to get into Christ though it be the scorn of men and burdensomâ—… to nature yet this is that which will 〈◊〉 us pâ—…ace at the laâ—… let us be what we profess our selves to be let us love Christ and evangelically keep his commandements let us live by Faith let us keep thy commandements let us be above tâ—…e woâ—…ld in the would above the love of life and above the fear of death let nâ—…t tâ—…e smilâ—… of the woâ—…ld allure us nor the frowns thereof affright us from thee but in all these things let us â—…e more then Conquerours thâ—…ough Iesus Christ. Let us love him much whom we cannot love too much â—…elp us to be above the power of hell let us evâ—…r say My soul it is goâ—…d for me to draw nigh to God Let us â—…e willing rather to be saved with a few than go to hell in a crowd let us live as if eternity were long and life but shoâ—…t let us thrive in holiness and be brought 〈◊〉 to tâ—…y self by every dispensation let us in tâ—…i our day â—…w the 〈◊〉 that concern our peace before they be hid fâ—…om ouâ—…â—…s and know the time of our visitation and though God suffer lâ—…ng he will strike at last Oâ—… Lord bow the heavens and come down among us at this time and be with the unwoâ—…thiest of thy Servants and gâ—…e unto iâ—… a door of utterance and to this great people a door of â—…t aâ—…e and let them be all â—…aught of God and let them moâ—…e truly finde that tâ—…e great God is teaching to the heart wheâ—… that a weak worm it speaking to the ear let all the work be done by thee anâ—… let all thâ—… praise redound unto thee and let â—…im that is with us be greaâ—… theâ—… he that is in the world behold us in the Son of thy love smell a sweeâ—… savour of rest on these our poor prayers speak peace tâ—…â—…ur consciences rebuke the Tempter tâ—…d him under our â—…eet shortly â—…aise us up to newness of life let us â—…emember whâ—…n that whicâ—… is perfect is come that which is imperfect shall be done away heâ—…r us anâ—…â—…elp us through our dear Redeeâ—… let us live for him here and â—…ith him hereafter and all for his sake whom not seeing we love in whom believing we rejoyce with joy unspeakable and full of glory to whom with thee and thy Spirit be glory and honour now and for ever Amen Mr. Jenkins's Forenoon Sermon Heb. 11. 38. Part of that verse Of whom the world was not worthy THe Apostle in this excellent Chapter that by some is deservedly called a little book of Martyrs doth discover to us the triumph of faith the noble victory of this excellent grace against all the difficulties oppositions it meets withall therein sets down a threefold excellency of faith one is that it doth assent unto truth though never so improbable 2. That it doth put men upon duties though never so irrational or against carnal interest 3. That it enables us to suffering though never so afflicting and difficult and this third part is that which my Text speaks of These worthy men of God they overcame all the bitterness of the world as well as the sweetness of it Now in these verses the Apostle doth these two things 1. He here sets down the greatness and the smartness of their sufferings which are by some learned men reduced to three heads 1. Those sufferings that were to tempt them and to drive them from God and their holy profession by those pains and tortures they were to undergo 2. Those sufferings they underwent in dying and the cruelty of those deaths that were laid upon them 3. Their sufferings in reference to their wandring and leaving of their worldly comforts rather then they would loose God But we need not be so curious in the distribution of their sufferings it may suffice us that they were steadfast in the midst of all and would never be brought to forsake God and his truths for any of them 2. You have here the exâ—…cies of the sufferers and that is here in that expression which I shall God willing make the subject of my discourse this morning that these men these persons when they were under all the distresses and troubles that they were under from the world yet they were such of whom the world was not worthy Brethren this excellency of these Saints and servants of God under their trouble is considerable in my Text two ways that we may proceed clearly and distinctly 1. In reference unto the world unto the wicked and so it is said their excellency was so great that the world was not worthy of them 2. It is discovered from that estimation that judgement that the Apostle doth here pass upon them who tells us that he accounted them to be such as though they were under all these troubles and distresses yet they were a people of whom the world was not worthy I shall pass by the former of these and onely mention it as it falls in with the latter and that is this The due estimate that this blessed Apostle doth raise upon this holy persecuted company of Saints when they were under all their troubles yet this holy man of God who was enlightned by the Spirit of God and so was able to pass a right estimate and due judgement upon things and persons he tells us the world was not worthy of thâ—…m and then from the second I draw this observation That a godly man one truly regenerated doth see an extraordinary beauty worth and excellency in the people of God in the bitterest of all persecutions and troubles that doth bâ—…fall thâ—…m or that a godly man a gracious heart one that hath spiritual spectacles doth see an excellency and worth in the people of God in the midst of all trouble and persecution that can hefall them I know you judge this to be both a necessary and seasonable point In the prosecution of it I shall first handle it Doctrinally and then come to those profitable and useful Improvements of it by way of Application that the Point deserves 1. For the Doctrinal explication of it two things must be spoken to 1. Wherein the high esteem of a gracious heart doth appear wherein it doth discover it self to the Saints and People of God in their sufferings 2. Whence it is and how it comes to passe that godly men have this high and honourable esteem of the Saints and People of God in this trouble and distress of theirs For the first of these wherein it doth appear that they have so high and excellent an estimation of them I shall give it you in five or six particulars 1. It doth appear in this in that they are not ashamed of them in their troubles they are not ashamed to own either their persons or the faith that they do professe in their troubles the sâ—…ciery of the People of God and the fellowship of their very faith and their
Gospel see there what Christ is and thy necessity of him Believing will open the door to entertaining of him assent will procure thy consent Thirdly Keep up no Idol in thy heart against him Turn out that that keeps out Christ. How dear soever it seems now at last thou wilt see it more necessary to detest than keep it I come now to exhort all poor weak Christians that they would make after confirmation and grow to a greater measure in Grace as they have received Christ. It is not enough to be conceited that you have been converted and it will not be enough to the assurance of your conversion or safety of your souls that you think you are converted and sit down there he that is content with the opinion that he hath Grace and therefore desires to have no more because the promise of salvation is made to the Truth of Grace it 's a sign he never had Grace strength in Grace is your own felicity 't is part of your happiness Your eternal happiness will partly consist in your personal perfection and without personal perfection all heavenly glory will not be a perfect felicity If you have fixed your Anchor in Gods Promises this engages you to look up make after and proceed c. Take these Motives First Consider there is the same reason to move thee to grow and proceed as there was to move thee to thy first believing Why did you become Christians but because of the necessity of the riches and excellencies of Christ and that there was better things in Christ than in the World And are they not so still Is the case changed If Christianity was reasonable then it is reasonable now if it was necessary to begin it is necessary to hold on and proceed in your Race till you have obtained the Crown Secondly Your receiving Christ essentially contains in it an obligation to proceed and go further actually to trust and obey him whom you have taken for your Lord and Saviour from the very offices and relations of Christ received If I be a Father where is my fear If I be a Master where is my Honour If I be a Saviour where is your Confidence in me Submission to my saving-work Obedience to my healing Precepts If I be your Lord and Master why do not you learn of me as your Master c Your first Covenant engages you to proceed in fulfilling the things promised in your Covenant c. Better not to have promised to be his people than to promise and break this promise The very Mercies also you received from him pardoning your former sin entertainment in his Church and all the blessings there found are as so many obligations to proceed 3. Ever since we came home to Christ we have had an addition of Reasons besides the first Reason we had to believe Every day brings in new c. Certainly if a little were desirable more were more desirable If the people that stood afar off and never tried what Christ and Grace is were bid to come in those that have tried and tasted are bound to proceed much more You have the Spirit of God experiences of his love tasted the bitterness of sin have had some trial of the truth of such things of which we speak when others have eyes and see not c. And will you turn back that have tasted c. 4. Consider how much hath been lost upon many a soul for want of care to take rooting and to proceed How much labour of the Ministry mercies of God pains and care of their own I speak of those that have seemed sincere not been indeed so that have many times comforted the hearts of their Ministers and Friends and have had some kind of comfort to themselves in that taste they have had of the good Word of God How many times hath the Preacher been gladded to see such a one come to him seemingly with a broken heart seeming to set himself in the way of life yet the flesh prevailed for want of Confirmation How many years have some spent in duty in hearing prayer gracious society profession of Religion yet afterwards the World hath drown'd all What cause have you to see you lose not the things you have wrought 5. Consider how much of the Work of your own salvation since you are converted is yet undone Though you are sure your conversion is true how many temptations to resist enemies to conquer duties to perform and Heaven to be taken upon all those terms as is the tenour of your Christianity therefore you had need to stand fast and having done all to stand you had need not only to believe but to wait and be patient in believing and to proceed in the way you have chosen 6. The want of strength and building up makes the lives of many full of lamentable languishingweaknesses scandals unto others pain calamity and trouble to themselves How long in healing And how much smart and pain while the fruit of their own folly is cured How easily and how frequently do temptations prevail And hence as in a Wilderness they are going one step forward another backward no evident keeping in God and all through the fruit of their own languishing weakness The fruits of the sins of Professors have been such that it should make you do all you can possibly to escape the troubles at home and reproaches abroad 7. A life of spiritual weakness is usually a burden unto him that hath it it doth not only occasion his falling into sin and so renews the wounds of his soul but is a constant burden to him not that any measure of Grace is troublesome but that which consists with so great a measure of remaining corruption this is the burden Sickness is burdensome though there be life Methinks you should not then be reconciled to your fears you should methinks see so great a difference between the sick and well that for your own peace-sake you should seek after confirmation Every duty they do is their pain which is anothers pleasure prayer c. their burden sometimes tired wearied dull c. presently overwhelmed with temptation every duty is a grievance to them through the weakness of their grace and by their corruption 8. Christians that are weak and not confirmed lose abundance of the fruit of Gods Ordinances that are improved by others How many a truth that tasts exceeding sweet to others hath no great relish to them nor growth by it A healthfull man hath more relish in ordinary fare then a sick person in varieties The full stomack loaths the Honey-comb 9. The weak and unconfirmed Christian is unprofitable comparatively unto others not that the Church would wish the weakest Member out but comparatively unconfirmed Christians are very unprofitable unto others like little children in the family that must be looked to make work for a great many more about them What doth a sick person but the work of others is to feed support and be
others die in horrour Mr. Jenkins's Prayer at Christ-Church Iuly 13. 1662. MOst blessed and holy Lord God thou art infinitely beyond our apprehensions who wast infinitely â—…ppy before the world was made and wantest none oâ—… thy 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 their services 〈◊〉 make thee more excellent tâ—…en thou art in thy self we dâ—…ily wâ—…nt thee thou never wantest us thou a 〈◊〉 to make use of Ordinanceâ—… Ministers Sâ—…baths as thy Institutions to accomplish 〈◊〉 bring about the great work of thy glory and maâ—…s Sâ—…lvation yet Lord thou dost not need them thy Spirit is not made â—…fficacious by these things but it is that that makes these things 〈◊〉 though thou art pleased to tye us to them when we may 〈◊〉 them and duly enâ—…y them yet thou dost not tye thy self to them we desire in these our addâ—…esses tâ—… eye the happiness of Saints that depends â—…on him that depends upon none We are here in thy presence by thy goodness and grace Oâ—… whether should we go but to thee and how should we come but by thee oâ—… strengthen our saith kill ouâ—… corruptions inflame our love give us assurance of thy love to our souls oâ—… that God would teach us â—…ow to pray that we may tastâ—… and seâ—… how â—…ood the Lord is t iâ—… day that ouâ—… souls may be filled 〈◊〉 with marrow the we may by ouâ—… own experience be able to say it is good foâ—… us to 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 â—…o God and that a day in thy house is better thâ—…n a thousand elsewhere that there may be a commâ—…ion between us and God let there be a diâ—…union between us and siâ—… we confess we brouâ—…ht sin enough into the world with â—…s to cause theâ—… to withdraw thy bleâ—…ed self from us and to cast such unprofitable servants as we are into uttâ—…r darkâ—…ss we have bin 〈◊〉 long time in thy school and yeâ—… how dull are 〈◊〉 we migâ—… have bin teachers of others but we need our selves be tauâ—…ht wâ—…ich aâ—…e the fiâ—…st Principles of the Oracles of God we lâ—…ve less â—…en we know and we do less then we love we have neither done 〈◊〉 good nor received that good which we should or might have done and received we have been trees that have cumbered the 〈◊〉 iâ—… thy Orchard but we have brought foâ—…th no fruit â—…o unto us that we have not known the day of our visitation many of us have one foot in the grave and yet we have lived without God in the woâ—…ld we are wise in every thing but in our own salvation we live as if â—…ell were a priviledge those of us that have some knowledge of thee have great cause to repent that we have walked so unworthily of God which of us pray continually and fervently or live the life of faith we confess we nâ—…ither take our afflictions humbly nor our mercies thankfully nor â—…ant our comforts contentedly nor fill up our relations fruitfully we live as if hell were a scare-crow as if all the threatnings of thy word were an empty noise as if there were a either sâ—…ess in heaven nor bitterness in hell When we come into thy prâ—… 〈◊〉 are our hearts what earthly dispositions do wâ—… 〈◊〉 aâ—… with 〈◊〉 the sins of our prayers cry louder then the suppâ—… 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 prayers what hypocrisie and formality cleaves unto us â—…f thou dost not look upon the iniquities of our holy things with an eye of pitty wâ—…t 〈◊〉 â—…ecome of us O Lord be pleased to smell a swâ—…t â—…avour of â—…est and peace through thy dear Son O Lord it is onely his precious 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 can sprinkle our hearts and quiet our consciences and no other thing we do renounce all our own works and we cry in our selves unâ—…one undone It is through thy beloved Son that we are accepted and therefore to that end bring us to him by a saving operation on thy part and by our lively trust through the Covenant of thy grace on our part let there be such a unity between Christ and us that all the power of bell may not be able to separate us from thee speak peace to our hearts stiâ—…l our consciences 〈◊〉 I have received a sacrifice for you I shall befâ—…iend yâ—…u I will be just and faithful to â—…or â—…ive your sins my lawis â—…elly fulfilled by another though broken by you my justice is fully satisfied â—…y another though provoked by yâ—…u my wrath is ceased by the means of another though inceâ—…sed by you Oh Lord what a cordial would this be â—… caâ—…st not thou amongst this great multitude of people espy some that through the Spirit of thy Son would worship thee in â—…ine owâ—… way speak peace to every such soul. Is there any soul before thee O Lord to whom thou hast given the grace of desire O Lord give them grace according to their desire and thou which diâ—…t regard us when we were running from theâ—… do not reject us now we are drawing near thâ—…e and thou which bidst us believe by the command of thy â—…ord help us to believe by the operation of thy Spirit draw us that we may be able to follow thee thy loving kindness is better then life Some do say Who will shew us any good but Lord lifâ—… thou up the light of thy countenance upon us and that will glad our hearts more then in the time when increaseth Corn or wine or Oyl Let it be sâ—…ir above head when it is dirty below lâ—…t us see one contrary in another let us confute an eye of sense with an eye of â—…aith and when we come to see nothing here that can gratifie our senses let us have something to quiet our souls We would â—…ain be at war with sin that we may be at peace with thee though we cannot return as much as we have received yet help us to return as much as we can give us repentance unto life repentance from dead works a mourning far greater for the remembrance of sin then we had pleasure in the committing of sin those secret distempers in our souls that no eye sees but thine let us cry out wretched men that we are who shall deliver us from this body of sin And as the fear â—…f condemnation doth decrease so let the fear of transgression in crease and because O Lord that thou hast not made us to bleâ—… with thy greatness O Lord make us to blush with thy goodness let us as truly desire that heaven would enter into us in the way of holiness here as we desire to enter into heaven in the way of happiness hereafter Let us see that our kindness to sin is cruelty to our Saviour let not that live quietly one minute with us that would not let Christ live let us see there is nothing small by which thâ—… great God is 〈◊〉 and an immortal soul is damned we are to be in the wâ—…rld but â—…r a while to take a 〈◊〉 or two and bâ—… goâ—… oh that we miâ—…ht make it the business of our life
