heart O saies she this is no other then Christ he hath told me all that ever I did Joh. 4. 29. The use of this is First here we see they are desperato that this point cannot worke on its certaine they are gracelesse that can heare that God sees all their workes and yet it does not purge them from day to day it s an evident argument that a man contemnes God and makes nothing of him When David had shewed that the wicked care not for Gods eye they make a matter of nothing of it tush God does not see Psalm 19. 11. say they that is they knew he saw indeed but they made nothing of it as long as men did not see them they counted Gods seeing as nothing now marke what followes wherefore doe the wicked contemne God Psalm 13 Secondly is it so that this is such a powerfull meanes to worke upon our hearts let us not harden our hearts but let us consider of it that it may cut between the bone and the marrow and devide between the soule and the spirit God sees all our workes This point should fall upon our hearts like the almighty hand of God as it did upon Job I know thou canst doe every thing and that no thought can be hid from thee Job 42. 2. REVEL 3. 1. That thou hast a name that thou livest and art Dead WE are come to the subject matter of this example and First we meet with the reproofe that Christ gives to the Church of Sardis the reproofe is either in generall I know thy workes i e. I know them all to be starke naught for the generall and then in particular first their hypocrisie thou hast a name that thou livest secondly their deadnesse indeed and art dead The generall reproofe we spake of the last day I know thy workes and there ye heard that God knowes all the sinfull courses that any man takes he is privy to every mans sinnes though men carry them never so closely and cleverly yet he knowes them First he sees all mens sinfull actions as Elihu speakes his eyes are upon the wayes of man and he sees all his goings there is no darknesse or shadow of death where the workers of iniquity may hide themselves Job 34. 21. 22. people cannot get out of his sight they cannot sinne so in private but he seeth them they may goe into a secret roome and shut every living creature out but they cannot shut God out Secondly he knowes every syllable that men speake I have heard what the Prophets said they prophecy lies in my name Ier. 23. 25. the Lord can tell what men speake under the rose looke what the King of Aram spake in his bed chamber he could tell Elisha As Enoch speakes he knowes all the speeches that wicked men speake and will have them up at the day of judgement against them Thirdly he knowes every sinfull thought that is in mens hearts as Moses sayes God saw the wickednesse of man was great upon the earth and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually Gen. 6. 5. though mens thoughts be slie things and are out of mens eyes and Angels eyes and Devils eyes yet they are not out of his eye he sees what men thinke Fourthly he knowes all that ever a man hath done as the woman said of Christ come see one that hath told me all that ever I have done Joh. 4. 29. Fifthly he knowes all the evill that ever men will doe hereafter the Lord told Moses what Pharaoh would doe before he went to him I know he will harden his heart and will not let them goe Exod. 3. 19. while the Children of Israel were in the wildernesse he knew what they would doe when they came into Canaan I know their imaginations even now before I have brought them into the Land which I sware to give them Deut 31. 21. Sixthly he knowes all the evills that men would doe in such and and such circumstances he knew Abimelech would have taken Sarah if he had not hindred him he knew that the men of Keilah would betray David if David should stay there 1 Sam. 23. 12. he knowes what a rich man would doe if he were poore what this or that poore man would doe if he were rich one dies in his infancy he knowes what he would have done if he had let him live to be a man her 's a man that lives in a good family and may be carrieth himselfe very squarely but the Lord knowes what he would doe if he lived in another place Seventhly the Lord knowes mens dispositions their natures their qualities their projects their intentions he knowes how many are rotten though they professe never so much he knowes mens persons he knowes vaine men Iob. 11. 11. I told you the reason of this First because he is omniscient and knowes all things his understanding is infinite Psal 147. 5. let a man set as good a colour as he can upon his wicked devices God can discover him let a man have never so many excuses though
manner of sinne when the Lord would quicken his people here in Sardis hee uses this as his first meanes to doe it by I know thy workes wee may see this in David I have kept thy Precepts and thy Testimonies for all my wayes are before Thee Psalme 119 168. when Solomon would convert the whorish man hee uses this for his argument why wilt thou O my Son be ravisht with a strange Woman for the wayes of man are before the Eyes of the Lord and He ponders all his goings Pro. 5. 20 21. The reasons of this point are First because the Lords knowing of our workes is joyned with a marking and a pondering of them too Hee diligently observes what wee doe Hee ponders and considers whence it proceeds whether it tends what light we goe against what checks of conscience wee meete with what mercies wee abuse what prickes wee kick against Hee does not barely see what wee doe but Hee considers what wee doe how hainously wee sinne what a vile thing it is that wee doe Hee considers how cursed wee are what a great One wee offend The Lords Throne is in Heaven his Eyes doe consider and his Eye-lids trie the children of men Psalme 11. 4. Hee ponders mens hearts Prov. 24. 12. if God did only see what wee doe it were another matter but when the soule shall heare that He markes and considers and that he ponders mens sinnes and weighs them how horrible they are how much against his glory what punishments they deserve how inexcusable they be how just it is to damne them it s a signe of a desperate heart when this wil not work Secondly the Lords seeing of our sinnes is with most holy and pure Eyes and such Eyes as cannot abide such an object before Him as the Prophet Habbakuk speakes Thou art of purer Eyes then to behold evill thou canst not looke on iniquity Hab. 1. 13. If God saw our sinnes with such an Eye as men see them with it were no such great thing many men can endure them well enough and like us little the worse nay may be they will like us the better but they are infinitely offensive to God Hee sees them with such an Eye that if the soule did but see how God lookes it would burst the very heart of it as when Peter had denyed Christ Christ look't upon him But it was such a looke that burst his very heart and made him goe out with shame and weepe bitterly Thirdly the Lords seeing of our sinnes is joyned with recording of them Hee notes them in a Booke that hee may never forget them as hee told the Iewes Behold it is written before mee and I will render it them into their bosome Isaiah 65. 6. if God did see our sinnes and there 's an end then indeed this Doctrine of Gods seeing of our sinnes would doe little good may be God will forget them againe yea but when hee sees them hee registers them too and hee will never forget them now when a soule shall come to consider them this will wound it to the quick O hee will never forget them hee sets them on our score and wee shall heare of them another day except we make our peace with him Fourthly when God sees our sinnes it is even all one as if the whole World saw them nay hee will shew them before all the whole World Hee will bring to light things hidden in darknesse 1 Cor. 4. 