God doth go to deceive thee far be it from thy thoughts Believer 't is so of a truth Christ is thine thy husband and thou mayst boldly lay claim to him Consider what a husband Christ is is not he the King of the Kings of the earth This is he unto whom Angels and authorities and powers are made subject This is he whom all the Angels of God do worship Heaven and earth are at his beck he is exalted above all heavens and hath a name above every name that is named this is thy beloved and friend O should not thy faith triumph in him Fourthly By way of resignation in giving up your selves to Jesus Christ. Faith as it takes Christ so it delivers up the soul to Christ. Faith makes a happy exchange for us giving away the man to Christ and receiving Christ for us Thus between Christ and a believer there is a mutual delivery of themselves over to one another As faith receives Christ so it gives up the soul to Christ and all that it hath Lord saith faith I here resign to thee I quit all claim to my self I am not my own and will own it henceforth that I have no right to my self I give up soul and body to thee I will hold back no part of the price And as faith takes first the person of Christ and then the benefits of Christ so it gives away the person of the man to Christ and then with the person it gives all the rest the estate interest and all to Jesus Christ thus you should be exercising your faith Fifthly By way of Adoration thus saith should put forth its self upon Christ casting our Crowns before him setting up the Lord Jesus Christ in the throne of his own excellency and we should admire nothing but him breaking in pieces all our Idols and pulling them down that Christ alone may be exalted Sixthly By way of Appreciation prizing and esteeming of Christ debasing self and all other excellencies in comparison of Christ accounting all things but dung for Christ such was Pauls faith Seventhly By way of Appropriation so your faith should put forth it self It should not only put forth it self in a way of Affiance onely leaning upon Christ but in a way of assurance You should labor to come up to this not only to believe that Christ dyed for his people in general but to believe his death was intended for you in particular to appropriate him to your self Thus faith acts upon Christ. This was Thomas his faith when once it was stirred up My Lord and my God Applying Christ to himself as his Lord saith faith I am weak but thou art my strength I am a sinner but thou art my righteousnesse I am unclean but thou art my sanctisication I am miserable but thou art my redemption A SACRAMENTAL Speech grounded on Mark 1. 15. Repent ye and beleive the Gospel MY dearly beloved brethren you have often heard our Savior preaching to you by his Ambassadors but now he is come to preach to you as it were in his own person What was said of Abel is true of Christ he being dead yet speaketh Christ being dead yet preacheth to you But what doth Christ preach to you now he is dead Why he preacheth no other thing to you now he is dead than he did in his life Repent and believe the Gospel That Christ preacheth to you faith and repentance repentance towards God and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. First Repentance towards God see here Christian what thy sins hath done Now is a time to have your hearts filled with sorrow and your faces with shame to see what you â—…ave brought upon Jesus Christ. Look upon him every wound in his body and thorn in his head calls upon the to repent The wounds in his side and the blood that flowed from thence calls upon thee to repent Now let thy repentance by stirring seeing he calls thee to repentance what shall stir thee up to repent if this shall not here you may see the Lords severe wrath against sin See it here in the beloved Son of God who is slain before your eyes for your sins Ah Christian if thou hadst stood with Abraham and seen the fire of Sodom Or with Adam and seen God commanding and then thrusting them out of the garden If thou hadst been in heaven and seen what the wrath of God did there what work it made when the Angels sinned Or if thou hadst been in hell and seen and heard the damned there how wouldst thou look upon thy sin O see here more than all this Gods wrath burning against his own Son for thy sin O see here the love of Christ in vain were all thy tears and sorrow had not Christ made way for thee O see him and hear him speaking from the crosse my wounds shall heal thy soul if thou wilt but repent These hands shall work out thy salvation if thou wilt but return and repent Ah sinner what is not thy soul melted yet methinks I should hear thee making thy submission and return to the Lord as one that melteth at the word of his Lord. Lord is thy mind thus shall I have all this if I will but repent behold I cover my head with sackcloth I am the offender as for this lamb what hath he done O Lord it repenteth me of my rebellions I lay down my w pons I swear I will be a resolved enemy against sin as long as I live Secondly Another thing that Christ in his costly death preacheth to you is faith Faith in our Lord Jesus Christ he calls upon you to believe now he is upon his crosse Methin 〈◊〉 hear him calling upon you from the crosse Believe the reality and greatness of my love Believe the infiniteness of my power The full expiation of all thy sins The truth of all Gods threatnings The certainty of all my promises Thy unquestionable right and title to the Kingdom of glory First Believe the reality and greatness of my love Methinks he speaks thus to thee O man what should I have done more to testisic my love to thee than I have done read all the Antiquities and see whether there was any love like mine thou canst not believe but that thy parents love thee when they take eare of thee but whose love is like mine did these ever suffer for thee or do for thee what I have done what are all these sufferings that I have suffered for thee did I despise my fathers glory and leave it for thâ—… did not love 〈◊〉 O slow of heart to believe all that I have done and suffered for thee if I did not love thee what should move me to dye for thee did any thing in thee no did any profit from thee move me no I knew that man is not profitable to God Was it any returns from thee no I knew how thou wouldst be how unkind thou wouldst be to me O Christian doubt not of my love
Christian methinks I should hear thee say Lord 't is enough thou hast laid down thy life for a ransome I see my cure in thy wounds I doubt not butthy blood is sufficient to cleanse me from all my sins And who now shall appear-against me Ah Justice once a terrible word now I can see thy face with comfort Once Justice was so terrible as never was the face of a judge more terrible to the prisoner at the bar than that to me but now 't is pleasing to me Once I had rather have fallen into the lions mouth than to come to it O how did my soul grow pale and my heart ready to dye like Nabals within me when I saw the ballance held up in one hand and the sword in the other but now I see that the death of Christ and his blood shall be put into the ballance with me I am not afraid Here now see a great wonder the pure holyness of God taking pleasure in a sinner and the strictest justice shaking hands with the offâ—…nder now the justice of God is become my friend Third Object O but unbelief seems yet to object from the multitude and strength and policy of the enemy Methinks I see the trembling soul in the posture of the prophets man who beheld the mountain beset with Charriots and Horses and crying out O Master what shall we do If it were but flesh and blood it were not altogether so much but 't is principalities and powers who can break thorow the host of these Philistines But Christian look to this crosse look to a dying Christ look what his death speaks to thee wherefore art thou ready to fall with these fears and ready to sink under them methinks I see him taking