accordingly 5. Love the holiness of the living members be not so much in love with the holiness of wood and timber bricks and stones but wheresoever you see the Image of Christ be in love with that soul whereever the presence of God shines and whereever thou seest one that gives up himself to God in holy duties do thou say Oh! my soul delight to come into the company of these men The righteous is more excellent then his neighbour If there be a heaven upon earth I tell you it is in the company of godly men I remember a famous man hath this expression saith he When I was in the company of the Saints and people of God I was as a living coal but when I was separated from them and was among the wicked swearers and drunkards me-thoughts there was a spiritual coldness and frozenness went over my soul. Though the people of God are best companie in heaven yet they are very good companie here on earth And Christians should stir up one another and be provoking one another to love and good works and where ever you have grace be sure to impart it Endeavour to love the holiness of Saints and be willing to impart your experiences to others for this is your duty Do not make a Monopoly of holiness but carry company with you to Heaven Lastly to name no more labour to preserve the holiness of Gods true Institutions those things which are of a divine consecration What is humane consecration without divine institution The Sabbath day is of divine institution labour to keep it holy this is a holy-day indeed and this labour to keep your families from profaning of but for other holy dayes and holy things they are much alike for holiness The Lords day is a holy day indeed and for shame do not let your children gad abroad on this day Truly I do verily believe that though here be a great company of people in the Congregation yet they are but a handful in comparison of what are drinking in Ale-houses and whoring and walking in the field that one can hardly get home to their house for the crowd of people that are going thither For shame let not this be told in Gath nor published in Askelon What! shall we stand up for the holiness of places and yet oppose the holiness of the Lords day which God hath enjoyned and instituted Oh! that the Magistrates of London Oâ—… that Englands King Oh! that Englands Parliament would do something for the reformation of this to oppose wickedness and prophanesse which will otherwise bring upon us the judgement of Sodom and Gomorrah and make us guilty and worthy of a thousand punishments And labour by prayer in your families to overcome that flood of prophanesse which you cannot by your strength prevent And then for the Sacraments of Christ Baptisme and the Lords Sâ—…pper these are Ordinances of Gods appointment they are holy and therefore should not be given to those that are unholy and yet those who are so much for the holinesse of places do not care who come to the Sacrament if they have but a nose on their face they shall come and partake of the Ordinances let them be what they will this is to prefer mans institution before Gods institution And then for the Lords Message and Word that is a holy thing and therefore love his Messengers the Messengers of God delivering his Message with fear and reverence you are to hear them with the same fear and reverence and resolution to be holy as if Christ were present And for the Word of God it is not enough for you to have a choice Sentence written upon the walls of your Churches but let Gods Law be written in your hearts and consciences and practised in your lives that all the world may see you live as men dedicated to the true God in all the duties of his wayes and obedience Many of these things might have been inlarged What I have given you with the right hand I pray you Christians do not take with the left for if you do you will make your selves guilty of a double sin First Because you do not obey the truth you hear And secondly For putting a wrong construction upon it But I have better hopes of you my Beloved Hearers and hope that the Lord will be better unto your souls then his Ministers Word or any thing else can be God blesse you and his Ordinances and discover his mind and will at this time to you Mr. Jenkins's Prayer after Sermon O Lord our God thou art never weary of doing us good if we either consider the mercies thou givest to us or the miseries that thou keepest from us that yet we have another opportunity of drawing nigh to thee we beseech thee O Lord let not our mis-interpreting of such opportunities as these are cause thee to take them from us or thy self from them if thou dost Lord we cannot but justifie thee and abase our selves and lie low before thee because we have sinned against thee O Lord we bless thee that we are yet alive to bless thee that yet we have not sinned our bodies into a cold grave nor our souls into a scorching Hell thou givest us our beings if thou withdraw thy self we cease to be and shall return to our first nothingness from whence we came the living the living they praise thee as if we know our own hearts we desire to do at this time Praised be God for Iesus Christ that he died and rose again and is now a pleading at thy right hand for poor sinners Praised be God that he is offered to us for his sake O God pardon all our sins let our lusts die that would not let the Lord of life live let not any one of them live one quiet moment in these hearts of ours let us give up our selves and all that we are or can do to the purpose of thy praise we beseech thee prepare us for a blessed eternity that we may not be ashamed before thee nor ashamed of thee nor thy wayes in the midst of a crooked perverse unclean idolatrous generation Dear Father we most humbly pray thee prepare us for communion with thy self assist us in the ensuing duties of this day let all the work be done by thee let all the praise redound unto thee prepare us by hearing for prayer by both for practice by all for glory Lord set up thy truth ruine Babylon build up Sion delight yet to dwell in the midst of us and do us good though we are a sinful back-sliding God-provoking Nation Mayest thou not say of us as of old what couldst thou have done more for us then thou hast done yet how ill have we requited thee for all thy benefits Poure down the richest showers of thy choicest blessings upon the head and heart of our Dread Soverain Charles the Second by thy especial grace of England Scotland France and Ireland King as follows in his Royal
The Farewell SERMONS of Mr. Calamy Mr. Watson Mr. Sclater Dr. Iacomb Mr. Case Mr. Baxter Mr. Ienkins Mr. Lye Dr. Manton Mr. Ashes funerall Mr. Collins An EXACT COLLECTION OF Farewel Sermons PREACHED By the late London-Ministers VIZ. Mr. Calamy Mr. Watson Dr. Iacomb Mr. Case Mr. Sclater Mr. Baxter Mr. Ienkin Dr. Manton Mr. Lye Mr. Collins To which is added Their PRAYERS before and after Sermon AS ALSO Mr. Calamy's Sermon for which he was Imprisoned in Newgate His Sermon at Mr. Ashe's Funeral And Dr. Horton's at Mr. Naltons Funeral The last Edition being much Enlarged and more Perfect than any yet Extant 2 SAM 23. 1. Now these are the last Words of David the sweet Singer of Israel Printed in the Year 1662. THE PUBLISHERS TO THE READER THE words of dying men usually are very serious weighty and much regarded The ensuing Notes being the Preachers last Legacies to their several Congregations a little before their Civil though Voluntary Death by reason of the great Concourse of people that were then assembled in all Churches to hear their dying Pastors preach their own Funeral Sermons whilest they were yet alive many being too distant from them or too much disturbea by the crowd fell short of their share and portion in them others having lost much of what they committed to their memories addressed themselves to their friends that writ But it being found too tedious a work to satisfie the desires of all by Transcriptions some who had taken after them as followeth by the importunity of many have been prevailed with for the satisfaction of their friends to expose their Notes to publick view It is not to be expected though all care and faithfulness hath been used that the Picture should answer the Person in all things what defects therefore in any kind may be found herein we humbly pray may not be imputed to the Reverend Authors but unto the Publishers hereof We conceive we need not adde any thing to take off that clamour that is cast upon them as if out of an humour faction or which is worse disobedience to Authority they refused to conform Enough is said by themselves to give an account why they chose to take up their Cross and follow Christ in a way of conscience and fidelity Reader we will detain thee no longer from partaking of the fruit we here present thee with but conclude praying that the Lives of these worthy Ministers Hearers may be their legible Epistles seen and read of all men and that their Conversations may be such as becomes the Gospel of Christ that whether they yet again come and see them or else be absent they may hear of their affairs that they stand fast in one spirit striving together for the Faith of the Gospel Farewell Mr. Calamy's Prayer at Aldermanbury OH most Holy and ever â—…lessed Lord God! thou fillest Heaven and Earth with thy presence we pray thee fill all our hearts with the presence of thy Grace and let it appear that thou art in the midst of us with that powerful assistance of thy Spirit that we may receive a token of love from thee at this time It is a singular favour that the doors of thy Sanctuary are open to us and that yet we may meet together in thy Name we pray thee continue it to us and sanctifie it to us that every Sabbath may add to our Staturâ—… in Iesus Christ. We confess we have forfeited all our mercies we have heard much of God and Christ and Heaven with ouâ—… ears but there is little of God Christ and Heaven in our hearts We confess many of us by hearing Sermons are grown Sermon-proof we know how to scoff and mock at Sermons but we know not how to live Sermons It is a miracle of free Grace that thou hast not taken thy Gospel from us ere this time but thou art a merciful God and though we cannot please thee yet Mercy pleaseth thee and we have no argument to bring along with us to beg thy â—…avour but thy mercy in Iesus Christ. We pray thee that thou wilt glorifie thy Sovereignty in being gracious to us and pardon our many and great transg essions Thou makest use of the malice of men for thy glory thou killest Goliah with his own sword oh help us to put our trust in thee thou that canst kill and cure by killing Bless these Nations of England Scotland and Ireland and find out yet a way to save us pour down thy blessings upon the head and heart of our Sovereign CHARLES by thy Grace King of Great Britain thou hast done great things for him let him do great things for thee bless him in his Royal Consort in his Royal Relations in his Council bless the Magistrates and Ministers oâ—… this Realm Lord forgive us for we live as if we had been delivered to work wickedness we cannot sin at so cheap a rate as others do we pray thee humble us under our great and grievous sins give us Repentance unto Salvation and a lively faith through the bloud of Jesus Christ quicken our graces forgive our sies make alive our souls let us be such as thou wouldst have us to be make us Christians not only by an outward profession but an inward conversation that we may live in Heaven while we are on Earth and come to Heaven when we shall leave the Earth To that purpose bless thy Word unâ—…o us at this time and give us all grace to make conscience what we hear and how we hear And all for Jesus Christ his sake to whom with thy blessed Self and Spirit be all glory and honour Amen Mr. Calamy's Farewell Sermon August 17. 1662. 2 SAM 24. 14. And David said unto Gad I am in a great strait let us fall now into the hand of the Lord for his mercies are great and let me not fall into the hand of man IN which words we have three Parts 1. Davids great perplexity and distress I am in a great strait 2. Davids resolution 1. Affirmative Let us fall into the hand of the Lord. 2. Negative Let me not fall into the hand of Man 3. We have the Reason of Davids choice for the mercies of God are great The mercies of wicked men are cruel therefore let me not fall into the hands of men But the mercies of God are many and great therefore let uâ—… now fall into the hands of God 1. For the first that is Davids great Distress wherein we must speak 1. To the distress it self Then â—… To the person thus perplexed I am in a great strait David a great man David a godly man 1. In the perplexity it self we shall consider 1. The reality of this perplexity 2. The greatness of it 1. For the reality of it after David had sinned in numbring the people God sends the Prophet Gad to him and puts three things to his choice as you may read in vers 12. God was determined to make David smart for numbring
man and I have two reasons to prove it First in thaâ—… he took the punishment of his iniquity so patiently It is the Lord let him do what seemeth him good And secondly he was a good man as appears in the Text by his solicitousness for the Ark He sate trembling c. Now this Ark was a Type of three things First Iâ—… was a Type of Jesus Christ for God spake From the Ark so God speaks to us by Christ. Secondly It was a Type of the Church of Christ for â—…s the Ark was the preserver of the two Tables of the Law so the Church of Christ is the preservative of the Scriptures Thirdly The Ark was a Type of the Ordinances of Christ for as God did communicate himself by the Ark so God by his Ordinances communicates his Counsels comforts and graces unto his people The Ordinances of Christ they are the Oraculum by which he conveys himself unto his people Thus I have shew'd you what the Ark was I shall gather two Observations from the words 1. That when the Ark of God is in danger of being lost the people of God have thoughtful heads and trembling hearts 2. That a true child of God is more troubled and more solicitous what shall become of the Ark then what shall become of Wife and Children or Estate I shall begin with the first Doct. That when the Ark of God is in danger of being lost the people of God have thoughtful heads and trembling hearts Or if I may put this Doctrine into a Gospel-dress take it thus That when the Gospel is in danger of losing when Gospel-Ordinances are in danger of being lost and Gospel-Ministers in danger of losing that then the people of God have trembling heads and careful and solicitous hearts about it Mark what I say I say not when the Ark is lost for that was death to old Ely that broke his neck and it cost the life of Ely's daughter in Law when the Ark of God was taken she took no comfort in her child though a man-child she regarded For the glory is departed from Israel the Ark of God is taken I say not when the Ark of God is lost but I say when it is in danger of losing when the Gospel is in danger the Ministers of the Gospel in danger and the Ordinances in danger to be lost then the people of God have trembling hearts and careful heads When God threatned the Israelites that he would not go with them they were troubled for the loss of Gods presence and would not put on their ornaments Exod. 33. 3 4. I will not go in the midst of thee for thou art a stiffneckâ—…d people lest I consume thee in the way And when the people heard these evill tidings they mourned and no man did put on his ornaments 1 Sam. 7. 2. And it came to pass while the Ark abode in Kiriath-jearim that the time was long for it was twenty years and all the house of Israel lamented after the Lord that is after the presence of God speaking from the Ark. 2 Sam. 11. 10 11. David would have had Uriah to have gone down to his house and made merry And Uriah said unto David the Ark and Israel and Iudah abide in Tents and my Lord Ioab and the Servants of my Lord are incamped in open fields shall I then go into mine house to eat and to drink and to lie with my Wife As thou livâ—…st and as thy soul liveth I will not do this thing 1 King 19. 10. And Elijah said I have been very zealous for the Lord God of Hosts for the children of Israel have forsaken thy Covenant thrown down thine Altars and slain thy Prophets with the swerd and I even I only am left and they seek my life to take it away Thus you see when the Ark is in danger the people of God mourn and are sorrowful And there be four Reasons why the people of God are so much troubled when the Ark of God is in danger Reas. 1. Because of the great love they bear to the Ark of God As God loveth the gates of Sion more then all the dwellings of Iacob Psal. 87. 2. So the people of God love the Ordinances of God and the faithful Ministers of Christ Psal. 26. 8. Lord I have loved the habitation of thy house and the place where thine honour dwelleth Psal. 27. 4. One thing have I desired of the Lord that I will seek after that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life to behold the beauty of the Lord and to enquire in his Temple Now love stirreth up the affections As young Croesus though he were dumb yet seeing his Father like to be Killed cryed out Do not kill my Father Such is the love of the Saints of God to the Ark that they cannot be silent they cannot but tremble when they see the Ark in danger And for Sions sake they cannot hold their peace and they cannot be silent until the Lord make the Righteousness thereof go out like brightness and the Salvation thereof as a Lamp that burneth 2. The people of God are troubled at this because of the interest they have in the Ark of God Now interest stirreth up affections as when another mans house is on fire as you had a lamentable and sad providence this last week and it is not to be forgotten how suddenly in all our feastings God may dash all our mirth Now consider how were they affected that had an interest in those that were burned so the people of God have an interest in the Ark God is the Haven of a Child of God the portion and inheritance of a Child of God and when God begins to forsake them they cannot but be afflicted and troubled The Ordinances of God are the Jewels of a Christian and the Treasure of a Christian and the losse of them cannot but trouble them And Jesus Christ is the joy of a Christian and therefore when Christ is departing they cannot buâ—… be much afflicted at it 3. The people of God are much troubled when thâ—… Ark is in danger because of the mischiefs that comâ—… upon a Nation when the Ark of God is lost wo be 〈◊〉 that Nation when the Ark is gone The Heathens haâ—… the Image of Apollo and they conceived that as lonâ—… as that Image was preserved amongst them they coulâ—… never be worsted but be preserved and the Romans had a Buckler upon which they had a Tradition that as long as that Buckler was preserved Rome could not be taken Shall I give a hint and set it out a little in five particulars 1. When the Ark of God is taken then the wayes of Sion mourn and none come to the Solemn Assemblies It was the complaint of the Church Lament 1. 4. That is matter of sadness 2. When the Ark of God is taken then the Ministers of Christ are driven into Corners And that is matter of heart-trembling 3.