5. wouldst not thou bee loth that all the World should see all thy thoughts and heare every word that thou speakest and know all the evill thou hast done would it not much bridle thee if thou couldst doe nothing not thinke a thought but all the whole World should see it why man the Lord sees thee and that is all one and more too for hee will open it before all the World before hee hath done Fifthly another argument may be taken from our disposition our disposition is such that wee cannot abide our wickednesse should be seen by any body which among us when wee pray would not be ashamed that any body should see how our thoughts rove which of you that are unsetled and deadhearted would not blush that men had a casement to see how dead hee sits at a Sermon how dead and blockish at a Sacrament how dead at other of Gods Ordinances What base and uncleane and blasphemous thoughts doe sometimes come into our hearts if a man did thinke that any man should see them hee would hardly be able to shew his face among men should an Adulterer be but taken in the act by any Man or Woman or Child O how it would gall him and vex him to be seene as Job speakes If one know them they are in the terrour of the shadow of death Job 24. 27. now beloved if this be our disposition by nature that wee cannot abide that a man should see us doe something that wee doe nay not a child of seven yeares old then O what a terrour is it that the God of Heaven and Earth should see us and know us that hee should see all our lusts all our noysome and uncleane affections all our vile and hideous thoughts O what a powerfull thing is this to worke upon the heart except it be delivered up to a reprobate sense The Woman of Samaria shee was briske and frolique a great while till shee perceived that Christ knew all her villany this made her ashamed and brake her very heart The use of this was First here wee see they are desperate that this point cannot worke on its certaine they are gracelesse that can heare that God sees all their workes and yet it does not purge them from day to day it s an evident argument that a man contemnes God and makes nothing of him Secondly is it so that this is such a powerfull meanes to worke upon our hearts O let us not harden our hearts but let us consider of it that it may cut betweene the bone and the marrow God sees all our workes This point should fall upon our hearts like the Al-mighty hand of God so it did on Jobs I know thou canst doe every thing and that no thought can be hid from thee Job 42. 2. so much shall suffice to have spoken of the reproof in generall Now wee come to the particulars And the first is in these words thou hast a Name that thou livest and the other is and art dead That thou hast a name that thou livest This is the first particular whereby the Lord Jesus proves that which hee had implyed before viz. that the works of Sardis were all starke naught because they had onely a name to live they rested in a meere outward name to bee Religious and good Christians and people of God and believers and a Church of Jesus Christ they had the name and that was all they had a name to live well sayes hee for this very thing I
and therefore hee is a blasphemer of God that gets the name of it and lets the thing alone and therefore how shoud wee take heede how wee have the name for Religious people except wee bee Religious indeed and holy indeede and Heavenly indeede as Ambrose sayes nam â—it nomen inane crimen immane a bare name is a horrible blame unto any man whosoever he be Thirdly it is a flat lie when a man hath the name for a good Christian and hath not the thing signified by the Name this is a flat lie as God sayes Note it in a Booke that it may be for time to come for ever and ever that this is a rebellious people lying children children that will not heare the Law of the Lord Isaiah 30. 8. 9. that is they had the name of his children but they had not the thing signified by that name they would not doe as children should doe they would not bee ruled by their fathers Lawes therefore they are lying children they lie in bearing such a name the Lord notes it in a Booke that it might stand for ever and ever against them at the day of judgement this was nothing else but to lie before God you goe for my children what and will not doe as I bid you you lie in haveing the name of my children when a man shall have the name of a child of God or the name of a Minister of the Lord Jesus or the name of a Christian baptized into Christ hee had need to take heed what hee does for if he doe not answer this name hee does but play the Ananias to lie to the Holy Ghost Looke into thy generall calling looke into thy particular looke into thy carriage looke into thy manner of good duties whether thou doe behave thy selfe answerably to this holy name whereby thou art called knowing thou dost but lye to God if thou dost not Fourthly it is an unreasonable thing when a man hath not the thing there is no reason that hee should have the name when God gave Abram the name of Abraham hee told him there was a reason why hee should bee called by that name thy name shall bee called Abraham for a Father of many Nations have I made thee Genesis 17. 5. so it is an unreasonable thing why wee should have the name of Gods servants or Christians unlesse there bee some reason why wee should have the imposition of this name now when wee make it a bare title and doe not obey Christ nor make conscience of all his holy waies this is very unreasonable as Abigail reasoned about her Husbands name as his name is so is hee Nabal is his name and folly is with him 1 Samuel 25. 25. So my brethren as our name is so should we be if Christian be our name true Christianity should bee with us humility love meekenesse patience faith holinesse and all other parts of Christianity should be with us now if we have the name without these things intimated by the name this is a very unreasonable thing nay it is not onely unreasonable but also ridiculous who will not count the names that the Papists give to their blockish Friers ridiculous subtilissimus Doctor Doctor Angelicus Seraphicus these are ridiculous as a drunkard a Christian a whoremonger a Christian a worldling a Christian a vaine man a Christian what a ridiculous thing it is to call such the Saints of God strangers here on earth such as have their conversation in Heaven such as are buried together with Christ in his death such as are men of another World mortified justified sanctified crucified to themselves loving the things above and not the things that are here beneath If these things doe not agree with us what a ridiculous thing is it that wee should bee termed good Christians here bee Christians indeed this is a meere mockery Fifthly it is an impudent thing when we have a name to live and to be wrought upon by the word what an impudent thing is it if we doe not looke to it that wee be so indeed one would thinke wee should blush to thinke what a name wee have and how little wee make good our name between God and our owne soules When the men of Bethlehem said is not this Naomi O how she was ashamed of her selfe call me not Naomi call me Marah for the Almighty hath dealt very bitterly with me Ruth 1. 