thee by the hand as he did Peter O thou of little faith why didst thou doubt look here by my cross and see all thine enemies lye slain by my death and what wilt thou be afraid that thy slain-enemies will rise again and pursue thee methinks soul I should hear thee triumphing and crying out what can you do O my enemies I have seen captivity led Captive and for whom did he overcome but for me as for me now I will throw out the gantlet and bid defiance to my enemies Who is he that condemns It is Christ that dyed who shall seperate us from the love or death of Christ shall tribulation or distresse c. Nay in all these things we are more than conquerors c. For I am perswaded that neither death nor life c. shall be able to seperate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. I see now all overcome in the death of Christ. Devils I fear you not I behold all your legions in chains and made captives by Christ. Death I fear thee not for I know that thou art slain by him that had the power of death and devils I know that thy commission is altered and thou comest not with authority to arrest me but with an invitation to invite me to feast with the Lord. And thanks be to God who hath given us the victory To the most beloved people the flock of Christ in Taunton Salvation Loving and most dearly beloved I have lately received your affectionate letter and though I never question your affections to me and need no verbal testimony yet I cannot but take it thankfully and read it delightfully when I see it attested under your own hands And I cannot but tell you you are the people of my cares the desire of my eyes the people of my delights of my prayers My labors with you for many years though some time attended with difficulty and danger yet were not tedious but my time passed like Jacobs when he served for Rachel and my sufferings for you are not irksome through grace because I trust they are for your edisication and are a seal of my love to you and more especially of the doctrine of our Lord Jesus Christ which I have long preached among you The Lord God teach me with humility and thankfulness to bear such honor that I should be set for the defence and consirmation of the Gospel And now my dearly beloved though you should not be insensible of Gods great visitation upon you yet I would not have you inordinately disquieted that I am removed from you to a prison for a season but rather imitate the Heroick vertue of that most gracious mother in the Martyrologie who when the Son of her bowels came not to a prison but to a stake to be sacrificed in the flames for Christ fell down on her knees and blessed the Lord that ever she should be so happy as to have a Son to suffer for Jesus Christ. Ah my dear flock how glad should 〈◊〉 be if God would send me forthwith among you again to feed you as in the dayes of old and to go in and out before you that you might find pasture yet be not dismayed fear not little flock though you are little and despised and hated of all men for Christs name sake Christs relation to you and tenderness of you is such that you cannot miscarry He liveth and his care liveth The Godly wife of that worthy Cornish Divine Mr. Vincent being left in great want with many little Children would often answer them when tâ—…y came crying about her for bread and she had none to give with this gracious expression be quiet children our God 〈◊〉 And surely that my brethren may be a quieting comforting consideration both for you and me though the bread do 〈◊〉 fail But at length this gracious woâ—… being left quite destitute and her children calling upon her when she had neither bread nor money breaks out into a bitter weeping which one of the littleones observing he comes and puls his mother by the Apron saying Mother why do you weep thus Is God dead now such a rebuke did the Lord send her by the mouth of a poor babe Brethren be not dismayed Christ liveth and therefore let your hopes live let your courage live let your faith live also Christ liveth ever therefore let your hearts live for ever Psal. 22. 26. He liveth to make intercession sor you and from his living you may be assured of life John 14. 19. of your Jastification Rom. 8. 34. Of your Salvation Rom. 5. 10. Beloved do but seriously think of Christ's relation to you and you cannot want comfort Why he is not ashamed to call you Brethren Even when he was entred upon his state of exaltation risen from the dead far above the state of mortals he own'd poor weak believers for his brethren John 20. 17. Go to my Brethren Math. 28. 10. Go tell my Brethren Yea when he cometh with all his holy Angels with him and sits upon the throne of his glory he will own the very least and lowest among poor believers before all the world for his Brethren Math. 25. 31. with ver 40. keep this my
we are careless in this duty what can we expect but tribulation and anguish and wrath Thirdly Resolution A setled fixed purpose of heart to do what God commands When God tells us this is my command thus and thus you must do our hearts should answer the will of God we will obey thus and thus we will do Thus did David The Lord said seek my face and my heart answered thy face Lordwill I seek Beloved we hear our duties and read our duties many a time and we are apt to acknowledge that this should be done and to pray too that it might be done but for want of adding of resolution many a time our convictions and prayers come to nothing Concerning this duty let us not dispute but determine let us not stand reasoning shall I shall I but resolve upon it Fourthly Love to the duty Christians should not only receive the truths of God but receive them in love The commands of God like meat that pleaseth the pallat must go down sweetly duties must not be so much our task as our choyce that which we would rather do than neglect were we left to our liberty Beloved let us not only take up this course as necessary onely but let us love it as an excellent course Let us not go to this work as a sick man goes to take down a loathsome potion but as a sound healthy man goes to his ordinary meal Fisthly Life That which a man sets his heart upon he will be lively in and do it to purpose Rom. 12. 11. Not slothful in business but fervent in spirit serving the Lord. Standing water is not wholsome and wine that hath lost its spirit is not pleasant God is a spirit and they that worship him must worship him in spirit He is a most pure act and he will be served with activity God would not accept a blind torn lame sacrifice under the law and will he accept of a dead sacrifice under the Gospel He would not have the Asse offered to him because it was a dull sluggish creature Nor the Snail because a slow lingring creature We must not come to duties with dead hearts with dull drowsie sleepy souls When we are going to our work of communing with our hearts we should stir up our hearts call in our thoughts compose our affections rub our memories and consciences till we have fetched life into them Every faculty of the soul should act its part in this work And here let me tell you that 't is no fit time to set about this work when we are between sleeping and waking when the spirits are so far spent and the senses tired that we can scare see the question or to hear the answer that conscience gives It will be good for every one to observe the temper of his body for this work that so drowsiness may not detain him from it or make him slight and overâ—…ly in it Sixthly Labor we must take pains in duty Eccl. 9. 