far mortified the flesh and subdued the world and the Devil that the Authority and Word of God can do more with him then any other and doth ordinarily prevail against all the perswasion and interest of the flesh so that the main scope and bent of the heart and life is still for God and when he sinneth he riseth again by true Repentance I say that soul and that only shall be Justified in Judgement and be saved 5. That soul that hath such Believing thoughts of the life to come that he taketh the promised blessedness for his portion and is resolved to venture all else upon it and in hope of his glory doth seâ— light comparatively by all things in this world and waiteth for it as the end of this life choosing any suffering that God shall call him to rather then to lose his hopes of that felicity and thus persevereth to the end I say that soul and none but that shall be justified in Judgement and escape Damnation In these five marks I have told you truly and briefly who shall be Justified and saved and who shall be condemned at the day of Judgement And if you would have them all in five words they are but the Description of these five Graces Repentance Faith Love Obedience Hope But though I have laid these close together for your use yet lest you should think that in so weighty a case I am too short in the proof of what I so determine of I will tell you in the express words of many Scripture Texts who shall be Justified and who shall be condemned John 3. 3. Except a man be born again he cannot enter into the Kingdom of God Heb. 12. 14. Without holiness none shall see God Luk. 13. 3 5. Except ye repent ye shall all likewise perish Acts 26. 18. I send thee to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light and from the power of Satan unto God that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an Inheritance among the sanctified by Faith that is in me Joh. 3. 15 16. 17 18 19. Whoever believeth in him shall not perish but have everlasting life he that believeth on him is not condemned he that believeth not is condemned already because he hath not Believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God and this is the condemnation that light is come in to the world and men loved darkness rather then light because their deeds were evil John 5. 28 29. The hour is coming in which all that are in the graves shal hear his voice shall come forth they that have done good to the Resurrect on of life and they that have done evil to the Resurrection of damnation Mat. 25. 30. Cast the unprofitable servant into outer darkness there shal be weeping gnashing of Teeth Lu. 19 27. But those mine enimies which would not that I should raign over them bring hither and slay them before me Mat 22. 12. 13. Friend how camest thou in hither not having on a wedding gatment And he was speechless Then said the King to the servants Bind him hand and foot and take him away and cast him into outer darkness c. Mat. 5. 20. For I say unto you that except your Righteousness exceed the Righteousness of the Scribes and Pharisees ye shall in no wise enter into the Kingdom of heaven Mat. 7. 21. Not every one that saith Lord Lord shall enter into the Kingdom of Heaven but he that doth the will of my Father which is in Heaven Heb. 5. 6. He is become the Author of eternall salvation to all them that obey him Rev. 22. 14. Blessed are they that do his Commandments that they may have right to the tree of life and may enter in by the Gate into the City Rom. 8. 1. 13. There is then no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus that walk not after the flesh but after the Spirit For if ye live after the flesh ye shall dye but if ye through the Spirit do mortifie the deeds of the body ye shall live Rom. 8. 9. If any man have not the Spirit of Christ he is none of his Gal. 5. l8 But if ye be Led of the Spirit ye are not under the Law Gal. 6. 7. 8. Be not deceived God is not mocked for whatsoever a man soweth that shall he also reap for he that soweth to the flesh shall of the flesh reap Corruption but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit read life Everlasting Matth. 6. 21. For where your Treasure is there wil your heart be also Read Psal 1. and many other Texts to this purpose of which some are cited in my Directions for Peace of Conscience Dir. 11. p. 115. 116. And thus I have told you from Gods Word how you may know whether you are ready for Judgement which is the fourth thing that I would advise you to enquire after O Sirs what shift do you make to keep your souls from Continual Terrours as you as long remain unready for Judgement How do you keep the Thoughts of it out of your mind that they do not break your sleep and meet you in your business and haunt you every way you go while Judgement is so neer and you are so unready But I shall proceed to say next Question Qu. 5 AND in the last place to those of you that are not yet Ready nor in a Condition wherein you may safe at that day ' my Question is How are you resolved to prepare for Judgement for the time to come Will you do no more than you have done hitherto Or will you now set your selves with all your might to make preparation for so great a day me thinks you should be now past all demurs delays or further doubtings about such a business and by the consideration of what I have said already you should be fully Resolved to lose no more time but presently to awake and â—eâ— upon the work Me thinks you should all say We will do any thing that the Lord shall Direct us to do rather then we will be unready for this final doom O that there were but such hearts in you that you were truly willing to follow the gracious Guidance of the Lord and to use but those sweet and reasonable means which he hath prescribed you in his Word that you may be ready for that day Alas it is no hard matter for me to tell you or my self what it is that we must do if we will be happy and it is no very hard matter to Do it so far ar we are truly willing but the difficulty is to be truly and throughly willing to this work If I shall tell you what you must do for preparation shall I not lose my labour Will you resolve and promise in the strength of Grace that you will faithfully and speedily endeavour to practise it whoever shall gainsay it Upon hope of this I will set you down some brief Directions
rule them as his redeemed ones and make for them such new Laws of grace for the conveyances of his benefits as might demonstrate the wisdom and mercy of our Redeemer and be most suitable to his ends The world is now morall dead in sin though naturally alive Christ hath redeemed them but will cure them by the actuall conveyance of the benefits of Redemption or no at all He hath undertaken to this end himself to be their Physitian to cure all that will come to him and take him so to be and trust him and obey him in the Application of his Medicines He hath erected an Hospitall his Church to this end and commanded all to come into this Ark. Those that are far distant he first commandeth to come nearer and those that are neare he inviteth to come in Too many do refuse and perish in their refusall He will not suffer all to do so but mercifully boweth the wills of his Elect and by an insuperable powerfull drawing compells them to come in You may see then that here is a Novum us Dominii Imperii a new right of Propriety and rule founded on the new bottom of Redemption But that this doth not destroy the old which was founded on Creation but is in the very nature and use of it an emendative addition Redemption is to mend the Creature not of any defect that was left in the Creation but from the ruine which came by our defacing transgression The Law of grace upon this Redemption is superadded to the Law of nature given on the Creation not to amend any imperfections in that Law but to save the sinner from its unsufferable penalty by dissolving its obligation of him thereto And thus in its nature and use it is a remedying Law And so you may see that Christ is now the Owner and by right the Governor of the whole world on the Title of redemption as God before was and still is on the Title of Creation 3. By this you may also percive in whit sense we are not our own In the strictest sence there is no proprietary or absolute Lord in the world but God No man can say this is fully and strictly mine God gives us indeed whatever we enjoy but his giving is not as mans we part with out Propriety in that which which we give but God gives nothing so His giving to us makes it not the less his own As a man giveth his goods to his steward to dispose of for his use or instruments to his servant to do his work with so God giveth his benefits to us Or at the utmost as you give cloathes to your child which are more yours still then his and you may take them away at your pleasure I confess when God hath told us that he will not take them away he is as it were obliged in fidelity to continue them but yet doth not hereby let go his propriety And so Christ bids us call no man on Earth Father that is our absolute Lord or Ruler because we have but one such master who is in Heaven Mat. 23. 7 8 9 10. So that you may see by this what Propriety is left us and what right we have to our selves and our Possessions Even such as a steward in his Masters goods or a servant in his tools or a child in his coat which is a propriety improper subordinate and secundum quid and will secure us against the usurpation of another One servant may not take his fellows instrument from him nor one child his brothers coat from him without the Parents or Masters consent They have them for their use though not the full propriety It may be called a propriety in respect to our fellow servant though it be not properly so as we stand in respect to God We have right enough to consute the Leveller but not to exempt either us or ours from the claim and use of our absolute Lord. 4. For the fourth Question What it is to glorifie God in body and spirit I answer in a word It is when upon true believing apprehensions of his right to us and of our great obligations to him as our Redeemer we heartily and unfeignedly devote our selves to him and live as a people so devoted so bending the chiefest of our care and study how to please him in exactest obedience that the glory of his mercy and holiness and of his wise and righteous Laws may be seen in our conversations and that the holy conformity of our lives to these Lawes may shew that there is the like conformity in our minds and that they are written in our hearts when the exellency of the Christian Religion is so appareut in the excellency of our lives causing us to do that which no others can imitate that the lustre of our good works may shine before men and cause them to glorifie our Father in Heaven To conclude when we still respect God as our only Soveragin and Christ as our Redeemer and his Spirit as our Sanctifier and his Law as our Rule that the doing of his will and the denying of our own is the daily work of our lives and the promoting of his blessed ends is our end this is the glorifying of God that hath Redeemed us 5. The last question is who they be that are may be urged to glorifie God on this ground that the hath bought them Doubtless only those whom he hath bought but who are those It discourageth me to tell you because among the godly it is a controversie but if they will controvert points of such great moment they cannot disoblige or excuse us from preaching them Among the variety of mens opinions it is safe to speak in the Language of the holy Ghost and accordingly to believe viz that as by the offence of one Judgement came upon all men to condemnation even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men to Justification of life Rom. 5. 8. And that he gave himself a ranâ—ome for all and is the only Mediator between God and man 1 Tim. 2. 5 6. That he is the propitiation for our sins and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world 1 John 2. 2. That God is the Saviour of all men especially of those that believe 1 Tim. 4. 10. That he is the Saviour of the world John 4. 42. 1 John 4. 14. 15. That he tasteth death for every man Heb. 2. 9. with many the like It is very sad to consider how mens unskilfulness to reconcile Gods general grace with his special and to assign to each its proper part hath made the Pelagians and their Successors to deny the special grace and too many of late no less dangerously to deny the general grace and what contentions these two errroneous parties have maintained and still maintain in the Church and how few observe or follow that true and sober mean which Austin the Maul of the Pelagians and his