towards the sinning Paul's tears did drop towards the praying Corinthians his love did burn holy Panl was a Seraphin his heart did burn in a flame of affection to his people how many passages do we find scattered in his Epistles he tells this people which sometimes he did write to and sometimes he preached to He looked after their souls more then their silver 2 Cor. 12. 14. We seek not yours but you As a tender nurse cherisheth her chlld with the breast so Saint Paul gave his people the breast-milk of the Word in 1 Thes. 2. 8. This man of God did not only bestow a Sermon upon his people but was willing to impart his very Soul to them if it might save theirs 1 Thes. 2. 7. We were willing to have imparted to you our own souls because you are dear unto us Such was Saint Paul's affection to his people that without a complement he loved them more then his life Phil. 2. 17. And if I be offered upon the sacrifice and service of your faith I rejoyce with you all that is as if he had said If it be so that my blood be poured forth as a sacrifice if my death may be any way serviceable unto you if it may help forward the strengthening and confirming of your faith I am willing to die I rejoyce to do it so full of affections was this Apostle that he could not choose but love his people though the more he did love the less he should be loved in 2 Corinth 12. 15. oh how did Paul sweeten all his Sermons with love in 2 Cor. 12. 15. if he reproved sin yet he was angry in love he dipt the pill in sugar Gal. 4. 9 10 11. How turn ye again to weak and beggarly elements you observe dayes and months and years I am afraid of you lest I have bestowed upon you labour in vain Brethren I beseech you be as I am See how Saint Paul chides their sins and yet at the same time courts their souls No sooner did he laâ—…ce the wound but presently he poured in wine and oyl into it so did Paul love his people that he would not justly give any offence to the weakest believer 1 Cor. 8. 13. If meat make my brother to offend I will never eat flesh more whilst the world standeth Paul was like some tender mother who forbears to eat those meats that she might for fear of hurting the child that she gives suck to Thus you see he was a spiritual father made up of love and surely my brethren this affection in some degree is in all the true Ministers of Jesus Christ they are full of sympathy and bowels unto those over whom the holy Ghost hath made them Overseers I shall only glance at the Reasons why it will be thus and why it should be thus that such flaming affections there should be in all Christs Ministers to their people It will be thus for these two Reasons briefly First from that principle within that teacheth Love Grace doth not fire the heart with passion but with compassion Grace in the heart of a Minister files-off that ruggedness that is in his spirit making him loving and courteous Paul once breathed out persecution but when Grace came this bramble was turned into a spiritual Vine twisting himself about the souls of his people with loving Embraces Secondly there will be this ardent love in a minister heart from that spiritual relation that is between him and his people he is a spiritual Father and shall we think him to be without bowels 1 Cor. 4. 15. Though you have ten thousand instructors yet have you not many fathers for in Christ Iesus I have begotten you through the Gospel Some he begets unto Christ others he builds up in Christ. Doth not a Father provide chearfully for his children can a father see bread taken from his childe and not have his heart affected with it Is it not a grief to a parent to see his child put out to a dry Nurse Secondly there should be this ardent love and affection in all Gods Ministers for this reason because this is the liveliest way to do most good knotty and stubborn hearts will soonest be wrought upon with kindness The fire melteth the hardest metall the fire of love with Gods blessing will melt the most obdurate â—…inner A Boanerges a son of consolation who comes in the spirit of love and meeknesse is the fittest to do a piece of Gospel-chirurgery to restore and put such an one in joynt again that is overtaken with a fault Gal. 6. 1. Restore such a one with the spirit of love and weaknesse Thus much in short for the doctrinal part Give me leave now to make some application And first here are several Inferences that may be drawn from this As First see here the right character of a Gospel-Minister He is full of love he exhorts he comforts he reproves and all in love he is never angry with his people but because they will not be saved How loth is a Minister of Christ to see precious souls like so many jewels cast over-board into the dead Sea of hell A conscientious Minister would count it an unhappy gain to gain the world and lose the souls of his people he saith as the King of Sodome to Abraham Give me the persons and take thou the goods Gen. 14. 21. The second branch of Information is this Are true Gospel-Ministers so full of love then how sad is it to have such Ministers put upon a people as have no love to souls The work of the ministry it is a labour of love Oh how sad is it to have such in the ministry that can neither labour nor love that are such as are without bowels that look more at tyths then at souls It must needs be sad with a people in any part of the world to have such ministers set over them as either poyson them with error or do what in them lies to damn them by their wicked example How can the Devil reprove sin how can the Minister cry out in the Pulpit against drunkenness that will himself be drunk Rom. 2. 22. Thou that teachest A man should not steal dost thou steal Thou that sayest A man oughtnot to commit adultcry doâ—…st thou commit adultery We read that the snuffers of the Tabernacle were to be made of pure Gold Exod. 37. 23. Those who by their calling are to reprove and snuff off the sins of others they should be pure gold holy persons In the Law God did appoint the lip of the Leper should be covered he ought to have his lip covered he should not be permitted to speak the Oracles of God who though he be by office an Angel yet by life is a Leper Thirdly See from hence the happiness of a Minister who is placed among such a people as give him abundant cause of love How happy is he that can say to his people from his heart 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 My
had hid and in this sense it is well with the Righteous in time of publick misery But you will say Sometimes it is worse than all this with them sometimes the Righteous dye and perish and are carryed away with a tempest How is it well with them then Yes yet still it is well with the Righteous though their Life be taken away yet still it is well with them and that in a two-fold sense First Many times God takes away the Righteous by death in great mercy he takes them away that they shall not see the miseries that are coming upon a Land as Virgil the Heathen Poet said They were happy that dyed before their Countrey meaning before they saw the ruins of their Countrey And truly many times God takes away his Children in mercy that they shall not see the miseries that are coming on a Land you have a pregnant and clear Scripture for this 1 King 14. 13. He only of the House of Jeroboam shall come to his grave it is spoken of Aâ—…ijah his Son He only shall come to his grave because in him there was found some good thing towards the Lord God of Israel God would put this man into his grave betimes in mercy because he should not see the evil that was coming upon the Land You have a parallel Scripture to this 2 King 22. v. ult It is spoken of Iosiah I will gather thee to thy Fathers thou shalt be gathered to thy grave in peace and thine eye shall not see the evil that I will bring upon this place Why Iosiah died in battel How is it said then that he went to his grave in peace the meaning is this because Iosiah was an holy man he had made his peace with God and so went to his grave in peace and because he should not see the evil approaching therefore God gathered him to his grave in peace Ierome speaks thus of Nepotian itseems Ierome lived to see some troubles before he died Meeting with some storms Now said he how happy is my friend Nepotian that sees not these troubles happy is he that is gotten 〈◊〉 of the storm and is in the haven Thus Luther died in mercy before the troubles of Germany began to break forth Thus it is well with the Righteous though they do die God takes them away in mercy that they may not see approaching evils Secondly Though the righteous do die are taken away and perish in astorm yet is it well with them because death cannot hurt them it can neither hurt their Bodies nor yet their Souls the Body is safe it doth not perish though it doth die the bodies of the Saints are very precious dust in Gods account the Lord locks up these Jewels in the Grave as in a Cabinet the bodies of the Saints lie mellowing and ripening in the grave till a blessed time of resurrection How precious is the dust of a Believer though the World mind it not yet 't is precious to God The Husbandman hath some Corn in the Barn and other Corn in his ground the Corn in the ground is as precious to him as that in the Barn Why the Bodies of the Saints in the grave are Gods Corn in the ground and God makes a very precious account of this Corn the bodies of the Saints shall be more glorious and blessed than ever at the resurrection Tertullian says the Bodies shall be then Corpora Angelica the Body shal be angelified in regard of that beauty and lustre which shall be put upon it As it is with a piece of silk or cloth that is died of a Purple scarlet colour it is made more bright and illustrious than it was before Thus it is with the bodies of the Saints they are dyed of a brighter colour at the resurrection they are made like Christs glorious body Phil. 3. 20. Thus shall it be well with the righteous in their bodies they shall not perish Secondly At death it shall be well with the righteous as to their souls O it shall be a blessed time Methinks it is with a Saint at the time of death just as it was with Paul in his voyage to Rome the ship did break into many pieces but yet he got safe to shore so it is with a believer though the ship of his body may be snap't and broken at death yet the passenger is safe the soul gets safe to shore even to the heavenly Ierusalem then surely it is well with the righteous at his death the day of a believer's death is the birth-day of his blessedness it is his ascension-day to heaven his death-day is his mariage-day with Jesus Christ faith doth but Contract us here but at death the Nuptials shall be solemnized in glory and shall it not be well with the righteous they shall see God face to face And says Austin Ipse Deus sufficit ad praemium It will be heaven enough to have the â—…ight of God The Saints shall then enter into joy joy now enters into them here but then they shall enter into joy they shall drink of that pure river that runs from God the ever lasting Fountain Thus you see it shall go well with the righteous however things go though troubles come though death it self come and therefore let those that are the people of God comfort themselves with these words To conclude this first point what encouragement is this to all you that hear me now to begin to be righteous This Text may tempt us all to be godly Say to the righteous It shall be well with him when things go never so ill with him yet still it shall be well with him Grant that all things are ill with you in your estate in your relations yet then if you are righteous all things shall be well with you your pardon is sealed you are an Heir of Gods Promises all things shall work for good you have God for your Father you have heaven in reversion for your inheritance and is it not well with you how may this make us all in love with godliness how may this tempt us to be godly For if ever we would enjoy happiness we must espouse holiness Say to the righteous it shall be well with him And so much for the first proposition The godly mans comfort in life and death Now if this will not prevail with men to make them leave their sins and become righteous I must passe in a few words to the next branch of my Text to scare men out of their sins to affright them out of their wickednesse Wo to the wicked it shall be ill with him for the reward of his hands shall be given him This my beloved is the dark side of the cloud and it may cause in every wicked man that hears me a paâ—…pitation and trembling at the heart Wo to the wicked it shall be ill with him And so the Proposition is this That when things seem to be well with wicked men it shall be ill with
them at last Though things seem to be well with the wicked they have more then heart can wish yet it shall be ill with them at last Vae improbo Wo to the wicked it shall be ill with them In Eccles. 8. 11. It shall not be well with the wicked nor shall he prolong his days that are as a shadow because he feareth not God The God of Truth hath pronounced it this is as true as God is true It shall not be well with the wicked Now that I may a little clear this to you I shall demonstrate it to you in these following Particulars 1. It is ill with the wicked in this life 2. It is ill with him at his death 3. It is ill with him at the day of Judgement 4. It is ill with him after the day of Judgement First It is ill with the Wicked in this life There 's hardly a wicked man that hears me that thinks so when he hath the affluence and confluence of outward comforts when he eats of the fat and drinks of the sweet he will hardly believe that Minister that tells him it shall be ill with him yea but it is ill with the wicked even in this life foris it not ill with that man that hath a curse yea the curse of God entailed upon him My Text pronounceth a curse against the sinner Vae improbo Wo to the wicked And can that man thrive that lives under a curse Clouds of blood wrath hang over the head of a wicked man he is heir to all the plagues that are written in the Book of God all God's curses are the Sinners portion and if he dies in his sins he is sure to have the portion paid him Woe to the Wicked every bit of Bread he eateth he hath it with a curse like poysoned Bread given to a Dog every drop of Wine he drinks he swallows down a curse with it Wo to the wicked there is a Curse in his cup there is a curse on his table God hath said Wo to him We read of Belshazzar Dan. 5. 4 5. that when he tasted the wine he commanded to bring the gold and silver vessels taken out of the Temple then they brought the gold and silver vessels and drank wine and praised the gods of gold and silver He was very jovial but in the midst of his cups and joyallity wo to the Wicked for in the same hour there came forth the fingers of a Mans hand and wrote over against the Candlestick on the wall a curse and wo. Wo to the wicked let a sinner live till he be a hundred years old yet still he is accursed Esay 23. 20. Though a sinner live a hundred years old yet shall he die accursed his gray hairs have a curse upon them Secondly It shall be ill with the wicked at the hour of death that in two respects Death puts an end to all his comforts and death is a beginning of all his miseries First Death puts an end to a Sinner's comforts There shall be no more indulging of the Flesh and pampering of it no more cups of Wine and no more Musick to be seen or heard then In Rev. 18. 14. 22. The things that thy soul lusteth after are departed from thee the voyce of the Harpers Musicians and Trumpeters shall be no more at all in thee it is spoken of the destruction of Rome Thus may it be said of a wicked man at death All joy and pleasure is now departed from thee no more shalt thou hear the voyce of the Harp Organ or Trumpet no more shall the Sinner be cloathed in Scarlet robes or adorned with sparkling Diamonds Now all oyl and balsome all joy and gladness at death shall cease and depart from the Sinner Secondly As death puts a period to a Sinners mirth so it layes a foundation for all his sorrows Usually before death doth close the eye of the Sinners body the eye of his Conscience is first opened Every sin at the hour of death stands with a drawn sword in his hand Those sins that delighted the sinner formerly now terrifie and affright him All his joy and mirth is turned into sadness As sometimes you have seen Sugar lying in a damp place dissolve and turn to Water Thus all the sugarly Joyes of wicked men at the hour of death turn to water even the water of tears and sorrow Thirdly It shall be ill with a wicked man at the day of Judgement when he is cited before Gods Tribunal when he shall leave courting his wickedness and stand at Gods Barr to answer for it You read of Foelix that when he heard Paul speak of Judgement Foelix trembled Iosephus observes that Foelix was a wicked man and she that then lived with him her name was Drusilla whom he had enticed away from her Husband and lived in sin with her Now when Foelix heard Paul speak of Judgement he trembled his conscience that check'd him for his sin Now if Foelix trembled at the hearing of Judgment what will sinners do when the day of Judgment shall come when all mens secret sins shall be made manifest when all their midnight wickedness shall be written upon their Foreheads as with the point of a Diamond At the day of Judgment my Beloved there will be two things 1. The Legal Tryal 2. The Sentence 1. The Legal Tryal God will call forth sinners by Name and say Stand forth Hear thy charge Let me see what thou canst answer to it What canst thou say for all thy Sabbath-breaking for all thy Drunkenness and Perjury for all thy Revenge and Malice for all thy persecuting of my Members what canst thou say for all these Guilty or not guilty Thou Wretch darest not say Not Guilty for have not I been an eye-witness of all thy wickedness Do not the Books agree the Book of thy Conscience and the Book of my Omniscience and canst thou plead Not Guilty Here the Sinner will be amazed with horror and run into desperation 2. After this Legal Tryal follows the Sentence Ite Maledicti Go ye cursed What â—…o from the presence of Christ in whose presence there is fulness of joy and go from Christ with a curse That word Depart said St. Chrysostome is worse than the torments themselves And Beloved remember this ye that go on in a sin when once the Sentence is past it can never be reversed This is the most Supreme Court of Judicature from whence there is no Appeal Here on earth men can remove their Cause from one Court to another from the Common-law to the Chancery but if once the Sentence be past at this Judgment-barr there is no removing your Cause This is the highest Court there is no appealing any where else And thus you see it is ill with the Wicked at the day of Judgement Fourthly It shall be ill with the wicked after the day of Judgement Oh! then there is but one way and they would be glad if they
