did that which for the matter of it was right in the sight of the Lord in a good mood was more forward and zealous in repairing the House of God than his Tutor vers 4.5 6. chides him but vers 17.18 as soon as Jehoiada was dead out of sight and hearing he feâ—l to his own Course and Bias again his eye being only to the Lords people and the Lords Minister though he did what was right in the sight of God his heart was not right with God he took up the Religion of the fawning Princes of Judah That was more for his turn his interest now But would he not repent if any of the Lords Ministers would boldly tell him of his backslidings No many did vers 18.19 them he regarded not Jehoiada's own Son did and he gave express order they should Stone him So many are righteouâ— before men that godly Ministers good people may have a great opinion of them they carry it cunningly whilst godly Ministers Parents Friends Acquaintance live yet are Hypocrites and gross Dissemblers before God 5. But the occasion calls louder upon me than the time and constrains me to be thus abrupt to omit the remainder of this and the use of consolation which will take up another Sâ—â—eet and may come to your view Thereâ—ore stay Sirs Ye that have heard Mr. Charnock Preach yea if there be any such here that first gave your own selves unto the Lord then unto him by the will of God ye will hearken ye will be exhorted and prevailed with Is it Is it not I know it is your hearts desir to be received into the Kingdom of your Father and be perfectly glorified Let it be your constant care and endeavour to be found still amongst the righteous to shine in grace in holiness and righteousness in light and love faith and new obedience above all in uprightneâ— and sincerity Be ye righteous before God in his All-discerning eye not only in your own or other mens eyes which may soon easily be dazed blinded and so deluded by you At your leasurâ— weigh these Scriptures 1 Thes 4.1 to 10. Luke 1.75 and 1 Thes 3.12 13. Thus ye will Embalm the Deceased put him in the best Repository and preserve in your minds his Remains Ye are to eternize the name of that Reverend and Excellent Divine your faithful Pastor Mr. Stephen Charnock a name of precious and eternal memory ye are to follow his faith to walk in the way of righteousness you saw how he went before you My observation of his walking growth and perseverance in the way that is called Holy makes me conclude that he was 1. A sincere Convert born of the Word and Spirit the seed of Grace and Righteousness sprang up betimes in his heart The Deed of Gift or rather Copy of it which shewed his title to Heaven I believe perished with his Books in Londons flames and I have forgot the particular places of Scripture by which he was most wrought upon which were there inserted That it was pure Gospel is evident whatever any that heard him not may think or have heard of his Preaching but Morality or Metaphysicks in all his Sermons Prayers Conversation Gospel-light appeared to each that had any thing of the spirit of discerning and Love did abound more and more in knowledg in all judgment and experience How would he deeply search into and prove things that differ which many others at first view would well approve of and allow only what he found pure and excellent whereby he might make himself others sincere without offence and to be filled with the fruits of righteousness For this I had him in my heart at my first acquaintance with him in Cambridge Thirty six years since I found him one that Josiah-like had turned to the Lord with all his heart all his soul and all his might and none like him which did more endear him to me How had he hid the Word of God in a fertile soyl a good and honest heart which made him flee youthful lusts and Antidoted him against the infection of youthful vanities His Study was his Recreation the Law of God all his delights Had he it not think ye engraven on his heart He was as choice circumspect and prudent in his election of Society as of Books to converse with all his delight being in such as excelled in the Divine Art of directing furthering and quickening him in the way to Heaven the Love of Christ and Souls Most choice he was of the Ministers that he would hear what he learnt from Books Converse or Sermons that which affected and wrought most upon him he prayed over till he was delivered into the form of it and had Christ Grace and the Spirit formed in him True he had been darkness and then he said full of doubtings fears and grievously pestred with temptations 'T is in the night the ugly Serpent crawls forth alas he was to be trained up as he might counsel and comfort others but God vouchsafed to dart such raies into his heart as gave the light of the knowledg of the glory of God in the face the person of Jesus Christ So was he made light in the Lord and believing on Christ and God in him filled with inward peace and comfort 2 ly He was a sound