God is mine thou stolest it from me This wealth is mine this life and all is mine Only thy self he will not own They shall require thy soul that have conquered and ruled it Though it was his by right of Creation and Redemption yet seeing it was not his by a free Dedication he will not own it as to everlasting salvation but say Depart from me I know you not ye workers of iniquity Mat. 7. 23. O with what hearts then will self-seeking Gentlemen part with their honours and estates and the earthly minded with their beloved possessions when he that resigned all to God and devoted himself and all to his service shall find his consumed estate to be increased his neglected honour abundantly repaired and in this life he shall receive an hundred fold and in the world to come eternal life Mat. 10. 30. Joh. 4 56. 1 Tim. 6. 12. 19. 13. Lastly consider When judgement comes enquiry will be made whether you have lived as your own or as his that bought you then he will require his own with improvement Luke 19. 23. The great business of that day will be not so much to search after particular sins or duties which were contrary to the scope of heart and life but to know whether you lived to God or to your flesh whether your time and care and wealth were expended for Christ in his members and interest or for your carnal selves Mat. 25. In as much as you did it not to these you did it not to him You that Christ hath given Authority to shall then be accomptable whether you improved it to his advantage You that he hath given honor to must then give account whether you improved it to his honor In the fear of God Sirs cast up your accounts in time and bethink you what answer will then stand good It will be a doleful hearing to a guilty soul when Christ shall say I gave thee thirty or fourty years time thy flesh had so much in eating and drinking and sleeping and labouring in idleness and vain talking and recreations and other vanities but where was my part how much was laid out for the promoting of my glory I lent you so much of the wealth of the world so much was spent on your backs and so much on your bellies so much on costly toyes or superfluities so much in revengeful suits and contentions and so much was left for your posterity but where was my part how much was laid out to further the Gospel and to relieve the souls or the bodies of your brethren I gave thee a family and committed them to thy care to govern them for me and fit them for my service but how didst thou perform it O Brethren bethink you in time what answer to make to such Interrogatories your judge hath told you that your doom must then pass according as you have improved your talents for him and that he that hideth his Talent though he give God his own shall be cast into utter darkness where is weeping and gnashing of teeth Mat. 25 30. How easily will Christ then evince his right in you and convince you that it was your duty to have lived unto him Do you think sirs that you shall then have the face to say I thought Lord that I had been made and redeemed for my self I thought I had nothing to do on earth but live in as much plenty as I could and pleasure to my flesh and serve thee on the by that thou mightest continue my prosperity and save me when I could keep the world no longer I knew not that I was thine and should have lived to thy glory If any of you plead thus what store of Arguments hath Christ to silence you He will then convince you that his Title to you was not questionable He will prove that thou wast his by thy very Being and fetch unanswerable Arguments from every part and faculty He will prove it from his Incarnation his life of humiliation his bloody sweat his crown of Thorns his Cross his Grave He that had wounds to shew after his Resurrection for the convincing of a doubting Disciple will have such Scars to shew then as shall suffice to convince a self excusing Rebel All these shall witness that he was thy rightful Lord He will prove it also from the discoveries of his Word from the warnings of his Ministers from the mercies which thou receivedst from him that thou wast not ignorant of his Right and of thy duty or at least not ignorant for want of meanes He will prove it from thy Baptismal Covenant and renewed engagements The Congregation can witness that you did promise to be his and seale to it by the reception of both his Sacraments And as he will easily prove his right so will he as easily prove that you denyed it to him He will prove it from your Works from the course of your life from the streame of your thoughts from your love your desires and the rest of the affections of your disclosed hearts O Brethren what a day will that be when Christ shall come in person with thousands of his Angels to sit in judgment on the rebellious world and claim his due which is now denyed him when Plaintiff and Defendant Witnesses and Jurors Councellors and Justices Judges and all the Princes on Earth shall stand equal before the impartial Judge expecting to be sentenced to their unchangeable state then if a man should ask you what think you now Sir of living to God Is it better to be devoted to him or to the flesh which now do you take for the better master what would you do now if it were all to do again what would you then say to such a Question how would you answer it would you make as light of it as now you do O sirs you may hear these things now from your poor fellow-creature as proud-hearted Gallants or as self-conceited Deriders or as besotted worldlings or senseless blocks or secret Infidels that as those Deut. 29. 19. do bless themselves in their hearts and say We shall have peace though we walk in the imagination of our hearts But then you will heare them as trembling prisoners Read the 20 verse at leisure Such a sight will work when words will not especially words not believed nor considered of When you shall see the God that you disowned the Redeemer whom you â—eglected the Glory which you forfeited by preferring the plesures of the flesh before it the Saints triumphing whom you refused to imitate and a dolefull eternity of misery to be remedilesly endured then Saints will seem wiser men in your eyes and how gladly wouldâ— you then be such but O too late what a thing is it that men who say they believe such a judgment and everlasting life and death as all Christians profess to do can yet read and hear and talk of such things as insensibly as if they were dreames or fables I know it is
the nature of sin to deceive and of a sinfull heart to be too willing of such deceiving and it 's the business of Satan by deceiving to destroy and with the most specious baits to angle for souls and therefore I must expect that those of you that are taken and are neerest to the pit should be least fearful of the danger and most confident to escape though you are conscious that you live not to God but to your selves But for my part I have read and considered what God saith in his Word and I have found such evidence of its certain truth that I heartily wish that I might rather live on a dunghill and be the sâ—â—â—n of the world and spend my few daies in beggery and calamity then that I should stand before the Lord my Judge in the case of that man whatever he be that is not in heart and life devoted unto God but liveth to his flesh for I know that if we live after the flesh we shall dye Rom. 8. 13. I had rather lie here in Lazarus poverty and want the compassion and releife of man then to be cloathed with the best and fare deliciously and hereafter be denyed a drop of water to cool the flames of the wrath of God I confess this is likely to seem but harsh and ungreatful preaching to many of you some pleasant fingles or witty sayings or shreds of Reading and pretty cadency of neat expressions were liker to be accepted and procure applause with them who had rather have their ears and phantasies tickled then rubbed so roughly and be roused from their ease pleasing dreams But shall I prâ—ach for my self while I pretend to be preaching you from your selves to God Shall I seek my seâ—f while I am preaching of the everlaâ—â—ing misery of Self-seekers God fobid Sirs I know the terrours of the Lord 2 Cor. 5 11. I believe and therefore speak Were I a Christian no deeper then the throat I would fish for my self and study more to please you then to save you I love not to make a needless stir in mens Consciences nor to trouble their peace by a Doctrine which I do not believe my self But I believe that our Judge is even at the door and that we shall shortly see him coming in his Glory and the Host of Heaven attending him with acclamations In the mean time your particular doom draws on the fashion of all these things passeth away as those seats will anon be empty when you are departed so it is but a moment till all your habitations shall change their possessors and the places of your abode and too great delight shall know you no more I must needs speak to you as to transient itinerant mortals who must ere long be carried on mens shoulders to the dust and there be left by those that must shortly follow you then farewel Honours and fleshly Delights farewell all the accommodations contents of this world O that you had sooner bid them farewelâ— Had you lived to Christ as you did to them he would not so have turn'd you off nor have left your dislodged souls to utter desolation In a word As â—uâ—e as the word of God is true if you own him not now as your Lord and Soveragin he will not own you then as his chosen to salvation and if now you live not To him you shall not then live With him Be not deceived God is not mocked for whatsoever a man soweth that shall he also reap for he that soâ—eâ—h to his flâ—sh shall of the flesh reap corruption but he that sâ—weth to the spirit shall of the 〈◊〉 everlasting life Gal. 6. 7. 8. Consider this ye that forget God lest he tear you in pâ—eces and there be none to deliver you Psal 50. 22. Beloved Hearers Believe as you pretend to Believe and then live as you do Believe If you believe that you are not your own but his that made you and bought you with a Price and that he will thus try you for your lives and everlasting comforts on this Question Whether you have lived to him or to your selves then live as men that do indeed believe it Let your Religion be visible as well as audible and let those that see your lives and observe the scope of your endeavours see that you Believe it But if you believe not these things but are Infidels in your hearts and think you shall feel neither pain nor pleasure when this life is ended but that man dyeth as the beast then I cannot wonder if you live as you believe He that thinks he shall dye like a Dogg is like enough to live like a Dogg even in his filthiness and in snarling for the bones of worldly vanities which the Children do contemn Having spoken this much by way of Exhortation I shall add a few words for your more particular direction that you may see to what my Exhortation doth tend and it may not be lost 1. Be sure that you look to the uprightness of your heart in this great business of devoting your selves to God especially see 1. That you discern and soundly believe that excellency in God which is not in the Creature and that perfect felicity in his love and in the promised glory which will easily pay for all your losses 2. And that upon a deliberate comparing him with the pleasures of this world you do resolvedly renounce them and dedicate your selves to him 3. And specially that you search carefully lest any Reserve should lurk in your hearts and you should not deliver up your selves to him absolutely for life and death for better and worse but should still retain some hopes of an earthly felicity and not take the unseen felicity for your portion It is the lot of the wicked to have their portion in this life Psal 17. 14. And let me here warn you of one delusion by which many thousands have perished and cheated themselves out of their everlasting hopes they think that it is only some grosser disgracefull sins as swearing drunkenness whoredom injustice c. that will prove mens perdition and because they are not guilty of these they are secure when as it is the predominancy of the interest of the flesh against the interest of God in their hearts and lives that is the certain evidence of a state of Damnation which way soever it be that this is expressed Many a civil Gentleman hath his heart more addicted to his worldly interest and less to God then some Whoremongers and Drunkards If you live with good reputation for Civility yea for extraordinary ingenuity yea for religious zeal and no disgracefull vice is perceived in your lives yet if your hearts be on those things which you possess and you love your present enjoyments better then God and the glory that he hath promised your case is as dangerous as the Publicans and Harlots you may spend your days in better reputation but you will end them in as certain
