yet the Lord is gracious and mercifull and will pardon them the Covenant of Grace covers great sins as the sea can cover a mountain as wel as a mole-hill so the Covenant of Grace can pardon mountainous sins as well as small ones And again the Covenant of Grace does accept of weak and imperfect duties nay those very duties which wicked men doe perform though they be more for the matter of them then ours are yet by vertue of the Covenant of Grace the Lord does accept of ours and will not accept of theirs as in Prov. 15. 8. the place that I quoted before The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord but the prayer of the upright is his delight a sacrifice is a great deal more costly then a prayer and yet the Lord will accept of a poore pennilesse prayer coming from a godly man when he will reject a costly Sacrifice from a wicked man God will accept of a cup of cold water from one in Covenant with him when he will not accept of 10000 rivers of oile from a wicked man he will pardon your great sins and accept of your weak services indeed were you under a Covenant of works that would require perfect obedience but being under a Covenant of grace the Lord accepts of sincere though it be imperfect obedience and thus I have done with the third part of mans misery being strangers to the Covenant of grace SERMON XI EPHES. 2. 12. Having no hope WEE come now to fall upon the fourth part of an unconverted mans misery which you will think to be a very strange one that he is without hope while these Ephesians were in a state of Gentilism unconverted to the Faith of Christ they were without hope the reason of it was because they were without Christ who is the way the truth and the life there is no other way to heaven but onely by Jesus Christ and seeing they were out of the way to heaven they must needs be without any hopes of coming to heaven it was the first branch of their misery in being without Christ that exposed them and made them lyable to all the rest because they were without Christ therefore they were aliens to the Common-wealth of Israel therefore they were strangers to the Covenant of Promise and without hope and without God in the World Object Ob. But here some will be ready to say How can this be that the Apostle should say they were without hope when were it not for hope the heart would break and therefore it is not possible they should be without hope Answ I answer it is true they had a hope but it was a vain hope an ungrounded and a deluding hope and this kinde of hope is no better then no hope at all so that the Apostle might well say they had no hope that is no good nor well grounded hope for heaven they had onely a presumptuous hope such a hope as would make them ashamed in the latter end they had only the hope of the hypocrite that shall perish and therefore when the Apostle sayes that these Ephesians during their unregeneracy were without hope his meaning is that they were without any wel grounded hopes for heaven they had no Scripture grounds to bottome or build any hopes upon that God would bring them to heaven this is a very sad and dreadfull point I am now upon in shewing you this part of mans misery without hope the Observation I shall draw out from hence shall be this Doctr. That all men during the state of their unregeneracy are without any true or well grounded hopes of heaven In the handling of this I shall first prove it in the generall and then improve it first to prove it an unconverted mans condition in reference to his hopes for heaven is just like Pauls and those Mariners that were with him in the ship sailing towards Rome Act. 27. 20. when neither Sun nor Stars appeared but the winde and waves did beat upon the ship insomuch that all the hopes they had of being saved were quite taken away so it is just your case that are without Jesus Christ there is neither Sun nor Star does shine upon you if Christ does not shine upon you you are like Paul and the other Mariners in the ship all hopes of your being saved is quite taken away from you I shall confirm this truth to you by three or four demonstrations that a wicked man is without any hopes for heaven Reas 1 1. An unregene rate man must needs be without hope because he is without Christ who is the foundation of a christians hope Wherefore remember sayes the Apostle that at that time ye were without Christ and therefore he tels them afterward that they were without hope in Tit. 2. 2. Christ is there called our hope Christ is that person in and upon whom we are to build all our hopes for heaven and therefore he is called our hope and this is the meaning of that expression Christ in you the hope of glory intimating that you cannot hope for glory but in and through Jesus Christ that man that is a Christlesse man must needs be a hopelesse man that is the first demonstration Reas 2 2. A man without Christ must needes be without hope because he is without a title to any promise of life and salvation which is the onely support and prop of mans hope you would count this a very fond and vain hope for any man to hope that such a rich man would make him heir of all he hath though hee never promised him one foot of Land why just so vaine are the hopes of wicked men but now the Word of Promise is like a pillar of marble to bear up the hearts of Gods people as in 1 Tit. 2. In hope of eternall life which God that cannot lye promised before the World began the promises doe ground that man that hath interest in them to a hope of eternall life he that is without the Lord Jesus Christ the foundation of hope and without the promises which is the pillar of hope must needs be without all true hopes of heaven Reas 3 3. He cannot but be without hope because he is without Faith which is the ground of hope as in Heb. 11. 1. Faith is the ground of things hoped for the evidence of things not seen where no true Faith is there can be no hope for Faith is the Mother and Hope is the Daughter Hope is begotten by Faith an unregenerate man must needs be without hope because he is without Christ the foundation of hope and the promises the pillar of hope and Faith the ground of hope Reas 4 4. It appeares that he is without hope because when hee leaves the world his hopes leave him whereas the hope of a godly man never leaves him till it brings him to heaven when a wicked man dies his hopes are gone and leave him when
becoms comely through Christs comlinesse that is cast upon him if you want Christ you want your best ornament a man without Christ is like a body full of sores and botches he is like a dark house without light and like a body without a head and such a man must needs be a deformed man 6. Another property of a Christlesse man is that he is a disconsolate man Christ is the only spring of comfort and the fountain of all joy and consolation take away Christ from the Soul and it is all one as if you did take away the Sun from the firmament if a man hath all the blessings in the world yet if he want Christ he wants that which should sweeten all the rest of his comforts In Exod. 15. 23. 25. you read there of the waters of Marah they were so bitter that none could drink of them but then the Lord shewed Moses a tree which when he had cast into the waters the waters were made sweet why Jesus Christ he is this tree that sweetens the bitternesse of any outward affliction and he can make all thy sorrowes to flee away there is nothing in the world that sweetens the comforts and gives us joy in the possession of the things of this world more then the having an interest in Jesus Christ it is not Beloved the having of much of the creature in your house but the having of Christ in your hearts that makes you live comfortably all the bread you eat will be but bread of sorrow if you do not feed upon the body of Jesus Christ and all your drink will be but wine of astonishment if you do not drink of the bloud of Jesus Christ without an interest in Christ al your comforts are but crosses and al your mercies are but miseries as in Job 20. 22. In the fulnesse of his sufficiency he shall be in straits though you have abundance of the things of this life though you have more then enough yet if you have not an interest in Christ you have nothing 7. Another property of a man out of Christ is that he is a dead man You know that common place in 1 Joh. 5. 12. He that hath the Son he hath life and he that hath not the Son he hath not life hence we read in Eph. 2. 1. that unregenerate men are dead in trespasses and sins and the reason is because that Christ is a Beleevers life Col. 3. 3. Our life is hid with Christ in God take away Christ from a man and you take away his life and take away life from a man and he is a dead lump of flesh unregenerate men are termed strangers to the life of godlinesse and therefore must needs be dead in their sins though they do injoy the life of a man yet if the life that he lives be not by the Faith of the Son of God he is spiritually dead As for example you know a dead man he feels nothing do what you will to him he does not feel it so a man that is spiritually dead he does not feel the weight of his sins though they are a heavie burden pressing him down into the pit of Hell he is a stranger to the life of godlinesse and past feeling given over to a reprobate sense so that he feels not the weight and burden of all his sins 2. A dead man he hath a title to nothing here in this life though he were never so rich yet he loseth his title to all and his riches goes from him to another why so being spiritually dead you can lay claim to nothing neither to grace nor mercy heaven or happinesse by Jesus Christ 3. A dead man is still rotting and returning to the dust from whence he came and so a man that is spiritually dead he fals from iniquity to iniquity and from one sinne to another till at last he drops down into Hell fire 8. The last property of a Christlesse man is that he is a damned man if he live and dye without Christ hee is a damned man So Joh. 3. 18. He that beleeveth not he is condemned already he is as surely damn'd as if he were in hell already he that is without Jesus Christ must needs goe without Heaven for Heaven and Glory and happinesse are entailed upon him Heaven is given to none but those that are heirs together with Christ and therefore you that are without Christ must needs be without heaven and consequently without happinesse and salvation and therefore must needs be damn'd So that you see in these eight particular properties in what a sad and miserable condition every Christlesse man is in and oh that what has been now declared concerning the wretchednesse of a Christlesse man might provoke every soul of you to a holy eagernesse and earnestnesse of spirit above all your gettings to labour to get Jesus Christ SERMON III. EPHES. 2. 12. That at that time ye were without Christ WE come now to the 2. Question which I promised you to resolve Quest What are the Characters of a Man without Jesus Christ This Query is very necessary because hereby we may know whether we are the men that are without Jesus Christ or no now I shall reduce these characters of a Christlesse man into these seven heads and go over them very briefly 1. That man that is without the Spirit of Christ he is without any reall actuall interest in Christ this the Apostle layes down to us in so many expresse terms in Rom. 8. 9. If any man hath not the Spirit of Christ he is none of his Christ and the Spirit are inseparable companions have the one and you enjoy the other want the ione and you are without the other And here Beloved to apply this more particularly you are without any interest in Christ if you are without the Spirit of Christ in the threefold operation of it 1. If you are without the enlightning work of the Spirit to teach your minds to know Christ 2. If you are without the inclining work of the Spirit to draw your hearts to love Christ And 3. If you are without the constraniing work of the Spirit to impower your wils to obey Christ If you are thus without the Spirit of Christ in these three particulers you can lay no just claim to any interest in Jesus Christ With what face therefore can any of you lay claim to Christs person that are not guided by his Spirit but are led by the corrupt dictates of your own hearts and follow the desires of the flesh and of the minde you that are thus can lay no claim to Jesus Christ for whosoever hath not the Spirit of Christ he is none of his this is the first character 2. He that is without any saving power derived from Jesus Christ enabling him to mortifie his bosome lusts that man is without Jesus Christ as in Gal. 5. 24. the Apostle tels us there that they that
the hedge does preserve the flowers that grow in the garden and keep them from the violences of wild beasts So though a Government in the Church does not make us holy a man may goe to heaven without a Government yet is it exceeding necessary to preserve the Church of God 2. I may infer from the Churches being a spirituall Commonwealth the necessity of union in the Church Common-wealths are preserved by union you see what four years war have brought upon our kingdome it hath almost destroyed the face of our commonwealth Union are the sinews and ligaments of a commonwealth if men be disunited and disjointed that commonwealth cannot subsist A Kingdome divided against it self cannot stand and the Church of God being a spirituall commonwealth this argues the great necessity of unity in the Church and the great danger of division the Church of God cannot be safe without union I must tell you to the griefe of our hearts be it spoken there were never lesse unity in the Church of God since the very first plantation of it by the Apostles in the Primitive times then there is at this day wherein every man almost is set one against another truly I look upon it as a very sad Omen and prediction that God is bringing in upon us the most dismall persecution that ever yet our eyes beheld I have read in the book of Martyrs that the coming in of the eighth persecution was occasioned by the division falling out of Christians one with another I wish it may not be so with us Beloved it is ordinary amongst a great many men to cry out exclaim against the Ministers of the Gospel as if they were the great incendiaries and causers of divisions and dissensions amongst you but I would have you know that those that preach against division are not dividers but those that make divisions they are dividers as the Apostle sayes Mark them that cause divisions among you and avoid them those men that have caused divisions and brought in strange opinions and Sects and schisms into the land they are the make-bates of the Nation the staffe of Union and the staffe of Beauty when one is broken the other is broken I have read a story of a man that had fourscore children and lying upon his death bed he caused his children to come before him and desired that a bundle of small rods might be brought to him his children began to wonder amongst themselves what should be his design and purpose in doing it but when they had brought them their Father commands every one of his sons beginning from the youngest to the eldest to take the bundle and try which of them could break it but none of them was found able to doe it at last taking the bundle himself he unbound it breaking the sticks one by one til he had broken them all and now my children sayes he this I doe to teach you that if you doe combine and keep close together in unity like a bundle of sticks there is none will be able to break you or doe you any harm but if you divide and fall off one from another you will soon be ruined and broken in pieces why so now if the members of the Church of God would unite together and partake of publique Ordinances together hear pray and performe holy duties together and still remaine conjoined in one wee need not feare the power or policy of any to doe us any harm 3. If the Church be a spirituall Commonwealth then I may inferre further the necessity of our labouring to improve the Churches interest in a Common-wealth Nature will teach men to labour to preserve and advance the good and benefit of the Commonwealth every man will contribute for the good of the Body Politique and therefore let us labour to promote the good of the Body Ecclesiastique and to improve the Churches interest Doctr. 2 Thus much for the first Doctrine we come now to the second Doctrine That it is a great misery for a man to be a stranger to the true Churches of God You may be in the true Church and yet not of the true Church as ill humours in a mans body they are in the body though none of the constituent parts of the body so you may be in the Church and of the Church visible too and yet none of the Members of the Church invisible of the Church of the first borne you may not partake of the speciall and spirituall priviledges of the Church of God 1. Wicked men are strangers to the effectuall calling of the Church in 1 Pet. 2. You saith the Apostle are called with a holy calling which wicked men are without 2. They are strangers to the comforts of the Church of God you want those joyes and comforts which the people of God doe enjoy 3. You are strangers to a christian communion in the Church a wicked man does not know how to manage a spiritual communion with the people of God Use Now if this be so that wicked men are strangers to the Church of God in their spirituall benefits and priviledges they have by Christ then by way of Use I shall onely draw from hence these two Inferences 1. That you would not lay too much dependence and confidence upon your being Members of the Church you may be under the outward and common mercies and yet want the inward and spirituall benefits of the Church of God there is many a man that is born and brought up in the Church of England and yet notwithstanding unable to give any ground of his Salvation by Christ thou mayest have the Church of England to be thy Mother and yet never have God to be thy Father I do not speak this to the disparagement of the Church of England for Christ and Salvation by him is to be had in England as well as elsewhere I would not have you think that England is no true Church for it is a Church of Jesus Christ but I say you may be of this Church and borne and bred in this Church and partake of all the Ordinances and outward priviledges in this Church and yet never come to heaven for as the Apostlt sayes all are not Israel that are of Israel 2. If this be so then this may be matter of reprehension to wicked men that seeing they are in the Church yet they are not of the Church of Jesus Christ you are in the Church but as a wenne a botch or blaine is in the body you are a blemish to the Church of God wicked men are spots and blemishes in the Church as in 2 Pet. 2. 13. though they are in the Church yet they are a burden to the Church and I wish that godly men did count it a greater burden to them then they doe that they have so many wicked men in their Church A wicked man in the Church is like a wooden legge to the body of a man a naturall legge
