in your desires a beleeving Soul sees what an honourable Person Christ is Carnal eyes do not see but Spiritual eyes do see this Off-spring of David they see what a Plant he is what a Branch he is And it should make men and women desirous to come in to Christ and close with Christ Women desire honourable Matches and rich Matches and shall not our Souls now close with Christ who is the best Match the Off-spring of David the Heir of the World the Heir of Heaven O therefore let your desires be towards Christ and close with the Lord Jesus and honour him in your thoughts and exalt him in your hearts and lift him up higher and higher every day for there is none like unto him 4 Lastly This may serve to let us see what service and subjection is due unto Jesus Christ hee is the Off-spring of David hee is the Root of David he is God and he is true Man and he is of the most eminent of men in the World therefore all service and subjection is due unto him Psal 2. Kiss the Son lest he bâ—e angry and yee perish from the mid way O kiss him and subject unto him kiss him and serve him kiss him and obey him manifest your respects unto him every way the meaning here is Kiss the Son and serve him serve him with your Souls with your Bodies he hath the right of Redemption O therefore serve him The next Conclusion to be drawn from these words is this If Christ bee the Root and Off-spring of David then whatsoever the Scripture faith upon this account and consideration must be made good and there are two Scriptures worthy your serious and best consideration The first is in Jer. 23.5 Behold the days come saith the Lord that I will raise unto David a righteous branch and a King shall reign and prosper and shall execute Justice and Judgement in the earth Hear what the Scripture saith of the Off-spring of David he shall be a King and shall prosper and he shall execute Justice and Judgement in the earth The other Scripture is in Luk. 1.29 He shall be Great and shall be called the Son of the Highest and the Lord shall give unto him the Throne of his Father David Whether ever Christ yet had these Scriptures made good unto him is worth your serious consideration was Christ ever yet set upon the Throne of David according to these words When Christ was here it was in a state of Humiliation he came not to be ministred unto but to minister unto others and he did wash his Disciples feet he was in a state of humiliation doth it not remain then that these Scriptures should be made good It is true Christ hath a Throne in Heaven but that is not Davids Throne that is the Throne of God but he shall sit upon his Father Davids Throne And surely there is something in that Rev. 19.11 And I saw heaven opened and behold a white Horse and he that sate upon him was called faithful and true and in righteousness he doth judge and make Warre his eyes were as a flame of fire and on his head were many Crowns and hee had a name written that no man knew but himself and he was cloathed in a vesture dipt in bloud and his name was called the Word of God who was this but Christ And the Armies which were in Heaven followed him upon white Horses cloathed in fine Linnen white and clean and out of his mouth goeth a sharp Sword that with it he should smite the Nations and he shall rule them with a rod of Iron and he treadeth the Wine-press of the fiercèness and wrath of Almighty God c. Whether this bee yet fulfilled take into your serious consideration and this conclusion that Christ the Off-spring of David must reign and sit upon the Throne or David serves for two speciall things First For preparation Secondly For expectation First for Preparation That people should prepare and sit themselves against the coming of Christ so Revel 19.7 Let us be glad and rejoyce and give honour to him for the Marriage of the Lamb is come and his Wife hath made her self ready This was in Vision now it must be made good in reality let every Soul prepare and make themselves ready for the coming of the Lord Jesus you know a Bride doth trim and deck up her self and put on her ornaments and make her self as lovely and amiable as possibly the can so should every Soul purge away sin and deck up themselves with the Graces of Gods Spirit and walk righteously and holily and unblamably and so make themselves ready for Christ The Second is for Expectation saith Christ I am the Root and the Off-spring of David and what follows in the next words And the Spirit and the Bride saith come and let him that heareth say come c. presently therâ— is an expectation raised Christ speaks these words to raise the expectations of all that should live after this Book to expect his coming I am the root of Jesse the root of David and the Off-spring of David I have upheld David and he hath had a Kingdom and I am his Son and I must come and I must sit upon his Throne and I must reign The next Conclusion is this That the knowledge of Christ under these Notions or expressions here is of great concernment This is the last Declaration that ever the Lord Jesus made of himself here in the world and what saith he I am the root and the off-spring of David and so leaves it unto the World to consider of This is of great concernment to consider Christ under these Notions now to make it out in two or three particulars 1 Here is held out unto us the two Natures of Christ his God-head his Divine Nature and his Human Nature the Divine Nature I am the root of David his Human nature The off-spring of David and withall a great Mystery for mark I am the root of David and the Off-spring of David and David lyes between both So here Christs Human nature in the Off-spring the Divine nature in the root and Christ Mediator lyes between both for there must be a concurrence of Divine and Human nature to impersonate Christ to be a Mediator which here is held out unto the World in the last Declaration of the Lord Jesus Christ I am God and I uphold you I uphold David and his Kingdom and I am the Off-spring of David I am sensible of any thing is done to my Church and People and I am Mediator and will mediate with my Father for vengeance on those shal wrong them and for assistance of all those he hath given unto me 2 Herein many Scriptures are fulfilled I am the root and Off-spring of David and so wee may see the truth reality and certainty of Scripture Joh. 4.7 Hath not the Scripture said that Christ cometh of the Seed of David and out of the town of
you shall have peace of Conscience that passes understanding you shall have found Illumination and know God and Christ which is life eternall you shall have Christs wisdome Christs righteousnesse Christs sanctification Christ to be your Redemption you shall have the hidden Manna you shall have the white Stone you shall have the new name you shall be made a pillar in the Temple of God you shall be made a member of Christ you shall be made a Temple of the holy Spirit you shall have the Inhabitation of the Father and the Son and Spirit everlastingly in your soules would you have any thing that heaven hath that God hath that Christ hath come to Christ and you shall have it Againe Consider who it is that Invites you to Christ 't is not Moses 't is not Abraham 't is not Ahasuerush 't is not Hester but a greater then any of these a greater then all these when Moses spake to Pharaoh he prevailed with him to let the people goe to Mount Sinai Abraham and Lot prevailed with Angells to come in and eate and drinke with them Ahasuerush prevailed with the Nobles of 127 Provinces to come and feast with him Hester prevailed with Ahasuerush to shew mercy to Mordecai and the Jewes and to destroy Haman shall these prevaile and shall not the Lord Jesus Christ who is greater then all these prevaile Why Christ was greater then Moses Moses was a servant but Christ was a Son in the house Abraham rejoyced to see the day of Christ and he saw it Ahasuerush he was but an Earthly Prince but Christ is the Prince of life the Prince of all the Kings of the earth an eternall Prince Hester a poore captive and Christ is the Master of the marriage-feast And shall the Lord Christ now intreate Invite and beseech you to come in to come to him and will ye not hearken Pharaoh hearkens to Moses will not you hearken to Christ Angells hearken to Abraham and Lot will not you hearken to Christ Nobles hearken to Ahashuerush will not you hearken to Christ Ahasuerush hearkens to Hester and will not you hearken to Christ Let him that is athirst come come saith Christ 't is I that speake to you who am the Son of God who am the Saviour of the world who am the Everlasting Father who am the Lord of Glory who have Heaven at my dispose come come ô come in then to the Lord Jesus let not your sins let not Devills let not world let not your lusts keepe you backe from the Lord Jesus And what is it Christ calls you for why doth he Invite you is it for your hurt is it to upbraid you for your sin is it to check you for your infirmities is it to revile you and reproach you for any miscariages If it were so then you might demurre then you might argue the case then you might give a deniall but 't is for none of all these it is for your good and wholly for Your good God and Christ have no designes upon men as here men have designes one upon another If they invite you to a feast they have many times a designe upon you but God and Christ have no designes upon you 't is purely meerly totally for your good The Lord Invites you that you may pertake of his righteousnesse that you may have his wisdome his Spirit his fullnesse his Grace his Glory that you may be happie as he is happie Christ gets nothing by it you have all the gaine and all the benefit Againe Consider that Christs tendering himselfe unto you it is the greatest mercy that heaven hath to tender unto poore sinners what hath God in heaven now to doe your poore soules good withall besides Christ The Spirit comes not unless Christ send The Father hath promised him the sending of the Spirit But God he houlds out Christ to you God so loved the world that he gave his onely begotten Son c. 't is the greatest mercy I say that heaven hath to tender unto you And this day in the name of the great God I do tender Jesus Christ unto you all come in and receive Christ come in and receive Christ receive the Lord Jesus Christ to be your husband to be your King to be your Prophet to be your high Priest to be your Saviour to be all in all unto you and know that if you doe refuse and will not receive Christ now offered to you if you will not let goe your lusts your drunkenness whoredome envie malice slandering and the like if you will not let goe these for Christ your damnation will be upon your owne heads salvation is brought to your doores Christ is laid before you he is held out unto you The Golden Scepter this day is held out unto you ô receive the Lord Jesus Christ And if you doe not know you provoke God more in refusing of Christ then by all the sins that you ever committed This will be the sin that will be your damnation John 3. This is the Condemnation that light is come into the world and men love darknesse rather then light c. They love darknesse they love sin sinfull wayes sinfull lusts sinfull company and sinfull practises These you love this is The Condemnation when men will not receive Christ they make God a lyar and what an injurie is this to God that you will put the lie upon God as if God did not love the world as if God not hold out Christ to save sinners And if you receive him not you doe not bare witness to the truth of God and sett to your seales that God is true and so honour him Therefore be perswaded to come in and honour the Lord Jesus Christ What will make it so hard with those of Capernaum with those of Jerusalem at the last day but because Christ was their Prophet and there offered unto them and they would none of him We will not have this man to rule over us This is the Heire come let us kill him ô therefore it shall be easier for Sodom and Gomorrah at the day of Judgement easier it shall be for Constantinoble at the day of Judgement then for Stepney that will not leave your sinfull courses and fall in with Christ and live as Christ and looke for Glory hereafter Why you shall not be alwayes here and then comes an eternall condition and why will you loose Eternitie for momentary pleasures and momentary riches why will you loose Glory and loose all and have that which will a thousand times more aggravate your misery for had you not liv'd where the Gospel is preached when you come to die it would not have been so bad but when as you might have had Christ and might have had salvation and heaven and you have neglected this it will trouble you and lie sad upon you to all Eternitie and this will sinke you deeper into hell That mercy is your torment that mercy is your hell that mercy is
15. he is said to be a quickning Spirit he hath life in him and quickens others Joh. 14.6 he is The life he is life emphatically above all others he is a Root he hath life principally and eminently in him 3 The Root you know bears up the tree the branches and the fruit of the tree the Root bears up all Thou bearest not the root but the root bears thee Rom. 11. So it is the Lord Jesus Christ this Root that bears up all Christ bears up the world Christ bears up the Church Christ bears up heaven he bears up all Heb. 1.3 Vpholding all things by the word of his power The Lord Jesus is the Root I say that bears and upholds all the whole Creation Sion it self and Heaven it self are upheld by this Root the Lord Jesus Christ but especially the Church here in this world especially Sion and the members of Sion beleeving souls Joh. 15. I am the Vine that is I am the Root of the Vine the Church is the Vine and Christ is its Root and he bears up the whole Vine and all the branches and all the clusters upon the Vine hee bears them up he is the Root of the Vine so that Christ is a Root that bears up all he did bear up David his family David and his Kingdome he bears up Sion and all the children of Sion 4 Lastly the Root doth convey life and sap and nourishment unto the whole body to all the branches so it is the Lord Jesus Christ that doth convey sap and life and nourishment unto all his body every branch in the Vine receives the vertue from the root of the Vine and all have life from Christ I am come that ye may have life Joh. 10. all life is from Christ and all light is from Christ He is the morning star which we may speak of afterwards and all nourishment is from Christ he is said to be the Head of the Church and the Head of the Church is the Root of the Church in the Scripture sense And from the Head is all influence of light and of direction and counsel and motion and comfort all is from the Head all is from this Root From Christ is conveyed all Without me yee can do nothing unless yee be in me and have vertue from me and derive all from me you can do nothing Thus you see that Christ is a Root the Root of David But there are some disparities What disparities there are between Christ and a Root or things wherein Christis not like a Root First A Root take it in the litteral sense the roots of trees and plants they are of a dying nature decaying nature and wil grow rotten and consume Job 14.8 Though the root thereof wax old in the earth and the stock thereof dye in the ground the root of a tree waxes old and will dye and perish and come to nothing but Christ is not like a root in that sense For Christ he lives for ever Heb. 7. This Root never dyes never decayes Christ the same yesterday the same to day the same to morrow and the same for ever The Root of Sion for ever and the Root of David for ever Secondly A root doth bear but one tree suffices one or two or three bodies at most the root of a Corn it may be will suffice for two or three or half a dosen stalks it cannot suffice for all But Christ is a Root that suffices for all for all Sion for the whole world for the Church for Heaven Hee is the Root of David the Root of Jesse the Root of Abraham of Isaac Hee is the Root of all the Prophets and Apostles of all beleevers of all that have spiritual life in them he is the Root of them all so that this Root is of another nature than those roots Thirdly Other roots are subject to the wills and humors and pleasures of men they can dig up the roots of things they can burn the roots and abuse the roots but Christ is not subject to the wills and humors of any to be spoyled to bee consumed The Scribes and Pharisees thought to root out this Root when they put him to death but when he was in the grave he saw no corruption he laid down his life and none took it from him without his leave And he rose again Rom. 1.4 and mightily declared himself to be the Son of God by the Spirit of holiness he declared himself to be a Root that man hath not power over So then you see for the opening of this word Root these things do clear it Object But here is an Objection You say Christ is the Root of David and the Root of all Why had not Christ himself a Root and was not he from a Root and how can he be the Root of all Isa 11.1 And there shall come forth a Rod out of the stem of Jesse and a branch shal grow out of his Roots This is meant of Christ that Christ should come out of Jesse and Jesse should be the Root of Christ and in the 10. v. it is said In that day there shall be a Root of Jesse which shall stand for an Ensign of the people The same is said to be the Root of Jesse which is said to be the stem or branch of Jesse How will these things accord Ans As I answered before Jesse is the Root of Christ according to his humane nature and Christ is the Root of Jesse according to his Divine nature or if you will Christ as Mediator was the Root of Jesse and of all the godly The words being opened I shall give you this Observation I am the Root of David Observ That the Lord Christ is the Root of Nature the Root of Grace and the Root of Glory How will that appear why he was the Root of David as a man the Root of David as a Saint and the Root of David as glorified David was now in heaven Hee was the root of David as a man Psal Christ thâ— root of Nature 119.73 Thy hands have made me and fashioned me O Lord saith David I did not make my self and my Parents did not make me But thy hands have made me and fashioned me Thy hand hath made me such a creature thy hand did curiously work me when I was in my mothers womb that framed me and moulded me that ordered all my bones and sinews and joynts and parts and faculties and the like Thy hand hath made me the work of nature was from him He was the Root of Nature And so likewise He was the Root of Grace Christ the root of Grace and Glory and the Root of Glory saith David Psal 110. The Lord said unto my Lord Why was Christ Davids Lord because he had given him Grace and made him his servant Why his Lord because he would give him Glory The Lord said unto my Lord sit thou at my right hand Christ was Davids Lord because he