might not go that way But they must go that way even to prison yea to hell Luke 16. 23 24. In hell he lift up his eyes Hell is the very center of Misery the spirits of torments stilled out The Scripture tells us in Hell there are three things 1. Darkness 2. Fire 3. Chains 1. Hell is called a place of Darkness In Iude v. 13. To them is reserved the blackness of darkness for ever Darkness you know is the most uncomfortable thing in the world A man that goes in the dark trembles every step that he goes Hell is a black Region there is nothing but blackness of darkness It must needs be a dark place where there shall be a separation from the light of Gods presence Indeed Austin thinks that there shall be some little sulphureous light But suppose there be that light shall only serve the damned to behold the tragedy of their own misery to see themselves tormented 2. In Hell there is Fire it is called a â—…urning Lâ—…k Rev. 20. 15. Whosoâ—… was not found written in the bock of Life was cast into the lâ—…ke of fire You know Fire is the most torturing Element it makes the most dreadful impression upon the flesh Why Hell is a place of Fire It is disputed among some of the learned what kind of fire it is I wish we may never feel what kind of fire it is Austin Peter Lumbâ—…rd and others affirm That it is a material Fire but far hotter than any culinary fire the fire on your hearths is but painted fire compared to this But I rather think the fire of the damned is partly material and partly spiritual Partly material to work upon the body and partly spiritual which is the wrath of God to torment the Soul This is that Lâ—…ke of burning fire Oh! Who knows the power of Gods anger Who can dwell with these burnings It is intolerable to bear these scorchings and it is impossible for the damned to escape them 3. In Hell there are Chains of darkness In the 6. ver of the Epistle of Iude Those sinners that would not be bound by any law of God shall have chains of darkness to bind them But what is the meaning of this phrase Chains of darkness I suppose it may be this to intimate to us That the wicked in Hell shall not have power to walk up and down which perhaps would be a little ease to them though a very little yea but they shall not have so much as that little ease but shall be chained tyed and staked fast with chains of darkness that they shall not stir And this is very terrible Suppose a man did always lie upon a down-bed if he might not stir off the place it would be very painful to him though on a bed of down How terrible then will it be to the damned that must lie under the scorchings of Gods fury chained down and not be able to move And thus shall it be to the wicked And to add to the torments of Hell there are two things which shew it shall be ill with the wicked let them die when they will 1. There is the Worm 2. There is the Serpent 1. There is the Worm â—…o torture the spirit and this is no other but the worm of Conscience Mark 4. 44. Where their worm never dies How dreadful will it be to have this Worm gnawing continually Melancthon called it a hellish fury Conscience will be just as if a Worm full of poyson were gnawing the heart of a man Those sinners that would never hear the voice of Conscience shall for ever feel the worm of Conscience 2. There is the Serpent and that is the Devil called the old Serpent Revel 4. As there is the biting of the Worm so there is the stinging of the Serpent The damned in Hell shall be forced to behold the Devil that damned Monster I remember what Anselm saith I had rather endure all the torments of this life than see the Devil with bodily eyes But this sight of the Devil the wicked shall see whether they will or no and not only see but shall feel the stingings of this old Serpent Satan is full of rage against Mankind and he will shew no mercy as he puts forth all his subtilty in tempting men so he puts forth all his cruelty in totmenting men And this is not all there are two things more that aggravate the torments of hell to shew that it shall be ill with the wicked 1. These agonies these hell-convuâ—…sions shall be for ever Rev. 14. 11. The smoak of their torment â—…scended for ever and ever and they shall have no rest day nor night Thus is it in hell they would die but they cannot Mors sinâ—… morte the wicked shall be alwayes dying yet never dead alwayes consuming yet never consumed the smoak of their furnace ascends for ever and ever Oh! who can endure thus to be for ever on the wrack this word Ever breaks the heart of the wicked They think a Sabbath long and a Sermon long and a Prayer long they cry out When will these be over Oh! how long then will it be to lie in hell-torments for ever and ever After the wicked have lain there millions of years their torments will be as far from ending as they were the first hour they came there 2. The damned in hell shall have none to pity them It is some comfort and ease to have friends pity us when we are on our sick beds or under any affliction but the damned shal have none to pity them Mercy will not pity them that is turned to fury Christ will not pity them he is no more advocate for them Angels will not pity them for they rejoyce to see the vengeance they insult and glory to see the justice of God executed upon them Oh! how sad is it to lie in the scalding furnace of Gods wrath and to have none to pity us Gods bowels will be locked up and his heart will be hardened to damned sinners then they shall call and God will laugh at them Prov. 1. 26. I will laugh at your calamity Hear this all you that go on in sin It will be ill with the wicked O therefore turn from your sins lest God tear you in pieces aâ—…d there be now to deliver or help you For the Application of this point First What a confounding word is this to all the wicked that go on desperately in sin that add drunkenness to thirst Never was there such an inundation of wickedness as there is now adayes Men sin as if they would sin to spight God as if they would dare heaven to punish them men sin so greedily as if they were afraid Hell-gate would be shut up ere they could get thither How many are there that sin manfully that go to Hell stoutly in their wickednes as Seneca speaks These are in a sad condition Remember what the text saith Wo to the wicked it shall be ill with
this Oh but Brethren the very truth is it is a very common thing by interpretation to give the lye to God and all that do not believe according to that Gospel-believing that you have heard do tell God to his face that he is a Lyar. How doth that appear Why take a little help such as I am able to give you To profess that Jesus is the Christ the Son of God that he came to be the Saviour of the world is ordered out to be our Righteousness is sent of God to preach Liberty to Captives to heal diseased Souls and to deliver poor Creatures from the bondage of the Devil these things People generally profess to believe but mark you now they never come to Christ nor never set in with him upon this account and to this purpose Oh Lord thou art the Jesus the Annointed of God I come to thee for life I am a poor dead Creature I am in a state of unrighteonsness and thon art given to be for Righteousness Lord I fly to thee for it I am a poor diseased creature the Plague is upon my soul and thou art appointed to heal the Soul of the Plague I come to thee for healing There is not one of thousands that come thus to Christ. Will you now see how the lye is given to God I profess for my part saith one I know no such matter Jesus is the Christ and I profess to believe so and he is appointed of God for such and such things he is sent to preach liberty to the Captives I know not that there is any such bondage Christ came to save sinners alas I know no need of any such salvation by him he came to heal diseased souls I am well enough what need have I of Christ What is this but to give the lye to God He that receiyes not Christ makes God a lyar for he doth in effect say Lord thou sayest so and so concerning the World I know nothing of all this and so the lye is given to God And is it nothing to give the lye to the great God the God of truth And I tell you while you profess this Jesus to be the Christ the Son of God and in the mean time flye not to him you believe him to be the Son of God and that all Authority is given unto him and you will not subject to his Authority why you give the lye to God and is this nothing 2. Consider the sad condition of such as believe not according to a right Gospel-believing they are such as are lyable to the dreadfullest touches from the Devil that possibly can be He that believeth is born of God overcomes the World and is enabled to keep himself that the wicked one doth not touch him with a mortiferous touch but I tell thee whatever thou art that art under the powerof unbelief thou art in danger of a dreadfull touch from the Prince of darkness and if thou livest and diest in a state of unbelief thou wilt fall under the power of condemnation Remember what our Saviour speaks and consider well of it You stand out in opposition to my Doctrine but I tell you Except you believe that I am He you shall dye in your sins A dreadful word you shall die in your sins and what then be damned eternally This is the condition of all such as are in a state of unbelief but then on the other hand in case we be able to give a good account of our believing that Jesus is the Christ the Son of God and of our believing on him concerning whom these Testimonies are given Oh what cause have all such to rejoyce in their condition The condition of such persons is happy beyond all expression and comprehension who have owned these Truths owned that Jesus of whom the faithful Testimonies are given Now all the Chapter according to the account I have given you comes in to the purpose of comforting and rejoycing the heart of such Persons Here is your comfort now really believing according to a right interpretation of Gospel-believing this is your priviledge you are the Persons that are born from above you are the Persons that shall be enabled to over come the World to bear up against all opposition that Men and Devils can make against you you are the Persons that have the Witness within you and you shall be able to bear up against all the contradictions of Sinners you are the Persons that have Christ and have eternal life by him you shall have it nay you have it already He that believeth on the Son of God hath eternal life he hath it in the beginnings of it and shall have it in the compleat state of it being brought over to Gospel-believing you may come with boldness to God in a way of prayer with holy confidence that whatever else you ask believing you shall have a good account of it God doth not neglect any believing prayer of a believing soul And all the Priviledges of the Gospel are entailed upon you and you are entitled unto them and you shall have the Benefit of them while you live and when you die unto all Eternity Well may it be said of such a Person Blessed is he and she that hath believed with a Gospel-believing Gospel-Truths and Testimonies concerning Christ and on Christ on whom those Testimonies are given for there shall be a full and perfect accomplishment of whatever God hath spoken with his mouth concerning such And then lastly If the Grace of God hath brought us over to a closing with Christ of whom these truths and testimonies are given why the last Branch of the Application is but this That you would but justifie your Believing and labour to manifest the reality of your Believing according to the Gospel by a suitable walking This is that that shall be the cloling up of this Application Oh Brethren Let us consider well our Saviour tells us in Mat. 11. Wisdom is justified of her Children Why if ever we mean to approve our selves to be Wisdom's children our care must be for to give in our Justification of Wisdom's sayings and for to carry it in a congruousness and suitableness unto that Gospel-believing which we profess to be by grace brought over to Why but what is that you will say Why consider the Text and see what remains of the Chapter I shall make it out give it up to you in this way Why First of all this is one special Duty that lies upon you That you would study your Mercy and know what God hath been to you and done for you and how highly you are dignified and not to be alwayes in a fluctuating state and upon the questioning and disputing point but to come to some well grounded confidence that you may be able to say We know that this and that is our condition and this and that is our dignified priviledge that we are planted under Do but mark how the Point in hand doth charge
this upon us in the thirteenth verse of this Chapter These things have I written to you that believe on the Name of the Son of God that you may know that you have Eternal Life Here is your duty according to what the Text it self doth charge upon you if you be such as by grace are brought over to a Gospel-believing the Apostle Iohn that did write this Epistle and I from it preach unto you into the Name of the Lord and by authority from him thaâ—… this is your duty to know that you are Persons that have Eternal Life that you are such as Christ by his blood hath made a purchase of Eternal Life for that he hath by his blood once for all entred into the Holy place that is not made with hands that he might prepare for you and that youmight have the possession of those blessed mansions that he hath made preparation of Eternal Life it is yours and you may be bold to claim it and you are bound to hope and rejoyce in the expectation of the full enjoyment of it and not to be alwayes upon the question and disputing point but to go on with a holy confidence towards God according to what the Apostle expresses 1 Câ—…r 2. We know that when this Earthly Tabernacle shall be dissolved we shall have an house not made with hands c. But then a second thing that I have to charge upon you is this That you would acknowledge with all thankfulness and enlargedness of heart to God the riches of his mercy and grace to you that hath been pleased to cull you out of an unbelieving world and bring you over to the Gospel and to the participations that are by Christ according to the Gospel Oh! This you should set your hearts upon by admiring the riches of God's grace and say Lord Why shouldst thou manifest thy self to me and not to the world That many thousands should live and die in the total ignorance of Christ and the Gospel-mysteries or else live and die in an empty profession and yet that God should be pleased to pitch upon me This is that that the Text doth hint unto us in the nineteenth verse of this Chapter Oh! saith he in a triumphing manner We know that we are of God and that the whole world lies in wickedness Oh! our mercies and the riches of grace that hath appeared to us while the whole world that lies in wickedness is put into the Malignant evil One lies in the Devil for he is the malignant evil one while the whole world lies in the Devil in malignity Oh! It is a sad condition infinitely more sad than for a man to lie in the most noisomest stinking ditch or in the loathsomest kennel why this is that that heightens the mercy to poor souls that are called by grace according to the purpose of God that while the whole world lies in wickedness and so are like to lie yea and to lie in hell to all Eternity that God should please to lay you in the bosom of his Son and to take you into the arms of his mercy this is that that should heighten our thankfulness I may make use of that expression which we find in Acts 14. when Paul and Barnabas came unto a company of Heathens and they saw what great things were done by them and took notice of the gracious spirit that they discovered sure say they The Gods are come among us in the likeness of men Considering the state of times and what an height of wickedness many at this day are grown up unto the dreadful swearing blaspheming of God and his ways Truly judge of it your selves Whether we may not say The devils are come among us in the likeness of men Why now oh How should we heighten our love and thankfulness to God that should please in free grace to bring us over to close with Jesus Christ But then fourthly As many as are brought over to Gospel-believing this is your duty To study and endeavour what you can your advantages in Faith and so the Apostle gives it in charge here in the Chapter in verse 13. These things have I written to you that believe on the Name of the Son of God that you may know that you have eternal life and that you may believe on the Son of God This is that you should set about If God hath brought you over to a closing with Christ and an embracing of the testimonies concerning him believe more and more labour for your advancement and let it be your Prayer Good Lord increase our Faith Labour that you may be clear in your apprehensions of Gospel-mysteries and that you may be more strong in your adherence to Christ of whom those Gospel-testimonies are given and that you may not only come to have an adhering-faith but to an assuring-faith that you may not be like waves tossed and tumbled up and down but that you may come to be rooted and established and grounded in your faith that you may not come to be unsetled by Heresie corrupt Doctrines or the Apostacy of others but that you may be stedfast and unmoveable Yet further fifthly This is to be given in charge to such as do believe according to the Gospel that they carry it sutably to a believing state as in those particulars that I have insisted upon so in a deportment congruous and sutable to the priviledges which belong to believing You are born of God carry it as men and women that are so indeed What! Born of God the Sons and Daughters of God What! and not live according to God and not study conformity to God I remember what he speaks there concerning Amnon How is it that thou being the Kings Son art lean from day to day How is it that we that profess to be the Sons and Daughters of God are lean and lank not more improved that we do not shew forth God and express Christ This lies in the beginning of the Chapter If you be born of God remember that you be born of him that is the God of Love And therefore you are to manifest this birth and your believing and your being born of God by loving God and by loving them that are born of God He that believeth is born of God and he that loveth him that begat loveth him that is begotten of him The God of Love doth beget a People of Love a loving God a loving People And this is that that you should express your Believing by and your Adoption by by the Love you bear to God and the children of God A hatefull spitefull spirit where it doth discover it self speaks those persons not to be born of God but of the Devill carry it as Believers as persons of God by studying a conformity to God and by keeping his Commandments subjecting your selves to his Authority not living according to your own Lusts but according to the Lawes and Rules which God hath given you saith the Apostle