you live in unclean thoughts and actions all your life long and therefore this can be no prop for your hopes 3. Though David did fall into this sin yet he did not continue in it long for it was but nine moneths between Nathan the Prophets coming to David and telling and reproving him for his sin and the time that he fell into it but alas some of you it may be are Adulterers of nine years standing there are many amongst us that are old adulterers and yet never had a melting and sorrowfull heart for their sins that never wept as David did nor mourn as he mourned And so Peter he fell into a sin of denying his Lord and Master but 1. He was resolved and did verily purpose before to have confessed and not to have denyed him and yet when the Damsell came to him and told him that he was one of those that were with Christ Peter conceiving it may be that they would have put him to death and crucified him as well as Christ upon this sodaine surprise which was a very great temptation to him he denyed Christ And 2. Though he denyed him thrice yet afterwards he did confesse him as often as he denyed him for when Christ asked him Simon Peter lovest thou me he answered Christ three times Lord thou knowest that I love thee 3. Peter denyed Christ but yet afterward he went out and wept bitterly for it and therefore his obtaining mercy can be no ground for your hopes that never yet repented of any of the sins you have committed and thus you see that the falling of these three godly men into great sinnes can be no prop to bear up your hopes for heaven I shall now shew you more particularly that though the godly do fall into sinne yea even the same sinnes for the matter of them as you do yet they do not fall into them in the same manner As 1. If a godly man fall into sin it is unwittingly and unawares in Gal. 6. 1. sayes the Apostle if any man be overtaken with a fault A godly man he runs away with all the speed he can from a sin and temptation but sometimes it overtakes him against his will but now a wicked man he runs after sin and overtaketh it he sins with set purpose of heart He plots mischief upon his bed and sets himself in a way that is not good 2. A godly man fals into sin sometimes but it is with reluctancy and opposition the Spirit striveth against the flesh there is an opposing and striving against sin they are not like cowards but will fight as long as they can hold their weapon in their hands but now wicked men they commit sin with greedinesse with delight and complacency without any reluctancy at all 3. Every sinne that a godly man committeth maketh him more carefull and watchfull for the time to come thus it was with David Psal 38. the title of it compared with Psal 39. 1. The title of Psal 38. is called a Psalm of David to bring to remembrance the subject matter of this Psalme was to bring Davids sinne to his remembrance and having spent this in remembring his sins in the first words of the next Psalme sayes he I have sinned but I will take heed to my wayes that I offend not with my tongue after he had called to remembrance his sins past then he resolved with himself to strive against them in time to come A godly man never fals into a sin once but he fears to fall into the same sin ever after A godly man though he fals into sin sometimes yet he will at length get the upper hand of sin though for the present he be not able to grapple with sin yet he will overcome it at last Grace will out grow sinne and get the victory over it and thus I have shewed you the second prop that wicked men build their hopes for heaven upon we come now to a third and that is this If you beat them off from the two former then they flie to the mercies of God Oh say they God is a very mercifull God and I hope he that made me will save me and that I shall goe to heaven as well as other men and the like Now I doe not deny but the mercies of God is the chiefest prop under heaven that a man can build his hopes for heaven upon but here I shall shew you the rottennesse of this prop likewise in four or five regards and that the mercies of God in generall are no sufficient ground at all to build thy hopes for heaven upon unlesse thou canst lay claim to the mercies of God in particular for if you build your hopes upon the mercies of God in generall 1. The Devils and damned spirits may then hope as well as you 2. The common and outward mercies of God can be no good prop to build hopes for heaven upon unlesse you can lay claime to the saving and distinguishing mercies of God the common outward mercies of God wicked men may have for God is good to al and his tender mercy is over all his Workes the Devils share in the common mercies of God as well as others but these generall mercies of God are no prop to build hopes for heaven upon unlesse you can build upon the saving and distinguishing mercies of God as David prayes Shew mercy unto me O God sayes he with the mercy which thou bearest to thy own childeen it must be electing redeeming sanctifying and saving mercies that you must build your hopes for heaven upon 3. The generall mercies of God can be no ground of your hopes unlesse you have an interest in Jesus Christ for God is cloathed with greatnesse and terrour and dread and wrath out of Christ there is nothing to be looked upon but anger and wrath in God without Jesus Christ There were two lawes that God did make concerning the Mercy-seat 1. The High Priest was not upon pain of death to come to the Mercy-seat unlesse he brought incense with him now what does this signifie to us why it represents the intercession of Christ that as Aaron was not to come to the Mercy-seat without incense so neither can we goe to the Throne of Grace to beg mercy from God with any hope of audience or acceptance unlesse we carry incense with us which is the Lord Jesus Christ to plead for us 2. Aaron was to sprinkle the Mercy-seat with bloud which typifies to us that we are not to expect mercy from God but as we have an interest in the bloud of Christ 4. To you that build your hopes for heaven upon the mercies of God in generally let me tell you that God is not prodigall of his speciall mercies as to bestow them upon all the world but only upon a select number of men he will have mercy onely on them that fear him as for the wicked those that run on in their sins the Lord
sayes himself that though he hath made them yet he will have no mercy on them the mercies of God in generall are no sufficient props to build hopes for heaven upon Ob. But here me thinks I hear some kind of people ready to object against me and say What doe you go about to beat us off from our hopes of heaven would you bereave us of our hopes and drive us into despair 1. To this I answer that all you that have good and well grounded hopes for heaven I would not for all the World stagger your hopes but as the great windes doe commonly root up and blow down the smaller shrubs but doe settle and root the stronger Oakes the faster into the ground so I would have all that I have said this day concerning the vain deceitfull hopes of wicked men to confirm and establish your hopes and make them grow stronger and stronger 2. God forbid that this should be in my heart to drive any of you to despair doe not think that my aim in what hath been said is to make any of you fall into desperation but to keep you up and prevent you from falling into presumption which is the more dangerous errour of the two because where the rock of desperation hath split thousands the rock of presumption hath split its ten thousands 3. My intention in what hath been said is not to make you cast away all your hopes for heaven but only your false and ill grounded hopes I would have you to pull down all your tottering hopes and to build them upon a more sure foundation Jesus Christ himself being the chiefe corner stone SERMON XIII EPHES. 2. 12. Having no hope WEE come now to enquire further what is the reason that wicked men doe nourish in their hearts most hopes for heaven seeing the Scripture sayes they have none the last time I answered this Question by naming three false props that they build hopes for heaven upon I shall now give you three or four more 4. Another false prop that wicked men build hopes for heaven upon is this their frequency in the performances of religious duties and thus they reason with themselves Shall I use duties all the dayes of my life as my way to heaven and shall I not hope for heaven at my journeys end though a wicked man does notionally hope for heaven through Christ yet he layes the chiefest foundation of his hopes in his own good works as Christ sayes in the last day they shal come to him cry Lord Lord open to us for we have prophesied in thy name and eat and drunk in thy presence we have heard thy word and done many miracles and cast out Devils in thy name and the like they shall boast of their hearing and praying and good workes and make that a plea for heaven when Christ shal say unto them Depart from me I know you not Now I shall shew you the rottennesse and in sufficiency of this prop to build hopes for heaven upon but I would not have you mistake me as if I went about to beat down good workes and make duties uselesse for I would have you so to perform duties as if you were to be saved by duties but when you have done all that you can doe to lay them down at the feet of Christ and wholly depend upon him as if we had done no duties at all but if you make the bare performance of duties to be a prop for your hopes of heaven it will be a very rotten and deceitfull prop as I shall shew you in these four particulars For 1. All performance of duties not tendered to God the Father by Jesus Christ will not be accepted by him that were it possible you should kneel so long in prayer to God as that you should wear out your knees were it possible that you should cry out your eyes with weeping and by mourning and lamenting for your sins you should dry up all the moisture of your body were it possible you should spend all the dayes of your life in hearing reading praying and the performance of holy duties yet if you doe not offer them up to God in the name and mediation of Jesus Christ they are all but like cyphers that amount to no sum at all unlesse the righteousnesse of Christ be added to them it is Christs righteousnesse that makes our services acceptable to God Christ addes his incense to the prayers of all his Saints now beloved though you make never so many prayers yet if you have no share in Christ nor in his sufferings and prayers and intercessions to God for thee all thy prayers and holy duties are worth nothing they will never bring thee to heaven our persons must be in Christ before our services can be accepted of God and therefore the bare performance of duties can be no prop to thee for to build hopes for heaven upon 2. These things can be no prop of thy hopes for heaven because hypocrites whose persons and performances God doth hate they are frequent in duties as well as you the Pharisees they did fast twice a week and give almes and perform holy duties and so those spoken of in the Prophet Esay They did delight to draw near to God and to know his wayes as a nation that did righteousnesse and for sook not the Ordinances of God wherefore have we fasted say they and thou seest not God did not accept of any thing they did and so those in Zac. they kept four fasting dayes in a year for seven yeares together and yet they said he did not regard them and so likewise God doth not regard the prayer of the wicked as in Psal 105. 9. The prayer of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord and so is their hearing too for they come to hear when their hearts are after their covetousnesse 3. Know thus much that those very duties which God does accept at the hands of his children those very duties will he reject at the hands of wicked men and therefore the bare performance of duty can be no prop to build hopes for heaven upon for though thou spendest longer time in prayer more time in hearing reading fasting c. then a godly man does yet the Lord will accept of his duties and not of thine I shall give you three instances for this the first is between Cain and Abel Abel he offered the firstlings of his sheep and cattle and of his flock and Cain he offered the first-fruites of his ground now by faith Abel offered a more excellent offering then Cain though Cains offering was of more value then Abels was yet Abels was accepted when the others was not Abels sacrifice was accepted not in regard of the quantity and worth and value of it but because Abel was a beleever and a justified man in the fight of God and therefore he had respect first to his person and then to his sacrifice