to shed his bloud and to wash us in his own bloud he hath so loved us as he hath laid down his life for us and thought nothing too dear to part with nothing too hard to suffer on our account 6 Christ likewise sparkled in his pity and compassion towards the people when they came to hear him Christ was full of compassion and would not let them go away hungry lest they should faint by the way Christ in the nineteenth of Luke weeps over Jerusalem Christ wept over sinners that would not weep for themselves Christ sparkled in all these and in many other passages of his life and so you see that he is a Star indeed in sparkling and letting out his beams and dispelling darkness Thirdly The morning Star is the most eminent Star one of them in all the Heavens a chief Star so Christ is the chiefest Star the Star of the first Magnitude there is not a more glorious Star in the Heavens than the morning Star and not a more glorious one than Christ In 2 Sam. 16.17 Princes and great ones are called eminent Stars or Lights Thou shalt go no more out with us to Battel that thou quench not the light of Israel why David was a Star of the greatest magnitude in all Israel and so Senacharib or Nebuchadnezzar or both of them they are said to be Lucifer the Son of the morning Isa 14.12 that is a chief Star yet a falling star but now Christ is a Star which is most eminent there is no star among the Sons of Men no Man no Angel that is equal to Christ but he is above them he is of a higher magnitude Psal 45.2 He is fairer than the Children of men he hath more beauty more glory more Majesty more greatness than any of the Children of men Rev. 1.5 Hee is Prince of the Kings of the earth take the Kings of the Earth that are stars and great stars yet Christ is the Prince of the Kings of the Earth so that upon this account he is a bright and a morning Star he goes beyond all the stars and all the lights in the World and all the Lights in Heaven Fourthly Stars you know have their influences and let down their influences here upon the Creatures In Job there is mention made of Pleiades the seven stars and Oryon and the rest that send down their influences and the morning star hath its influences as well as other stars so the Lord Christ he is not wanting this way but le ts out his influences Christ is said to have the seven Spirits the seven Stars and le ts out all the Graces and vertues of his Spirit Of his fulness we receive grace for grace and he sends the Comforter he is the head and hath influence into the whole body This Star lets out vertue into all the inferiour Bodies that are belonging unto him so that the Lord Christ he is a bright morning Star upon this account Lastly Christ is a bright and morning Star especially in that the morning Star brings notice of good tidings that the day is at hand when the morning Star is up then the day is near so Christ hee hath brought good tidings that the day is at hand and that the night is past Luk. 2. At the Incarnation of Christ the Angel said Fear not for behold I bring you good tidings of great joy which shall be to all people for unto you is born this day in the City of David a Saviour which is Christ the Lord. And what then Vers 14. Glory to God in the highest on earth peace good will towards men Now the night of Gods anger was past and the day of Gods favour was coming he brought back the Sun of Gods favour and fatherly goodness and love unto us so in Luke 1.76 77. Thou shalt go before the face of the Lord to prepare his ways to give knowledge of Salvation to his people by the remission of their sins through the tender mercy of our God whereby the day-spring from on high hath visited us to give light unto them which sit in darkness and in the shadow of death to guide our feet into the way of peace So that here is good tidings come now the day is at hand and Christ hath brought immortality and life again into the world 2 Tim. 1.10 which are now made manifest by the appearing of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ who hath abolished death and hath brought life and immortality to light through the Gospel and especially the morning Star in regard of the great day that is a coming which some call the Day of Judgement and others call the Day of Restitution of all things there is a great Day a coming Christ is the bright morning Star that doth fore-run the great Day of which you hear in Zech. 14.9 And the Lord shall be King over all the earth in that day shall there be one Lord and his name one this bright morning Star is the fore-runner of that day in that day this bright morning Star shall be a Sun and vers 20 21. In that day shall there be upon the bells of the horses holiness to the Lord and the Pots in the Lords House shall be like the Bowls before the Altar yea every pot in Jerusalem and in Judah shall bee holiness to the Lord of Hosts and all they that sacrifice shall come and take of them and seeth therein and in that day there shall be no more the Canaanite in the house of the Lord of Hosts There is a great day a coming wherein there shall be no more the Canaanite in the House of the Lord and Mal. 4. Behold the day cometh that shall burn as an Oven c. but unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of Righteousness arise with healing in his wings There is a day a coming a great day which this Day-star is the fore-runner of 2 Pet. 3. Looking for and hastening unto the coming of the day of God wherein the Heavens beeing on fire shall bee dissolved and the Element shall melt with fervent heat He is a bright morning Star in regard he goes before that day which shall come Thus you see upon what account and in what sense Christ is resembled to a bright morning Star Now an Objection we have to answer which is this Obj. Are not Saints Stars and Angels Stars and Morning Stars too Is this any great matter in that Christ is called a Star and a morning Star In Gen. 37.9 Joseph in his Dream there saith I beheld the Sun and the Moon and the eleaven Stars made obeysance unto me that was his Brethren And in Job 38 7. When the Morning Stars sang together and all the Sons of God shouted for joy that is interpreted of the Angels who are called morning Stars so that if Saints be Stars and Angels morning Stars is it any such matter that Christ is here called a bright and a morning Star and it is
the Canticles she is espoused unto Christ 3 A Bride she hath her Ornaments and Jewels about her she is trim'd Isa 61.10 so the Church hath Ornaments and Jewels about her she is trimmed and deckt with the Graces of the Spirit with the righteousness of Christ White Linnen in the Revelation is said to bee the righteousness of Saints the Church hath her Ornaments her Jewels and Graces Canticles 4.9 4 Lastly The Bride you know expects Marriage of such a Person so the Church looks to be married unto Christ she waites for the day she is espoused already and waites for to be married unto the Lamb Rev. 19. so then you see upon what account the Church is called a Bride Now the Point to be handled is this Doct. That both the Spirit of God and the whole Church are desirous of Christs coming And the Spirit and the Bride say come To speak a little to the Spirit of God the Spirit of God is said in Scripture to intercede for us and the Spirit of God lusts against the flesh and here the Spirit desires the coming of Christ The Spirit saith come And the Spirit desires the coming of Christ Why the Spirit desires the coming of Christ because it having received from Christ all truth and having given it out unto Apostles and unto John and so to the Church it would gladly have the Church see the accomplishment of what is given out by the Spirit which will not all bee done till the coming of Christ all truth will not be accomplished Prophesies or Promises will not be fulfilled till the coming of Christ and the Spirit having received of Christ and given them out the Spirit desires the accomplishment of them that the Church might see it 2 The Spirrt desires Christs coming for the honour of Christ it is said in 2 Thes 1.10 Christ shall come to be admired this shall bee the honour of Christ to bee admired by the Church to be admired by the World especially he shall bee admired of the Saints and of those that do beleeve and the more admirable will Christ be when they shall see all Truths fulfilled and made good that he gave out by his Spirit It is said Isa 44.26 God is a God that confirmeth the word of his Servant and performeth the counsel of his Messengers so Christ he will confirm the word of his Spirit and confirm the word of his Messenger the Spirit brought it from Christ to John John gives it out to the Church and when Christ comes he will confirm the word and make it all good and so both Christ shall bee honoured the Spirit honoured and the Instruments that gave out the word be honoured 3 The Spirit desires the coming of Christ that so it self may be no more grieved no more quenched So 1 Thes 5. Quench not the Spirit in Eph. 4.30 Grieve not the Spirit whereby yee are sealed unto the day of redemption The Spirit hath sealed up men unto the day that is this day of Christs coming unto the day of redemption Now saith the Spirit come come that I may be no more grieved I am grieved in the hearts of Saints daily I am troubled by them they do many things that are contrary to my Nature contrary to my Holiness the Spirit is a tender thing and soon grieved now saith the Spirit Come come then when Christ comes the Spirit shall no more be grieved there shall be a course taken with enemies Here then we may see that this is a matter of weight and worthy of consideration the coming of Christ for the very Spirit of Christ desires it But so much for that The whole Church also desires it even the Church Triumphant desires it I might insist upon that first In Rev. 6.9 10. The Church triumphant desires Christs coming And when he had opened the fifth Seal I saw under the Altar the souls of them that were slain for the Word of God and for the testimony which they held And they cryed with a loud voyce saying how long how long O Lord holy and true doest thou not judge and avenge our bloud on them that dwell on the earth Here is part of the Church Triumphant crying How long O Lord afore thou comest Souls have no Tongues you must know but here by crying is meant the desires of the Soul they desire Christs day might come and so their enemies might be judged and they might have their bodies united unto their souls and be made compleat Quest But it may be said Do the Souls in Heaven and the Church in Heaven desire Christ may go out of Heaven and come down to earth that should seem strange Ans 1. Yes The very Church in Heaven desires the day of Christs coming and what if Christ do leave Heaven and come down to earth what hurt in that for they being in Heaven do see the face of the Father and beholding the face of the Father they have happiness enough there as the Angels always behold the face of my Father 2 But secondly when Christ comes they shall come with him as you may see in Jude 14. Behold the Lord cometh with ten thousand of his Saints Here is a limited number put for an illimited ten thousand that is with all his Saints so you have it in Ezek. 14.5 And the Lord my God shall come with all the Saints with him Christ shall come and all the Saints shall come with him when he comes so in 1 Thes 4.14 For if we beleeve that Jesus dyed and rose again even so them also that sleep in Jesus will God bring with him they shall come with Christ when he comes so that the very Church Triumphant are desirous of the coming of Christ But so much for that We come now to that which is more chiefly our aime and scope The Church Militant desires the coming of Christ that is the Church here in this World the Bride here doth desire the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ the Bride saith come come Lord you have it in the twentieth Verse of this Chapter He which testifieth these things saith surely I come quickly Amen even so come Lord Jesus John desires the comming of Christ in the person of the Church Come Lord Jesus and frequently in Scripture thâ—s is spoken of Tit. 2.13 Looking for the blessed hope and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ The Church looks for and so desires the glorious appearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ that which we look for we desire and so in 2 Pet. 3.12 Looking for and hastening unto the coming of the day of God 1 Thes 1.10 And to wait for his Son from Heaven The Thessalonians the Church there waited for the coming of Christ from Heaven and Phil. 3.20 Our conversation is in Heaven from whence also wee look for the Saviour the Lord Jesus Christ And many other places there are Rom. 8.23 And not only they but our selves also
which have the first fruits of the Spirit even wee our selves groan within our selves waiting for the Adoption to wit the redemption of our bodies wee look for the coming of Christ Now what kind of desire is this of the Church What kind of desue the Church hath for Christs coming The Bride saith Come the Bride desires the coming of Christ 1 This desire of hers is a Spiritual desire it is no Carnal desire it is such a desire as is in Christ himself towards the Church Cant. 2 10. My Beloved spake and said unto me Spiritual Rise up my Love my fair one and come away and so in the thirteenth Verse Arise my Love my fair one and come away Christs desire to the Church is a Spiritual desire Cant. 7.10 I am my Beloveds and his devire is towards me Christs desire is towards his Church and it is a Spiritual desire so the Churches is the same to him Come my beloved let us go forth into the fields come my beloved As Christ calls his Church so the Church calls him Come my Beloved A Spiritual desire it is a desire that the Spirit of God hath begotten in her for the Spirit works gracious and holy desires in the hearts of men and women and those desires being put forth now towards Christ they have the denomination from the Spirit they are Spiritual desires 2 The desire of the Church it is an earnest desire Earnestly a strong desire 2 Cor. 5.2 For in this we groan earnestly desiring to bee cloathed upon with our house which is from Heaven Paul groaned earnestly and in Phil. 2. he saith there he desired to be dissolved and to be with Christ he desired the coming of Christ to dissolve him that so he might be with Christ Rom. 8.19 The earnest expectation of the Creature it is called and Vers 23. We groan within our selves It is such a desire as those have which are sick for Love Cant. 5. saith the Church there Tell him that I am sick of Love The Church is sick of Love for Jesus Christ and earnestly desires his coming such a desire as is in Women with Childe that miscarry if they have not their desire such a desire as is in the captive to bee delivered such a desire as is in the sick for health such a desire as is in Women for their Husbands that are beyond sea an earnest desire 3 It is a working desire A working desire a desire that puts men and women upon doing a desire that makes them work Here was a desire and she falls a praying Come come Lord Jesus come quickly A desire that will make you active not a sluggish lasie desire as is in too many but a waking desire 2 Pet. 3.12 Looking for and hastening unto the coming of the day of God where there is loâ—king there will be desire and where there is desire there will be acting hastening to the coming 4 It is a desire that is lasting A lasting desire it is not a Humour a Fit a Fansie and away but it is a desire that is lasting and continued The Church hath had this desire many hundred years yea thousands of years 1 Pet. 1.13 Wherefore gird up the loyns of your minde be sober and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Iesus Christ It will make men and women hope to the end where there is desire of a thing there is hope and it will make them hope to the end when it lasts to the end the desire lasts till Christ comes 5 Lastly It is a desire that is well bottomed It is a wel bottom'd desire a desire that is