a help to him The Church of God hath need of strong Christians that can pray in faith fervency for others and you can scarcely pray for your selves Consider when the Church needs a great deal of help will you sit down with low attainments and little things when so many hundreds about you need so great assistance 10. Weak persons are many times the troublers and very dangers of the Church many calamities have been occasioned by them The sinnes of Professors have occasioned the displeasure of God on the Church their Errors hindred Truth and made Divisions When Christians have not so much strength as to know Truth from Error that hearken to every one that speaks with likeness What have these Christians done in the Church What mercies have been driven away so far that I think the Church of God since the Apostles dayes till now hath suffered more by the sins of Professors then by the malice of their enemies And how canst thou expect God will save thy soul when thou hast set the Church on fire and been so great hinderance to others that many should perish occasionally by thy example c. The greatest sufferings of the Church have come from the miscarriages of the Church 11. Such have been the great dishonourers of Christ and the Graces of ancient Christians The glory of their profession their charity self-denial heavenly-mindednesse patience c. preached the Gospel to the World more effectually then ever their words could doe God expects your Lives should be a considerable means for the Conversion of wicked men the same God that hath commanded Ministers to teach others by their Doctrine hath commanded you should live for the conversion of the World that your zeal humility patience charity self-denial should win souls to God And if it be a sin to give over preaching when we may surely so to give over living c. If woe unto me if I preach not the Gospel then wo unto you if by your lives you preach not the Gospel How many sinners have you about you and how do you wrong and rob the ungodly of that Ordinance God hath appointed for their conversion and salvation You are persons that take the bread out of their mouths the means that should save them out of their hands while you deny them one of the commanded means of salvation i. e. the eminent example of your lives And if it be so great a sin to stop Preachers mouths how great a sin to neglect this Ordinance Nay are you not a dishonour to the Church Is it not because of Professors ill lives that the prophane deride Religion while they see not that glory in it that should over-power an unbelieving and denying soul and should indeed effectually manifest it's excellency Are these the Professors that are proud stubborn passionate censorious self-conceited as contemptuous and envious as any others I know the World is apt enough to slander and the Servants of God bear a world of unjust reproaches but oh that there were not this occasion c. 12. Those that are not confirmed and established in grace the Devil when he hath prevailed by a temptation on themselves can easily make them his Instruments to draw and tempt others from their duty to discourage them in their Religion and to do that mischief in the world he hath done by temptation on their own soul. 'T is ordinary for Satan to make use of lapsed distempered Christians to be the instruments of his temptations to those that are better c. An honest Christian will not so easily hearken to a drunkard or swearer as to a Professor he had good thoughts of Gal. 2. 13. 13. For want of strength and establishment in grace poor weak Christians are a very great encouragement to the carnal hopes of wicked men I think scarce any thing in the world hinders our preaching more then this when the wicked see those that make the greatest profession no better then themselves and in some things worse this hardens him against all the convictions that can be brought against him Tell him he cannot be saved without conversion he looks upon Professors sees them contentious worldly peevish passionate c. sees some sin or other this makes him think he is as well as they Must there be so much ado to bring men to this state Is this the difference say they c. 14. Methinks it should be some trouble to an honest heart that yet we must be so like to the children of the wicked One and the weakest christians are the likest to the wicked I do not mean weaknesse in gifts or knowledge c. but a weakness in practical saving knowledge love of God self-denial mortification heavenly-mindednesse c. they that are in these the weakest Christians are the next and likest to the wicked And doth not this grieve thee that though thou art not a child of the Devil thou art so like one We should not be conformed to the World nor like to them in any thing no not in outward vanities but to imitate the fashion of the World as to inward corruptions to go in their garb when a palpable vanity to have so much of their pride peevishness malice worldlinesse Oh look upon thy heart with humiliation 15. Consider what a dangerous and lamentable standing those have that be not established c. You stand but it is as unrooted plants or trees that stand shaking in the wind beholders are alwayes looking when they fall you stand but it is as a sick man wavering reeling like Lot's wife looking back and alwayes upon every occasion ready to repent You have been Believers little things perplex and trouble you little tribulations and afflictions discompose and disturb you little temptations make you question the Scripture the Providence of God his love and care of his people and the great foundations of Religion Foundations seem to shake because you are shaking and tottering c. And what is like to become of such a soul If thou stands shaking under small temptations for want of confirmation what wilt thou do when a Papist or Quaker c. shall so speak concerning Religion which thou art not able to answer and so the surest foundation seems nothing when thou hast so weak hold Our greatest afflictions next to the misery of the ungodly is to think of our weak ones what will become of them and â—…e ily we do expect a considerable part of our Congregations should be carried away those that are Christians and know not why yet have not humility enough to make use of others and to keep close to those that should assist them Remember when you see such times when seducers are able to say the worst shall make the strongest assaults on the weak ones how many will be like to fall Again sichness death dying times will come when you shall find a little grace will not easily do your work and though you perish not yet you may faint
Collection to some of Gods servants I do from my soul blesse God for it and pray that you that have been willing to part with pebbles for Christ may receive pearls from him truly Sirs yâ—…a that whatever you have done for his may be ten thousand times made up by him mercy in that day and that you may have that will be something worth Shall I adde another discovery of the love of the people of God to other Saints in their troubles and sufferings and that is their great and deep supplication to God for them never do they go to pray unto God but Zion is in their thoughts I am confident it is so with some and am perswaded it is so with all they never pray that God would give them their daily bread but they pray likewise that his Kingdom may come David was a man under great trouble as in the reading of the 51. Psalm I believe you will finde he was under the greatest and forest troubles that ever was under trouble of conscience soul-trouble which is the soul of trouble and yet they could not make him forget Zion as you may see at the 18. verse of that Psalm Do good in thy good pleasure unto Zion And though they sit in cieled houses yet so long as it is ill with the people of God they must pray and if they cannot overcome men with their prayers which yet they must endeavour yet they will endeavour to overcome God with their prayers and Ierusalem is never out of their thoughts when they come to pray to God And therefore as one observes though the sufferings of the people of God be precious in his sight so also in the sight of his Saints too I come now to open the second thing to shew you whence it is that there is this high estimation in the people of God of the people of God when they lie under their troubles and there are two heads of Reasons for it First in regard of those people of God that do behold their troubles and them under their troubles And Secondly in regard of those people of God that are under their troubles and thus beheld by them First in regard of those people of God that are thus that do behold those that are under these troubles and distresses in regard of themselves they have this high valuation of them and that in these three regards 1. The people of God that look upon others in the time of their trouble they are such as though differenced from them in regard of their outward estate they may be honourable themselves and well themselves yet they have an interest in the same head and belong to the same body that they do they are not wooden legs not glasse eyes of that body but they are real and true members they are not in Christ by way of visible profession but by way of invisible implantation now if so saith the Apostle If one member suffers another doth so that now they are interested in the same common Saviour and belong to the same common head and therefore Christ tells you he is called the Saviour of the body and the head of the whole And faith that lays hold upon Christ is called the like precious faith because the faith of one believer doth as truly lay hold upon Christ though not so strongly as the strongest faith doth and in this regard it is that they set such a high valuation upon the people of God Outward disproportion as to their birth and education and preferment puts no difference in a spiritual sense between Believer and Believer A King and a beggar all one in Christ a Iew or a Greek a great Schollar or a poor ignorant man as to their spiritual state all one all made happy the same way all are of the same head as to their spiritual relation and condition they are all under one 〈◊〉 of happiness though may be on shall have a greater and another a lesser degree yet they are as to the kind of it all mâ—…de partakers of one salvation And then another thing is this because they look at spiritual excellencies and 〈◊〉 able to discern spiritual excellencies they have a renewed judgement and a new eye as they look upon their old sins with new eyes so they look upon their company with new eyes those waies and practices that they looked upon before as lovely and excellent now they look upon as vile and base Prov. 12. 20. and those that they looked upon as vile and base they look upon as lovely and excellent those that they cared not for their company they look upon as more excellent then their neighbour as David saith in Psalm 16. My goodness Lord extendeth not to thee but to the Saints that are in the earth and to the excellent in whom is my delighâ—… Here was now the renewed estimation that God bestowed upon Davids judgement to see these the excellent ones of the world which worldlings despised A carnal eye sees no glory but in carnal objects and persons worldly men see no beauty but in worldly men they bless the covetous whom the Lord abhors and they will speak well of a man when he doth good to himself when he is in his worldly grandeur and glory but now a spiritual eye he discerns spiritual excellency in the meanest Saint Brethren observe this notion it is an easie thing for a man to discern glory and lustre in a Picture or the like but not so easie for a men to understand true work Now a skilful eye discerns a great deal of curiosity in the holiness of the lives and wayes of gracious hearts but wicked men want this way of discerning there is a workmanship in the people of God You are his workmanship sâ—…ith the Apostle now this workmanship of God so far as it is expressed in the life a godly man is very much taken withal not with the worldly grandeur and gaudiness of a child of God but with the workmanship the spiritual excellency that is in him A beast can see the shining of a Diamond but knows not the worth of it it will rather lick up a lock of hay then a Diamond though of never so great a value a wicked man wants a spirit of discerning The four Monarchs of the earth are expressed by four beasts which shews their cruelty not their curiosity in observing that of God which may be observed As a child is taken with the gayness of his lesson but a learned man is taken with the learning of his lesson so a wicked man is taken with the gayness and trappings of Religion but a godly man is taken with the spiritual excellency that is in Religion Thirdly a child of God is one that imitates God he esteems and judges of the people of God as God judges of them As a childe you shall see he esteems as his father esteems if the father cannot endure to have such a one come to his house if the
or do them good and may be for his good God is exceedingly taken with them when they ask peace and pardon peace of conscience and pardon of sin strength against sin power to overcome their lâ—…sts and to withstand temptation the people of God may have from him all that they want or can regularly wish for 5. Here is something more considerable these people that lye under troubles and distresses they are such now as have an incomparable near and dear relation unto God they are the elect of God set apart for him and though God hath a common propriety in and relation to all the world yet he hath a peculiar relation to his people and therefore they are called his jewels his house his garden and his portion and indeed as God is his peoples portion so his people are his portion they are those that God hath laid out a great deal for and that he hath been at a great deal of cost to purchase In one word they are the glory of God they are his spouse children house treasure portion vineyard garden they are his all can we look upon these now and not look upon them as excellent Lastly They are such as have the image of God set upon them imprinted upon them and all the good they do it is an immanation or ray from that incomparable holiness that seed of God that is in them you read concerning righteousness and holiness that we are renewed in it according to his image now I remember one observes excellently upon this portion of Scripture an image doth not represent any under excellency in a man but it doth represent something that is eminent about his body If you were to take the picture of a man you would not take the picture of his back or of his feet or hands but of his face the people of God they discover Gods bounty indeed in some regards as they are men and have wit and wealth and worldly dignity but this is not the image of God the image of God is that which is the representation of 〈◊〉 excellency as the power of God is the hand of God and the wisdomâ—… of God is the eye of God so the holiness of God that is the 〈◊〉 of God now the people of God â—…re his beauty in 〈◊〉 they are the representation of his holiness 2 〈◊〉 1. 4 Be ye holy as your heavenly 〈◊〉 is holâ—… Rom 3. 23. 〈◊〉 likeness to God is a likeness to him in the 〈◊〉 of his excellency in having the divine nature in having â—…he life of â—…od in having the gloâ—…y of God which is grace and there is more of God in grace then in all the works that ever God did in the world there is much of God seen in the making of the Sun Moon and Stars but in giving a man a new nature in changing his heart and sanctifying of him and giving him a principle of regeneration and the making of him become a blessed Saint and from a cursed nature to sit him for heaven God shews more the excellency of his name in this then if he should have made ten thousand suck visible transient wâ—…rlds as we look upon Thus I have given you the Doctrinal explication of the words now give me leave to make some little Application and I would raise these following inferences 1. What excellency shall there be seen in the people of God in heaven at the day of Judgement if there be now such a beauty upon them are they now so amiable when they are in their rags what shall they be then in their Robes are they now so amiable upon a dunghill what shall they then be upon a throne and therefore saith he the Loâ—…d Jesus Christ shall be admir'd in all them that believe as a house keeper is admir'd in his entertainment so at the day of Judgement the Lord Jesus will so cloath this people with glory that he shall be wondred at Oh what a head is he that hath such members that are so beautifull what a Lord is he that hath such attendance and therefore remember the next world is the day of the people of Gods appearance here they are in their non appearance it doth not yet appear what they shall be the very wicked themselves shall admire them 2. I gather from hence what we are to 〈◊〉 of those that have no regard either for religion or religious ones either for godly men or godliness any further then it is adorn'd with outward beauty and 〈◊〉 ornament there are some that if religion and the ways of God be persecuted and frown'd upon by the great men of the world and be not lookt upon with a favourably eye from authority farewell Religion then these love the childe for the nurses sake When Religion is in faâ—…hion then they can come to Gods people and â—…ringe to them and the like But as the shot Deer when iâ—… hath the arrow sticking in its side all the rest will run from it so when godly men have an arrow in their side and are under persecution and oppression then farewell Religion What is this but to look upon Religion as inferiour to worldly grandeur and dignity If I love Religion for prosperity and for the countenance of authority it is certain I love these things more their Religion All that I shall say is this thou shalt never 〈◊〉 communion with those in their glory whom thou dost undervalue for their grace if Religion here be your contempt happiness shall never be your reward and if the people of God be too bad for you here they shall be too 〈◊〉 for you 〈◊〉 2. I would note the excellency of holiness and Religion and godliness above all worldly excellencies whatsoever If a man be in reproaches and persecutions he is never the better for all his worldly endowments these all leave him but now holiness the excellency of it lyes in this that it draws forth an admiration for its excellency notwithstanding all opposition Set a gyant in a valley he is a gyant still a pearl is a pearl though on a dunghill and a holy man is a holy man though never so much disgraced and contemned by men But now let a wicked man be never so high and honourable this man is a base man in the account of God and in the sight of Gods people Dan. 11. 21. It is said of Antiochus Epiphanes who was accounted the admir'd great prince of his time yet he is called a vile person And that Iohn the Baptist who had a jeathern girdle and locusts and wilde honey was his food yet Christ saith of him he was the honourablest man born of women and on the other side when Herod was cried up the voice of God and not of man what was he in the account of God and the Spirit why he is struck dead and made meat for worms There is a silent Majesty and dignity in reproached piety when there is a silent ignominy and