20. so when wee are named Christians we should even blush call me not a Christian call me a wretch call me a vile creature a hell-hound a limme of the Devill a cursed sinner for the Almighty never yet turned my heart he never yet purified my Soule and life I never yet have resembled Christ to this very day I say the most of us should even be confounded to thinke what a name wee have I a Christian and doe no more good and live no better life I a Christian and not humbled not abased yet before God so dull to all goodnesse so carnall so dead to all Gods Ordinances so voide of all grace so sencelesse of my sinnes how can this be wee are impudent if wee have our name for naught our name may upbraide us the good opinions that others have of us may fill our faces with shame to thinke how short we come of it Sixthly it is an inexcusable thing if we have a name to be alive wee are without excuse if wee be not First because now out of our owne mouthes God will judge us wee said wee were his people wee tooke the name of his servants why then he will say why had I not your service why would you doe no more for me why were you coveteous why were you proud why were you hard-hearted why were you so carelesse of me you wore my livery you shrouded your selves under my name So the Lord did with the Jewes that had the name of his children and servants see how he judges them out of their owne mouth a Sonne honours his Father and a servant his Master if then I be a Father where is my honour and if I be a Master where is my feare Malachi 1. 6. q. d. you say I am your Father and I am your Master and I am your God well out of your owne mouthes I will judge you why then did you honour me no more why did yee regard mee no more yee cared not for mee yee did not looke after mee you had little or no heart after me your owne mouthes have even cast you Secondly ye can have no other excuse can you say you could not beleeve in my name ye could not forgoe such and such lusts at my command why then would you goe for my servants you should have said so plainely and not daily have come into my Courts as if you would obey me nor taken up the profession of my Worship as if you would goe through stitch with it why would you come to my Table
dead Ministry God seldom goes along with it nay that 's the life of a Ministry when the Minister seekes God to goe along with him now a dead Ministry God goes not along with it a lively Ministery Christ goes along with it So I am with you to the end of the world Matth. 28. 20. if there be any of Christs sheep in the parish a lively Ministery does assuredly one time or other finde them out those that are not Christ his sheep a lively Ministry hewes them all downe slayes all their Souls ripens them apace for hell and for the pit But a dead Ministry the Lord does not goe along with that the Lord does not Crowne it Fifthly a dead Ministry prophanes the word of God it makes it seeme nothing worth it does not hold forth the glory of the Lord nay it hides it keeps it from being seen either by dwelling upon Generals and what 's that but hiding for people will confesse the word in generall they see it the generall all their blindnesse is in particulars there they slip away like Fish out of a broad Net or else by delivering it so coldly that people think it no great matter a lively Ministry holds forth it lets out God into the conscience it gives people to understand they come upon life and death it makes people looke about them it makes people consider all that ever they have done it slashes the word of God into their hearts as a light to discover all their wayes it gives them a view of their Christian estate either one way or other as it is said of Pauls Ministry The word of the Lord was glorified by it Act. 13. 48. But a dead Ministry prophanes it it vailes the glory of it it lets people sit quiet under it it diseases no sinner where as if it glorified Gods word it would either trouble them or turne them The use of this is first here we see the reason why a dead Ministry is not houted at but applauded in the world why it is as good as no Ministry at all it does not make the devill roar it lets people sleep in their sins whereas a lively Ministry can hardly come into a pulpit but presently he is halfe a martyr Briers and Thornes were with Ezechiel Ezek. 2. 6. lively Ministers cannot give the world any good content they fought against Jeremy they played the wolves against the Apostles of Jesus Iohn the Baptist was counted too sterne and austere and Luther sayes it is impossible for a man to be a true lively preacher of Gods word and not be persecuted there 's an utter antipathy between the world and such a one the world and such a Minister can no better agree together then light and darknesse such a Ministry stands in the worlds light it makes the world see their works are evill it detects it shames it opposes their sinnes that the world tumbles in as Christ sayes I have given them thy word and the world hates them because they are not of the world Joh. 17. 14 therefore there cannot be a lively Ministry any where but the world hath a sling at it but now let a man have a dead Ministry that 's let alone that may stand long enough that never comes home to men to shew them their ill estates the devils dawbers the devils upholsters that doe not pluck mens pillowes away from under their arme-holes that deale gently with men and they may do what they list for all them these are the worlds minions and applauded at all hands what a thing is this whereas a dead Ministry is the undoing of mens soules it lets men perish and never drawes them back Secondly this may serve to reprove us that are the Ministers of Jesus Christ I desire to speak to my self especially that we are no more lively in our Ministry that our Ministry hath no more edge upon it to enter into this horny thick skin age we complaine of much deadnesse now a dayes alack how if we be found guilty of it that we preach no more quickningly I confesse blessed be God we have so much lively preaching left yet among us that woe be to them that are dead and have to grace of life But O that our Ministry had more lively-hood in it that it were more exciting and provoking Is the Apostles of Christ complained of dull hearers Heb. 5. 11. how many dull hearers have we why then shall we make our soules guilty of their dulnesse the deader people be we had need to be the quicker in our Ministry or else we cannot say we are pure from their blood don't we see how many people are very neer the Children of wrath how they cannot be saved except they be justified and sanctified in Jesus Christ how few are so how hard a thing it is to awaken mens hearts nay the world and the cares of this life carry their minds quite and cleane away how scarce any almost seriously consider their latter end don 't we see how the devill tempts how the flesh and the world reigne in most and how little religion we have up and down the Saints scarce the wicked many times very bad the shortnesse of life the irrecoverable estate after death the immortality of the soule the paines of hell and the joyes of heaven and how that without holinesse no man shall see God how should we bestirre our selves to beat these truths into mens minds that they may be bethinke themselves and flee from the wrath to come The cold preaching of such weighty things cleane cozens the world so that they hardly conceive any great matter in the businesse live and dye perish for ever in their sinnes and we give them such faint warnings that no wonder so few do take any warning we found the trumpet too too low that scarce any almost prepare themselves we come into the pulpit but we doe little or no thing there may be we preach good doctrine but we doe not presse it to the quick that the conscience may feele we doe not bleed for our peoples security and though they do not heare how little does our soul weep in secret or melt in publik Bucolcerus that admirable lively preacher was wont to say that a Minister should preach flebiliter obsecratorie anxie humiliter expectore cum gemitu that is a Minister should preach mournfully over peoples soules beseechingly anxiously humbly heartily groningly as it is said of our Saviour Christ he groned for the peoples unbeliefe now when our Ministry is deadish as though we cared not much whether people doe our doctrine or no whether they be damned or no this is a lamentable thing The poore soules of our hearers may say to us as the disciples of Christ said to Christ and more justly they said it unjustly to him Master carest thou not that we perish Mark 4. 38. he was asleep and they awakened him Master carest thou not that we