well grounded it is a desire that springs from a good foundation it is not from the Fansie of a man or from a Notion or from a Conception or Tradition but it is a Desire that is well bottom'd well grounded and springs from a good Root It springs from Promises It springs from Prayer It rises from Promises Acts 1.11 This same Iesus which is taken up from you into Heaven shall so come in like manner as yee have seen him go into Heaven Well this Jesus that is gone now to Heaven he shall so come again Here is a good Root a Foundation a Promise now for this desire Heb. 10. Yet a little time and hee that shall come will come and will not tarry And in Revel 22. Behold I come quickly and my reward is with me here is a word for it There are many Promises in the Scripture to this purpose therefore Peter saith in the place before mentioned Notwithstanding we according to his promise look for the new Heavens and the new Earth It is a desire that is grounded upon a Promise a Divine Promise and not a Human Promise a Promise from Heaven and not from Earth It is grounded upon Prayer in the Lords Prayer Christ hath taught us to pray Thy Kingdom come so that the desires of the Church you see of what nature they are they are Spiritual desires they are earnest desires they are working desires they are desires that are lasting they are desires that are well grounded Q. Why doth the Church desire the coming of Christ A. Why the Church desires Christs coming 1. The Church desires the coming of Christ that so the Lord Christ himself may bee perfected and compleated Christ accounts himself imperfect in Heaven Ephes 1. ul The Church is said to be the fulness of Christ and till Christ hath all with him that the Father hath given him he is not compleat The Church desires Christ may have his fulness Come Lord and take all thine own Come Lord and gather in all thy Saints Come Lord and injoy all the Father hath given thee it is that Christ may have his fulness be perfected and compleat 2 The Church desires Christs coming that so all the enemies of Christ may be brought under especially that those Grand enemies of Christ may be brought down as Antichrist and Sathan those are the Grand enemies of Christ 2 Thes 2.8 And then shall that wicked be revealed whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming This is spoken of Antichrist that wicked one when Christ comes there shall be a total destruction of Antichrist and all that adhere to Antichrist then shall the Prophet and the Beast be taken as in Revel 19. I saw the Beast and the Kings of the earth and their Armies gathered together to make war with him that sate on the Horse and his Army and the Beast was taken and with him the false Prophet that wrought Miracles before him with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the Beast and them that worshipped his Image c. When Christ comes the Beast and the false Prophet will be taken these are Antichrist they shall bee taken and judged and that enemy Sathan
Christ Cant. 5.10 He is said to bee white and ruddy the chiefest of ten thousand and altogether lovely who should bee more desired than Christ Christ looks upon his Church as lovely and desirable and he saith Come away come away my beloved come over the Mountains and come away and have communion with me and Christ is farre more lovely than the Church farre more glorious and beautiful Christ is the bright morning Star and is not that desirable Christ is the Sun of Righteousness that comes with healing in his wings and is not be desirable Christ is the brightness of his Fathers glory and is not he desirable Pro. 13.15 Wisdom is to be desired above all things saith he and is not Christ the Fountain of all Wisdom In him are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge Col. 2.3 and is not he desirable Christ is the Bridegroom and is not he desirable such a Bridegroom as never was in the world before nor will be afterwards no marvell then the Church saith Come come come he is desirable 3 If the Church do desire Christ then here is matter of comfort for the Church matter of comfort for every beleeving soul that doth desire Christ comfort upon sundry considerations 1 The soul that doth so desire Christ as you have heard that desires Christ Spiritually that desires Christ earnestly that hath a waking desire after Christ a lasting desire a desire that springs from promises this is an Argument now unto thee of the truth of grace such desires come from the Spirit of God they are not from Nature from the flesh and bloud flesh and bloud doth not desire the coming of Christ but it is from a principle of Grace from a Fountain within from something conformable to Christ and this is an argument of comfort many are troubled they know not whether they have Grace or no but dost thou so desire the coming of Christ it is an argument of the truth of grace in thy heart 2 It is an Argument of a blessed condition Matth. 5.10 Blessed are those that hunger and thirst after righteousness blessed are they in the Judgement of the Lord Jesus Christ himself thou art a blessed Creature Dost thou hunger and thirst after righteousness To hunger and thirst is to have earnest strong desires after righteousness and if so thou art blessed Now is not Christ righteousness Look into Jer. 23.5 6. saith the Lord Behold the days come that I will raise unto David a righteous branch and a King shall reign and prosper and shall execute Judgement and Justice in the earth in his days Judah shall be saved and Israel shall dwell safely and this is the name whereby hee shall be called the Lord our righteousness Well dost thou hunger and thirst now after righteousness after Christ and his righteousness Doest thou see thine own righteousness as spotted filthy loathsome and throw it away and hunger and thirst after the righteousness of Christ what he hath purchased and procured by his Death Sufferings and Merits for poor sinners thou art a blessed Creature that dost desire Christ 3 Thou shalt be satisfied for ere long Christ will come Yet a little while Heb. 10. and hee that shall come will come and will not tarry Behold I come quickly and my reward is with me I am a coming I am a coming saith Christ and he will satisfie the souls of those that do desire him Revel 7.15 Therefore are they before the Throne of God and serve him day and night c. and vers 16. They shall hunger no more neither thirst any more neither shall the Sun light on them nor any heat for the Lamb which is the midst of the Throne shall feed them and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes They shall be fed and be filled and shall not hunger and thirst any more and it is not long For that might bee objâ—cted Wee have desired and we have waited long why it is not long Christ is a coming the things that now we see do prognosticate as much unto us When the Son of Man cometh shall he finde faith on the earth Where is any faithfulness in men no faith to be found in men And doth not the Devil rage now and throw out puddle waters Blasphemies Errours and Heresies And are not all Nations perplexed at this time and know not what to do and which way to turn them And is there not a spirit of Prayer abroad for the coming of Jesus Christ more than hath been in former days And if it bee so these are Arguments that Christs coming is nearer at hand then you are aware of therefore here is comfort to the Saints and servants of Christ Christ will come and then they shall be satisfied that have desired and waited for his coming 4 If it bee so that the Church desires the coming of Christ then let me intreat you all to examine your selves whether you do so desire the coming of Christ yea or no and if you would know it I shall commend two or three things to you beyond what I have laid down 1 That Soul that desires the coming of Christ as the Bride here doth lives not in any known sin that Soul that lives in any known sin that Soul cannot that Soul doth not that Soul dares not desire the coming of Christ I will give you one place of Scripture for it 2 Thes 1.8 When the Lord Jesus shall bee revealed from Heaven with his mighty Angels in flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God and that obey not the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ If a man be ignorant and knows not God and his duty and if a man do know God and his duty and disobey the Gospel dares that man now desire the coming of Christ that shall come in flames of fire to render vengeance Doth the Murderer desire the coming of the Judge Doth any guilty man desire the coming of him that will bring him forth and punish him for his guilt therefore the Soul that desires the coming of Christ is a Soul that lives in no known Sin he is neither ignorant of God Gospel nor duty nor disobedent to God Christ or Gospel 2 If you do desire the coming of Christ in truth and according to those desires before mentioned you will make some preparation for the coming of Christ as you see the Bride that saith Come she prepares for his coming Revel 19.7 And his Wife hath made her self ready she prepared for his coming And so in the Gospel Luke 12.40 Be yee therefore ready also for the Son of Man cometh at an hour when yee think not And the wise Virgins they made ready in Matth. 25. saith he there And while the foolish Virgins went to buy oyl the Bridegroom came and they that were ready went in with him to the Marriage and the door was shut Now what do you do towards Christs
of his Son the Lord Jesus Christ and this is the Commandement of the Son that we should beleive in him When the Father commanded his Son to goe to the Vineyard and digg there the Father was very willing the child should goe and doe it And so when God the Father and Christ the Son commands us to beleive they are very willing wee should When Princes send out their Commands to the people to doe such and such things they are very desirous they should be done So when God gives out his Commands in the Gospel and Christ commands in the Gospel to come come saith Christ Let him that is athirst come I command you to beleive It 's an argument there is a strong will in him for it Sixthly Doth not Christ sweetly invite you use sweete Invitations and allurements to draw sinners to him can there be more sweete Invitations then what you have from Christ upon this account in the 11th of Math 28. Come unto me all ye that are weary and heavie laden and I will give you rest oh you poore sinners of the world you poore sinners of the earth you that travell under the burden of your sins you that are heavie laden you that are ready to sinke into hell through feare of wrath come unto me come unto me he doth not say why have you broken Moses Law why have you offended my Father why have you liv'd so basely and vilely no come unto me you that are weary and heavie laden you that are ready to sinke and perish and are hungry and thirsty and know not which way to turne your selves now for releife come unto me So in the 55 of Isaiah see what a blessed Invitation there is Ho every one that thirsteth come ye to the waters and he that hath no money come ye buy and eate come buy wine and milke without money and without price Wherefore doe you lay out your money for that which is not bread and your labour for that which satisfieth not hearken diligently unto me and eate ye that which is good and let your soule delight it selfe in fatness Is not here a sweete a gracious a blessed Invitation now to poore sinners unto such as we are here this day The Lord Christ is a speaking unto you this day Ho every one every one that thirsteth young or old rich or poore learned or unlearned of whatsoever condition you be are you athirst would you have mercy peace grace the Spirit of Christ would you have any thing to doe your soules good come come unto me Come unto the waters I but I have no money It matters not come without money come here 's wine here 's milke and here 's bread and marrow and fattness here 's that will make your soules live here 's virtue in Christ to make your soules live for ever So in the 23 Pro 26. My son give me thy heart ô my son saith God give me thy heart Christ is the Everlasting Father and he saith my son give me thy heart come to me One place more in the 3d Revelation is worth your observing Behold I stand at the doore and knock if any man heare my voyce and open the doore I will come in to him and will sup with him and he with mee Behold I stand at the doore and knock I came downe from heaven into mine Ordinances I knock at the doore of your hearts and consciences if any man will open now if any man would have water of life from me if any man would have bread of life from me if any man would have communion with me let him but open and receive me in and I will sup with him and he with mee what sweete Invitations have wee from Christ how forward how ready is the Lord Jesus to doe poore sinners good Seventhly This appeares in that the Lord Christ hath Instituted and appointed his Officers his Messengers his Ministers and sent them to wooe intreate beseech and to draw men in unto him The Lord hath set up in the Church Officers purposely to make known his forwardness and readiness to receive sinners and to goe forth in his Name and to get them to come in to Christ 'T is our worke to beseech you Brethren to intreate you to hearken to the Lord Christ to come in to him to come and tast of his dainties to receive righteousnesse grace strength salvation to receive pardon this is our worke to get men in to Christ to fetch you in to the Fould In the 14 of Luke 16. A certaine man made a great Supper and bad many and sent his servants at Supper time to say unto them that were bidden Come for all things are now ready Christ is the great Man and hee makes a Supper in the time of the Gospel and he sends out his servants he sends out the Ministers to Invite and call men saying Supper is ready and all things are ready Christ hath satisfied Divine Justice Christ hath laid downe his life and shed his blood he is risen from the dead he hath overcome the world overcome the Devill hath opened heaven all things are ready for you to feede upon ô come But they all made excuse Then the Master of the house being angery said to his servants goe out quickly into the streets and lanes of the Citie and bring in hither the poore and the maimed the halt and the blinde and the servants said Lord it is done as thou hast commanded and yet there is roome and the Lord said unto the servants goe out into the high wayes and hedges and compell them to come in that my house may be filled Goe ye saith he my Apostles my Disciples my Ministers my Servants goe fetch in men and women from high wayes and hedges from lanes and streets from all parts ô bring them in to the Gospel bring them into my house bring them into the kingdome of heaven tell them of the dainties there tell them of their danger abroad This is the great worke now of the Ministry which is a cleere demonstration that the Lord Christ would have sinners saved he would have his house filled he stands not upon what they be let them be blinde maimed naked poore wounded bring them in saith Christ let them tast of the dainties of the Gospel let them heare of mercy through me of pardon and forgiveness through me So in the 9 Pro Wisdome hath builded her house she hath hewn her out seven pillars she hath killed her beasts she hath mingled her wine she hath also furnished her table she hath sent forth her maidens she cryeth upon the highest places of the Citie who so is simple let him come in hither as for him that lacketh understanding she saith to him come eate of my bread and drinke of the wine that I have mingled For sake the foolish and live and goe in the way of understanding This is spoken of Christ and the times of the Gospel and the Ministers