by meaning and purposing to be rich but by labouring and endeavouring after it so no man ever went to heaven by good meanings without good actions accompanying them 2. But say they we do no body any harm but pay every man his own Ans 1. Though you pay every man his own yet do you give God his own or rather do you not wrong God and do him infinite indignities 2. Though you do not do man wrong yet doe you not your own souls wrong as we use to say of free-hearted men they are enemies to no man but themselves So now do not you doe your own souls wrong by harbouring of bosome lusts and corruptions in your souls What benefit will it be to thee that you do no body else wrong when you doe your own souls wrong you are no better then the Pharisees for they were very exact in giving every man his due the proud Pharisee could boast in Luk. 18. 11. I am no extortioner nor unjust man you may mean well and give every man his own and yet be a wicked man SERMON XIV EPHES. 2. 12. Having no hope WE come now to the last prop that wicked men doe build their hopes of heaven upon which is this if you beat them off from all the former props from their small sins from the mercies of God in generall from their good duties and good meanings c. then they run to this last plea say they Have not we reason to nourish hopes for heaven for we have been present with dying men that have been as bad as wee in their life time and yet they have had very strong hopes for heaven and strong hopes in God and you know dying men will speak the truth and therefore why may not we nourish hopes for heaven as well as they This is a very strong prop wicked men build their hopes upon but I shall shew you the rottennesse and insufficiency of it in these three or four particulars 1. You must know that it is one thing to die stupidly and another thing to die hopefully and peaceably indeed the worst men in the world may die stupidly their consciences may not doe its office when they die they may have their consciences feared as it were with a hot iron and think they are going to heaven and never think otherwise till they drop down into hell but now the godly they die full of peace and comfort as in Psal 37. 37. Mark the upright man and behold the just for the end of that man is peace but there is no peace saith my God to the wicked Esai 57. 41. There may be a fearednesse of conscience and stupidity of heart but they cannot die peaceably and in hope 2. You that make this a prop for your hope because you have seen wicked men die peaceably like Lambs let me tell you thus much that it is the greatest judgement in the world for a wicked man to die peaceably and quietly in delusions and conceits of going to heaven when they are tumbling down headlong to hell it were better for him that God did let the flashings of hell fire to flie in his face it were better for him that his conscience did tell him his danger and his doom then thus to die in a stupid manner In Job 21. 23. it is said that a wicked man dies in his full strength being wholly at ease and quiet no sin troubles him nor no danger makes him afraid so in Psal 73. 4 5. they have no bands in their death but their strength is firm they are not in trouble as other men neither are they plagued as other men they have no trouble in their life time and no bands in their death now this is rather to be looked upon as a judgement upon them and not as a mercy 3. If this peace and quietnesse in a wicked mans conscience did arise from any grounded assurance or hope of heaven then it might be lookt upon as a blessing but when it doth arise meerly from the delusions of his own heart then it is nothing but as it were a golden dore to let him into hell it shall be with him as in Esai 29. 8. An hungry man dreameth and behold he eateth but he awaketh and his soul is empty so a wicked man dreams he is going to heaven when he is falling down into hell 4. There may be great hopes of heaven exprest in a dying mans words when there is not so much peace and quietnesse in his heart as in Prov. 14. 23. In the midst of laughter the heart is sorrowfull In the midst of a wicked mans boasting there is a fear of hel 5. Though you have seen some men that have dyed with stupidity of heart depart quietly yet there are other wicked men whose consciences are awakened that die full of horror and terror and amazement When their consciences tell them they have dyed swearers or lyers or drunkards or adulterers c. they are filled with horror and terror of conscience that though he thought all his life time he should goe to heaven yet he now fears he is going down into hell And thus I have done with the third Question in shewing you the reasons why seeing the Scripture saies that a wicked man hath no hope that of all the men in the world wicked men do nourish greatest hopes for heaven in their hearts there are only two queries more to handle and then come to the fifth branch of mans misery Quest 4 4. The fourth Query in order is this that seeing the Scripture sayes a wicked man hath no hope and esteems of their false and presumptuous hope to be as good as no hope then how shall we know the difference between those well grounded hopes a godly man hath and those presumptuous and deluding hopes wicked men have Answ Ans I shall here give you six apparent differences between them 1. The hopes of a godly and regenerate man for heaven it is gotten by and grounded upon the word of God and therefore it is called the hope of the Gospell because it is gotten by the Gospell as the means and grounded upon the Gospell as the end that we sayes the Apostle through the comfort of the Scriptures might have hope a godly man hath his comforts from the Scriptures Psal 119. 49. Good is the word of the Lord wherein thou hast caused thy servant to hope But now the hopes of wicked men as they are gotten they know not how so neither do they know upon what they are grounded and this is the reason why they are called presumptuous hopes for this is presumption when a man does beleeve a thing when he can have no visible nor likely means to ground or bottome his hopes upon 2. True and patient hope is bottomed upon the mercies of God and the merits of Jesus Christ and hence it is that Christ is called our hope because he is the foundation on
as you are chosen and sanctified in Christ Jesus it cannot hurt you I say again death may kill you but it cannot hurt you it hath no power over the better part like a Serpent it feedeth only upon your dust nay and for your bodies that which dyeth as a creature is sure to live as a member of Christ the Lord Jesus is our head in the grave your bodies have a principle of life within them beleevers are raised by the Spirit of holinesse the same Spirit that quickneth them now to the offices of grace shall raise their mortall bodies So Rom. 8. 11. He shall quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you The holy Ghost can never leave his old mansion and dwelling place how many grounds of comfort have we against the mortality of the body Christ is united to body and soul and he will not let his Mysticall body want one sinew or joynt in the account that he is to make to the Father he saith he is to lose nothing Joh. 6. 39. Mark he doth not say none but nothing Christ will not lose a leg or a piece of an ear Again God is in Covenant with body and soul when you go down to the chambers of death you may challenge him upon the Charter of his own Grace God is the God of Abrahams dust of a beleevers dust though it be mingled with the remains of wicked men yet Christ will sever it Mat. 22. 32. Christ proveth the resurrection of the body by that argument that God is the God of Abraham the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob the ground of the argument is that God made his Covenant not only with the souls of the Patriarchs but with their whole persons Again Christ hath purchased body and soul so much is intimated in that place 1 Cor. 6. 20. Ye are bought with a price therefore glorifie God in your bodies Christ had payed price enough to get a title to body and soul and therefore he will not lose one bit of his purchase the Lord will call the grave to an account Where is the body of my Abraham my Isaac my Jacob t is said Rev. 20. 13. The Sea gave up her dead and the Grave gave up her dead and Hell gave up her dead let me note that Hell is there taken for the state of the departed or else what 's the meaning of that passage that followeth afterward and death and hell were cast into the lake that burneth c. Well then all the dead shall be cast up as the Whale cast up Jonah so the grave shall cast up her dead the grave is but a chest wherein our bodies are kept safe till the day of Christ and the key of this chest is not in the Devils hands but Christs see Rev. 1. 18. I have the keys of Death and Hell when the body is laid up in the cold pit 't is laid up for another day God hath an especiall care of our dust and remains when our friends and neighbours have left is Christ leaveth it not but keepeth it till the great and glorious day 3. We are eased from the terrours and horrors of death death is terrible as t is a poenall and a naturall evill as I distinguished before 1 As it is naturall evill death in it selfe is the greatest of all evils 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 said an heathen which in Jobs language may be rendred The King of terrours Job 18. 14. We gush to see a Serpent much more the grim visage of death morall Philosophy could never finde out a remedy against it Heathens were either desperate rash stupid or else they dissembled their gripes and fears but Christ hath provided a remedy he hath delivered us not only from the hurt of death but the fear of death Heb. 2. 14. to deliver them from the fear of death that all their life time were subject to bondage by his spirit hee filleth the soul with the hopes of a better life nature may shrink when we see the pale horse of death approaching but we may rejoyce when we consider its errand 't is to carry us home as when old Jacob saw the chariots come from Egypt how did his heart leap within him because he should see his son Joseph Death however we figure it with the pencill of fancy is sent to carry us to heaven to transport us to Jesus Christ now who would bee afraid to be happy to be in the Armes of our beloved Jesus Let them fear death that know not a better life a Christian knoweth that when he dyeth he shall not perish but have everlasting life Joh. 3. 17. The world may thrust you out but you may see heaven alluring ready to receive you as Stephen saw heaven opened Act. 7. latter end there is an intellectuall vision or perswasion of Faith which is common to all the Saints though every one hath not such an extasie and sensible representation as Stephen had yet usually in the hours of their departure faith is mightily strengthned and acted so that they are exempted from all fear and sorrow 2. As 't is a poenall evill 't is sad when death is sent in justice and cloathed with wrath and cometh in the quality of a curse you know what was said before The sting of death is sin they dye indeed that dye in their sins death is a black and gloomy day to them they drop down like rotten fruit into the lake of fire now Christ hath taken away the sting the dolours and horrours of it he hath taken away death as he hath taken away sin he hath not cast it out but cast it down taken away the guilt and power of it though not the beeing of sin so the hurt the sting is gone though not death it self 't is like a serpent disarmed and unstinged we may put it into our bosomes without danger there are many accusations by which Satan is apt to perplex a dying soul these make death terrible and full of horrours But they overcome by the bloud of the Lamb Rev. 12. 11. and get the victory of these doubts and fears when sins are pardoned fears vanish Luther said Feri domine feri absolutus sum a peccatis meis strike Lord strike my sinnes are pardoned 4. 'T will be utterly abolished at the last day We scarce know now what Christs purchase meaneth till the day of judgement 't is said 1 Cor. 15. 26. The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death t is weakened now but then it shall be abolished as to the elect Rev. 20. 14. And death and hell shall be cast into the lake of fire this is the second death the dominion of death is reserved for hell it must keep company with the damned whilest you rejoyce with God for the present t is continued out of dispensation it doth service to promote Gods glory but then the wicked must share death and hell amongst them and be kept under a
the 7. verse that in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindnesse towards us through Jesus Christ 4. Here is laid down the finall cause of it in the same verse also that in Ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace And Lastly here is the instrumentall cause of bringing man out of the state of Nature into the state of Grace and that is Faith in the 8. verse For by grace are you saved through Faith and that not of your selves it is the gift of God Now the other part of the Map describes man in the second capacity in the state of Nature and herein it gives a twofold description of Mans condition 1. Positively what he is 2. Privatively what he wants 1. It describes Man in the state of Nature positively what he is and that in five particulars 1. Men in their naturall condition are described to bee dead in trespasses and sinnes 2. They walk according to the course of this world as Pagans and Heathens do 3. According to the Prince of the power of the air that is the Devill now the Devill is called the Prince of the air either because he doth reside in the air or else because he hath the power of the winde and of the air 4. They are called Children of disobe dience that is bor n in a state of disobedience quite contrary to the commands of God 5. That they fulfill the lusts of the flesh and of the minde and are by nature children of wrath Thus far you have the positive description of Man in the state of Nature 2. Now in the second place the Apostle describes him privatively what he wants and that in the words of my Text in five particulars wherein hee plainly shews that he is the poorest man in the world that wants Jesus Christ and the most miserable That at that time you were without Christ that is the first You were Aliens from the Common-wealth of Israel that is the second You were strangers to the Covenants of promise that is the third You were without hope that is the fourth And you were without God in the world that 's the fift Now these comprehensive expressions contain in them the whole misery of Man and that in these five particulars here named 2. here is described the time how long a man is in this condition that at that time that is the time during your unconverted estate as long as you are unconverted so long you are without Christ and an Alien from the Common wealth of Israel and a stranger to the Covenants of promise without hope and without God in the world And now what a dismall Text have I here to handle and what a doleful tragedy am I now to act but yet out of every one of these there is a great deal of comfort which may flow forth I shall only at present make entrance into the words and speak more fully to them afterwards that at that time you were without Christ That at that time Beloved here wants something to supply the sense of the words and therefore read the foregoing words and you will finde what must be brought in the verse before runs thus Wherefore remember that you being in times past Gentiles in the flesh c. wherefore remember these words must be prefixt Wherefore remember that at that time you were without Christ and aliens to the Common-wealth of Israel c. I shall here by the way only draw out this one doctrine from the coherence of the words Wherefore remember that at that time the Apostle would have these converted Ephesians to remember that they were men without Christ and aliens to the Common-wealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise without hope and without God in the world now from hence I would commend this observation to you Doct. That it is the will of God that men in a converted estate should often call to minde the sinfulnesse and misery they were guilty of before their conversion Beloved this is a subject I could never have occasion to speak to you of before and yet it is a point of admirable use especially in these times wherein people think that when once they are brought into a state of Grace they must live in divine raptures and revelations and spirituall joyes above duties and ordinances and never look back into their former sinfulnesse and wickednesse they were guilty of before their conversion Why here the Ephesians were converted men and had extraordinary priviledges they were brought to sit in heavenly places in Christ Jesus and yet the Apostle bids them remember their former sinfulnesse and misery Remember O you Ephesians that ye were once without Christ and you were Aliens to the Common-wealth of Israel c. therefore you must take heed of this to think that when you are converted you must be only rapt up into the third heavens and never look back into your former condition you see here the Apostle bids you remember what you were at that time during your unconverted estate that you were then without Christ and strangers to the Covenants of promise c. So that you see it is the will of God that men in a converted estate should often cal to minde the sins and miserie they were in before conversion Now before I come to give you the Reasons of the point give me leave to premise these three Cautions when I tell you that after your cōversion you should call to minde your sin and misery before conversion you must not do it 1. with complacency of spirit nor 2. with stupidity of heart nor 3. with despondency of minde Caution 1 1. You must not cal to minde your former sinfulnesse with complacency of spirit to please your humors you must not do as some great men use to do that have been guilty of great and crying sins as adultery drunkennesse swearing and the like in their youth go tell and boast of them in their age this is a very great wickednesse you must call to minde your former sinfulnesse not with complacency but with bitternesse of spirit with grief sorrow and perplexity of heart Many men will tel you large stories of the wickednesse that they have committed but they do it with delight and if they had strength and abilities they would be guilty of the same sins and wickednesses stil which is a most ungodly practise and that which the Scripture condemns men for as in the 23. of Ezek. 23. 19 21. Yet she multiplyed her whoredomes in calling to remembrance the dayes of her youth wherein she had played the harlot in the land of Egypt Thus thou calledst to remembrance the lewdnesse of thy youth the meaning of this is she called her sins to remembrance but it was so as to play the whore stil and to be unclean stil she did it with delight and complacency with content and joy now I say you should call
