fulness we have all received Thirdly That we have all received even Grace for Grace There is a great Controversy upon the latter Clause what should be meant by those Words Even grace for grace But because the Determination thereof fals properly within the compass of the Third Proposition and will have little influence upon the first which I intend God willing to speak unto at this time therefore I pass by that Controversy and come presently unto the First Proposition which is this Doct. That there is a fulness of Grace in Jesus Christ Fulness is here attributed you see unto Jesus Christ The word in the Original sometimes is taken for Abundance 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Psa 24.1 The Earth is the Lords and the fulness thereof So here it is not taken here it is too narrow for there is not only Plenitudo abundantiae but Plenitudo redundantiae not only a fulness of Abundance but a fulnesse of Redundancy an over flowing of fulness in Jesus Christ Sometimes the word is used for Fulfilling and Perfecting of a thing So Love is said to be the Fulfilling of the Law So it is not taken here for though Christ be the end of the Law yet notwithstanding the Fulness spoken here is that which we do receive and that is the Fulness of grace The word Firstly and Properly is given unto Vessels that are brim-ful of liquor and so Metaphorically appli'd here unto our Lord Jesus Christ who is brim-ful of grace in whom there is no emptyness there is no evacuity While I speak of Jesus Christ I mean Christ as Mediator as God-man There is a Fulness in Christ as God That is not the fulness so Christ is not taken here by what is said in the verse before the Text the 14 verse And the Word was made flesh And of His Fulness we have all received So that it is the Fulness of Christ as Mediator there is a Fulness of grace in Christ as Mediator I shal keep me close unto the words The Fulness is here spoken of which we are said to receive of which we receive we receive grace for grace 't is the Fulness therefore of grace that is in Christ that I am now speaking of Now the word Grace sometimes it is taken for the Love and Favour of God We are saved by Grace That is Eph. 2.5 we are saved through the Love and Mercy of God Sometimes this word in the Original is used 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Coll. 3.16 or put for Holiness Singing with grace in your hearts that is with Holiness in your hearts And sometimes 't is used for Excellency 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Donum quodquis gratificatur for Gifts or Ability as in Ephes 4.7 and in al these respects there is a fulness of grace in Christ First of all Take grace for Love and Bounty and Mercy and so there is Plenitudo bonitatis there is a Fulness of Love in Christ The heart and love of Christ now in Heaven is the same toward poor sinners toward His Children toward Beleevers toward Men as it was when He was upon the earth when Christ was upon the earth First There was a fulness of Pardoning Love in Him Then He would pardon men before they did come for pardon Father Luk. 23.24 saies Christ Father forgive them they know not what they do Ye count it a great act of love where the fault is great to forgive a man upon his acknowledgment of the fault Our Lord Christ did not stay for their acknowledgment but whilst they were reeking in their sins He forgives Father forgive them forgive them they know not what they do Yea if you look into the Gospel ye shall find that when men were putting forth the highest acts of fin He was putting forth the highest acts of His love When Christ was suffering for Peter Peter was denying Christ Peter denying Christ and Christ suffering for Peter When He was upon the earth He did not only pardon once but He would pardon again and again if men sinned again He would pardon again The Disciples slept and Christ Pardon'd They slept again and Christ pardon'd again they slept again and Christ pardon'd again Yea and when He had pardon'd He would not upbraid them with their former sins or with His own mercy After His Resurrection not a word to Peter of all his denial or of Christ mercy Beloved Christ is the same in Heaven He is the same in Heaven now Again when Christ was upon the Earth His first and His great care was Matt. 5.3 4. for those that were weak in grace The first Sermon that He Preached Blessed are the poor in spirit and blessed are those that mourn He doth not say blessed are those that have assurance of the love of God and blessed are those that have the sence of His Love in their hearts but blessed are the Poor and blessed are they that mourn And when any poor doubting trembling soul came unto Him He would not cast away their service because it was accompanied with infirmity but He would rather passe by their infirmity because it was accompanied with some sincerity So the Woman that came behind Him So Nicodemus And when any poor soul could not come to Christ could not come to Christ in Christs way Christ would come down to him in his way Thomas saith He Thou sayest thou wilt not beleeve unless thou thrust thy hands into My side Thomas Thou wilt not honour Me by beleeving unless thou seest Thomas Thou wilt not come up to Me in My way Well I will come down to thee in thy way Come reach hither thy fingers and thrust thy hands into My side and be not faithless but beleeving Oh! the admirable condescention of the love of Jesus Christ Beloved He is the same now in Heaven Again When He was upon the Earth He professed that His heart and His love and affections was as much if I say not more unto one Saint Rev. 22.14 Matt. 12 47.50 as unto all His kindred that are such Blessed are those that keep Thy Commandements Bebold say they Thy Mother and Thy Brother and Sister are without to speak with Thee Saies He Whosoever shall do the Will of My Father which is in Heaven the same is My Brother Sister and Mother As if He should say You count My kindred happy because they are neer unto Me but do you see one poor beleeving trembling gracious soul I tel you the soul that keeps My Commandements is as much unto Me as all My kindred that are such Here is love And I say the Lord Jesus His heart is the same still in Heaven And therefore you shall observe that when He was risen and came amongst His Disciples the dore being shut He comes into the room and He saies unto them Luke 24.36 Peace be unto you Why Peace be unto you the ordinary way and manner of Salutation As if He would say thus much
in regard of a particular Family in a Town 't is said concerning the Jailors family that they were all baptized they all beleeved but how did the Jailors family come and seek after the Kingdom of Heaven before the Kingdom of Heaven was brought unto them No The Apostles were brought into prison God works a miracle the Kingdom of Heaven grace and free remission is brought to the prison and is brought to the Jaylors family before ever the Jailor did stir after it And so ye know it was with the family of Zacheus Luke 19 9. Zacheus saies our Saviour This day is salvation come to thine house Pray consider it a little did Zacheus's house go to seek for salvation or rather did not salvation come and seek for Zecheus's house Indeed Zecheus out of a curiosity ran and got up into a tree that he might see the out-side of Jesus Christ but our Lord and Saviour Christ cals him down Zacheus saies he I must dine with thee invites himself he carries salvation unto his family Thus God deals by Families He deals thus by the World He deals thus by Nations He deals thus by Towns He deals thus by Families And he deals thus by particular Persons also Was it not thus with Matthew the Publican He sate ye know in his Custome-house and Christ came and found him out there he did not first go and seek after Christ but Christ came first unto him and found him out in his trade and said unto him 1 Tim. 1.13 follow me And was it not thus with Paul Saies Paul I was a blasphemer and a persecutor But I obtained mercy I was breathing out threatenings against the Saints and against the Disciples of Jesus Christ but as I was breathing out threatenings against them the holy Ghost breath'd upon my heart and met me in the way and unhorst me and showed me mercy the Kingdom of Heaven did approach unto Paul before ever Paul sought after it And as 't is with a particular Person in regard of his first Conversion and first Repentance So in regard of his After-Repentance Peter sins and before ever Peter repents Christ looks back upon him that is the first then Peter wept bitterly Johah sin'd and sin'd greatly in running away from God before ever Johah could find in his heart for to seek unto God God works a miracle provides a chamber of preservation even in the belly of destruction in the Whales-belly for him God brought neer his pardoning mercy and grace to him before ever Jonah came neer to it And as 't is in regard of a mans first second and after Prepentance So 't is also in regardof a mans Comfort and Consolation O Lord saies David Make me to receive joy Psal 51.8 Psa 77.2 and comfort that the bones that thou hast broken may rejoyce My soul refuseth comfort saies he As if he should say thus Lord I have been a great Surgeon at other mens hearts and I have been able to set their bones that have been out of joynt but now mine own bones are broken I have fallen greatly and now my own bones are broken I cannot set mine own bones My soul refuseth comfort and the promise is to my heart-like a bank of Ice that my heart slips off and Lord if thou doest not uphold my heart with a promise I shall never have comfort Make me to see comfort O Lord. Thus you see where ever you look in the Scripture 't is full of the truth that is here before us namely That the Kingdome of Heaven grace mercy and free-remission does approach unto us before we draw neer to it Evidences of it The First is Taken from our own Condition Naturally we are lost sheep so we are called by Christ Man in his natural state is compared unto the lost son the lost groat and the lost sheep Now you know when a sheep is lost it does not lie where it is lost if you lose your purse or if you lose a ring it will lie where it was lost unless it be taken up but now if a sheep be lost the sheep wanders up and down and doth not lie where it was lost but wanders up and down over one mountain to another through one thicket to another through one dirty place to another and of all creatures the lost sheep does not seek the way home again A dog lost will seek the way home again a Cat and such like creatures lost will seek the way home again but a sheep lost does not seek the way home again Now we are all lost sheep wandring up and down One he wanders over the mountain of Pride another through the thicket of the World another through some unclean Slough but all wandring and no man able to find his home till he be first found Therefore saies our Saviour Christ Luke 19.10 I came to seek and to save those that are lost He does not say barely I came to save those that are lost but I came to seek and to save those that are lost And truely we must be sought all along Saies David in the 119. Psalme and the last Lord I have gone astray like a lost sheep O seek thy servant We have need of continual seeking as long as there is continual wandring we have need of such a shepheard as may seek us out But first of all the Kingdom of Heaven does seek us out before we do seek it when we are found then we seek but we never seek till we are first found A Second Evidence I take from Christs willingness for to save sinners There is an infinite willingness in our dear Saviour for to save poor sinners He came from Heaven for that end and purpose If a man come a thousand miles upon a business will ye not think he is willing to do it Jesus Christ came from Heaven for this business for to save sinners Is He not then willing to do it I may say that Jesus Christ is more willing to save sinners than sinners are to be saved by him The Prodigal goes home to his father but when the father sees him after off he runs the Prodigal goes and the father runs to meet him with mercy Yea and our Savior Christ seems to be most willing to save the greatest sinners the greatest Saints have bin made up out of the greatest sinners When the Lord Jesus Christ was upon the earth did he not carry his grace and mercy and the doctrin of free remission to the greatest finērs Peloved consider of it I pray you The greater the sinner is the more is Christ honored in getting out his Pardon and in satisfying for such a finner and so he will love Christ the more Look I pray into the 7 Chap. of Luke Simon saies Christ I 'le propound thee a parable Master say on saies he Then saies our Savior at the 41 vers There was be certain Creditor that had two Dobters the one ought five hundred pence and the
for Christ When the poor sinner the woman spoken of in the 7. of Luke had much forgiven her freely she came and brought her precious boxes and powred them out upon Jesus Christ So when a soul hath tasted of the free love of God in Christ then no boxes of ointment too precious to powre out upon the feet of Jesus Christ Further The more of the Gospel and the more of the Kingdom of Heaven is in your Repentance The more of the Gospel will be in your Obedience the more of the Gospel will be in your Assurance the more of the Gospel will be in your Performance in your prayers and other duties Beloved Repentance is foundation work it hath an influence upon all your service If your Repentance be Legal your Obedience Legal and your Performance Legal and your Assurance Legal ever tying God unto such conditions as he never tyed you to through the improvement of your own unbelief But now when as your Repentance hath the Gospel in it drawn up and raised upon such motives as these then your Obedience your Comforts your Duties your Assurance will have the impression of the Gospel also upon them And Seventhly The more of the Gospel the Kingdom of Heaven is in your Repentance The more your hearts and spirits will be meekned and sweetned towards the Saints towards your fellow Servants the people of God What is the Gospel but a dead Christ As Jesus Christ was a living Gospel So the Gospel is a dead Christ When the Gospel approaches when the kingdom of Heaven draws neer to a soul and Christ therein the heart is meekned and made like to Christ The Law is called a fiery Law the Law of fire Comapred unto Hagar And saies the Apostle The children of the bond-woman will persecute the children of the free-woman of Sarah And what 's the reason that there is so much bitterness among Professors but because there is no more of the Gospel and of the Kingdom of Heaven in our Profession Beloved in the Lord Ye see into what sad times of Discord and Bitterness we are now brought As ever you do desire to be free from this spirit of Bitterness as ye do desire that ye may not have a hand in opposing your fellow-servants and acting a spirit of bitterness towards the Children of God Oh! labour for more of the Gospel get more of it into your Repentance and into your Obedience Oh! let us labour to be more Evangelical than ever we have been I had need call upon my own heart for this and give me leave to measure your own hearts by mine Beloved I don't now come to call for Repentance barely but I come this night unto you calling for refined Repentance Gospel-Repentance these are refining times your publick Worship refin'd the Government refin'd Christians had need refine all their Duties and all their Graces and all their Comforts and all their Assurance we had need even take our whole garment and look into every seame brush every seame there is so much dust gotten into it Oh! labour labour to be more Evangelical to get more of the Gospel of Christ into all your Duties The Gospel is the Ministration of life And the Ministration of the Law is called the Ministration of death The Ministration of the Gospel called the Ministration of righteousness the Ministration of the Law is called the Ministration of Condemnation The Gospel is called a Glorious Gospel a Glorious Gospel as ye do desire that Glory may be upon you get more of this Glorious Gospel into you more of the Gospel into all your Duties into your Repentance Which that you may do Now even Repent that ever you have been so Legal in your Repentance A man will never be Evangelical in his Repentance that does not in some measure grieve that he hath been so Legal in his Repentance And to end all If at amy time Man or Woman thou dost find thy heart dead and dull and saiest thou canst not pray thou art unapt and thy heart 's hardened Then go go to the word of the Kingdom go to the Gospel go lay out thy soul before the word of the Gospel consider the Kingdom of Heaven the word of the Kingdom free remission unto poor sinners and this is the only way for to break your heart for certainly this is a truth that I have spread before you think of it The appropinquation approaching or drawing neer of the Kingdom of Heaven is the highest and the greatest motive in the world unto true Repentance FINIS AN ALPHABETICAL TABLE Of the Second VOLVMNE A Abundance ABundance of grace Page 71 Acknowledge see Forgive Adam Difference between the first and Second Adam 21. Page 117 Advance Several advances of grace since the begining of the world Page 71 Affliction Affliction in some measure shews sin Page 242 Alsufficiency God will have his alsufficiency seen Page 157 Alsufficiency in Christ Page 93 Answerable see Grace Appointment Things are rather done by Gods appointment than by the use of the means Page 50 Assistance Fresh Assistance comes from Christ Page 101 Assurance brings comfort and how Page 43 B Beholding Frequent beholding Christ makes us like to him Page 125 Beleevers Gods infinit care over Beleevers Page 62 Beleevers must trust in God Page 157 Beleevers must be conformable to Christ Page 158 Saints should beleeve when all means fail Page 179 To beleeve when all means fail is well pleasing to God Page 180 How to beleeve when means fail Page 189 All things are possible to him that beleeves Page 214 See Fear and Union Blessings Some blessings are more common than others Page 160 See God Boldness Saints may come with boldness to the throne of grace and why Page 24 C Care see Beleevers Christ Christs care over weak ones Page 4 Christ condescends to man Page 5 Christ as kind after death as before Page 6 Christ is above Moses Page 10 Christ hath paid all our debts Page 11 Christ is the desire of all nations Ibid Spending for Christ makes men receive from Christ Page 16 Why Christ put on our flesh Page 22 Christ gives freely Page 27 How Christ is fully honoured Page 61 All comes from Christ Page 63 Christ is Commissioned by his Father Page 97 Christs willingness to save sinners Page 224 Christ most willing to save the greatest sinners ibid Christ draws neer to those that are not sensible of their sins Page 226 Christ orders things so that no flesh my glory Page 230 See Love Holiness upbraid Want Glory Prophetical Priestly Kingly-office Union Grace Willingness Work Happiness Alsufficiency Grace Honour Spirit Throne Civil Meerly Civil men are not answerable to the grace of Christ Page 122 Christian see Spirit Comfort The Comforts of the Saints are sure Page 158 Comfort is brought in to men before they seek for it Page 223 Contention All Contention ariseth from scantiness Page 47 Conversion see moment Creator Men should comit themselves unto God
fulnesse of grace which is in a beleever is many times hid from the world Page 31 2 He communicates grace to them as an universal cause and an universal cause seldom or never produceth particular effects without the concurrence of a particular cause ibid 3 He doth it in proportion Page 32 4 He doth it according to their necessities and wants ibid Application 1 Difference between the fulnesse of the world and the fulnesse of Christ Page 33 1 The fulnesse of the world is made up of many things The fulnesse of Christ of but one thing viz the Deity ibid 2 The fulnesse of the world is made up of worser things But the fulnesse of Christ of the best of bests Page 34 3 The fulnesse of the world runs into emptinesse but the fulnesse of Christ is a dwelling fulnesse ibid 4 The fulnesse of the world can never satisfie the better part of man The fulness of Christ ever doth Page 35 5 The fulness of the earth cannot commend a man to God the fulnesse of Christ makes a man lovely in the eyes of God Page 36 6 The fulnesse of the earth is mixt with poison sin and the curse of God The fulnesse of Christ with contentment ibid 7 The fulnesse of the earth is a defiling fulnesse The fulnesse of Christ a pure fulnesse Page 37 8 The fulnesse of the world is lesse than is expected the fulnesse of Christ is more than can be expected ibid 9 The fulnesse of the world is sometimes better wanted than enjoyed The fulnesse of Christ alwaies makes men happy ibid 10 The fulnesse of the earth costs many times more than it is worth but Christ gives much and takes nothing Page 38 11 All the fulness of the earth is not able to returne you love for love The fulnesse of Christ returns you more love than you brought ibid Application 2 An encouragement to all men to come in to Jesus Christ Page 39 To Beleevers It will make them firm against al Temptations Page 40 Discouragments Page 40 Afflictions Page 40 To Unbeleevers Page 41 Application 3 To beleevers to labour to own their own and strengthen their assurance of their union with Jesus Christ Page 42 SERMON III John 1.16 Doct. What grace or holinesse the Saints have from Christ They have it all in a way of receiving Page 46 Proved by instances In Justification ibid In Adoption ibid In Sanctification ibid In The gifts of the ibid In holy Ghost ibid Prayer Page 47 All in general ibid The rain that fals Page 48 As also 1 By the insufficiency of Nature 1 To overcome sin though never so small Page 49 2 To rise again if he be fallen Page 50 3 To continue if he should rise again Page 51 4 To do any one good work Page 52 5 To prepare himself unto what is good ibid 2 By the supernaturallity of grace Page 54 3 By the shortnesse of the means of grace Page 55 4 By the work and nature of faith Page 56 5 By the posture and true behaviour of prayer Page 57 Object This cuts off all endeavours Answered Page 58 1 It moves to endeavours because it causeth love and fear Page 59 2 Whatsoever service we tender to God on this side heaven is all a waiting vpon him Page 60 Reasons of the point 1 That all boasting rejoycing and confidence in ones self may be taken away Page 61 2 That Jesus Christ may be fully honoured and exalted ibid 3 That the Saints may live by faith Page 62 Application 1 Behold what infinite care God hath of beleevers Page 62 Application 2 Behold what pleasant lives the Saints live Page 65 Application 3 What abundance live under the Gospel that have no saving interest in Jesus Christ ibid Application 4 All is from grace from first to last Page 66 SERMON IIII John 1.16 Doct Abundance of grace the Saints in the new Testament have from Jesus Christ Page 69 Cleered 1 If we consider the several advances grace hath made from the beginning of the world to this day Page 71 1 We have it not by the candle but by the Sun Page 76 2 The vail is now rent we have it not in shadow but in substance Page 79 3 It is not tempered with the Law but with the Gospel Page 77 4 We have it not in bondage but with the spirit of adoption ibid 5 We have it from the Son of God Page 78 2 As there is abundance of grace discovered so there is abundance exhibited and communicated to the Saints Page 78 1 It is a great matter for an ungodly man to be justified Page 79 2 It 's a great matter for a man to be the Son of God ibid 3 It is a great matter to have the Image of Jesus Christ drawn upon a filthy soul ibid 4 It is a great matter for a man to be in heaven before he comes there Page 80 Object We do not see such abundance of Grace in the lives of those that are accounted godly Answered 1. Do you consider the opposition of Grace when grace is much opposed though it be little in bulk it will be great in operation Page 80 2 Consider the Retinue of it though grace be mean it hath a rich retinue Page 81 3 Consider the mystery of grace 1 It is a great matter to tremble at the word and yet to love it and prize it Page 82 2 To love the Ordinances and yet at the same time to think he doth not profit thereby Page 83 3 To comfort himself in that the Lord knows his heart and yet to see there is much hypocrisy there ibid 4 To be sensible of his sin and yet not willing to chang his condition with another for all the world ibid 5 To work out his salvation with fear and trembling and yet to rely upon Jesus Christ alone for it Page 84 6 For a man to walk closely with God and yet be in the dark ibid 7 To be diligent in his particular calling and yet take no thought what he shall eat drink or put on ibid 8 To know that God will work good and gain to him out of his sin and yet to strive against it as against the greatest evil of the world ibid 9 To be the more afflicted because his affliction comes from God Page 85 10 To pray earnestly for a better condition and yet be contented with his present though never so mean ibid Application 1 Do not vilifie the gift of God wherewith thou art enriched through Jesus Christ Page 86 Application 2 Behold what great sinners professors are Page 86 Application 3 What a mighty encouragement here is both to good and bad To bad to come in to Christ Page 88 To good to abound in grace Page 88 SERMON V John 1.16 Doct. Whatsoever grace the Saints have they have it from Jesus Christ Page 91 Proved By the insufficiency of nature Page 92 By the alsufficiency of Christ Page 93 Objections answered Page