please and make us such Laws and Conditions as seem best to his wisdom upon which our justification and salvation should depend He hath resolved that this shall be the only condition and way and that as no man shall be justified by a meer Christ or his death abstracted from Faith that is of Age and use of Reason so this Faith shall be the condition upon which they shall be justified or as a Christ neglected shall save no man so the accepting or receiving of him shall justifie and save them as the conditon of the Covenant performed under which Notion it is that Faith justifieth 2. Yet other improper or subordinate Reasons which receive their life from the former and without it would be no Reasons may be given as 1. From the equity and 2. From the sutbleness and conveniency 1. It is but equal that he who hath bought us and that so dearly and from a state so deplorable and desperate as we were in should be acknowledged and accepted for our Saviour and our Lord and that we who are not our own but are bought with a price should glorifie him with our bodies and souls which are his 1 Cor. 6. 20. 7. 23. Epecially when for that end he both dyed aud rose again that he might rule or be Lord over both quick and dead Rom. 14. 9. If one of you should buy a man from the Galleyes or Gallowes with the price of your whole estate or the life of your only Son would you not expect that he should be at your dispose that he should love you depend on you and be subject to you 2. And as salvation by free Grace through Christ is a way most sutable to Gods honor and to our own necessities and low condition so in subordination thereto the way of believing is most rationally conducible to the same ends As we could not have had a fitter way to the Father then by Christ so neither could there be a fitter way to Christ or means to partake of him then by Faith For though I cannot call it the instrumental Cause of our justification either Active or Passive yet is this Faith or Acceptation of Christ for our Saviour and King which is here called Kising the Son the fairest condition that we could reasonably expect and the most apparently tending to the honor of our Redeemer applying and appropriating to our selves the person righteousness and benefits procured and offered but noâ— the least of the houor of the Work All we do is but to accept what Christ hath procured and that must be by the special assistance of his Spirit too 4. The fourth thing I promised is to shew you Why no other Priviledge or Power in the world can save him that doth not kiss the Son It may here suffice that I have shewed you Gods determination to the contrary But further consider if any shonld hope to scape by their Dignities Titles Friends Strength or any other endowments or virtuous qualifications 1. What is their task 2. What is their power to perform it 1. They must resist the unresistible will of God They must do that which Heaven or Earth Men or Devils were never able yet to do They have resisted his Laws and his love but they could never resist his purpose or his power The power that undertaketh to save the Enemy or Neglecter of Christ must first overcome the power of the Almighty and conquer him that doth command the World And who hath the strength that is sufficient for this Sinner before thou venture thy soul upon such a mad conceit or think to be saved whether God will or not try first thy skill and strength in some inferiour attempt Bid the Sun or Moon stand still in the Firmament invert the several seasons of the year Bid the snow and frost to come in Summer and the flowers and fruits to spring in Winter command the streams to turn their course or the Tide its times or the winds their motion If these will obey thee and thy word can prevail with them against the Law of their Creator then maist thou proceed with a greater confidence and courage and have some hopes to save the neglecters of Christ Or try first whether thou canst save thy present life against the course of nature and will of God call back thine age and years that are past command thy pains and sickness to be gone chide back this bold approaching death Will they not obey thee Canst thou do none of these How then canst thou expect the saving of thy soul against the determinate will and Way of God Where dwelleth that man or what was his name that did neglect Christ and yet escape damnation Who hath hardned himself against him and hath prospered Job 9. 4. And dost thou think then to be the first Thou maist perhaps knock boldly at the Gate of Heaven and plead thy Greatness thy virtues thy Almsdeeds and formal devotion but thou shalt receive a sadder answer then thou dost expect Jesus we know and obediential Faith in him we know but who are ye 2 He that will save the soul that loveth not dependeth not on and subjecteth not himself to Christ must first make false the word of God and make the true and faithful God a lyer this is another part of his task God hath given it under his hand for truth That he that believeth not is condemned already Joh. 3. 18. That he shall not see life but the wrath of God abideth on him Joh. 3. 36. That they who are invited to Christ and make light of it or make excuses shall never taste of his Supper Luke 14. 24. Mat. 22. 5. 8. That it shall be easier for Sodom in the day of Judgement then for that City which refuseth the offers of the Gospel Mat. 12. 15. That whosoever would not have Christ to raign over them shall be brought forth at last and destroyed before him as his Enemies Luk. 19. 27. That they shall all be damned that believe not the truth but have pleasure in unrighteousness 2 Thes 2. 12 c. And hath the Almighty said that thus it shall be Who then is he that dare say it shall not be Is this the concluded Decree of Heaven what power or policy is able to reverse it hath God said it wil he not do it Thus you see his task that will undertake to save one neglecter of Christ 2. Let us now consider what Power that is that must perform it If it be done it must be either 1. By Wisdom or 2. By Strength whereas the chiefest of men even the Kings and Judges of the Earth are both ignorant and Impotent 1. Ignorant Though Judges are learned in the repute of the World Alas poor crawling breathing dust Do you know the secrets of your Masters counsel and are you able to over reach them and frustrate his designs Doth this Book know what is written in it Can the Seat you sit on over-top your
said to be the Accusers Where it is false it can be only the work of Satan the malitious adversary who as we may see in Jobs case will not stick to bring a false Accusation If any think that the Accuser will not do so vain a work at least they may see that potentially this is the Accusation that lyeth against us and which we must be justified against For all Justification implyeth an Actual or Potential Accusation He that is truly accused of final Impenitency or Unbelief or Rebellion hath no other Defence to make but must needs be condemned He that is falsly accused of such non-performance of the condition of Grace must deny the Accusation and plead his own personal Righteousness as against that Accusation and produce that Faith Repentance and sincere Obedience and Perseverance by which he fulfilled that Condition and so is Evangelically Righteous in himself and therefore hath part in the blood of Christ which is instead of a Legal righteousnses to him in all things else as having procured him a pardon of all his sin and a right to everlasting glory And thus we must then be Justified by Christs satisfaction only against the accusation of being sinners in general and of deserving Gods wrath for the Breach of the Law of works But we must be justified by our faith repentance and sincere Obedience itself against the Accusation of being Impenitent unbelievers and Rebels against Christ and having not performed the Condition of the promise and so having no part in Christ and his Benefits So that in Summ you see that the cause of the day will be to enquire Whether being all known sinners we have accepted of Christ upon his terms and so have right in him and his benefits or not Whether they have forsaken this vain world for him and loved him so faithfully that they have manifested it in parting with these things at his Command And this is the meaning of Mat. 25. Where the enquiry is made to be whether they have fed and visited him in his members or not That is whether they have so far loved him as their Redeemer and God by him as that they have manifested this to his members according to Opportunity though it cost them the hazard or loss of all Seeing danger and labour and cost are fitter to express love by then Empty Complements and bare Professions Whether it be particularly enquired after or only taken for granted that men are sinners and have deserved Death according to the Law of works and that Christ hath satisfied by his death is all one as to the matter in hand seeing Gods enquiry is but the Discovery and Conviction of us But the last Question which must decide the Controversie will be whether we have performed the condition of the Gospel I have the rather also said all this to shew you in what sense these words are taken in the text that Every man shall be Judged according to what he hath done in the flesh whether it be good or bad Though every man be Judged worthy of Death for sinning yet every man shail not be Judged to dye for it and no man shall be Judged morthy of Life for his good works It is therefore according to the Gospel as the rule of judgement that this is meant They that have Repented and believed and returned to true though imperfect Obedience shall be Judged to everlasting Life according to these works not because these works Deserve it but because the free Gift in the Gospel through the blood of Christ doth make these things the condition of our possessing it They that have lived and dyed Impenitent Unbelievers and Rebels against Christ shall be judged to everlasting punishment because they have deserved it both by their sin in general against the Law and by these sins in special against the Gospel This is called the Merit of the Cause that is what is a mans due according to the true meaning of the Law Though the due may be by free gift And thus you see what will be the cause of the Day and the matter to be enquired after and decided as to our Life or Death VIII THE next point in our method is to shew you What will be the Evidence of the Cause Answ There is a fivefold Evidence among men 1. When the fact is notorious 2. The knowledge of an unsuspected Competent Iudge 3. The parties Confession 4. Witness 5. Instruments and visible