you free then are you free indeed intimating that if you have an interest in Christ to free you from the slavery of sin and Satan you are slaves indeed this bondage and slavery likewise consists in three particulars 1 they are slaves to sin 2 to the Devill and 3 to the Law 1 Every Christlesse man he is a slave to sin in Joh. 8. 34. sayes Christ there Verily I say unto you whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin and in 2 Pet. 2. 19. While they promise them liberty the themselves are servants of corruption for of whom a man is overcome of the same he is brought in bondage Every man by nature is a slave to his lusts and a slave to sin and to the creatures God made man Lord over all the creatures but man hath made himself servant to all the creatures 2 He is not only in bondage and slavery to sin but to the devill too as in 2 Tim. 2. the two last verses sayes the Apostle in meeknesse instructing those that oppose themselves if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the Devill who are taken captive by him at his will 3 He is in bondage to the Law that is he does nothing in obedience to the Law and this is the great misery of a man without Christ he is bound to keep the whole Law of God there is a very strange expression in Rev. 18. 13. Saint John tels there that all those that did worship the Beast shall cry woe and alas for Babylon is fallen and shall cry for the slaves and souls of men all wicked men are slaves to Antichrist to sin and to the Law and this is the great misery of an unregenerate man 3 Thou art not only a base and a bond man but a beggerly man too without Jesus Christ for all the treasures of grace and mercy are hid and locked up in Christ as in a common Magazine or Storehouse Col. 2. 3. In him are hid all the treasures of wisedome and knowledge if you are out of Christ you have nothing as Rev. 4. 17. Thou sayest thou art rich and increast in goods and hast need of nothing and knowest not that thou art poor and wretched and miserable and blind and naked you will grant that he is a poor and beggerly man that wants these four things meat for his belly cloathes for his back money for his purse and a house to put his head in why in all these respects every man that is out of Christ is a beggerly man 1 A beggerly man is one that hath no meat to put in his belly and all you that have no interest in Jesus Christ are beggerly in this regard because you do not feed upon that bread of life nor drink of that water of life the Lord Christ whose flesh is meat indeed and whose bloud is drink indeed without which your soules will starve for hunger 2 You will say he is a poor man that hath no cloathes to put on his back thus every man out of Christ is not only poor but naked Rev. 3. 17. Thou knewest not that thou wer 't poor and miserable and blinde and naked that man that is not cloathed with the long Robes of Cerists righteousnesse he is a naked man and exposed to the wrath and vengeance of Almighty God those men have only a cloak to cover their sinfull nakednesse and shame that are cloathed with the robes of Christs righteousnesse It is said of Jacob that he obtained the blessing from his Father by being clad in the garments of his eldest brother and so are we only blessed by God our Father as we are cloathed with the robes of our elder brother Jesus Christ 3. That man is a beggerly man that hath no money in his purse why so though your purses be full of Gold yet if your hearts be not full of Grace you are very beggerly men Luk 16. 11. Grace is only the true riches all the durable riches are bound up in Christ 4. And lastly he is a beggerly man that hath not a house to put his head in that is destitute of a house to lodge in and a bed to lie on why so thou that hast no interest in Christ when thy dayes are expired and death comes thou knowest not what to do nor whither to go thou canst not say with the godly man that when death takes thee hence thou shalt be received into everlasting habitations you cannot say 〈◊〉 Christ is gone before to prepare a place for thee in heaven So that in these four particulars you see that a Christlesse man is a very beggerly man having neither food for his body nor cloathes for his back nor money in his purse nor a house to put his head in unlesse it be in a dungeon of darknesse with Devils and damned spirits 4. Another property of a man without Christ is that he is a blinde man Rev. 3. 17. and knewest not that thou art wretched and miserable and poor and blinde and naked and hence it is that wicked men during their unregeneracy are called darknesse in Ephes 5. 8. You were sometime darknesse but now are you like in the Lord walk as children of the light So light is come into the world and yet men love larknesse rather then light because their deeds are evil Jesus Christ is to the soul that which the son is to the earth take away the Sun from the earth and it is nothing but a dungeon of darknesse so take away Christ from the Soul and it is nothing but a dungeon of the Devill though there be a Christ in the world yet if the heart be shut and Jesus Christ be not in thee thou art in a state of darknesse and blindenesse 5 Every man without Christ is a deformed man as you may read in Ezek. 16. 3 4 5 6 8 11 and 14. verses Thus saith the Lord God thy Nativity is in the land of Canaan thy Father was an Amorite c. and in the 6. vers When I passed by thee and saw thee polluted in thine own blood I said unto thee when thou wast in thy bloud Live yea I said unto thee when thou wast in thy bloud Live when a poor childe lies weltring it its bloud not swadled nor washed nor looked after what a sad condition is it in and thus were you sayes God but then read on in the 7. verse I have caused thee to multiply as the bud of the Field and thou hast encreased and waxen great c. and so again in the 14. verse Thy renown went forth among the heathen for thy beauty for it was perfect through my comlinesse that I had put upon thee saith the Lord Intimating that before Christ looks upon a soul he lies weltring in his own bloud and not able to help himself but when he
are Christs have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts thereby intimating that they that have not crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts thereof have no interest in the Lord Jesus Christ when Christ came in the flesh we crucified him but if ever Christ comes into thy soul he will crucifie thee they that are Christs they do crucifie the flesh Christ will be avenged on thy sins and crucifie thy lusts and kill thy corruptions when he comes into thy soul But here beloved I do not mean a totall subduing of sin as if every lust and corruption should be quite subdued but only thus far to give a deadly blow to sin that sin shall not reign nor bear sway in thy soul as it hath done formerly sin in the heart of one that is in Christ shall be like those Monarchs spoken of in Dan. 7. 12. it is said their Dominions shall be taken away but their lives shall be prolonged for a little season just so it is with sin in the heart of a beleever the dominion of sin is taken away but the life and beeing of it is preserved for a little season there shall be some remainders of sin still in the best of Gods servants but sin shall not reign in their mortall bodies and therefore you that never had any power to mortifie your sins that never had any bridle of restraint to any of your lusts lay no claim to Jesus Christ for they that are his have crucified the flesh with the lusts thereof I might here make use of a story that I have often told you of in the History of Scotland there is mention made of an Island situate in the midst of the Sea between Scotland and Ireland and there was a great controversie between the two Nations to which of the Kingdomes this Island did belong and a great Polititian to decide the controversie commands a great company of Toads and Frogs to be gathered together and put into the Island and if those venomous and unclean beasts should live there then the Island belonged to Scotland but if they died then it belonged to Ireland for no unclean creature does inhabit there just so it is with us there is a great controversie between Christ and the Devill to which thy soul does belong why now if poisonsome lusts venomous sins can live and thrive in thy soul then you belong to the Devil but if these lusts and sins dy in your soul then you belong to Jesus Christ 3. Another Character is this that man that is without unfeigned love to the person of Christ that man is without any interest in Christ for every one that hath Christ loves him and every one that hath him not loves him not 1 Cor. 16. 2. If any man loves not the Lord Christ let him be accursed he that does not love Christ hath no interest in Christ and shall be accursed when Christ shall come to judgement Object Object But some will be ready to say If this be so that the not loving of Christ be an argument of the not having of Christ wby then I think I am well enough for I do love Christ with all my heart Answ Answ I will tell thee in the very words of Christ who it is that loves him Joh. 14. 24. He that loveth me not keepeth not my sayings does not thy conscience tell thee O man that thou dost not care for any command of Jesus Christ let him command what he will you will do what you list you see here Christ tels thee plainly that he that loveth him not keepeth not his sayings I beseech you therefore in the fear of God take heed of deceiving your own souls in thinking you love Christ when there is no such matter but labour to love him in truth and evidence your love to him by keeping of his Commandemants 4. That man that is without any saving knowledge of Christ is without any actuall interest in Christ there is no man that hath Christ but knows Christ Mistake me not I do not say that every man that hath Christ knows he hath him for a man may have Christ and yet not know of it for the present but this I say he that hath an interest in Christ whosoever he be he must know Christ in part Joh. 8. 54 55. You say that God is your God and yet you have not known him 't is a very strange place you say that God and salvation by him and all is yours and yet you have not known him Oh my Beloved you say you have Christ and yet you have not known Christ he himself will convince you at the last day of laying a false claim to him read Joh. 1. 12. compared with the 24. and 26. verses Now when I tell you that a man without the knowledge of Christ is without any interest in Christ I do not say that those are without Christ that have not so great a measure of knowledge as other men have but when you are without the knowledge of Christ accompanyed with these two circumstances then I can safely pronounce you to be a Christlesse man 1. If you be without the knowledge of Christ and yet sit down contented in your ignorance neither desiring nor labouring after the knowledge of him then I may safely say that for the present thou art without Jesus Christ if you are like those spoken of in 2 Pet. 3. 5. For this they are willingly ignorant of that by the word of God the heavens were of old and the earth standing out of the water and in the water or like those in Job 2. 14. that say unto God Depart from us for we desire not the knowledge of thy wayes if you are such as these I can safely pronounce you to be Christlesse men 2. Not only when you are contentedly ignorant but likewise when with obscurity in your Judgements you adde obstinacy in your wils when thou art an Ignorant and dost not know and wilt not know that hast not learned and yet will not learn but art like those spoken of in Psal 82. 5. They know not neither will they understand he does not say they know not neither do they but neither will they understand a godly man may have the former of these although you be very ignorant yet if you desire to know you may have an interest in Christ but I am bold to say in case you are ignorant and yet sit down contentedly and do not care to know more and obstinately and will not learn more that you have no interest in Christ and therefore keep off your hands from Christ lay no claim to him for you have nothing to do with him he is none of yours 5. Another Character is this that man that is without a hearing ear to the voice of Christ and an obedient heart to the mands of Christ that man hath no interest in Christ I shall give you two plain texts of
Scripture to prove this one is in Joh. 8. 47. He that is of God heareth Gods word you therefore hear them not because you are not of God they that are of God hear his Word those that belong to Christ and have an interest in him hear his Word not only with the ear but with the heart and so in 1 Joh. 1. 6. sayes the Apostle We are of God he that is of God heareth us he that is not of God heareth not us hereby know we the spirit of truth and the spirit of errour and therefore thou obstinate and stout hearted wretch that canst lie like a flint under the Word of God and suffer no command to make impression upon thy spirit verily thou canst lay no just claim to Jesus Christ 6. That man that uses greater industry and takes greater complacency in the acting and committing of sin then ever he did in the exercise of any grace or the performance of any duty that man is without Jesus Christ You have an excellent place for this purpose in Joh. 3. 8. 10. He that committeth sin is of the Devill he doth not say he that does sin is of the Devill but he that commits sin with delight that makes a trade of sin he is of the Devill and so on in the 10. ver In this the children of God are manifest and the children of the Devill whosoever doth not righteousnesse is not of God he does not belong to God he that does not righteousnesse with delight and complacency with joy and industry as he that doth commit sin that is act it with delight and makes a trade of it is of the Devill so he that does not do righteousnesse that is with delight and joy and chearfulnesse that man is not of Christ you then that can sin with delight but perform holy duties with a flat and dead and dull spirit you that never took so much delight to sanctifie the Sabbath as you have done in prophaning of it you that never took so much delight in the performing of duties to God as you have done in sinning against God lay off hands from Jesus Christ if your hearts be full of sin you can have no interest in him In Joh. 9. 16. some of the Pharisees said this man is not of God because he keepeth not the Sabbath This had been a very good argument had it been well applyed had Christ indeed not kept the Sabbath if it may be truly said of you that thou dost not make conscience of keeping of the Sabbath or of performing any holy duties I can truly say of you that you are not of God now then examine your selves by this argument whether you are of God or no if you do prophane the Sabbath day and make no conscience of performing holy duties nor of sinning against God this shews that you are not of God that man that acts sin with more delight then he performs holy duties hath no interest in Christ as in 1 Joh. 5. 