power forth the vials The Angels that come out of the Temple they shall have an hand in pouring out the vials And what then Why then the men of the world they shall be tormented and gnash their teeth and bite their tongues for pain The pouring out of the vials is another thing were-in they shall be instrumental for the angering of the Bestial party But then the Fourth thing is The setting up the Kingdom of Christ So you have it in Revel 11. The seventh Angel sounded and there were great voices in Heaven saying The Kingdoms of this world are become the Kingdoms of our Lord and of his Christ and he shall reign for ever and ever c. What then And the Nations were angry When Christs Kingdom comes to be set up then the Nations are angry 'T is the setting up the Kingdom of Christ that angers the Nations and therefore in the second Psalm Wâ—y do the Heathen rage and the Kings and Princes take counsel together It follows I will set my King upon his holy Hill I will set up my Kingdom and the Kingdom of Christ shall be setup for all they are so angry at it I will do it But this is another thing that shall raise the anger of the men of the world in the latter daies I but is this so that there is such a deal of anger and wrath in the hearts of the wicked against the people of God Be not offended at it it alwaies was so and it must be so in the latter daies But Secondly If there be so much wrath and anger in the hearts of wicked men against the Saints Why should we not all make sure of the love of Christ O the Love of God in Christ will weigh down mens anger What need I care though men be angry if God love me though men frown so God smile If God be angry and wicked men angry too how shall we bear that how shall we stand under that Wicked men are angry and full of anger and 't is a persecuting time and wicked men are very angry against the Saints if God be angry too how shall we bear it Therefore labour to make sure of the Love of God in Jesus Christ Thirdly If that the wrath and anger of wicked men shall turn to the praise of God Why should we fear when wicked men are angry why should we be afraid When men are angry we are apt to fear but in Isa 51. Who art thou that art afraid of a man that shall dye and of the Son of man that shall be made as grass and forgettest the Lord thy Maker that hath stretched forth the heavens and laid the foundations of the earth c. Who art thou that art afraid of a man that shall dye Is that all the Argument There 's another Argument before verse 7. Hearken unto me ye that know Righteousness the people in whose heart is my Law fear ye not the reproach of men neither be ye afraid of their revilings why for the Moth shall eat them up like a garment They shall eat out themselves as the Moth eats out her self For the Moth shall eat them up like a Garment and the Worm shall eat them like Wool But my Righteousnesse the Gospel of my Righteousness and the Righteousness of Christ that 's my Righteousness shall be for ever and my salvation from Generation to Generation Fear not why God will turn all their wrath and anger unto his praise And therefore why should we fear But fourthly If God will turn the wrath and anger of wicked men unto his own praise why should we not be contented satisfied and comforted under all the rage and malice of unreasonable men in such a day as this Will you say O but they are not only angry but they are furious Why their fury shall turn to the Lords praise You will say O but they are not only furious but they hate and they are enraged and their rage ascends up to Heaven All this shall turn to Gods praise Their great design is to damp the Spirits of the People of God But they waxed bold by my bonds saith Paul speaking of the Saints Their great design is to scatter the people of God But by the scattering of Gods People shall his truth be scattered They scatter Gods people and Gods people scatter Gods truth it shall turn to his praise Their great design is to destroy the Gospel to suppress the Gospel But saith Paul my bonds turned to the furtherance of the Gospel Thus God will work it to his praise And therefore when you see the wrath anger and malice of wicked men breaking out to such Persecution be quiet be contented be satisfied be comforted all this shall God turn to his praise or he will restrain it But then fifthly If these things be so why should we not now stand still and behold the Salvation of God See what God will do expect the fulfilling of all this 't is a day of anger 't is a day of great wrath there is abundance of anger and wrath and hatred and malice in the hearts of men against the people of God at this day who doth not see it Well then Friends stand still you know how angry Pharaoh was when he followed after the Israelites and saith Moses stand still and see the Salvation of God So say I you shall see all this turn to Gods praise You shall see the restraining of prayer turn to the inlarging of Prayer You shall see the seeking to suppress the Gospel turn to the furtherance of the Gospel Now in such a day as this be righteous in your places For saith the Lord say to the Righteous It shall go well with him Say Who should say it Why Ministers say it Christians say it one to another Let every man say to himself Say to the Righteous It shall go well with him therefore be righteous in such a day as this And then secondly Fear before the Lord In such a day of Anger be sure that you fear and fear before the Lord. Look what is said in Eccles 8. Though a sinner do evil an hundred times and his daies be prolonged yet surely I know that it shall be well with them that fear God which fear before him That fear before him What 's that That is a man that fears the Lord walking up and down in the presence of God But what Case doth he speak to Look into the 9th verse There is a time saith he wherein one man ruleth over another to his own hurt and saith he because they rule thus and sentence against wicked men is not executed speedily but they go on and prosper in their rule and Government therefore the heart of the Sons of men is fully set in them to do evil But saith he Though a sinner do evil an hundred times and his dayes be prolonged yet surely I know that it shall be well with them that fear God which fear before him