life of Eloqution so I may say of preaching affections are the life of preaching now by affections I doe not meane feigned and forced affections they are no affections indeed but when a man preaches so for the matter and manner indeed affectionate matter and with a true affected heart that he may move the hearts of men as one says the world is now full of knowledge as a drunkard is full of wine that his stomack is not able to digest so I say people have more knowledge then they can well digest the stomack wants heat to concoct it for their good as Rodolphus Agricola speakes any man that hath learning may teach but to move the heart and affections it requires more a great deale This is lively preaching when a Minister sets himself to be in mens bosoms what alively preacher was the Apostle Paul you may see by his dealing with Agrippa he made the Kings heart even yearne againe with his speaking the King confest how his speaking worked within his bosom almost thou perswadest me to be a Christian Act. 26. 28. so you may see by the Galatians his preaching did not onely convert many of them but those whom he did not convert he did wonderfully work upon their hearts that they could have be contented to have pluckt out their eyes have given them to him Gal. 4. 15. such a lively preacher was he in the second of Judges that when he preacht he set all the people a melting a weeping like little children that had been beaten Judg. 2. 4. 5. I grant it may be the best and liveliest Ministers under heaven cannot do so now peoples hearts are more hardned But yet though we cannot undertake to move any one mans heart that 's the worke of God yet our Ministry may be lively First by labouring to make the things that we preach as it were lively before peoples eyes as the Apostle preached Christ crucified even as if he were crucified before his peoples eyes Gal. 3. 1. so Moses had a very lively Ministry the Text sayes he set before them life and death he laboured to preach with that evidence as if he had set before their eyes life death heaven and hell good and evill when a Minister preaches in the evidence and the demonstration of the Spirit 1 Cor. 2. 4. when he labours to bring the Gospell plainly to mens hearts a man may teach the Gospell but it is not preaching except he set it lively forth and labour to make people see it this is the truth and this is your sinne against that truth this is the doctrine and thus you faile in the doctrine this is the threatning of God and thus you lye under the threatning otherwise they heare a Sermon as if it did not concern them Secondly coming to particulars generals are but dead we see they leave people dead people have a hundred tricks to put them off but when a preacher comes to particulars he either quickens or slayes he convinces either to life or to death when a Minister layes the truth at every mans doore he presses it upon every mans heart he meets with many a put off he makes every conscience say I am the man except they be asleep or their minds are a wooll-gathering he darts into his hearers faces a view of their particular estates he toucheth their copy-hold he confutes their false pleas and knocks off the fingers that would be applying of a promise when it does not concern them puts it onely upon the soule to whom it does belong This is lively preaching that gives to every soule his due terror to whom teror comfort to whom comfort belongs milk to the Babe strong meat to the grown oyle to the bruised and a sword into the hard heart a whip for the Horse and a Bridle for the Asse and a rod for the fooles back Prov. 26. 3. application is the life of preaching this serves to condemne such a one this serves to confute such a one this serves to comfort such a one when a Minister does as Paul sayes divide the word aright 2 Tim. 2. 15. Thirdly by worrying of people out of their sinnes when a Minister will not let people be quiet in any of their sinfull courses when he labours daily to vex their guilty consciences and to turne them from day to day as the two witnesses did Rev. 11. 10. that they may say we cannot be quiet for this man he makes me sit upon thornes when a Minister labours to make hell to have every vile wretch and heaven and the promises to have every honest heart c. Fourthly by being pittious and affectionate towards the poore people to let them see how we pity their condition as we should doe what we can to make them feele their damned estate as also with bowels and compassion labour that they may see we doe pity them therefore preaching sometimes is called lamentation in Scripture Ezek. 19. 1. it may be people then may say what a beast am I how does our Minister pity us he mourns over us and bewayles us what a wretch am I that I doe not bewayle mine own case O beloved what a wofull thing is it that any of us should perish to be damned for ever in hell to lye in eternall paines what a pity is this is it not much better ye should embrace the good word of God and beleeve and take Jesus Christ and be willing to doe any thing he would have you to doe then to lye by it for ever in the paines of hell for the pleasures of sinne for a season alas it is for want of bowels that we doe no more good Fifthly by being deeply affected with the word of God laying nothing on peoples backs but what we lift up upon our owne shoulders speaking the truth from the bottom of our hearts uttering the word of God with feeling and with a contrite spirit O if we could drop our Sermons as dew down from heaven on our people this would be lively preaching indeed as the Prophet Ezekiel did he dropt the word of God upon Ierusalem Ezek. 21. 2. so if our Sermons did come droping downe from us as if they dropt downe from heaven O how coldly doe our Sermons come from our mouthes we doe not preach as if the word came downe from heaven as if our hearts were no higher then our pulpits Lastly by getting the Lord to goe along with our Ministry for it is not our preaching it self that hath any life no it is but a dead letter as Micha sayes I am full of power by the Spirit of the Lord Mich. 3. 8. REVEL 3. 2. And art Dead THese words as ye heard have a twofold relation one to the Angell of the Church in Sardis thou art dead thy Ministry is dead there 's no life nor heat at all in thy Ministry it is no stirring Ministry thou art dead another to the Church it self thou art