18. Hee that is born of God sinneth not that is he doth not commit it with that delight and complacency as wicked men do but he that belongs to God he keepeth himself pure and that wicked one toucheth him not that is not so as to make him commit sin in the former sense but he keepeth himself he will not give himself to commit sin with that cheerfulnesse as wicked men do and therefore saith the Apostle we know that we are of God and the whole world lyeth in wickednesse 7. The last Character is this that man is without any interest in Christ that backslides from the wayes of Christ both in judgement and in practise Beloved when a man shall backslide from the truth of Christ in judgement and from the exercises of holy duties in practise when he backslides both these wayes he is not in Jesus Christ 2 Joh. v. 9. Whosoever transgresseth and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ hath not God but he that abideth in the Doctrine of Christ he hath both the Father and the Son that man that sins both in judgement and in practise he is not of God but he that abides in the truth of God both in judgement and in practise he hath both the Father and the Son Oh therefore I beseech you in the fear of God look about you to see whether you are the men that have a reall actuall interest in Christ or no. Are you such men as are without the spirit of Christ or are you without a saving power derived from Christ enabling you to mortifie your bosome lusts Are you without an unfeigned love to the person of Christ or without a true and saving knowledg of Christ Are you contentedly ignorant of Christ and care not to know more or are you obstinately ignorant and wil not learn more Are you without a hearing ear and an obedient heart to the Word of Christ Do you take greater industry and complacency in the committing of sin then ever you did in the performance of any holy duty Or do you backslide from the wayes of Christ both in judgement and in practise If there be a concurrence of these seaven Characters in you then conclude that you have no interest at all in Christ conclude then that at this time you are without Jesus Christ Thus now I have done with the second question which I promised you to answer I shall now spend a little time in winding up what I have said in a practicall Use and then come to the third Question And in the application of this I shall direct my speech to two sorts of people 1. To those that are plunged into a spirituall delusion to say they have an interest in Christ when they have not 2. To those that say they have not an interest in Christ when they have Use 1 1. To you that say you have an interest in Christ when you have not give me leave to propound these 3 or 4 questions to you first let me ask this question Were you ever without Christ yea or no If you answer no then let me tell you thus much that that man that sayes he had Christ ever I may safely say he had Christ never thou that dost say that thou hadst Christ ever since thou wert born I can safely say that thou hadst Christ never since thou wert born for every man is born a Christlesse man 2. Thou that sayest thou hast an interest in Christ let me ask you this question How came you by your interest in Christ Do you think that Christ fel from heaven into your bosome whether you would or no How came you by Christ then Did you ever make a powerfull prayer unto God for him Did you ever sigh and sob and cry mightily unto God for him Did you ever see your misery without him and beg the Father earnestly for him for God is not prodigall of his son to give him to those that never ask him 3. Let
in Christ you have all things though you have nothing this I touched upon before you may say with the Apostle as having nothing yet possessing all things though you may be without wealth and riches and Olive yards yet herein lies your comfort you are not without Christ and in having him you have al things though you have nothing for all things are given you in and through Christ by way of entaile as in 1 Cor. 3. 22. All things are yours and yee are Christs I shall a little explain this place to you sayes the Apostle Whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or things present or things to come all is yours and you are Christs and Christ is Gods Whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas that is all the Ministers of Christ if you have an interest in Christ Christ hath given gifts to his Ministers for your sakes so that you may lay claim to all the Ministers of Christ Paul is yours and Apollos is yours they are yours because they are your lights to guide you in the way to heaven through the darke wildernesse of this world they are your Pastors to feed you with knowledge and understanding in the Mysteries of Salvation they are your Shepheards to gather you into the fold of Jesus Christ they are your builders to hew and square and make you fit for Christs spirituall building they are your conâ—â—ctors or the friends of the Bridegroome to make up a compleat match between Christ and you I speak only in Scripture phrase they are your Vine-dressers to prune you and make you fit to bring forth fruit unto God Thus all the gifts of all the Ministers in the world are intended by Christ for the good of his children if there were no godly men in the World there would be no Ministers in the World and therefore these people that will heare onely one kind of Ministers such as they affect and slight all else they straighten their own priviledges for all the Ministers in the World are given by Christ for the benefit of his children But then again says the Apostle Whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the World all is yours you have a right to all the World not only a civil right but a religious right The meek shall inherit the earth So that if you could go to the top of an exceeding high Mountain and look over all the whole World you may say Behold I see all this is my Fathers ground and he hath given it to Christ even the heathen for his inheritance and the uttermost parts of the earth for his possession and I having an Interest in Christ am thereby a coheire and joint heire with him 3. Life is yours likewise God hath given you your lives that in that little space of time you might provide for eternity and labour to know God and worship him aright 4. Death is yours likewise death is but as it were a lanching of you forth into an Ocean of endlesse joyes and pleasures but as a trap-doore to let you into heaven if you should never dye you would bee but miserable creatures but God hath appointed death to be a means to let you into Heaven Whether wee live we live unto the Lord or whether we dye we dye unto the Lord so that living or dying we are the Lords 5. Things present are yours which includes in it either present mercies or present afflictions 1. present mercies are yours as having a right to them and beholding the goodnesse of God in them and praising God for them and as serving God with them and as doing good to others by them 2. Present afflictions are yours likewise to humble your hearts to wean you from the world to quicken your desires after heaven to purge out your corruptions and exercise your graces and the like whatsoever present condition thou art in that present condition bee it what it will be shall work for thy good 6. Things to come are yours too if afflictions come or temptations come or trouble or want or famine or pestilence or imprisonments or any thing come they are all yours they are ordered by Christ to be for your good and so if mercy comes and the blessings of another world they are all yours Heaven and Happinesse and Glory Life Salvation are all yours Here then Beloved you see the first branch of a mans happinesse that hath an interest in Christ in having Christ he hath all things though hee hath nothing because he hath him that hath all things this is the first 2. That man that hath an interest in Christ his second consolation lies in this that all that Christ hath is his and oh my Beloved this is a golden mine that will afford you many pretious comforts I shall give them to you under these five or six particulars 1. If you have an interest in Christ then Christs Father is your Father 2. Christs Spirit is your Spirit 3. Christs Righteousnesse is your Righteousnesse 4. Christs Graces are your Graces 5. Christs Peace is your Peace And 6. Chr. Sufferings are your Sufferings And oh Beloved see what a large field you may here walk in 1. If you have an interest in Christ his Father is your Father as in Joh. 20. 17. saith Christ Behold I ascend to my Father and your Father to my God and your God Christs Father is a Beleevers Father 2. Christs Spirit is your Spirit in John 14. 8. sayes Christ I will pray to my Father and he shall give you another Comforter which shall abide with you for ever even the Spirit of truth whom the World cannot receive because it seeth him not but you see him and know him for he dwelleth with you and shall be in you 3. Christs righteousnesse is your righteousnesse Jer. 23. 6. And this is the name whereby he shall be called The Lord our righteousnesse So in 1 Cor. 1. 30. Christ is made of God unto us wisdome righteousnesse sanctification and redemption 4. His Graces are your Graces Joh. 1. 14. Christ is full of grace and truth Why That out of his fulnesse we might all receive grace for grace that is for every Grace that is in Jesus Christ according to our proportion and capacity we shall receive from him 5. His peace is your peace Joh. 14. 27. My peace sayes Christ I leave with you my peace I give unto you the peace that we enjoy is from Christ 6. Lastly Christs sufferings are your sufferings God looks upon his sufferings for you as if you in your own persons had done and suffered what he did the just hath suffered for the unjust to bring you to God the sufferings of Christ do as effectually bring you to God as if you in your own persons had suffered upon the crosse as he did nay it doth it a great deal more for our sufferings could not have done it Thus having an interest in Christ all that
there are two sorts of people that run into very dangerous errours concerning this particular As 1. The Socinians that are of an opinion that all the Patriarchs and good men in the old Testament did none of them go to heaven till Christ came in the flesh a very uncharitable and ungodly opinion And 2. There are others that hold that living in obedience to the Morall Law of Moses is to tye the people to the Covenant of Works to be justified by it they hold the Jews did not live under a Covenant of Grace till Christ came but if it were so none of them could possibly be saved for by the workes of Law shall no flesh living be justified no man in the World can ever goe to heaven by the Covenant of Works This I doe onely mention by the way that you may see and understand that since the fal of Adam al men are saved by the Covenant of Grace the Covenant of Works was no longer in force then while Adam lived and continued in Innocency but as soon as ever he fell the Gospel was presently preached unto them as well as it is to us now only it was preached unto them more darkly and to us more clearly Christ was preached unto them as to come but he is preached unto us as come already Quest II We come now to the second question to stir you up and put you upon enquiry how you may know whether you are the people that are in Covenant with God yea or no so as that you can lay a just claim to the Covenant of Grace and to all the promises therein contained for salvation and life eternall by Christ I shall handle this Query not in the positive but in the negative part of it how you may know that you are not in the Covenant of Grace I shall give you three or four discoveries of it Answ 1 1. Thou oh man art not in Covenant with thy God that hast not yet broken the League and Covenant which thou hast made with thy lusts you that doe still keep up and maintain the League and Covenant with your lusts and corruptions you are not as yet come within the Covenant of Grace that man that makes a Covenant with death and hell cannot be under the Covenant of Grace and therefore you that have not broken off your sins by repentance and righteousnesse and your iniquities by shewing mercy you that are in a wicked course and resolve to continue so lay no claim to the Covenant of Grace you that are engaged to your lusts you have been bad and you will be so stil you have no interest in the Covenant of Grace 2. You that think to be saved by a Covenant of works cannot be under a covenant of grace You that hope to be justified by Works are faln from Grace as the Apostle says in Gal. 5 4. you are faln from Grace that is not that you are faln from the habit of Grace you are faln from the Doctrine of Grace that holds out justification by Christ that man shall never be saved by Christ that thinks he cannot be saved by Christ and therefore a Papist living and dying in this very opinion that he must be saved by a Covenant of works cannot be saved if you be not cast out of your selves so as to rely wholly and only upon Christ for life and Salvation you can lay no just claime of being under the Covenant of Grace 3. You are strangers to the Covenant of grace that do make no conscience of breaking the engagements promises you have made to God you that are careless of keeping the Covenants you have made with God this is an evident demonstration that you are not in Covenant with God those that are in Covenant with God make conscience of keeping their Covenants with God if in times of affliction trouble you can make large promises to God of better obedience and yet afterwards return with the dogge to his vomit and are as bad or worse then ever you were this argues that you have no interest at all in the Covenant of Grace Thus I have done with the second Query the discoveries of those that are not in the Covenant of Grace I have onely now the Application of the point to speak to and the Use that I shall make of it shall be Use 1. For consolation to all that are in the Covenant of Grace you have a bundle of promises to which you may have recourse and lay claim to them as your own 2. By way ofterrour to shew the misery of those that are strangers to this Covenant of Grace 1. This may be matter of great consolation to you that are under the Covenant of Grace that are in Covenant with God this should provoke you to joy and comfort in the consideration of the great happinesse you enjoy in being under the Covenant of Grace from the misery you would be exposed to did you live under a Covenant of Works And now Beloved lend me your thoughts a little while I shew you in fourteen particulars the great happinesse you are now in being in Covenant with God under a Covenant of Grace from the misery you had lain under in being only under a Covenant of Workes Doe this and live I shall but only name them to you and run over them very briefly 1. The Covenant of Works was given by God to Adam as a Creator but the Covenant of Grace is given by God to a Believer as a Father God had not this term of a Father before the fall but only of a God and Creator but being under a covenant of Grace you may look upon that God that was only a Creator to Adam as a Father to you 2. This had been your misery under a Covenant of Works for that exacts perfect obedience and does punish the offendour in case of disobedience but being under a Covenant of Grace the Lord accepts through Christ of sincere obedience though it be not perfect 3. The Covenant of Works is not contented with perfect obedience neither unlesse it be personall it must not be perfect done for thee by another but done by thy self in thy own person but now the Conant of Grace accepts of perfect obedience though it be not done by thy self but in the person of Jesus Christ God the Father doth as fully accept of Christ obeying and fulfilling his will in doing and suffering in our behalfe as if we had done and suffered what he did in our own persons and herein lies the great happinesse of a man under the Covenant of Grace 4. The Covenant of Works was made by God to Adam without a Mediator there was no third person between God and Adam but the covenant of Grace was made by God with us in the hand of a Mediator Jesus Christ You may conceive it thus suppose two men should be at discord and variance one with another and a third person a friend to both these