unto them That they should find Him every way as courtious and as loving towards them now being risen as He was before He died And my beloved if Jesus Christ should not be as gracious and as kind after death as before then His Disciples should be losers by His death But He profest to them before He died that they should not be losers but gainers rather When our Lord Christ was upon the earth out of His love He died for us He loved us and died for us His love then cost Him much Now that He is in Heaven He dies no more He can love us at a cheaper rate And shall we think that when He was upon the earth He would lay down His life for us and now He is in Heaven He won't speak a good word for us Certainly beloved the Lord Jesus is as full of love and tender affection toward His now He is in Heaven as He was upon the earth Take grace for Love and so there is a fulness of grace in Jesus Christ That is the first Secondly Take grace for Holiness and so there is Plenitudo sanctitatis a fulness of Holiness in Jesus Christ There are Three things in the old Testament that were very Holy The Law The high Priest And the Temple As for the Ceremonial Law though it was very holy yet in regard of the Spiritual command of the Gospel and Christ the Ceremonials of the Law in the book of the Hebrews Heb. 7.16 is called the Carnal Command And as for the high Priest though he had holiness written upon his fore-head yet therein he was but a type of Christ And saith the Apostle in the book of the Hebrews The high Priest then when he offered for others sins Heb. 7.27 he offered first for his own sins But our high Priest not so And as for the Temple it was indeed very holy the Jews rested much thereupon And therefore they cryed thrice Jer. 7.4 The Temple the Temple the Temple of the Lord But now if you look into the 6. Chap. of Esay you shal find that our Lord Christ is there upon the Temple and whereas they cryed Three times for the Temple The Temple of the Lord the Temple of the Lord the Temple of the Lord Three times this is ecchoed concerning Christ Holy holy holy At the first verse I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne high and lifted up and His Train filled the Temple His Train filled the Temple Above it stood the Seraphims each had six wings with twain he covered his face with twain he covered his feet and with twain he did fly and one cryed unto another and said Holy holy holy As if he should say you that are the Jewes you cry out of the Temple The Temple the Temple the Temple But here 's holiness here 's one that is holy Holy holy holy That this is to be understood of Christ you may see plainly by comparing it with the 4. Chapter of the Revelations at the 2. verse Immediately I was in the Spirit and behold a Throne was set in Heaven and one sate on the Throne as it is said in Esay one sate on the Throne And he that sate was to look upon as a Jasper and a Sardine stone And there was a rain-bow round about the Throne And round about the Throne were four and twenty Seats and there were four and twenty Elders and four living creatures The discription of the Gospel-Church And saith he at the 8. verse The four beasts had each of them six wings about him and they were full of eyes within and they rest not day and night saying Holy holy holy Mark the very same expression that you have there in Esay he doth not say thus Righteous righteous righteous Just just just But Holy holy holy Is there not then a fulness of Holiness in Jesus Christ I 'le give you but Two Demonstrations of it If there were not a fulness of Holiness in Jesus Christ how is it possible that God and man could be brought so neer together that were so far asunder Every man naturally is full of sin You say of the Begger He is full of vermine why because he goes to this door to that door and to another door and he scatters his vermine where ever he comes and the man knows it not Surely therefore the man is full of vermine And so a man naturally dropping and scattering his sins and not knowing of it it argues he is ful of sin God he is full of Holiness whose eyes cannot endure to behold iniquity yet when men are converted and drawn to God they are brought neer unto him they are the apple of His eye their names are written in the palme of his hand That is saies Luther the hand is an instrument of work and when the names of the Saints are said to be written in the palme of Gods hand it notes thus much saies he That God in all his works hath an eye to his Children God in all the works of his hands hath an eye to his Children They are the friends of God and God is their friend When a man is my friend not only his Purse is my friend or his Estate is my friend or his Tongue is my friend or his Hand is my friend but his Sword is my friend So when God is a friend to any not only his Mercy is his friend but the Sword of God is his friend the very Wrath of God is a friend to his Children Such a great friendship there is between God and his people so neer they are brought to one another Well but how are they brought thus neer They are brought neer by Jesus Christ in whom we have a Manuduction a leading by the hand saies the Apostle as the word carries it unto God the Father But now could men so full of sin and God so full of Grace and Holiness be brought so neer together by Jesus Christ if there were not an infinit fulnesse of Holiness in Jesus Christ Again If there were not this fulnesse of Holinesse in Christ how should he be anointed with the oyl of gladnesse above his fellowes The Saints themselves are said to be full of grace Ephes 1.23 The Church called The fulnesse of Christ that filleth all in all Stephen Mary others full of the holy Ghost Surely therefore if so much of the oyntment run down upon Christs Members there must be a great anointing upon Christ himself Surely there must be an infinit holinesse in Christ that must serve us all And of his fulnesse we have All received we have All received You will say Object But if the Saints be full of grace and holinesse how is this the property of Christ Yes For though the Saints be full of grace Answ and holinesse yet their fulnesse is but a fulnesse of Sufficiency Mark whereby they are made able to this or that work whereunto they are appointed But the fulnesse of Christ is a fulnesse
is you shall have a godly man work work with fear and trembling as if he would earn Heaven with his fingers-ends and yet he relies upon Jesus Christ only for his salvation Further. You say 't is no great matter for a man To walk closely with God But 't is a great matter It may be you wil say 't is not I but for a man to walk closely with God and yet to be in the dark to walk exactly and yet to be in a crowd and throng of business who can walk exactly in the dark and who can walk exactly in a crowd when he is carried to and fro in a crowd Thus now you shall have a godly gracious man walk exactly with God closely with God and yet may be in the dark a Child of light and yet in the dark and in a crowd of occasions and businesse and yet walk exactly this is much Again You will say 't is no great matter for a man to be diligent in his particular Calling I but for the same person for to take no thought no dividing thought what be shall eate or drink or put on and yet be diligent in his particular Calling this is much Now so it is you shall have a godly gracious soul taking no care no dividing care what he shall eate or drink or what he shall put on and yet diligent in his particular Calling Again You will say It is no great matter for a man To grieve for sin past and to strive against sin for the time to come I but for the same person to know that his sin past is pardoned and to know that if he fall into a sin for the time to come God will work good out of it it shal be for his gain God wil over-rule it so and yet strive against it as the greatest evil in the world this is much Now thus it is A gracious soul knows his sin is pardoned yet he grieves for it and he knows that if he shall fall into a sin the Lord will over-rule things so as he shall be the better for it and yet he strives against his sin as the greatest evil in the world Here is a Mastery this is much Again You will say 't is no great matter for a man to be quiet under his Affliction because it does come from God for that reason I but for the same person To be the more sencible and to be the more afflicted because it does come from God this is much Beloved you shal have these Two meet together A godly gracious soul he is therefore quiet under Affliction because it does come from God and he is therfore the more sencible of his affliction because it does come from God Here 's a mystery put these together and you will say things rese high I 'le Instance but in one more and that is a Tenth You will say 't is no great matter For a man to be contented with his condition to be contented with his condition when 't is mean and when 't is poor I but for the same person To desire a better and pray for a better and to pray earnestly for a better and yet be contented with his condition though it be never so mean this is much Thus 't is with the Saints a Child of God being in a mean condition he desires a better he prayes to God for a better and he prayes earnestly to God for a better and yet he is contented with his condition though it be never so mean pray and pray earnestly and yet contented with his condition though it be never so mean Thus my Beloved Oh! there is a Mystery there is a mystery in every piece of godliness and you look not upon things under the mysterious Notion and you say 'T is no great matter that is in the life of such a one Oh! but if you would look upon things under this Notion and consider the mystery of godliness and every piece thereof you would lift up your hands and say Oh! surely he that hath but the least measure of Gospel-Grace hath Abundance of Grace he that hath but the least degree of Grace hath Abundance of Grace of Christs Fulness Now under the new Testament we have received not Sparingly not Scantly but Grace for Grace and Abundance of Grace he that hath but the least measure hath received much hath received Abundance Some few things by way of Application and so I have done If it be so Applic. 1 Then why should any of Gods People vilifie and degrade and lowen the gift of God wherewithal they are enriched through Jesus Christ Would you take it as fair dealing from a child that is estated in great lands by his father if he should say my father indeed was pleased to bestow a great Estate upon my Brother but he hath given little or nothing to me He hath bestowed great means upon such a Sister but he hath given little or nothing to me This were not fair dealing And is this fair dealing with your God and with your father When you shall say I there is such a godly man the Lord hath given him a great Estate of the Gospel but little or nothing to me And there is such a woman such a Sister the Lord hath done much for her soul but Oh! little or nothing for me Beloved There is no sin small because committed against the great God There 's no blessing small because received from the great God but of all blessings Gospel-blessing is the greatest blessing Hath the Lord therefore man or woman given thee any Gospel-Grace the Grace of Jesus Christ He hath given thee much that which thou look'st upon as little 't is much in the eye of Heaven Wherefore now let not the Eunuch say Oh! let not the Eunuch say I am a dry tree any longer Take heed how you degrade and vilifie and lowen the Grace of God wherewithal you are inrich't through Jesus Christ Secondly Appli 2. If there be such Abundance of Grace even Grace for Grace Abundance of Grace given unto the Saints and People of God under the new Testament Behold then what great finners Professors are yea the fins of Gods own people The more light and knowledge a man hath if he sin the greater is his sin The more beams of Grace fall upon a mans heart the more he is able to discern the motes that are there and so may avoid them and sinning he sins the more The more grace and the more mercy a man sins against the greater is his sin because free Grace and mercy is the remedy The more strength a man hath to stand the greater is his sin if he fall As it was with Adam He had strength to stand and yet he fell I say the more strength a man hath to stand the greater is his sin if he fall Now Beloved ye have heard what Abundance of Grace is Discovered Exhibited Communicated unto all the Saints under the new Testament unto
that are given to worldlinesse So the sight and beholding of the deadnesse of the meanes is a great snare and temptation to those that are given to doubting and those that are given to unbeliefe Does the meanes therefore lie dead before thee at any time Soule man or woman go to the Lord and say thus Ah! Lord turne away mine eyes from beholding this same dead meanes away away to the promise when all meanes faile now beare thy selfe at length upon the promise go unto Jesus Christ throw thy self now at his feete and say Lord though thou kill me yet will I trust in thee if I perish I will perish here Do this and live And thus I have done with the Second Proposition And so much for this time Rom. 4. vers 19. And being not weak or weakned in faith he confidered not his own body now dead when he was about an hundred years old neither yet the deadnesse of Sarahs wombe THe words are spoken of Abraham and they hold forth Three great Truths as yee have heard First That when God intends any great mercy or blessing to the children of Abraham he does first put the Sentence of death upon the blessing or mercy and upon all the meanes that do lead unto it Secondly That then and then especially 't is the duty of all the children of Abraham of all beleevers then for to trust in God Thirdly That no difficulties can stand before Faith true saving justifying faith carries the soule through all difficulties discouragements and naturall impossibilities to Jesus Christ I have done with the two former and am now to speake unto the third No difficulties can stand before Faith Doct. 3 True saving justifying Faith carries the soule through all difficulties discouragements and naturall impossibilities to Jesus Christ Abraham had a promise given him that his seed should be as the starres of Heaven and that in his seed all the Nations of the world should be blest Upon this promise Abrahams body is dead and Sarahs body is dead Now Abraham beleeves Being not weake in Faith he considered not the deadnesse of his own body And in this he had an eye unto Jesus Christ for this was imputed to him for righteousnesse and herein he is held forth as an example to us that beleeve with a justifying faith in this chapter So that where ever there is true saving justifying faith it carries a man through all difficulties through all naturall discouragements For the clearing whereof I shall deliver my selfe in these foure things First I will shew you That the way to Jesus Christ is clogged with many difficulties and naturall discouragements this as a rice unto all the rest Secondly That true saving faith will carry one through all these Thirdly That nothing else can do it And Fourthly What it is in true saving justifying Faith that does is How this Faith comes to do it First The way to Jesus Christ is clogged with many difficulties or naturall discouragements No sooner does a man begin to looke after Christ but difficulties and naturall discouragements do arise and they are prest by Satan with much violence When the children of Israel began to make out of Egypt Pharoah doubles their taske and labours to make their way grievous and troublous And so soone as a soule begins to look after Christ Satan and the world labours to make his way troublous The Devill is the great hunter of Soules So long as the Game goes well with the hunter and he is going into his snare he makes no noise but if once the Hare or the Game begin to decline the snare and go another way then he hoopes and he hollowes and he makes a noise that he may scare it into the snare againe And so as long as men are going into the Devils snare he makes no noise but if once they begin to turne aside from his snare then he raises Town Country and a great noise is made to scare the soule in againe He knowes that a candle may be easily blown into light when 't is new put out Paul met with no buffetings of Satan till he had been taken up into the third heavens and seene the glory there So long as Paul went on in his Pharasaicall way he met with no opposition and so long as a man goes on in the way of the world or in some Pharasaicall Devotionall-way that is not the way of the Gospell he meetes with no opposition but when once the Lord takes him as it were into the third heavens and shews him the glory of Christ then Satan begins to buffer him Nature within us that stands and saies Will you go to Christ 't is impossible that ever you should get him And the world without Will you go to Christ you will lose all your friends Will you become a foole too What with the world and what with the flesh and what with the Devill the way to Jesus Christ is clogged with many difficulties And this will appeare yet further if you consider the Nature of Faith and the worth of it 'T is a grace a Gospel grace a precious grace whereby we do come to Christ I say 'T is a grace Nulla Virtus sine lapide When our Lord Jesus Christ was crucified they rould a stone over his sepulcher and when the Disciples came they said Who shall roule away the stone Mark 16 3 And as our Lord himselfe had a stone roul'd upon him so the more of Christ is in any vertue the greater stone and the greater difficulty is rould upon it every vertue and every grace hath one stone or other that is roul'd upon it but the more of Christ in any thing the more the greater is the stone that is roul'd upon it Faith is an excellent grace 1 Pet. 1.7 The triall of your Faith is more precious then gold sayes the Apostle what is Faith it selfe then It is the Intelligencer of the Soule the directrix or Queene-regent of all the graces it sits at the sterne and guides the whole Vessel 'T is that grace that gives a Being unto a Christian other graces the Well-being It is that grace that brings Christ and the Soule together It is that grace that covers the defects of all other graces Ephes 6.16 'T is called the shield a shield does not only cover the body but the rest of the armour Faith does not onely cover the Soule but the defects of all other graces There is an excellency in grace excellent things and jewels they are hard to come by Therefore by it we come unto Christ He that comes over the River must come from that side of the water if he will come to this And he that comes to Christ he must come from his old Customes and his own Engagements and his own Righteousnesse this is a hard thing I may say in some respects 't is harder to beleeve then to keepe the ten Commandements because there is something in nature towards
