Life becomes a Sacrifice to the rage of the cruel if he does but come off with the safety of his Soul that 's enough to make him abundant recompence for all As Christ saith Matth. 16.26 What shall it profit a Man to win the whole World and lose his own Soul So may it not be said What shall it prejudice a Man to lose all the World if he save his own Soul Thou knowest not what a Soul is what the Salvation of a Soul is thou knowest not what Eternity what that Life and Death means who canst not say Let me escape that Death let me obtain that Life and it is enough O study the World to come more secure to thy self the eternal Inheritance and then thou wilt say with the Psalmist what-ever thy condition be here I will lay me down in peace and take my rest for thou Lord makest me dwell in safety But more of this hereafter By what hath been said it appeareth that the Man that feareth is an happy Man and wherein his happiness lies It 's true that in this World he is but inchoatively and incompleatly happy but an happy Man he is As he that 's Heir to a great Estate even whilst he is under Age and hath little in possession may be said to be a Rich Man especially if he be under the care of a faithful Guardian no less may a Christian even in his non-age be said to be an happy Man There 's no happy Man in the World if this be not he When he is at lowest it 's better with him than with the best of Sinners Some Sinners will grant their Conscience tells them so that he that fears God will have the best of it in the other World but yet they conclude that themselves have the better of it here But they are mistaken even in this Life a Godly Man hath the better of Sinners He knows little of God he hath little understood the Joy of Faith the Pleasure of Love the Ease of Sincerity the Peace of Conscience the Gain of Godliness that would exchange lives with the best of Sinners here in this World The very hopes of the Saints fill them with more joy than the greatest possessions of the ungodly I had rather take my lot with Job on the Dunghil than with Nebuchadnezzar on his Throne with Lazarus in his Sores and Beggary than with Dives in his Purple and delicate Fare with Paul in his Bonds than with Agrippa and Bernice in their Pomp with that Prisoner at the Bar than his Judges at the Bench. He that is otherwise minded is guilty of one of these absurdities either to think that God is not better than Creatures or that the ungodly enjoy as much of God as those that are Godly If God be better than the World if God be the present Portion of the Godly and of them alone then he that feareth God is the happiest Man even in this Life But O what will his blessedness hereafter be What advantage will he have of Sinners in the other World When the comparison shall no longer be betwixt God and the Creatures betwixt the fulness of Heaven and the fatness of the Earth when the Question shall no longer be which is best peace of Conscience or the prosperity of the World the hopes of Glory or the pleasures of Sin the worst of Saints or the Sinners best But the question will then be Which is the best the Pleasures of the Saints or the Plagues of Sinners the Fruition of God or Reprobation from God the Joyes Above or the Pangs Beneath Then let it be considered then shall it be discerned who are the happy Persons those that Fear God or those that fear him not Vse The Application is that which I chiefly intend and this shall be by way of Information Exhortation and Direction I shall put them all together For the more effectual carrying on whereof I shall inform and warn you 1. Of the Opposites of this Fear 2. Of the Grounds or Reasons why men Fear not 3. Of the Reasons why you should Fear 4. What you should Fear 5. How you should improve this Holy Fear I. The Opposites of this Fear are 1. Rashness 2. Audacity 3. Security 1. Rashness Hastiness or Headiness in our way Fear will make Men consider 'T was good Counsel which the Town-Clerk gave in the Tumult Acts 19.36 that they did nothing rashly Eccles 5.2 Be not rash with thy Mouth neither let thy heart be hasty to utter any thing before God The Apostle reckons hasty ones among the dangerous Persons 2 Tim. 3.4 Men shall be heady precipites running headlong on their course acting not upon Counsel but their suddain apprehensions or any strong impulses of their hearts at all adventures whether it be right or wrong Fear will make Men wary and advised what they do Christians if you would walk safely look before you speak nothing rashly do nothing rashly weigh your Thoughts and Intentions before you let them pass into action How many Evils doth rashness and headiness run us upon Those words which in an heat we have let fly some of our hasty Carriages and Actions have sometimes cost us many dayes sorrow and repentance which had we been cautelous and a little better advised might have been prevented Sometimes a sudden passion arises and out it goes in angry and froward words setting all in an uproar and combustion