hast thou to do to meddle with my covenant of grace you can lay no claim to the Covenant till you have cast off the old man and subdued and overcome your sins and corruptions 2. Another concomitant of the covenant of grace that will accompany you is this you will be a people wholly devoted and given up to the service of God Jer. 31. I will be your God and you shall be my people the covenant of grace is called an holy covenant Luk. 1. 72. not so much because it was made by a holy God as because it was made for the holy creature it will make them holy that do enter into it and therefore those that are in Covenant with God are called a holy people and they must be a holy people as in 1 Cor. 6. 20. sayes the Apostle You are bought with a price therefore glorifie God in your bodies and souls which are Gods and in 2 Cor. 7. 1. Seeing therefore we have these promises dearly beloved Let us cleanse our selves from all filthinesse both of flesh and spirit perfecting holinesse in the fear of God those that are in covenant with God they are a holy and crucified people 3. Another concomitant is this that man that hath a share in the blessings of the Covenant he doth make conscience to walk in the wayes of the Covenant hee will not only close with the promise of the Covenant but also make conscience of keeping the commands of the Covenant for the covenant of grace does not onely bestow blessings upon you but require something of you too as in Esai 55. sayes God Incline your ears and come unto me and hear hearken and your souls shall live and I will make an everlasting covenant with you even the sure mercies of David the covenant of grace is a sure and everlasting covenant but sayes God you shall come unto me first and then I will make with you an everlasting covenant God will have you to obey him if ever you think to have any share in the covenant of grace those that let God command what he will will doe what they please this argues that they doe not belong to the covenant of grace but if the blessings of the covenant of grace are given by God to you and the concomitants of it found with you and lastly the conditions of it found in you which is faith the only condition of the covenant of grace beleeve and be saved if God hath brought thee into a believing estate that there is not one promise in the Gospell but you do beartily assent unto and close with if it be thus then you may conclude that you do belong to the covenant of grace And thus I have done with these charactars by way of tryall Use I have only now a word or two more by way of use and so have done with this third part of mans misery and the Use that I shall make of this shall be for consolation to all those whose hearts can bear them witnesse that they doe enjoy the saving blessings of the Covenant of grace God to be their God and they to be his people and that God hath sanctified and renewed your natures and pardoned and passed by all your sins and iniquities and hath written his Law in your hearts that you doe not depart from him if you have the concomitants of the Covenant that you are disingaged from the league and covenant you have made with sin and death and hell if you are wholly devoted and given up to the service of God and doe make conscience to walk in the ways of the Covenant and if the conditions of the Covenant of Faith in Christ be found in you if you are brought into a beleeving condition if all these things be wrought in you then hearken to the great happinesse and benefit you enjoy by being under the Covenant of Grace 1. Thou hast that which is more worth then a kings ransome nay then all the world thou hast God to be thy God which is all in all it is more then that which was promised to Esther by King Ahasuerus to the half of his Kingdome you have more then the Devill promised to Christ when he carryed him to the top of the mountain and shewed him all the Kingdomes of the world and the glory of them thou hast more then the whole world for thou hast God to be thy God and thou hast an interest in the Covenant of Grace which is a bundle of promises and includes in it all the promises of the Gospell which are all yours and you may goe and apply them to your own soules in whatsoever condition you are in 2. You that are in Covenant with God labour to admire the great condescension of God that he would be pleased to proceed with you by way of a Covenant I have read of some Authors that have more wondred and stood amazed at this then at any thing else in the World that God that is the Soveraign Lord of all the workes of his hands that he should not rule us and command us by a Law but deal with us by way of a Covenant for God is not bound to give us a reward though we should serve him all the dayes of our lives God might command us as we are his creatures to serve and obey him to pray read hear and walk holily and humbly before him and when we have done all this yet he might say to us I will never give you heaven nor happinesse nor any reward at all he might have said thus to us but he hath condescended so far as to make a bargain with us that if we will beleeve in his Son Jesus Christ and live holily and walk uprightly before him then he will be our God and we shall be his people he will write his Law in our hearts and sanctifie and renew our natures and pardon and forgive all our sins and give us heaven and hapninesse when we dye Oh what an infinite condescension is this in God and what unspeakable bounty and free grace that when he might say to us you are bound to serve me and obey me and to love and fear me but I am not bound to make a Covenant with you and promise you my Son and life and Salvation through him but though I am not bound to it yet I will give you my Son and heaven and happinesse and I will be your God and you shall be my people and I will regenerate and sanctifie your natures and create in you new hearts and write my Law in your inward parts I will freely do all this for you sayes God Oh what infinite condescension and free grace and mercy is this 3. Another great happinesse you doe enjoy under the Covenant of Grace is this the Lord will pardon all the great sinnes you commit against him and accept of all the weak duties and services you perform to him though you commit great and mighty sins
he hath most need of them had his hopes been well grounded hopes they would never make him ashamed of them Thus you see I have onely in the generall confirmed the point to you I come now to speak of some more particular inquiries in the prosecution of this Doctrin Beloved wil you lend me your thoughts a little in the handling of these five inquiries As 1. I shall shew you the nature of this hope that unconverted men are without 2. I shall shew you what are the characters of those men that are without any well grounded hopes for heaven 3. I shall shew you the reason why seeing the Scripture sayes that a wicked man hath no hope that of any men in the world a wicked man does nourish in his heart the greatest hopes for heaven 4. I shall shew wherein lies the difference between those that have onely a presumptuous hope for heaven and those that have a true and well grounded hope for heaven And Lastly I shall shew you the great misery of those men that have onely presumptuous hopes for heaven Quest I will begin with the first of these to shew you the nature of that hope that unconverted men are without Answ Take this plain description of it that true hope which wicked men are without it is a well grounded and patient expectation for the accomplishment of all those spirituall and eternall good things which God hath promised through Jesus Christ and which Faith beleeves I call it a well grounded expectation to distinguish true hope from those presumptuous hopes that wicked men have I call it a patient hope to distinguish it from a rash hope in wicked men and I say it is a patient expectation and looking for the accomplishing those spirituall and eternall good things which God hath promised in Christ because that this is the ground of hope it is called the hope of glory and the hope of eternall life and the like Thus you have the nature of this hope that wicked men are without when the Apostle sayes they were without hope his meaning is that they were without any hope of those spirituall and eternall good things which God hath promised to beleevers through Christ Quest 2 Quest 2. What are the Characters of those men that have no hopes for heaven or if they have it is onely a deluding and a presumptuous hope a hope no better then no hope at all nay it were a great deal better to have no hope then a presumptuous hope but that I shall speak to afterward Now before I shall lay down these characters by way of discovery I will onely premise four or five particular conclusions which are very necessary to prevent wicked men from running into mistakes concerning their hopes for heaven 1. Take this conclusion that this grace of hope may as well be counterfeited as any other grace there is a lively hope in a Beleever and a dead hope in a wicked man there is a faigned hope as well as a true hope a counterfeit hope as well as a good hope and therefore it is said in Joh. 8. 13. The hope of the hypocrite shall perish and in Prov. 10. 28. The hope of the wicked shall perish 2. Take this conclusion that those men that have least grounds to build hopes of heaven upon doe yet nourish most confident hopes of heaven in their hearts I shall give you two notable places of Scripture to prove this in Prov. 14. 16. it is said there that a wise man feareth and departeth from evill a wise man is jealous over his own heart what followes but sayes he A fool that is a wicked man he rageth and yet is confident he runs on in wicked wayes and practises without any remorse or sorrow and yet he is a confident man that hee shall goe to heaven as well as the best A wise man feareth and departeth from evill but a wicked man rageth and yet is confident those that have least cause to hope doe yet harbour the greatest hopes for heaven in their hearts A like place to this you have in Psal 36. â—2 The transgression of the wicked sayes in his heart that there is no fear of God before his eyes and yet the next words are he flatters himself in his own eyes though his iniquities are found worthy to be hated wicked men are very apt to have good conceits of themselves and you shall finde it ordinarily that a poor soul that walks conscionably before God and neglects no known duty and mortifies every known lust and walkes humbly before God this man is full of feares and jealousies and doubts that all things are not well between God and his soul and yet you shall finde another ungodly wretch that gives way to all manner of sin and uncleannesse and fulfills the lusts of his flesh and of his minde and this man is very confident of his going to heaven and that all is well with him when he is running headlong to hell Here then you see the second conclusion that those men that have least grounds to build hopes of heaven upon doe yet nourish strongest hopes for heaven in their hearts 3. Another conclusion is this that a man may live and dye with very strong hopes that he shall goe to heaven till he bee throwne downe into hell hee may have no other thoughts but that hee shall goe to heaven till hee bee cast head-long into hell I shall give you some plain text to prove this as Job 21. 23. Job speaks there of a wicked man sayes he one dies in his full strength being wholly at ease and quiet A learned Divine sayes upon this place that it is the note of a wicked man when he lies upon his death bead if you come to him and ask him if hee hath any hopes that he shall goe to heaven hee will answer that hee hath very strong hopes of it and if you ask him whether my sin troubles him he will tell you no blessed be God I have no sin troubles me now nor ever did all my life time What does nothing at all disquiet you No I am wholly at ease and quiet he hath no sinne troubles him nor no misgiving thoughts but that hee shall goe to heaven But when a wicked man dies then his expectation shall perish and not till then Now Beloved me thinkes this conclusion should a little startle you and make you look about you to take heed lest you run hoodwinkt to hell that you doe not live and dye in hopes of heaven and never think otherwise till you drop down into hell 4. To you that doe lay claim to strong hopes for heaven let me tell you thus much that you are not to hope for heaven unlesse you can render a reason or ground of your hopes Beloved it is not naturall for every man to hope for heaven and to be saved and you ought not to hope for heaven unlesse you can give some grounds
man that thinks there is neither difficulty in getting this grace of hope nor efficacy in keeping of it that man hath no true hope 1. Thou that thinkest there is no difficulty in obtaining this grace thou never yet hadst it for the least grace is beyond the power and capacity of any man to get of himself thou that thinkest it an easie matter to hope for heaven thou never yet hadst a true hope for it must be God that must work this grace in us as the Apostle sayes in Rom. 15. 13. Now the God of hope fill you with all peace and joy in beleeving 2. Those that think there is no efficacy in keeping this grace of hope those have no true hope for wheresoever true hope is it hath these properties with it 1. It hath a purifying vertue with it as in 1. Joh. 3. 3. Every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself even as God is pure 2. Hope hath a pacifying property with it It is the Anchor of the Soul both sure and stedfast though the World and the Devill trouble and disquiet you and afflictions and temptations molest and disturbe you yet this grace of hope will quiet and pacifie you those that hope in God shall be secure and at rest 3. Hope it hath a painful property with it it is never a sluggard where there is an impossibility there hope is cut off But that which a man hopes for he will labour and endeavour after as he that ploughs does plough in hope so the hopes of heaven will make you plough up the fallow ground of your hearts and make you indefatigable in your labours after heaven so that you shall take a great deal of pains and use all your endeavours for it SERMON XII EPHES. 2. 12. Having no hope WE come now to the third Queston which is this Que. What is the reason seeing the Scripture sayes that a wicked man hath no hope that of all the men in the world wicked men doe nourish greatest hopes for heaven in their hearts Answ In resolving this Question I shall lay you down five false pillars or props that doe bear up and nourish the hopes of wicked men and as I name them to you I shall shew you the rottennesse and deceitfulnesse and insufficiency of them for any man to build hopes of heaven upon 1. The first prop that wicked men doe build hopes of heaven upon is this because they have committed but smal sins in their life time and because they have not run out into the commission of such grosse and scandalous sins in the world as other men have therefore say they surely we have some ground to hope for heaven it is true we are sinners but my sins are but ordinary small sins and frailties they are not sinnes of a double die just as the Pharisee sayes Lord I thank thee that I am not as other men are extortioners unjust adulterers or even as this Publican because he was not as bad as other men therefore hee thought he had a right and title to heaven because they are not as bad as the worst therefore they think themselves as good as the best now I shall shew you the weaknesse and rottennesse of this pillar for any man to build hopes of heaven upon and that in these five particulars 1. You that make this a ground to build hopes for heaven upon let me tell you thus much that there are many men in the world that have kept themselves from great and crying sins and yet remain in an unconverted estate for instance you may see this in Paul in Phil. 3. 6. he tels us That according to the Law he was blamelesse there was no command of God in the let t◠of it that he was guilty of the breach of he was no swearer nor lyer nor stealer nor drunkard nor adulterer c. he was guilty of no great and grosse 〈◊〉 and yet Paul he had nothing to plead for heaven for him if he had not had the righteousnesse of Jesus Christ to plead for him Sayes the young man to Christ What shall I doe to inherit eternall life Christ tels him that he should not do any murther nor commit adultery nor steal nor hear false witness honor thy Father and Mother and love thy neighbour as thy self the young man answered and said all these things have I kept from my youth up and Jesus looked upon him and loved him and pitied him that such an ingenuous and blamelesse man as he was should yet go to hell this man did not break the Law of God in the letter of it but yet he went away sorrowfull when Christ bad him go sell all that he had and give to the poor the young man went away sorrowfull for he had great possessions then says Christ How hardly shall a rich man enter into the Kingdom of heaven and so the proud Pharisee that boasted himself over the poor Publican yet this man went away justified and not the other 2. You that make small sins a prop to build hopes of heaven upon it may be though your sins are little and small yet what they want in bulk and magnitude they may make up in number and many small sins are more dangerous then one great sin many small scars upon the heart with a penknife is as bad as a thrust with a sword it may be with thee in this regard as it is in Arithmetick many small figures amount to a greater sum then a few great figures do four small figures make a greater sum then three great figures so many small sins will do thee more harm then a few great sins if what your sins do want in bulk and magnitude you make it up in their number and multitude you are as liable to damnation as if you had committed great and crying sins though you have not committed adultery in your life time yet it may be you have had many sinfull and unclean thoughts in your heart and though you have not been guilty of murder yet it may be you have had many revengefull thoughts in you which is as bad as murther and so of any other sins 3. You that plead exemption and freedom from great sins to be a prop to build hopes for heavē upon know thus much that smal sins are more capable of great aggravations then great sins are as I shall shew you in these 3. particulars wherin smal sins do admit of greater aggravations then great sins 1. Smal sins are committed most commonly with more complacency and lesse reluctancy then great sins are unclean thoughts do please the heart and tickle the fancy and content the minde of a man and are committed with a great deal more complacency delight and lesse reluctancy who would strain at a gnat Now it layes your souls upon more guilt when you commit the smallest sins with delight and contentment and satisfaction then if you did