unto me all ye that are weary and heavie laden and I will give you rest he doth not say that mountaines can refresh you that Angells can refresh you or any creature can refresh you but come unto me all ye that are weary and heavie laden and I will give you rest All the virtue that refreshes a guilty soule a thirsty soule a sinfull soule all the virtue is in the Lord Jesus Christ he is water of life he is a fountaine of living water he hath to give you that which will doe your soules good hee can give you his blood to quench the fire of hell to purge away your guilt to remove wrath to come 't is in Christ and in none other Therefore all those that goe to others forsake their owne mercies and imbrace lying vanities but those that come to Christ they goe the right way Thirdly Doth Christ invite us to come unto him then let us examine and make inquiry whether wee are come to Christ or no I beleive here 's hardly any under this roofe but thinkes he is come to Christ that he is a true Christian and its worth the Inquiry then that he may resolve this case so that he may not be deceived for Christ saith in the 7th of Math In that day many shall say Lord Lord have not we done thus and thus in thy presence but Christ shall say unto them depart from me I never knew you you never came to me I say then it may be worth our time to make Inquiry after this case of Conscience whether wee are come to Christ yea or no and I shall in a few particulars cleere it up unto you First The soule that is in truth come to Christ hath seene a sufficiency in Christ to releive it every way and such a sufficiency as hath made it to venture it selfe upon the Lord Jesus Christ alone and nothing else Now apply this to your owne soules have you ever seene such sufficiency in the Lord Jesus as heaven and earth besides hath not And so seene as to make you come off from all and venture upon him alone if you have cleerely seene the suffiency of Christ then your owne righteousnesse is nothing to you your owne civility morality and honesty are as nothing though they are good in regard of men yet they are nothing in regard of God and in regard of your soules You see an allsufficiency in Jesus Christ and an utter insufficiency in your selves Alas what 's my righteousnesse saith the soule that 's come to Christ my righteousnesse is filthinesse and all that ever I can doe is unprofitablenesse before God and though I have learning and wisdome and parts and memory and utterance and riches and honours and follow a calling and doe good in my place and the like alas all these are nothing I account them but as dung saith the soule in respect of Christ there 's an allusufficiency in Christ I but these may damne me and send me to hell now put these to your owne hearts for it 's ill to be deceived in matters of eternity have you seene I say such a sufficiency in the Lord Jesus of wisdome and strength and righteousnesse and the like as you have laid downe all your owne and see it nothing and have ventured your soules nakedly upon Jesus Christ In the 45 of Isa 24. Verily shall one say In the Lord have I righteousnesse and strength I have none in my selfe It is a prophesie of the last times concerning Christ I have sworne by my selfe the word is gone out of my mouth in righteousnesse and it shall not returne that unto me every knee shall bow every tongue shall sware It 's spoken of Christ and applyed to him in the Philippians Surely shall one say In the Lord have I righteousnesse and strength even to him shall men come marke in the Lord shall all the seede of Israel be Justified and shall Glory unto him shall they come And all that are incensed against him shall be ashamed what go to Christ saith one there 's nothing in Christ and men speake blasphemously and basely of Christ in these dayes but they shall be ashamed But unto HIM shall men come and in the Lord shall all the seede of Israel be Justifyed and shall Glory they shall be justifyed in Christ therefore deale really with your owne hearts therein there is a fundamentall truth to be taken off from your owne righteousnesse and to build wholly upon Christ those that come to him doe so Secondly The soule that is come unto Christ it doth stay it selfe upon him and rests upon him and goes not out from him as it ventures it selfe upon Christ so it rests it selfe content with Christ You know a Woman when shee hath chosen a Man for her husband she rests content in him above all the men in the world and the soule that hath chosen Christ and come to Christ and beleives in Christ in truth rests content with the Lord Jesus above all in heaven and earth In the 6th of John Christ puts a Question to Peter Jesus said unto the twelve will ye also goe away Then Simon Peter answered him Lord to whom shall we goe Thou hast the words of eternall life Lord to whom should we goe we are satisfied with thee we rest content with thee we looke not beyond thee we have enough in thee and from thee to bring us to eternall life so that a soule that 's truly come to Christ will joyne nothing with Christ but rests satisfied with him alone try your selves thereby Thirdly A soule that is come to Christ in truth doth accept of the Lord Jesus Christ upon his owne termes many they will accept of Christ but it shall be upon their termes so I may have Christ and the world saith one I will be content to be a Christian so I may have Christ and honours saith another so I may have Christ and my lusts satisfied and injoy them I will come to him saith a third so I may live and take my ease and goe to heaven at last I will have Christ saith a fourth man Thus men will have Christ upon their termes but a soule that is thirsty and comes to Christ in truth takes the Lord Christ upon his owne termes If any man saith Christ will be my Disciple he must deny himselfe and take up his Crosse These are Christs termes a man must lay aside his owne wisdome a man must be content to bare a Crosse to meete with reproach prisons temptations persecutions hard measure Christ and a Crosse Christ and a prison Christ and hunger and nakedness and perill and temptations or whatsoever God will For we are slaine all the day long for thy sake in the Psa and in the 8 Rom so that a soule that doth come to Christ in truth takes Christ upon his owne termes Christ and mortification of your lusts Christ and death to the world Christ and death to sin these goe together
gave him Grace and would give him Glory Hence it is that he saith in Psal 84.11 Grace and Glory will he give and no good thing will hee withhold Well I have grace and I shall have more grace and I have a humane glory I am a King and a Prophet and shall have greater glory I shall have glory in the highest heavens So that you see its true of David Christ is the root of his Nature the root of his Grace and the root of his Glory Now this will appear for the general That hee is the root of Nature and Grace and Glory First It will appear that Christ is the root of Nature How it appears that Christ is the root of Nature from the Creation and making of all things He that makes all things must needs bee the Lord and the Root and the author and fountain of Nature Heb. 1.2 By whom also he made the worlds why the world was made by Christ Christs right hand Christs arm was at work in the making of all the creatures The world was made by him therefore he is the Lord of Nature that hath made all Secondly It appears he is the root of Nature because he can blast nature at his pleasure what saith Christ to the Fig-tree Never fruit grow more upon this tree did it not presently wither away Christ dryed up all the moysture dried up the sap dried up the very root of the tree why he is the very Root and the Lord of Nature Thirdly Farther it appears in regard that he hath the command of all Diseases he cured and healed them What Disease was there ever presented to Christ that he could not cure He cast out Devils cured Leprosies and all manner of diseases the woman that had spent all her estate with Physitians and could do no good the man that lay at the Pool of Bethesday and could not be cured yet Christ cures all Diseases He is the root of Nature Fourthly So likewise it appears from his raising of the dead when men are upon dissolution and nature going downward the breaths gone the soul is gone the body putrified it matters not saith Christ to Martha Thou shalt see the glory of God thou shalt see that I am the root of Nature that I am the root of all that I can call both the soul and breathe breath into him and raise him up These are evidences that hee is the Root and Lord of Nature Secondly Christ hee is the root of Grace Christ the root of Grace all Grace is from him Luke 4.18 The Spirit of the Lord is upon me because he hath anointed me to preach the Gospel To preach it to the poor he hath sent me to heal the broken hearted to preach deliverance to the Captives and recovering of sight to the blind to set at liberty them that are bruised to preach the acceptable year of the Lord Is not here Grace in all these Yes and all comes from Christ Hee was annointed with the Spirit of the Lord to do these things And more fully in Joh. 1.14 16 17. The word was made flesh and dwelt among us full of Grace and Truth but for whom was this Grace and for whom was the Truth saith John And of his fulness have all we received and Grace for Grace Hee had a fulness of Grace hee was the Author the Root of Grace the Fountain of Grace the God of Grace and this Grace was to be communicated and derived unto others Of his fulness have we all received Grace for Grace For the Law was given by Moses but Grace and Truth came by Jesus Christ The Lord Christ is the root of Grace Rom. 5.20 21. Where sin abounded Grace did much more abound That as sin hath reigned unto death even so might Grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord Sin abounded I but Grace doth superabound how comes it to superabound by Jesus Christ our Lord Grace must reign as sin hath reigned and it must reign by Christ this Grace will send out so much Grace that Grace will reign and out-reign sin bring under sin So then Christ he is the root of Grace Lastly Christ the rooâ— of Glory Christ he is the root of Glory there is none let into heaven but by Christ none made glorious but by Christ 1 Cor. 2.8 he is called the Lord of Glory They crucified the Lord of Glory The Lord of Glory because he was a glorious Lord in himself The Lord of Glory because he hath all Glory to dispose of The Lord of Glory because he advances whom he pleases to Glory he will advance his Church unto Glory all beleevers unto Glory So that you see now Christ he is the root of Nature the root of Grace and the root of Glory Now what remains but that we should make some use of this point and there are several things which will be observable Use First If Christ be the Root of Nature of Grace and Glory then we may all make use of that which David doth upon this account in Ps 138.8 Thy mercy O Lord indures for ever forsake not the works of thine own hand why may not every one say Lord I am the work of thy hands thou hast made me a creature Thou art the root of my nature Lord do not forsake me but Lord make me gracious as well as to have nature bee the root not only of a natural life to mee but the root of a spriritual life unto me and be the root of Glory unto me why thy hand hath made me Thou hast made me a man given me an immortal soul indued me with understanding and some wisdome and knowledge Lord do not forsake me leave mee not to the Devil to the world to my self But Lord seeing thy hand hath made me a man so Lord let it make me a new man as I have a Natural life so let me have another life a Spiritual life so every one when they are in straights and troubles in darkness and afflictions and think they are left of God and Christ let them use this Argument in Prayer I am the work of thine hands what wilt thou leave the work of thy own hands why men will not desert the work of their own hands thou hast not deserted the Creation the Sun Moon and Stars Night and day Summer and Winter why Lord I am the work of thine own hands do not leave me nor forsake me 2 Is Christ the root of Nature of Grace and of Glory then whatsoever difference you see in men as men in men as Christians what difference soever you read of men in glory it is all from the Lord Jesus Christ it is from the root You know that one Tree is higher than another it is from the root that one tree or branch is higher or bigger than another it is from the root of the Tree that the differences are in the branches and arms and boughes of the tree
which no man could number of all nations c. So that the Lord Jesus Christ he hath a Seed he hath a Generation a Posterity that cannot be numbered a Generation that cannot be declared how many they are so that this hinders nothing nor contradicts what is delivered here That he is the Off-spring of David The words being thus opened I shall draw forth some Conclusions from them Observ The first Conclusion is this That if Jesus Christ be the Off-spring of David then Christ was and is true man and this is or ought to be an Article of your Faith To know the Lord Jesus Christ to be true man You know the Off-spring of any thing is of the same nature of the thing from whence it comes The Off-set or the Off-spring of the tree is of the same nature with the tree So now if Christ be the off-spring of David he must be of the same nature with David else he could not be his Off-spring If David therefore were a true man had flesh and blood and spirit and bones so must the Lord Jesus Christ be of the same nature with him Some have denied Christ to be Man as well as some have denied him to be God and I may trouble you with the Authors but I forbear that I say some have denied him to be man but he was the Off-spring of David and the Scripture is plain enough for it Joh. 1.14 The word was made flesh Flesh and dwelt among us And Heb. 2.14 Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood he also himself took part of the same he was flesh and blood as we are and therefore he is called man 1 Tim. 2.5 There is one Mediator between God and man the Man Christ Jesus He was subject to the same infirmities that we are I do not mean sinfull infirmities but natural infirmities subject to the same temptations he was subject to hunger and thirst â—old and heat to weariness and sleep and the like He was true Man not a man imaginary or notional but a real true Man Hence saith Christ in Luk. 24. when they said behold a Spirit no saith he touch me handle me I have flesh I have bones which is more than any spirit hath And it was necessary that Christ should be true Man not to trouble you with all the Arguments that might be given you upon that account but upon these two grounds First That he might have the right of redemption Man was fallen and man needed a Redeemer and had not Christ been man he had not had the right of Redemption Lev. 25.25 If thy Brother be waxen poor and hath sold away some of his possession and if any of his Kin come to redeem it then shall he redeem that which his Brother hath sold c. Well we had lost our possession lost our selves and now if we have any Brother that can come to redeem us it is his right but we had none and were not able to redeem our selves we had no friend no brother that could do it for us onely Jesus Christ comes and becomes Man takes flesh of our flesh and bone of our bone and so the right of redemption belonged to him and therefore he was man that he might have the right of Redemption Secondly Christ must needs be true man that so he might be capable of dying for us of conquering our enemies of satisfying the Law and Justice and obtaining such mercies as we stood in need of it was needful hee should bee man that so hee might be capable of death c. Heb. 2.14 For as much then as the Children are partakers of flesh and bloud he also himself likewise took part of the same that through death hee might destroy him that had the power of death that is the Devil Had not Christ been true Man he could not have dyed and had not he dyed he could not have destroyed him that had the power of Death the Devil but saith he He was partaker of flesh and bloud that through death hee might destroy him that had the power of death that is the Devil So that Christ must needs be true Man that he might dye and destroy the Devil who had the power of death And he must needs be true Man and dye that so he might satisfie the Law and Justice of God In the day that thou eatest thou shalt dye the death thou thy self or thy Surety for thee now one of the same nature must dye The Law being broken by Man Man must dye to satisfie the Law and to satisfie Justice and man must dye to obtain remission of sin Heb. 9.22 Without shedding of bloud there is no remission Had not Christ been true Man and had bloud in him as we have and that bloud shed too there had been no remission of sins no purchasing of an inheritance for us as in vers 12. Neither by the bloud of Goats and Calves but by his own bloud he entred in once into the holy place having obtained eternal Redemption for us so that it was necessary Christ should be of the Off-spring of David true Man that hee might destroy Death satisfie Law and Justice and obtain Remission and eternal Redemption for us Vse Now this serves for our comfort and for our comfort two ways First That Christ being true Man is sensible of our miseries of our inâ—rmities of our weaknesses and of our temptations had he not been Man he had not known what weakness means what hunger and thirst means what death and temptations mean but being true Man the Off-spring of David he knew as well as David or any that were of the seed of David hee knew what infirmities and weakness meant Heb. 2.17 Wherefore in all things it behooved him to bee made like unto his Brethren that he might be a merciful and faithful High Priest ver 18. For in that he himself hath suffered being tempted he is able to succour them that are tempted The Lord Christ is sensible of our infirmities when therefore Saul did persecute the Church of God saith he Saul Saul why persecutest thou me I am of their flesh and of their bloud and of their Nature and I feel the blows that they have This now is strong consolation to us that the Lord Jesus the Off-spring of David sits in Heaven and is sensible of our temptations of our weaknesses and frailties 2 It is matter of comfort to us in regard of this That we may with boldness and confidence now go to God having Christ who is of our Nature standing between God and us Heb. 4.15 Wee have not an High Priest which cannot bee touched with the feeling of our infirmities but was in all points tempted like as wee are yet without sin Let us therefore come boldly to the Throne of Grace that we may obtain mercy and finde grace to help in time of need Do you need Grace and Mercy Do you need pardon of Sin and Grace against