do here lay the waite of my poore guilty soule upon thee do with me what 's good in thine eyes Ah Lord my prayers are dead my affections dead and my heart dead but thou art a living God and I bare my selfe upon thee Beloved if ye can beleeve all things are possible if you cannot beleeve all things are unpossible faith will make a thing easy though it be never so difficult as unbelief doth make a thing difficult though it be never so easie This is a certaine truth no difficulty can stand before faith true saving justifying faith carries the soule through all difficulties discouragements and naturall impossibilies to Jesus Christ Oh therefore as you desire to grapple with the difficulties that you do meet withall stirre up your selves in a way of beleeving for you have hear that nothing else can do it The Lord teach us to beleeve at a higher rate then ever yet we have done EVANGELICAL Repentance MATTHEW 3.2 Repent ye for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand Preached at Clapham May 10. 1646. MATTHEW 3.2 Or thus Repent ye for the Kingdom of Heaven hath approached THESE Words are the words of John the Baptist when he first began to preach the Gospel of Christ and if ye look into the next Chapter the 4. of Matth. and the 17. vers ye shal find That our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ Himself does preach the same Doctrine in the same words Jesus began to preach and to say Repent for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand Our Savionr Christ the better preacher is not ashamed to tread in Johns steps and words John honored Christ and Christ honored John Ministers should strengthen the hands one of anoter And if ye look into the 10. Chapter of Matthew ye shall finde That when our Saviour sent out his Disciples for to Preach the Gospel he commands them to preach the same Doctrin too in the same words verse the 7. Go ye preach saying The Kingdom of Heaven is at hand But here 's no Repent Yes that was in their Commission too as ye may reade in the 6. of Mark and the 12. verse they would not preach a word beyond their Commission And they went out and preached that men should Repent So that their Commission also was to preach thus Repent for the Kingdom of Heaven hath approached or hath drawn neer unto you Surely there is somewhat more than ordinary in these words That John and our Saviour Christ and all the Disciples should begin thus for to preach in these words Repent for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand They were all Ministers of the Gospel and the Ministers of the Gospel are not barely to preach Repentance but they are to preach Repentance upon Gospel Motives The Kingdom of Heaven is at hand In the words ye have an Exhortation Repent ye A Motive unto the work of Repentance for the Kingdom of Heaven hath approached Repent ye That is be not only sorrowfull for sin committed but mend your lives Repentance is sometimes taken in a large sence for Amendment of life Sometimes Repentance is taken only for Godly sorrow in a more strict and a narrow sence Somtimes it is taken largely For the Amendment of our life not only for godly sorrow but all obedience and reformation And so it may be taken here as ye may perceive by the 3. vers where this word Repent is explain'd Repent ye for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand for this is He that was spoken of by the Prophet Esaias saying The voice of one crying in the wilderness Prepare ye the way of the Lord make his paths streight Preparing the way of the Lord and making streight paths all one with Repentace There is a Iegal Repentance And there is an Evangelical Repentance Some think it is a Legal Repentance that is here required and there upon they urge a necessity of Legal preparation before a man does come to Christ as there is a John Baptist before Christ so say they there must be a Legal work of necessity before a poor soul can have any admittance to Jesus Christ But I pray consider the words and you will find That not a Legal repentance but Evangelical is here required Did our Savior Christ Himself preach Legal Repentance They are the words of our Savior Christ He uses them too The Repentace is as the Consideration is that this work is to be founded on as the motive is What 's the motive The Kindom of Heavcn is at hand Repent let your Repentance be upon this ground because the King-dom of Heaven hath approach't because the Kingdom of Heaven hath drawn neer He does not say Repent because the Kingdom of Hell is neer but because the Kingdom of Heaven is neer the Motive being Evangelical the Repentance is so 't is not a Legall but an Evangelieal Repentance that is here required Besidesw these words Repent for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand are not spoken only to the ungodly but unto the godly also of those times who were to prepare the way of the Lord and to make streight their pathes And therefore not to be understood of a Repentance only preparatory to that in the heart But what then are we to understand here by the Kingdom of Heaven Quest and the approaching of the Kingdom of Heaven For the Kingdom of Heaven hath approached or drawu neer unto you The Kingom of Heaven sometimes in the language of the new Testament Notes Ans The glorious condition of the other world that we are going to Sometimes it notes the State of the Church it 's used for the Church of Christ And sometimes for the Gospel of Christ I take it here for the whole State of the Messiah the Kingdom of grace Christ and all his benefits grace mercy and free remission published in the Gospel in the several dispensations and administrations thereof this is called the Kingdom of Heaven for this motive The Kingdom of Heaven is at hand is set and used here in opposition unto the motives that was used among the Jewes when the Jewes were Excited and put upon any duty they were stirred up thereunto upon such motives as these for the Kingdom of Canaan is at hand If you do so and so God will bring you into the Land of Canaan and give you that Land Now under the Gospel here are other motives Repent for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand Not like those Jewish motives The kingdom of Canaan is at hand or the Kingdom of the Jebusites is at hand Christians are not only or especially to be stir'd up by such motives as those but by higher and greater motives Repent for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hadn And may carry an Hebraisme with it The Kingdom of Heaven that is a heavenly Kingdom as the Law is called the Law of fire in the Hebrew a fiery Law The Jews expected the Messiah dream'd of an outward glourious and pompous Kindgom Now
this than with the other And I pray what then Do but observe Paul who gracious he is how humble he is how thankful he is how ready to serve Christ how ready to serve the Churches for Christ how ready to suffer for Christ upon all occasions Oh! how gracious did this make him Thus 't is with a poor soul that hath tasted of the free-grace of God in Christ the heart is more taken herewithal than with the thoughts of Heaven Ah saies a poor soul I was going on in such a sinful way or I lay sleeping and snorting in my sins and I know not how before ever I was aware the Kingdom of Heaven did approach unto me and the Lord in his free-grace showed mercy to my family and to my poor soul Oh! therefore any thing for Jesus Christ Oh! I will spend and be spent Oh! any thing for Jesus Christ The sight of Gods grace does make one gracious and therefore Christ does take this way Causing the Kingdom of Heaven grace and free remission to approach first unto us before we do draw neer to it There is one Reason more I will but name it Christ does so order things in the dispensations of his grace that no flesh might glory in it selfe or in any thing that it hath or doth that no flesh might rest in any duty in any service in any suffering but only upon grace upon Christ alone Beloved we are very unwilling to come unto any duty and when we have done we are then as apt to rest upon it as ever we were unwilling to come unto it But what 's the reason that men are so apt to rest upon their duties but because there are these secret thoughts that they come to Christ before he does come to them Let the heart be possest with this truth That Jesus Christ and the Kingdom of Heaven and of free-grace does approach unto us and come neer to us before we draw neer to it And then he will not rest so much upon what he is doth or suffereth A man in this case is like unto a Silk-worme you know how 't is with that worme it makes a fine web a fine work and when it hath done it dies in it afterward it eats a hole through the work and it comes out with wings a quite other creature than it went into it So it is with a poor Christian he makes a fine work of duty and then he dies in it but through the manifestations of Gods free grace he does as it were eat a hole through all and he comes out with wings flying away from his duties not so as to neglect the performance of them but so as not to rest upon them flyes away from in regard of resting upon any duty and only upon this ground because saies he God did draw neer to me grace did draw neer to me mercy did draw neer to me before ever I drew neer to it and therefore why should I rest upon any duty performe it I will but through grace I will not rest upon it By way of Application Applic. 1 Let us I pray consider with our selves whether God hath dealt thus by our souls or no Hath the Kingdom of Heaven approch't and drawn neer unto us before we drew neer to it if not truly for ought that I know we are yet under the Law and all our mournings and walkings Heaven-ward they are but Legal If God love you indeed He shews kindness and mercy to you before you do come to him 'T is with Gods darlings as 't is with the worlds-darlings You have some men take a great deal of pains rise early and go to bed late and yet the world does not smile upon them these are the world's enemies Some take pains and grow rich thereby these are the worlds friends Others there are again that before ever they take any pains the Lord is upon them with the worlds blessings these are the worlds darlings So I say God hath his darlings and if thou art one of Gods darlings He does cause the Kingdom of Heaven Grace and Free-remission to appear and draw neer unto thy soul even before thou dost draw neer to it Hath God dealt thus by any of you Oh! contemplate consider seriously the sweetness of this grace Beloved preventing grace is sweet grace The Lord gave a Grown a Kingdom to David but the best Pearle in all the Crown that his eye was most upon was Gods preventing mercy Psa 21.3 Lord saies he thou hast prevented me with the goodness of thy blessing As if he had said thus Lord thou hast not only given me a kingdom made me a King over thy people but when I was a poor Shepheard keeping my fathers sheep thou diddest prevent me with thy love So may a poor soul say Ah Lord thou hast not only given me a kingdom but thou hast prevented me with thy love 'T is a great matter that the great God of Heaven and Earth should answer our prayers give us any mercy upon our request I but that the Lord should give us the greatest mercie before we come for it Pray good people mark it a little Ye shall observe that the greatest mercies that ye have ye have them and they are given unto you before you come for them There are some great mercies that a Christian hath as Conversion of his soul Justification Remission of sin Some lesser mercies as comfort and peace and outward plenty As for these lesser mercies God gives them when we do come for them but as for the great Mercies Remission of sin Justification of our persons Conversion of our souls God is upon us with these mercies before we come for them Oh! what grace is here Oh! what glorious rich grace is here What! shall be not stand and admire at the glory of this free grace of God in Jesus Christ You will say unto me Quest But suppose this that the Lord hath brought the Kingdom of Heaven neer to me and my family before I did come to it for I must confess that I have tasted and drunk deeply of Gods preventing love Oh! how graciously hath God dealt by our poor family wee were a poor ignorant family and the Lord shewed mercy to our family when we little thought of it to such a Child to such a Servant to such a Friend to mine own soul Indeed this is true That the Kingdom of Heaven hath approch't unto me drawn neer unto me before I drew neer to it Oh! what is my duty now that does flow from hence Let me tell you Ans 1 Duty First of all Be sooner at Heaven gate with your duties hereafter than ever you were before When as a Master comes into his servants Chamber in the morning and takes him abed if the servant have any ingenuity the servant saies this my Masters coming thus early is plainly a rebuke to my sloth and therfore God willing I will be up sooner another day So now
I say to you man or woman young man or old hath the Lord brought a gale upon thine heart at any time a gale of mercy made a tender of mercy and free remission to thee Oh! for the love of God and of thy own soul take heed how you lose this opportunity is the wind come about the Spirit blows where it listeth is the wind come about Up with thy sailes up with thy sailes take heed how you lose this opportunity that now you have Little do you think that the Kingdom of Heaven may be in such a motion as you despise the Kingdom of Heaven may be knocking at your door the door of your heart by such a hand as you little think of The Kingdom of Heaven is like a grain of musterd-seed Mat. 13 31 32. which indeed is the least of all seeds but it grows to that bigness that the fowles of the aire come and make there their nests When you see a little musterd-seed you will say 't is impossible can ever this musterd-seed grow to that bigness that the fowles of the aire should there make their nests The Kingdom of Heaven is like Christ himself Can this be the Messiah 't is the Carpenters son can this Carpenters son be the Messiah So the Kingdom of Heaven is like a grain of musterd-seed comes with a small motion May be a Child makes a motion to his father Oh! father let there be prayer in our family Oh! let there be reading the Word in our family May be the servant comes and makes a motion to the Mistrisse Oh! Mistrisse let 's go to such a Sermon let us go to such a meeting let 's go to prayer The Kingdom of Heaven may come in such a motion by the hand of a Child by the hand of a servant take heed therefore if you have not submitted to this offer Oh! take heed take heed how you neglect so great salvation I say the Kingdom of heaven may come in such a small motion as you despise And therefore if ever the Lord breath upon any of your hearts if the wind come about man and woman up with thy sailes now for thy life now for thy Eternity if this gale be lost may be thou shalt never have such a gale again The Kingdom of heaven does approach and draw neer unto us before we draw neer unto it well therefore when it comes see that you accept of it SERMON II. MATTHEW 3.2 Repent ye for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand Preached at Margrets New-fishstreet March 16. 1645 Or hath approached THESE Words are part of that Sermon which John the Baptist preached when he first began for to preach the Gospel They contain ye see at the first view An Exhortation to Repentance with a motive or encouragment thereunto For the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand I take it for granted that ye understand what is the notion of Repentance And my design is not to fall into the common place of Repentance but only to speak to it so far as it hath relation to this motive Some there are that think these words are to be understood of a Legal Repentance as if John the Baptist's Ministry were a legal Ministry and in that sense he himself a fore-runner to Jesus Christ This me thinks is to lowen the Ministry of John the Baptist And if you look into the 1. Chap. of Luke you will find that John's Ministry was not a Legal Ministry but a Gospel-Ministry the 76 and the 77. verses Thou Child shalt be called the Prophet of the Highest for thou shalt go before the face of the Lord to prepare his wayes To give knowledge of salvation unto his people by the remission of their sins And if ye look into the following verse to the Text ye shall finde the interpretation of this Repentance Repent ye for this is he that was spoken of by the Prophet Esaias saying The voice of one crying in the wilderness Prepare ye the way of the Lord make his paths straight So that preparing the way of the Lord and making his paths straight is all one with that which is going befoe Now is any one able to make his paths straight before he do come to Christ why then do we come to Christ if we be able to make our paths straight before we do come unto him And besides As the Motive is such is the Repentance that is founded on it The motive here is Evangelical Repent ye for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand The motive is Evangelical surely therefore the Repentance here required is not a Legal but an Evangelical Repentance But what is it then what is here meant by the Kingdom of Heaven and the Kingdom of Heaven being at hand or approaching In the language of the new Testament the Kingdom of Heaven is sometimes put for the Kingdom of Glory Sometimes it is put for the Church of Christ under the new Testament Sometimes it is put for the Gospel and the preaching of the Gospel Sometimes for the whole Kingdom of Grace I take it here for the whole state of the Messiah the Kingdom of grace the preaching of the Gospel and the dispensations thereof And he saies here That the Kingdom of Heaven hath approach't therefore do you turn therefore do ye repent There are these Two Notes that lie before ye First The Kingdom of Heaven does approach unto us before we do come unto it Repent ye or turn ye because the Kingdom of Heaven hath approach't unto you So in the beginning Secondly That the appropinquation approaching or drawing neer of the Kingdom of Heaven is the highest and the greatest motive in the world unto true Repentance I have spoken to the former in a Congregation not far distant and my desire is to speak unto the Second The appropinquation approaching Doct. or drawing neer of the Kingdom of Heaven is the highest and the greatest motive in the world unto true Repentance This is the Motive that John uses here thus John begins when he began for to preach the Gospel And if you look into the 4. the next Chapter ye shall find that our Saviour Christ begins to preach Repentance upon the same Motive verse the 17. from that time Jesus began to preach and say Repent for the Kingdome of Heaven is at hand The same words And if ye look into the 10. Chapter of Matthew ye shall find that when he sent out his Apostles for to preach he put the like words into their mouthes also at the 7. verse And as ye go preach saying The Kingdom of Heaven is at hand There the word Repent is not you will say But if you look into the 6. of Mark and the 12. verse ye shall find that 't is said there Then they went out and preach't that men should repent It was part of their Commission and thus they were to preach Repentance upon this motive That the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand or the Kingdom
THE WORKS OF WILLIAM BRIDGE Sometime Fellow of Emmanuel Colledge in CAMBRIDGE NOW Preacher of the Word of God at Yarmouth The second Volumn VIZ. I. Grace for Grace or The overflowings of Christs fulness received by all Saints II. The Spiritual actings of Faith through Natural Impossibilities III. Evangelical Repentance London Printed by Peter Cole at the sign of the Printing-Press in Cornhil near the Royal Exchange 1649. To the Reader THat we may at least stay the longings of many thirsty Souls with a sweet Rellish of a promising Vintage of new Wine this year we have slipt off this Second ripe Cluster of Grapes from its fellows which if it be squeezed in the hand of Faith will prove it self to be so rich fragrant and sparkling with the the Blood Juyce and Spirit of the Gospel that it needs not the Purple of our Epistle Recommendatory to welcom it to any that are in truth the living Branches of the true Vine Yet to the end we may happily invite some that are without to come in that they also may both see and taste how good the Lord is to the Children of the Bride chamber READER Stand a while at the Well head with the poor woman of Samaria admiring the infinite dimensions of those waters of Life that are fountain'd up in Jesus Christ of whose fulness we All receive even gracef or grace The Saints may be brim full of the holy Spirit as Stephen was but its according to measure a Vessel-fulness but Christ above or without measure a Spring-fulness which is not onely repletive but diffusive unsearchable unmeasurable The great Ocean is too little to shadow out the over flowings of this fulness for take away a drop or two from thence it presently suffers a diminution But though this Fountain of Salvation should shed abroad his love upon all the world of the Elect as the waters cover the Sea yet it is ever full running over There is not the less light or heat in this Sun of Righteousness though he daily ariseth with healing in his wings unto them that fear his Name from East to West He is resterday to day and for ever the same This is no Hyperbolie Nec Christus nec Coelum patitur Hyperbolum Sic Lutheras but the language of Canaan Oh that this unspeakable Fulness of Heaven and Earth or Saints and Angels that fills All in All did now constrain thee to cast thy empty Pitcher into these Depths of his Grace so shouldst thou with this beloved Evangelist and the rest that are included in this WE ALL receive even grace for grace To act Faith is the principal use which directly flows out from every Doctrine about Jesus Christ We shall Appeal unto thee whose eye is fixed on this full Book of Grace Is not fulness in other things a Conquering golden Argument Did not Josephs treasure of Corn prevail with good old Jacob and his Sons to go down into Egypt And shall not this one Gospel Joseph who alone is the Bread of Life that once came down from Heaven to feed hungry souls engage thee almost famished to come unto him for this Staff of Life that thou mayest live Were they not the Floods of milk and honey that did run down the Promised Land that did set the Israelites teeth on edge to be there And shall not the overflowings of Christs heart in heaven towards sinners on earth make thee to hunger and thirst after his Righteousness who is the Lord our Righteousness Was it not the Abundance of Solomons natural wisdom which was as a constellation of Stars in his Crown that invited the Queen of Sheba to travel from the utmost parts of Arabia to kneel before his Throne And is there not a greater then Solomon here who is the brightness of his Fathers glory and the express Image of his person full of grace and truth Oh where where then are the Spiritual actings of thy Soul upon him Abrahams Faith was a very lively vigorous and a more then conquering Faith when the Sentence of Death was apparant on the head of the Mercy and the womb leading to it and is thy faith like a tree twice dead plucked up by the roots God forbid Oh remember the fulness of the Infiniteness of all Perfections that are originally in the Lord being able to fill up all the empty chinks void places the unsatisfied gaspings and yawnings of the vast Spirit of-man We shall seal up all with the Evangelical words of that voyce of Christ eccho'd in a wilderness as the great Motive of all Motives The Kingdom of Heaven of Grace of Christ and all his Benefits is at hand hath approached Therefore Believe Repent Blessed is that Servant whom his Lord when he cometh shall finde so doing Thine in and for Jesus Christ and his fulness that thou mayest receive even grace for grace William Greenhil William Adderley Iohn Yates The Titles of the first Volumn I. The great Gospel-Mystery of the Saints Comfort and Holiness opened and applied from Christs Priestly Office II. Satans power to Tempt and Christs love to and care of his people under Temptation III. Thankfulness required in every condition THE CONTENTS Of the Second VOLVMNE JOHN 1.16 SERMON I Doctrine 1. THERE is a Fulness of Grace in Jesus Christ Page 3 Opened Ibid Grace taken 3. waies 1 For the love and favour of God ibid 2 For holiness Page 6 Proved by Demonstrations Page 7 Objections answered Page 9 3 For gifts and abilities ibid Proved Application Duty 1 Let all men come to Christ Page 12 Objections answered Duty 2 Let all trust unto him and build upon him Page 14 Duty 3 It is our duty to draw forth this fulness 1 By a frequent eying of it Page 15 2 By resting up on it in the time of tempt at on Page 16 3 By giving it foirth to others ibid Duty 4 Let us labour to be like to him ibid Duty 5 Take heed how we do any thing that may rob Christ of glory of his fulness SERMON II John 1.16 Proposition cleered Page 20 Doct. 2 All the Saints and people of God do pertake of the fulness of Christ in a way of receiving Page 20 Divided into two parts Page 21 1 There is a communication of the fulnesse of Jesus Christ unto all beleevers ibid 2 Whatsoever Grace or holinesse the Saints have from Christ they have it in a way of receiving ibid The former proved Reason 1. Because there is a union between Christ and a beleever ibid 2 By 4. propositions 1 There is an infinite treasury of grace in Jesus Christ Page 22 2 What grace soever and holinesse he received as mediator he received not for himself but for others ibid 3 There is an infinite willingnesse in Jesus Christ to communicate his grace to the sons of men Page 25 4 There is nothing in heaven or earth can hinder him from doing all Page 28 Objection Why are beleevers so empty of grace Answered 1 The