shall be alive that seekes God Psal 69 32. that is you whose hearts are inclined to serve God your hearts are alive now when a man hath no divine inclinations to all heavenly duties and courses though he doe never so much professe the following of them he followes them with a dead heart Fourthly deadnesse of conscience when the conscience hath no force it may be it finds fault with such and such wayes but it hath no power over the man to make him to leave them perhaps it approves such and such holy performances yea but it hath no power over him to cause him to buckle to them indeed this is a dead conscience it hath no life at all in it when the conscience hath life in it once then it hath power it hath a mighty force over a man as the Church my soule made me like the Chariots of Aminadab Cant. 6. 12. that is my conscience was very forceable and powerfull in me it made me not onely to goe after God but it carryed me as it were in a Chariot very willingly But when the conscience can whisper onely and finde fault and hath no power at all with it to make one obey from day to day this is a dead conscience Fifthly deadnesse of affection when the affections are clumbzie and will not stirre towards God and all heavenly things when a man is like a block in good duties he hath no affections to them nor in them when the affections are all alive to earthly things when they are still out of order as the Apostle Paul sayes mortifie your inordinate affections Col. 3. 5. that is your affections must not be out of order if they be alive to other things ye must kill them that way that they may be alive towards all the things that are above now when the affections will not move that way at all then they are dead But I will speak no more of this well then let us come to the doctrine a dead Christian is even as good as no Christian at all goe through all Christianity and we shall see this to be true in every passage should a man have all Christianity in him and yet be dead and dull and without life it is even all one as if he had just nothing First for conversion should a man seeme to be converted O what a changed man is this he was a drunkard and now he is sober he was a whorer and now he is chaste he was a Prophane beast and now he is cleane another man this is well I but if thou beest dead to the wayes of God if thou beest not quickened up to them this is magnum nihil conversion is a quickning when we were dead in sinnes he hath quickened us together which Christ Eph. 2. 5. conversion is not onely a turning of a man from wicked wayes to good but to be quickened up in them conversion puts another life into a man a man may be converted from prophanesse to civility from not praying constantly to praying constantly from not hearing to hearing from not preaching to preaching from not professing to professing True this man shall have the lesse hell yea but this is nothing towards heaven except a new life be put into this man to be alive in all these good ways except he be quickened together with Christ Secondly faith should a man leane himselfe upon God and upon Christ should a man apply all the promises of the Gospell to his soule and beleeve all that 's contained in the covenant of grace alas what of all this if this man be dead still without such a faith as produces life it is little better then nothing as Christ sayes He that lives and beleeves in me Joh. 11. 26. true faith carries life with it wheresoever it is and therefore if a mans faith be without life it is but equivocall faith faith it may well be But true faith it cannot be for if thou wouldst be able to say thou beleevest in Jesus Christ thou must be able to say that thou livest too in him it 's impossible a man should rightly beleeve in Christ and be dead â—o he lives that beleeves in me sayes Christ Thirdly as ye heard heretofore to be a member of the visible Church of God to be a stone in Gods building were a man the finest and the most carved stone of all put in by Baptisme kept in by profession of the Christian faith this is a poor thing if this man now be not a lively stone ye also as lively stones are built up a spirituall house a holy Priest-hood c. 1 Pet. 2. 5. The right stone in Gods spirituall house are all lively stones if thou beest but a logge a heartlesse dull dead member thou art none of Gods spirituall house house no part of his holy Priest-hood thou art no more a Christian then a dead man is a man Thou art but a sit roome thou hast nothing but a name of a true Christian The body of Christ is all full of life derived from him the head all the branches that are in him have the life of the root in them if thou beest but a dead branch thou hast no communion with Christ at all though thou beest in the body Fourthly for hope it may be thou hast hope that thou art a good Christian that thou hast a part in the redemption of the world by Jesus Christ thou hast a hope of the heavenly inheritance that thou shalt be saved in that day now if thy hope be a dead hope if it doe not quicken thee up to trample on the world to beat down thy worldly lusts to scrue thee up to a gratious life more and more to carry thee on through thick and thin this is not a gratious hope no no the grace of hope is a lively hope as the Apostle speakes Blessed be God father of our Lord Iesus Christ which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us againe to a lively hope 1 Pet. 1. 3. this grace of hope it quickens up all them that have it it is not a dead hope that lyes sluggishly and blockishly in the soule and does not stirre it up every day no it revives him towards God it makes him eager after the best things if thy hope be a dead hope that lies like a carcase in thy heart to little or no purpose it is no good hope through grace but a hope in a dreame Fifthly for repentance what ever thou hast to say for repentance canst thou plead a 1000 changes and reformations yet if thou hast not gotten out of a dead temper thou art yet under an impenitent heart That repentance that is the gate of heaven the Evangelist cals it repentance unto life Act. 11. 18. true repentance it rends the heart it shewes sinne to be the greatest evill and it rowzes a man up daily to take heed of it it makes us see what a God we have dishonoured
to sinne we should be willing to ride or goe or be at charges nay we should be willing to deny our selves to lay downe our names and goods and friends and respects and all that we have at Christs foot and blesse God that gives us such a price in our hands But now to have a dead heart to this what a horrible thing is it though we doe take the opportunity yet to goe about it as though we were sorry that God hath given it unto us This is meere folly as Solomon sayes wherefore is there a price in the hand of a foole to get wisdome seeing he hath no heart to it Prov. 17. 16. But I will not repeat any more you see now that a dead Christian is as good as no Christian at all I shewed you the reasons of this point but I will let them passe I come now to the uses And first this is for the reproof of the deadnesse that is now among us the Lord may say to us as he did unto Sardis I know thy workes thou hast a name that thou livest and art dead for notwithstanding the great means of life that the Lord hath placed among us O how does deadnesse of heart reigne we are like them the Prophets speakes of that drew nigh to God with their mouth and honoured him with their lips but their heart was far from him Matth. 15. 8. they had no heart to his holy worship So it is with most of us we draw nigh to God with our outward man but our heart is farre from him no heart to prayer no heart to the word we heare it peradventure but no heart to it at all how ordinarily doe we come to Gods house but heartlesnes hath dominion over the most of us the doctrine of the Gospell does not quicken up our hearts we deale with it as Phinehas his wife did with her Sonne when the women about her told her she had a Sonne the text sayes she did not regard it So what little regard have we of the Gospell of God! I stretched out my hands and no man would regard Prov. 1. tell us of our damned estate by nature how cursed we are from the wombe what infinite need we have to be sensible of it we know it but how dead is our knowledge of it it does not stirre up our hearts to consider of it neither does it prick us so much as the pricking of a pin tell us of the the redemption of the world by Jesus Christ his precious bloud his passion and merits whose heart is enlivened and quickened up by them nay our soules are hardly moved at all at the hearing of them Tell us of the Kingdome of heaven the marriage Supper of the lamb his Oxen and his fatlings O they are all ready come Sirs come to the marriage we are even as they in the parable they made light of it Matth. 