by and by our hearts recur upon us and then we wish O that I had bit my Tongue and not given it such an unbridled liberty Sometimes we break out into rash censures of those that it may be are better than our selves whereupon when we reflect we are ashamed that the Fool 's Bolt was so soon shot and wish we had been judging our selves when we were censuring our Brethren Take heed you mistake not rashness and headiness for Zeal I would not cool Godly Zeal there 's too little of it in the World We need the Spur more than the Bridle the Bellows nor the Bucket We may not quench true Zeal the Lord be merciful to us there is not so much of it to be found we had more need cast on Oil than Water upon that Holy Fire Zeal for Truth Zeal for Righteousness and Holiness how happy were it if there were more such Flames if all our shining were also burning Lights But Zeal must be regular as for the Matter of it it must be alwayes in a good thing Gal. 4.18 So it must be managed with good Counsel and Caution mistaken Zeal is a Fire that devours that good that it pretends to promote But as you may not run headlong upon that which hath the face of Good much less upon that which is apparently evil It 's dangerous to be heady in the Matters of God wherein in case we are right we can never over-do but much more mischievous to run headlong upon Sin Jer. 8.6 Every one turned to his course as the Horse rusheth into
in particular that he is our Prophet and Teacher sent to us from God to shew us the path of life that he is our Priest and Sacrifice that he is our King and Ruler A knowledge of the conditions that he imposes and the Laws he gives to them that will be his Disciples and that expect salvation by him as to believe and obey the Gospel to repent and be converted These things must be first distinctly known otherwise in consenting to Christ we do we know not what we subscribe to a blank Our close with Christ must be an understanding close otherwise it signifies nothing This being premised I shall now shew 1. That our consent to Christ notes our approving and good liking of Christ Therefore we read that Peter in his Preaching Christ to the Jews that he might Preach them to Christ endeavours first to gain their approbation of him and that he might be approved of them he tells them that he was approved of God Act. 2.22 Ye men of Israel here these words Jesus of Nazareth a man approved of God among you by signs and miracles If he could not have assured them of Gods approbation of him there had been little hope of gaining their approbation and if he had not their approbation there had been no hope of their acceptance The same Apostle tells us 1 Pet. 2.4 that he was disallowed of men and those that disallowed despised and rejected him He was to the Jews a stumbling block and to the Greeks foolishness 1 Cor. 1.23 But as for them that are called they had other manner of thoughts of him to them he is Christ the Power of God and the Wisdom of God They might have been invited long enough before they would have come if they had not been first perswaded that he is the Power and Wisdom of God Wilt thou consent unto Christ he must have thy approbation or he can never have thy consent There must be an approving and liking of his Person of his personal excellencies and worthiness to be embraced Men must be well satisfied both of his sufficiency that he is able to save to the uttermost those that come to God by him and of his faithfulness that he will do it He that is not satisfied that 't is safe venturing upon Christ will never be perswaded to it There must be an approving and good liking of his whole way of Salvation of all that he hath done of all that he hath suffered of all that he demands and requires in order hereto And as they must be able to say He hath done all things well so must they say also concerning what he requires Good is the Word of the Lord. What doth the Lord require will he be trusted will he be loved will he be obeyed will he have me for his servant my estate my time my strength my body my soul to be all at his Service Good is the Word of the Lord it is but right it should be so it 's best thus to be his 2. Our consent to Christ notes our accepting him Approving is not all he may be approved and yet rejected video meliora proboque c. there are who approve the things that are excellent and yet will not embrace them Rom. 2.18 there must be an accepting of Christ as well as an approving There is An assent to a Proposition and A consent to a Proposal 1. There is an assent to a Proposition As to instance in that of the Apostle 1 Tim. 1.15 Christ came into the world to save Sinners There may be an assent to this that this is a true saying and worthy of all acceptation which is short of accepting 'T is one thing to say I believe and am perswaded in my heart that Christ is a Saviour of Sinners and is worthy of all acceptation and another thing to say I accept him 2. There is a consent to a Proposal Christ is not only declared in the Gospel to be the Saviour of Sinners that chosen one that mighty one upon whom their help is laid but there is an offer made of this Jesus unto Sinners who are all invited to look unto him to come unto him and be saved Matth. 