Believer and oft said he esteemed his own righteousness as none at all nor would he be found in it 't was impure imperfect defiled stain'd like a menstruous cloth All his desire was to be found in Christ and arrayed with the fine linnen clean and shining the righteousness of the Saints One excellency of this excellent Divine lay in his knowledg belief of and the soundness of his judgment to clear unto the understanding of others fundamental Truths viz. concerning the first Covenant the apostacy and defection of our first Parents by which term the Fathers in the Primitive times judiciously delight to delineate the fall of Adam and ours in him The first promise that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 concerning Christ the seed of the Woman and that before the Judiciary sentence past The Covenant of Redemption the New Covenant of Grace which filled up the greatest room in his head heart meditations prayers and discourses the nature of Original sin want of original righteousness corruption of nature impossibility of being justified by the Law by Works Justification by Christ by faith in him the sufferings of Christ Regeneration c. and the love of God in all How oft have we found him as if he had lately been with Paul caught up into the third Heaven and heard unspeakable words magnifying and adoring the mercy love and goodness of God the freeness and the riches of his Grace in giving the promise before the sentence giving Christ righteousness and faith in him Oh! said he oft to this effect the grace of God! the freeness and exceeding riches of his grace who is rich in mercy for his great love wherewith he hath
way weaker Christians can hardly get to Heaven for them not without stumbling wounding their Consciences and making their hearts to ake 2. Persons that do iniquity no good much mischief in the Church and that make it their employ Too many such there are in the visible Church because they whose concern it is take not that care of and inspection over them as they ought When both these shall be bundled up by the Angel and hurl'd into the fiery furnace as fewel for Hell yet not be consumed but Salamander-like live in the devouring fire and dwell with everlasting burnings Consider these four Particulars 1. The Subjects of future Glory the Righteous 2. What their Dignity preferment and eternal happiness will be viz. 1. They shall shine as they do in Grace and Holiness much more in glory 2. Shine forth i. e. be perfectly freed from every thing that eclipses their light or obscureth the splendor and brightness of their Grace and Holiness 3. Shine forth as the Sun i. e. gloriously incomparably not as the Moon that changeth as the Sun in its noon day glory with unchangeable everlasting light shall they be perfectly glorified 3. The Firmament or place where In the Kingdom of their Father God may as soon be pulled out of Heaven his Being and Glory be extinct as they plucked out of their Orbs and their light and glory be put out 4. The time when when Hypocrites the unrighteous shall be cast into the lake of fire and brimstone to be tormented with their Father the Devil and abide there for ever there to the torment of sinners their own unspeakable comfort especially to the glory of God shall the righteous in Heaven shine out Hence Note 1. They that shall be glorified are the righteous viz. through Regeneration Reputation by Sanctification and Acceptation 1. They that are righteous through Regeneration called v. 38. the children of the Kingdom by an usual Hebraism as in those terms children of death children of wrath c. 1. Because they are designed for and constituted by God heirs of the Kingdom And 2. are made capable of it being born of the Word of the Spirit of God himself 1. They are born again not of corruptible black rotting seed but of incorruptible the Word of God which liveth and abideth for ever 1 â— et 1.23 24. i. e. Not of the Word of man flowers and flourishâ—s of humane wit and eloquence which soon fade corrupt and like rotten seed come to nothing but of the Word of God pure Gospel v. 25 whence they grow and as the corn sown and the corn in the ear are of the same nature by Regeneration turn as it were very word and spirit that incorruptible seed the Word of the Kingdom being turned into Grace in their hearts changes and transforms them inâ—o new Creatures and they grow from it in Grace and Holiness 2. They are born of the Spirit Joh. 3.5 6. and thereby not only Evangelized but spiritualized 2 Cor. 3 18. Changed into the image of Christ presented to them by the Gospel who received the Spirit without measure and transformed from glory to glory from grace to grace or from one degree of the glorious grace and graces of the Lord the blessed spirit to another made very like not only to their Lord Jesus but the Lord the Spirit Yea 3 ly They are born of God 1 Joh. 3.9 so implicitely termed his children in the Text which calls Heaven by the