and morning Star then hee is worthy to bee admired and worthy to bee magnified who is a Star of the highest Magnitude who is the chiefest Star in Heaven you stand looking sometimes upon a Star and gazing upon the Sun or Moon and admire them for their glory and beauty and sparkling and the like well here is a Star for you to look upon and to admire The Heathens did so admire the Stars that they did worship them for Gods and did sacrifice unto them that you are not to do but here is a star for you to admire to adore and to sacrifice unto I mean to offer praises unto this bright and morning Star even the Lord Jesus Christ The Lord hath set him up that wee should honour him as wee honour the Father to praise and magnifie him for the Light hee hath brought for the great things hee hath wrought for us I herefore mind this Star and admire this Star hee will come to bee admired in all his Saints hereafter hee should bee admired now Psal 145. praise him all yee Stars of Light Are you Stars and are you Stars of Light are you godly and gracious praise him even this Star all you Stars of Light O blesse God for Christ and magnifie Christ and lift up the honour and praise of Jesus Christ for hee is worthy hee is above all Princes and Potentates above all Angels hee is the bright and morning Star 4 Is Christ the morning Star then examine whether this day-Star as Peter calls him bee risen in your hearts the Stars may bee up in the Heavens but whether is this Star risen in your hearts and for discovery of that I shall give you a few things whereby you may know whether this bright morning Star bee risen in your hearts 1 You know the Light is a pleasant thing Eccles 11. to if Christ bee risen in your hearts then the Light of Christ will bee a pleasant thing to your minds to your souls The Light is a thing that doth greatly please and rejoyce what delight then have you in this Star what delight have you in the Gospel Is the Gospel and the Light of it welcome to your hearts pleasing to your souls glad tydings to you the Word of God was to Job and to David as meat and their appointed food as hony and the hony combe more than thousands of gold and silver And the more bright the Light is the more pleasing and delightfull dim Light doth not so much please as a clear Light the shaddows and types and ceremonies of the Law they had some Light in them but it was a dim Light but now all these shaddows and darknesse hath Christ taken away and the Light now appears clearly is this welcome now to your hearts can you say as David did Psal 119.140 Thy Word is very pure therefore thy Servant loves it O Lord thy Word is clear Light there is no darknesse in it therefore doth thy Servant love it do you love the Light others hate the Light because their deeds are evill but do you love the Light is it welcome to you though it do reprove you and condemn your Light and the more it condemns and reproves the more acceptable it is O! this is an Argument the day Star is risen in your hearts 2 Where this Light is risen there it doth work a transformation it transforms all where this day Star doth rise Rom. 12. And bee not conformed to the World but bee yee transformed by the renowing of your minds why what Light is it that doth transform us by the renewing of our minds it is not the light of Nature doth it nor the Light of any Creature but it is the Light of Life doth it and there is no Light of Life but this Light that Christ brings Joh. 8.12 Christ speaks there that hee is the Light of the World and it is called the Light of Life It is Light that will make you a New-Creature and this begins in the mind being transformed by the renewing of your mind the Mind will be altered and the Will will bee altered and the whole Man will bee altered and there will bee an universall change wrought in the Man 2 Cor. 3. But wee all with open face beholding as in a glasse the glory of the Lord are changed into the same Image Wee behold in the Gospel that is the glass This bright morning Star arises in the Gospel and wee behold his glory and his Light there and what then are changed into the same Image even from glory to glory so that it is a transforming Light you were darkness in your selves but now are you Light in the Lord the Ephesians that were darknesse were changed into Light into the very Light of the Lord so that there is a transforming of us and a changing of us into the very Light of Christ so that wee become Stars and have that very Light as Paul saith we have the minde of Christ 3 Where this bright and morning Star is risen there will be love to all those that have the same light in them to all those that are Christs to all beleevers to all the godly to all are brethren there will be love unto them all see a place for this purpose 1. Joh. 2.8 9 10 11. The darkness is past and the true light now shineth he that saith he is in the light mark and hateth his brother is in darkness even untill now Why many will say they are in the light and this Day-star is risen in them He that saith he is in the light and hateth his brother is in darkness but he that loveth his brother abideth in the light and there is none occasion of stumbling in him but he that hateth his brother is in darkness and walketh in darkness and knoweth not whither he goeth because that darkness hath blinded his eyes Is Christ the Day-star risen in that mans heart who hates his Brother No he is in darkness and knows not what hee doth nor whither hee goes Do you love a godly man do you love your brother many cannot indure him that hath light in him their ways are not as our ways their lives are not as our lives O then light will convince light doth reprove and light will reprove the unfruitful works of darkness well if you have light in you you will love the brethren I the Brethren but who are they These are Hypocrites and if they had light and Christ were in them we should love them Well will you know who is a Brother turn to Matth. 12. ult For whosoever shall do the will of my Father which is in Heaven the same is my brother Whosoever will do the Will of God the same is a Brother a Brother to Christ and to all the Brethren of Christ I go to my Father and to your Father and I have called you brethren That man that endeavours most to do the Will of God that man hath light and that man
the coming of Christ In Isa 66. they say there Let God be glorified Joh. 16. They shall cast you out of their Synagogues and hate you and kill you for my name sake and think they do God good service Wicked men know it is their duty to glorifie God and they go about it though they do it the wrong way but now this being for Gods glory and revealed it is the duty of all men to desire the coming of Christ But I shall come to those Observations the words will afford Obs 1. That the coming of Christ is a thing made known and ought to be made known Let him that heareth say Come How shall they hear unless this be known and made known it cannot be heard nor desired there is hardly any thing in all the Gospel so much made known as the coming of Christ is Christ himself doth frequently speak of it Joh. 14. I go away but I will come again I will see you again saith Christ Joh. 21.22 23. If I will that he tarry till I come what is that to thee so v. 23. If I wil that he tarry till I come what is that to thee Till I come I mean to come again And in Revel 2.25 That which yee have already hold fast till I come saith Christ to the Church of Thyatira Christ himself speaks oft of his coming so the Angels have proclaimed and made known the coming of Christ Acts 1.11 This same Jesus which is taken up from you into heaven shall so come in like manner as yee have seen him go into heaven So Peter he hath proclaimed the coming of Christ Acts 3.20 And he shall send Jesus Christ which before was preached unto you God shall send Jesus Christ again and he shall come and he vindicates the coming of Christ which was questioned 2 Pet. 3.4 some said there Where is the promise of his coming Peter vindicates this Looking for and hastening unto the coming of the day of God And Paul he is not silent in this business but he speaks frequently of the coming of Christ 2 Thess 1. When he shall come to be glorified in his Saints and chap. 2. vers 1. We beseech you Brethren by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and vers 8. Whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming So in 2 Timoth. 4. I charge you therefore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing And in Tit. 2.13 Looking for the blessed love and the glorious appearing of the great God and of the Saviour Jesus Christ and in Heb. 9. ult and chap. 10.16 17. he speaks of it James also mentions it And it is observable there is not one Writer in all the New Testament but speaks of the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ Jam. 5.8 Bee yee also patient stablish your hearts for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh Peter also speaks of it I told you before So iâ— Jude 14. Behold the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his Saints and John he mentions it frequently six times in this Chapter my text is in doth he speak of it And will you have Matthew and Mark and Luke to give their testimony see in Matth. 24.27 For as the Lightning cometh out of the East and shineth unto the West so shall also the coming of the Son of Man be Mark likewise speaks of it chap. 8.38 When he cometh in the glory of his Father with the holy Angels and Luk. 10.13 he calls his ten Servants and delivers them ten pound and saith unto them Occupy till I come so that it is very observable that all the Apostles and all that write the Epistles do speak of the coming of the Lord Jesus Now why is this coming of Christ insisted upon so much and made known so much and so often repeated 1 Because we are hard to beleeve it men are hardly induced and perswaded to beleeve the coming of the Lord Jesus 2 Pet. 3.4 say they Where is the promise of his coming do not all things abide as they did from the beginning They could not beleeve Christs coming and it is a hard thing to perswade men and settle men in this the coming of the Lord Jesus again 2 If men be perswaded to this yet they are wonderfull apt to forget his coming and to put the evil day farre of Matth. 24.48 The evil servant says in his heart my Lord delays his coming he will not come in my days so the wise and foolish Virgins grew secure the wise slumbered and the foolish slept and so forgat the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ we are apt I say to forget and to put it off 3 This is so often mentioned and insisted upon that so we may prepare for it Matth. 24.44 Therefore bee yee also ready for in such an hour as yee think not of the Son of Man cometh The Son of Man comes and hee will come suddenly when men and women do not think of it therefore it is to be made known that people may bee ready and prepared for the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ 4 Lastly This is made known and so much insisted upon in the New Testament because it is a ground for Patience and to bear up the spirits of men and women against the Cross against afflictions against reproaches against discouragements and all the hard measures they meet withall here in the World Heb. 10.36.37 For yee have need of patience that after yee have done the Will of God yee might receive the Promise they had indured the spoyling of their goods and great afflictions and saith he yee have need of Patience For yet a little while and he that shall come will come and will not tarry here is a ground for their patience Christ will come and so in Jam. 5.7 Bee patient therefore brethren unto the coming of the Lord behold the Husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth and hath long patience for it be yee also patient stablish your hearts for the coming of the Lord draweth neer This will bear up the heart against all discouragement these afflictions reproaches temptations will have an end when Christ comes so that upon these accounts it is so much spoken of and to be made known Application 1 This serves for reproof First of those that cannot indure to bear of the coming of Christ that had rather hear of any thing than the coming of Christ why is Christs coming spoken of so by himself by all the Apostles and Evangelists Doth the Spirit say come and the Bride say come and shall not we indure to hear of the coming of Christ It argues abundance of guilt abundance of wickedness and prophaneness abundance of ignorance in the heart that cannot indure to hear of the coming of Christ 2 It reproves those and shews how inexcusable they will be that the coming of Christ is so made
do not finde this thirst in my Soul I do not finde such a thirst as here is mentioned in my Soul and what shall I think of my self others it may be they have strong thirstings and such desires but as for my self I do not finde the same Ans To this I answer that there is a difference in men in regard of this Spiritual thirst as well as in men in regard of Natural thirst some bodies are more thirsty than others your Cholerick bodies are more thirsty than Flegmatick so some Christians are more thirsty than others some have lived very profane lives in scandalous courses and run out into exorbitant ways and greatly have dishonoured God and if God ever stir in their hearts and bring them to thirst their thirst will be vehement their thirst will be afflictive their thirst will bee stronger than other mens some they are trained up from the Cradle in the ways of God they have more ingenuous Natures and breaks not out into such ill ways and their thirst is more moderate and less discernable it is not the degree of the thirst but the truth of the thirst that is required though you have not a strong thirst yet you have a true thirst as it is not a strong faith but a true faith that is required to Salvation Now the degree of thirst which will bring you to Christ which will make you come and drink and stay with Christ that is sufficient Vse of Exhortation But to come to another use and that is an use of Exhortation Let him that is athirst come Men and women O labour to be true thirsters after Christ we can thirst after other things one thirsts after this another after that and another after another thing and all the things in the World are thirsted after by one or other but who thirsts after Christ All seek their own and none seek the things of Christ they neither thirst after Christ nor any thing belongs to Christ Now here I shall do two or three things 1 Shew you grounds why you should thirst after Christ 2 Give some directions to those that never thirsted and directions to those that do thirst that they may thirst more First for some grounds 1 Consider Why wâ—â— should thirst after Christ Blessedness is fixed unto Thirsting would you not be blessed all of you would you not have a blessing from the mouth of our dear Saviour Matth. 5. Blessed are those that hunger and thirst after Righteousness it may be you have not Righteousness yet but do you hunger and thirst after righteousness saith Truth it self the Lord Jesus Blessed is the man blessed is the woman and is there nothing in a blessing pronounced by him This word is a comprehensive word Blessed there is all good wrapt up in it all good for Soul all good for Body all good for present all good for future Blessed is the man that hungers and thirsts if you would therefore have such a blessedness as this is O hunger and thirst after Christ and the excellencies of Christ 2 Many great and precious Promises are made out to Thirsters and will bee made good to Thirsters In Isa 44. I will pour water upon him that is thirsty and flouds upon the dry ground I will pour my Spirit upon thy Seed and my blessing upon thine Off spring and they shall spring up as among the Grass as Willows by the water-courses I will pour water upon him that is thirsty that is I will pour my Spirit upon him that is meant by water if thou bee thirsty God will not only give his Spirit but pour his Spirit it notes abundance it notes vehemency such a measure of the Spirit as shall bear down your corruptions and your sins God wil pour out his Spirit upon you so in the one and forty of Isaiah When the poor and the needy seek water and there be none and their Tongue faileth for thirst I the Lord will hear them I the God of Israel will not forsake them I will open rivers in high places c. If you be thirsty if you bee even fainting if you bee brought low now in your longings and desires after Grace and Holiness and the things of Heaven the Lord saith I will hear you mine ear shall be open mine hand shall be stretched out I will not forsake you I will not leave you in that condition I will releeve you so that sweet and choyse Promises are made to Souls that hunger and thirst they shall be satisfied 3 Again we should labour for this thirst because the invitation here is unto thirsters If any man thirst let him come so in Joh. 7.38 If any man thirst let him come unto me and drink The Lord invites such persons you know when he made a great Feast in the fourteenth of Luke he invited all sorts but those were not athirst they would not come the Yoke of Oxen the Wife the Farm drew them away but those that were athirst came If any man thirst let him come You would take it ill if Christ should not invite you to the dainties of the Gospel well do you thirst Christ invites you Are you a hungery will you eat will you drink Christ invites you the invitation is to Thirsters therefore get this thirst Quest But the Question is What directions will you give us to attain unto this thirst Ans First Some directions to them that have it not Secondly To them that have 1 For those that have it not Directions to those that have not this thirst and 1 Let such consider something of God something of the Law something of Sin something of their Lives something of Eternity God 1 Something of God Let them consider the Purity the Justice and Power of God 1 The Purity of God God is a holy God so pure that his eyes cannot behold iniquity to approve of it see what is said in Psal 5. Thou art not a God that hast pleasure in wickedness neither shall evil dwell with thee no unclean thing shall ever enter into his presence God is a holy God and who can stand before him 1 Sam. 6.20 He is of purer eyes than to behold iniquity Hab. 1.13 Well if God be holy and pure what wilt thou do then that art unholy unpure wicked carnal and corrupt he is an holy God whom thou hast to do withall 2 He is a just God a God that hath said The soul that sins shall dye Bee hee great or small rich or poor young or old learned or unlearned The soul that sins shall dye Psal 143. saith David there Enter not into judgement O Lord with thy Servant for no flesh living shall be justified in thy sight The Lord is so just so righteous so exact that no flesh living can be justified in his fight why flesh is guilty guilty before God and sinners must dye God is righteous 3 Consider as God is Pure Holy and hates all sin the appearance of