effects of the action All these Evidences will be at hand and any one of them sufficient for the conviction of the guilty person at that day 1. As the sins of all men so the Impenitency and Rebellion of the wicked was notorious or at least will be then For though some play the hypocrites and hide the matter from the world and themselves yet God shall open their hearts and former lives to themselves and to the view of all the world He shal set their sins in order before them so that it shall be utterly in vain to deny or excuse them If any menwill then think to make their cause as good to God as they cannow do to us that are not able to see their hearts they will be fouly mistaken Now they can say they have as good hearts as the best then God will bring them out in the light and shew them to themselves and all the world whether they were good or bad Now they will face us down that they do truly Repent and they obey God as well as they can but God that knoweth the Deceivers will then undecieve them We cannot now make men acquainted with their own unsanctified hearts nor convince them that have not true Faith Repentance or Obedience but God will convince them of it They can find shifts and false answers to put off a Minister with but God will not so be shifted off Let us preach as plainly to them as we can and do all that ever we are able to acquaint them with the impenitency and unholiness of their own heart and the necessity of a new heart and life yet we cannot do it but they will Believe whether we will or not that the old heart will serve the turn But how easily will God make them know the contrary We plead with them in the dark for though we have the candle of the Gospel in our hands when we come to shew them their corruption yet they shut their eyes and are wilfully blind But God will open their eyes whether they will or not not by holy Illumination but by forced conviction and then he will plead with them as in the open light See here thy own unholy soul canst thou now say thou didst love me above all canst thou deny but thou didst love this world before me and serve thy flesh and lusts though I told thee if thou didst so thou shouldst dye Look upon thy own heart now and see whether it be a holy or an unholy heart a spiritual or
choose the fear of the Lord They would none of my counsels they despised all my Reproof therefore shall they eat of the fruit of their own way and be filled with their own devices for the Turning away of the simple shall slay them and the prosperity of fools shall destroy them But who so harkneth to me shall dwel safely and shall be quiet from fear of evil I have recited all these words that you may see and consider whether I have spoke any other thing than God himself hath plainly told you of Having said this much of the Certainty of the Execution I should next have spoke somewhat of the manner and the Instruments and have shewed how God will be for ever the Principal Cause and Satan and 〈◊〉 own Conseiences the Instruments in part and in what manner Conscience will do its part and how impossible it will be to quiet or resist it But having spoke so much of all this already elsewhere as is said before I will forbear here to repeat it leaving the Reader that desireth it there to peruse it The Vses Vse 1. BEloved hearers it was not to fill your fancies with news that God sent me hither this day not to tell you of matters that nothing concern you nor by some terrible words to bring you to an hours amazement and no more But it is to tell you of things that your eyes shall see and to foretell you of your danger while it may be prevented that your precious souls may be saved at the last and you may stand before God with comfor at â—thas day But because this will not be every mans caseâ— no nor the case of most I must in the name of Christ desire you to make this day an enquiry into your own souls and as in the presence of God let your hearts make answer to these few Questions which I shall propound and debate with you Qu. 1. Do you soundly Believe this Doctrine which I have preached to you What say you Sirs do you verily Believe it as a most certain Truth that you and I and all the world must stand at Gods barr and be Judged to Everlasting Joy or Torment I hope you do all in some sort Believe this but blame me not if I be jealous whether you soundly believe it while we see in the world so little of the effect of such a Belief I confess I am forced to think that there is more infidelity then faith among us when I see moâ—â— ungodlyness then godlyness among us And I can hardly believe that man that will say or swear that he believeth these things and yet liveth as carelesly and carnally as an Infidel I know that no man can love to be damned yea I know that every man that hath a reasonable soul hath naturally some love to him self and a fear of a danger which he verily apprehendeth he therefore that liveth without all fear I must think liveth without all apprehension of his danger Custom hath taught men to hold these things as the Opinion of the Country but if men soundly believed them surely we should see stranger effects of such a faith then in the most we do see Doth the sleepy soul that liveth in security and followeth this world as eagerly as if he had no greater matters to mind that never once trembled at the thoughts of this great day nor once asked his own soul in good sadnesâ— My soul How dost thou think then to escape I say doth this man Believe that he is going to this Judgement Well Sirs whether you beleve it or not you will find it true and believe it you must before you can be safe For if you do not Believe it you will never make ready Let me therefore perswade you in the fear of God to consider that it is a matter of undoubted Truth 1. Consider that it is the express word of the God of Truth revealed in Sripâ—ure as plainly as you can desire So that yon cannot be unbelieving without denying Gods Word or giving him the lye Mat 13 38 39. 40 41 42 43 49 50. Mat. 25. throughout Rom. 2. 5. 6 7 8 9 10 16. and 1. 32. John 5. 28 29. The hour is coming in which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice and shall come forth they that have done good unto the resurrection of life and they that have done evil unto the Resurrection of damnation Heb. 9. 27. It is appointed to all men once to dye and after this the Judgement Rom. 14. 9. l2 So then every one of us shall give Account of himself to God Rev. 20. 12. And I saw the dead smal and great stand before God and the Books were opened and another book was opened which is the Book of life and the dead were Judged out of those things which were written in the Bookâ— according to their works Mat. 12. 36. 37. But I say unto you that every idle word that men shall speak they shall give account thereof at the day of Judgement For by thy words thou shalt be Justified and by thy Words thou shalt be condemned Many more most express Texts of Scripture do put the Truth of this Iudgement out of all question to all that believe the Scripture and will understand it There is no place left for a Controversie in the point It is made as â—ure to us as the Word of the living God can make it And he that will question that what will he Believe What say you Sirs Dare you doubt of this which the God of Heaven hath so positively affirmed I hope you dare not 2. Consider it is a master part of your faith if you are Christians and a fundamental Article of your Creed that Christ shall come again to Iudge the quick and the dead So that you must Believe it or renounce your Christianity and then you renounce Christ and all the hopes of mercy that you have in him It s impossible that you should soundly Believe in Christ and not believe his Iudgement and Life Everlasting because as he came to bring Life and immortality to light in the Gospel 2 Tim. 1. 10. so it was the end of his Incarnation Death and Resurrection to bring you thither and its part of his honour and office which he purchased with his blood to be the Lord and Iudge of all the world Rom. 14. 9. Joh. 5. 22. If therefore you believe not heartily this Iudgement deal plainly and openly and say you are Infidels and cast away the hypocritical vizor of Christianity and let us know you and take you as you are 3. Consider that it is a Truth that is known by the very light of nature that there shall be a happiness for the Righteous and a misery for the wicked after this life which is evident 1. In that we have undenyable natural reason for it 1. God is the Righteous governor of the world and therefore must make a difference among his Subjects according
which you must follow if ever you will with comfort look the Lord Jesus in the face at the hour of Death or in the Day of Iudgement THE first Direction is this See that your souls be sincerely established in the Belief of this Judgement and everlasting life For if you do not soundly believe it you will not seriously prepare for it If you have the Judgement and belief of an Infidel you cannot have the Heart or the Life of a Christian Unbelief shuts out the most of the world from heaven see that it do not so by you If you say You cannot Believe what you would I answer Feed not yor â—â—belieâ— by wilfulness or unreasonableness Use Gods means to overcome it and shut not your eyes against he light and then try the issues Heb. 3. 12 13 15 16 17 18 19. THE second Direction Labour diligently to have a sound understanding of the nature of the Laws and Judgement of God On what terms it is that he dealeth with mankinde and on what terms he will Judge them to Life or Death and what the Reward and punishment is For if you know not the Law by which you must be Judged you cannot know how to prepare for the Judgement Study the Scripture therefore and mark who they be that God promiseth to save and who they be that he threatneth to Condemn For according to that Word will the Judgement pass THE third Direction See that you take it as the very business of your Lives to make ready for that day Understand that you have no other business in this world but what doth necessarily depend on this What else have you to do but to provide for everlasting and to use means to sustain your own bodies and others of purpose for his work till it be happily done â— Live therefore as men that make this the main scope and care of their Lives and let all things else come in but on the by Remember every morning when you awake that you must spend that day in preparation for your Account and that God doth give it you for that end When you go to bed examine your hearts what you have done that day in preparation for your last Day And take that time as lost which doth nothing to this end THe fourth Direction Vse frequently to think of the Certainty neerness and dreadfulness of that day to keep Life in your Affections and Endeavours lest by Inconsiderateness your souls grow stupid and negligent Otherwise because it is out of sight the heart will be apt to grow hardened and secure And do not think of it sleightly as a common thing but purposely set your selves to think of it that it may rouze you up to such Affections and Endeavours as in some measure are answerable to the nature of the thing THE fifth Direction Labour to have a lively feeling on thy heart of the evil and weight of that sin which thou art guilty of and of the misery into which it hath brought thee and would further bring thee if thou be not delivered and so to feel the need of a Deliverer This must prepare thee to partake of Christ now and if thou partake not of him now thou canst not be saved by him Then It is these souls that now make light of their sin and misery that must then feel them so heavy as to be pressed by them into the infernal flames And those that now feel little need of a Saviour they shall then have none to save them when they feel their need THE sixth Direction Vnderstand and Believe the sufficiency of that Ransom and Satisfaction to Justice which Christ hath made for thy sins and for the world and how freely and universally it is offered in the Gospel Thy sin is not