10. What soever thy hand findeth to do do it with all thy might There must be labor before the duty to break thorough difficulties and to bring the heart to it There must be labor in the duty to keep the heart close to it The heart will be unwilling to come to it and therefore must be compelled It is apt to wander and therefore must be restrained and held in We must not onely do well but be patient in wel-doing The flesh must be crossed carnal ease and contentment must be denyed when they stand in the way of our duty or would steal away the heart from God God required that the Male should be offered up to him in sacrifice because that was stronger than the other to signifie to us that we must take pains and lay out our strength in duty Beloved wheresoever you are when you should seâ—… about this work say to your souls as Christ to the disciples Arise let us go hence If the heart be backward lay the cord of Gods command upon it and by this cord hale it to the duty Tell it that the work must be done and shall be done When thou art come to the work bind thy heart to the good behavior When thou art in it often call upon thy heart to mind the work that it is about When it would give thee the slip hold it fast When it would run from any question before it hath given any determination to it pull it back adjure it before the living God in whose presence thou art and whose honor is concerned in it to speak out the truth concerning this matter whether thou art guilty or not guilty Seventhly Care That duty is well done that is carefully done Eighthly Constancy That which a mans heart is set upon he will be hardly taken off from it We must be constant in duties as well as fervent in them Rev. 2. 3. Beloved the work that I am now pressing you to is not to be done once a week or a month or every other day but every day Every evening conscience being mounted upon its tribunal you are to give accompt of all the things that have passed that day And remember this that you never take any excuse for the omitting of this duty at any time but what you dare plead before God in the great day of accompt It is to be performed every day as sure as the night follows the day Neither is this the work of a week or a month or a year or of an evil time onely while the rod of God is upon your backs no it is the work of your life it is a duty that you must live and dye in We should not take up this course as the traveller takes up his cloak which he wears in a storm but throws off when the Sun shines This is a duty as well in prosperity as in adversity It is Summer-fruit as well as winter-fruit And I pray God that neither summers heat may be able to blast nor winters cold be able to kill those good beginnings os reformation that are now to be found among us I am afraid that when God hath broken off one yoak from our necks we shall cast away another When God shall break off the cords of the wicked from us we shall cast away the cord of duty from us I pray God that when we come into Canaan we may not forget nor cast osf what we promised in the wilderness Remember it is for your life I shall press this upon you in the words of the Apostle 1 Cor. 15. 58. Therefore my beloved brethren be ye stedfast unmoveable always abounding in the work of the Lord c. Objection It is a hard work a painful duty a heavy yoak Now there are several things that I shall speak to answer this very briefly First This complaint doth argue a very careless loose heart Ah Christian didst thou keep a strict hand over thy self in the day thou wouldst not find thy evening work so
difficult And hast thou a careless spirit the more need there is that thou shouldst set upon this work that thou mightest bring it into a better government Secondly Wouldst thou neglect this duty because it is painful upon the same account thou mayst cast of other duties Thou can't not pray nor hear as thou shouldest without pain Give way to this objection and for ought I know in a little time thou mayst bid farwel to all thy Religion thou mayst cast off every duty Thou canst not imagine what a plague it may be to thee if thou shouldest give way to this objection Give Satan an inch and he will take an ell forbear one duty because of difficulty and he will easily perswade men to forbear others Thirdly Consider who it is that buzzes this in thine ear Certainly it is the devil the grand enemy of thy soul. God says Commune with thy own heart Satan says no it is too painful VVhy who wilt thou be ruled by God or Satan thy best friend or thy worst enemy Christian in these outward concernments thou wilt not advise with thy mortal enemy in things that concern thy life And why wilt thou be such a fool in the matters of thy soul Fourthly What dost thou cry out of pain It is thy very calling and profession to tâ—…ke pain What mean those expressions in Scripture else whereby the life of a Christian is set forth by striving wrestling fighting pressing toward the mark To take pain is essential to Christianity and without this thou canst not be a Christian. To leave any duty because it is painful is a contradiction to thy profession thou dost herein deny thy self to be a Christian â—…ifthly The more difficult the work is the more profitable thou wilt find it That duty that cost's us nothing will yeild us nothing and that duty that cost's us much pain will yeild us much peace and comfort Sixthly Consider is not grace worth the taking pains for What wilt thou take pain for if not for grace Look about in the world see how the men of the world run and ride sweat and tire themselves for toyes and trisles What pains then shouldst thou take for grace one dram of which is more worth than a world By this means thou mayst grow in grace more in one moneth than in some years before And let me tell thee I have not Charity enough to think thee a Christian indeed if thou dost not think grace worth any labor or pain that thou canst possible be at in the getting of it Seventhly Consider Christian what pain Christ did take and what misery he did undergo for thee Thy soul was dearer to him than his own glory and thy salvation than his own life and blood And shall not his glory his commands be dearer to thee Christian than a little carnal ease Think upon it if thou hast any spark of ingenuity this consideration will prevail upon thee to set about this work I come now to propound some motives to stir up those that have not begun this work to set about it And those that have begun to go on in this work First Consider it is the command of God It is not the voyce of man but of God It is God that speaks to thee Commune with thy own hearts Examine thy self Christian I urge the command of God upon thy Conscience wilt thou obey or wâ—…lt thou not darest thou to set thy self against God! and set thy will above the will of God! O think upon it Secondly Consider the time when and the manner how you consented to set to the performance of this duty It was in a time of love at a feast of love and after a Song of love Consider what a rich mercy God hath bestowed upon you in giving you liberty to draw nigh to him in such an ordinance as you lately sate under It was but a little while ago beloved that you thought that you should drink no more of the fruit of the vine till you drank it in your fathers kingdome And behold contrary to your expectations the King hath sent to you saying come and sup with me come and sit at my table Hath God dealt so with any people He hath feasted you in a time of famine and spread a table for you in a howling wildâ—…rness Doth not this extraordinary providence think you call upon you for some extraordinary duty And do not you think in your consciences that it is this duty Why else hath God propounded it to you and urged it upon you in such a time as this is If you neglect it it may cause God to take away the Corâ—… and wine from you and to break the stasf of 〈◊〉 Thirdly What do you know but God put it into the heart of his servant to press this duty at that time to try whether you were real in that love and loyalty which you did then prosess to him I suppose you all understand the transactions that passed there between God and you that God did put his seal to the Covenant that he would make good all the mercy promised and that you did put your seal thereby binding your selves to the performance of all the duties required Fourthly Consider when another such opportunity is offered to you how will you be able to look God in the face Methinks that man should not dare to come to the Sacrament and again put his seal to the Covenant that hath knowingly and willingly broken his last engagement Fifthly Doth not your own looseness and the enemies profaneness and the present dispensations that you are under call upon you for more than ordinary strictness in your lives and conversations The Lord have mercy upon us what prejudice have we brought to the Gospel by our carnal careless conversations VVhat pitch of profaneness are the enemies of God risen to They are not afraid to bid him defiance at his face In what a doleful case are many of our brethren abroad in the world and how sad is it like to be with us The glory of God is gone from the publick to your houses and are you not afraid I am sure there is reason enough to think that it will take its flight from thence too And doth not all this call upon us aloud in the language of the prophet Lam. 3. 