backbite others Christ is none of thine the Scripture is clear none such shall enter into the Kingdom of Heaven therefore consider there is eternal woe for all those that dye in their Natural condition that have not this thirst in them after the Lord Christ and his Righteousness O therefore give no rest to God nor no rest to thy Soul until thou finde that thou art delivered 2 To you that are godly Direction to those that thirst after Christ and have some thirst in your Souls after Christ many times you grow luke-warm flat dead and secure you had need be quickned and to have your thirst stirred up in you and for that consider 1 Your own infirmities have you no infirmities is there no deadness dulness laziness how do you perform the Worship of God and the duties thereof Are you not more Carnal than Spiritual Do not your hearts wander Are you not sleepy are not you formal Do not you neglect many times your duty do not you come short surely these and many other things you know by your selves And whence came all these from the body of Sin from the Old man that is in you Paul he was sensible of this Rom. 7. he found a Law in his members warring against the Law of his minde he found he was Carnal sold under sin he found he was unspiritual and he is troubled at this and his thirst was increased what saith hee O wretched man who shall deliver me his thirst now is great Who shall deliver me I thank God through Jesus Christ I thirst after Christ and the coming of Christ to deliver me so that the serious consideration of your own infirmities and corruptions and the hinderances and cloggs and lets you have from them in your way of Christianity should cause your thirst to bee greater and greater daily 2 Consider what work you have to do and what little strength you have to do it Christians have a great deal of work to do here in the World they should pray continually they should stand and with-stand the Tempter and all his Temptations overcome the World work the Works of God they should side with Christ and his interest and help on the Gospel and the power of godliness they have their Lusts to mortifie and great things to do Now how will you do these saith Christ Without me you can do nothing will not you thirst after Christ now and strength from him and assurance from him and new influences from him and more of his Spirit daily Many do act in their own strength and therefore so little good comes thereof We pray by our own Natural abilities and Natural parts and through Power and Gifts acquired and therefore I say so little good comes of all but had wee Divine strength to pray and to do all we do did we go out in his Name and in his strength and work the Works of God who could stand before us then 3 Consider the great good that is to be had by Christ have you not wants why there is infinite good to be had by Christ In him is all fulness with him is plentious Redemption hee hath unsearchable riches of Grace he hath the residue of the Spirit he hath whatsoever may make our lives comfortable whatsoever may make our lives happy Christ hath all in his own hands and therefore you should hunger and thirst after Christ more and more 4 Consider what is promised unto you by Christ the Promise is That there shall be times of refreshing when Christ comes Acts 3.19 then the times of restitution of all things shall be there are times for these things And so when the Lamb shall be the Light then the Lamb shall lead you to the Fountain of living Waters then you shall hunger and thirst no more then all tears shall be wiped from your eyes Why do not you thirst after these things and after the Lord Jesus Christ and his coming The Spirit saith Come and the Bride saith come And what are your Souls asleep Should not we say Come Lord come quickly The times in which wee live are sad times but the coming of the Lord would change all and rectifie all and satisfie all therefore consider of these things and your thirst after Christ will be increased 5 Lastly If you that thirst would have your thirst more lively and inlarged remember what sweetness you have found in Christ at some time or other when men remember they have drunk admirable Wine the very remembrance of it makes them to thirst after that Wine the more the Wine that Christ made at the Marriage Feast and brought forth the people were so affected with it that they called the Governour and askt him why he kept the good Wine till then they were taken with the Wine so when Christians do remember what ravishments they have had from Christ sometimes what hits of joy what sound peace what sweet communion with the Father through him what out-lettings of his Spirit This will inlarge their hearts and their desires some Christians have had large experiences this way they have had flaggons of Wine to drink and apples of comfort to feed upon and the more they do remember these the larger will bee their thirstings after Christ Christ's willingness to save sinners Reve 22.17 Let him that is athirst come LEt him that is athirst come come Christ doth not say here Let him that is athirst seek out and yet that had been humanity and courtesie Christ doth not say Let him that is athirst goe to Jordan Christ doth not send them to Moses nor to any of the brooks or Cisterns but Christ saith Let him that is athirst come and whither should he come or to what should he come The meaning is let him come to me Let him come to me for drinke for satisfaction let him that is athirst come here 's exceeding kindness choice love peculiar mercy let him that is athirst come Come unto me as it 's said in the 7th of John and Drinke I have drinke for him water of life for him as it 's in the next words And whosoever will let him take of the water of life freely To open this word unto you what 's meant by come 't is not meant come bodily so you all know what coming is when the body removes out of one place and goes to another But it is meant spiritually 't is not the feete of the body but the feete of the soule are required and by coming in Scripture is meant beleiving unbeleife is departing from God Heb 9.12 Take heed Brethren least there be in any of you an evill heart of unbeleife in departing from the living God An heart of unbeleife is a heart departs from God and goes away from God So in the 10th Chap The Just shall live by Faith but if any man draw backe my soule shall have no pleasure in him An unbeleiving heart is a heart draws back and departs from God Now to
unto me heare and your soules shall live and I will make an everlaesting Covenant with you even the sure mercies of David Is not here Incouragement enough now to come to Christ Incline your eare and come unto me and your soules shall live you shall have everlasting mercies and everlasting comforts Joh 3.16 God so loved the world that he gave his onely begotten Son that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life Here 's life and death set before you Come thou poore sinner and beleive in the Lord Jesus close with him here 's life for thee everlasting life for thee Refuse to doe it there 's everlasting death for thee thou shalt perish how peremptory is the Lord here In the 16 Mark 15 16. Goe ye into all the world and preach the Gospel to every creature he that beleiveth and is baptized shall be saved but he that beleiveth not shall be damned how round is the Gospel he that beleiveth he that comes to Christ that 's the meaning he that beleiveth shall be saved saved from all his sinne saved from the power of death saved from the wrath of God saved from hell-fire saved from the guilt of his owne Conscience he that beleiveth shall be saved over and over and over he that beleiveth not shall be damned how doth he press men now to come to him If there be any weight in heaven or hell it 's laid all upon this your coming to Christ or refusing Christ if you come to Christ all heaven is yours all the glory all the joy all the comfort all the blessings all the happiness there is yours If you will not come to Christ all the terrors of hell are yours all the darkness all the mournings all the howlings all the gnashings of teeth all the misery there will be yours Therefore see how willing the Lord Jesus is that sinners should come and that they should be saved Christ's willingness to save sinners Reve 22.17 Let him that is athirst come 12ly ANother evidence of Christs willingness to save sinners that will come unto him is The Lord doth venture and hazard the loosing many by making knowne his free Grace and willingness to save sinners for when sinners doe heare that Christ is willing to save them and very desirous also many they abuse his free grace this rich mercy this willingness of Christ to doe their soules good If Christ be so willing say they wee will stay a while it will suffice hereafter In the 4th of Jude it 's said They turne Grace into wantonness and thousands of scorners turne Grace into wantonness when they heare Christ dyed and shed his blood for sinners that he is willing sinners should come in that he waites for them that he intreats and presses them to come to him they take advantage from hence to sin more freely to stay it out to the uttermost And thus the Lord runs a hazard of loosing many by making knowne the riches of his Grace the freedome of his mercy and loving kindness which shews there a very strong desire in Christ to save sinners Thirteenthly It is evident that Christ is very desirous of sinners salvation in that he takes sinners when they are at the worst of all at the height of wickedness If a Prince will take into his family those that are sick of the plague of the Leprosie and of the worst diseases 't is an argument he hath a minde to have them live in his family and that he is desirous of their company the Lord Jesus Christ he takes sinners when they are at the very worst Saul he was at the height of his blasphemy at the height of murder at the height of persecution and Christ saith Saul Saul why persecutest thou me thy blasphemies rage and persecutions are come up to heaven and Paul saith in the 1 Tim 1. he was a persecutor a blasphemer and an injurious person but I obtained mercy even when I was so great and notorious a sinner Christ came and tooke him in it 's an argument then that Christ is very desirous of the salvation of sinners that he will take sinners when they are in the height of their wickedness When the Prodigall had run out from his fathers house and had spent yeares in wicked practises in whoredome drunkenness gameing and running in the wayes of the world when he had spent all and spent himselfe now when he was in this height of wickedness it pleases God and Christ to call him to bring him home and to receive him againe had not Christ been desirous of the salvation of sinners he might have shut the doore against the Prodigall and said you shall never come in adores againe had not the Father been desrous for the Sons sake to have savâ—d sinners he would not have entertain'd the Prodigall there is not a velleitie but a strong efficacious desire in God and Christ to save sinners The Jewes when they were at the worst when they had put that innocent one to death when they had said His blood be upon us and upon our Children when they had mockt him reviled him and accused him even after all this Christ takes in many of them three thousand of them converted at one Sermon by Peter Him whom ye have Crucifyed with bloody hands hath God raised here is a cleere evidence of the earnest desire of the Lord Jesus to save sinners he takes them when they are at the worst when they have done the uttermost mischeife spite they can against him and against his wayes Fourteenthly It 's an argument that the Lord Jesus is very desirous to save sinners If you confider that the Lord takes sinners at the last cast at the end of their dayes when they have no time left to serve him he tâ—kes them at the very first intreaty and begging of mercy The Theefe you know that had livâ—d wickedly all his dayes when he came to the last cast and was upon the Laddar or nail'd to the Crosse and ready to breath out his last breath saith he Lord remember me when thou comest into thy kingdome Christ might have said Remember thee why should I remember thee thou hast bin a bloody wretch a Theefe and a murderer all thy dayes and thou deservest nothing now but death and damnation and why should I remember thee No the Lord Christ saith not so but he saith This day shalt thou be with me in Paradise now when there was no time left for him to honour Christ and to serve Christ he onely now intreats this favour of him being on the Crosse saith Châ—ist This day shalt thou be with me in Paradise And doubtless though we have but this one Instance and so men should not presume to put off Repentance till it be too late yet I doe beleive many a soule hath met with mercy when they have been at the gates of death I say many a poore soule that hath been burdened with sin asslicted in
Conscience and ready to sinke in the gates of death they have lookt up to Christ and intreated him to remember them Christ hath shewne them mercy which shews the forwardness and willingness of Christ to save sinners Yet let not any presume to doe so for likely late Repentance is seldome true a death-bed Repentance usually is a dead Repentance when feare of hell shall drive men to look after heaven they may thanke hell for looking after God and Christ but that by the way Fisteenthly and lastly It is cleerely evident that the Lord Christ hath a strong Inclination to save sinners by his giving out of Scripture in that way and manner as he hath done the Lord Christ hath given out Scripture so as to Answer the objections of men and women to Answer all the eavills of their hearts all the pleaâ—s of corruption and of a guilty Conscience and of the Devill himselfe The Lord hath given out Scripture so as to Answer all that might hinder their coming in unto him In the 12 of Math All manner of sins and Blasphemies shall be forgiven to the sons of men What hath a sinfull heart here to say what canst thou object against this he tells thee All manner of sins shall be forgiven all manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven Are thy sins beyond blasphemy are they such as come not within the compasse of all manner of sin Let thy sins be slight or great let them be old or new let them be against Law against Gospel against promises all manner of sins shall be forgiven Christ saith The sin against the Holy-Ghost shall not be forgiven But if thou have a heart to look to Christ for mercy it 's an argument thou art free from that sin for where that is there 's impenitency thereâ—s hardness of heart no thinking of Repentance nor coming to God But all manner of sin and blasphemies shall be forgiven Is not here incouragement enough unto poore sinners So here in the next words Whosoever will let him come and drinke of the water of life freely Itâ—s laid downe so as to answer all your objections and to take away all your plea's you have to stave you off from Christ So then you see cleere evidences that Christ is willing to save sinners But why is Christ so willing to save sinners First Why Christ is so willing to save sinners from his owne experience and sence of what it is to be under the displeasure of God he was once tempted he was once forsaken he cryed out in that condition and he knew what the wrath and displeasure of God meant And now being full of compassion he pitties all those that are under the disfavour of God he knows sinners have broken the Law deserved the curse the wrath of God eternall death and now his compassions being stirr'd within him his Bowels yearne he desires that sinners may come to him if any thirst let him come let him come he shall be freed from the wrath of God from the curse of the Law from guilt and condemnation it 's a sad condition I am senceable of it I was in the share and round of sinners and I know what it is to be in such a condition Secondly Christ is so desirous that so he may see of the travaile of his owne soule and that men may see the end of his coming to save sinners was reall for if Christs end was to seeke and save that which was lost unlesse he desire and use meanes to save them you may