we do that we may so remember Lot's Wife that we may not decline or look back in declining times I shall not speak at large unto the Argument Onely thus If you would not look back in declining times shut your eyes and your ears against all the allurements and threatnings of the World For the Devil he tempts much now in these daies to false Worship as he tempted our Saviour Christ when he said All this will I give thee if thou wilt fall down and worship me That was false Worship So now the Devil saith All this living and preferment will I give thee if thou wilt worship me so This Cupboard with Plate will I give thee this Chamber hung with Tapestry will I give thee if thou wilt worship so This great living and preferment will I give thee if thou wilt worship so If thou wilt not worship all this will I take from thee Would you therefore be kept that you may never look back Shut your eyes and shut your ears go blindfold into Gods Commandements as Abraham your Father did 2. If you would not look back in declining times Take heed of leaving any Nest-egg in the day of Reformation if there be an Egg left in the Nest sure enough the Hen will return to the Nest to lay yet So in the time of Reformation If a Nest-Egg be left as God knows what Nest-eggs were left among us But I say If in a time of publick Reformation Nest-eggs be left there will be a return of the Hen to the Nest-egg there Will you know what that good man said Mr. Dearing before Queen Elizabeth The house is swept and the Dirt is behind the Door there comes a Hen and scrapes it all out again But I put it into this If a Nest-egg be left be it a publick Reformation or a private Reformation yet if a Nest-egg be left there will be a returning back again 3. If you would not look back in declining times Then be sure that you never part friends with any sin Some will part with their sin but they will part friends with it Saith one By the grace of God I will never commit this sin again and I 'le go but this time into this company but after this time I will never go to them again and so they part friends with their sin Why if a man be to part with his friend he goes part of the way with him and having parted friends they look after one another And so when a man parts friends with his sin he will certainly look back again But if a man would never look back to his sin in declining times let him part as an enemy to it He that will part friends with his sin will certainly return to his sin again 4. If you would not look back in declining times be sure of this That you do not run a share or a part in the Vessel that God is about to destroy Where my grief is there is my finger where my love is there is my eye If I have a share and a part in the Vessel that God is about to destroy I shall look after the Vessel what becomes thereof Why now Babylon that art to be destroyed Babylon is not to repent Babylon that art to be destroyed Babylon is not to be reformed Wash dirt an hundred times and you cannot make clean the dirt Babylon is not to be reformed but to be destroyed Take heed therefore of running a part or a share in the Boat or Vessel that God hath laid out for destruction for if you have a part and a share there you will look back But 5. If you would not look back in declining times let us consider in the fear of the Lord what an evil thing it is to look back Briefly thus 1. Thereby you lose all you have wrought Thereby you will lose all your losses There is much gain in losing for Jesus Christ There is gain in our losses by looking back you will lose all your losses and the gain thereby 2. Thereby you will lose the Testimony of your own Integrity Yet saith God Job held fast his Integrity And if we don't look back in declining times then our hearts will tell us we were upright before him but if we look back in declining times our consciences will tell us we were never right before him 3. Thereby also you will lose the comfort of those glorious times that are to come Friends and Beloved glorious times there are a coming that are at the back side of this hedge that are but a little way off that are on the back-side of this affliction glorious times that are a coming and when they come if ye stand and hold out you will have the comfort of those glorious times But if now you look back in the interim you will lose the comfort of all those glorious times when they come and come they will and come they shall 4. Thereby also you will and shall be satisfied with your own waies for the back-slider in heart shall be satisfied with his own waies you will look back and you shall have enough on 't saith God 5. And thereby also you will be made unmeet for the Kingdom of Heaven For he that puts his hand to the Plow and looks back is unfit for the Kingdom of Heaven 6. And thereby also you may be made a Pillar of Salt and an example unto after Ages for God is quick with Apostates and with them that do look back You have heard how quick the Lord was with Lot's Wife and she was but a Type Now therefore as ever you do desire Friends and Beloved as ever you do desire that you may not lose what you have wrought for so many years as you do desire that you may hold fast and not lose the gain of your former losses as you do desire that you may hold fast your Integrity as you do desire that you may have the comfort of those glorious times that are a coming as you do desire you may not be satisfied with your own waies and as you do desire you may not be unfit for the Kingdom of Heaven and as you do desire that you may not be made examples for after Ages I beseech you in the Name of the Lord and I desire this Exhortation may take upon my own heart as well as yours Let us remember Lot's Wife It was the Lady Times speech to Harding that Apostate Harding Harding Remember Judas Harding remember Francis Spira And let us remember Lot's Wife And if you will ask How should we so remember Lot's Wife that we may not decline in declineing times Work these things upon your hearts This story and example upon your hearts Take this for a constant Rule that Passion is the best door-keeper of Memory The more I am affected with a thing for the present the more I shall remember it for the future and therefore if you would remember Lot's Wife go and work this story now upon your own hearts and as the times are declining the more declining the times are the more do you rub your Memory with this Example of Lot's Wife and call upon your selves Come O my soul remember Lot's Wife Brethren Friends Beloved our Saviour Christ hath left you this Example he hath commanded you and me to remember Lot's Wife 'T is an Example that he hath sanctified that we may take heed hereby and therefore at all times call upon your selves and your own souls come O my soul hast thou forgotten Lot's Wife Thou beginnest to grow cold and dead and dull hast thou forgotten Lot's Wife Come O my Soul remember Lot's Wife Thus shall you be able to stand and not to look back and I pray think upon it that we may not be of the number of those that draw back unto perdition but of those that do believe to the saving of your souls Think therefore of these things and remember Lot's Wife FINIS THere is lately Printed an Excellent Treatise called the World Conquer'd Or a Believers Victory over the VVorld laid open in several Sermons on 1 John 5. 4. By R. A. The Author of Vindiciae Pietatis Sold by Nath. Crouch at the Cross-Keys in Bishops-gate-street near Leaden-Hall