11.28 and also assured that whosoever come unto him and believe in him shall not be confounded 1 Pet. 2.6 In the Preaching the Gospel the Lord not only gives us this record concerning his Son that in him is Eternal life and that he that hath the Son hath life 1 Joh. 5.11 12. but withall makes this proposal to every Sinner wilt thou have this Jesus shall this Saviour be thy Saviour if thou wilt have him thou shalt Do not say now sure he is worth the having if redemption from death if everlasting life be worth the having then Christ is worth the having but say on wilt thou have him shall it be a match betwixt Christ and thy Soul shall he be thine and wilt thou be his Does thine heart say I will I accept I henceforth take him for mine own and will trust my self with him I put my life into his hands here my Soul shall pitch Upon this stone which is laid in Sion will I adventure all Does thine heart say to all this I will this is thy sincere consent to Christ provided that there be 3. A dedication and giving up the Soul to Christ. The matter that is to be consented to is not only that Christ be ours but that we be his Our consent that he should be ours is our taking him and our consent that we should be his is our giving our selves to him It is said of the Macedonian Christians 2 Cor. 8.5 they gave themselves to the Lord. This giving our selves to Christ hath in it the giving him The right of us The possession of us 1. The giving him the right of us He hath indeed a right to us already whether we give our selves to him or no he hath bought us and paid for us we are his by purchase 1 Cor. 6.19 20. Ye are not your own ye are bought with a price And yet though we be his already he expects that we give our selves to him he loves the claim by gift above that which comes only by purchase and therefore he requires Prov. 23.26 My Son give me thine heart Thou may'st say it is not mine to give what have I to give to the Lord All is his already I am his with all that I have The Father hath given all to the Son and he hath paid dear enough to purchase the Lordship of me Well though thou be his own already canst thou not say Take me then Lord take me as thine own 'T is more than rebellious Sinners will say though they be his by right yet they will rob him of his right and hold back his own from him They give themselves away from Christ to the Devil and to the World They might say to these when they demand give me thine heart it is not mine to give
mens misery and it may be said with respect to these Happy is the Man that never feareth But what is the Blessed Fear or what is there in it In short it is this It is such on aversation of the Heart from all manner of future Evils whether of Sin or of Misery which we apprehend our selves in danger of as puts the Soul upon making the best Provision it can for its security against them The Matter or Object of this Fear is Sin together with all the Fruits of it The Form or proper Nature of it is an aversion or starting back or shrinking in from it The Effect of it is to put the Soul to its shifts for its own security against it There are implyed or included in it these following Particulars 1. There is Vnderstanding in it Psal 111.10 The fear of God is the beginning of Wisdom a good Vnderstanding have they that do it They are wise and understanding Men that Fear As we Love not so neither do we Fear but whom or what we have some apprehension of our Affections follow our Apprehensions as our Love we cannot love but what we apprehend to be good so our Fear we cannot fear but what we apprehend to be evil Our mistakes are the ground of the inordinate workings of our Affections when we apprehend that to be good which is not good we love what we should not love when we apprehend that to be evil which is not evil we fear what we should not fear when we apprehend that to be good which is evil we love what we should fear and when we apprehend that to be evil which is good we fear what we should love The reason of our sinful Fear is our Ignorance Ignorance both causes us to fear when we should not and leaves us without fear of what we should fear 1. Ignorance is the reason why we fear what we should not How is it that there is so much Fear of Men in the World Why it is because we understand them not what a vain thing what a weak thing they are how short their power is and how little 't is that Man can do Did we know more how great the Power of God is how terrible the Wrath of God is sure there would be more fear of God in the World And did we know how little there is in the Power of Man and in the Wrath of Man we should ease our selves of much of that Carnal Fear which now torments our Spirits Isa 2.22 Cease ye from Man whose Breath is in his Nostrils