name of the Kingdom of their Father Though 't is true they grow after in their resemblance of him as they grow more holy as he is holy Eph. 4.23 24. in holiness of Truth wrought in them by the Word of Truth and by the Spirit of Truth whereas before Conversion there is none righteous not one Jew one Gentile one in all the World All are of their father the Devil and his works they will do All are corrupt and do iniquity yea abominable iniquity and do not do good Their best actions in holy Austin's Language are but glittering sins some in our days would say the good Father is out his bolt is soon shot what were the eminent vertues of the Heathens sins how differs Grace from Vertue and Morality therefore we 'l say the best actions of the unregenerate being not from a principle of Grace have nothing of holiness truth of grace and goodness in them So are sins of omission which was Austins meaning They do no good at all 2. Such as are righteous by Reputation i. e. to whom God imputeth not sin and guilt but reckoneth and reputeth righteous in his sight not for any thing wrought in them or done by them but for the merit righteousness perfect obedience and full satisfaction of their Lord Jesus received by faith alone This is the good seed the word of truth the Gospel of our Salvation which being scattered by Ministers and blown by the Blessed Spirit into the prepared hearts of Intelligent hearers takes root and grows there They which come up thereby to trust i. e. to hope in Christ and to be justified by faith thorough him they are the good seed the righteous that shall be glorified As the Sons of the first Adam were made sinners the Sons of the second are made righteous None after regeneration can make themselves righteous if they could keep the whole Law since by Adam's disobedience theirs in him they were made sinners All and only believers are constituted righteous by the obedience of Christ who was made of God the second Adam a common head and representative of all that were given to him by the Father This righteousness is not their own but Christs yet 't is theirs being made theirs 1. by Gods Donation 2. by their thankful acceptance apprehending laying hold upon and appropriating of it by faith So if I may borrow the Learned Mr. Richard Hooker his saying God accepts them in Jesus Christ as perfectly righteous as if they had fulfilled all that was commanded in the Law shall I say more perfectly righteous than if they had fulfilled the whole Law I must take heed what I say but the Apostle saith God made him to be sin for us who knew no sin that we might be made the righteousness of God in him 3 ly They who are by Inchoation I mean by the Word and by the spirit of Holiness truly in part though not perfectly sanctified and made righteous and daily more and more when as 't was in an instant of their being turned to God that they were regenerate of their believing in Christ that they were justified Whom he justified them he also glorified Rom 8.30 i. e. say Divines he sanctified There being not a specifical but only a gradual difference betwixt them and such have love and do righteousness 1. They have righteousness inherent in them answering to what was in the first and in some measure to that which is in the second
second sort of hearers by hearkening to the Word get only some notional knowledg and understanding of it and are much affected with it they receive it with joy yet taking no root in the heart brings forth no fruit though it makes impression on their memories stays long there and on their affections yet this is all the fruit which is as good as none They can only talk how well they liked such a Minister such sentences Expositions Expressions of his yet with the same breath they will speak as evil of other Ministers as well of them they receive it into their ears and memories not into their judgments into their affections not their hearrs The affections of many are much wrought upon when their wills are not else they would not run as some do from one to many seeking scratch for the Itch in their ears novelties to please their fancies but would stay most where they might profit The third sort go farther they receive the Word though not in the love of it and let it abide till it spring up in the blade in a fair profession such a liking they have of it yet there 's no corn in the ear no change in the judgment heart or conversation for the cares of the world distracting cares about worldly concerns in prosperity and the deceitfulness of deceitful riches lying vanities choak the Word when tribulation or persecution ariseth because of the Word by and by are they offended and let the Word go rather than any part of their Estate especially if they espy any likelihood of gain that may accrew unto themselves thereby But new-born babes must not be forgotten 3. Are you born of God partakers of the Divine Nature then 1. Do you lay up casting up all prejudice