say it was not reall therefore Christ to make it out that it was really his end and that he might see of the travaile of his soule in suffering he desires sinners may come in he gives out the Gospel he appoynts Ministers he invites them extraordinarily and ordinarily he calls upon them and would have sinners to come unto him to be saved Thirdly and lastly Christ doth this that so the freenesse of Gods Grace and of his love may appeare and may be magnified Christ is wonderfull desirous that sinners should come in and when they doe come in they will magnifie the riches of Grace then they will stand and wonder at the Love of God and of Christ and that he should waite upon the beseech and intreat them to come and accept of mercy and favour Vse 1. First we may see here that the way of the Lord Christ is for sinners to come in to him and to the Father freely Whosoever is athirst let him come he doth not say let him be compelled to come forc't to come but let him come he holds out such riches of Grace and mercy such treasures and excellencies that certainly if a soule do but consider and well weigh them it will come Christ himselfe came freely to us and he would have us come freely to him There is no forcing in the Act of Convertion but all is free though God puts forth a mighty power in the hearts of people yet he overcomes them with sweetnesse and lovingnesse Let him that is athirst come But it may be said they are bidden in the 14 of Luke to compell them to come in That is not an outward compulsion he doth not speake of force of Armes but goe and compell them to come in with force of Argument propound unto them such motives in the Gospel as may compell them to come in tell them of the Beauty of holinesse tell them of the Riches of Grace tell them of the Love of God and Christ tell them of the pardon of sins and answer their objections There 's no forcing in the work of Grace no forcing men to come unto God and Christ but it 's all a free worke God draws but he drawes with coards of love he carries not men against their wills to Christ and forces them to beleive in Christ no but he sweetens their wills and overcomes them with kindnesse and Truth the Majestie Glory and loveliness of truth overcomes their wills so that men come willingly to Christ Secondly Christ being desirous that sinners should come unto him then let us not goe to any other many seeke out to others and say with them in the 4th Psal Who will shew us any good there is no releife for poore sinners in any other but in Christ t is not running to Moses nor to David nor to Prophets nor to any but to Christ 't is not friends 't is not honours 't is not Riches 't is not gifts and Talents 't is not any thing in the creature can releive a thirsty soule but Christ If any man thirst let him come come whither come to Christ all other things doe proclaime unto you 't is not in them saith the wedge of Gold 't is not in me saith house and land 't is not in us say the ships on the Sea 't is not in us and so say all other creatures 't is onely in Jesus Christ to releive a poore soule Math 11.28 Come
your damnation and so it will prove to all Eternitie to all who live under the meanes and come not in to Christ Suppose a man is in a rotten Baâ—ke at Sea and there 's a great storme arising and many Pirats abroad and the Admirall of the Sea seeing his condition sends unto him saying Friend friend come in to me and I will secure you but he refuses and anon he is taken by the Pirats carried away and put into a Dungeon now what troubles this man the Admiralls kindnesse so it will be with sinners Christ the Admirall of the Sea he calls to poore sinners come in to me I will save you from the storme I will save soule and body to all Eternitie but you refuse and at last you are taken and cast into hell and there you will lie with this upon your soules that you might have had mercy and would not ô therefore come in to Jesus Christ stand out no longer but come and give up your selves to him and live like Christ and you shall have a Heaven here and a Heaven hereafter The Water of Life Reve 22.17 And whosoever will let him take the water of life freely THis is the last Invitation of Christ unto sinners in the whole book of God and as sweet an Invitation as ever sinners mett with And whosoever will let him take the water of life freely You have here in these words first the thing tendered water of life Secondly the persons to whom the tender of it is made whosoever will Thirdly the manner of this tender and that is freely and then the Invitation it selfe let him take Let whosoever will take of the water of life freely To open the words Whosoever will 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The willing man the willing one saith Christ in the 5th of John to the man that had laine long at the poole of Bethesda Wilt thou be made whole saith the man I am very willing to be made whole but I cannot get into the poole I have not might and power to get into the poole I am a lame man and when the Angel stirrs the poole one or other gets in before me and so I can get no benefit saith Christ art thou willing to be healed yes then I am willing to heale thee This willingnesse that Christ requires doth not suppose any power of free-will in man but a willingnesse in man to receive for man hath not this willingnesse in him naturally Christ requires a willingnesse but this willingnesse is not in man naturally For Rom 8. It 's said The carnall minde is enmity to God for it is not subject to the Law of God neither indeed can be and 2 Cor 3.5 We are not sufficient of our selves to thinke a good thought there 's no willingnesse in us Coll 1.21 You are Enemies to God through wicked works in your minds If the minde be at enmitie with God there is no willingnesse to close with God Phil 2.13 The will and the deede are of God Then how comes this willingnesse here that Christ requires this willingnesse arises from the promise when a promise is made freely and generally of some choice and great mercy the very promise doth beget a willingnesse in man When a Prince shall propound some great reward unto men to doe such and such a thing they had no willingnesse to the thing before but when the promise is made it begets a willingnesse in them so when God or Christ propounds water of life salvation eternall happinesse unto men and tells them of such a good and promises it unto them the very promise begets a willingnesse in men where it was not before But we may have occasion to speake of this more hereafter And so much for the word whosoever will the willing man Let him take the water of life freely Let him take What with his hand no This water of life is not to be taken with your hands but it is to be taken by faith Praecibus deum sollicitet fide accipiat we are to sollicite God by our prayers to take it by our Faith God doth not thrust water of life upon men unwillingly or upon people that are sloathfull and sleepy but he tenders water of life to those are willing and industrious that doe seeke it let them take it Let him take the water of Life What 's this water of life There be variety of Interpretations of these words Some make this water of life to be Christ the Fountaine of living water the Fountaine of Grace and Glory Some make this water to be the Spirit who is called water frequently in the Scripture Some make this water to be the Doctrine of the Gospel Some make this water to be Grace And I thinke none of all these are out but all these may be taken in Christ is water of life The Spirit is water of life The Doctrine of the Gospel or the Gospel it selfe is water of life The gifts and Graces of the Spirit are water of life And why are they likened unto water I might spend here much time in shewing you the resemblances I will onely name them First Water clenses from filth and pollution and so doth the word of Christ so doth the Gospel so doth Grace so doth the Spirit so doth Christ You are cleane through the word that I have spoken saith Christ in the 15th of John Secondly Water softens and mollifies the hard earth so the Doctrine of the Gospel that heavenly dew The Graces of the Spirit The Spirit it selfe Christ himselfe doth soften the heart where he comes Paul was a soure peice a stubborne hearted sinner but when he met with Christ and some of this water fell upon his heart saith he What wilt thou have me to doe Lord he was soft mollified and melted Thirdly Water it is of a cooling nature it cooles the heate of the Aire and the heate of the Earth So this water of life it cooles the heate of Temptations the heate of persecution the heate of your lusts the heate of anger and passion where any of this water comes it cooles your unnaturall heate and those sinfull heates that we have contracted Fourthly Water doth make the earth to be fruitfull the earth doth fructifie by the waters dewes and raines so where any of this water comes it makes men and women fruitfull when Christ said to Zacheus This day is salvation come to thy house how fruitfull was he presently The halfe of my goods I give to the poore wonderfull fruitfull doth the water of the Gospel and the Spirit make men and women Fifthly This water doth satisfie thirst this water of life is the onely water that satisfies thirsty soules when you have a promise given in and Christ comes and the Spirit comes and divine truths are let in to your hearts how are you satisfied and refreshed Sixthly Water doth cure and heale diseases and distempers of body you goe to the waters to the Wells to the Bath
can they doe not deserve one drop of this water But whosoever will let him come and take it freely there 's no merit of thine there 's no desert of thine there 's no meetnesse in thee but it 's water that is freely prepared and freely given Thirdly It imports thus much likewise That men may come and take abundantly of this water As when you Invite persons into your Orchard Gardens into your Wine-sellers you say come eate and drinke what you will that notes your freedome and that they may take abundantly so here whosoever will let him come and take freely let him eate let him drinke let him satisfie himselfe there is no measure set you shall have so much and no more you shall have a pint a quart a pottle or a vessell full and the like No here 's no limitts are set but take as much as you will as much as you can carry away Joh 10.10 James 1.5 And lastly It imports this That what indeavours soever men use let men strive and indeavour never so much yet it is not for their indeavours that they have this water Men must strive must read heare and pray They must digg for wisdome as for Silver and Gold but when they have done all it 's God that gives in this water God gives it but in the use of meanes in their digging in their labouring in their waiting not for their digging for their labouring for their waiting Rom 9.16 It 's not in him that willeth or in him that runneth but in God that shews mercy It is water freely given Thus you see the words opened Now I come to the poynt I shall insist upon Doct That the offer or the tender of the water of life is free Whosoever will let him take the water of life freely It is freely offered unto men Take Christ for the water of life and Christ is freely offered unto the world Jo 3.16 God so loved the world that he gave his onely begotten Son that whosoever believeth in him should not perish What 's freer then gift God hath given him therefore Christ saith in the 4th of Joh 10. to the woman of Samaria Didest thou know the gift of God and who it is that saith unto thee give Me to drinke thou wouldest have asked of him and he would have given thee water of life Christ is the gift of God he is freely given freely tendered unto the sons of men Rom 8.32 He that spared not his owne Son but delivered him up for us all God did not spare him but freely delivered him up for us all so that this water of life is freely tendered and given unto you The Spirit is not that freely tendered unto men Ezek 26.25 I will sprinkle cleane water upon them and wash them from all their filthinesse I will put my Spirit into them In Joel I will powre out my Spirit upon all flesh the Lord tenders this water of life freely In the 11th of Luke saith Christ If ye that are evill can give good gifts unto your children how much more shall my Father give the Spirit to them that aske him The Gospel is freely given saith Christ to his Disciples Freely ye have received freely give and in the 16 of Mark Goe preach the Gospel to every creature The Gospel is the ministration of Grace the ministration of the Spirit So that all the water of life is freely given Revel 21.6 And he said unto me it is done I am Alpha and Omega the beginning and the end I will give unto him that is athirst of the Fountaine of the water of life freely I will give freely As this water of life is freely given so 't is freely revealed God made it knowne freely Math 13.11 To you its given to know c. none else made it knowne God might have kept this Fountaine shut up in heaven and never have discovered the Fountaine never have made knowne to the world any such water any such Grace any such mercy as here is held out to you hence is it that Christ saith to Peter in the 16th of Math 16 17. When Peter said Thou art the Son of the living God saith he Blessed art thou Symon Bar-Jona for flesh and blood hath not revealed this unto thee c. God revealed it unto him and in the 21 of Math I thanke thee ô Father Lord of heaven and earth that thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent and hast revealed them unto Babes God reveales this water and makes it knowne And as God reveales it so it is the Lord that blesses this water and makes it a blessing to one and not unto another This water was a blessing unto Peter it was not a blessing unto Judas Judas had no blessing by the Gospel no blessing by Christ So those of Capernaum and other places they had no blessing it 's God gives the water reveales the water and blesses this water to whom he pleases Quest Why doth the Lord freely offer and tender this water of life unto the world unto sinners Answ This water of life is freely tendered first that so God might make knowne his goodnesse and make way for his Glory Things that come freely doe discover the goodnesse of any and redound most to their praise most to their honour when a parent shall out of his owne good will give unto a childe great matters unlookt for unsought for unthought of this argues the goodnesse of the parent and drawes more honour When a Prince shall give unto his Subjects out of his owne bounty and good will not being movâ—d by his Nobles or Princes or others about him this declares his goodnesse and makes way for his honour and every one saith What a good Prince is this or what a good King is this and how honourable is this he doth it freely none mooves him to it when men are moov'd to doe good those that moove them they share in the good they share in the honour had not the party moov'd it had nor been done Now God will have none to share in his honour God doth it freely according to the Counsell of his owne will for his owne name that so his goodnesse may be knowne and his honour may be great Be it knowne unto you saith God in the 36 of Ezek that not for your sakes doe I this but for mine owne Name sake I doe it not because you moove me or any moove me but from within for mine owne will and so his goodnesse appeares and his honour is the greater Secondly The Lord tenders water of life freely to sinners that so he may take away all objections all scruples and feares which usually lie in the hearts of sinners when people have sinn'd against God are guilty and unholy they are affraid of God Adam runs from God and hides himsele they have hard thoughts of God and thinke God will not be pacifyed towards them Now the Lord to prevent this and take away all such