Beloved I appeal to you have you not had a fine time of it here have you not had a sweet season of Gospel-preaching amongst you The Lord knows what plentiful rain hath fallen upon you Oh great engagements are upon you all for to grow in grace and if you this people shall not after all your engagements this way and opportunities to grow if you shall not grow in grace Oh how will you appear before God your Father at the great day how how will you give an account of those talents that you have had We read of him that had but one talent he wrapt it up in a napkin but the Parable speaks there werâ— five left and two left but it is not said that he that had the five or the two wrapt them up in a napkin but he that had but the one talent he wrapt it up and you know what became of him but now when those that have five talents shall wrap them up in a napkin Oh what will become of them Beloved you have not had the one talent you have not had the two talents you have had the five talents and if there was such a miserable end of him that wrapt up his one talent O what will become of us that have five talents and wrap them up and do not improve them You know what the Lord Christ said to the Church of Ephesus how he threatned that Church I have somewhat against thee because thou hast lost thy first love remember therefore from whence thou art fallen and repent and do the first works or else I will come unto thee quickly and will remove thy candlestick out of his place God knows whether your first love be not left or no I am sure the Lord hath taken away a burning and a shining light from among you and certainly if you do not grow and thrive under all those opportunities of grace and growth in grace that you have had and still have how soon the Lord may quite remove his Candlestick from you and leave you quite in the dark he onely knows Wherefore Beloved in the Lord you have received much Oh much is expected from you much is expected from you And let me tell you for your encouragement If you do grow in grace and abound in the work of the Lord then shall there be an abundant entrance given unto you into the everlasting inheritance And so I come to that place of Peter which I shall but open before you and so have done for this time and I pray consider it diligently 2 Pet. 1. 5. And besides this giving all diligence add to your faith vertue and to vertue knowledge But mark how he prefaces before he comes to the words Whereby saith he are given unto us exceeding great and pretious promises that by these you might be partakers of the divine nature having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lusts Now besides this there is something else to be done well what 's that it is such a matter as all diligence is to be given to it Besides this giving all diligence adde to your faith vertue 'T is not 't is not enough that you believe but you must have moral vertue also Adde unto your faith vertue I but suppose we have moral vertue is not that enough No and to your vertue knowledge You must not onely have moral vertues but you must know Jesus Christ But suppose he hath knowledge is not that yet enough No and to your knowledge adde temperance whereby you may be kept from the immoderate use of the things of this world But suppose we have that is not that enough No adde to your temperance patience you shall meet with many afflictions and crosses and therefore you must have patience But suppose we have patience is not that yet enough No and to your patience adde godliness there must be a right worshipping of God in his Service Well but suppose we have godliness and do worship God after a right manner is not that enough No adde to your godliness brotherly kindness you that are Saints are brethren and therefore it is not enough that ye have the worshipping of God in a right way but ye must agree together as brethren adde to your right worship and godliness brotherly kindness But suppose we have that is not that enough no adde charity brotherly kindness may be towards you that are brethren but there must be charity towards all to those that are not of the body Well but suppose we do these things what then Read vers 8. For if these things be in you and abound they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. You complain that your hearts are barren and that you lie as barren ground in the Family why if you would not be barren and unfruitful you must grow and adde one grace unto another And if these things be in you and abound they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful Well but suppose a man lack these things read vers 9. But he that lacketh these things is blinde and cannot see afar off he may see some things in Religion that are neer but those things that are afar off he is blinde in them and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins that is by Baptism But suppose we do all this what then Pray see what encouragement there is to this in vers 10. Wherefore the rather brethren give diligence to make your calling and election sure this will be a signe to you of your election And if you do these things you shall never fall Whereas those that are weak and do not grow in grace they stumble at all occasions but if you do these things ye shall never fall and not stumble as those that are weak do And yet further at vers 11. you shall not onely have this benefit for the present but for the future for so an entrance shall be ministred unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Do you abound in grace and grow in grace and are rich in grace Why look as you abound so there shall be an abundant entrance ministred to you into the everlasting kingdom Wherefore he saith I will not be negligent to put you always in remembrance of these things It may be you will tell me you knew these things before but mark vers 12. I will not be negligent to put you always in remembrance of these things though ye know them and be established in the present truth Yea at vers 13. I think it meet as long as I am in this tabernacle to stir you up by putting you in remembrance And that you may see that it is a matter of great concernment he doth not onely say that he would put them in remembrance as long as he liv'd but he would take some course when he was dead that this exhortation