uncurable or unpardonable nor thy misery remediless God hath provided a remedy in his Son Christ and brought it so neer thy hands that nothing but thy neglecting or wilful refusing it can deprive thee of the Benefit Settle thy soul in this belief THE seventh Direction Vnderstand and Believe that for all Christs satisfaction there is an Absolute Necessity of sound Faith and Repentancte to be in thy own self before thou canst be a Member of him or be Pardoned Adopted or Justified by his blood He dyed not for final Infidelâ—ty and Impenitency as predominant in any soul As the Law of his Father which occasioned his suffering required perfect Obedience or suffering So his own Law which he hath made for the conveyance of his Benefits doth require yet true Faith and Repentance of men themselves before they shall be pardoned by him and sincere Obedience and Perseverance before they shall be glorified THE eighth Direction Rest not therefore in an unrenewed unsanctified state that is till this Faith and Repentance be wrought on thy own soul and thou be truly broken of from thy former sinful course and from all things in this world and art Dedicated Devoted and Resigned unto God Seeing this change must be made and these graces must be had or thou must certainly perish in the fear of God see that thou give no ease to thy mind till thou art thus changed Be content with nothing till this be done Delay not another day How canst thou live merrily or sleep quietly in such a Condition as if thou shouldst dye in it thou shouldst perish for ever Especially when thou art every hour uncertain whether thou shalt see another hour and not be presently snatch away by death Methinks while thou art in so sad a case which way ever thou art going or what ever thou art doing it should still come into thy thoughts Oh what if I should Dye before I be Regenerate and have part in Christ THE ninth Direction Let it be the daily care of thy soul to mortifie thy fleshly desires and overcome this world and live as in a continual Conflict With Satan which Will not be ended till thy life do end If any thing destroy thee by drawing away thy heart from God it will be thy carnal self thy fleshly desires and the allurements of this world which is the matter that they feed upon This therefore must be the earnest work of thy life to subdue this flesh and set light by this world and resist the Devil that by these would destroy thee It is the common case of miserable hypocrites that at first they list themselves under Christ as for a fight but they presently forget their state and work and when they are once in their own conceit Regenerate they think themselves so safe that there is no further danger and thereupon they do lay down their Arms and take that which they miscall their Christian Liberty and indulge and please that flâ—sh which they promised to mortifie and close with the world which they promised to contemn and so give up themselves to the Devil whom they promised to fight against If once you apprehend all your Religion lieth in meer Believing
by your parents resign your self to Christ as his and renounce the flesh the world and the Devil and promise to fight under Christs banner against them to your lives end O happy person that performeth this Covenant and everlastingly miserable are they that do not Fides non recepta sed custodita vivâ—â—â—cat saith Cyprian It is not Covenant making without Covenant keeping that is like to save you Do you stand to the Covenant that you made by your parents or do you disclaim it If you disclaim it you renounce your part in Christ and his benefits in that Covenant made over to you If you stand to it you must perform your promise and live to God to whom you were resigned To take Gods oath of Allegiance so solemnly and afterward to turn to his Enemies which we renounced is a rebllion that shall not be alwaies unrevenged 11. Gods absolute dominion and soveraignty over us is the very foundation of all Religion even of that little that is found left among Infidels and Pagans much more evidently of the saving Religion of Christians He that dare say he believeth not this will never sure have the face to call himself a Christian Is it not a matter of most sad consideration that ever so many millions should think to be saved by a Doctrine which they believe not or by a Religion that never went deeper then the braine and is openly contradicted by the tenour of their lives Is a true Religion enough to save you if you be not true to that Religion How do men make shift to quiet their Consciences in such gross hypocrisie Is there a man to be found in this Congregation that will not confess that he is rightfully his Redeemers But hath he indeed their hearts their time their strength and their interest follow some of them from morning to night you shall not hear one serious word for Christ nor see any serious indeavours for his interest And yet these men will professe that they are his How sad a case is it that mens own Confessions should condemn them and that which they called their Religion should judge them to that everlasting misery which they thought it would have sav'd them from And how glorious would the Christian Religion appeare if men were true to it if Christs Doctrine had its full impression on their hearts and were expressed in their lives Is he not an exellent person that denyeth himselfe and doth all for God that goeth on no businesse but Gods that searcheth out Gods interest in every part of his calling and employment and intendeth that that whether he eat or drink or whatever he doth doth all to the glory of God 1. Cor. 10. 31. that can say as Paul Gal. 2 20. I am crucified with Christ neverthelesse I live yet not I but Christ liveth in me And Phil 3. 7 8. What things were gain to me those I counted loss for Christ yea doubtless and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord for whom I have suffered the loss of all things and do count them but dung that I may win Christ And Phil. 1. 21. For to me to live is Christ and to dye is gaine Perhaps you think that the degree of these examples is unimitable by us but I am sure all that will be saved must imitate them in the truth 12. Self-seeking is self-losing and delivering up your self and all you have to God is the only way to save your selves and to secure all The more you are His the more you are your own indeed and the more you deliver to him and expend for him the greater is your gain These Paradoxes are familiar tryed truths to the true Believer these are his daily food and exercise which seem to others such Scorpions as they dare not touch or such stones as they are not able to digest He knoweth that self-humbling is the true self-exalting and self-exalting is the infallible way to be brought low Luke 14 11. 18. 14. Mat 23. 12. He believeth that there is a losing of life which saves it and a saving of it which certainly loseth it Mat. 10. 39. 16. 25. O that I could reach the hearts of Self-seekers that spend their care and time for their bodies and live not unto God! That I were but able to make them see the issue of their Course and what it will profit them to win all the world and lose their souls O all you busie men of this world hearken to the proclamation of him that bought you Isa 55. 1 2 3. Ho every one that thirsteth come ye to the waters buy wine and milk without money or price wherefore do you spend money for that which is not bread and your labour for that which satisfieth not hearken diligently to me and eat ye that which is good and let your soul delight itself in fatness incline your ear and come unto me hear and your soul shall live and I will make an everlasting Covenant with you O sirs what a deal of care and labour do you lose how much more gainfully might your lives be improved Godliness with contentment is the great gain 1 Tim. 6. 6. That which you now think you make your own will shortly prove to be least your own and that is most lost which you so carefully labour for you that are now so idlely busie in gathering together the Treasurie of an Ant-hillock and building Childrens tottering piles you forget that the foot of death is coming to spurn it all abroad and tread down you and it together You spend the day of life and visitation in painting your phantasies with the images of felicity and in dressing your selves and feathering your nest with that which you impiously steal from God and you do forget that the night of blackness is at hand when God will undress you of your temporary contents and deplume you of your borrowed bravery How easily how speedily â— how certainly will he do it Read over your case in Luke 12. from 16. to 22. How can you make shift to read such Texts and not perceive that they speak to you When you are a pulling down and building up and contriving what to do with your fruits and saying to your selves I have so much now as will serve me so many years I will take mine ease eat drink and be merry remember then the conclusion But God said unto him Thou fool this night thy soul shall be required of thee then whose shall those things be which thou hast provided So is he that layeth up treasure for himself and is not rich towards God Are these things Yours or Mine saith God! whose are they if they are yours keep them now if you can either stay with them or take them with you But God will make you know that they are his and disrobe such men as thieves that are adorned with that which is none of their own this honour â—aith
here Many Observations might be hence raised As 1. Serving the Lord is the great work and business that the World hath to do 2. This service should be accompanyed with rejoycing 3. So should it also with fear and trembling 4. There is no such opposition between spiritual Joy and Fear but that they may and must consist together 5. Scripture useth familiar expressions concerning mans communion with Christ such as this Kiss the Son 6. There is anger in God or that which we cannot conceive better of then under the Notion of Anger 7. There is a way to kindle this Anger it is man that kindleth it 8. The way to kindle it chiefly is not kissing the Son 9. The kindling of it will be the perishing of the sinner 10. The Enemies of Christ shall perish suddenly and unexpectedly 11. A little of Gods anger will utterly undo them 12. They are blessed men that scape it and miserable that must feeel it 13. It is therefore notorious folly to neglect Christ and stand out 14. Kings Judges and Rulers of the earth are the first men that Christ summons in and the chief in the Calam tie if they stand out But I will draw the scope of the Text into this one Doctrine in the handling whereof I shall spend the time allotted me Doct. No power or priviledge can save that man from the fearful sudden consuming wrath of God that doth not unfeignedly love depend upon and subject himself unto the Lord Jesus Christ If they be the greatest Kings aud Judges yet if they do not kiss the Mouth the Hand the Feet of Christ his wrath will be kindled and they will perish in the way of their rebellion and neglect In handling this point I shall observe this Order 1. I will shew you what this love dependence and subjection are 2. What wrath it is that will thus kindle and consume them 3. Why this kissing the Son is the only way to escape it 4. Why no Power or Priviledge else can procure their escape 5. The Application For the first I shall only give you a naked description wishing that I had time for a fuller explication 1. Subjection to Christ is The acknowledging of his absolute soveraignty both as he is God Creator and as Redeemer over all the world and particularly our selves and a hearty consent to this his overaignty especially that he be our Lord and his Laws our Rule and a delivering up our selves to him to be governed accordingly 2. This dependence on Christ is when acknowledging the sufficiency of his satisfaction and his power and willingness to save all that receive him manifested in his free universal offer in the Gospel we do heartily accept him for our only Saviour and accordingly