for wherein is he to be accounted of Cease ye from Man as from trusting in him so from fearing him for wherein is he to be accounted of How little is it that he can do for or against you There 's little help in him and there 's little hurt that he can do Men pretend to be great and make great boasts of their Power So did Pilate to Christ John 19.10 Knowest thou not that I have power to Crucifie thee and I have power to Release thee What art thou so sullen and so stubborn that thou wilt not speak to me Consider Man the Power of Liberty and Bonds the Power of Life and Death are in my hands Dost thou not know me Yes I know thee well enough sayes Christ Thou hast no Power but what is given thee and therefore limited thee from Above It 's for those that know thee not to fear thee I know thee well enough 2. Mens Ignorance is the reason why they fear not what they should fear Why is it that the ungodly fear not S n O it 's because they know it not Psal 14.4 Have the workers of Iniquity no knowledg Sure enough they have none for they eat up my People as they eat Bread such Morsels would scald their Mouths they would not dare to be such Persecutors and Destroyers of the People of God they would be afraid to touch them if they did but know what they did How bold are Sinners upon Sin How venturously do they run on They Lie they Swear they commit Adultery they Covet they Defraud they Oppress they Persecute But how is it that they are not afraid to do thus O! they know not what they do They are the Men of Understanding that Fear to transgress Christians those whose Minds are enlightned dare not do as others do they see what Sin is they see it to be an unclean thing odious and abominable in the sight of God they see it to be a dangerous and deadly thing They know God and thereby understand Sin which is contrary to him They know the kindness of God and the terrors of the Lord and see that Sin is an unworthiness and abusing of kindness and disobliging of goodness that makes a forfeit of the Divine Love and exposes to his Wrath and Indignation They know the worth of a Soul they have learn'd from their Lord Matth. 16.26 that the whole World is not a price for it neither sufficient to be its Ransom nor to recompence its loss They live in the Invisible World and have taken a view both of that life which is the reward of the Righteous and of that Death which is the recompence of the Sinners They see that Sin is the loss and the death of the Soul the only poison that can kill that immortal part by this alone Immortality is swallowed up of Death They understand that sin as it is the Worm that gnaweth at the root of all their hopes for hereafter so it is the Wormwood which imbitters all their Comforts here this is the Rust that cats out all their Treasures the Moth that frets out all their Garments the Stain that marrs all their Beauty In fine this is it that hath fill'd the World with vanity and vexation of Spirit and Hell with torment And hence it is that they fear it and fly from it Dost thou not fear Sin Sure thou dost not know it O what a light thing doth the World make of it to sin against God! how open do our hearts lie to it how easily doth it beset us we are surpriz'd by it every day and hour Sin lies at the door lies in wait for us in our Fields in our Houses at our Tables in our Closets and how often doth it take us and carry us away for Captives and still we make nothing of it neither feeling the mischief it has done us nor fearing those ruines which it is further bringing upon us We can talk of the evil of Sin of the folly of it of the filthiness of it but we cannot tremble at it sure we do not know it whatever we talk The World would be all up in Arms against this Enemy or else betake themselves to their heels running away from it were it throughly understood 2. There is Faith in this Fear It is but little that we can see of the evil of Sin our understandings at the best have much dimness upon them the
die foolish Soul thou must be judged and condemned and suffer the vengeance of Eternal Fire there 's no shifting it off or escaping it 't is a plain case the Evidence is full and undeniable lay it to heart for of a truth thou art in an evil case Here-upon as the effect of this Conviction follows 3. Consternation Now the bold Sinner is knock'd in the Head and laid on his back now his old hopes give up the Ghost and Fear and Astonishment take hold upon him This Convincing Spirit is the same which is called the Spirit of Bondage working Fear Rom. 8.15 And when he is thus broken by Fear and feeling all his hopes and supports falling under him gives himself for a lost and undone Man then he is made ready to the hand of him that comes to seek and to save that which is lost He from whom just now nothing was heard but God I thank thee I am not as other Men is now brought to his O wretched Man that I am who shall deliver me Presumptuous Sinner thou art never like to be happy till thou be undone there 's no hope of thee