of Efficiency that filleth all in all And therefore 't is said in this Chapter The Law was given by Moses Joh 1.17 but Grace Grace and Truth you read it Grace and Truth came by Christ the word will bear it But Grace and Truth were made by Christ Christ is our Grace-maker The fulnesse that is in the Saints is but a Particular fulnesse The fulnesse that is in CHRIST is an Vniversall fulnesse Therefore saies the Apostle It pleased the Father Col. 1.19 that in him should all fulness dwel All fulnesse The fulnesse that is in the Saints is such a fulnesse as does ebbe and flow as the Haven is said to be full of water yet sometimes 't is empty but there is a dwelling fulnesse in the Sea So there is a dwelling fulnesse in Jesus Christ and therefore saies the Apostle It pleased the Father that in Him should all fulnesse dwel Oh! 't is a dwelling fulnesse that is in Jesus Christ Our Righteousnesse as we are distinct or abstracted from Christ 't is but a fading Righteousnesse as the morning dew Our righteousness saies Hosea is as the morning dew Hos 6.4 in regard of it's fading But the holiness and righteousness of Christ in the 110. Psalme is called The dew of the morning not in regard of it's fading nature but in regard of it's much-ness in regard of it's multitude because it makes al dewy So then it is a Filled Fulness It is a dwelling Fulness It is a Glorious fulness a fulness beyond all expressions Thus take grace for Holiness and so also there is Plenitudo Sanctitatis in Jesus Christ Thirdly Take grace for Gifts or for Ability and Excellency And so there is Plenitudo Excellentiae a fulness of excellency in Jesus Christ Therefore saith the Apostle Hebr. 7.25 He is able to save to the uttermost He is able to save to all perfection those that do come unto Him He is able to save to the utmost 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 though thou hast finned to the utmost He is able to save thee to the utmost Would you have a proof of His Kingly fulness for He is both King Priest and Prophet Look then I pray into the 1. Hebrews at the 3 verse He is called the brightness of His Fathers glory Who being the brightness of His glory and the express Image of His Person and upholding all things by the word of His Power when He had by Himselfe purged our sins sate down on the right hand of the Majesty on High He is made so much better then the Angels as He hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent Name then they For unto which of the Angels said He at any time c. But at the 8. verse unto the Son He saith Thy Throne O God is for ever and ever a Scepter of righteousness is the Scepter of Thy Kingdom Here 's the fulness of His Kingly Office Would you have a proof of His Prophetical fulness look into this Chapter where the Text lies and it 's said at the next verse the 17. verse The Law was given by Moses but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ No man hath seen God at any time the only begotten Son which is in the bosome of the Father He hath declared Him Ye all count Moses a great Prophet so he was But Jesus Christ was above him in two or three things here Moses gave the Law But grace came by Jesus Christ grace and truth came by Jesus Christ Moses never saw God he saw His back side Christ hath seen Him John 1.18 No man hath seen God at any time the only begotten Son Moses was but a servant the only begotten Son which is in the bosom of the Father He hath declared Him None so fit to declare the mind of God which is the work of a Prophet as He which hath lien in the bosom of God the Father Would you have a proof of His Priestly fulness Pray look into the 16. of John consider it duely saith he I will send the Comforter at the 7. verse and He shall convince the would of sin and of righteousness at the 10. verse because I go to My Father and ye see Me no more Mark those words I go to My Father and ye see Me no more As if He should say thus You are indebted to God the Father through your transgressions I am become your surety now I am ready to be cast into prison for your debt the grave is to take hold upon me I am to lye by it for your fin for your debt But saith He now I le rise out of the grave I le come forth of prison I le go to God the Father and you shall see Me no more Whereas now if I did not pay the whole debt when I came in Heaven God the Father would say to Me You are in prison for mans debt What do you here You have not paid the debt yet go to prison again go down to prison again No saith He but I go to My Father and ye shall see Me no more and therefore conclude I have paid the ful debt I go to My Father and ye see Me no more Would you have a proof of Christs fulness of Excellency in general Look then I pray upon the 2. of Hag. 7. there you have this expression of Him He is called the desire of all Nations I will shake all Nations and the desire of all Nations shall come mark the desire of all nations shall come Christ our Lord Jesus is the desire of all nations What is there in all the world that is the desire of all nations but Jesus Christ Some Nations some Kingdoms as the West-Indies they are full of Gold and Silver but they want Clothing and therefore they desire Cloth Other Kingdoms now as these of England and the like they have much Cloathing and Cloath but they want Gold and Silver and they desire that Some Nations they abound with Spices and with Wines but they want Corn and they desire that Some Nations again they have much Corn I but they have no Wine no Spices and they desire that Oh! but our Lord Jesus Christ He is the desire of All Nations the desire of All Nations What woman never so beautiful that the whole world was in love with Jesus Christ the desire of All Nations And Col. 1.18 saith the Apostle He hath in all things the preheminence If you will I will gather it up into a Syllogisme thus If Jesus Christ be the desire of all Nations and hath the preheminency of all the world then there is a fulness of excellency in Jesus Christ But our Lord Jesus is the desire of all Nations having the preheminency in all the world surely therefore there is a fulness of excellency in Jesus Christ a fulness of excellency a fulness of Holiness 1 Cor. 2.2 Phil. 3.8 a fulness of Love No wonder then that Paul saies I desire to
Come and let us take our fill of love Come friends come company let us go unto such a Tavern or such a place where we may be fully merry Come O my soul take thy contentment in creature fulness there is enough there This robs Christ of the glory of all His fulness To carry away the custom of my thoughts unto another Shop from Christ argues that there is not enough in Christ alone Then beloved to conclude all Are there any here as I fear there may be too many that have thus robbed Jesus Christ of the glory of His fulness I beseech you in the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ whose fulness I have bin now preaching to you I beseech you in the fear of God go into your Chamber and be alone awhile and fall down before the Lord and say thus unto Him or to this purpose Oh! Lord I confess it hath bin so w th me I have thought that there hath not bin a sufficient rule for the Government of the Churches and herein I have wronged Christ in His Prophetical fulness and the Lord pardon this unto me Lord I confess also I haue said many times that my fins are so great that there is no hope for mercy that there is no hope for pardon herein I have wronged the Priestly fulness of Jesus Christ now the Lord pardon this unto me I confess Lord I have stinted thee and I have limitted thee and I have said many times in my hast if this means fail then England is undone the Church undone thus I have limitted thee Lord Oh! herein I have wrong'd thee and robbed Christ in His Kingly fulness Yea Lord I do acknowledge and I do confess I have gone to creature-comforts and my heart hath taken a content and complacency as if there were enough there but now I see there is a fulness in Jesus Christ the Lord pardon me that ever I let out my heart upon any creature-comfort upon any thing but Jesus Christ You that have bin guilty fall down and humble your selves before the Lord and consider that there is a fulness in Jesus Christ and labor to draw out this fulness from Him Which that you may so do think on all these things and the Lord blesse them to you SERMON II. JOHN 1.16 Preached at Wapping Aug. 17. 1646. And of His Fulness have all we received even Grace for Grace I Have made entrance into these Words in a neighbouring Congregation and shal now desire to go on where I left there The Words hold forth Three Great Grand Propositions First That there is a Fulness of Grace in Jesus Christ Secondly That of His Fulness all we do receive Thirdly That we do receive of His Fulness even Grace for Grace The former Proposition I have dispatched and desire at this time to speak unto the second All we do receive of His Fulness Of His Fulness have all we received The difficulty that lies upon the Proposition is this Who are meant here by this All Wee Some there are that conceive that by those words we are to understand all the Creatures in Heaven and Earth because 't is said before in the beginning of the Chapter That He is the light that lighteth every one that cometh into the world But though the thing be true that there is no Creature either in Heaven or Earth but more or lesse is beholding to Jesus Christ for if Christ had not stept in upon the fall Gods displeasure was so great against man that he would presently have broke up house and the sin of the fall was so heavie that it would have broken the very Axel-tree of the World if Jesus Christ had not put to His shoulder according to that of the Apostle Heb. 1.3 He bears up all with the Word of His Power yet notwithstanding all the Creatures in Heaven or Earth cannot be meant here by this All Wee for all the creatures in Heaven and Earth do not receive Grace they may be said to receive of the Fulnesse of Christ but not Grace for Grace But at the 12. verse 't is said as many as received Him to them gave He power to become the Sons of God euen to them that beleeve in his Name Now in Scripture phrase those are said to receive Christ Himself that do receive His Grace and those that receive His Grace receive Christ Himself Understand therefore by this All Wee those that receive Him as ye have it in the 12. verse which is explained to be Them that beleeve in His Name And then the Observation or Doctrine lies plain before us which is this That all the Saints and People of God Doct. do pertake of the Fulness of Christ in a way of receiving It falls a sunder into Two parts Thus First That there is a communication of the Fulness of Jesus Christ unto all Beleevers Secondly That whatsoever Grace or Holiness the Saints have from Christ they have it in a way of receiving I shall only speak unto the former at this time There is a communication of the Fulness of Jesus Christ unto all Beleevers Of His Fulness all we receive mark There is a communication of the Fulnesse of Jesus Christ unto all Beleevers He is the second Adam which the Apostle Paul speaks of in the 1 Cor. 15. Chapter and the 45. verse The first man Adam was made a living soul and the last Adam was made a quickning Spirit The whole world is divided into Two great Houses As once in this Kingdom There was the House of York And the House of Lancaster So now the whole world is divided into Two great Houses The House of the First Adam And the House of the Second Adam The first man Adam was made a living soul and the last Adam was made a quickning Spirit that is look as the first Adam did communicate life unto all his seed So the second Adam does communicate Spiritual life and grace unto all his people As by the first Adam sin and sorrow and death came into the world and so upon all man-kind So by the second Adam grace and life and eternal life unto all Beleevers There is a dealing out a giving out of the fulness of Jesus Christ unto all Beleevers This will appear First of all by the Union that there is between Christ 1 Reason and a Beleever there is a glorious a blessed an incomparable union between Christ and every Beleever though he be never so weak though he be never so poor There is a union between the Root and the Branches and by vertue of that union the Root sends forth life and strength into all the Branches but yet notwithstanding the Root is not in the Branches nor the Branches in the Root mutually There is a union between the Head and the Members and by vertue of that union the Head hath an influence upon all the Members but yet the Head is not in the Members nor the Members in the Head But
now there is a union between Christ and Beleevers and Christ is in them and they are in Christ We in Christ and Christ in us There is a glorious and blessed union between them Now union is the cause of communion or communication bread is united unto a mans body by eating of it and so by vertue of the union strength is derived into all the parts into all the members and the nearer and closer unto this union is the more full is the communication Now though the union between Christ and a Beleever be set out in Scripture phrase under such Metaphors as these The Root and the Branches The Husband and the Wife And the Head and Members yet none of all these are able to reach it not in all respects 't is a glorious and 't is a blessed and incomparable union And therefore there must needs be a comunication of the fulness of Christ to every Beleever Secondly Rea. 2 My second reason I lay upon four Propositions and so shall arise and ascend unto the conclusion by several steps thus First There is an infinite treasury of Grace and Holiness in Jesus Christ whereby He is able to supply and succour all those that are tempted If a man hath had a straight shoe upon his foot or a straight garment he knows where it pinches and accordingly he is able to get it mended Now the Lord Jesus Christ He hath put on our flesh and knows where it pinches He hath bin cloathed with our flesh and He knows every place where it pinches and accordingly He is able to succour And therefore saies the Apostle He was in al things tempted like unto us Heb. 2.18 that He might be able to succour those that are tempted Jesus Christ is not only the Lord-Treasurer of all our comforts but the Lord Keeper of al our graces The neerer any thing comes unto the Fountain of excellency the more excellent it is The Sun is the fountain of light and the neerer any thing comes to the Sun the more light it hath Fire is the fountain of warmth and heat and the neerer any thing comes unto the fire the more warm it is Why The Deitie is the Fountain of all Holiness and Jesus Christ is so neer unto it as Mediator that the Apostle saies In Him the fulness of the God Head dwells Col. 2.9 And surely therefore there must needs be an infinite treasury of Grace and Holinesse in Him The Saints you know of the Old-Testament they were very Holy Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and Joseph and Moses and Samuel and David and Solomon they were full of Grace and Holinesse and yet these were but types of Christ they were but shadows of Christ Now the type and the shadow does fall infinitly short of the thing typified and of the substance And therefore if there were so much Grace and Holinesse in things that were but a shadow of Christ if there was so much Wisdome and Holinesse in others of them that were but the type Oh! what an infinit treasury of Grace and Holinesse must there be in Christ Himself This is the first Proposition Secondly As there is an infinit treasury of Grace and Holinesse in Jesus Christ So whatever Grace and holiness Christ as Mediator hath received by God the Father He hath not received it for Himself but for others Pray mark it Whatsoever Grace and Holines is in Jesus Christ as Mediator I do not speak of Him as God but as Mediator He hath not received it for Himselfe but for others Jesus Christ was not Baptized for Himself but for finners stood in the place of sinners when He was Baptized Jesus Christ died not for Himself but for us When Christ ascended up to Heaven He went not for Himself only but saith He I go to prepare a place for you Jo. 14.2 Eph. 4.8 And so when Christ received gifts saies the Apostle He received gifts for men not for Himselfe but for others He received gifts for men The woman hath milk in her breasts but not for her selfe but for her child The Sun hath abundance of light in his body 't is not for himself but for the world And so Jesus Christ He hath received abundance of grace and holinesse but 't is not for Himself but for others And therefore pray mark what He saies in John 17.19 And for their sakes I sanctifie My self that they also might be sanctified through the Truth He does not say for My own sake do I sanctifie My self but for their sakes For their sakes I sanctifie my self that they also might be sanctified through the Truth There are certain Official parts in the body you know that stand as Officers unto all the rest The stomack hath a great deal of meat in it but it hath not that meat for it self but that it may communicate to all the members The liver hath a great deal of blood in it but the liver hath not the blood in it for it self but that it may communicate it unto all the parts And the head it hath all the fences seated in it it hath many spirits but not for it self but for the members So Jesus Christ who is the Head of the Church whatsoever Grace and Holinesse as Mediator He hath received He hath not received for Himselfe but for others This may make the Saints and People of God to come with boldnesse to the Throne of Grace Hath Christ received for others not for Himself Then why not for me Lord why not for me Now you shal see that further proved in the 61. Chap. of Esay the 1. 2. verses The Spirit of the Lord God is on me because the Lord hath anointed me to preach good tydings unto the meek He hath sent me to bind up the broken hearted to proclaim liberty to the captives and the opening of the prison to them that are bound To proclaim the acceptable yeer of the Lord and the day of vengeance of our God to comfort all that mourn They are the words of Christ spoken in the Person of Christ as if he had said thus There are a generation of men in the world that are taken captive by their sins and lie bound in chains and irons by Satan and they are broken and bowed down greatly under the burden of them Now God the Father He hath design'd me to go open the prison dores to these poor captives and because God the Father hath design'd me to it therefore the Spirit of the Lord is upon me not in me therefore the Spirit of the Lord is upon me because the Lord hath anointed me to preach good tydings unto the meek So that you see now that anointing that falls upon the head of Christ it falls not upon Him for Himself barely but that it may run down upon all His members That is a second Proposition Thirdly As there is an infinite treasury of grace and holiness in Christ which He hath not received for Himself
but for others So in the third place there is an infinite propension and willingness in Jesus Christ to communicate this grace unto the children of men Pray mark it There is an infinit propension and willingnesse in Jesus Christ to communicate and give out his grace unto the children of men Heb. 3.2 He is faithful saies the Apostle in all His house as Moses was Now if Jesus Christ should receive gifts for men for others and then run away with all and not be willing to give them out He could not be faithful but faithful He is Look I pray for this in the 16. Psal 2 v. Thou hast said unto the Lord Thou art my Lord my goodness not for thee but for the Saints that are in the earth and for the excellent in whom are all my delight You reade the words thus Thou hast said unto the Lord Thou art my Lord my goodnesse extendeth not to thee But in the Hebrew the word extendeth is not Thou art my Lord my goodnesse not for thee but for the Saints that are in the earth That these words are spoken of Christ Pray reade the Four last verses I have set the Lord alwayes before me at the 8. ver because He is at my right hand I shall not be moved Therefore my heart is glad and my glory rejoyceth my flesh also shall rest in hope For thou wilt not leave my soul in Hell neither wilt thou suffer thy holy One to see corruption Now compare these words with what the Apostle saies in Acts 2.25 David speaketh concerning him mark For I foresaw the Lord alwayes before my face he is on my right hand I shall not be moved Therefore did my heart rejoyce and my tongue was glad Moreover also my flesh shall rest in hope Because thou will not leave my soul in hell the same viorde neither wilt thou suffer thine holy One to see corruption Mark what is said then at the 29. ver the Apostle proves That these words of the Psalm must needs be understood of Christ and not of David Men and brethren saies he let me freily speak unto you of the Patriarch David that he is both dead and buried and his Sepulcher is with us unto this day Therefore saies he these words cannot be understood of David but must be understood of Christ Now then this Psalm being thus to be understood of Christ saies Christ Lord Thomiâ—t my Lord my goodness is not for thee but for the Saints that are in the earth and for the excellent in whom is all my delight They are my delight and therefore what goodnesse I have from thee I am willing to give it out again unto them because al my delight is in them Do you not think that a man is willing to eat his meat when he is a hungry I ray look into the 4. chaptes of John and you shall see what was Christs meat verse the 34. Jesus faith unto them My meat is to do the will of Him that sent Me and to finish His Work My meat is to do the will of Him that sent Me What is that Finish His Work What is that You reade before in the 61 Esay That the Spirit of the Lord was upon Him and God the Father had anointed Him to open the prison door Now therefore saith He look how willing a man is to eat his meat when he is a hungry So willing am I to releeve poor sinners to open the prison dore to poor captive souls Tender hearted Mothers are you willing to give your Children suck to have your breasts drawn Yes Why so Truly not only because of my child but the truth is unless my breasts be drawn 't is a pain to me not only for my child therefore but for my own ease also you will say Why brethren the Humanity of Jesus Christ is as I may so speak the breasts of the Deity by which we suck out all the holiness and grace which we have and if Jesus Christs breasts be not drawn He counts it a pain to Him And therefore He complains so in the Gospel Joh. 1.11 I came unto mine own and mine own received me not They will not draw My breasts He counts it a pain to Him Tell me are you willing to receive grace Yes If you be willing to receive grace Jesus Christ is willing to give it for you cannot be willing if He were not willing first your willingness does come from His. But I pray what grace are you willing to have Oh! saies one I am a poor ignorant creature I would fain I would fain have more knowledge Oh! saies one I am one of great Passions and of a disordered life and Oh! that I had my life better ordered Oh! saies another I am a poor guilty soul and I would have pardon I would have pardoning grace Now I 'le appeal to you Whether do you not think that an honest man is willing to do the work of his office Can a man be an honest man and not be willing to do the work of his office This is the Office of Jesus Christ He is a Prophet and therefore He must be willing to teach you you that complain that you are ignorant This is the Office of Jesus Christ to be a King and therefore He is willing to direct you and to order you You that complain of distemper and disorder This is the Office of Christ to be a Priest and therfore He is willing to satisfie for you and indeed if Jesus Christ were not willing to give out His grace unto the children of men He would never lay it upon such conditions as He does When a man is unwilling to do a thing for another He will put it upon hard conditions As Saul being unwilling to give his Daughter to David He put it upon hard conditions But now what does Jesus Christ require What does the Lord Jesus Christ require for the Communication of His grace But only this that you do receive it Mark only this that we do receive it a condition indeed that is no condition I say a condition that is no condition because he promises strength to receive also Oh! my beloved Why should we cumber the way to Heaven with Preparations and Qualifications and Precedaneous conditions There are no In-coms no In-coms to be paid at our coming in to Jesus Christ there are no Precedaneous conditions Grace is free and Mercy is free and Christ is free and His Love is free there is an infinite Propension in Jesus Christ to communicate this His Grace to the children of men This is the third Proposition Fourthly As Christ is infinitly willing So in the Fourth place there is nothing either in Heaven or in earth that can hinder Him from doing al. For now grant all the former Three That there is an infinite treasury of Grace in Christ That He hath not received it for Himself but others That He is infinitly willing to give it out unto the