renouncing all other do wait upon him believingly for the benefits of his sufferings and office and the performance of his faithful Covenant to us in restoring us to all the blessings which we lost and advancing us to a for greater everlasting Glory 3. This affection to Christ is when in the knowledge and sense of his love to us both common and especial and of his own excellency and the blessedness of enjoying him and the Father and life by him our hearts do chuse him and the Father bâ— him as our only happiness and accordingly love him above all things in the world As this three fold Description containeth the sum of the Gospel so hath it nothing but what is of necessity to sound Christianity If any one of these three be not found in thy heart either I have little skill in Divinity or thou hast no true Christianity nor canst be saved in that condition Object But doth not the Scripture make believing the condition of the Covenant but here is a great deal more then believing Answ Sometime Faith is taken in a narrower sense and then it is not made the sole condition of the New Covenant but repentance and forgiving others are joyned with it as conditions of our forgiveness and obedience and perseverance as conditions of our continued justification and salvation But when Faith is made the sole condition of the Covenant then it comprehendeth essentially not only supposeth as precedent or concomitant if not all three yet at least the two first of the fore described qualifications viz. Dependence and Subjection which if it were well understood would much free the common sort of Christians from their soul destroying mistakes and the Body of Divinity from a multitude of common errors and our Religion from much of that reproach of Solisidianism which is cast upon it by the Papists 2. I must be as brief in opening the second thing viz. What wrath is it that will thus kindle and consume them What wrath is in God we need not here trouble our selves to enquire But only what is intimated in the threats or curses of the Covenants As there are two Covenants so each hath his proper penalty for its violation 1. Then tiâ—l men do come in and submit to Christ they lie under the wrath of God for all their sins as they are against the Covenant of Works or they are lyable to the curse of that Covenant Christs death hath taken away the curse of the Covenaut not absolutely from any man but conditionally which becomes absolute when the condition is performed The Elect themselves are not by nature under the Covenant of Grace but remain under the curse of the first Covenant till they come in to Christ 2. Whosoever rejecteth or neglecteth this Grace and so finally breaketh the New Covenant must also bear the curse or penalty thereof besides all the former which will be a far greater curse even as the blessings of this Covenant are far greater then those of the first It was a heavy punishment to be cast out of Paradise and from the presence and favour of God and to be cursed by him and subjected to eternal death and all Creatures below cursed for our sakes to bear all those curses and plagues threatned in Deut. 27. and 28. and to have the wrath of God smoak against us c. as Deut. 29 20. But of how much sorer punishment shall he be thought worthy that doth tread under foot the blood of this Covenant and do despite to the spirit of Grace Heb. 10. 28 29. It is true that for all other sins the wrath of God cometh upon the Children of Disobedience or Unperswadableness that is on them that will not be perswded to obey the Lord Christ Epha 5. 6. But it is on no other with us for this is the condemnation that light is come into the world and men love darkness rather then light John 1. 19. 3. Why is this kissing the Son that is loving depending on and submitting to him the only way to escape these curses Answ 1. The most proper and primary reason which can be given is The will of the great Law-giver who having absolute soveraignty over us might dispose of us as he
to his dispose and service If custom bid thee curse and swear and Christ forbid thee which dost thou obey If thy Appetite bid thee take thy cups and fare deliciously every day If thy company bid thee play the good-fellow or scorn the Godly If thy covetousness bid thee love the world and Christ forbid thee which dost thou obey If Christ bid thee be Holy and walk precisely and be violent for Heaven and strive to enter in and the world and the flesh be enemies to all this and cry it down as tedious folly which dost thou obey Dost thou daily and spiritually worship him in private and in thy Family and teach thy Children and Servants to fear the Lord I intreat you Sirs deal truly in answering these Questions never man was saved by the bare title of a Christian If you are not subject to Christ you are not Christians no more then a Picture or a Carcase is a man and your salvation will be such as your Christianity is subjection is an essential part of thy Faith and obedience is its fruit In short then dost thou make him thy fear and tremble at his word Darest thou run upon fire or water sword or canon rather then wilfully run upon his displeasure wouldst thou rather displease thy dearest friend the greatest Prince or thine own flesh then wittingly provoke him When Christ speaks against thy sweetest sin thy nature or custom or credit or life against thy rooted opinions or thy corrupt traditions Art thou willing to submit to all that he revealeth Dost thou say Speak Lord for thy Servant heareth Lord what wouldst thou have me to do I am ready to do thy will O God Beloved Hearers This is the frame of every Servant of Christ and this is the acknowledging and accepting him for your Lord. I beseech you cozen not your souls with shews and formalities if ever you be saved without this subjection it must be without Christs merits or mercy It must be in a way that Scripture revealeth not â—nay it must be in despite of God his truth must be falsified his power must be mastered before the disobedient can be saved from his wrath 2 Examine also your Dependence on Christ whether you kiss his Hands as well as his Feet Do you understand that you are all by nature Condemned men and lyable to the everlasting wrath of God that Christ hath interposed and paid this Debt and bought us as his own by the satisfaction of that justice that all things are now delivered into his hands John 1â— â— and he is made Head over all things to his Church Ephes 1. 21 22. Dost thou take him for thy onely Saviour and believe the History of his Life and Passion the truth of his divine and humane nature his Resurrection his Office and his approaching Judgement Dost thou see that all thy supposed Righteousness is but vanity and sin and that thy self art unable to make the least satisfaction to the Law by thy Works or Sufferings and if his blood do not wash thee and his righteousness justifie thee thou must certainly be damned yet and perish for ever Dost thou therefore cast thy self into his arms and venture thy everlasting state upon him and trust him with thy soul and fetch all thy help and healing from him When sin is remembred and thy Conscience troubled and the fore-thoughts of judgement do amaze thy soul dost thou then fetch thy comfort from the view of his blood and the thoughts of the Freeness and Fulness of his Satisfaction his Love and Gospel-offers and promises Dost thou so build upon his promise of a Happiness hereafter that thou canst let goe all thy happiness here and drink of his Cup and be baptized with his Baptism and lose thy life upon his promise that thou shalt save it Canst thou part with goods and friends and all that thou hast in hope of a promised Glory which thou never sawest If thou canst drink with him of the Brook in the way thou shalt also with him lift up the head Psal 110 v. last Dost thou perceive a Mediator as well as a God in all thy mercies both special and common and tast his blood in all that thou receivest and wait upon his hand for thy future supplies Why this is kissing the hand of Christ and depending upon him O how contrary is the Case of the World whose confidence is like the Samaritans worship they trust God and their Wits and Labours Christ and their supposed Merits I would I might not say Christ and deceit and wicked contrivances Oh blasphemous joyning of heaven and hell to make up one foundation of their trust 3. Examine a little also your love to Christ Do you thus kiss the Son do your souls cleave to him and embrace him with the strongest of your affections Sirs though there is nothing that the blind world is more confident in then this that they love Christ with all their hearts yet is there nothing wherein they are more false and faulty I beseech you therefore deal truly in answering here Are your hearts set upon the Lord Jesus do you love him above all things in this World do you stick at your answer do you not know sure then at best you love him but little or else you could not choose but know it Love is a stirring and sensible Affection you know what it is to love a Friend Feel by this Pulse whether you live or dye Doth it beat more strongly toward Christ then to any thing else Never question man the necessity of this he hath concluded If thou love any thing more then him thou art unworthy of him nor canst be his Disciple Are thy thoughts of Christ thy freest and thy sweetest thoughts are thy speeches of him thy sweetest speeches when thou awakest art thou still with him and is he next thy heart when thou walkest abroad dost thou take him in thy thoughts canst thou say and lye not that thou wert ever deeply in love with him that thou dost love him but as heartily as thou lovest thy friend and art as loth to displease him and as glad of his presence and art as much troubled at his strangeness or absence Hath thy Minister or godly Acquaintance ever heard thee bemoaning thy soul for want of Christ or inquiring what thou shouldst do to attain him or thy Family heard thee commending his excellency and labouring to kindle their affections towards him why love will not be hid when it hath its desire it will be rejoycing and when it wants it will be Complaining Or at least Can thy Conscience witness thy longings thy groans thy prayers for a Christ Wilt thou stand to the Testimony of these Witnesses Do you love his weak his poor despised Members Do you visit them cloath them feed them to your power not only in a Common Natural Compassion to them as they are your Neighbors but do you love or relieve a Prophet in the name of a