40. Let us search and try our ways and turn unto the Lord. If we look behind us and see what we have been If about us and see how devilish men are And above us to see the black clouds that hang over our heads we cannot but see that it is time to take another course to live more like Christians And what course so likely to effect this as daily self-examination serious consideration is the best way to sound and thorough reformation Sixthly Consider the excellent advantages that will come to thee by taking this course Christian wouldst thou have peace of conscience The sence of Gods love shed abroad upon thy
for his vineyard here O remember now O people what the enemy consulted and what the Lord answered they said come let us curse Taunton and let us defie the people of God But who shall curse whom the Lord hath not cursed And 〈◊〉 whom the Lord hath not defied God hath blessed and who shall reverse it happy art thou O people who is like thee O Taunton saved by the Lord the shield of thy power the sword of this excellency The archers have shot at thee yet they have not hurt thee Shall I particularize the mercies of God to Taunton why consider he hath been a Savior to you a shepheard to you a keeper to you 1. He hath been a Savior to you He hath saved your throats from the sword your habitations from the flames your lives from the plague your persons from the prison 1. He hath saved your Throat from the sword have you forgotten that you were a people devoted to destruction by the sons of violence but God disappointed them and gave you your lives for a prey 2. Your habitations from the flames The flames have been set in Ambush against you and yet your habitations are not burnt down to this day 3. Your lives from the plague It hath been devoured by the plague heretofore and yet it hath not devoured you How eminently hath God preserved you in this place in the time of common calamity that hath been among others O think not that it was because those were greater sinners than are in Taunton No but because God hath a peculiar intention of saving you Yet I say to you as Christ â—…o them think not that those upon whom the Tower in Siloam fell were greater sinners than any in Jerusalem I tell you nay but except you repent ye shall all likewise perish We have had the same sins and yet God hath preserved us 4. Your persons from the prison How often hath God preserved you he hath been like the cloud upon Israel and upon all the glory there hath been a defence Once indeed some of you have tasted of a prison but what a mercy was it that it was but once I might tell you what a mercy 't is to you that you have not been troubled with the prelates Courts but Secondly God hath been a shepheard to you Therefore you have not wanted VVho is it that drives you by the still waters though you are as a lamb in a large place 't is because God is your shepheard VVhence is it that you lye down in green pastures 't is because God is your shepheard How hath God provided for you formerly and of late Thirdly God hath been a keeper to you VVhen you were sent to prison God did keep you O do not forget the mercies of a prison I beleive that of all the passages of our lives many of us have no such experience of Gods mercy as in a prison O the provision that God did make for us there O the constant meals the sweet meals that God did make for us there Brethren now let us thankfully commemorate all these mercies Let me call upon you as the Psalmist rejoyce in the Lord ye righteous and again rejoyce O ye people let your voyce be heard on high Let us worship and fall down before the Lord our maker Let it be said praise waiteth for thee a God in Taunton VVell might praise wait for God in Taunton for God hath waited to be gracious to us There was the place that he chose to put his name there There break 〈◊〉 the Arrows and the spear VVho is like our God who rideth on the Heaven for our help and on the sky for our aid Blessed is the people that heareth the joyful sound they shall rejoyce in thee O Lord. The Lord is our deliverance and the holy one of Israel is our King Shout therefore O inhabitants of Taunton for great is the work of the Lord with you And now O Lord Bless them and accept the work of their hands and lift them up and let them lift thee up for ever A Sermon preached in order to the Sacrament on a Sacramental day Luke 2. 10 11. And the angel said unto them â—…ear not for behold I bring you good tidings of great joy which shall be to all people For unto you is born this day in the City of David a Saviour which is Christ the Lord. MY Brethren good tidings I know must needs be welcome to you at such a time as this Now God hath sent me to you with the most blessed news that ever came to man that is that to you is born a Saviour You have here the History of our Saviours birth The shepheards they were abroad in the fields watching over their flocks by night v. 8. and while they were thus diligent in attending their slocks then the angel brought this news to them From whence observe by the way how good it is to be following our lawful callings The fruits of these tidings was great fear that fell upon the shepheards when they saw the angel And against this fear the angel bid them be of good comfort Then you have here the news behold I bring you good tidings c. where you have observable First Thâ—…e â—…senger the Angel Secondly The fruits of it great joy to all people Thirdly The matter of this news That to them was born a Savior From the words observe this Doctrine Doct. That it is the blessedest news that ever came to the ears of man news worthy of angels from God to be the Messengers of it that unto us is come a Saviour Brethren I must needs commend the Grace of God to me this day in making me the messenger of such news to you as this is I am unworthy to bring you this news it is for angels to bring this news they were sent with this message as you see yet God hath been pleased to send me as a Messenger with these tidings to you Now I shall shew you that this is the best news that ever came to the ears of man and that First If you consider the deplorable condition that he found man in Secondly If you consider what a great salvation he hath wrought for man First If you consider the deplorable condition that he found us in we were all gone out of the way we had fal'n among theeves and between sin and Satan we were robbed and wounded and this Samaritan found us and he cured us and it cost him no less than his own blood So desperate a disease is sin that nothing will cure us but the death of Christ. He found us shut up in sin and were not able to get out and then he roll'd away the stone for us and knock'd off our fetters and wrought deliverance for us This was the misery of mans condition that he was in a helpless condition Rom. 5. 6. There was no possibility for us ever to recover our selves Neither was there help in any