children of men Yet if He can be hindred al the former is nothing Mark therefore the Fourth and then we come to the Use There is nothing either in Heaven or Earth that can hinder Jesus Christ from communicating His Grace I work Esay 43.13 saies God and who shall let And I communicat My grace saies Christ and who shall hinder If any thing can hinder it must be either Satan without us or our sins within us Satan without cannot hinder he could not go into the herd of swine he could not destroy a hog a sow a pig till he had leave from Christ and can Satan hinder then when Christ intends to communicate His grace He is called the strong man but Christ is called the stronger than he Luke 22.31 32. Peter Peter saies our Saviour Satan hath desired to winnow thee but I have prayed that thy faith fail not I one prayer one prayer by Jesus Christ is stronger than all the temptations of Satan Satan cannot hinder Nor can our sins within hinder For if you look into the 2. Chapter of Titus 't is said there at the 14. verse He gave Himself for us that He might redeem us from al iniquity If from All iniquity then from unbeleef Then unbeleef cannot hinder If a King come on purpose to pardon All Rebellion if he be able and willing and come on purpose to pardon All Rebellion then no one Rebellion can hinder can be a reason why he should not pardon The Covenant that God makes with His is like the Covenant that He made with Noah as you reade in the 54. Chapter of Esay the 8. and 9. verses In a little wrath I hid my face from thee for a moment but with everlasting kindness will I have mercy on thee saith the Lord thy redeemer for this is as the waters of Noah unto me for as I have sworn that the waters of Noah should no more go over the earth so have I sworn that I would not be wrath with thee nor rebuke thee Mark The Covenant God would make with His people is like the Covenant that He made with Noah The Covenant that He made with Noah what is that Pray now look into the 8. Chapter of Genesis the 21. verse Noah being come out of the Ark and offering unto the Lord The Lord smel'd a sweet savour and the Lord said in His heart I will not again curse the ground any more for mans sake for the imagination of mans heart is evil from his youth I think it should rather be read thus according to the Hebrew I will not again curse the ground any more for mans sake although the imagination of mans heart is evil from his youth although ye read it for I wil not again curse the ground any more for mans sake for the imagination of mans heart is evil from his youth One would think He should rather say thus I wil curse the ground again and I will bring a new floud for the imagination of mans heart is evil from his youth No but the Covenant that God made with Noah was thus I do now make a Covenant with man-kind that the world shall never be drowned again yea Though man do sin yet the world shall not be drown'd again This is the Covenant that the Lord made with Noah The Lord did not make such a Covenant as this I do promise that the world shall not be drown'd again if man do not fin No but the Covenant that the Lord made with Noah was thus But I promise the world shall not be drown'd again Though men do sin again this is the Covenant the Lord made with Noah it was so far from running upon a condition that it runs crosse to all conditions So now the Lord saies concerning a poor Beleever I do take this soul into Covenant with Me Yea and Though he do sin yet notwithstanding I will pardon him and this soul shall never lye under water again shall never lye under water again his sin shall not hinder My grace he shall never lye under water again for as the Covenant I made with Noah such is the Covenant I make with every beleever And beloved if indeed that we could hinder Christ when He comes to communicate His grace if our sins could hinder then we might resist grace with an Overcoming resistance 'T is true a man may resist the grace of God with A gain-saying resistance but he cannot resist the grace of God with an overcoming resistance Whatsoever is overcome is overcome by a stronger Man I say cannot resist with an overcoming resistance Pray do but consider well the Covenant of Grace Ezek. 36 26 27. saies the Lord in that I will take away the heart of stone and I will give an heart of flesh and I will cause ye to walk in my waies and I will put My Spirit into you I will take away the heart of stone What is that a stone is hard a hard thing does not yeeld to the touch a soft thing yeelds Pharaoh had a hard heart and therefore he yeelded not When therefore the Lord makes such a promise as this I will take away the heart of stone What is His meaning His meaning is plainly I will take away the un-yeelding the resisting disposition that is in man Now therefore when the Lord makes such a promise as this That He will put His Spirit into them and cause them to walk in His waies Our resisting can be no hindrance Why because the Lord hath made a promise to take away our resisting If the Covenant had run thus I will put My Spirit into you and cause you to walk in My waies upon this condition that you do not resist then we could hinder but the Lord in the same promise that He does say I will put My Spirit into them and cause them to walk in My waies He doth also promise to take away the resisting heart to take away the spirit of resisting I will take away the heart of stone there 's the resisting And I will cause them to walk in My waies So that our sins cannot hinder Now then put al these together There 's an infinit treasury of grace and holiness in Jesus Christ This He hath not received for Himselfe but for others There is an infinite propension and willingness in Him to give out this grace unto the children of men And nothing either in Heaven or earth can hinder Him Surely therefor there is the Communication of the Fulness of Jesus Christ unto all Beleevers You will say unto me then Object Why are Beleevers then so empty of Grace 'T is the ordinary complaint Oh! I am full of evil Oh my heart is empty of all that is good Beleevers they complain thus How can this Doctrine be true if this experience be good I answer First Answ The Fulnesse of Grace which is in a Beleever is many times hid from the world and from himself When you go to
First Proposition The Second afforded this Observation That all the Saints and People of God do partake of the Fulness of Jesus Christ in a way of receiving This fals asunder into Two Parts or Two Branches First That there is a Communication of the Fulness of Jesus Christ unto all Beleevers Secondly That what ever Grace or Holiness the Saints have from Christ they have it in a way of receiving I have done also with the First of these And am now God willing to speak to the Second Whatsoever Grace or Holiness the Saints and People of God have from Christ they have it all in a way of receiving Of His Fulness all we have received The former Branch told us That Christ Communicates This tels us That we Receive There the Emphasis lay upon Christs Communicating And here the Accent is set upon our Receiving The Grace of Jesus Christ is not borne with us We do not go to Jesus Christ in the strength of our Nature to take of His Fulnesse to our selves But Jesus Christ gives out and we receive All in a way of Receiving The Grace and Mercy of our Justification and remission of Sins is by way of Receiving Rom. 5.11 Not only so but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ by whom we have now received the atonement Atonement is to be had it is to be had by Christ and this in a way of Receiving Again The Grace and Mercy of our Adoption is to be had in a way of Receiving Gal. 4.5 He came to redeem them that were under the Law that we might receive the Adoption of Sons Adoption is a Blessing that is most desirable This Christ gives and this we receive Again The Grace of our Sanctification is to be had in a way of Receiving What is the Cause and Original of all our Grace or Holinesse but the Spirit of God And that is received Gal. 3.2 This only would I learn of you Received ye the Spirit by the works of the Law or by the hearing of Faith The Schools say that the word Grace is either taken for The Gifts of the holy-Ghost or for Saving and Sanctifying Grace Take Grace for The gifts of the holy-Ghost as sometimes the Word is used in Scripture and that is in a way of Receiving Acts 10.47 They heard them speak with Tongues at the 46. ver Then answered Peter Can any man forbid water that these should not be Baptized which have received the holy-Ghost That is The Gift of the holy Ghost Take Grace for Holiness and Sanctification and that is also in a way of Receiving to be had in a way of Receiving Rom. 8.15 For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear But ye have received the Spirit of Adoption whereby we cry Abba Father There are Gifts of Prayer And there is the Spirit of Prayer of Adoption crying Abba Father The First may be without Grace but the Second not where ever the Second is there is Grace And this is Received saith the Apostle here In general all is by way of Receiving Col. 2.6 As ye have Received the Lord Christ saies the Apostle see that ye walk in Him And in another place 1 Cor. 4.7 What hast thou that thou hast not Received What hast thou that thou hast not Received All in a way of Receiving He shall come down saies the Psalmist in the 72. Psalm speaking concerning our Lord and Savior Christ and His Grace at the 6. verse He shall come down like rain upon the mowen grass Or as some write it for so the Original will bear it He shall come down like rain upon the Fleece having relation to Gideons Fleece He shall come down like rain upon the mowen grass as showers that water the earth A Psalm for Solomon saies the Title But there are many things in this Psalm that cannot properly be understood of Solomon but in a type properly belonging to Jesus Christ For as Strigelius does well observe at the 7. verse the verse next following this text it is said In his daies shall the righteous flourish and abundance of peace so long as the moon endureth Solomon did not live so long as the moon endures This therefore is to be understood of Christ And at the 5. verse it is said They shall fear thee as long as the Sun and moon endure throughout all generations They did not fear Solomon men did not fear Solomon as long as the Sun and moon endures through all generations This therefore must be understood of Christ Now see therefore what is said of Christ and concerning His Grace saies the Text in the 6. verse He shall come down like rain upon the mowen grass Like rain rain you know is that that does make the earth fruitful Non ager sed annus facit fructum 'T is not the sowing but 't is the Year that causes fruit 't is the rain that causeth fruit And so 't is the Grace of Jesus Christ that does make us fruitful His Grace the cause of our Grace I will be as a dew saies the Lord in the 14. of Hosea unto Israel and then follows fruitfulness Again The rain cometh by special appointment from God Amos. 4.7 Judg. 6.38 39 40. with a kind of dis-crimination He maketh the rain to fall upon one City saith the Prophet and not upon another As wee reade concerning Gideons Fleece the dew fell upon the Fleece when all the earth was dry round about it And then the dew fell upon the ground when the Fleece was dry And this was a Type of the Grace of Christ when the Jewes were bedewed with the Grace of Christ then all the Nations round about they were dry And then when God bedewed the Gentiles the Nations round about with His Grace then the Jews were dry and they are dry to this day Again The rain falleth 't is the Scripture phrase the rain falleth and falleth upon the earth and the earth is a recipient to receive it it is meer recipient at the first and then brings forth it 's fruit the Rain falleth And so doth the Grace of Christ the Grace of Christ falls upon the souls of men and women saith the Text here He shall come down like the rain upon the mowne grass So doth the Grace of Jesus Christ it comes down upon a poor soul All in a way of receiving al in a way of receiving whatever grace or holiness a man hath on this side Heaven it is all in a way of Receiving And this will appear further to you if you consider The insufficiency of Nature The Supernaturallity of Grace The Shortness of all means that are appointed thereunto The work and nature of Faith And the posture and true behaviour of Prayer First of all There is a Natural inability in a man unto what is good truly Spiritually good First A man is unable by Nature to overcome any sin though it be never so small A man by Nature
over now ye say how will the Child do now Why surely the Child will do as well and better now if the father takes the child up in his arms the dirty lane wil be the pleasantest place to the child when 't is taken up into the fathers armes Thus 't is with the Saints great works they do and hard things they go thorow Oh! but they are taken up into Christs Armes and they have all in a way of Receiving When you look upon a man that does keep a great Table hath many servants attending on him his Purse alwaies full of money you will say surely this man leads a fine and a sweet life if it do not cost him much for to receive it or get this money but if you hear that he hath all his Estate only for telling his money his great pains is all in receiving his money Oh! here 's a blessed man indeed and here 's a happy man you think presently Thus 't is the great pains of a Christian is to Receive from Christ and to spend for Christ Oh! what a sweet life does the Saints live that live by Faith in Jesus Christ Thirdly Appli 3. Is this Doctrine true Then what abundance are there in the world many that live under the Gospel that from hence are argued to have no saving interest in Jesus Christ Good people mark it that I say are not savingly united to Jesus Christ There is a Two-fold Vnion with Christ as Christ is considered Two waies He is either considered with His Church the Church and He making one body and so all together are called Christ In 1 Cor. 12. Or else He is considered as the great Mediator and Savior of Beleevers by Himself Accordingly men may be said to be Vnited to Him Either Outwardly in the Church tied and related to Him by outward Ordinances Or else Inwardly united to Him by saving faith When a man is Inwardly united to Jesus Christ by saving faith he hath all from Christ Strength unto every duty from Jesus Christ Praying strength and Hearing strength and Repenting strength and Confirming strength he hath from Christ in a way of Receiving But the other hath little or nothing from Christ Pray mark it I will express it thus A man takes a peice of bread or a loaf of bread he tyes it to his arm his arm hath no strength from that 't is but an outward tye to his arm it hath no strength from that and it argues that 't is but an outward tye it causes no strength by it But if a man take bread and eat it that there be an inward union then there is strength there is bread goes to all the parts you know my meaning Or thus I will expresse it thus Take a graft and tye it unto a Tree tye it unto a stock and it brings forth no fruit at all why Because 't is but outwardly tyed unto the root unto the stock of the Tree But take the branch and graft it into the Tree into the stock then it brings forth all that it brings forth by vertue of the stock that 't is grafted into So my beloved there are a company there are a generation of people that live here under the Gospel that are Outwardly tyed unto Christ they are Baptized they have the Name of Christ by profession and by the tye of the Ordinances they are outwardly tyed unto Christ but Oh! they receive nothing from Him nothing from Him pray what do they receive Suppose Christ had not come into the world suppose they had never heard Christ preacht they might have lived Civilly they might have lived Justly amongst their neighbors they might have abstained from Lying and Drunkenness why they do not thus much poor creatures nothing from Christ they receive nothing from Christ Oh! these are but outwardly tyed as a loaf of bread is tyed unto a mans arm so is the Lord Jesus in the Ordinances tyed unto them I but then There are another people that are Savingly united to Jesus Christ and these they have strength from Him they cannot Pray but as they have strength from Christ they cannot Confer and speak of good things but as they have strength from Christ they cannot go and hear a Sermon with any affection but as they have strength from Christ All all in a way of Receiving Oh! they stand in a way of dependance upon God in Him and they have all from Christ these are Savingly united to Christ But Oh! many that live among us that have not all from Christ Certainly therefore there are many that are not savingly united to Jesus Christ This is a Third I 'le adde but one more and so I have done Is this Doctrine true Appli 4. All in a way of Receiving Then surely Beloved All is from Grace from first to last Heaven Heaven is a Donative Salvation is a Donative every step in the Iadder to Heaven is Grace every link of the chain is Grace Oh! every beam of our day is Grace every stone of our building Grace Is all in a way of Receiving What Praying strength What Hearing strength What Suffering strength What is all al in a way of Receiving Oh then what glorious Grace is here Oh! rich Grace Oh! free Grace Oh! incomparable Riches of the freeness of Gods Grace in Christ Is the Lord Jesus the Alpha and the Omega Is He the Beginning the Middle the End of all our actions Oh! what Grace is here If there be ever a drooping soul If there be ever a poor hard heart a cold heart a frozen heart in all this Congregation Come O poor soul come and warm thine heart at this fire of Love Were our Heaven and our Salvation put to sale upon our Doing I say were Mercy set to sale at our doing then we were in a sad condition we were in a lamentable condition Well now Is al in a way of Receiving What then though I cannot Pray for the present What then though my heart be dead for the present yet notwithstanding I will wait upon the Lord in the way of His Ordinances it may be this day and this time I shall receive something that may put life into my poor dead soul Oh! you that never waited upon the Lord and upon free Grace wait now upon the Lord you that have waited waite still you that never waited wait now Beloved the more Dependant our condition is the more Depending should our spirits be What more Dependant condition can you think of All all in way of Receiving Oh! therefore now let us all labor to live by faith Go away with this in your bosomes I see a necessity of living in a continual Dependance on God in Christ Which that you may do think of all these things and the Lord bless them to you SERMON IV. JOHN 1.16 Preached at Margrets new fish-street Decem. 8 1645. And of His Fulness have all we received even Grace for Grace I Have made entrance