you in the Congregation by the Minister or might have done if you would And if your Parents did neglect you in your youth yet when you came to a fuller use of Reason and heard of the matters of salvation from Gods Word did it not concern you to have looked to your selves and to have redeemed that time which you lost in your youth by doubling your diligence when you came to riper years The Apostles gathered Churches among Heathens that never heard of Christ before and converted many thousand souls that were never once told of a Saviour or the way to salvation till they had past a great part of their lives If you loitered till the latter part of the day it behoved you then to have bestirred your selves the more and not to say Through the fault of my Parents I lost the beginning of my life and therefore I will lose all they taught me not then therefore I will not learn now hav you not seen som of your neighbours who were as ill educated as your selves attain to much knowledge afterwards by their Industry And why might not you have done so if you had been as Industrious as they May not God and Conscience witness that it was because you cared not for knowledge and would not be at pains to get it that you knew no more Speak truth man in the presence of thy Judge was thy heart and mind set upon it Didst thou pray daily for it to God Didst thou use all the means thou couldst to get it Didst thou attend diligently on the word in publike and think of what thou heardest when thou camest home Didst thou go to the Minister or to others that could teach thee and intreat them to tell thee the way to salvation Or didst thou not rather carelesly neglect these matters and hear a Sermon as a common tale even when the minister was speaking of Heaven or of Hell It was not then thine unavoidable Ignorance but thy negligence Yea further answer as in the presence of God Didst thou obey so far as thou didst know Or didst thou not rather sin against that knowledge which thou hadst Thou knewest that the soul was better then the body and everlasting life more to be regarded then this transitory life But didst thou regard it accordingly Thou sure knewest that God was better then the world and Heaven then earth at least thou was told of it But didst thou accordingly value him and love him more Thou knewest sure that there was no salvation without Faith and Repentance and newness of life and yet they were neglected In a word many a thousand sins which were committed and duties that were omitted against thy own Knowledge and Conscience will marr this Excuse The fifth Excuse I lived not under a powerfull Minister to tell me of these things but where there was no Preaching at all Answ And might you not have gone where a powerfull Minister was with a little pains Yea did not the very plain Word that you heard read tell you of these things and might you not have had a Bible your selves and found them there The Sixth Excuse I was a Servant and had no time from my labour to mind these matters I lived with a hard master that required all his own work of me but would allow me no time for the service of God Or else I was a poor man and had a great charge to look after and with my hard labour had much adoe to live so that I had no time for heavenly things Answ 1. Who should be first served God or man What should be first sought after heaven or earth Did not Christ cell thee One thing is necessary Luke 10. 41 42 Was it not as needfull to see that you escape Damnation and get safe to Heaven when this life is ended as to see that you had food and raiment for your selves and yours 2. Did you spend no time in Recreation nor Idleness nor vain talking why might not that at least have been spent about Heavenly things 3. Could you have taken no time from your rest or eating or at other Intermissions Mans Body will not endure so great Labours as have no Intermission And why then might not godliness have been your ease and recreation 4. Or might you not have minded these things even when you were about your labour if you had but a heart to them 5. At least you might have spent the Lords own Day in hearing reading and pondering of these matters when you were forced to forbear your worldly labours even by the wholsom Law of the Land These therefore are all but vain Excuses and God will shortly make thee speak out and plainly confess It was not so much for want of Time or Helps or warning as for want of a heart to use them well I should have found some time though it had been when I should have slept if my heart had been but set upon it The Seventh Excuse Little did I think â—o have seen this day I did not Believe that ever God would be so severe I thought his Threatnings had been but to keep men in awe and I suspected either that the Scripture was not his word or else I thought he would be better then his word I thought all that I heard of another life had been uncertain and therefore was loth to let go a certainty for an uncertainty and lose my present pleasures which I had in hand for the hopes of that which I never did see Answ He that will not know his misery by believing to prevent it shall know it by feeling to endure it You were told and told again what your unbelief would bring you to Did Gods Word make Heaven and Earth doth it support them and secure them and is not his Word sufficient security for you to have trusted your souls upon did you know where was any better security to be had and where was any surer ground for your confidence And did you think so basely and blasphemously of God that he would falsifie his Word lest such as you should suffer and that he was fain to rule the world by a Lye Did God make the world so easily and can he not govern it by true and righteous means what need God to say that which he will not do to awe sinners can he not awe them by Truth is it not just that those should eternally perish that will entertain such desperate thoughts of God and then by such wicked imaginations encourage themselves in sin against him And for the Truth of Scripture God did not bid you believe it without Evidence He stamped on it the Image of his own Purity and Perfection that you might know it by that Image and superscription if you had eyes to see them He sealed it by uncontrouled multitudes of Miracles He delivered it down to your hands by infallible witnesses so that he left you no room for rational Doubting And you knew that the matters
not been so mercifull thou wouldst not have been so miserable for rejecting it The five and thâ—rtieth Excuse I would not so Torment mine enemy my self Answ No reason you should Is it all one to wrong you and to wrong the God of Heaven God is the only Judge of his own wrongs The six and thirtieth Excuse All men are siners and I was but a sinner Answ All were not Impenitent Unbelieving Rebellious sinners and therefore all are not unpardoned condemned sinners All did not live after the flesh and refuse to the last to be converted as you did God will teach you better to difference between sinners and sinners The seven and thirtieth Excuse But if Christ have satisfied for my sins and dyed for me then how can I justly suffer for the same sins will God punish one sin twice Answ 1. Christ suffered for man in the Nature of man but not in your person nor you in him It was not you that provided the price but God himself Christ was not mans Deligate in satisfying and therefore received not his Instructions from us nor did it on our terms but his own It was not the same thing which the Law threatned that Christ underwent for that was the Damnation of the sinner himself and not the suffering of another for him it cannot therefore be yours but on Christs own terms He dyed for thy sin but with this intent that for all that if thou Refuse â—â—m thou shalt dye thy self It is therefore no wrong to thee to dye for it was not thou that dyedst before And Christ will take it for no wrong to him For he will Judge thee to that Death It is for refusing a Christ that dyed for thee that thou must perish for ever The eight and thirtieth Excuse But I did not Refuse Christ I believed and trusted in him to the last and Repented of my sins though I sometime wasovertaken with them Answ Had this been true thy sin would not have condemned thee But there is no mocking God He will shew thee then thy naked heart and convince thousands that thought they Believed and Repented that indeed they did not By thy works also will this be disovered that is by the main bent and scope of thy life as Matth. 25. throughout and Jam. 2. The nine and thirtieth Excuse I did many Good Works and â— hope God will set those against my evil works Answ Thy good works were thy sins because indeed they were not good being not done in sincerity of heart for God The best mans works have some infirmity which nothing can clense but the blood of Christ which thou hast made light of and therefore hast no part in If all thy lise had been spent in perfect works except one day they would not make satisfaction for the sins of that day For they are but part of thy Dut. Wo to him that hath no better a Saviour at Judegment then his own good works The Fortieth Excuse I lived in poverty andmisery on earth and therefore I hope I have had my suffering here and shall not suffer in this world and another too 1. By that Rule all poor men and murderers and thieves that are tormented and hanged should be saved but as Gooliness hath the promise of this life and that to come so Impenâ—tency and Wickedness hath the Threatning of this life and that to come 2. The Devils and the damned have suffered much more then you already and yet they are never the nearer a Deliverance When thou hast suffered ten thousand years thy pain will be never the neerer an end How then can a little misery on earth prevent it Alas poor soul these are but the foretasts and beginnings of thy sorrow Nothing but pardon through the blood of Christ could have prevented thy Condemnation and that thou rejectedst by Infidelity and Impenitency His Sufferings would have saved thee if thou hadst not Refused him but all thy own Sufferings will yeild thee no Relief So much for the answering of the Vain Excuses which poor Sinners are ready to make for them selves Wherein I have been so large as that this part I confess is disproportionable to the rest but it was for these two Reasons 1. That poor careless souls might see the vanity of such Defences and consider if such a worm as I can easily confute them how easily and how terribly will they be all answered by their Judge 2. I did it the rather that godly Christians might the better understand how to deal with these vain Excuses when they meet with them which will be daily if they deal with men in this sad Condition X. WE have done with that part of the Judgement which consisteth in the exploration or tryal of the cause we now come to that which is the Conclusion and consummation of all and that is to shew you what the Sentence will be and on whom And for this we must go strait to the word of God for our light it being impossible for any man to have any particular knowledge of it if Christ had not there revealed it unto us Indeed almost all the world do acknowledge a life after this where it shall go well with the good and ill with the bad But who shall be then accounted Righteous and who Vnrighteous and on what terms and grounds by whom they shall be judged and to what condition they know not The Sentence in Judgement will be 1. Either on those that never had means to know Christ 2 Or on those that had 1. For the former as it less concerneth us to enquire of their case so it is more obscurely revealed to us in the Scripture It is certain that they shal1 be judged according to their Use of the means which they had Rom. 2. 11 12 13 14 15 16. and the Talents which they received Mat. 25. But that it ever falleth out that he that hath but the One Talent of natural helps doth improve it to salvation or that ever they who knew not Christ are Justified and saved without that knowledge being at age and use of reason I find not in the Scriptures I find indeed that As many as have sinned without Law shall also perish without Law and as many as have sinned in the Law shall be Judged by the Law Rom. 2. 12. But not that any are Justified by the works of nature such as are here said to be without Law I find also that They have the work of the Law written in their hearts their conscience also bearing witness their Thoughts the mean while â—ccusing or else Excusing one another in the day when God shal Judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ according to the Gospel Rom. 2. 15 16. And I believe it is a Just Excuse and not an unjust which is here meant But it will be but an Excuse so far as they were guiltless and that will be but in tanto and not in toto in part only and so not