till thou be overcome of Fear O cry unto the Lord to cure thee of thy confidence to work thee to harder thoughts of thy present state if ever thou lookest it should be well with thee hereafter What dost thou yet retain thine old confidence wilt thou yet do all thou canst to maintain that good opinion of thy state which thou hast hitherto had what dost thou herein do but resist that Spirit of God who would but break thee that he might build thee up for ever Wilt thou not be undeceived wilt thou not be convinced wilt thou never know thy danger till it be too late to be prevented But how shall I do to get mine heart awakned out of this dangerous state Why wouldst thou be delivered Then 1. Dread Presumption more than ever thou dreadedst Conviction Every hard word every close word from a Minister of Christ how do Sinners shun it and hide themselves as much as they can from it Fear the fair speeches and smooth words that thy false heart speaks to thee more than the sharpest rebukes thou receivest from the Mouth of God Be willing to know the worst of thy case before it be too late to be recovered Be afraid to be deceived flatter not thy self and be afraid of the flatteries of others Know it to be safer for thee to think worse of thy self than thou art than to think it better than ' t is 2. Wait for and help on as much as thou canst a thorow-Work of Conviction upon thee 1. Give heed to and improve the convincing Word Heb. 4.12 The Word of God is quick powerful and sharper than a two-edged Sword piercing to the dividing asunder of the Soul and Spirit of the Joints and Marrow and is a discerner of the Thoughts and Intents of the Heart But as quick and powerful as this Word is yet it will not cut nor pierce unless it be duly heeded Therefore as the Apostle speaks in another case Heb. 2.1 We ought to give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard to every thing to every word that the Lord speaks not only to his sweeter and softer words his promising and comforting words but to his sharper and harder words his convincing and threatning words every word of God is needed by us and no word will do its work if it be not heeded Thou shouldst when thou hearest such words as these He that committeth Sin is of the Devil He that doth not Righteousness is not of God The Vnrighteous shall not inherit the Kingdom of God He that walketh after the Flesh shall die He that hath not the Spirit of Christ is none of his If any Man love the World the love of the Father abides not in him Except a Man be born again he cannot see the Kingdom of God Except ye repent ye shall all perish Thou shouldst when thou hearest such words consider whose words are these Is not this the Word of the Lord Thou shouldst bethink thy self to whom doth the Lord speak thus Is it not to me Am not I one of this number Am not I Unrighteous Am not I a Servant of my Flesh Hath not my Life been a wicked Life a worldly Life a meer carnal Life Have I been born again and become a new Creature Have I the Spirit of Christ Is this proud Spirit this froward Spirit this vain Spirit this lying contentious Spirit is this the Spirit of Christ Have I repented of my Sins and returned from my sinful and foolish wayes Speak O my Conscience do not lye to me but tell me truth how dost thou find it Sure I have been a Sinner and a worldly and wicked liver and I cannot find that I have repented or been new-Born and become a new Creature to this day How then can I conclude but that God hath spoken this word to me Thou art the Man that shall die and shall not see the Kingdom of God And how canst thou but take these words from his Mouth into thine own and confess I am the Man 2. Pray for the Convincing Spirit The Word without the Spirit can do nothing neither convince nor comfort thee When God sent a Word into the World he sent his Spirit along with it to make it prosper He was promised to be sent to this very end amongst others to Convince the World of Sin John 16.8 O pray for this Spirit when thou hearest a word that strikes upon thy sore lift up thine Heart to the Lord let thy Spirit thine Almighty Spirit set home this Word upon mine Heart I hear such a word as makes both mine Ears to tingle and I cannot deny but it belongs to me but for mine Heart I cannot get it to stick let the Spirit of the Lord sharpen this Nail and drive it home Here 's a poor Minister does what he can speaks as plainly as closely and as powerfully as he is able does what he can to startle me and to humble me and break me But poor Man he cannot do it this Heart is too deep for him to reach it too hard for him to pierce it But where is the God of mine Heart O let the Spirit of the Lord take the Pulpit and set an edge upon this two-edged Sword that its Iron may enter into my Soul Cry thus unto the Lord Say not as once Israel did Let not the Lord speak to us any more but let Moses speak Let this be thy Prayer Let Moses speak and the Prophets and Pastors and Teachers speak but let the Lord speak also and then there 's hope I may hear 3. Receive and retain the convincing Word when it comes Do not pray Lord speak and then turn away the Ear Lord come in and then shut the door against him pray for the Holy Ghost and then see that you resist not the Holy Ghost What