Moses And he said Here am I And he said Draw not nigh hither put off thy shooes from off thy feet for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground LET us take a short view of the foregoing Verses and that this may be the more useful and profitable â—…o us we may take notice That as in the former Chapter therâ—… is described Moses's preservation to his future employment so in this Chapter there is described his preparation â—…nd his sitting for that employment i. e. by a Vision or raâ—…her a suitable Apparition in which God discovered unto Moses his care of the people of whom Moses was to be a speedy deliverer You have here in the wordâ—… read unto you the preparation afforded to Moses for the great work of being called to be Israels deliverer and in this preparation you may take notice of these three principal parts 1. An Apparition that is here presented to the view of Moses A burning though not a consumed Bush. 2. Moses care to observe it I will turn aside and see this great sight why the Bush is not burned And then 3. Gods Monitory Precept or Admonition which he afforded unto Moses when he was drawing near to see this wonder in which we have principally considerable two parts 1. This Precept propounded 1. Negatively That be should not draw near 2. Affirmatively That he should put off his shooes from off his feet 2. You have considerable the Reason or Argument whereby God doth back this Precept or Admonition i. e. Because that place whereon he stood was holy ground The time would fail me if I should go over all these parts we shall only touch on the two former the Apparition which Moses saw and Moses's desire to observe it of which I shall only speak transitorily and insist on the latter more fully which I chiefly intend 1. For the Apparition or emblematical discovery of the estate of the Church in the burning and yet unconsumed Bush. And herein take notice of three things 1. The lowness and weakness of the Church represented by a bush 2. The cruelties of the Churches enemies signified and represented by Fire 3. The eminency of its preservation though in the fire yet unconsumed And in this only take notice that the Church is compared to a bush for two reasons 1 In regard of its deformity and blacknesse and uncomlinesse 2. In regard of its weaknesse and brittleness The Church is uncomly in regard of sin and weak in regard of suffering and God seeâ—… it best that it should be thus with them to humble them and to shew his goodnesse to accept them and to love them and make them long for their future beauty and hereby God makes them more conformable to their Head hereby he makes them endeavour to look after inward beauty and glory hereby he puts them on a life of faith and takes them off from living by sense and creature comforts and from being entangled with creature comfort and hereby he shows how little he regards the beauty and glory of this life which he denies to the best of his people And hereby he shows that there is a better state of appearance and glory approaching and therefore the people of God are not to be censured under their blackness and deformity either in regard of sin or suffering their happinesse is not to be judg'd by its outward appearance because this life is but the obscurity of the Church we see them like the Tents of Kedar but we do not see how like the Curtains of Solomon they shall be 2. The people of God should take heed of expecting that glory of this world which is not promised to them and to set their hearts on Heaven And you may see the reason why wicked men stumble so much at the outside of God's Worship because there is no outward bravery and beauty to allure them to the true Worship 2. The Church is compared to a Bush in regard of its weaknesse and brittlenesse Note That it is not compar'd to a strong sturdy Oke but to a weak brittle Bush. God loves to bring his Church into a low and weak estate and condition as it is here compared to a Bush so other where to a Vine a Dove a Lamb and a Sheep all weak creatures Somtimes the Church is said to be fatherless and destitute and as our Lord Jesus Christ the Head of the Church was said to be weak a worm and no man and as the Apostle said Suffered through weaknesse And this makes them to trust in God and puts them to rest on his strength When we are weak then are we strong outward weaknesse will make us look the more to Christ for spiritual strength the weaknesse of our state doth shew the spiritual strength God gives to his people for the upholding of them And this weaknesse of his Church doth exceedingly confound his enemies when so weak a company shall be delivered not only against but by the strength of men and hereby God doth gain to himselfe the greater glory in their deliverance for remembering them in their weak estate Hereby the people of God aâ—…e made the more thankfull both for their preservation in and deliverence from their powerfull adversaries You â—…ee here is a large field opened unto me for the discoursing upon the Church's weaknesse which whether it be more sutable to the Text or to the Times I leave to you to judge But 2. Consider the cruelty of their opposition that is set forth and â—…epresented by the fire that burned in the Bush. Afflictions and especially persecuting oâ—…es are in Scriptuâ—…e fâ—…equently set out by fire as The fiery tryal the fire of Affliction This doth not onely discover the rage and cruelty of men but also the benefit and utility that comes to the Church by Affliction for the Afflictions of the Church are not as consuming but trying fire as the fire in a Furnace is to Gold it only takes away the dross nor like the fire of hel which hath heat without light but the School of persecution hath light as well as heat the School of affliction is the School of teaching God teacheth his Saints excellent Lessons by the light of that fire But I passe by that I might now insist upon the third thing 3. Consider the eminence of their preservation It was not consumed the Church of God was hot but not altogether and wholly consumed let the fire be never so hot and spreading the Church of God shall have a being if the Church be lesse in one place it will be greater in another what it loses in one place it gets in another and God will have a Name among his people on earth A man may as well attempt to blow out the light of the Sun with a pair of bellows or batter it with snow-balls as to root the Church out of the world for it is impossible to root Christ's Church out of the world And if you take notice of
and therefore I say it is boldness for us to go about to tye Gods presence to a place where God hath â—…ever tyed it I cannot but wonder how it is possible for 〈◊〉 of reason and learning to be so blind as to hold 〈◊〉 the Lords day which was set apart by God for the Sabbath as you may see in the fourth Commandment and afterwards by Christ and his Apostles which doth amount to no lesse then an Institution is not holy after the Service or Sermon is ended but then you may go to play at Foot-ball and Cudgels and Drinking and what not and yet that they should say that the place of performing religious duties in is so holy after religious performances as that you cannot come into it without bowing the knee and putting off the hat and bowing to the Altar and Communion-Table and the like this I cannot apprehend how it should be and I wish any of you that are of this mind would in private give me your reasons for it why it should be so Now having explained the point and given you a resolution of the question in these prrticulars give me leave to wind up all wich some Uses First We infer the great difference that is between sanctity of places under the Old Testament and sanctity and holiness of places under the New Testament they under the Old Testament had the immediate presence of God the standing Symbols and visible signs of his presence so long as these lasted which was set apart by Gods special Commandment and so they were holy though they were not employed in a way of worship but you cannot say so now our places for performance of holy duties have no such holiness places now differ from places then Secondly By way of inference I note the great goodness of God to give us such a sweet and gracious indulgent dispensation in the time of the Gospel under the New Testament as that he doth not tye us to Ceremonies or places he doth not bind us as he did the Jews to go three times in the year to the furthermost part of the Nation to worship No my Brethren no Land 〈◊〉 ground is now unholy as famous old Dr. Raynolds said every place is now a Iudea no Coast but is a Iudea every house is a Ierusalem every Congregation is now a Zion see here the goodness of God in indulging of us so far as to take any service done by us in a solemn and real manner as if it had been done in those places which were formerly appointed for it to be done in Thirdly I infer hence there are several persons to be reproved 1 We find hereby that all the holiness of reliques of Saints doth fall to the ground and we see the folly of those that make Pilgrimages unto Saints and Reliques as the Papists do there was a time say they when such a Saints reliques were laid up in such a place and these are more holy then other places so that this you see falls to the ground in it self I might tell you concerning their lying about their Reliques as one aid that there were as many Reliques as would fill an hundred Carts but supposing so all that would not make the place the more holy 2. Hence the Superstition of those is to be reproved which put holiness in places of burial and make it more holy to be buried in one place then in another it is more holy say they to be buried in the Church then in the Church-yard and more holy under the Communion-Table then any other part of the Church 3. This reproves them which cannot pray any where but in the Temple and they that use private prayer in Churches If you have houses and rooms at home what is the reason that if Pauls or any other Church stand open you must run in thither and drop down behind a Pillar to say your Prayers 4. This reproves them that have reverence towards any place more then another as if they did deserve more holinesse in one part then in another as bowing to the Altar or Communion Table or the like 5. It reproves those that have reverence for scituation of these places they must stand East and West and why not North and South all these things fall off like fig leaves if what I have said be true that there is no holiness in places and this I have made known to you not only as my judgement but as my duty Now for Exhortation I shall desire you to take notice of four things and I have done and shall leave you to God and commit you to the word of his grace If this be so that there is no holiness in places then first of all be the more encouraged to serve God in your families in those places where God hath set you where God is as well pleased with your service as in publick places serve God upon your knees with devotion humility and reverence And therefore though I am against Superstition and Popish practises and those wicked cursed traps of Innovations that the men of the world have disturbed the Church of God with yet I am against putting on your hats in Prayer and sitting in Prayer Those that are for holiness of places do not with Abraham in every place they come build God an Altar But let us in every closet and room build God an Altar let no morning nor evening go without a prayer in thy family pray often and pray continually let your houses be as so many Churches as you read in Rom. 16. 5. Likewise greet the Church that is in their house and in the second verse of Philemon's Epistle To the Church that is in thy house there the houses of the Saints are called Churches This will bring a blessing upon your families And if you be not willing to have that curse denounced against you in Ier. 10. 25. Pour out thy fury upon the Heathen that know thee not and upon the families that call not upon thy name then neglect not family prayers be much in prayer and pray with frequency and encouragement because God binds you to no place The second Exhortation is this Labour to promote personal holiness as well as family devotion I am against local holiness As one said that I heard once when I was a youth Happy are those garments that can carry away any of the dust of the Temple but they think not that many of their garments are unclean in wallowing in the mire of sin But I say do you labour to promote holiness in your lives in your hearts and conversations The holy Ghost saith Unless you be pure in heart you shall not see God And therefore put away sin for if you regard iniquity God will not hear your prayers It is not your ducking or bowing or cringing never so much or your going with your hat off through the Church that will make God hear your prayers these will but dishonour you because you live not
of Heaven against men What the Pharisees that pretended they had the Keys of Heaven and to be the Guides I that is it because there is nor room enough in Heaven for us and them too No saith Christ there is no such matter For ye neither go in your selves neither suffer ye them that are entring to go in I dare not tell you at this time what it is to shut up the Kingdome of Heaven against men you may better imagine it tâ—…en I can speak it but this did the Pharisees they would not go in themselves nor suffer them that werâ—… 〈◊〉 to go in I remember when I was a Childe we hâ—…d â—…uch 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that would one Lords-day preach up 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 next Lords-day would preach against the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And now my 〈◊〉 I am come in the next place to speak to â—…he 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 stand fast and because I see a Hurricane a 〈◊〉 â—…eep your ground stand fast and live in the Lord here that you may live with him hereafter Mr. Lye's Afternoon Sermon Phil. 4. 1. Therefore my Brethren dearly beloved and longed for my joy and crown so stand fast in the Lord my dearly beloved FRom this Scripture you have had these 3. Doctrines 1. That the highest officers of the Church of Christ though they are Rulers of them yet they are but brethren to the meanest Saint 2. That it becomes a true Scriptural Minister of Christ to have a most vehâ—…ment ardent strong melting tender affection to that Flock or People which the Providence of God hath committed to his charge 3. That the fixed standing flourishing and thriving of that Flock in the profession and practice of Gospel-knowledge and obedience is matter of transcendent joy and triumph to such a godly Pastor The fourth which is that I would now prosecute is this That it is the grand and indispensible duty of all sincere Saints in the most black and shaking seasons to stand fast fixed and stedfast in the Lord. This is the grand thing St. Paul had to say to his Philippians when he was ready to have his head cut off for so it was he was beheaded for the testimony of Jesus this is all he had to say when in Jayle when in bonds and that under Heathen Romans you are now my Joy you are now my Crown oh do but stand and my joy which is but two notes above Gamut will get to Ela. Oh! do but stand and my Crown 's studded with Diamonds We live if you stand though we die when you stand It is the great and indispensible duty c. Whether these are black and shaking seasons I have nothing to say but I am wholly now upon your duty beloved and for God's sake let the words of a Civilly dying Minister prevail with you There is a kind of a Maxim among some that in case a person dye seemingly and revive again that the last words that was heard of that person when in a rational temper are the only things that that person will remember when brought to life again It is most probable beloved whatever others may think but in my opinion God may work wonders neither you nor I shall ever see the faces of or have a word more to speak to one another till the day of Judgement Therefore I beseech you hear me as those that would and may live with me to eternity Mark your duty I have spoken something concerning the Pastors duty in the morning now for the Peoples It is the indispensible duty of all sincere Saints to stand fast c. I confess I have a love for the whole Auditory I have a Mess for them but my Benjamin's Mess is for those I once called my own people you are my Benjamins I wish I had a greater than a fifth for you This Proposition I shall 1. Prove and then 2. Improve In the worst of times in the most shaking seasons and if I do not greatly mistake there is an hour of temptation threatned by God now beginning to be inflicted if ever you would stand stand now and for your comfort let me but hint that a Christian may stand comfortably when he falls sadly that is he may stand by God when he falls by man I knew that a great many years ago First then 't is your duty to stand There be Scriptures more then enough to prove this to be your duty Col. 4. 12 Stand perfect compleat in all the will of God Ph. 1. 27 Only let your conversation be as becometh the Gospel of Christ that whether I come and see you alas poor Paul thou come see them thou wast beheaded before thou couldst come see them but or else be absent I may hear of your affairâ—… that ye may stand fast in one spirit with one mâ—…nd striving together not to pluck out one anothers throats no more of that but striving together not against one another but for the faith of the Gospel So 1 Cor. 15. 58. Therefore my Brethren be Steadfast unmoveable always abounding in the work of the Lord forasmuch is you know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord. 'T is our duty to stand But. Secondly Wherein must we stand steadfast I have no new Doctrine to preach now I shall but mind you of what I have formerly spoken when you would not believe I confess I do not begin to be of a new judgement now and should I be continued in the Ministry a mercy I can hardly hope for I should be of the same judgement and preach this doctrine Stand fast God will certainly bring the people of God in England to his own terms or else â—…are them well for ever What 's that we should be steadfast in I would advise to a steadfastness 1. Of Iudgement 2. To steadfastness of Resolution 3. To a steadfastness of Faith 4. To a steadfastness of Conscience So stand fast in the Lord in your Iudgement in your Resolution in your Faith in your Conscience 1. I would advise to a steadfastness of Iudgement Strange Doctrines are the greatest fetters that do assault a sound judgement they are like waves if they do split they will shake the Ship to purpose therefore your way is to cast anchor well to stand firm on the rock of truth I had almost said all in a word Protestant truth though the market may rise somewhat high yet stand firmly there while strange Doctrines like so many impetuous Waves are beating upon you break themselves in pieces they may but if you stand can never hurt you I am not now to begin to warn you against Pâ—…pery not that I have the least reflection on any thing in the world but on the Scriptures I am apt to think the wound of the beast must be healed however do not you spread a plaister for the Beast to heal his wound Be no more children tossed to and fro carried about with every wind of Doctrine with every wind or windy Doctrine by the