commit great and gross sins if you labor to resist them and strive against them 2. Thou committest small sinnes with more security and lesse penitency then great sins when a man commits a great and scandalous sin he is sensible of what he hath done and layes it to heart and is ashamed of it and must repent of it or else it will be a shame to him all his life long but he can venture upon a small sin never be troubled at it nor grieved for it he can cōmit a smal sin with a great deal of security impenitency so that hereby they do the soul more wrong then great sins 3. You are apt to run into small sinnes with more frequency then you commit great sins for they are so open to the reproof of the Word and so obvious to the eyes of all men that you cannot find opportunities to commit them so often whereas small sins you commit again and again and one day after another and a thousand times in one day and yet never take notice of them and therefore this may convince you that your exemption from great sins can be no sufficient ground to build your hopes for heaven upon 4. You that build your hopes for heaven upon this ground because your sins are none of the greatest let me tell you that the smallest sins that ever you committed in all your life time without repentance on thy part and satisfaction on Christs part will forever keep thy soul out of heaven if you repent peradventure you shall be pardoned the smallest sins cannot be forgiven without the bloud of Christ to wash them away for without the shedding of bloud there is no remission and thus I have shewed the insufficiency and deceitfulnesse of the first prop that wicked men do build their hopes for heaven upon we come now to the second 2. But sayes a wicked man I have heard and read of those that have committed far greater and more crying sins then ever I have been guilty of and yet they hoped for heaven and are gone to heaven and therefore why should not I hope for heaven as well as they I read of David that committed Adultery and of Noahs drunkennesse and Pauls persecuting Christ and Peters denying of him and divers others and yet these men are gone to heaven and why may not I as well as they Concerning this plea of wicked men I shall give you these three things by way of answer 1. You that make this a ground for your hope you do pervert the end for which God hath recorded the examples of his servants in Scripture for God did not record them there to be a provocation to thee to goe on presumptuously in sinning against him but meerly to be a restraint and caveat to keep thee from falling into the same sins which they did if Noah and Lot and David and Peter c. such holy and excellent men as these had their failings and did commit great and grosse sins oh then let me take heed lest I am overtaken and fall into the same sins this is the use that we should make of the failings of other man as in 1 Cor. 10. 11. All things are written for our example to admonish us upon whom the ends of the world are come and in 1 Tim. 1. 16. sayes the Apostle Iobtained mercy that I might be an example to all that should hereafter beleeve in Jesus Christ. 2. You that make the sins of other men that have obtained mercy to be a ground to build your hopes of heaven upon let me ask you this Question you that do fall into the same sins with Noah or David or Peter do you repent with them too it is true Noah did fall once into the sin of drunkenness but yet the Scripture records this of him that he was an upright man in his generation and so David though he did once defile his bed yet afterwards he repented of it and made his couch to swim with tears for it so Peter after he had denyed Christ he went out and wept bitterly for it but I say what is all this to thee that doest make a trade of sin and fall into grosse sins every day time after time and yet never mourn and grieve for them as David did for his sin nor weep bitterly for them with Peter what plea can this be for thee to encourage thee to hope for heaven 3. Know this further that a godly man may fall into the same sins that others fall into for the matter of them but not for the manner now it is the manner of falling into sin and not the matter of it that dams a man it is true Noah did fall into the sin of drunkennesse but I shall distinguish Noah from any wicked drunkard in the world and that in these five particular considerations as 1. Noah was drunk but it was before he did know that wine would make him drunk and if you read the story you shall finde that there was never any wine drunk till that time for Noah did then begin to be a husbandman and did plant a Vineyard but now there is never a one of you but doe very well know that wine and strong beer and the like will intoxicate you and yet you will not refrain from excesse in drinking there is a great deal of difference between you and Noah 2. Noah was drunk but he did not proclaim his drunkennesse but the text sayes he went into his tent and slept he was ashamed of what he had done but now you proclaim your sin and swear and stare and commit many other sins in your drunkennesse 3. It is true Noah was drunk but you never read that he was drunk any more then once but you are drunk again and again one day after another 4. Though he did once fall into this sin yet for the ordinary course and practise of his life he was an upright man in his Generation whereas it may be your ordinary and frequent practise is drunkennesse 5. Noah was an aged man and in this regard his age might call for more wine and strong liquor to chear up his spirits then young people do want so that all these considerations do little mitigate and allay Noahs fault though it be not wholly excusable An so likewise David he committed the sin of adultery he wallowed in an unclean bed but yet his sin likewise may admit of some extenuation and excuse as 1. David when he came up to the house top he little dream't to have seen a naked woman there which was a very great temptation to him but it may be some of you do seek occasion and contrive and plot how you may commit such a sin 2. David did fall into this sinne neither but once you shall commonly finde that godly men fall into great sins but once they take warning by the first transgression and seldome fall into the same sinne again but now it may be
every man in the world This comes within the Arminian bounds but this opinion is taken up by others too as well as them that hold universall Redemption but because I have already preached two or three Sermons upon this subject I shall therefore onely now speak so much as is needfull to shew you the rottennesse and insufficiency of this prop 1. Suppose Christ did dye for all yet those men that are of this opinion that Christ did dye for all they doe not hold that all men are saved by Christ but some men may fall off from Christ and be damned notwithstanding Christ dyed for them 2. Take this by way of answer that it is not likely that they should have benefit by Christs bloud that have no benefit by this death 3. To you that make this a plea for your hopes of heaven observe this that where there are these generall expressions they are very ill understood if you say they speak of universal generall redemption as in 2 Cor. 5. 14 15. Because we thus judge that if one died for all then are all dead and he died for all that they that live should not henceforth live unto themselves but unto him that died for them and rose again why here none can lay claim to Christs death but those that live to Christ that died for them and so in Heb. 2. 9. But we see Jesus that was made a little lower then the Angels for the suffering of death cloathed with glory and honour that hee by the grace of God should taste death for every man but mark the restraint in the next words For it became him for whom are all things and by whom are all things in bringing many sons unto glory here the Apostle restrains the words to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings for both he that sanctifieth and they that are sanctified are all one for which cause he is not ashamed to call them brethren the Apostle does here again restrain the words and therefore this can be no more prop for your hopes that are not sanctified but thus much may suffice for the first branch in shewing you how wicked men doe make those places to be Scripture props for their hopes which are not 2. If they do not make those places to be Scripture props which are not yet they doe misapply those places which indeed are Scripture promises and grounds of hope as that Christ came into the World to save sinners now this is a Scripture promise for Christ came to seek and save them that were lost but now beloved men doe misapply this generall pillar of hope they take them in the generall notions of them and this makes abundance of people to harbour great hopes of heaven in their hearts but now I shall shew you wherein they doe misapply them 1. In not considering that a man must be first in Christ before he can lay claim to any promise of Christ They run to the promise and never examine first whether or no they have an interest in Christ The promise is good and comfortable but it cannot convey any comfort to thy soul unlesse thou art in Jesus Christ no more then a dry pipe can convey water to thee without the fountain we are first made Christs and then we have a right to all the promises of Christ it is by our interest in Christ that we have a right and title to all the promises of God in Christ If you have an interest in Christ you have all the promises as it were bound up in a bundle which you may have recourse to and make use of when you will 2. They object and say that the promises doe run in free and generall termes having no conditions annext to them Answ It is true there are some promises that are absolute so as to have no condition going before them but every promise in the Gospell hath some condition or other annext to it if it hath not a condition going before it as meritorious yet it hath a condition that followes after it â—â— in Gen. 17. 1. I am thy God all sufficient what then walk before me and be thou perfect In 2 Cor. 6. 16 18. I will be their God and they shall be my people and I will be a father unto you and ye shall be my sons and daughters saith the Lord God Almighty what followes why in the 1. verse of the next chapter saies the Apostle there Having therefore these promises dearly beloved let us cleanse our selves from all filthinesse both of the flesh and spirit perfecting holinesse in the fear of God So in Heb. 5. 9. Christ came into the world to save sinners but there is a condition goes after it he that sanctifieth and they that are sanctified must be all one There is no promise in all the Gospell but that a condition is prefixt or annext to it in Mat. 11. 28. saies Christ Come unto me all you that are weary and heavy laden and I will give you rest there is a foregoing condition we must come unto Christ and other promises have conditions going after as I could instance divers but these shall suffice There are two props more behind they are but very short ones I shall goe over one of them now because I would not be hindreed in my afternoons work in shewing you the difference between those that have a reall and well grounded hope and those that have only a false and deluding hope 6. Another false prop that wicked men build hopes for heaven on is this because they live honestly and justly among their neighbours they give every man his due and do no body any wrong and the like and therefore they conclude themselves in a very good condition Ans Were this a sufficient ground for hope for heaven there would more of the heathens goe to heaven then of you for they walk very exactly and are just and upright in all their dealings But wicked and bad men may have very good meanings in them as wee may see in Balaam Numb 23. 10. he desired to die the death of the righteous and that his last end might be like his this was a good desire and meaning in him 2. Take this for an answer that though a bad meaning will defile and pollute a good action yet a good meaning cannot advantage nor doe a bad action any good as the Scribes and Pharisees they performed very good actions in themselves but they had self-ends and bad meanings that spoiled all their duties good meanings cannot justifie bad actions If thy actions be wicked good meaning can do thee no good Rom. 8. Those that say Let us doe evill that good may come of it their damnation is just 3. Let your meaning be never so good yet if you have an ignorant minde it is worth nothing as in Prov. 19. 2. The minde without knowledge cannot be good as no man ever became rich