from servants ordinarily But when the fulness of time was come God sent forth his Son that we might receive the adoption of Sons And the Spirit of Adoption whereby we cry Abba Father They had the spirit of Bondage unto fear and we have the Spirit of Adoption unto Love to cry Abba Father They could not go to God but with many fears but there is none of all the Saints now but go with a Spirit of Love go to God as a Father Every Saint now may go to God and say Father Father I labor under such a temptation Oh! Father help me I want such a blessing or mercy Oh! Father give it me Again further Although they had many sprinklings of the Doctrins of Grace yet they fell but droppingly upon them now a drop and then a drop As you have it in the 1. Chap. of the Hebrews 1. verse God who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in times past unto the fathers by the Prophets hath in these last dayes spoken unto us by His Son God who by piece-meals drop by drop now a drop and then a drop spake unto our fore-fathers by the Prophets hath in these last times spoke unto us by His Son This being the opposition shews that God spake perfectly and spake al by His Son When this King came then all the Cocks run with wine Some observe that Jesus Christ preached the Gospel more plainly unto one poor ignorant sinful wicked woman that ye reade of in the 4. of John then He did unto al our fore-fathers under the Old Testament for unto which of all our fore-fathers did He say I am the Messiah Ask of Me the water of life and I will give it thee You know the great Doctrins of the Gospel Justification by Grace Free remission of sins and the like Now though these Doctrins be in the Old Testament yet take your Book and howmany leaves shal you reade over before you be able to reade this Doctrine cleerly But open your Book where you wil open in the New Testament and you shall meet with one everie where with this Doctrine this great Doctrine of Free-Grace every where Oh! much much of Jesus Christ and of His Grace that is now Discovered surely Abundance of Grace Abundance of Grace Discovered to the Saints now and to all the Saints But in the Second place As there is Abundance of Grace Discovered So there is Abundance of Grace Exhibited and Communicated to all the Saints Those that have the least measure of Grace now have Abundance of Grace That is the Thing that I would cleer up to you That those that have the least measure of Gospel-Grace they receive Grace for Grace they have abundance of Grace Is it not a great matter for an ungodly man to be Justified What man so godly but he was ungodly before Justified Is it not a great matter for a man to be the Son of God to be the Child of God All Gods Children shall be Portioned answerable to their Fathers Estate David counted it a great matter to be son-in-law to a King though but a wicked King and the Kingdom but small What is it then to be Adopted to be the Son of God the Daughter of God To as many as receive Him Joh 1.12 He gives power to be called the Sons of God And there is this difference between Gods Adoption and mans When man does Adopt one to be his son he may put his Name upon him he may give his Estate to him but he cannot make the person to be like himself he cannot communicate his nature to him But now when God does Adopt one to be His Child He does not only put His Name upon the Soul and give him a great Estate but He makes him to be like Himself and communicates His Nature to him So saies the Apostle 2 Pet. 1.4 We are made partakers of the Divine Nature Is it not a great matter To have the Image of Jesus Christ drawn upon a filthy soul To have ones heart inclin'd naturally inclin'd as it were unto all the Commandements of the Gospel I will write My Law in your heart Jer. 31.33 saies God in the Covenant of Grace That look as the Heathen having the law of nature written in their hearts are naturally inclin'd unto the works of Nature So will I write my Law of Grace in your hearts and you shall be naturally inclin'd unto the works of Grace and unto the works of the Gospel He that hath least of Christ he hath all Christ all Christ imputed unto all the Saints Beloved we have not so much of Christ in our lives as Peter and Paul and John had but wee have as much of Christs Righteousness imputed to us for our Justification as any of all the Apostles had and if our Faith be right 't is like precious with theirs Is it not a great matter for a man to be in Heaven before he comes there Joh 17.3 To have eternal life in this world This is eternal life to know thee and whom thou hast sent Jesus Christ And that day that any soul begins to know Jesus Christ that day is the day-break of his eternity the Saints that are in Heaven they count from that day there began our eternity This is eternal life here it begins All the Saints and People of God they do know God in Jesus Christ And therefore surely There is an Abundance of Grace Grace for Grace an Abundance of Grace Communicated and given our unto all the Saints under the new Testament But you will say unto me Object We do not find this in experience do not see such an Abundance of Grace in the lives of those ye count godly those that are in Christ indeed we do not find that they have such an Abundance of Grace I but Ans Do you consider The Opposition of Grace The Retinue of Grace And the Mysiery of Grace First For the Opposition of Grace A little Grace may be much opposed and when the Opposition is great though Grace be small in the Bulk it may be great in the Work though little in the Quantity yet it may be much in Quality There 's no true Gospel-Grace but it is much opposed When Jesus Christ came into the world you know Herod raised all the County upon him And so when Christ comes into the heart the whol soul it is raised against Him because He comes as an enemy unto the soul As when an enemy Lands the Beacons are all fired and the Country all rises what do you say An enemy is landed an enemy is landed and all the Country rises So when Christ Lands upon a soule at the first He Lands as an enemy unto the â—â—n and soul and all the soul the Region the Continent it rises up against Him Then also as the Dragon â—ood before the woman which you reade of in that of the Revelations to out off the child as soon as it was born
And if you look into this first Chapter of John you find That those that are regenerate and borne again 't is said concerning them at the 13. verse that they are not borne of Bloods in the plural number your English hath it Blood in the singular You are not born of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man but of God Some there are and were that thought themselves to be the children of God because they came of godly parents because of their bloods because of their education Ioh. 8.33 So the Jews Wee are the Children of Abraham Some there are and were that think themselves the Children of God because of some Legal workings and monkish devotion all those legalities under the Gospel are called flesh Some there are that think themselves the children of God because of some more refined and raised and heroical actions That he might obviate all these saies he We are not born of bloods nor of the will of the flesh nor of the wil of man but of God You are for Free-will and you think Free-will hath a great stroke in mans Conversion but how can ye look this Scripture in the face No way of will not of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man If it be any will it must be either the will of the flesh or the wil of man but I tel you saies he We are not borne of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man no way of will but of God To the like purpose you have in James 1.17 Every good giving and every perfect gift is from above In some of your books you reade thus Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above But it is rather to be read Every good giving Every good gift and every good giving is from above Not only the Thing given is from above but the very Donation the very Exhibition the very Giving out of the thing that is good it is from above Every good giving and every perfect gift is from above So that plainly then there is an utter Insufficiency in Nature unto what is good As for the Al-sufficiency of Jesu Christ Rom. 8.29 Rev. 1.17 He is the first born among many Brethren He is the first fruit that sanctifieth all the rest I am the first and the last saies he The first is the cause of the rest The Sun is the first and the great light so the cause of all other light Jesus Christ He is called the first in this same Chapter 15. verse This was He saies John of whom I spake He that cometh after me is preferred before me for He was before me So ye reade it but it is He was my first preferred before me 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for He was my first and therefore the first giving a Being unto all that follows Jesus Christ He does give a Being unto all our graces I am the way the truth and the life saies He. Joh. 14.6 I am the Way Would you go to Heaven You cannot go thither but you must go in some Way A man cannot go unto a City but he must go some way or other if he go by water go by land this way or that way still he goes some Way or other Saies Christ if you would go to Heaven I am the Way This same word Way it notes the means unto a thing and when He saies I am the way 't is as if He should say That look what ever means you do use in order to Heaven all those means they have their vertue and their power and their efficacy from me I but a man may be in a way and in a right way and yet notwithstanding if he have not some guide he may lose his way True saies He therefore I am the Truth and 't is observable how Truth lies between Way Life as if the way to Life were thorough Truth as if Truth were the great road or the thorough-fare to life saies Jesus Christ I am that too I am the Way and the Truth too I but though a man be in the right Way and have a guide he may fall sick and die and never come to his journeyes end Therefore saies Christ I am the way and the Truth and the Life too I even I am He that gives life unto all your motions and actions for Heaven all Grace from Christ He it is even He alone that hath every mans heart and soul under lock and key There are Three great doors that must ordinarily be opened before converting-Grace can get into the soul of man 1 Cor. 16.9 Job 33.16 Acts. 16.14 Rev. 3.7 The door of a Powerful Ministry A large and an effectual door is opened The door of the Eare He openeth the eare and sealeth instruction The door of the Vnderstanding and of the heart Lydias heart was opened Now if you look into the Scripture you will find that Jesus Christ hath the opening of all these doors He hath the key of David He openeth and no man shuts and shutteth and no man openeth in the 1. of the Revelation and the 18. He saies That He hath the keyes of Hell and of death No man goes into the grave but He opens a door to let him in and no man goes to Hell but Jesus Christ He locks him up there He locks him up there unto all eternity if He did not lock him in he would not be there unto all eternity So that whatsoever Grace or holiness there is in any mans heart He opens the door He lets it in 't is by His ordering and His sending thither And Beloved if Jesus Christ were not the great Lord-Keeper of His Fathers wardrobe why should those Names and Titles be given to Him which you find so frequently in Scripture Cast your eyes where you wil you shal hardly look upon any thing but Jesus Christ hath taken the Name of that upon Himself If you cast your eyes up to Heaven in the day and behold the Sun He is called Mal. 4.2 Rev. 22.16 Col. 1.18 Rom. 13.14 Ioh. 6.35 Ioh. 10.9 Ioh. 10.11 Ioh. 1.29 Luk. 15.23 Zac. 13.1 Isa 28.16 Pro. 3.18 The Sun of righteousness If you cast your eyes in the night upon the Stars or in the morning upon the morning star He is called The bright morning star If you behold your own Body He is called the Head and the Church the Body If you look upon your own Clothes He is called your Rayment Put ye on the Lord Jesus If you behold your Meat He is called Bread The Bread of life If you look upon your Houses He is called a Door If you look abroad into the fields and behold the Cattel of the fields He is called The good Shepherd He is called The Lamb He is called The fatted Calf If you look upon the Waters He is called A Fountain The Blood of Christ a Fountain If you look upon the
Stones He is called A corner Stone If you look upon the Trees He is called A Tree of life What is the reason of this Surely not only to way-lay your thoughts that wheresoever you look still you should think of Christ But to shew that in a Spiritual way and sence He is all this unto the soul And you may observe that these Titles and Names they are not barely and nakedly given to Him but still with some speciality some mark or other He is not barely called the Shepheard but the good Shepheard He is not onely called a Lamb but the Lamb slain from the begining of the world He is not barely called the Light but The true Light the Light of the world He is not barely called Bread but The Bread of life Now you know why Adam at the first gave Names unto the Creatures according to their names was their Natures was their conditions and Adam our first father Adam was not mistaken when he gave the names And do you think Christ the Second Adam when he gives these names unto himself that he is mistaken Certainly he is not mistaken he is all this And therfore as the Apostle speaks in the 3. Col. 11. you reade it Christ is all in all but better He is all things in all persons or all things 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in all things He is all things Whatsoever good there is found in any man 't is from Jesus Christ Surely may one say The Lord is our strength Surely may we all say the Lord is our strength the Lord Jesus is our righteousness Whatsoever Grace or holiness the Saints have they have it from Jesus Christ You will say Object This though it seem to give much to Christ it derogates from the Father for if all be from Jesus Christ then nothing from the Father and so it derogates from God the Father No Answ It does no way derogate from God the Father The Apostle Paul was much in this Doctrine that now I am upon Rom. 1.7 and yet he honored the Father too Grace and Peace saies he from God our Father and from our Lord Jesus Christ Though al Grace be from Christ yet Grace and peace from the Father too saies he from God our Father And having shown in the 7. of the Romans That being married unto Christ and dead unto the Law that therefore we should bring forth fruit as in the 4. verse Wherefore my Brethren ye also are become dead to the Law by the Body of Christ that ye should be married to another even to Him who is raised from the dead that we should bring forth fruit unto God He does not say That we should bring forth fruit unto Christ but that we should bring forth fruit unto God The Father and Christ are one Joh. 10.30 I and my Father are one saies Christ In honoring Jesus Christ you honor the Father as in honoring of the Father you honor Christ You will say Wherein is the honor to the Father Quest according unto this Truth how does this any way make to the honor of God the Father that all Grace is from Jesus Christ Yes for First Ans Though all Grace be immediatly given out of the hand of Christ all grace from Him and He gives it out He is Commissioned and defigned by the Father to do it He does but the Fathers work Ioh. 6.38 I came not to do my own will but the will of Him that sent me Was it any dishonor to Pharoah that Joseph gave out the bread in the time of famine No because he was Commissioned by Pharoah to do it And so now If Jesus Christ have a Commission from the Father to do this 't is no dishonor to the Father and a Commission He hath He will shew you it under hand and seal Him hath God the Father sealed Ioh. 6.27 so saies Christ Again Though all Grace come immediately out of the hand of Christ all Grace from Him and He gives it out Yet He is furnish't and accomplish't with ability unto this great Office by God the Father Isa 61.1 The Spirit of the Lord is upon me saies he and He hath anointed me to open the prison dores to Captives c. Now is it any dishonor to God that the Sun does distribute and give out light and heat unto all the Creatures No but rather an honor to Him for when a man sees so glorious a creature as the Sun that gives out light and heat unto all the creatures here below he lifts up his hands and saies Oh! what a glorious God have we that hath furnished this creature with these abilities So now when a man considers Christ as this great Sun of righteousness distributing His Graces to all the Saints will it be any dishonor to God the Father that He is in this Office seeing He hath furnished Him hereunto Surely no they will-rather lift up their hands and say Oh! what a good God have we that hath furnished Christ with all these abilities for our poor souls Again Though the administration of things be in the hand of Christ the right is in the Father and when Jesus Christ hath done His work He will give up the Kingdom to the Father Ioh. 6.44 Mat. 11.27 in the mean while None comes unto the Son but whom the Father draws And None comes unto the Father but he unto whom the Son reveals him Is it any disparagment unto a man to have a wise a potent a great man to his child Pro. 10.1 A wise son makes a glad father saies Solomon Indeed if the Father and the Son were two they might be enemies but Christ and the Father are one Joh. 10.30 I and my Father are one and therefore in honoring of Jesus Christ you honor the Father also But you will say Quest Was there no creature in all the world that was fit to make this great trust over to Why hath God the Father put Christ into this Office that all Grace should come out of His Hand Was there no creature that was fit for this work but Christ alone No Ans This trust would have broke the back of any Creature no Creature in Heaven or Earth as a meer creature was able to purchase this trust he had not a stock and Estate of Grace enough by him Christ Himselfe hath it by purchase For he being the Second Person the Apostle tels us Phil. 2.7.9 He emptied Himself and became of no reputation wherefore God hath given Him a Name above every name that in the Name and strength of Jesus Christ we should be more than Conquerers He had a great Estate by Him He was the Second Person Yet notwithstanding this purchase was so great that saies Paul He emptied Himself Surely no Creature in Heaven and Earth was able to come to this purchase He that must be the worlds Joseph to give out bread of Grace to all the world the Saints in
this for I am an old man and my wife well stricken in years He look't too much upon and considered he stood poring too much upon the meanes and this was the enemy unto his Faith You know Beloved that the Scripture hath laid a flat opposition between Faith and sence We live by Faith sayes the Apostle and not by sight or by sence The reasons drawn from sence are sence and when a man does live by reason drawn from sence and beares up his heart therewithall he does live by sence If you live by Faith you don't live by sence if you do live by sence you don't live by Faith They are as two buckets the life of Faith and the life of sence when one goes up the other goes down the higher Faith riseth the lower sence and reason and the higher sence and reason the lower Faith That is true of the schooles Reason going before Faith weakens and diminisheth it But Reason following upon Faith increases and strengthens it Besides you know Paul sayes Not many wise c. Why not many wise called Those that are wise they consider the things of God and of the Gospel in a meere rationall way and therefore not many wise are called it hinders them from the worke of beleeving Luther sayes well If you would beleeve sayes he you must crucify that Question why God would not have us so full of wherefores And if you would beleeve you must go blindfold into Gods command Abraham subscribes to a blank when the Lord called him out of his own Countrey Besides You know the great field that Faith hath to work in the large and vast Orbe and Sphear that it hath to move in Faith can go into the Old Testament and run up as high as Adam and come back again to the Soul and tel the Soul I have seene a man whom God hath pardoned that damn'd all the World and why may he not pardon thee Faith can runne up to Heaven and come home againe to the Soule and say I have seene the Glory there be of good comfort ther 's enough in Heaven to pay for all Faith can runne unto Gods All-sufficiency to Gods Omnipotency and having viewed that well it returnes to the Soule home againe and sayes be quiet ther 's enough in God alone and Faith having placed and seated it selfe upon this high Tower and Mountaine Gods Omnipotency and All-sufficiency it hath a great prospect it can look over all the World and look into another World too but now Reason it gets upon some little Mole-hill of Creature-ability and if it can see over two or three hedges 't is well And therefore Oh! what a paine is it to Faith to be tied to Reason I suppose you will all say that if a man were able to go a journey of two or three hundred miles a foote he were a very good footman yet if you will tie him to carry a child of foure or five years old with him you will say it would be a great luggage to him and the man would say pray let this child be left at home for though he may runne along in my hand half a mile or go a mile with me yet notwithstanding I must carry him the rest of the way and when I come at any great water or to go over any hill I must take him upon my backe and that will be a great burden to me And thus 't is betweene Faith and Reason Reason at the best is but a child to Faith Faith can foot it over Mountaines and Difficulties and wade through Afflictions though they be very wide but when Reason comes to any Affliction to wade through that and to go over some great Difficulties then it cries out and sayes Oh! Faith good Faith go backe againe good Faith go backe againe No sayes Faith but I 'le take thee upon my backe Reason and so Faith is fain to do indeed take Reason upon its backe but Oh! what a luggage is Reason to Faith Oh! what a burden is Reason to Faith Faith never works better then when it works most alone The meere rationall considering of the means and the deadnesse thereof is a great and speciall enemy to the worke of beleeving That is the First The Second Proposition is this That when all meanes faile and seem to lye dead before us then it is the duty and commendation of all the children of Abraham to beleeve That is to beleeve the thing may be and so to rest and relye on God in Christ Thus it was here with Abraham And hath not the Lord commanded by the Apostle saying Let them that suffer according to the will of God commit the keeping of their Soules to the hand of God as into the hand of a Faithfull Creator the 1 of Peter 4.19 When ye are scrupled about your Election or Reprobation you look upon God as a Potter that hath power over the clay to make it either a Vessel of honour or dishonour But when you are to beleeve then you are not to look upon God as a Potter that workes out of clay or out of materials but as a Creator that workes out of nothing yea as a faithfull Creator that will be sure to worke out of nothing whom you shall be sure of Thus then you are to look upon him You know the place in the third of Habakuk and the 17. verse Although the Fig-tree shall not blossome neither shall fruit be in the Vines the labour of the Olive shall faile and the Fields shall yeeld no meate the flocke shall be cutt off from the fold and there shall be no herd in the stals yet I will rejoyce in the Lord I will joy in the God of my salvation the Lord God is my strength c. Thus Habakuk beleeved Beloved we are so to beleeve as the promise runnes Gods promise is the rule of our Faith look how that speakes so may we beleeve The promise and Faith is the buckle and claspe fit for one another Now the Lord does not onely promise to helpe the children of Abraham Isai 41 17. but he promises to helpe when all meanes faile When the poor and needy seeke for water and there 's none I pray look into that third of Jeremy and the 8. verse Behold sayes the Lord I will bring them from the north Country his people scattered here into the Land of the North. And gather them from the coasts of the Earth and with them the blinde and the lame the woman with childe and her that travaileth with child together a great company shall returne hither The Lord promises to bring them backe to their owne Country from the Land of the North. I but may some say Object I am a poore blind man and I shall never find the way home againe Sayes he Answ I will gather them from the coasts of the earth and with them the blind Oh! Object but I am a poore lame man and I shall never be able to