Where envying and strife is there is every evil work Oh blesse the Lord that the hearts of believers have been made one in this place Psal. 133. 1. How good and beautiful is it to see Brethren dwell together in unity blesse the Lord you his people because the Lord hath blessed his people with peace Fourthly In the plenty and variety of its provision Oh remember this this day and forget not how God hath provided for you all along and that at that day when you did account that all was cut off How little did we dream of such a mercy had any told us then of these things we should have replied as that Lord did behold if the Lord would make windows in heaven might this thing be Ah Brethren should it have been told you before-hand that for so many years after that fatal day you should spend so many Sabbaths in the worship of God and so many Sermons in one Sabbath and so many Ministers sent to you and so many Sacraments to feed you as you have had you would have been ready to say if the Lord should open windows in heaven could this thing be and yet all this God hath done for you Oh blesse the Lord for this mercy Fifthly In the strange preservation of your Liberty Herein hath God been singular in his mercy to you hath not Christ fulfilled his word to you he that loseth his life for my sake so he that loseth his liberty for my sake shall 〈◊〉 it you have hazarded your liberties and have â—…ept them Many have declined their duty to preserve their liberty but blessed be God that you have adventured your liberty and God hath kept you in safety Indeed I can give you no time of your liberty but I can assure you that if you lose it sor him you shall 〈◊〉 by your losse Methinks Christ says to us as to his disciples whâ—… I sâ—…nt you sorth without shooes or scrip 〈◊〉 ye any thing and they said nothing so here when you have gone sorth adventuring your liberties for Christ have you lost them you 〈◊〉 say no. Sixthly Iâ—… sâ—…rving you by your 〈◊〉 Counsel â—…ow visibly hath God turned what the enemy intended sor â—…vil to be good to us so we may say as Joseph to his Brâ—…thren as for you you thâ—…ght â—…vil to me but God meant it for good You know how they have despightfully removed the Magistracy of the place but behold how much the Lord hath turned it for your good had they set up a Magistracy it had been the losse of your liberty They had a spightful eye upon you and it was thought that 〈◊〉 long agone would have been too hot for her inhabitants yet behold what freedome and liberty we have lived in behold men curse but God hath blessed us the more Oh how strange a thing is this that you should eat and drink in peace and go forth and come in in peace that you should attend the ordinances in peace Seventhly In eminent and gracious returns to your prayers Brethren this is not to be forgotten this day Returns of prayer do certainly call for great returns of praise It hath been observed by those that have bin longer with you than I that they never remember that God was earnestly sought unto sor any particular mercy in this place but he did sâ—…d a visible return except once when if God had sent you an answer according to your prayer it had been the hazzarding of the people of God in this place So that I may say to you what people is like to you who have God so near unto you in all that you have 〈◊〉 upon him sor Eighthly In keeping you â—…om the â—…astical Courts This is a mercy that we should be mindful os Indeed all along the Churchmalignant have been one os the persecuting enemies of the Church oâ—… God Witness the Scribes and Pharises Witness the 〈◊〉 who were all a long the stirrers up os men against the Church And so in divers 〈◊〉 men of late Nay and at this day through the rigour of these Courts especially in óther Counties many stand excommunicated many are threatned with Writs and some taken and cast into prison for term life unless God raise som unexpected means Now of all places one would have thought that we should have been dragged to prison by them And yet you see how God hath preserved us Ninthly In your glorious Salvations and dâ—…liverances Oh my Brethren remember and forget not the dealings of God with this place Let God hear of it throughout your praises now â—…his day what he hath done for you in saving youwith such wonderful Salvation The Sword and Famine and Plague and Fire have been upon you to consume you and yet you are here to blesse the Lord at this day methinks the Lord cals upon you as in Micah 6. 5. O my people remember now what Balaak King of Moab consulted and what Balaam the Son of Beor answered him from Shittim unto Gilgal that you might know the rightcousness of the Lord. Such is the Language of the Lord to you Remember now what thine enemies consulted against thee howthey had gathered themselves against thee and besieged thee and did resolve to devour thee with thy children and not to leave thee one stone upon another O remember my people when your houses were on fire and the Plague in the street and the widdows crying and the children fatherless crying Ah! pittiful condition O remember now how I have helped thee that thou mightest know that I am the Lord thy Savior Thirdly If we come yet nearer and look upon our selves with reference to our particular persons as we are Christians and so God hath done more for us than he hath don for any others beside therefore praise you the Lord. And here I am in such a field that I know not the way out you are the members of Christ the children of your father which is in heaven what hath God done for you O you that fear the Lord praise the Lord. You may stand amazed to see what the Lord hath wrought â—…or your souls This is the Life of all when you can remember the everlasting loving kindnesse of God to you O friends consider now you that are the Lords peculiar people consider what God hath done for you above all other people Consider he hath made you the people of his choice The pillars of his name The vessels of his glory The Temples of his presence The Trumpets of his praise The men of his Counsel The Jewels of his Crown The Inheritors of his Kingdom Herein God hath done more for you then for others and should not you do more than others look upon these things and see then whether you should not do more for God than others First You are the people of his choice when others are but the refuge You are the pillars of his name when others are but broken and uselesse pot-sheards You are the
of danger And blessed be God he is not behind hand with you he that owned you in your prison state Brethren how hath God owned you in clearing your cause for which you are suffering here If the Kingdome of heaven be promised to them that suffer for righteousness sake then sure it is promised to you for you are suffering here upon that account And then for your call how sweetly and joyfully did we come hither though God knows we had not enquired into what we entended as to our subsistance here yet God sent us all hither joyfully together and I hope God will send us home as joyfully again But let me shew you in some particulars wherein God hath done more for you then for others as you are prisoners First You are better fed then others Who do live upon the bounty of Gods extraordinary providence like you may not God almighty speak to you as the Apostie to them 1 Cor. 9 7. Who of you goeth a warfare at his own charges VVhen our Saviour sent forth his disciples without scrip or shooes sayes he lacked ye any thing they answered nothing May not we say so if he say to us lacked you any thing we must say no he hath poured out his kindness upon us O how sweetly did the holy prophet think you rellish every bit of meat when God provided every bit so extraordinarily for him 1 Kings 17. 6. And the Ravon brought him bread and flesh in the morning and bread and flesh in the evening God doth not send it to us by a Raven but by friends but all he sends bread and flesh in the morning and bread and flesh in the evening without our care And is not God to be observed in this you know there is a kind of a Famine abroad but God will not have it a Famine here VVho ever wants God will be sure that his prisoners shall not want As the King took care of Jeremiah Jer. 37. 