for ought we know fall unless thou dost support them What Lord dost thou complain of a flock of sheep that are scattered oh there 's no wonder in it their Shepherd is gone Do you look on it as a strange thing to see a poor Ship to be tossed here and there in the Sea when their Pilot is destroyed why Mother is it a strange thing for your Children to fall and knock their Arms Legs their Brains out why their Mother is taken from them oh poor people good God provide for this Congregation I and this City that let defacing abominable wretches say what they will is certainly one of the best Cities God hath in the world and therefore they hate it so desperately because God loves it and because they hate that God that loves it I bless God I can speak of my own people they are not a mad pestiserous people for the most of them How many thousands have their hearts at their mouthes now at this time before God in England alas alas that we should ever have our Seers carried away from us but what think you when poor people shall be exposed to greater temptations to an Ulcer in the very Kidneys to a Plague in the very Heart or Head you now fear it but when you feel it what then 2. By way of Exhortation Beloved I remember good Iacob when he was come into Egypt and ready to die calls his children together and before he dies blesseth his children I cannot say you are my children but I can truly say in the strength of God You are dearer to me then the children of my own bowels I remember what poor Esau said Hast thou but one blessing my Father Bless me even me also oh my Father Oh! beloved I have a few blessings for you I have a few words of Exhortation for you and for Gods sake take them as if they dropt from my lips when dying 't is very probable we shall never meet more while the day of Judgement what ever others think I am utterly against all irregular waies I 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 bless the Lord never had a hand in any change of Government in all my life I am for prayers ears quietness submission and meekness and let God do his work and thiâ—… will be the best done when he doth it Therefore be exhorted to stand fâ—…st in the Lord My own people hear me now though you should never hear me more be exhorted to stand fast in the Lord you are not a Schismatical Heretical people I do not know the lesst person among you enclining to Popeâ—…y Therefore be exhorted as ye have been a people that have waited upon the Ordinances of God that have not persecuted your poor Minister that have made it your design and business to live lovingly quietly and as it becomes Christians I am confident a Minister may live as comfortably among you as among any people in England So be ye stedfast unmovable alwaies abounding in the Work of the Lord for as much as you know that your lahour shall not be in vain in the Lord. Here I had prepared I confess several arguments to have moved you to this stedfastness 1. I could have told you that with drawing of any one of you back you will meet with great temptations which will very much unfit you for Heaven If any man or woman draw back my soul saith God shall have no pleasure in him I could have urged you with examples from the Heathens Alexander being in India bid them tell him the greatest rarity in their Countrey Sir go tell them say they when you come to Greece there are many here that cannot be forced by the prowess of Alexander to change their minds I know there are some here that cannot be easily perswaded to change their Religion Saith Lactantius our very women torment their tormentors I would never desire a more able disputant than a woman against a Monk 2. I could tell you of those enjoyments God hath put on you our miseries have been great but our mercies have been greater I could tell you of six troubles and of seven of six wherein God hath stood by and of seven wherein he hath not forsaken and the truth is he cannot forsake his people he may forsake them as for comfort he will never forsake them as for support let him lay on a burden he will be sure to strengthen the back 3. I hope 't is not dangerous if I tell you you are ingaged to God there are vows upon you Baptismal vows to say no more you have sworn to God you have lifted up your hands you are those that have undertaken that you would be true to God to your lives end if these vows have been any way strengthened Oh! remember Zedekiahs case Ezr. 17. 18. 19. Seeing he despised the oath by beeaking the covenant when lo he had given his hand and hath done all these things he shall not escape therefore thus saith the Lord God as I live surely mine oath that he hath despised and my covenant that hâ—… hath broken even it will I recompence upon his own head Remember it you may play fast and loose with man you must not think ever to carry it away by playing fast and loose with God 4. If you should not stand you loose all you have wrought all your prayers tears professions practises sufferings are all gone if you give out at last c. 5. While you stand by God God hath promised to stand with you and the truth is if I have but one God 't is no great matter for all the tyles in worms There be a 1000 devils but all those devils are in one chain and the end of that chain is in the hand of one God oh God will shew himself strong 2 Cor. 1. 69. For the eyes of the Lord run too and froâ—…through the whole earth to shew himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect towards him Quest. But what shall I do to stand Ans. 1. If ever you would stand if ever you would be firm standing Christians indeed take heed you be not light and proud Christians a feather will never stand against a whirlwind Errour and Prophaneness are most apt to breed in proud hearts The Proud and Blasphemers are put together 2 Tim. 3. 2. Be but humble Christians that 's the way to be standing steady Christians if ever you would be steady in your stations you must be low in your own eyes do not you go and judge And now we shall have another kind of Religion come up as we have had it a great while such a man cannot be an honest man alas he is a Presbyterian he 's an Independant he 's an Anabaptist c. Now all our great business will be such a man cannot be a good an honest man for he doth not conform on the other side he cannot be an honest man for he doth conform These are poor things I bless God I lay not
the stress of my Salvation upon these t is true I cannot in conscience conform but I do not lay the stress of salvation on it as I did not lay the stress of my salvation on my being a Presbyterian I confess I am so have been it hath been my unhappiness to be alwaies on the sinking side yet I lay not the stress of my salvation upon it 'T is my conscience but it may be I have not so much light as another man and I profess in the presence of God could I conform without sin to my own 〈◊〉 I would if I should do any thing against my conscience I should sin and break my peace and conscience and all and never see good day do not then spend the strength of your zeal for your religion in censuring others That man that is most busie in censuring others is alwayes least employed in examining himself Remember good Iohn Bradford he would not censure Bonner nor Gardiner but saith he they called I. Bradford the hypocritical I. Bradford c. I do not speak this as though I can or did in conscience approve of those things for which I must suffer that I cannot approve of them but to take off people from those things that are so far from the foundation Look you but to the main things and look but into your own hearts examine them and then you need not be much perswaded to look about to others 2. You must take heed you be not loose Christians will you remember one thing from me the God of Heaven grant you never live to see it verified A loose Protestant is one of the fittest persons in the world to make a strict Papist Tell not me of his Protestantisme being a drunkard it is because his King oâ—… Countrey are Protestants where they live There is no Religion in a loose liver if ungodliness be in the heart it is no difficult thing for error to get into the head A loose heart can best comply with loose principles see if they will not be of any Religion in the world that is uppermost let the Turkâ—… prevail they would soon be of his Religion 3. Take heed of being worldly Christians oh this is the David that hath â—…lain his ten thousands A worldly heart will be bought and sold upon every turn to serve thâ—… Devils turn Come to a worldly heart and but promise him thirty pieces of silver he will betray his Saviour The temptations of the world are great upon us at this time you that are husbands and parents know it the world is a 〈◊〉 temptation but if we be overcome by the world and the world not overcome by us we shall never be able to overcome any one temptation that is offered to us Therefore that 's an admirable support In the world you shall have tribulation but be of good cheer I have overcome the world I have overcome the world for you and likewise I have overcome the world in you Oh Lord if thou wilt but overcome the love and the fear of the world if thou wilt but arm us against the smiles of the world then come what will we shall stand stedfast 4. Take heed you be not hypoeritical Christians i e. take heed you do not receive the truth and only receive the truth and not receive the truth in the love of that truth 2 Thess. 2. 10. You have received truth but have you received the truth in the love of that truth which you have received want of this is that damnable occasion to Popery And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish because they received not the love of the truth that they might be saved and for this cause God shall send them strong delusions that they shall believe a lye that they all might be damned who believed not the truth 'T is just with God they should fall into errours whose hearts did never love real truths Better never receive the truth then to receive it and not in the love of it Take heed of being venturous and God tempting Christians what 's that when do I tempt God I tempt God when I do run into a Pest-house and say God will preserve me from the Plague Take heed of running upon temptations to sin whether it be in principles or in practice I could tell you of two spiritual Pest-houses in England if I had time for principles one and for practices another I do not say that I mean Play-houses on the one hand or Mass-houses on the other hand Certainly Bretâ—…ren I read of Iulian that wicked bloudy Apostate that he sunk into that his Apostacy first by going to hear Libanius preach mistake me not I am not against your hearing the Ministers of Christ for a man may be a true Minister though he be a bad man all the world can never answer the instance of Iudas who was a true Minister though a bad man while I plead for the truth of his Ministry I do not spread a skirt over the wickedness of his life The Scribes and Pharisees sit in Moses Chair hear them But that which I mainly aim at is this do not you go and run and venture your selves upon temptations you have heard of superstitious or Idolatrous worship you have a months mind to see this and what if so be when you are found in Satans way Satan should lay his â—…aw on you and claim to you what do you there in Satan's ground Would you be found when you come to die in a Play-house or in such a place where the true God is Idâ—…latrously worshipped 'T is a great truth if you would not be found in the Devils power do not be found in the Devils pound Brethren we must know Satan is bâ—…sie enough to tempt us we need not go to tempt him Eve lost all that she had by hearing one Sermon but 't was from the Devil Therefore if you would not have your pockets pickt do not trade amongst Cheaters 1 Tim. 6. 3 5. If any man â—…each otherwise c. then that ye have received and we preached from such withdraw thy self that 's a good honest laudable separation from such withdraw thy self 6. Where God doth not find a mouth to speak do not you find an ear to hear nor an heart to believe pray mind it this I am sure is of concernment This is one of the grand points in my Card or Compass on which I hope I shall venture all If any man come with a Doctrine not according to the word of God let him carry it whither he will what have I to do with it Either you come from God or no If you do shew me his word and I 'le believe it if not open your pack where you please c. where God doth not find a mouth to speak where you have not a precept promise threatning or example in the word of God let them talk their hearts out 't is nothing to me to my Religion
that they may rest from their labour for hera is not our rest Mich. 2. 10. there remaineth a rest for the people of God there is no rest in this world the word quiet wants the plural number Secondly The righteous must die that they may have their reward their Crown of glory that God hath laid up for them they must first fight the good fight and finish their course and then they shall receive a Crown of glory Thirdly They must die that they may be free from sin for they shall never put off the body of sin till they put off the body of flesh Fourthly They must die that mortality may be swallowed up of life that corruption may put on incorruption Fifthly They must die that they may be perfect in grace Lastly They must die that they may see God face to â—…ce and be for ever with the Lord which they cannot do till they die therefore blessed be God that the righteous must perish If a man should bring news to a righteous man That he should alwayes live on earth alwayes be young rich and healthful it would be unwelcome News for while we are in the body we are absent from the Lord and subject to sin and therefore when Peter asked Christ what should be done with Iohn Christ â—…ells him If I will that he tarry till I come what is that to â—…ee from henceforth there went a report abroad that Iohn should not die Iohn 21. 32. Now the Apostle himself was much displeased with this report looked upon 〈◊〉 as a geeat affliction that he should not die and therefore â—…e himself confutes it But yet Iesus said he said not â—…hat he should not die as if he had said God forbid that â—… should not die Before I come to the application of this Point give me leave to speak something to the second Point and â—…o I shall apply them both together The second Doctrine is this That the perishing of a righteous man is nothing but a gathering of him to God Christ and the blessed Society of Saints and Angels in Heaven This is contained in the second expression merciful men are taken away the word in the Hebrew is Colliguntur they are gathered it is exegetical of the former â—…hey did not perish but they are gathered to God and Christ there is a great deal of excellency and a Magaâ—…ine of sweetness in this expression They are gathered It â—…mplies two things First That the righteous are in a scattered condition while they are in this world and that three wayes First They are scattered among the wicked and ungodly of the world as Sheep among Wolves as Limbs among Lions rent and torn in pieces forced to wander up and down in Sheep-skins and Goat-skins Secondly The righteous are scattered in the world one from another and that two wayes 1. They are scattered by their different habitations for the godly are forced to separate one from another as Lot from Abraham 2. They are scattered one from another by the cruel persecution of wicked men and therefore you read Acts 8. that at that time when there was a persecution against the Church at Ierusalem that they were all scattered abroad Thirdly The godly are scattered in this life from the glorious presence of God in Heaven indeed they are never scattered from the gracious presence of God but sometimes they are scattered from the comforting presence of God and as long as we live in this world we shall be scattered from the glorious presence of God for while we are in the body we are absent from the Lord. Secondly This implies a bringing of Gods people out of this scattered condition it is a gathering of the righteous out of this world into another from a sinful persecuted world into a sinlesse glorious world from diversity of dwelling on earth to dwell altogother in one heaven it is a gathering them out of the reach of men and devils a gathering them not only to the gracious but to the glorious presence of God and Christ and to the souls of just men made perfect and to the general assembly of the first-born and to the City of the living God the heavenly Ierusalem where they shall live together never to be scattered again To understand this the better let me offer three things to you shewing you that the godly are gathered to God three wayes In this life at death and at the day of judgement First The righteous are gathered to God in this life and that is at their first conversion for by nature we are all Aliens and strangers to God scattered from any union or communion with God not only scattered from the glorious but from the gracious presence of God God made man at first to enjoy communion with himself but Adam lost this by his sin and now we are all Cains and Vagabonds scattered from the love of God and from union and communion with God but when God converts any of the Elect he gathers them home to himself for conversion is nothing but Gods gathering them to himself in the second Adam that were scattered from him in the first Adam the first Adam was a root of scattering a root of separation from God but the second Adam was a root of union and conjunction Christ is the head and all the Elect are all gathered together in him Ephes. 1. 10. that he might gather together in one all things in Christ so that conversion is nothing but a gathering of the Elect of God to Christ by faith and a gathering to one another by love and charity Secondly Gods people are gathered at death here they are gathered to Christ by grace but at death they are gathered to Christ in glory here they are gathered to God by hope but at death by fruition here Christ is gathered to us he comes down and dwells with us but at death we shall be gathered to him we shall go up and â—…e joyned with him There is a great deal of difference between esse cum Christo and esse in Christo esse cum Christo to be one with Christ is a Christians great security but esse in Christo to be one in Christ it is a Christians great felicity In this life we are gathered to God by â—…aith but at death by vision Lastly We shall be gathered to God at the day of Judgement it is called the day of the gathering of the Saints together a day when all the Saints that are have been or shall be shall all be gathered together 2 Thes. 2. 1. I beseech you brethren by the coming of our Lord Iesus Christ and by our gathering together unto him at the great day At the day of judgement we shall all be gathered together and shall be all taken up to Heaven I mean all the Righteous and be ever with the Lord And so much for the opening of the Doctrine But here it may be objected Are not the unrighteous gathered by death as well