22. 5. these things are made as if they were of no moment as if they were light matters they finde poore entertainement at our hands what little irk somnesse do we feele in sinne what little dejectednesse of heart what little remorse of conscience nay few know by experience what humiliation meanes we can confesse in our prayers how vile we are and how unworthy and how wretched and sinnefull but as though these were words of course our hearts are so dead that there is little or no relenting at it we can say we are undone if God doe not heare us our prayers are all nothing except they be with faith and life and yet who strives to awaken and rowze up himselfe we can say O how are we beholding to God for life for health for his daily good providence for his patience his bounty and we can say it is not the bare naming of his Blessings before him that is counted thanksgiving without being affected with his infinite goodnesse and yet who does unseignedly labour to be affected with them from day to day no body of us dares deny but that we should set the Lord alwayes before us tthat he may be at our right hand and yet who hath the heart to provoke this hereunto The devill may be of their right hand not God for all the pains that they take to have him there So that dead-heartednes is a common evill now a dayes as Christ saies of the last times Because iniquity shall abound The love of many shall waxe Cold Matth 24. 12. so it is now because iniquity abounds the most are prophane and dissolute and licentious and loose therefore many that profession love to Jesus Christ their love does grow cold and dead no life heardly at all no signe that they are alive from the dead if they doe beleeve after a manner there 's all they doe not live in Jesus Christ if they have any hope of mercy or heaven that 's all they have it is not a lively hope that may quicken them up in Gods holy wayes if they doe see their sinnes there 's the utmost it is a dead sight that does not excite them up unto strictnesse and precisenesse of living if they doe follow good and godly duties alas there be few that doe so but if they doe goe so farre it is cleane without heart and life as though any thing would serve Gods turne well enough what a horrible thing i' st when a dead Christian is as good as no Christian all No matter how many Christians we have alas none of us are true but such as are alive from the dead Secondly is it so that a dead Christian is even as good as no Christian at all then learne hence my Brethren what a dangerous thing it is to be a dead hearted Christian First all that we doe with a dead heart 't is as good as nothing as Paul sayes of love had we all faith and all knowledge yet if we have not love we are nothing 1 Cor. 13. 2. Whatsoever we doe if we doe not doe it out of love all 's nothing so I may say of life whatsoever good duty we doe if we doe not doe it with life it is but a dead worke and therefore it is no more then nothing when the prophet David would doe good duties so as to doe them to good purpose indeed you shall see how he labours against a dead heart Quicken me after thy loving kindnesse so shall I keepe the Testimony of thy mouth Psal 119. 88. so we may say too Lord quicken me after thy loving kindnesse so shall I preach so shall I heare so shall I doe thy holy will so shall I goe up and downe doing good now as long as a man does it with a dead heart it is even all one as if a man had not done it at all a dead man is no man as the Apostle sayes God quickens the dead and calls things that are not marke dead things are no things so dead workes are no workes as Solomon sayes There is
may urge one to good things and no question but many of you that are yet in your sinnes have found this to be true how often have your consciences urged you to give over your sinnes to looke after the getting of Christ to lead a godly life how many heaves have your consciences given at you to hoyse you up out of the state ye wallow in to make you more earnest for heaven more strict in your walking to provide for your latter end when ye are at Prayer how often does it urge you to dwell longer at it As it is said of Doeg he was detained before the Lord 1 Sam. 21. 7. he was held there he would have gone away afore but he was held now what should that be but his conscience his conscience urged him to stay long so your consciences urge you to be more attentive in hearing more mindfull of preaching more humble in your mindes lesse worldly more heavenly you may thinke this is a lively conscience no no it is not the truth is the more your consciences doe urge you a dayes the greater is your sin if ye yeeld not But this is so farre from life that it argues you to be the more dead if ye doe not obey and urging conscience is a great blessing I if men have eyes to see what the Lord does for them to deliver their soules from the pit This is the taking of men by the shoulders now if thou pull away thy shoulder They refused to hearken and pull'd away their shoulder Zach. 7. 11. that is the Lord set conscience upon them and urged them to obey as if a man should take another by the shoulder so dragge him and hale him and yet they would not So when Paul spake to Agrippa he felt an urging in his conscience O let me be a Christian and he confest as much two Paul almost thou perswadest me to be a Christian it was almost done he had a great heave he was urged But it would not doe so that this is no argument of life neither Fifthly conscience somewhat awakened may be very eager in urging it may be very importunate every day digging in his sides every day whispering in his bosome O thinke of God O consider thy soule O remember death conscience may be earnest and wonderfull eager with a man O doe not live as thou doest O be not so carelesse of God what wilt thou dye and be damned wilt thou to hell wilt thou never have done away with thy sinnefull courses away with thy dreamings O be stirre thy selfe or thou wilt perish such a conscience had Pilat about Christ it was eager with him not to condemne him This conscience is an admirable blessing woe be to those that stand out against it it is like Iacob with the Angell He would not let the Angell goe till he blest him Gen. 32. 26. like the man that was importunate with his friend and knockt and knockt and would have no nay Luk. 11. 8. I am in bed never tell me of your being in bed I pray let me have three loaves my children are in bed I pray trouble me not that is all one still he knocks he will have him up so when conscience is thus awakened and is importunate and will not be answered c. many a wretch hath such an impudent conscience as this But this is so farre from an argument of life as that it is a signe of a greater death Sixthly conscience somewhat awakened may prevaile very farre by its eagernesse it made the King of Iury doe many things it made the Heathens doe the things contained in the Law Rom. 2. 14 15. when the Pharisees came to tempt Christ with the woman taken in adultery conscience made them cease and goe out one by one Joh. 8. 9. it made Paul live so unblameably as he did ye know concerning the righteousnesse that is in the Law he was blamelesse Phil. 3. 