have none of it he doth it out of love and aymes at your good and the saving of your soules and yet you will have none of this water what Ingratitude is this Christ may say I brought water to your doore and such water as was water of life it would have quickned you maintain'd life in you brought you to Eternall life and you would none of it heare ô Heavens and hearken ô Earth was there ever such Ingratitude Fifthly Consider that this water of life is the onely remedy can doe your soules good It 's the mercy of God in Christ its Christs merits the Spirit and the Graces thereof must doe sinners good if any thing in heaven and earth can doe them good There is nothing in Heaven and Earth besides free Grace and mercy this water of Life which can doe your soules good If you will not drinke of this water you must die you must die and perish for ever as in Jonah They imbrace lying vanities and forsake their owne mercies so all men and women in the world imbrace lying vanities who forsake these waters they will drinke the muddie waters of the world the filthy waters of sin of the ditches of Rome of the puddles of Egypt and Babylon but of these waters which would save their soules they will not drinke this is an evill against the Remedy Sixthly Consider that the refusall of these waters provokes God and Christ greatly to wrath you cannot provoke God more then by refusing his kindnesse you greive you vex the Spirit you resist the Spirit and so provoke God bitterly Psal 81.11 12. saith he My people would not hearken to my voyce and Israel would none of me so I gave them up to their owne hearts lusts I will scourge them no more but give them over to the saddest Judgements in the world they shall be left to their owne lusts their own wills and humours I will leave them now to drinke waters will poyson them waters will ripen them for hell So in the 14 of Luke those that were Invited to the Supper they made excuses all and would not come saith Christ not one of them shall tast of my Supper The meaning is they shall not onely not tast of the dainties I have prepared but they shall tast of the severitie of my wrath In stead of cups of vvine they shall have cups of Brimstone fire The vengeance written they shall have executed upon them When God offered Canaan to the Jewes and they resused it and would goe back to Egypt God was so mooved that he sware in his wrath If they shall enter into my Rest If they enter into my Rest let me be thrust out of heaven And the siercenesse of Gods anger never came upon the Jewes till they had refused Christ and these vvaters of life But then the wrath of God came upon them to the uttermost to perfection it came upon them Seventhly Lastly Those that refuse the vvaters of life The Lord Christ and God doth keepe account of all such passages and will bring them in against them and urge them as aggravations of their misery at last The Lord keepes account I have stretched out my hands all the day long saith God A whole day the day of their lives I waited upon them Fortie yeares long was I greived with this Generation Revel 3.20 Christ saith Behold I stand at the doore and knock Christ keeps account how long he stood there how many knocks he hath made there how many tenders of Grace have been presented to you how often you refused and turned them away He will come at last and say At such a place I stood and knockt twenty or thirtie yeares And in such a place I tendered Grace to them a thousand times and my Spirit presented good motions to them ten thousand times and yet they refused All these vvill be brought in at last and then vvhen you shall see this black bill this will sinke you into the bottome of hell Grace offered peace offered heaven offered Christ and his righteousnesse offered to be your portion and you would none of all these and what did you choose chaffe earth puddle water your misery will be exceeding great The Water of Life Reve 22.17 And whosoever will let him come and take of the water of life freely WEE come now to a use of Exhortation If the waters of life be freely offered then here 's an Invitation to all sinners to come and accept of these waters Come ye sinners whosoever ye be ye that are in the chambers of Death ye that are in the broad way ye that are enemies to God through wicked workes in your minde ye that have liv'd basely to the dishonour of God and man to your owne prejudice and damnation If you will come here are waters and waters of life waters will give life to the dead here are waters to increase life here are waters to be had freely Come to these waters these waters are held forth upon such tearmes that ye may all come and receive them whosoever will let him come and take of the waters of life In the 55 of Isa 7. It 's said Let the wicked forsake his wayes and the unrighteous his thoughts and turne unto the Lord and he shall have mercy Pro 28. It 's said He that confesses his sins and forsakes them shall finde mercy There the termes are somewhat hard who can forsake his wayes and turne from his evill thoughts and the like it 's a hard thing to doe But here it 's upon other termes Whosoever will let him come and take of the waters of life freely You may have them freely whatsoever your sins have been crimsen sins scarlet sins crying sins sins against light of nature against Law against heaven against earth sins against State against Church against soule or body sins against Gospel whatsoever your sins have been here are waters of life freely for you Abraham was an Idolater and yet he had water of life freely Saul was a persecuter and he had water of life freely and why may not you have waters of life freely A man may goe and take water at any Well in a Towne he may goe to the Thames and take water what he will when the Raine falls who may not have a share of it here 's water here 's raine from heaven and who will may come and take water of life Sometimes money is given in a place for poore people and it is made knowne for them to come and fetch it but they must first get Petitions Justices Ministers and other mens hands of their honesty of their faithfullnesse of their service of their sufferings of their losses and a great deale of dooe there is before they can have the money but it is not so here Christ doth not say Let him that is righteous come let him that is so qualified take it let him that hath suffered such hard things let him that hath been tempted
so long by Satan no but he saith who ever will let him take the waters of life freely what will you stand out then and not receive waters of life ô come in this day come in to Christ come in and drinke waters of life come in and live come and live comfortably come and live eternally Thirdly Againe in the next place If the water of life be freely offered to sinners then you that barren and dead hearted and complaine of unfruitfullnesse and unprofitablenesse waite upon the Lord Christ in the use of means for here is water and water of life and Christ gives it out in the use of meanes Are you dry barren and fruitlesse have you a dead heart Christ hath water of life to quicken you Christ hath water of life to make you more lively I am come saith Christ in the 10th of Joh 10. that ye might have life and that ye might have it in more abundance I am come for that very end to give life and to give life more abundantly to give out these waters freely and fully You know when the Raine falls from heaven upon the mountaines and barren places it will make them looke Greene so when Christ gives out these waters to mountanous hearts to barren spirits this water of life will soke into you soften you make you grow flourish and bring forth fruit Lam 3.25 26. The Lord is good unto them that waite for him to the soule that seeketh him 't is good that a man should both hope and quietly waite for the salvation of the Lord The Lord is good to them that waite for him If you will waite for Christ in his Ordinances he will be good unto you he will water you and make you like a watered Garden In the 40 of Isa 28 29.31 Hast thou not knowne hast thou not heard that the everlasting God the Lord the Creator of the ends of the earth fainteth not neither is weary there is no searching of his understanding he giveth power to the faint and to them that have no might he increaseth strength they that waite upon the Lord shall renew their strength they shall mount up with wings as Eagles they shall run and not be weary and they shall walke and not faint Waite up-upon the Lord Christ he hath virtue for you he hath water of life for you And in the 64 of Isa 4. For since the beginning of the world men have not heard nor perceived by the eare neither hath the eye seene O God besides thee what he hath prepared for him that waiteth for him Thou meetest him that rejoyceth and worketh Righteousnesse Those that remember thee in thy wayes he will meete them he will water them and refresh them and they shall be fruitfull You made the Lord Christ to waite for your teares he waited a long time before you shed one teare of Repentance and will not you waite upon him that hath water of life for you waite upon him in the use of meanes and he will give water of lise Fourthly You that have received water of life Remember how little it cost you give the honour and the Glory unto God It cost you nothing you had it freely Psal 115.1 Say not unto us not unto us but to thy name be the praise and Glory yea all the praise and all the Glory Did wee Contribute ought unto this worke of Grace and Salvation then we might Sacrifice to our owne Netts but we Contribute nothing Ephes 2.8 By Grace are ye saved through Faith and that not of your selves marke it is the gift of God not of workes least any man should boast The Lord knew what man would doe if he should come in and be a Co-worker with God therefore saith By Grace are ye saved through Faith and that not of your selves it is the gift of God If you have faith if you have Grace if you have salvation water of life it is the gift of God Not of workes least any man should boast therefore let no man Glory in himselfe but give the honour and Glory to God In the 9th of Jer 23 24. Let not the wise man glory in his wisdome neither the mighty man in his might let not the rich man glory in his riches but let him that glorieth glory in this that he understandeth and knoweth me that I am the Lord which exerciseth loving kindnesse and Isa 43.25 I even I am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine owne sake and will not remember thy sins I doe not doe it for thy sake saith God but for mine owne sake for the honour of mine owne name I blot out thy sinnes freely I pardon thee I give thee water of life So then let us give God the honour and the Glory and say as 't is in Micha 7.18 19. Who is a God like unto thee that pardoneth Iniquitie and passeth by the transgression of the Remnant of his heritage he reteineth not his anger for ever because he delights in mercy and who is a God like unto our God that pardoneth Iniquitie sins and transgressions and why because he delights in mercy not because he delights in thee or delights in me but because he delights in mercy he delights to shew mercy he blotts out sins freely for the honour of his owne name If therefore you have pardon of sin peace of Conscience if you have any Grace any Comfort of the Spirit if you have any drops of this water of life give God the Glory of it he hath freely given it unto you and that in abundance when others have none or puddle water onely Lastly If God doe give us water of 〈◊〉 freely then this should unite and Indere our hearts unto him and make us serve him freely As he freely gives to us so we should freely serve him many they are hardly brought of to seeve God the Sabboths are tedious unto them and when will the Sabboth be gon prayer Reading of Scripture hearing of Scrmons and to discourse of heavenly things is tedious unto them they cannot Indure them It 's an argument they are flesh and corrupt that they have none of this water of life If they had they would serve God freely cheerefully willingly In the 2 Phil It is God that worketh in you both to will and to doe of his owne good pleasure Doe all things without murmuring and disputing When God workes in men according to his good pleasure the Will and the Deede Then men will doe all things without murmuring and disputing they will come off roundly and readily to doe the worke of God they will be then like to David who fullfilled all the Wills of God and gave Counsell to Solon his Son 1 Chron. 23.9 And thou Solomon my Son know thou the God of thy Father and serve him with a perfect heart and with a willing minde c. God regards not any of your services that come off heavily dully and with murmurings but God loves a cheerefull giver
hath not a Will to a thing and he will not take it so present Christ the Spirit of God life eternall Heaven and Glory the great and pretious promises pardon of sin or what you vvill if a man have not a vvill he vvill not take it so that vvillingness is required to the taking If a man have not a mouth it is in vaine to offer him meate If men have not a will they vvill not receive Math 23.37 Acts 13.46 Therefore God requires vvillingnesse that men may receive the vvaters of life Secondly This willingnesse is requir'd that so men may not complaine for if men should be brought to drinke waters of life by a compulsory Act they vvill complaine of vvhat follows Therefore saith Christ in the 16 Math 24. If any man will come after me let him deny himselfe and take up his crosse and follow me If any man will come if a man have a will saith Christ to follow me let him he vvill meete with hard things and if he be not willing he vvill complaine that I should cause him to follow me Men must deny themselves and take up crosses and indure persecutions and temptations and if they did not come willingly to Gods way they would complaine of it Now God to prevent Complaining of his wayes he requires that men be willing Thirdly This is that so the Communion between Christ and the soule may be the sweeter vvhere there is vvillingnesse on both sides there vvill be the sweetest life If the parties doe not consent on both sides you will say it vvill be an Ill match But if there be a willingnesse and a freenesse on both sides there the Communion will be the sweeter So Christ saith I freely give and I would have them freely receive and so there will be a sweete Communion between Christ and the soule I am my beloveds saith the soule and my beloved is mine There was mutuall Consent and Agreement between them Lastly This willingnesse is required that so the wisdome of God in the Governing of his Church and of the world might not be Questioned for should God force men to his service they would say where 's the goodnesse of God where 's the wisdome of God here 's Tyranny hereâ—s forcing of men into the service of the Lord. Now God will have none to be his servants but those that come freely Psal 110. In the day of thy power thy people shall be willing And when he speakes Compell them to come in It is not by Clubs Law but by strong Arguments tell them what the water of life is tell them what Supper is prepared tell them of the excellency of the provision that so that may compell them no other compulsion doth God use but the Grace of the Spirit and divine Arguments sett on upon the heart But this may seeme contrary to Joh 6.44 saith Christ No man comes to me except the Father draw him It should seeme then that it is not voluntary and free I answer God doth not force a mans will but God doth sweetly and lovingly take away the unwillingnesse of his will the corruption of his will Ezek 11.19 I will give them one heart and I will put a new Spirit within you and I will take the stony heart out of their flesh and will give them an heart of flesh I will take away the stoninesse the hardnesse that corruption that enmity and opposition I will take away all these out of them and put a new heart and a new Spirit into them So in the 36 of Ezek 26. A new heart also will I give you and a new Spirit will I put within you I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh and I will give you an heart of flesh and I will put my Spirit within you and cause you to walke in my statutes and ye shall keepe my Judgements and doe them He will cause them to walke in his statutes vvhat will hee thrust them on against their wills no see vvhat the Church saith Cant 1.4 Draw me ô Lord we will run after thee When God comes to draw the soule runs willingly and freely So that you see a willingnesse is required The Water of Life Reve 22.17 Whosoever will let him take the water of life freely TO proceed to the Uses of the poynt and so to finish the Text. Vse First If those that are willing shall have the waters of life then here it serves for Conviction and doth convince us that all who thinke and say they have drunke of these waters of life yet have not Every one thinks that he hath Grace and hath the Spirit hath Christ God and that he shall be sav'd but here is cleere conviction to the contrary for have you had this willingnesse in you that is required have men seene such excellency in these vvaters as to prize them above all have you so prized them as to choose them above all things in the world have you so chosen them as to pursue the getting of them to the uttermost of your power few have done so In the 7 of Math 21 22 c. Not every one that saith unto me Lord Lord shall enter into the kingdome of heaven but he that doth the will of my Father which is in heaven Many will say unto me in that day Lord Lord have we not prophesied in thy name and in thy name have cast out Devills and in thy name done many wonderfull works And then I will professe unto them I never knew you depart foom me ye that worke Iniquitie These men did not see so much worth in the waters of life as they did in Iniquitie they did not prize Christs Grace his Spirit the Gospel and the promises thereof so much as workes of Iniquitie they would drinke puddle water poysonous water they would not let goe their Iniquitie for Christ yet these thought themselves Christians thought themselves safe happie and blessed creatures The five foolish virgins in the 25 of Math they had gotten lamps but they had gotten no Oyle in their lamps they had none of this water of life they had no Grace they had no Christ they had none of the Spirit they had none of the truths of God in their hearts they thought that to professe Christ and professe the Gospel was sufficient they had lamps but where was the oyle where was the water of life where was Grace they had none of it So in the 2 of Tim 3.5 Having a forme of Godlinesse but denying the power They had a forme they came to the Assemblies as you doe and sat there heard the word professe Christ seemed to be Christians and it may be did something in their families but they denied the power they never had this willingnesse to see the excellency of the power of Godlinesse never did they choose the power of Godlinesse never did they pursue after the power of Godlinesse And many in these dayes they live in base and sinfull