i. e. by friendly communications acquaint your nursing Fathers how corrupt you were wherewith all carnal unregenerate persons are clogged and do abound viz. all malice guile hypocrisies envies evil speakings Do you desire the milk of the word that ye may grow thereby Where spiritual life is there will be spiritual longings for spiritual food for the preservation and nourishment of it for augmentation in each part not only in the head with notions as in children which have the Rickets such are weak in their hands and feet can't act or go one stroke heavenward Do you rellish most such particular subjects concerning Grace Christ God in Christ as your hearts were at first most wrought upon by you 'l think you can never hear enough of these Truths by which you had a taste how gracious the Lord is Sincere milk of the Word that is not adulterated with humane inventions pure Gospel is spiritual may not I say Angelical food they long bow down that with their eyes fixed upon the Propitiatory on Christ they may look into the Gospel which the Holy Ghost sends down from heaven See more of Christ and the grace of God and get a sip whereby they may be fed with light in their love admirations and praises of God blessed for ever The child of God can no more digest some mens quaint Orations others sublime Discourses than Austin could Tullies works where he found not the name of Jesus The end he proposes to himself in hearing is that he may grow in grace the knowledg of Christ conformity to him spiritual and heavenly-mindedness in likeness to God holiness in all manner of conversation 1 Pet. 1.14 15 16. in abstaining from fleshly lusts and having his conversation honest amongst others that God may be glorified Consider 1 Pet. 1.4 5 6 7. 2. Do you grow by the Word But your growth being gradual and discernable rather by others than your selves resolve this question 3. Can you clear your Regeneration to your own souls by your living a new life and conversation a new life in holiness which is called the life of God argues a new a Divine nature he is born of God that is a new man created after God after his Image and likeness in righteousness and holiness of truth compare your selves with Rom. 6.4 Eph. 4 th 5 th Chapters And Col. 3. newness of life and conversation is the best evidence of Regeneration Ye did live like men according to the course of the world in the age you live in according to the Devil in disobedience the lusts of the flesh and carnal mind the fulfilling your manifold wills and pleasures do ye now live and walk like the children of God i. e. in an holy awe of God serving him with filial reverence and out of love in ways well pleasing to him Is your fear more to displease God than man your care to please him rather than your selves or others you lived a careless secure carnal life do you live a strict a spiritual life now Ye were worldly are you heavenly-minded and your thoughts and affections set on the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 things of everlasting concernments to your precious immortal souls Ye lived in the commission of such sins the omission or careless performance of such and such duties your hearts tell you what Ministers cannot therefore speak to you only in Generals do you find through grace now ye dare not do not at least will not do it Believe it a change in the heart is best discerned by a reformation in the life mens living another life than they did whilst in a state of sin nature and unregeneracy both as to their leaving known sins and living in the practise of known duties 2. Are ye righteous through reputation after ye were wrought off from a course in sin to a constant course in duty were ye brought off from resting on your own righteousness in careful abstaining from sin performance of duty to relye wholly on Christ and his righteousness for Justification All the children of God sooner or later are brought over not only from sin to duty but also from self and self-righteousness to Christ by faith united to and ingrafted into him They see their best services are impure imperfect they need Christ and his righteousness so desire Phil. 3.9 They are brought to this at last though it may be long first faith in Christ the seed of it may be wrought in regeneration long before the perceptible acting and exercise of that grace and if you will call it so the younger Twin Repentance towards God gets the start for when man has been throughly convinced he has by sin deserved hell poor creature 't is natural for him so to do he seeks by a righteousness of his own to climb up to heaven We should do duty as if we were to get to heaven by it but trust no more to it than if we were to go to hell for it for failings I mean in the performance of it Do ye know believe ye were made sinners guilty liable to eternal death upon the special verdict of the Blessed Trinity on that righteous sentence of the Law the Covenant of Works Gen. 2.15