to destroy these make him to do the Works of the Devil They make the Saviour of Sinners to be the Minister of Sin they make him not only a Friend of Sinners but a Friend of Sin and what is the Devil more It must no longer be said that Christ came to make an end of Sin to redeem from all Iniquity to fulfil all Righteousness but to countenance and encourage Sin and to fill the World with Unrighteousness What Doctrine would the Devil preach other than this Fear not to Sin God is merciful Continue in Sin for Grace hath abounded If there were any ground for such an hope we must quite invert the Gospel and whilst the Apostle tells us Tit. 2.11 12. The Grace of God which bringeth Salvation hath appeared to all Men teaching us that denying ungodliness and worldly Lusts we should live righteously and soberly and godly in this present World It must be now written for Gospel The Grace of God teacheth us to deny all Godliness and to indulge to worldly Lusts and to live wickedly and filthily and ungodlily in this present World and yet still to look for the Blessed Hope and the glorious Appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ Is this the Doctrine of Christ It must be so or thou art undone And if it be what difference betwixt the Doctrine of Christ and the Doctrine of Devils Presumptuous Sinner stand and tremble If the Word of God be not a lye If the Holy Jesus came not to build but to destroy the Works of the Devil there 's no hope for thee but if thou continuest thus thou must perish for ever Who shall bring thee into the Holy City who shall intercede and appear before God for thee Will Christ do it will he ever bring up the Servants of the Devil and set them before the Throne of God and say concerning them These are my Redeemed Ones These Lyars these evil Beasts these slow Bellies these Wantons these Earth-worms these blind and bruitish Souls these Rebels that all their life-time set at nought all my Counsels and rejected my Salvation these are mine I pray thee set the Crown upon their Heads for they are worthy Will Christ ever present such a Brood as these to his Father Will he plead for entrance for such as these Canst thou imagine that Christ would not blush and be ashamed to bring such an unclean thing as thou art before his Father at last and say This is my Child I pray thee let him live in thy sight Will he say to the Father O that Ishmael might live before thee that these Bond-men and Bastards and Belials that never knew thee nor car'd for thee that never minded any such thing as Religion and Godliness in the World but mocked and scoffed at all that did that would never be perswaded to seek the Lord or serve the Lord but all their life long gave themselves up to serve their Lusts and the Devil Let there be an entrance for these into the Everlasting Kingdom as black as they are and as resolute as they were never to be wash'd and made white with the Blood of the Lamb yet they are mine take them in Sinner if it were possible that Christ should thus plead for thee if thou be found in that day in the case that now thou art by all the Power and Interest he hath in Heaven he could not prevail for thee He might as well prevail for Cain and Judas yea for Beelzebub himself with all those black Legions which are already in Hell and fetch them up from the Deep to sit upon Thrones of Glory as ever he could prevail for thee 'T is against the determinate Counsel and Purpose of God against the Design and Tenour of the Gospel of Grace Christ had never any Commission from his Father to save or speak one word for any one Soul that lives and dies in his sins Objection But I will repent and turn from my Sins hereafter how-ever I live now I do not mean to die so I will reform and amend my wayes and then I shall have Mercy Answer This also is thy Presumption Thou neither wilt nor canst Thou wilt repent thou sayest but how long hast thou said so and yet the time comes not When wilt thou Canst thou repent when thou wilt Either thou canst or thou canst not If thou canst why not now Is it too soon for thee to be wise and to be happy Canst thou spare God and his Grace and Favour till hereafter Hast thou not enough of the Devil yet Art thou content to be his Bond-slave to be made such a Fool and a Beast by him yet a-while longer Dost thou chuse to leave thy Soul in hazard of Eternal Fire for a few dayes more If thou wert hungry or naked or harbourless wouldst thou say 't is time enough yet to have Bread or Cloaths or an House to put mine head in If thou wert sick of the Stone or the Gout or the Colick wouldst thou say Let me lie a while a little more torment a few more of these Pangs and Gripes It 's more madness than all this to say Yet a little longer