those that wait upon thee shall renew their strengths we have no might the Devill bâ—…ffles us our own hearts are treacherous to us the world intâ—…ces us to sin against God Oh! deliver us from all these Enemies and especially from the plagues of our hearts that we may perfect holyness in the fear of God give us Spiritual blessings whatsoever thou givest us or whatsoever thou denyest us thou knowest thou artrather willing to give us Spirituall blessings then any other mercies and we want spiritual mercies most oh give us spiritual mercies that we may say This is the way of God in his Sanctuary Where Grace is not wrought work it where it is begun encrease it Dear Father convince those that are yet not convinced make thy Word a quickning word an ingrafâ—…ed word to the saving of our souls help us to hear as for our lives and as those that long after God Hear Prayers for the King blesse him in his Royal Relations and grant under him we may live a quiet life in all Godlinesse and honesty Bless the Magistrates and help them to remember that causes one day must be heard over again help thy Ministers to keep close to thee in wayes that are well pleasing Be with us at this time Lord assist the meanest of thy Servants let our souls now find that thou dost magnifie thy Word above all thy Name do us good recâ—…ive us quicken us that we may live in Heaven upon Earth that we may know what it is to be filled with the fulnesse of God and know the heighth breadth depth and length of thy love that passeth knowledge Communicate thy selfe to us as thou usest to do to thy people let us feel thy presence let us not think of any thing but the business we are about let us with singlenesse of heâ—…t set our selves to mind the concernments of our immortal souls And all we beg for Christ his sake who has taught us thus to pray Our Father which art in Heaven c. Mr. Cradockt's Prayer at Saint Sepulchres August 10. 1662. MOst glorious and most gracious Lord God who art God and Father of our Lord Iesus Christ who hast put thine own name and stamp upon this day wilt thou be pleased to appear now and prepare and dispose â—…r unprepared and indisposed souls for holy observation of this thine own holy day will the Lord vouchsafe us the incomes of his spirit and influences of his grace whereby we may be unabled to offer up spiritual sacrifices which may be acceptable to Iesus Christ. Lord thou requâ—…rest praying hearts but thou hast not commanded us to use Prayer-books and if thou wilt give us the spirit of Prayer we shall not need them Lord give us praying hearts at this time let us find by experience that thy Subâ—…ath is a day of souls opportunity that thine Ordinances are full of marrow that thou hast not said unto thy children the seed of Jacob seek my face in vain We acknowledge we are unworthy to lift up our eyes to Heaven we have cause enough to cry out God be mercifull to us sinners undeserving ill-deserving men and women we acknowledge our natures are blots of all wickednesses we are by nature enemies to thy Majesty heirs of dâ—…ath children of darknesse slaves to sin captives to lust dead to sins and trespasses how are our understandings darkned and our hearts hardned what are our hearts but a store-house of â—…licious thoughts a brothel-house of adultery a Pallace of pride we are by nature wholly flesh totally opposite to the holy Lawes of thy Majesty and were it not for thy renewing or restraâ—…ning grace we should break forth into as vile abominations as the vilest of men Our lives have been a continual piece of rebellion against God who didst make us and dost feed and cloath us all thy paths have been paths of mercy to us but we have requited thee evil for thy good and hatred for thy love O foolish men and women that we have bin we acknowledge our Gospel sins are of a deep eye thou hast not bin a wildernesse or a Land of darknesse to us we have been exalted to Heaven in the meanes of salvation but oh how short do we come of knowledge to the time and meanes we have enjoyed and our obedience comes short of our knowledge we have not walked up to that light which thou hast given us We desire to lay our selves low before thee oh do thou open our eyes and presentus to our selves shew us the vilenesâ—…e of our lives Blessed be thy name that thou hast laid help upâ—… 〈◊〉 that is mighty to save all that come to thy Majesty by him and thou hast promised all that beleive on him shall not perish but have everlasting life Oh help us to receive him in all his offices in our hearts help us to give him the keyes of our hearts and help us to live and die to him that dyed for us and let our soules be united to thee by him that his death may be ours and his life ours and his intercession ours Oh let our unity to Christ be demonstrated to us by our communion with him and conformity to him in grace and holiness And we pray thee dearest Lord pardon our sins in the Court of Heaven and in the Court of our own consciences besprinkle our consciences in the blood of Christ and say to all before thee at this time that desire to fear thee more and serve thee better Sons and Daughters be of good cheer your sins are forgiven you And do not only justifie us but sanctifie us purge our consciences from dead workes informe our understandings conforme our wills to thine holy will let our hearts and lives be conformed to the Image of thy Sonne that beholding thereof we may be changed from glory to glory and let us have more knowledge of thy will that we may do thy will and suffer thy will with more patience and be filled with the fruits of righteousnesse which are to the glory of God Let us not be empty Vines that bring forth fruit to themselves but let us bring forth fruit to God whereby thou mayest be glorified Oh plant that great grace of selfe-denyal in our souls and let us take the Crosse of Iesus Christ and follow him wheresoever he goes Remember all thine extend thy favour to those thou hast cast on Beds of sicknesse and let there be a saving change wrought in them before that change by death shall come And that are drawing nigh their time of Travel let the arms of the All-sufficient God be under them and be better to them thâ—…s their Faith or our Prayer And look graciously upon poor Children intitle them to an inheritance that fadeth not away make them a blessing in themselves and a blessing to their Parents And those that desire the conversion of Relations that walk in wayes of perâ—…ition do not let them find peace in any way against thy Majesty and let them know that sin will be bitter in the latter end Look upon us that are before thee at this time before we go hence and shall be here no more make thy face to shine upon us let our coming together be for the better and not for the worse to any of us Let thy poor Servant be able to deliver thy message plainly and powerfully and give thy people hearing ears obedient hearts and let us rejoyce that we did wait upon thee in thy worship this day and all for Christ his sake in whose Name and words we call upon thee Our Father c. FINIS
a Line by a Plummet and what is not warranted by the Word of God or maintainable by Arguments drawn from it we should not close with And for the closing up of all do but consider how this Chapter and the things that I have spoken to you and preached from it how they do all influence this Exhortation Little children keep your selves from Idols see to it that you approve your selves in holy worship to God and the Lord Jesus Do but argue thus You profess to be Believers and is it not your duty to answer to this profession Your Faith is a pure Faith and an obediential Grace it is a Grace that will tutour you to hang upon Christ and his Appointments and Institutions And therefore being Believers study to keep your selves from Idols and whatever is not consonant to the will of God concerning Worship You believe that Jesus is the Christ the Son of God keep your selves from Idols in this respect for he is come into the World and hath shewed the pattern of his House And then You are born of God carry it like a people that are born of God that are high-born and credit your holy Profession by keeping a dependance upon that God of whom you are born And then being Believers you are born of God and have overcome the world and therefore shew forth your Heroick spirit by standing out in opposition to Idols and whatever is contrary to sound Doctrin and the power of godliness You have an Unction from the Holy One and this engages you to look to it that you keep your selves from Idols And then we know saith he that the Son of God is come and hath given us an understanding that we may know him that is true and we are in him that is true even in his Son Iesus Christ. And thereupon he brings in this Little children keep your selves from Idols as if he should say This is the true God God in Christ Jesus Christ the Son of the Father this is the true God and he hath eternal life with him other Gods are false gods and what benefit will you have by following them and performing worship to them Nothing but eternal death false gods can bestow no eternal life upon you but this is the true God and he can give you eternal life And therefore Little children keep your selves from Idols And now yet one word more I would not occasion any discomposure of spirit that is not becoming you But this I must say for ought I know You have the words of a Dying man and we use to say that the words of Dying men they are 〈◊〉 to take somewhat a deep impression I mean a Dying man not in properness of speech according to nature and yet if it should be so I hope there would be cause of rejoycing on my part But I speak the words of a Dying man in respect of Ministerial Office I suppose you all know there is an Act come forth by Supream Authority and it is not for us to quarrel at all but to submit to it and hold correspondency with it so far as we can with a good Conscience and there being many Injunctions that many besides my self cannot comply withall therefore we are willing to submit to the penalty inflicted This I say You have for many years had the benefit of my poor Labours I have fulfilled near up towards 40 years and have performed my service to God Christ and his People and I bless his Name not without acceptance and success My Work so far as I know in this course and in the Weekly course is now at an end my Desire is that you whose Hearts have been inclineable to wait upon God in the way of my Ministry may be kept faithful to God and that you may have the blessing of the everlasting Covenant coming upon your Souls and that you may have the power of this Doctrine held forth in this Sermon put forth upon your hearts that as you do believe that Jesus is the Christ that Jesus is the Son of God that as you profess these things you may carry it suitably to your profession that you may walk in Love to God Love to Christ and Love to one another that you may labour to manifest a noble generous Spirit in overcoming the world in Errors Corruptions false Doctrines and unwarrantable Worship that you may in all things labour to approve your selves And Little Children keep your selves from Idols Amen Mr. Baxter's Farewell Sermon COLOSS. 2. 6 7. As ye have therefore received Christ Iesus the Lord so walk in him Rooted and built in him and stablished in the faith as ye have been taught abounding therein with thansgiving O Mitting the division and in part the opening of the words the Observation is this That those that have received Christ Iesus the Lord must accordingly be rooted built up in him and stablished in the faith and walk in him as they have been taught and abound herein with thanksgiving This receiving of Christ signifies to believe in him It is not only to receive his Doctrine or Benefits but to receive his Person to receive him as related to us for the uses and end for which he came into the world and for which he offers himself to souls by the preaching of the Gospel Sinners have lost and undone themselves Christ comes to be the Physitian of souls he will not save the unwilling and despisers of his grace while they continue in their unwillingness He will save them by the way of covenant while he consents and tenders them his grace he will have them consent to the terms of his covenant The consent of the heart exprest by our covenanting with him is this receiving of Jesus Christ. He is willing to be our Physitian and when we take him to be so we receive him He is willing to save us from the guilt and power of sin willing to be our Lord Head Intercessor with God Justifier and All unto us and if we consent to this and take him as offered this is receiving Christ with whom his benefits are also received the remission of sins in-dwelling renewing comforting-Spirit title to everlasting life c. In the receiving Christ all this is received Receiving of Christ contains these two things or these two things are essentially contain'd to make up the nature of saving Faith i. e. to believe the Doctrine of the Gospel concerning Jesus Christ to be true and to consent that the goodness that is therein revealed and proposed shall be ours To believe what Christ is and what he hath done so far to believe it as here we are resolv'd to venture our souls though there may be some weakness through our faith's imperfection and believing this Gospel to be the certain Word of God Then next to entertain the Christ that is offered in this Gospel to be ours with all the benefits that accompany and to all the blessed ends to which he is revealed
Thus the water of life is freely tendered to all that are athirst and there is no more required but Come and drink Then there is two things implyed that are the immediate products of this saving Faith and inseparable from it i. e. trusting on him as the Redeemer and obeying him as a Lord. To rest upon him as a Redeemer Rom. 15. 12. And here as far as the soul feels entertainment and encouragement by Christ overcoming his doubts that Christ will reject him c. so far he hath quietness of soul in Christ and will trust his soul upon Christ. And then the obeying of him in order to our full recovery as a Patient must obey his Physitian in using his remedies and means he prescribes for killing our sins restoreing our souls to Gods love and being with him to eternity The nature of Faith is to receive Christ the sincerity of it lies in the suitableness of the act to the object that we receive him as He is Now in Christ there is something essential to this act that he be a Saviour and our Saviour c. And there is something makes unto the well-being and fuller attaining of the end The first are the objects of Faith it self as 't is of absolute necessity to Salvation The second sort are the objects of Faith as it is strong and makes to the well-being of a Christian. All that is essential to Christ as a Saviour and Redeemer is to be believed by him that will approve himself a true Believer And thus to receive Christ as the eternal Son of God made Man the Redeemer of the World ruling us upon the right of Redemption justifying us before God bringing us to God and interceding for us And thus Christ must be received according to his Offices and as those uses for which he is given to the soul do import and and imply For the Application of this point First let us begin with those that our business at present doth not mainly lye on Must men walk in Christ as they have received him What shall we say to those that have not will not receive him that stop us at the door that we can't bring in the Doctrine of Christ that will not receive the principles of Christ How can we bring them and build them up that will not suffer the Foundation to be laid the seed to be received Hast thou not received Christ Then thou hast refused Christ been a despiser of the Gospel of Christ which will prove thy great condemnation What is it for thee to bear the Name and not to have the Spirit of Christ Do not go upon conjectures It 's one thing to number thy self with those that are Christians as to outward appearance and another thing to open thy heart and deliver up thy self to Christ's Government and as a lost sinner to receive him to those ends a Saviour must be received And remember this was no small Work God's sending Christ into the World no small thing to fetch thee from Hell and Satan to wash guilty Souls from all their sins and to bring them to everlasting glory If these great things be rightly understood and believed by thee if Christ be understood well as Christ it must be done with a wakened humbled self-resigning heart making the greatest matter in the World of these things Hath thy soul been seriously taken up about thy own recovery And hast thou received Christ as a man that was ready to be damned as one that had a load on his soul heavier than all the Mountains of Earth to ease and deliver him As one that was under the frowns of God in an estate of enmity receives reconciliation Hast thou received Christ as if thou hadst received Heaven in him Believe it these are great Transactions and will affect thy heart and it is not a sleepy or jesting matter thus to receive Christ. Consider what it is to receive Christ. First If you have received Christ you have received the great Reconciler that binds up the broken-hearted quiets those that tremble under the threatnings of God for fear he should forsake and cast them off for ever Secondly If thou hast received Christ thou hast received a perfect enmity to all sin that will never let thee rest in sin but be perswading thee from it and conflicting in thee against sin in thy soul If thou hast received Christ thou hast not received a friend for sin that will plead for or give thee leave to commit sin but one that though he bear with thee in thy weakness yet abominates thy sin If thou hast received him as a Lord and Master to rule thee to be consented and subjected to him and to be ruled by none but in subordination to him who will break those in pieces that refuse his Government Obedience and not verbal Profession is the thing he requires Hast thou entertained Christ to be the Master of thy words thoughts and deeds whose Government thou livest under more than under any in the world Thirdly If you have received Christ you have then received the beginning of felicity and full contentment to your souls having found none in your sins you have it discovered to you where it is therefore with gladness you go on and so far as you have hopes of attaining it so far you have great contentment c. Fourthly In a word If you have received Christ you have fallen out with sin subjected pleasures profits and honors to him and you have received his Spirit and this Spirit hath made you new and maintains a War within you against the flesh c. If this be not thy case Oh that thou knewest what a case thou art in For then First What the better art thou for all his blood shed as yet if thou wert this day to dye What would Christs blood do to the cleansing and saving of thy soul Secondly How canst thou look thy sins in the face and think on what thou hast done and art How canst thou look inward into thy defiled heart and not tremble when thou hast no more shelter from the wrath of God Thirdly How canst thou look God in the face who is a hater of sin How canst thou read his Attributes think on his Threatnings c. Fourthly How canst thou think to have any duty accepted any prayer heard or rewarded c. Fifthly How canst thou think on the day of Judgement on the time when thou must receive thy final sentence if thou hast not received Christ Oh what a thing is a Christless heart c. Quest. What shall I do that I may receive Christ Answ. First Till Christ be thine and hath brought peace from Heaven to thy soul let no peace be there to keep him out I do not say Overwhelm thy self with sorrow but let sorrow dwell there and let holy cares and solicitousness about thy spiritual state be there till Christ come and quiet and reconcile thee to God Secondly Read and believe the