6. now if ye looke into the 23. of the Acts and the first you shall see it was his conscience that made him doe so men and Brethren I have lived in all good conscience before God to this day as since his conversion his sanctified conscience made him live godlily in Christ so before his conversion his naturall conscience holpen by good education made him live unblameably so that what with one and with the other he could say he had lived in a good conscience to that day that is either morally good or spiritually good And therefore it was conscience that made him doe all that he did people thinke I indeed if they did good duties for outward by respects then they should thinke they were unsound but conscience sets them a worke and therefore they gather they are sound and alive towards God no beloved conscience may make a carnall man goe against all outward by-respects and doe very good dutie this we see in Balaam he went against all outward selfe respects and followed conscience for a house full of Silver and Gold he would not goe beyond the word of the Lord to doe lesse or more Num. 22. 18. so Iudas went against his credit and his profit and all ye know when his conscience told him the money was unjustly taken he went and threw it downe so did Michah the man was an Idolater and had stollen 1100 Peeces of Silver from his Master yet when he heard his mother curse he restored all againe O thought he what shall I heare my mother curse his conscience rose up against that and made him make restitution why doe carnall men pray in secret no question but it is conscience that makes them may be when they are tempted to a sinne in secret they will not doe it and it is the conscience that with holds them in this sense they doe good duties out of conscience now is this Conscience alive no it does not follow ye see this may be in naturall men and women Seventhly conscience somewhat awakened may make one looke at God so farre as it prevailes you may see this in Laban the man was a wicked man yet he lookt at God in not hurting of Jacob though it were in the choyse of his hand yet he would not hurt Jacob and he lookt at God in the thing O sayes his conscience the God of your Father spake to me yesternight Gen. 31. 29. he abstained from hurting of Iacob and he lookt at God in the abstaining from it Because God had forbidden him therefore he will not hurt him so it was with King Cyrus he was a naturall man too yet when he tooke order for the building of the Temple at Ierusalem his conscience made him look at God in the thing O sayes he the Lord God of Heaven and earth hath charged me to build him a house Ezek. 1. 2. so when Jehu destroyed Ahabs house and Baals Priests he himselfe sayes how he lookt at God in the thing come see how zealous I am for
that it makes a man to doe his freely to accuse himselfe The just man first accuseth himselfe Prov. 18. 17. So it is in the Greek and the Latin Hast thou such a Conscience as this this is a lively Conscience when thy Conscience does not onely doe its duty to accuse thee for every sinne that thou dost but it makes thee to doe thine freely to accuse thy selfe before God a wicked Conscience may accuse I but it does not mak the man to do his duty he does not freely accuse himselfe it is onely forced in him it is with Coaction and Compulsion But it s free in Gods Children when Daniel went to confesse his sinnes before God the Text says he set himself to do it I set my face unto the Lord God Dan. 9. 3. that is his Conscience did not onely doe its duty in this thing but it made him to doe his Thirdly when it does not onely Condemne one for sinne for so the wicked have condemning Consciences as the Apostles says if our heart condemne us 1 John 3 20. that is if we be wicked as Paul sayes Knowing that he that is such is subverted and sinneth being condemned of himselfe Tit. 3. 11. that is he is a very wicked Creature so that a wicked mans Conscience does Condemne But I meane when the Conscience does not onely condemne one for sinne it does not onely doe its owne duty in this thing but it makes the man to doe his it makes him trample upon himselfe as a damned wretch in himselfe to save God a labour as the Apostles speakes if we would judge our selves we should not be judged 1 Cor. 11. 31. when Conscience makes a man freely to accept of damnation thou shalt accept of thy punishment then I will remember my Covenant Levit 26. 41. 42. when it makes thee lay thy Neck on the block Lord the worst place in hell is too good for me I have often told you a story in the acts and monuments of the Church when Edward the first one of the Kings of England was a hunting and one of the standers by had displeased him the King rid after him with a drawne sword for to stab him the man runne away for his life the King rid over hedge and ditch to overtake him and when the man saw he had no way to escape he fell downe and held up his throat to the King if it please your Majesty here is my throat The King melting towards him shewed him mercy So when Conscience makes thee say Lord here is my throat here is my soule if it please thee thou maist send Satan to take it and carry it to hell with him Thou hast no way to escape therefore offer thy selfe unto God may be thy Conscience does Condemne thee alas that is not it thy Conscience does not its duty with any life till it make thee doe thine doest thou freely Condemne thy selfe accept of thy punishment lay thy head on the block does thy soule lye groveling before God this is a live Conscience Fourthly when it does not onely pull a man a dayes from sinne and Iniquity so it may doe with the wicked and the ungodly they feele many pulles every day and may be their Conscience makes them leave many particular sinnes though that 's very rare as the times now be but when the Conscience pulles a man forth of every knowne sinne when it so does its duty in this kinde that it makes thee to doe thine when thou pullest thy selfe withall detestation and loathing out of pride out of security out of unbelief out of heardnesse of heart out of formality and all this is a lively Conscience as Iob sayes my heart shall not reproach me so long as I live Job 27. 6. that is as my heart does its duty towards me so it shall make me doe mine I will yeeld to mine owne Conscience in every thing whatsoever sinne it tels me off I will be sure to set my selfe against it it shall not lie heaving at me and I never stirre then it would reproach me but it shall never reproach me so long as I live These are the lively acts of Conscience about sinne The lively effects whereof are foure The first is a penitent shame that ever a man should sin against God when Conscience does thus as ye have heard then it produces this effect that the man is ashamed before God as the Apostle sayes what fruit have you of those things whereof ye are now ashamed Rom. 6. 21. people are apt to be ashamed before men Diodorus Cronus when Stilpo askt him a ridiculous question and he could not answer him he was so ashamed that he fell downe starke dead he thought it was such a disgrace to be nonplust But if Conscience were alive and did doe its duty indeed it would make us ashamed for our sinnes before God Ezra was ashamed before God for the sinnes of the people I blush sayes he to lift up mine eyes unto thee when a man is Ignorant of God in Jesus Christ this should be a shame I speake this to your shame 1 Cor. 15. 