say if you take this course you will lose all you will lose all your acquaintance lose your liberty lose your estate may be lose your life Be it so saies faith though thou losest thy friends thou shalt gaine better and though thou losest thy liberty thou shalt gaine better and though thou losest thy life it selfe thou shalt gaine a better 't is but a while neither sayes faith that thou shalt lose these things and thou shalt have them better in a better Edition When a mans eyes are open to behold the Excellencies of Christ then they are shut to outward Discouragements When a man hath beheld the Sunne in its glory his eyes dazle to the things that are below Now Faith opens a mans eyes to see the Excellencies of Jesus Christ and so the soule is carried through Difficulties and Discouragements though they be never so many Againe fourthly True saving faith it inables the soule to leave the successe and the event of all unto God himselfe Nothing strengthens the hands of Difficulties and Discouragements so much as solicitude about successe and event of things True saving faith helps a man to leave the successe to Christ it does commit the soule unto God unto Christ there is a mutuall committing between Christ and a beleever Christ commits himselfe unto a beleever and a beleever commits himselfe againe unto Christ Christ commits himselfe unto a beleever you know what is said in the Gospel John 2.24 Psal 37.5 He did not commit himselfe unto them because they did not beleeve him arguing that he did commit himselfe unto others that did beleeve him And beleever commit themselves unto Jesus Christ Commit thy way unto the Lord there is a mutuall way of committing Christ he does commit his Grace he does commit his Spirit he does commit his Truth unto a beleever a beleever commits his Estate and his Name and Himselfe againe unto Christ Christ commits his work unto a beleever and a beleever commits the successe of the work againe unto Jesus Christ Faith now leaves the event and the successe unto Jesus Christ and therefore when Difficulties and naturall Discouragements arife and say What wilt thou do now What wilt thou do now to be preserved What wilt thou do to continue now What wilt thou do to be delivered now What will become of you now Oh! Satan sayes a beleever thou hast mistaken the question My question is not What shall become of me I have left the successe of things to God but my question is What shall I do for God My question is How shall I love Jesus Christ My question is How shall I be like unto Jesus Christ My question is How shall I serve my generation and owne Jesus Christ in these times This is my question Faith true saving faith it leaves the successe and the event of things unto Christ and so thereby the soule is carried through all Difficulties and naturall Discouragements unto Jesus Christ In the fifth place True saving faith is that grace whereby the soule takes up the yoke of Christ and the burden of Christ upon his soule Christs burden does unburden all other burdens the very taking Christs burden upon a man does ease him of all other burdens This may seem strange to you that the taking of a new burden should ease one of the former if a man be carrying coales or wood the taking of a new burden would not ease him of the former but the burden of Christ Belove is of another nature Austin distinguishes them there is a burden burdening and a burden supporting he expresses it thus The feathers that a bird or a foule is cloathed with they have a weight in them the wings and feathers have a weight a pound of feathers is as heavy as a pound of lead there is a weight in those feathers yet notwithstanding they beare up the burden of the body though there be a weight in them one weight beares up another Or as 't is with your coaches the wheeles are heavy yet notwithstanding being fastened unto the coach unto the body of the coach makes the body to go away the lighter though they be heavy in themselves So now 't is here the burden of Jesus Christ it makes all other burdens to go away the lighter Faith true saving Faith it is the grace that takes up the burden of Christ upon the soule and so thereby all other burdens are made the lighter and difficulties and discouragements overcome In the sixt place True saving faith it does teach a man for to picke out the love of God from under the anger of God God never makes his Pils so bitter but he mighles some Sugar withall and true faith can find it out When as our Lord and Saviour Christ said Ioh. 2.4.5 woman what have I to do with thee mine houre is not yet come The next words that she saies is to the servants Whatsoever he bids you do that do They wanted wine she came to him for wine and he answered her so it may seem an hard answer yet saies she to the servants whatsoever he bid you do that do For our Saviour had said my houre is not yet come implying therfore that he would do it Implycation is enough for Faith for Mary's Faith Faith it acquaints a man with the wayes of God and acquaints a Soule what Gods wayes are it tels the soule that when Christ seemes to be the greatest Enemy he intends the greatest friendship He sayes faith does then intend for to raise us up when he seemes most for to cast us downe whereupon when difficulties and discouragements do arise Is this his way indeed sayes a beleeving soule why then shall I be borne down with so many discouragements though they be never so many In the seventh and last place true saving justifying faith fils the soule with Gods infinity or infinitenesse Gods way is not as your way sayes Faith nor his thoughts as your thoughts but as the Heavens are above the earth so are his thoughts beyond yours and his wayes beyond your Faith lodges this principle into the Soule that God is infinite and having laid that principle there when difficulties and discouragements do arise saying you see now into what distresse you are brought now you see there is no hope at all for you deliverance true indeed sayes the Beleever through the strength of Faith I see there is no way in any one reason but God is infinite I see many difficulties but God is infinite the soule by Faith being fild with the apprehension of Gods infinitenesse hereby is carried through all difficulties and discouragements to Jesus Christ I have not time I see to tell you how Faith workes by love which much watter cannot quench stronger then death And how Faith is strengthened with the strength of the power of God that it layes hold upon As the Ivie is strong by the strength of the oake that it graspes upon so Faith is strong
other fifty And when they had nothing to pay he frankly forgave them both Tell me therefore which of them will love him most Simon answered and said I suppose that he to whom he forgave most And he said unto him thou hast rightly judged Those that he forgives most unto will love most Jesus Christ loves to be greatly honored and loved and therefore he is willing to save the greatest sinners But now the greatest sinners are most opposit unto what is good they don't seek after what is good Surely therefore if Jesus Christ would save sinners and the greatest sinners of necessity the Kingdome of Heaven and of Grace must approach unto us before we draw neer to it But you will say Object Zech. 1.3 Jam. 4.8 The Scripture seems to be contrary unto this Doctrine For hath not the Scripture said Turn unto the Lord and he will turn unto you Draw neer to God and he will draw neer to you How is this therfore true That the kingdom of grace mercy and free-remission does first draw neer unto us before we draw neer unto it Yea Hath not our Savior Christ said Matth. 9 13. I came not to cal the righteous but sinners to repentance That is such as are sensible of their sins Surely therefore a man must be sensible of his sins must be sensible first before the kingdome of Heaven of Grace Mercy and Free-remission be brought néer unto him For Answer The Scripture is cleerly with us Answ Joh. 4.19 Joh. 15.16 The Apostle John speaks out expresly We love him because he loved us first And saies our Savior You have not chosen me but I have chosen you I have chosen you you have not chosen me And whereas 't is said That we should turn to God and he will turn to us And draw neer to God and he will draw neere to us That is He wil draw neer unto you again he will turn more unto you not as if we should begin to turn to him and first draw neer to him before he does first draw neer to us at all But draw neer to him and he will draw neer to you And turn to him and he will turn to you That is he will draw more neare to you and he will turne unto you again And whereas 't is said That Christ came not to call the righteous but sinners to repentance That is such as are sensible of their sins and men must be first sensible before the offer of grace mercy and free-remission be made unto them I beseech you turn unto the place where the Scripture lies 't is in the 9. Chapter of Matthew at the latter end of the 13. verse I am not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance This say I is not to be understood of sinners only Sensible of their own sins but sinners indeed Christ came to call sinners indeed yea before they are sensible of their sins For the word Sinner here must be understood as the word sinner before is in the 10. and 11. verse As Jesus sate at meat in the house behold many Publicans and sinners came and sate down with him and with his Disciples When the Pharisees saw it they said unto his Disciples why eateth your Master with Publicans and sinners He did eat with those that were not sensible of their sins Sinners there are not to be meant of those only that were sensible of their sins Christ did not only eat with those that were sensible of their sins Now he gives this account of it I came not to call the righteous but sinners to repentance That is sinners such as he names before such as he did eat withal and they were not only such as were sensible of their sins Again Our Saviour Christ gives this account at the 12. verse The whole need not the Physitian but those that are sick To answer to this Objection That our Saviour did eat with sinners and converse with sinners Saies he I am a Physitian and Physitians are to go to those that are sick only There is this difference between me a Physitian and other Physitians for I come unsent for but other Physitians come when sent for I as a Physitian come to Cal my Patients but other Physitians are Called in by their Patients Now saies he I am a Physitian and I come not to call the righteous but sinners I come to Call my Pationts Physitians don 't only go to those that are sensible of their disease but if a man be past sence his friends send for the Physitians and the Physitian goes So does Christ here Comes unto his Patients when they are not sensible of their disease many times Again This sutes with that which goes before Go saies he at the 13 verse and learn what that meaneth I will have mercy and not saerifice Sometimes this phrase this sentence is to be understood concerning bodily mercy But here 't is to be understood of mercy to the soule Go ye and learn what that meaneth I will have mercy and not sacrifice Ye object to me that I converse with Publicans and sinners not with those that are righteous in their generation go and learn what that meaneth I will have mercy and not sacrifice I have more delight in conversing with poor sinners that with those Jews that do offer sacrifice Ang again Gonsider what sense would here be if this should be the meaning I came not to call the righteous but sinners That is I came to call those that are sensible of their sins Then the meaning must be this I came not to call the righteous but men that are penitent men that are sensible of their sins and are penitent If by the calling the sinners we are to understand those that are sensible only then the sense must be this I came not to call the righteous but men that are penitent No no Christ came to cal sinners poor sinners although they were never yet sensible of their sins the Lord Jesus Christ came to call sinners which are so indeed This Doctrine then stands notwithstanding that Objection But you will say Obj. The Prodigal seems to come home unto his father before his father does come to him and to repent before his father shows mercy to him and so our repentance does prevent the Lords mercy and not the Lords mercy prevent our repentance For Answer Ans 'T is good for us alwaies to attend unto the scope of the Scripture in Parables especially The scope of the Parable cannot be according to the tenure of this Objestion for then it should be contrary to the former Parable of the lost sheep Indeed The Prodigal saies he will repent before he goes to his father Luke 15.18 19. I will return to my father and I will say I have sinned against Heaven and against thee and I am not worthy to be called thy Sonne but he never saies so till he came to his father after his father had
when as the Lord does thus prevent us with his grace and is at our bed-side with his grace when we lie sleeping and never think of mercy and grace an ingenious soul should say thus What is all this but a plain rebuke to the slothfulness of my duty Come up prayer up duty oh my soul be up sooner Yea through the Lords grace I will be up sooner at Heaven gate in duty than ever I was before His preventing grace teaches me thus much that I am not soon enough at Heaven gate with my duty Again 2. Duty Hath the Lord prevented any of you with grace and caused the Kingdom of Heaven to draw neer to you before you drew neer to it Do you do the like labour in your love to be like to Christ to be like to God We stand upon our terms when we have to deal with men upon our terms of State had Jesus Christ stood upon terms of State when he came to save sinners what had become of us We say we will forgive such a man for wrong done to us upon his acknowledgement Oh! but did Christ do so Did not Christ prevent us Beloved ye see how 't is with the water it moves downward but if the fire get into it if there be water in a pot upon the fire and fire get into the water the fire makes it move upward it moves according to the nature of the fire then So now if the love of Jesus Christ get into our hearts it will make us move like unto Christ How does the love of Jesus Christ move Oh saies Christ Father forgive them they know not what they do Luke 23.34 Christ did not stay for acknowledgement a poor and a low thing for a Christian Enough for a Heathen to say so I will forgive such a man for wrong done to me upon his acknowledgment Let our love be like unto Christs and labour to prevent others with our love as Jesus Christ hath prevented us Thirdly Then let all men waith upon others 3 Duty with all longsufforing and patience for their Conversion and the revelation of truth unto them Thou art a Parent and desirest thy Child may be Converted and hast taken a great deal of pains with him for his Conversion and yet it will not be Thou art a governour of a family and would'st fain have such a servant converted to Christ and hast taken a great deal of pains and yet it won't be A friend you have and you would fain that he knew such a Truth and much pains you have taken to beat such a Truth into him and he don't take it and you are ready to be angry but remember this The Kingdom of Heaven draws neer to us before we draw neer to it Grace must come to thy Childs soul first before it does come to Christ Mercy must come to the soul and the Lord must come and bring truths unto the soul What is then to be done Then be not angry with him wait with all long suffering and all patience and go to God go to God for thy Child go to God for thy friend go to God for thy servant upon this ground Because the Kingdom of Heaven must come to us first before we can come to it But Especially 4. Duty and Fourthly Trust in the Lord for ever Oh! all you that are the servants of the Lord upon this ground Trust in the Lord for ever Does the kingdom of Heaven approach and draw neer to us before we draw neer unto it Then say within your souls Doubting shall be no more Some there are that doubt of their salvation because of the lgnorance that is in them darkness causes fear they don't know the mercifull disposition of Jesus Christ and so they doubt of his love The Devil as he labours to change himself into an angel of light so he labours to change Christ into an angel of darkness But beloved ye have heard of the merciful sweet disposition of Jesus Christ he is willing to save sinners and the greatest sinners brings neer the Kingdom of Heaven to us before we draw neer to it Oh! wilt thou doubt again poor Christian wilt thou doubt again Some there are that doubt of their salvation because they are afraid their duties shall not be accepted prayers shall not be accepted Oh! if I could but be perswaded saies one that the Lord would hear my prayer and accept of my duty then I should know indeed I should be saved but I am afraid the Lord doth not hear my prayers and accept of my duties and therefore I fear I shall not be saved Man or woman where ever thou standst or art hear the Word of the Lord. Does the Lord cause the Kingdom of Heaven to approach and draw neer to us before we draw neer to it will the Lord be found of those that seek him not and will he not be found of you that do seek him Will the Lord come with his grace and make an offer of grace and mercy to a sinner and a great sinner and will not the Lord receive you when you do come unto him Think of this and surely then you will say Doubting shall be no more Some there are that doubt of their salveation because they cannot pray their hearts are dead pray I cannot and hear I cannot and reade I cannot performe duty I cannot and therefore I have cause to fear I shall never come to Heaven Well but though you cannot Man or Woman Christian pray as thou art able and hear as thou art able and reade as thou art able the Lord Christ is of this sweet disposition That he does canse the Kingdom of Heaven to draw neer to us before we draw neer to it Oh! therefore you that are the servants of the Lord Trust in the Lord for ever for ever trust in the Lord and let doubting be no more I conclude all with one word of Exhortation Applic. 2 and it is unto those that have not yet submitted unto this Kingdom of Heaven this Kingdom of Grace Is there a truth in this Doctrine That the Kingdom of Heaven grace mercy and free remission does approach unto us before we draw neer unto it and that because indeed we are not able to draw neer to it before it draws neer unto us Then all you that have not yet submitted unto this Kingdom of grace and the offer of grace and mercy in the Gospel when ever any offer shall be made unto ye take heed that ye neglect not so great salvation You see how 't is with the sea-man because the sea-man is not able to raise a wind or turn the wind when 't is raised he lies upon the sea-coast ready waiting upon the wind and when the wind turns then he hoists up his sailes for saies he now the wind is come about and if I lose this gale I am likely to lose my voyage I cannot turn the wind I cannot make the wind So
of heaven is approaching Surely therefore this is the great Motive the motive of motives In the invitation to the great Supper spoken of in the Gospel what is the motive used for to bring men unto the supper but this Come for all things are now ready Mercy is ready the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ is ready Come for all things are now ready this is the motive that is used there And if ye look into the 12. Chapter of Paul to the Romans ye shall find at the 1. verse That when the Apostle doth exhort them to present themselves a living sacrifice holy acceptable unto God he perswades by this motive of mercy I beseech you therefore brethren by the mercies of God that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice I beseech ye therefore That Therefore sends us unto the former Chapter to enquire what these mercies were At the 30. verse of the former Chapter he saies unto them For as ye in times past have not beleeved God yet now have obtained mercy through their unbeliefe The Jewes were cast off and the Gentiles these Romans received to mercy the Kingdom of Heaven did come to them the Gospel effectually preach't to them the Doctrine of free-remission of poor sinners Now saies he I beseech you by the mercies of God that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice The Scripture is full of this But for our better opening and clearing of this Truth Let us I pray descend into the particulars of Repentance and consider how the grace and mercy and love of God in Christ which is the substance of this Kingdom of Heaven hath an influence upon them all and how all of them are caused thereby First A man that does Repent must see and know his sins true-sight of sin is requisite to true Repentance Indeed a man may in some measure attain unto the knowledge and discovery of his sin by some Affliction when Adoni-bezek had his fingers and toes cut off you know what he said Thus have I done Afflictions do un-leave a man take off his leaves when the leaves are off the hedges ye see those birds-nests that ye could not see before when the leaves were on And so when affliction hath made one naked and taken ones leaves off a man is able to see those nests of corruption in his own heart that he never did see before The Apostle saies By the Law is the knowledge of sin but now though by the Law as by a rule we come to the knowledge of our sin and by Affliction we are help't to see the nests of our own hearts yet notwithstanding a man cannot see his sins fully but by Gospel-light it is a work of the Spirit to convince of sin I will send the Spirit the Comforter and he shall convince the world of sin And where does the Spirit breath but in the Gospel the Kingdom of Heaven the preaching of the Gospel Received ye the Spirit saies the Apostle by the works of the Law or by the preaching of faith When once Esay the Prophet had had a fight of Christ he cries out Vae mihi I am undone We is me I am undone I am unclean Again for I will but touch upon these As a man must know his sin So if he will repent truly he must be grieved and humbled for it If you look into the 7. of Luke ye may see what work it had A woman a great sinner comes to Christ and she washes his feet with her teares what made her do so She loved much for much was forgiven her So that the more the love and mercy of God in Chrst is opened in the Gospel or does make it's approach unto a soul the more the soul is set a weeping and mourning for sin committed Again As a man Repenting must be grieved for sin committed So he must and he will loath himself self-loa-thing is requisite to Repentance If a man have taken a surfet by cating or drinking he does not only loath the meat which caused the surfet but he loaths the very Vessel that hath the smell of the meat or the liquor in it So now when a man comes to Repent he does not only loath his sin but he loaths himselfe the vessel where the sinne was Oh! these filthy eyes of mine Oh! these vile hands Oh! this vile heart of mine hee loaths himself But what causes this self-loathing Th Prophet Ezekiel will tell ye in the 20. of Ezekiel the 41 42 and 43. verses Then shall ye loath your selves when I am pacified or when God had shown them mercy caused his love to approach unto them Then should they loath themselves 'T is not all your Afflictions nor all my Threatnings saies God that will make ye to loath your selves but when ye see my love my grace my pardoning mercy then shall ye loath your selves not your sins only but your selves also Again A Repenting person does not only loath himself for his sin but he is ashamed of it he is ashamed of his former evil waies What fruit have ye of those things whereof ye are now ashamed not before but wereof ye are now ashamed So long as a man walks in the dark he does not blush he is not ashamed though his Cloaths be ragged and torne and his naked flesh appears because he is in the dark But if he come to the light then he blushes that his nakedness appears And so long as men are in their sins and are in darkness they are not ashamed of their sins because they are in darkness But when once they come to the light then they blush and then they are ashamed What light is that that will ashame one of sin there is light enough in hel-fire for the damned there to reade their sins by but that don't make them ashamed where the light of the Gospel the opening of the Kingdom of Heaven is and pardoning love is there is shame Ye shall see therefore how Ezra bulshes when he considered the love of God and their sins together in the 9. of Ezra and the 6. verse And he said O my God I am ashamed and blush to lift up my face unto thee my God Why for our iniquities are increased Is that all No saies he at the 8. verse for a little space grace hath been shewed us from the Lord our God to give us a remnant to eseape and to give us a nail in his Holy place we were bond-men yet our God hath not forsaken us in our bondage And now O our God what shall we say after this after this The sight of their own sins and the remembrance of Gods love together made him blush Ye know the place in Ezekiel Then shall ye be confounded and ashamed when I am pacified towards ye The more a man knows that God is pacified towards him the more he is ashamed Again A Repenting person is not only ashamed of his former evil waies but as occasion serves he will acknowledge his