guilty of punishment for sin but that is because he first made them just and so Justifiable by by pardoning their sin through the blood of Christ And its true also that he will Justifie those that were wicked but not those the are wicked but Judgement findeth them as Death leaveth them and he wlll not take them for wicked that are sanctified and cleansed of their former wickedness â—o that Christ will first pardon them before he justifie them against the charge of being sinners in general and he will first give men Faith Repentance and new Obedience before he will justifie them against the charge of being Impenitent Infidels or Hypocrites and consequently unpardoned and doubly guilty of damnation This twofold righteousness he will first Give men and so constitute them Just before he will Declare it and Sentence them just 2. The Reason of the sentence particularly Described is from their Faith and Love to Christ expressed in their Obedience self-denyal and forsaking all for him For I was hungry and ye fed me I Was thirsty and ye gave me drink I was a stranger and ye took me in Naked and ye cloathed me I was sick and ye visited me I was in prison and ye came to me Verily I say unto you in as much as ye have done it to one of the least of these my Brethren ye have done it unto me Mat. 25. 35. to 41. Here is 1. The causal conjunction for 2. And the Cause or Reason it self Concerning both which Observe 1. How it is that mans Obedience and self-denyal is the Reason and Cause of his Justification 2. Why it is that God will have the Reason or Cause thus declared in the Sentence For the first observe that its one thing to give a Reason of the Sentence and another thing to express the Cause of the Benefit Given us by the promise and Judged to us by the Sentence Mans Obedience was no proper Cause why God did in this life Give pardon of sin to us or a Right to glory much less of his Giving Christ to dye for us And therefore as to our Constitutive Justification at our Conversion we must not say or think that God doth Justifie us For or Because of any works of our Obedience Legal or Evangelical But when God hath so Justified us when he comes to give a Reason of his Sentence in Judgement he may and will fetch that Reason partly from our Obedience or our performance of the Conditions of the New Covenant For as in this life we had a Righteousness consisting in free pardon of all sin through the blood of Christ and a Righteousness consisting in our personal perormance of the Conditions of the promise which giveth that pardon and continueth it to us so at Judgement we shall accordingly be justified And as our Evangelical personal Righteousness commonly called Inherent was at first only in our Faith and Repentance and Disposition to obey but afterward in our Actual sincere Obedience in which sense we are Constitutively Justified or made Righteous here by our works in James his sense Jam. 2. 24. so accordingly a double Reason will be assigned of our sentential Justification One from our pardon by Christs blood and merits which will prove our Right to Impunity and to â—lory The other from our own Faith and holy Obedience which will prove our Right to that pardon through Christ and to the free Gift of a Right to glory and so this last is to be pleaded in subordination to the former For Christâ—s beeome the the Author of Eternal salvation to all them that Obey him Heb. 5. 9. He therefore that will be saved must have a Christ to save him as the Author and an Obedience to that Christ as the Condition on of that salvation and consequently both must be declared in the Iudgement The Reason why the ludge doth mention our Good works rather then our Believing may be because those holy self-denying expessions of Faith and Love to Christ do contain or certainly imply Faith in them as the life of the tree in the fruit but faith doth contain our works of Obedience but only as their cause These works also are a part of the personal Righteousness which is to be enquired after that is we shall not be Iudged righteous meerly because we have Believed but also because we have added to our Faith vertue and have improved our Talents and have loved Christ to â—he hazard of all for his sake For it is not only or principally for the goodness of the work considered in it self or the good that is done by 〈◊〉 to the poor but it is as these works did express our Faith and Love to Christ by doing â—im the most costly and hazardous service hat by Fath we could see Christ in a poor beggar or a prisoner and could love Christ in These better then our worldly goods or liberties which we must part with or hazard by the works that are here mentioned 2. The Reasons why Christ will so publikely Declare the personal righteousness of men to be the Reason or Cause of his Iustifying sentence it is because It is the business of that day not only to glorifie Gods meer Love Mercy but eminently to glorifie his Remunerative Iuice and not only to express his love to the Elect as such but to expess his love to them as Faithful and Obedient and such as have denyed all for Christ and Loved God above all And to shew his justice to the men and faithfulness in fulfilling all his promises and also his holiness in the high estimation of the holiness of his people I shall express this in the words of a Learned Divine Dr Twiss against M. Cotton pag 40. Was there no more in Gods intention when he elected some then the manifestation of the riches of his glorious grace Did not God purpose also to manifest the glory of his Remunerative Justice It is not undenyable that God will bestow salvation on all his Elect of ripe years by way of reward and Crown of Righteousness Which God the Righteous Judge will given 2 Tim. 4. 2 Thes 1. It is great pitty this is not considered as usually it is not Especially for the momentous Consequence thereof in my Judgement So far he So much of the Sentence of Justification which shall be passed by Christ at Judgement Upon the Righteous 2 We are next to consider of the Sentence of â—ondemnation which shall then by Christ be passed on the unrighteous Which is delivered to us by Christ Mat. 25. in the same order as the former This Sentence containeth 1. The Condemnation it self 2. The Reason or Cause of it The Condemnation expresseth the misery which they are judged to 1 Generally in the Denomination Cursed 2 Particularly by Description of their Cursed state To be cursed is to be a People destinated and adjudged to utter unhappiness to all kind of misery without remedy 2. Their Cursed condition is described in
to the nature of their waâ—es which we see is not done here where the wicked Prosper and the good are afflicted therefore it must be heareafter 2. We see there is a necessity that God should make promises and threatnings of everlasting hapiness or misery for the right governing hfâ— the world for we certainly perceive that no lower things will keep men from destroying all humane society and living worse then bruit beasts and if there be a necessity of king such threats and promises then there is certainly a necessity of fullfilling them For God needeth no lye or means of deceiving to rule the world 2. And as we see it by Reason so by certain experience that this is descernable by the light of nature for all the world or almost all do believe it Even those nations where the Gospel never came and have nothing but what they have by nature even the most barbarous Indianâ— acknowledge some life after this and a difference of men according as they are here Therefore you must believe thus much or renounce your common Reason and humanity as well as your Christianity Let me therefore perswade you all in the fear of God to confirm your souls in the belief of this as if you had heard Christ or an Angel from Heaven say to you Oh man thou art hasting to Judgement Qu. 2. MY next Question is Whether you do ever soberly consider of this great day Sirs do you use when you are alone to think with your selves how certain and how dreadful it will be how fast it is coming on and what you shall do and what answer you mean to make at that day â—are your minds taken up with these considerations Tell me is it so or not Alas Sirs Is this a matter to be forgotten Is not that man even worse then mad that is going to Gods Iudgement and never thinks of it when if they were to be tryed for their lives at the next Assize they would think of it and think again and cast 100 times which way to escape Methinks you Should rather forget to go to bed at night or to eat your meat or do your work then forget so great a matter as this Truly I have often in my serious thoughts been ready to wonder that men can think of almost any thing else when they have so great a thing to think of What! forget that which you must remember for ever forget that which should force remembrance yea and doth force it with some whether they will or not A poor despairing soul cannot forgâ—t it He thinks which way ever he goes he is ready to be Judged Oh therefore Beloved Fix these thoughts as deep in your hearts as thoughts can go Oh be like that holy man that thought which way ever he went he heard the Trumpet sound and the voice of the Angel calling to the world Arise ye dead and come to Judgement You have warning of it from God and man to cause you to Remember it do not then forget it It will be a cold excuse another day Lord I forgate this day or else I might have been ready you dare not sure trust to sech excuses Qu. 3. MY next Question to you is How are you affected with the Consideration of this day Barely to think of it will not serve To think of such a day as this with a dull and sensless heart is a sign of fearful stupidity Did the knees of King Belshazzar knock together with trembling when he saw the hand-writing on the wall Dan. 5. 6. How then should thy heart be affected that seeth the hand-writing of God as a summons to his barr When I began to preach of these things long ago I consess the matters seemed to me so terrible that I was afraid that people would have run out of their wiâ—s with fear but a little experience shewed me that many are like a dog that is bred up in a forge or furnace that being used to it can sleep though the hammers are beating and the fire and hot iron flaming about him when another that had never seen it would be amazed at the sight When men have heard us 7 years together yea 20 years to talk of a day of Judgement and they see it not nor feel any hurt they think it is but talk and begin to make nothing of it This is their thanks to God for his patience Because his Sentence is not executed speedily therefore their hearts are set in them to do evil Eccl. 8. 11. As if God were slack of his Promise as some men Account slickness 2 Pet 3. 9. When one day with him is as a 1000. years and a 1000. years as one day What if we tell you 20 years together that you must dye will you not believe us because you have lived so long and seen no death comming Three or four things there be that should bring any matter to the heart 1. If it be a matter of exceeding weight 2. If it concern not others only but our selves 3. If it be certain 4. If neer All these things are here to be found and therefore how should your hearts be moved at the Consideration of this great day 1. What matter can be mentioned with the Tongue of man of greater moment For the poor creature to stand before his Maker and Redeemer to be Judged to everlasting Joy or Torment Alas all the matters of this world are playes and toyes and dreams to this Matters of profit or disprofit are nothing to it Matters of credit or discredit are unworthy to be named with it Matters of temporal life or death are nothing to it We see the poor bruiâ— beasts go every day to the slaughter and we make no great matreâ— of it though their life be as deer to them as ours to us To be Judged to an Everlasting death or torment this is the great danger that one would think should shake the stouâ—est heart to consider it and awake the dullest sinner to prevent it 2. It s a matter that concerneth every one of your selves and every man or woman that ever lived upon the earth or ever shall do I am not speaking to you of the affairs of some far Countrey that are nothing to you but only to marvail at which you never saw nor ever shall do no It is thy own self man or woman that hearest me this day that shalt as surely appear before the judgement-seat of Christ as the Lord liveth and as he is true and faithful and that is as sure as thou livest on this earth or as the heaven is over thee That man that heareth all this with the most careless blockish heart shall be awakened and stand with the rest at that day that man that never thought of it but spent his time in worldly matters shall leave all and there appear that man that will not believe these things to be true but make a jest of them shall see and feel what he would