34. that is if there be any grace in your hearts certainely ye will be ashamed that ye should have no more knowledge of God I say when the Conscience is alive against sinne it makes a man ashamed before God It shewes him his nakednesse before heaven it propounds God before his eyes seeing all his uncleanenesse and so it makes him ashamed before him doest thou Count it a disgrace to doe evill a disgrace to offend God a confusion of face to doe iniquity though it be never so secret Canst thou not looke upon thy unworthy dealings with God but it makes thee ashamed in his sight this is the effect of a living Conscience Secondly another effect is penitent griefe and compunction of heart ye may see this effect in the new converts they were prickt in their hearts Act. 2. 37. when their Conscience began to be alive to smite them for their sinnes to accuse them and Condemne them it grieved them exceedingly it went to the quick it was like a Dagger in their heart it prickt them it made them mourn for all that they had done True a naturall Conscience produces griefe ther 's nere a wretch but if his Conscience be awakened to Check him and accuse him and condemne him it will make him to grieve for his sinnes But this is onely legall and surly Now when the Conscience is alive to doe its duty as to make the man to doe his now it makes him grieve out of love to God out of love to grace and goodnesse now he grieves because he hath broken those Commandements that he loves he loves to obey God O it is the unfeigned desire of his soule to obey him and therefore he grieves that he hath done the Contrary Thirdly another effect is penitent feare It makes a man afraid to sin against God againe as the Apostle
13. 44. that is he laid it up in his soules storehouse as Solomon sayes my Sonne if thou wilt receive my words and hide my Commandements with thee Prov. 2. 1. I say the memory is a deep vault in the soule where a man hides what he hath a minde to that it may never be taken away from him so that memory is an excellent thing a man may have God alwayes with him and heaven and all heavenly things if so he have a minde to them Fourthly it is a great blessing that if a man chance to goe out of his way he may put himselfe in againe seeing he hath a memory I speake of a Christian that hath once heard the wayes of God he cannot goe out but by memory he may put himselfe in againe memory is the soules Map as David sayes all the ends of the earth shall remember themselves and turne unto the Lord Psal 22. 27. he speakes of all Gods Elect marke how they get into the way againe they shall remember themselves so when are a man steps aside by pride thus he may come in againe by remembring himselfe O God resisteth the proud the Lord sayes he will give grace to none but the humble thus he may come in againe so if he step aside by too much yeelding to the world thus he may set himselfe to rights O woe is me what have I done now I remember the love of the world is enmity with God if he chance to have by-thoughts at the hearing of the word let him remember himselfe O what a beast am I I forgot I was in Gods presence with him I remember my selfe that I am before him and thus he may correct himselfe so the prodigall Sonne did when he had fetcht his wilde vagary at last he remembred himselfe O how many hired Servants of my Fathers have bread enough Luke 15. 17. he remembred what a good Father he had runne away from this fetcht him home againe Fifthly it 's a great blessing to help a man to beleeve though a man do not beleeve for the present he heares the word of God he hears that which might do him good but for the present he does not beleeve yet who knowes but this very word may doe him good another day memory may bring it to minde through the goodnesse of God and then he may beleeve it as the Disciples of Christ ye may read how that Christ spake some words that did them little good for the present But the Text sayes that when he was risen againe then they remembred the words that he had said unto them and beleeved Ioh. 2. 22. many times we are untoward for the present and then the word does us little good I but it 's a blessing that we can remember the same word may be represented by our memories to us and may doe the deed as we see in the second sonne in the Gospell his Father said to him goe worke to day in my Vineyard ye know how distemper'd he was for the present he answered and said I will not Matth. 21. 29. I but afterwards he repented himselfe and went that is he remembred afresh what his Father said to him and that made him doe it Sixthly it 's a great help to better knowledge it may be at the first when we are taught the word does not sink into our hearts we do not understand it But yet remembring what it was we were told afterwards through the mercy of God some thing or other comes in that now we can say blessed be God now I understand such a truth such a promise such a commandement and yet no new teaching but remembring onely what we read or heard as sometime one of the Iewish Doctors not understanding that place in the Prophet where it is said that God would sweep them away with the besom of destruction isa 14. 23. afterwards seeing a maide come with her besome to sweep the house now he saw the meaning of the place so when Christ said to Peter that before the Cock crowed twice he would deny him thrice that Peter had a poore weak heart and that he had a horrible deale of faint-heartednesse in him and that he would deny his own Master Peter understood not his words he saw no such thing in his heart as to thinke those words to be true But when he had been in the High Priests Hall and there had abjured his Master and had heard too the Cock crow twice and his Master look at him now he remembred his words and went out and wept hitterly Matth. 26. 75. that is now he saw the truth of Christs words now he saw what a wretched heart he had and lamented it I say memory is a great help unto knowledge as God sayes O my people remember now what Balak King of Moab consulted and what Baalam the Son of Beor answered him from Shictim to Gilgal that ye may know the righteousnesse of the Lord Mieh 6. 5. How many things have we heard and seene when we were children that then we never knew the meaning of yet afterwards when we come to have more wit then remembring what they were we understand them as Christ said to Peter when he went to wash his feet what I doe thou knowest not now but thou shalt know hereafter John 13. 7. that is when thou remembrest it hereafter then thou shalt know my meaning in it Seventhly memory is as excellent helpe for a man to preach to himselfe Beloved we can but preach to you an houre or so but seeing God hath given you memories ye may preach to your selves all the day long memory may help you to repeate the word every day in your hearts as the Apostle says speaking unto your selvs Ep. 5. 19. so by reason of this blessing of God ye may speake to your selves from day to day Nay eighthly it 's an excellent thing for it may let you have the benefit of things before they be your death is not yet your last sicknesse is not yet your salvation is not yet the day of judgement the Kingdome of glory these are things that are not yet I but you having a memory ye may have much Benefit by them in the meane time ye may represent them to your selves as things present and have a world of good by them and so all the things that are past no act of the soule can make them still present but memory your childe-hood is past all the Sermons that ye heard heretofore are all past O how many sinnes have ye committed in times past and how many dealings have ye had of God in the dayes that are past now having a memory except ye have gracelesse hearts ye may doe your selves good by all these even as if they were now before you if a childe of God be at a losse for the present he may helpe himselfe by memory as David sayes I remembred the dayes of old I call to remembrance my Song that