shall now give you a more particular view of them without God in the World the words as they are rendered in our translation incline this way for a man to be without any peculiar interest and propriety in God but these words without God in the World in the Greek signifies Atheists in the World that is they did so live as if there were no God in the World so then the words being thus opened there are two things involved in this phrase without God in the World 1. That they were Atheists in the world that is so living as if there were no God in the World 2. They were living in the World without any peculiar interest or propriety in God Doctr. From the first of these that they were Atheists in the World you may note this Doctr. That every man in the state of unregeneracy hee is an Atheist in the World he is a man that lives as if there were no God in the World every man in the state of unregeneracy is a practicall Atheist now when I tell you that every wicked man is an Atheist doe not mistake me for there are two sorts of Atheists an Atheist in judgement and an Atheist in practice an atheist in judgement is such a one as Pagans and Heathens are but an Atheist in practice is such a one as lives as if there were no God in the World so that the Doctrine is that every unregenerate man is a practicall Atheist that is he so lives as if there were no God in the World Psal 14. 1. The Fool hath said in his heart there is no God that is he so lives as if there were no God that takes notice of what hee does thou art a practicall Atheist oh man that so livest in the World as if there were no God in the world and here 1. I shall shew you how it comes to passe that any man is so grossely wicked to live as if there were no God in the World And 2. I shall give you the characters of a man that does live after this manner 1. How it comes to passe that men should be so grossely wicked such practicall Atheists to live as if there were no God in the World I shall give you four grounds of it 1. The first reason is because of Gods forbearance towards them Eccles 8. 11. Because God doth not speedily execute judgement upon wicked men when they commit a finne therefore they run into thoughts of Atheism and sinne with greedinesse as if there were no God in the World as in Psal 50. 21. These things sayes God thou hast done and I held my tongue therefore thou thoughtest that I was like thee but I will reprove thee and set thy sins in order before thee because God held his tongue and did not reprove them for their sins therefore they thought him to be such a one as themselves that he was a sinner as well as they because sentence against an evill work is not speedily executed therefore the hearts of the sonnes of men are set in them to doe evill the for bearance of God to wicked men makes them run on into practicall atheism whereas this is no ground at all to encourage thee to run on in sin for 1. The forbearance of Gods judgments was never intended by God to breed atheism in thy heart but to provoke thee to repentance as the Apostle says The bountifulnesse and long suffering of God should lead us to repentance 2. This will aggravate thy condemnation to make the forbearance of God a provocation to thee to goe on in sinne And 3. Know this that though God doth forbeare a while from punishing of thee for thy sins yet he does neither forgive thee nor forget thee as in Nahum 1. 3. The Lord is slow to anger but he is great in power and hee will not surely clear the wicked though God does forbear thee yet he will not forget thee so in Eccles 8. 12. Though a sinner doth evill an hundred times and his days be prolonged yet it shall not bee well with him in the latter end 2. Another ground whereby wicked men do plunge themselves into atheism is this because they see other men that are knowing men and professing religion men that doe pretend to know God and love God and worship God when wicked men shall see such men as these fall into great and grosse sins and live so unanswerable to their profession this makes them conclude that there is no God in the World as in Rom. 2. 24. sayes the Apostle there the name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles through you I have read a hrange story of a woman here in England that called in question the Deity whether there was a God or no and a Minister coming to her to convince her and satisfie her conscience and to perswade her into a beleife that there was a God asked of her this question how she came to bee an atheist shee answered the very first thing that caused her to entertaine thoughts of atheisme to beleive there was no God was the seeing of him live so wickedly and profanely for sayes shee I know you to be a learned and knowing man and you preach good Sermons and exhort people well and the very beholding you to live so wickedly to be a swearer a lyer a drunkard and a Sabbath breaker c. this made me to question whether there were a God in heaven or no seeing he did let you run on still unpunished 3. Another thing that makes men live as if there were no God in the World is the questioning of the authority of the Scriptures I have read of one a great scholar in this kingdome that the means whereby he came to be an atheist was this he first began to question whether the Bible were the Word of God or no because he did not know whether Moses that penned the beginning of it were a man of God or no then he questioned how Moses could write of those things that were done before he was born and then whether the Papists might not alter it in the translating of it and many others questions till by degrees he came to be a very atheist and to question whether there were a God or no and so there are some errours now in print that tend very much to atheism there are some that doe affirme that that Booke or volume of Bookes called the Bible is not the Word of God and such an opinion as this does very much worke upon mens hearts and perswade them that there is no God as in i Pet. 3. 4. sayes the Apostle There shall come in the last dayes scoffers walking after their owne lusts there are the Atheists but how came they to be so mark the next words and saying Where is the promise of his coming for since the Fathers fell asleep all things continue as they were from the beginning say they we have heard
in his darknesse you should bee wrapt in the winding sheet of Christs righteousnesse there is no shrowd like to that come thus to the grave and the grave shall have no power over you But to leave the Metaphor this must be your great work and care Christians to reflect upon these things in the serious applications and discourses of faith the infinite mercy of God the abundant merit of Christ and the sufficiency of his righteousnesse for your acceptance with God 2 Doe not onely act faith but strive after assurance of Gods love to your souls Old Simeon said Luk. 2. 29 30. Mine eyes have seen thy salvation now let me depart in peace he held the Messiah not onely in his Arms but in his heart and then he could comfortably dismisse his soul now let me dye said Jacob when he had seen Joseph he can never dye too soon as for himself his owne comfort and profit that hath seen Jesus his death is not untimely and immature by what stroke soever he be cut off whereas otherwise if you live an hundred yeares you dye too soon if you dye before you have gotten an interest in Christ the sinner of an hundred years shall be accursed old sinners that are left to be eaten out by their own rust are chimneys long foul and come at last to be fired 3 Mortifie corruptions sin must dye ere wee dye he dyeth well whose sinnes are dead before him either sin must dye or the sinner as the Prophet said in another case I say in this thy life must goe for its life you will find those sins mortall that are not mortified what should an unmortified man doe with heaven there are no sports nor carnall pleasures there those blessed mansions seem to him but dark shades and melancholy retirements the Apostle hath an expression Col 1. 12. He hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the Saints in light we are first made meet for heaven before we enter into it we are weaned from the world before we leave it when men hang upon the world as long as they can and when they can hang no longer think then to make use of God the Lord will refuse them with disdain Go to the Gods which you have chosen let the world now help you and save you in short a mortified man is prepared and ready he doth but wait for winde and tide and falleth like a shock of corn in season 4 An holy life and conversation men live as if they never thought to dye and then dye as if they never thought to live the best way to dye well is to live well they that are not ashamed to live are not afraid to die Balaam desired to dye the death of the righteous but would not take pains to live a godly life every man cannot say Thanks be to God that giveth us victory through Jesus Christ you can not dye in Christ unlesse you live in him and in the power of his life advance towards heaven oh labour to exercise your selves in these things that you may be in a constant preparation you never enter into the combate of death but once 't is impossible to mend oversights either we are slain or saved eternally Now if you doe what I have here exhorted you to you may wait till your change come and when it cometh your last hour will prove your best Use 3 3. It serveth to presse Gods children to improve the comforts of Christs victory doe not let it goe out of your hands 1 Improve it for your friends that are departed in the Lord our weeping puts some disparagement upon Christs conquest why should wee weep in the day of their preferment in the day of their solemn espousals to Jesus Christ In the primitive times at Funerals they were wont to sing Psalmes of thanksgiving we should bring them as champions to the grave as those that have passed the pikes and finished their course and kept the faith and have conquered the world and sin and death and danger Chrysostome in one of his homilies on the Hebrews speaketh of the ancient rites at funerals of their Hymnes and Psalmes and Praises haec omnia sunt laetantium saith he All these signifie joy and wilt thou weep and sing a Psalme of praise and triumph at the same time I confesse 't is said Act. 8. 2. That devout men carried Stephen to his burial and made great lamentation over him 't is our losse when the Church is bereaved of such excellent persons there is cause of sorrow but there should be a mixture we should not mourn as those without hope 1 Thes 4. 13. as Christians must not rejoice without sorrow so they must not be sorry without some mixture of joy let us declare that we hope for a resurrection that we expect to meet our friends again in heaven and when wee weep let it be like rain when the Sun shineth there should be somewhat of joy in our countenances as well as tears in our eyes 2. Improve it for your selves and that 1 In life time that in your resolutions you may bee willing to dye many times we are like Lot in Sodome or like the Israelites in Egypt we could wish for Canaan but are loath to goe out of Egypt this argueth little faith Can we beleeve there is a heaven so excellent and glorious and yet shun it can we hope for such an incorruptible inheritance and yet be afraid of it that we shall enter upon it too soon what Prince would live uncrowned what heir would whine when hee is called to come and take the inheritance what thoughts have we of eternall life do we count it a priviledge or a misery and a burden And again it argueth little love can we pretend to love Christ and be shie of his company he should be unwilling to dye that is unwilling to goe to Christ And again it argueth little judgement and consideration Wherein is this life valuable the world is nothing else but a place of banishment here is nothing but groaning all the creatures join in consort with the heirs of promise Rom. 8. 23. What do you see in the world or in the present life to make you in love with it are you not weary of misery and sin the longer thou livest thou sinnest the more certainly thou hast provoked God long enough already 't is high time to breath after a better estate and thou hast had taste enough of the worlds misery and deceit and of the frailties and weaknesses of the body a longer life would be but a longer sicknesse what 's the matter that we are so loath to let goe our hold of present things if it be not want of faith or want of love to Christ or too much love of the world certainly it must be fear of death what a baseness lowness of spirit is this to fear an enemy so often vanquished by Christ and his Saints
whom beleevers do build all their hopes for heaven so likewise they build their hope on the mercies of God in Psal 147. 11. The Lord taketh pleasure in those that fear him in those that hope in his mercy and again in Psal 33. 18. The eye of the Lord is upon them that fear him upon them that trust in his mercy and so in Psal 52. 8. saies David there I trust in the mercies of God for ever and ever A godly man he is cast out of himself and out of an opinion of his own righteousnesse and his hopes are only built upon the mercy of God and on the merits of Christ But now the false and presumptuous hopes that wicked men have are not built so much upon Gods mercy as their own duties and not so much upon the merits of Christ what he hath done for them as upon their own duties what they have done for themselves 3. True hope doth comfort and bear up the heart under all the discomforts that it meets with in the world as David saies I had fainted under my afflictions but that thy word is my hope and hence it is that you have those two admirable expressions put together Rom. 5. 2 3. Rejoycing in hope and glorying in tribulation these are put together to shew that when a man can rejoyce in hope he can glory in all the tribulations he meets with in the world But now presumptuous hopes are like lead and ponderous weights that will make you sink under every affliction It is only a true and saving hope that will enable you to hold up your heads under all afflictions and troubles 4. True hope does as well act for heaven as hope for heaven but a presumptuous hope that hopes for heaven as its end but yet never acts holinesse as its way to heaven true hope as it hopes for heaven so it labours to work out its salvation with fear and trembling You have an admirable passage for this in Psal 119. 166. saies David there Lord I have trusted in thy salvation and I have done thy commandements here is both hoping and acting for heaven put both together wicked men they hope for heaven but they do not do Gods commands and so in Psal 37. 3. Trust in the Lord and do good saies the Psalmist here is trusting and doing put together true hope doth act for heaven as well as hope for heaven but false hope doth hope much and act little wicked men will hope for salvation but not work out their salvation hope for heaven but not labour for heaven this is the fourth difference 5. That man that hath true hope he makes conscience to keep his heart pure and free both from the love of sin and from the dominion of sin while he lives here in this world you have a plain text for this in 1 Joh. 3. 3. He that hath this hope in him purifieth himself even as God is pure he doth labour and endeavour to keep his heart upright and pure and free from sin But now a false hope will hope for heaven though they walk on after the imaginations of their own hearts as in Esai 51. 10. Thou hast walked in the greatnesse of thy wicked wayes yet saidst thou not there is no hope though they had great sins yet they had great hopes for heaven if thou art such a one as is mentioned in Deut. 59. 18. that saiest Thou shalt have peace though thou walkest after the imaginations of thy own heart to adde drunkennesse to thirst if thou art such a one thy hope is only a presumptuous hope 6. True hope flowes from a long and well grounded experience this is the reason of that expression in Rom. 5. 4. Patience worketh experience and experience hope True hope flowes from a long and well grounded experience in the waies of God and from an experience of the grace and bounty and love of God to his soul and from experiences of the goodnesse and mercy and promises of God and likewise from an experience of his own heart in withstanding temptations subduing corruption and performing holy duties Such experiences as these are inlets to a well grounded hope for heaven but now the hopes of wicked men are only the results of ignorance they that never had any experience of themselves nor of the waies of God they have most hopes but their hopes are only deluding and presumptuous hopes wicked men that do so quickly get into a state of hope without any former experiences of the wayes of God it is a sign that their hopes are only vain and empty hopes they are but pithy hopes just like your pithy trees as Elders and Withies and such like trees they shoot up fastest and grow up soonest whereas the more firm and stronger wood as Oaks and Elme and the like are a great while longer in growing before they come to maturity why so it is a great while before a Godly man can get a well grounded assurance of his hopes for heaven Use And thus I have done with the Doctrinall part of this fourth branch of mans misery without hope we come now to the application and the Use that I shall make of it shall be threefold 1. For consolation 2. For terror and 3. For instruction 1. For consolation to the people of God though the Scripture saies a wicked man hath no hope yet it sayes otherwise of you that are a people of God the Scripture tels you that your hope is laid up in heaven for you and the Lord is your hope though wicked men have no hopes for heaven yet you have grounded and assured and certain hopes for heaven your hope is laid up for you in another world the wicked have only their hopes in this life and when they die their hopes shall perish as in Prov. 11. 7. When a wicked man dyeth his expectation shall perish and the hope of unjust men perisheth but it is not so with you for the godly hope in their death And this hope of a godly man is not as the Papists hold for though they grant a beleever hath hope yet they deny that any have assurance they say that all a beleevers evidence for heaven is only a hope a pâ—â—l adventure a most uncomfortable tenent whereas the Scripture sayes there is as full an assurance of hope as of faith in Heb. 16. 11. saies the Apostle use all diligence to the full assurance of hope unto the end and so in Rom. 15. 5. Your hope is such as will not make you ashamed your hopes are not like the hopes of men that hope for dead 〈◊〉 shoes as the proverb is for they may go on barefoot before they die but Christ who is our hope he hath dyed already and risen again he hath made his will and testament and hath left us legacies and be queathed riches to us our hopes are well grounded hopes not as other