21. Then Zedekiah the King commanded that they should commit Jeremiah to the Court of the prison and that they should give him dayly a piece of bread out of the Bakers-street untill all the bread in the City was spent VVhen Jeremiah was in prison God would be sure that he should not want as long as there was any bread to be had in the City So God commands concerning his prisoners though there be a kind of Famine abroad God will not suffer his prisoners to want Secondly You are better taught than others VVho is like to you O people about whose tents the Mannah raineth not every morning onely but morning and evening week dayes and Sabbath dayes God doth open his door to you and make every day as a Sabbath to you Thirdly You have more promises than others Now there are come in to us a whole shoal of of promises that we would not not so properly claim before 1 Pet. 2. 20. If when you do well and suffer for it you take it patiently this is acceptable with God 1 Pet. 4. 13. 14. Rejoyce in as much as ye are partakers of Christs sufferings that when his glory shall be revealed ye may be glad also with exceeding Joy If you be reproached for the name of Christ happy are ye for the spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you Jam. 1. 12. Blessed is the man that endureth Temptation for when he is tryed he shall receive the Crown of life which the Lord hath promised to them that love him If you suffer with him you shall also raign with him 2 Tim. 2. 12. Blessed are they that suffer for righteousness sake for theirs is the Kingdome of heaven Blessed are you when men shall revile you and persecute you and shall say all manner of evil against you falsly for my name sake rejoyce and be exceeding glad for great is your reward in heaven Math. 5. 10 11 12. Time would fail me to go over all those promises that are come in now upon us all at once Oh we are an unthankfull people if all these promises do not raise our faith and joy Is it a light thing my brethren that you should be heirs of the promises Fourthly God hath hath honored you more than others To others with you 't is given to believe but to you 't is given to suffer for his sake which the Apostle reckons up as a step higher than others attain to Philip. 1. 29. Fifthly God hath intrusted you with his honor more than others God hath put more into your hands than into the hands of any other Gods glory is trusted morewith the sufferers of Christ than with any others O be infinitely tender of Gods honor O see that you love him more than others praise him more than others A Sacramental speech grounded on Psalm 40. 7. Lo I come IT is my purpose to speak to you of the coming of the Son Lo I come Now concerning this coming I shall shew you First Who it is that is come Secondly How he is come Thirdly Whence he is come Fourthly Why he is come First Who it is that is come This is the first thing that I shall desire you to consider with reference to the coming of Christ. First The bridegroom is come God sends his Ministers to you with that cry Math. 25. 6. Behold the bridegroom cometh O with what joy doth the Bride receive her Bridgegroom so should believers receive Christ. Arise you Virgins then and come away Awake you virgins this is the call of your Bridegroom Cant. 2. 8. The voice of my beloved behold he cometh c. And what was this voice of her beloved that doth so ravish her heart see verse 10. arise my love my fair one and come away and so ver 13. Christ calls again and again and you should come away Secondly Your King is come God sends his Ministers to you with that glad newes that he put in the Prophets mouth Zach. 9. 9. rejoyce greatly O daughter of Zion behold thy King cometh Brethren this is that which should cause you to rejoyce and shout for joy that your King is come And great reason have for he is a great King and hath salvation with him Luke 19. 9. This day is salvation come to this house Thirdly The deliver is come Rom. 11. 26. Brethren I know good news must needs be welcome to you at such a time as this why hear you then the blesseds news that ever came to the ears of man Luke 2. 10. Behold I bring you good tidings of great joy which shall be to all people for unto you is born a Savior which is Christ the Lord. Ah Brethren that the Savior is come the deliverer is come this is the blessedst news that ever man heard Hear what the Lord saith with reference to this in that of the Prophet Isa. 62. 10. 11. He cals upon his people to cast up and prepare the way c. say ye to the daughter of Zion behold thy salvation cometh
Oh let these thoughts live dayly upon your hearts fix it upon your selves that you are of no use nor worth in the world except you serve your makers ends that he is the Potter and you the Clay and that you are good for nothing except you are for the use of him that formed you think with your selves Is it not pitty so excellent a peice of Gods workmanship as man is should be all in vain That God should lay out so much of his power and wisdom and grace upon thee and loose his end at last That he should furnish Man compleatly for the end he was made for and send him into the world to dispatch his business and Man should forget his errand and neglect the very end of his being Beloved the reason why men do mind Religion no more is beause they do mistake their business And is it not pitty that when Man only of all the vissible Creatures hath an understanding to know his end he onely should mistake and miss his end Prin. 2. That look as you do mannage the business of Religion so are you made or marred to all Eternity settle it upon your hearts that if this business doth miscarry you are undone for evermore you may miscarry in any other business and yet doe well enough at last your goods may be wreck'd your friends disingaged your times spilt and yet you may be happy but if you do not go through with the business of Religion you are undone men This made Paul to ply the Oars and follow it with such dilligence 1 Cor. 9. 26 27. So run I so fight I c. This made him engage with might and main and put forth every limb in the race because his Eternal undoing lay upon it He runs through fire and water he doth not beat the Air and brandish his sword like a vapouring coward he is not like the Fencers that strike as if they could kill each other at every blow but mean one another no hurt no he is earnest he fights as for the precious Life least otherwise after all his Preaching and paines he should prove a Castaway 1 Cor. 9. 27. Sirs you had need look how you doe carry it now Immortallity Eternity hangs upon it your patient continuance in well doing will bring forth Eternal life but you miss all if you doe not keep doing and doing well and patiently continue so doing If you come short of this your portion is indignation and wrath Sirs consider where you are and look about you Oh you careless sinners you remiss and Luke-warm Christians consider what is before you The furnace is ready heat for you if you go not through with your work The Crown is ready prepared if you hold out in your race you are speeding on to Eternity as fast as the wings of time can carry you and that is more swiftly than the Eagle flying in the Air. Believe it Religion is no trisling matterIf thou be careless and idle and remiss here thou art a damned Man If a Man be upon trial for his Life I warrant you will find him serious here If a man have a business that will prove his utter ruine if it miscarry depending be sure he will stretch his wits and engage his interest and turn every stone Beloved the reason why Religion is minded with so little care is because Men do not consider the consequence of Religion Sirs can you dye can you burn If not take heed of trisling in Religion and selling Heaven for want of a little Pains-taking Oh where ever you be unserious be sure you be serious and in earnest in the business of Religion and that you may be so let this ever dwell upon your hearts that halving and trisling will undo all Prin. 3. That nothing is well done except it be Religiously done Do all in the name of the Lord Jesus Whatever you do do all to the glory of God 1 Cor. 10. 