Every thing is received according unto the receiver A legal spirit doth relish and savour most of those arguments which are drawn from Hell and from the wrath of God But an Evangelical Christian those that are drawn from love and mercy But for the more full Answer to this pray consider with me these Six or Seven Distinctions First It 's one thing for a man to be troubled in Conscience and another thing to be humbled for sin committed Those that are Damn'd in Hell and lie there despairing must needs be troubled in Conscience how could they despaire else Take a soul that hath the work of the Law upon him and a meer work of the Law and in some respects he may be more troubled in Conscience but a Christian that hath a work of the Gospel upon his heart is notwithstanding this more humbled for sin committed Again It 's one thing for a man to be prick't in heart and another thing for a man to Repent Ye shall find therefore that in the 2. of the Acts 't is said concerning divers That they were prick't in their heart and said What shall we do Peter said nnto them Repent They were prick't in their heart and said what shall we do and he said Repent Possibly then a man or woman may be prick't in the heart and yet not Repent Those that have the work of the Law upon them may have more legal prickings but those that have the work of the Gospel they Repent more Again It 's one thing for a man to Repent of sin considered in genere entis and another thing in genere moris Sin may be considered in regard of the mischief and inconvenience that does come thereby Or in regard of the moral evil of it 'T is said concerning Judas That when he saw what became of things he Repented And a Malefactor a murderer when he sees what shall become of him that he must die for his sin he may Repent of his sin in genere entis wishing that he had never done it and yet my be not Repent in genere moris Ye reade concerning Esau in the 12. of the Hebrews That he sought his birth-right with teares but found no room for his Repentance He Repented he Repented with Tears but found no room for his Repentance What Repentance was this Saies Austin He greived that he had lost his birth-right not that he had sold his birth-right So there was no room for such a Repentance And so now take a man that hath the work of the Law upon his soul and he may be much troubled he may Repent and he may have more Repentings in regard of the evil that does come by sin but the other more in regard of the evil that is in sin it self In the Fourth place It 's one thing for a man to be broken with the weight of sin and another thing to have his soul thawen and melted for it There is a great deal of difference you know between the breaking of the ice with your hands or with a staffe and the thawing of the ice melting by the thaw When you take a staffe and break the ice with your hands though you break it in one place it freezes in another but when there is a thaw then it melts then it breaks every where So now it is in regard of legal breakings Here 's a man hath a work of the Law upon his soul he breaks for his Drunkenness and he breaks for his Swearing and he breaks for his Wantonness Oh! but he freezes in Unbelief in another place he freezes in Unthankfulness But when a gospel-work comes it makes a general thaw a man is broken every where And this is more Again It is one thing for a man to have more sorrow griefe Repentance in the Ore and another thing to have a more sorrow griefe and Repentance that is well Refin'd As now suppose a man take a hand full of gold in the Ore it seems to be a great deal more than a twenty shilling-piece I but because much of that is to be taken away a great deal of Earth is to be taken away it is less in the worth Thus it is between Legal Repentance and Evangelical The Legal Repentance may seem to be more in bulk I but a great deal of that is to be taken away Much unbelief to be taken away many sad despairing conclusions to be taken away a great deal of Mercinariness to be taken away And therefore ye shall observe That when the father had kiss't the Prodigal he left out the Mercinary piece that he spoke of before he came home Saies he at the 18. verse I will arise and go to my father and will say unto him Father I have sinned against Heaven and before thee and am no more worthy to be called thy Son make me as one of thy hired servants in the 15. Chapter the 18. and 19. verses verse the 20. He arose and came to his father his father saw him and ran and fell on his neck and kiss't him had compassion on him ran and fell on his neck and kiss't him And the son said unto him Father Now see whether he makes good his words that he said he would say when he came to his father I have sinned against Heaven and in thy sight and am no more worthy to be called thy Son But his Father said to his servants Bring forth the best robe He leaves out that Make me as one of thy hired servants One kisse from his father had fyled off all the mercinary disposition Oh! much much of the Legal-work is to be taken away In Evangelical Repentance there is much in little in Legal Repentance there is little in much Again It 's one thing for grief sorrow Repentance to be more in view sence and noise and another thing to be more in spirit and in profit As now for Example The rain does sometime fall in a storme and when it does so it makes a great noise the earth hath not time for to take it at the first into it's bosome it runs down the streets in great abandance and it stands in some places in great plashes of water At another time the rain fals by smal drops and makes no such noise but yet notwithstanding it fals to the root of the Corn and profits more for when the rain fals so in a storm it laies the Corn the Corn I say is laid by it So now sorrow and griefe sometimes fals in a storm as in Legal Repentance and it is great in view stands in great plashes of water Oh! but then it doth lay our Duties it laies our Assurance it laies our Faith Evangelical Repentance that makes no such noise but it fals to the root of the graces and don 't lay your comfort it don't lay your Assurance it don't lay your Duties And so it is more in profit Lastly This Sorrow grief and Repentance may take ones own heart much or the heart of
as unto a Creator that works out of nothing Page 177 D Debt see Christ Death The sentence of Death put upon blessings and the means to obtain them Page 154 The sentence of Death put upon mercies in another mans hand Page 161 The sentence of Death is according to the life of the mercy Page 162 Why God gives the promise first and puts the sentence of Death upon it afterwards Page 163 When the sentence of Death is put upon a mercy how to know whether it shall rise again Page 167 The Devil is the great hunter of souls Page 193 Difficulties The way to Jesus Christ is clogd with many Difficulties Page 193 See Faith Divisions The way to take away Divisions Page 59 Duties see Obedience E Encouragement Encouragments to come to Christ Page 88 Excellency The Excellency of beleevers Page 33 Experience Experience is many times a false rule Page 159 F Faith What are enemies to Faith Page 175 The large field of Faith Page 176 Faith must be sutable to God Page 179 Faith wears the crown of all graces Page 180 True Faith is most succesful Page 181 Faith is the means to get Faith Page 186 Faith carries a man through all difficulties Page 199 Nothing but Faith will do it Page 200 Faith shews the soul the invisible things of God Page 202 Faith tels the soul all things are it 's own Page 203 Faith opens the eyes of the soul to see the excellency of Christ Page 204 Faith enables a man to leave the success of all things to God ibid Faith picks out the love of God from his anger Page 206 How to raise ones Faith to break through all difficulties Page 208 Faith opposeth Legal terrours Page 209 How to raise Faith when it is sunk Page 201 Fear Fear in beleeving answered Page 184 Forgive We must Forgive others without their Acknowledgment Page 235 Freedom Our Freedom comes from Christ Page 50 Friendship How the Friendship between God and man was procured Page 8 Fulness Fulness the meaning of the word Page 3 There is a Fulness of pardon in Christ Page 4 Difference between a Fulness of sufficiency and a Fulness of efficiency Page 9 Fulness in Christ what it is Page 9 Fulness in Christs Prophetical office Page 10 Fulness in Christs Priestly office Page 10 Fulness in Christs Kingly office Page 10 How all creatures pertake of the Fulness of Christ Page 20 Fulness of grace in a beleever may sometimes be hid from the world Page 31 Difference between the Fulness of the world and the Fulness of Jesus Christ Page 32 The Fulness of Christ makes us firm Page 40 See Love Holiness G Gifts Great Gifts the Scripture mentions Page 128 God Gods eye is over his children Page 8 Gods people should trust God perfectly Page 14 God infinitely contented in Jesus Christ Page 99 We can do nothing without God Page 100 God will be seen in his blessings Page 156 God is the being of al beings Page 157 We may boldly expect God in his accostomed waies Page 186 God justifies the ungodly Page 228 God will be known to be God Page 229 Gods darlings Page 233 Men must labour to be like God Page 234 See Beleevers Power Trust Glory Eyeing of Christs Glory makes us glorious Page 15 Gospel Difference in holiness between the Law and the Gospel Page 6 Grace Grace the meaning of the word Page 3 Benefits arising from all Grace being in Christ Page 104 The Saints Grace is answerable to the Grace of Christ Page 122 The Infinite Treasury of Grace in Christ Page 22 Christ as Mediator received not grace for himself but for others Page 23 The grace of God may be gainsayed but it cannot be overcome Page 30 Christ is the universal cause of grace Page 31 Grace is given out by proportion Page 32 All grace comes in a way of receiving Page 46 Grace is supernatural Page 54 All is from grace Page 66 Difference between the times of the Law and the times of Grace Page 77 Grace is much opposed Page 80 See Boldness Retinue mystery Abundance advance Guilt ought not to keep a man from Christ Page 12 H Happiness The happines of a man in Christ Page 123 Hypocrits not answerable to the grace of Christ Page 123 Fulness of Holines in Christ Page 6 See Gospel How we should honor God Page 107 I Ignorance Ignorance ought not to keep a man from Christ Page 12 Incouragements Incouragements to Saints Page 164 Insufficiency see Nature K Kingdom Kingdom of Heaven what it is Page 247 Kingly Office of Christ how wronged Page 18 See Fulness L Law see Gospel A Legal spirit relisheth arguments best that are drawn from hell the wrath of God Page 247 The Lives of the Saints are very pleasant Page 65 Long-suffering Christians ought to wait upon others with Long suffering Page 235 Love There 's a fulness of love in Christ Page 4 Wherein the fulness of Christs love consists Page 5 The love of Christ draws men to him Page 40 The love between Christ christians described Page 117 Love causeth Love Page 247 Lusts God doth not give to supply our lusts but our wants Page 185 M Man Man unable to rise when he is fallen Page 50 Man cannot stand of himself Page 51 What it is that causeth men to use indirect means Page 189 Mercy The more mercy a man sins against the greater is his sin Page 87 See Death Mystery The great mystery of Grace described Page 82 Moment Conversion done in a moment Page 54 Moses see Christ N Name The Saints â—â—â—ht to lift up the Name of Christ Page 106 Names of Christ and the reason of them Page 95 Nature The Insufficiency of Nature oscerted Page 49. 92 Natural see Powers Neglect see Opportunity O Obedience Duties of Obedience are not taken away by faith Page 58 Office The Saints imitate Christ in his Offices Page 120 Opportunity Opportunities must not be neglected Page 237 Opposed see Grace P Powers All natural Powers rise against Conversion Page 81 God will have his Power seen Page 156 Pray We ought to Pray for whatsoever Grace we have Page 56 Presumption 'T is no Preshmption to take a thing when 't is given Page 188 Preparation Preparation to good comes from God Page 52 Priestly-Office How the Priestly-office of Christ is wronged Page 18 See Fulness Prophane Prophane men are not answer able to the grace of Christ Page 122 Prophetical-Office How the Prophetical Office of Christ is wronged Page 17 See Fulness Promise So much as we rest upon a promise so much of it we make our own Page 16 It is a hard thing to give the afirmative to a bare promise Page 165 We have the promise of our forefathers Page 183 See Death R Rebellious Christ received gifts for the Rebellious Page 41 Redeemed Who are the redeemed of the Lord and why Page 154 Reliance Encouragements to Reliance upon God in Christ Page 170 Remission Remission brought neer to people before they at all make after it proved Page 220 Repentance What Repentance is Page 216 Repentance both Legal and Evangelical ibid Repentance brought neer to people before they make after it Page 223 How many waies Repentance is known Page 242 What causeth Repentance ibid Repentance is a fruit of faith Page 245 Difference between Legal and Evangelical Repentance Page 248 The reason why no more men repent than do Page 252 The benefits of Evangelical Repentance Page 255 Retinue The Great Retinue of Grace Page 81 S Saints Saints must be contented in sufferings Page 129 See Christ Gospel Beleevers Fulness Scantiness see Contention Self All self-boasting is hateful to God Page 61 Sheep We are all as lost sheep Page 223 Sentence see Death Services All our services in this world are our waiting upon God Page 60 Spirit The same Spirit that was in Christ is in Christians Page 119 Sin see Mercy T Throne Christ hath a throne on earth Page 120 Treasury see Grace Trust We ought to trust in God for ever Page 236 See God V Ungodly see God Union What the union between Christ and Beleevers is Page 21 Union between Christ and men how it is taken Page 65 The union between Christ and the Saints is very glorious Page 115 Universal Universal causes seldom produce particular effects without the concurrence of particular causes Page 31 Upbraid Christ upbraids not men with sin Page 4 W Waiting see Service Way see Difficulties Want All that want should come to Christ Page 12 Wheels Fear and love are the wheels of every Motion Page 59 Willingness Christs willingness to communicate Grace to the sons of men Page 25 Our williness to receive proceeds from Christs willingness to give Page 27 Wonderful God will be known by his name Wonderful Page 187 Work No power in heaven nor earth can let Christs work Page 28 World Reason why the goods of this world satisfie not the soul of man Page 35 Who are the worlds darlings Page 233 FINIS
So the Devil stands before the soul to cut off the souls birth Then also comes in the power of all Relations And the power of all Engagements And the power of all former Customs And the power of an Evil Nature Nay if you will go this way to work then farewel all Friends and farewell all your former Pleasures and farewel all Preferment Was it not a great matter for Job to be upright in the Land of Vz why Because there was much opposition in it Is it not a great matter for a little poor Barque or Vessel to live at Sea in the time of a storm for a little spark of fire to live in much water for a little light to live in a great wind You look upon such a poor gracious soul and you do not consider the wind that blows upon it the storms that beat upon it and you say 'T is not much Grace he hath or much good he does Oh! but consider if you would consider the great Opposition that the soul meets withal then you will say Oh! 't is much indeed there is Abundance of Grace there Secondly Consider the Retinue of Grace Grace hath a great Retinue Though it be very mean it hath rich Retinue If a man hath but a poor Cottage an Acre of Land an half-Acre of Land a Rood Yet if it be an Earnest of a great Inheritance 't is much Look upon the little Cottage in it self or the Rood of Land in it self 't is not much but consider it as an Earnest of a great Inheritance so 't is much Beloved whatsoever Grace the Saints have they have it but as an Earnest Ye reade of the Testimony of the Spirit of the Earnest of the Spirit all the Grace that the Saints have on this side Heaven 't is all but the Earnest of what they shall have And the Apostle he blesses God for this as ye reade in the 1. of the Colossians 12. Giving thanks unto the Father which bath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the Saints in light Mark Here are Three things especially considerable in these words All the Children of God have an Inheritance You have but one Heir to your Estate all are not Heirs but all Gods Children have an Inheritance And the Inheritance called an Inheritance of Light It does not lie in a dark foggy and fenny and moorish place 't is a comfortable Inheritance 't is an Inheritance of light And the Apostle He does here give thanks unto God that had made them Meet to be the partakers of the Inheritance of the Saints in light He does not here give thanks unto God for the Inheritance but that they were meet to be partakers of the Inheritance that they had an Earnest till the Inheritance came I say all the Grace which a godly man hath on this side Heaven it is but an Earnest you look upon it as it is in it self and you say 'T is not much I but look upon it as an Earnest but as an Earnest and then you will say 'T is much indeed Oh! 't is much indeed But then Thirdly and specially Consider the Mystery of Grace Grace is a mystery Ye reade in Scripture of the mystery of iniquity and the mystery of godliness godliness is not only a mystery in the general but all the parts of godliness are mysterious there is a mystery in every part and if you would but a little consider the mystery of Grace I dare say you would lift up your hands and say then Oh! what Abundance of grace is here even in the weakest Saint For example to Instance Ye say 't is no great matter for a man or woman to tremble at the Word 'T is more then many a one does many come and fit out Sermons never tremble before the Word Well but you say 't is no great matter to tremble before the Word to tremble at the Word I but for a man to tremble at the Word and yet to count it as hony and the hony-comb to tremble at the Word yet to love it prize it then look upon it as the hony and the hony-comb this is much Now ye shall have a poor soul a poor Christian come and tremble before the Word and yet look upon the Word as the hony even as hony and the hony-combe for sweetnesse This is much Again You count it no great matter for one to love the Ordinances so to love the Ordinances above all the world as to be willing to part with all the world rather than to part with them This is a great matter But may be you will say this is no great matter Well but for a man or a woman to think so so to love the Ordinances yet notwithstanding at the same time to think that he don't Profit that he is barren and gets little or no good thereby this is much Now thus you shall have it with a poor Christian love and prize the Ordinances and would not part with the Ordinances for all the world and yet at the same time complain and say Oh! I get little good thereby Here 's a Mystery Put all together you take things asunder and therefore you think it is not much Again You think it is no great matter for a man to comfort himself in this That the Lord knows his heart I but for a man to comfort himself in that and yet say There is much hypocrisy there the same day it may be say Oh! I am an hypocrite Thus you shall have it with many a poor poor gracious drooping soul All is naught Oh! my heart it is full of hypocrisy and I am but an hypocrite and yet now let him be charg'd or accused by men of the world for such and such designes he comforts himself in this Oh! but blessed be the Lord the Lord knows my heart Put these things together Again You wil say 't is no great matter for a man To look into his own heart so to look into his own heart and so to be sencible of his sin as to think he shall perish for ever I but for the same person To professe he would not change his condition with another for all the world this is much Take many a poor drooping soul and thus it is I am afraid I shall go to Hell and perish to all eternity But now come lay his condition to a Drunkard to an Adulterer saies he I professe I would not change my condition with that man for all the world at the same time Here 's a mystery 't is strange but there 's a mystery in every piece of godliness and if you would but consider it would appear that there is much Grace in those that have the least Again You say 't is no great matter for a man To work out his salvation with fear and trembling I but for the same person To rely upon Jesus Christ only for salvation This is much Now thus it