for Sin and the Curse of God and under the Power of the Devil If it be not in thy power now to repent then how darest thou presume on an after-Repentance Will it be more easie hereafter when thy Sin is grown stronger and thy Soul is grown weaker and thine Heart harder and put farther off from Repentance I will return and step over to Christ at last 'T is all one as if thou shouldst say I will run from mine House and my Home and my Friends as far as I can all day but I mean to step home again at night Why Man thou art a dayes journey from home and canst thou step back in a minute what thou hast been running out all the day Hast thou been running from Christ all thy Life long and yet is there but a step betwixt thee and him Thou hast been hampering thy self in the Net and tying thy self to the Threshold of the Devil hast been still knitting Knot upon Knot all along thy time to make thy self sure to him and canst thou unravel in an hour the Webs thou hast been weaving the Knots thou hast been tying all thy life long It 's true it is not impossible the Divine Grace may help at the last but it is a strange thing and so exceedingly unusual that it 's utterly improbable that thou that hast been sinning all thy life in Presumption upon Repentance in thy last hour shouldst not then find it flying as far from thee as thou dost now from it Presumptuous Sinner thou that goest on in thy Sin and countest upon Repentance at last 't is even such another piece of folly as to count upon Mercy at last without Repentance Thou mayest almost as well conclude that God will pardon thee though thou never repent as that God will give thee Grace
same course That which hath hindred doth hinder thee that which hath deceived doth deceive and will deceive thou canst never be secure from it whilst thou continuest in this World Wherefore O my Soul since I cannot be out of danger let me never be out of fear Let Fools be secure and at rest but as for me Let me pass the time of my Sojouring here in Fear 3. Another reason why we should Fear is because of the weight and importance of that work which we have to do in the World What is our Work here wherefore are we born and live upon this Earth 'T is to serve the Lord in the saving of our Souls The Lord that made us may and does require our whole Service as there is none besides him to whom we owe our Being so is there none other to whom we owe our Service Him only shalt thou serve Mat. 4.10 And God hath so ordered the matter that we cannot better serve our selves than by serving of him this is the Work of God which he requires of us to work out our own Salvation Phil. 2.12 The best Men are the greatest self-seekers 'T is a piece of self-denyal which God never requires of any Man To neglect his own Soul God would have all Men to be saved 1 Tim. 2.4 There are two Lords that are served in the World God and the Devil The great Service that the Devil hath to be done is to destroy Souls his Name is the Destroyer Rev. 9.11 and his work is to destroy and this is it which he imposes upon all his Servants to destroy every Man his own Soul God is the Saviour so call'd Isa 45.15 and his whole work that he has to be done by his is Salvation-work Friends the first and great Service that God hath for every one of you to do is to look well to those Souls of yours to recover your selves out of the Snares of the Devil that you may obtain everlasting Salvation if you can but acquit your selves so in this World that you get safe to Heaven when you die God will say to you Well done good and faithful Servant 'T is true we have every one of us more Souls than our own to look too I not only Ministers whose special work it is but every one should do what he can to save the Souls of others but our first Service is to look to our own Souls Our Charity and so our whole care must begin at home Deut. 4.9 Take heed to thy self and keep thy Soul thine own Soul diligently As Christ sayes Luk. 16.12 He that will not be faithful in that which is anothers who shall trust him with that which is his own May we not much more say here he that is not faithful in that which is his own will be much less faithtul in that which is anothers He that serves the Devil in destroying his own Soul is not like to serve God in the saving of others Souls Well this is your work you have to do in the World To serve the Lord And this is the Service that God expects That you save your own Souls What-ever you are faithfully doing this way you are therein serving God You may be saving your Estates and therein serve the Devil you may save your Names and save your Lives and therein serve the Devil but when you are saving your Souls you are still serving the Lord. The working out of our Salvation is not only the business of our Religious Duties but of all the Actions of our whole course We are not only to Believe and Repent and Hear and Fast and Pray for our Lives but to be carrying on our Salvation-Work in every thing we do As we may say whether