31. Col. 3. 17. Remember that the rules of Religion do not onely reach your praying hearing almesgiving c. but your eating drinking trading marrying You must not think to put off God with an hour in the morning and an hour in the evening you must be serving him throughout the day managing your callings visits discourses according to his rules Count that arrow lost that is not levelled at some Religious end that hour lost that is not spent Religiously that visit lost in which you have not promoted the ends of Religion in your selves and friends Count that you eat amiss unless you eat Religiously So much of Religion as there is in your actions so much there is of true gold so much as there is of self and carnal ends so much embasing mettle is mingled therewith your lying down and rising up must be managed Religiously or else they are not well managed and you must impose it upon your selves to be serving God not onely on your knees but in your shops at your Tables in your journeys that God may be gloriâ—…ied by you in all things Prin. 4. That the Trade of Religion of all others yields the sweetest pleasure and surest gain A true Christian is a Merchant Man that dealeth in no small matters but for goodly Pearls Mat. 13. 45. A holy Life is a spiritual trading Mat. 25. 16. Now there is no Trade to this A Believer Trades for Grace and Glory Oh how glorious is the prize and how excellent and unvalluable is the income of Religion Wisdom is more precious than Rubies all the things thou canst desire are not to be compared to her Read Prov. 8. 11. Prov. 3. to the 19. They that come from the Indies laden with Gold and Spices with Pearls and Diamonds have but a poor Trade in comparison of a Christian follow the work of Religion to purpose and you will find the true Riches flowing in upon you your faith will grow exceedingly and your love will abound and as riches increase your hearts will be set upon them and your gaines will increase your diligence Every man will be dealing in that commodity that yields great profit The reason why Men have so little heart for Religion is because they have secretly an oppinion that there is little to be got by it They reckon an hour spent in Religion to be an hour lost They say in their hearts It is in vâ—…in to serve God Mal. 3. 14. And what profit should we have if we pray to him Job 21. 15. But when a man tasts the pleasure and sinâ—…s the gain of Religion then he will set to it to purpose and like the wise Merchant imploy all his stock here Mat. 13. 44 46. Beloved as ever you would go through with the work of Religion you must have your hearts throughly possessed with the advantage and profit that comes in by Religion when a man doth think he can benefit himself more other where he will have little heart to follow after Christ but when he knows
was that found you Christ came from Heaven to Earth to take thee up poor lost sheep upon his shoulders to carry thee to Heaven O be not forgetful â—…ut Rejoyce and be Thankful A Letter sent by him to an Intimate Friend NOw will I make known to my dearest Friend some of the thoughts of my heart this morning besore I begin to write to thee There was once a poor soul imprisoned in 〈◊〉 and clogged with the Iron fetters of corruption that retired within it self and would needs take a view of the best and worst sight iâ—…aginable at once Well he sets open the Floodgates and in he dives into the fathomless depths of an evil heart but there he could sind no bottom Then up he springs and begins to take the Dimentions and view the Massie weight of the Crown incorruptible His heart grew hot within him and while he was musing the fire burned and on a sudden he pathetically smites on his breast and out he breaks into this Language Ah wretch what a sight is here methinks my heart is like the Chambers of Imagery I can turn me no way but the loathsom sight and silthy stench of my Corruptions comes up into my Eyes and Nostrils my pollutions are so â—…oul that I cannot tell how to look upon them and yet so common so universal that I cannot look besides them which way soever I look into my self I can cast my eye on nothing but the loathsome sight of some filthy Ulcer which makes me filthy in my own eyes and how much more to the pure eyes of my spotless maker when I turn my eye inward and go about from Cell to Cell I pass from one to the other and am fain to write Lord have mercy upon me on every dore Every faculty is as a cage of unclean Birds and O the noysome lusts that lodge and live within them I look'd into my memory and O what a Magazine of wickedness was there weak I find it and slippery when any good is committed to it Alas methinks I am like a narrow mouthed bottle that takes in but drops when the bounty of Heaven pours down by showrs Though the dew of Heaven distill as the rain yet how little do I take in how much is spilt besides but yet this is not all there is a leak in my Vessel that lets all that is good run out only the dregs are left behind 'T is little good that I take in amongst a world of evil and presently my Rudder le ts go the good corn and the chaff is kept behind Capacious it is to receive faithful to retain what should be forgotten well thought I I will shut up this but I heard the voice as to the Prophet of old speaking to me turn thine Eyes and thou shalt see yet greater Abominations then these Look into thine understanding But good Loâ—…d what a sight have I here why it is all overspread with Aegyptian darkness yea much more intolerable it being not my plague only but my sin Alas how do I grope about in blindness and ignorance and wander in the path of error and though the light shine in darkness yet the darkness comprehendeth it not How mean and shallow is my capacity so dull that I cannot conceive nor apprehend the mysteries of Godliness but am ready to ask with unskilful Nicodemus what do these things mean what Riddles are many Gospel truths to my soul I am apt rather to dispute them than to believe them as if I had rather judge of things by the light of reasons candle than God's Sun O fool that I am and slow of heart to believe how is my understanding tyed to my senses that I am apt to believe little but what I see what poor low conceptions have I of God how little a portion do I know of him he goeth by me and I see him not he passeth on and I perceive him not how little is it that my understanding will reach too and how grossely do I apprehend and conceive that little Although Christ hath anointed my eyes yet my imperfect sight of the things of the Gospel is like his we read of who saw men walking as trees But you O Blessed Souls who are now in Glory you see face to face what I see in a glass darkly your Sun is risen you see by the clearest Meridian light what I am fain to grope for in the dark those miâ—…s of darkness and ignorance are dispelled from your understandings and you have the blessedness to see what I have scarce faith to believe Thrice happy Souls your day ends not your Sun sets not you have perfect day no clouds overcast you you have perfect knowledge no scruples molest you you are perfect light and perfect life The mysteries hid from us are made known to you your light is increased your capacities are inlarged your vail removed and you are filled with all the fulness of God mysterious Providences are all unravelled to you you see the glorious contexture of every piece and all the art and contrivances of that curious Tapestry of which I can see but here an arm and there a leg and know not how to put passages together nor what to make of them O when shall that which is in part be done away when shall the day dawn and the day star arise in my heart my soul waits for the Lord more than they that wait for the morning yea more than they that wait for the morning Alas how doth my spirit sink oftentimes when I consider the imperfections of my understanding how I am at every turn baffled and posed in my own thoughts and perplex'd in a labyrinth of difficulties out of which I cannot extricate my self Oh when will the time come that I shall see as I am seen and that I shall have all my objections answered my doubts resolved my difficulties removed Ah this cloud of flesh what glory dost thou keep from shining in upon me how can I see through all this dirt well but in thy light Lord I shall see light In the mean while I should be contented if I could walk up to that dim light I have but alas I have so stubborn so head-strong a will that it will not use the light I have my understanding is backward in assenting to the truths propounded but how much more backward is my will in consenting and practising so that I am even like them in the Prophet Brutish in my knowledge Who would believe did they see my coldness and deadnesâ—… in â—…oly Duties how remiss I am when begging pardon of sin for mortifying and quickning grace that I were begging for my life who would think by my negligence in the wayes of God and that wretched indifferency that is in my heart that I did believe the Kingdom of Heaven was to be taken by violence and that the gate was so strait and the way so narrow that leads to life Oh Hypocrisie I preach up diligence
to thee Doubt not of my help dost thou think that I would give my self for thee and will not give my hand for thee do not doubt that I will cast thee off dost thou think that I have suâ—…ered all this for thee and that I will cast thee off at last no no. Secondly Believe the infiniteness of my power This is the language of Christ from his crosse believe the exceeding greatnesse of my power He speaks thus O man what if thou shouldst have no friend but I cannot I uphold thee These shoulders that did bear up under all that Hell could invent against me shal not they uphold thee fear not to commit thy self with considence to me See I am able to keep what thou committest to my trust Thirdly Believe the full expiation of all thy sins I am here a satisfaction for thy sin Fear not I am thy atonement thy peace thy propitiation of thy sins what though thou art empty behold the fulness of my satisfaction what am I here for I am cut off but not for my self 't is for thee This is my meaning in my death this is the end why I am upon the crosse to make expiation for sin and bring in everlasting righteousness All you like sheep are gonâ—… astray and God hath laid on me the iniquities os you all Believe it God will not require the debt of the principal and surety too Doth 〈◊〉 trouble thee at any time sprinkâ—… it but with this blood and it will be at peace Art thou afraid to come into the preâ—… of God do but carry me with thee and thou shalt be safe Fourthly Believe the truth of all Gods threatnings here thou seest all the threatnings of God executed upon me See here and believe what God will do to those that go on in their trespasses If he laid so much on me what will he do to them believe also his threatnings of correcting you 〈◊〉 you sin for he will punish your sins with rods and your iniquities with chastisements Fifthly Believe the certainty os all my promises this is another word that Christs crosse and death speaks to you what 〈◊〉 the meaning of this death of mine and of this blood and satisfaction of mine but that the covenant might be ratified and all the promises sealed and nothing diminished but all my Testament and covenant might he ratified for ever Behold this blood that flows from my wounds is sprinkled upon the people for the purifying of them All is as sure as my death and blood can make them Here thou seest all ratisied in my blood Man thinkest thou that I would dye with a lye in my mouth dost thou think that I would suffer all this for thee is I meant not to do thee good Sixthly Believe thy unquestionable right and title to the Kingdom of glory Why here thou dost see the price and ransome the money paid down and what meaneth all this thinkest thou but to buy in thy name into the inheritance Now Christians where is your faith O methinks your sails should be up Methinks you should be triumphing though you are here in the world As Paul Who is he that condemns it is Christ that died Why what objections can be made what can unbelief say that cannot be answered here in the death of Christ shall I muster up all its force tell you what the death of Christ doth speak to it give me leave to touch upon some of them First methinks I hear unbelief objecting from the terribleness of Gods threatnings O sayes the soul my heart melteth within me while I hear the wrath of God threatned against sin methinks I come lately from Mount Sinai wher I heard the Law given withthe Trumpet a shout and a curse pronounced upon all that kept not the words of this Law O how can my soul bear up against all these curses But now how sweetly doth the crosse of Christ and death of Christ answer thy fears Hear thy Saviors language O soul be not afraid do not thou fear and flag all these threatnings were intended against me all wer fulsilled upon me Justice hath nothing to say to thee all the curses are met together upon me That is the meaning of it that thou mayst be free though I take in the wrath of the Lord into my own body Oh! behold me behold me see how full I am of the wrath of God in body and soul my soul is exceeding sorrowful even unto death Methinks I should hear thee say now Lord I see my liberty in thy bonds My salvation in thy torment and pain I have seen thy sorrow and out-cry and understood the meaning and intent of all that it was to remove the curse from me Now arise O my soul and inherit the blessing Therefore was Christ made a curse that the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles What was the blessing of Abraham I will bless thee and make thee a blessing I will bless them that bless thee and curse them that curse thee And again I establish my Covenant between me and thee Rejoyce O my soul rejoyce and let my soul rejoyce in God my Saviour O my soul God hath blessed thee and shall bless thee Feâ—…r not now the mouth of the Law is for ever stopt thou shalt never hear one curse more of the flaming mouth of the Law O soul what canst thou wish for that is not laid up in the everlasting covenant he hath said he will be a God to thee Canst thou be able to know the immensity of his covenant all is made over to thee Second Object But sin begins to rise up The soul begins to cry out of his sins O the multitude multitude of my sins they are gone over my head and I am sore afraid I have nothing to pay my debt But hear now what Christ speaks to thee This is the language of his death and wounds fear not sin Have I been so long with thee and dost thou not know me Philip so saith he to thy soul what been here so long with me and conversed with me so long and dost thou not know me yet are thy sins infinite and are not my merciâ—…s infinite are thy sins great and am not I God above all equal with the father O look unto me and rest in the fulness of my satisfaction I am thy surety All thy debts be upon me all thy wants are upon me what if thou hast nothing to pay I have enough for me and thee I am the Scape-goat that have carried away thy sin into a land of forgetfulness I have slain the enmity of sin upon the crosse and have reconciled you to my Father Here is redemption full redemption plentiful redemption behold my blood speaketh peace to you Wilt thou not believe the voyce of my death and blood to thee thus Christ's death can speak sufficiently to all that thy sins can say ' against thee Now doth not thy faith stand upright yet