you Believe or Repent or Pray or Hear so also whether you Eat or Drink or whatsoever else you do do all to the Glory of God and your own Salvation Our future state whether we are for Life or for Death is not to be determined by some few of our better Deeds but by the tenour of our whole course look what thy Life is in this World so shall thy Judgment be We are here in this World upon our good behaviour for the other World and the short time we have here is all we have for Eternity our Everlasting Life or Death will be determined by this little inch of time Do in your day the Work you were sent into the World for and you live and are blessed for ever spend your time in idleness or impertinencies live in the neglect of God or your Souls let your great Work be left undone or but half-done and done deceitfully and you die without remedy die eternally And do you not yet see what cause you have to Fear If you were doing any thing of this World's Business and knew your Life lay upon it 't would make your hand shake Psal 2.11 Serve the Lord with Fear Phil. 2.12 Work out your Salvation with fear and trembling Why should we Fear why should we Trembie Why because there is so great a Work lying upon our hands What if this Work be done and well done Then you are made for ever What if you neglect or miscarry in this Work Then you are lost irrecoverably 'T is a matter of Life and Death that you are every day and hour upon how can you think such a thought without a trembling Heart What a mighty influence would this consideration have upon your Duties When you go to Pray whether in the Closet or in the Family or in the Congregation were you perswaded that your eternal state were so much concern'd in it would you not fear how you trifled in so great a Duty and would not this Fear command in all your Powers to joyn in so important a Service how would it stand at the door and keep out all those stragling thoughts that at such times use to be thrusting in Would such hasty and cursory Praying such a flat and formal Devotion which you ordinarily take up with then suffice you you would sooner sweat than sleep at Prayer your Hearts would burn within you and not freeze as they too often do Tongue-Prayers and Knee-Prayers and Eye-Prayers would be of as little account with you as they are with God all the Males in your Flock would be brought in you would not dare to offer to the Lord a corrupt thing You would take your best time and time enough you would put forth the utmost of your strength you would not make your Souls to wait the leisure of your Flesh or to take its leavings It must not then be what you can spare from the World what you can spare from your business or your pleasures that will do the turn your eating time your sleeping time your working time must be taken up this way rather than want time for God and your Souls Dost thou complain of sleepiness in Prayer of wandrings in Prayer of want of time for Prayer Think Man
what Prayer is for how much there is depending on the faithful discharge of it and see if this doth not work such a Fear upon thine Heart as will both find thee time and keep thee waking When you go to hear the Word if you considered I am now hearing for my Life the Lord God hath brought me before him that he may tell me words whereby I may be saved the Mysteries of the Kingdom of Heaven are now opening to me the most High comes down to shew me the Path of Life that Word that falls from the Preacher's Lips is the Word by which I must be saved and the Word by which I must be judged 't is the Everlasting Gospel I come now to hear which is all I have for Eternity I must stand or fall live or die according to the success of this Word upon me As this is the only Word of Life so this may be the only time of Life God knows whether this may not be the last Warning the last Instruction the last Tender of Grace and Mercy that I may have for ever whether my hearkning to or letting slip what I shall hear from the Lord this day be not that which must give the final determination of mine Everlasting State What would such thoughts did they sit close upon our Hearts when we come to hear the Word what would such thoughts work would they not command thee take heed how thou hearest give heed to the things thou hearest fear how thou let them slip Would a deaf Ear a wandring Eye a roving Imagination be then endured by thee Wouldst thou then suffer as ordinarily thou dost those wandring Birds to catch up the incorruptible Seed as it falls upon thee would it not send thee home with a trembling Heart at all such times when thou hast left all thou heardst behind thee Consider Friends where are you at this present what makes you here this day Let me reason with you a little before the Lord How is it that all your Spirits are not standing upon the Watch-Tower whilst the King of Glory passeth by How is it that all your Ears and Eyes and Hearts are not waiting for him why sit you here all the day idle Do you not understand what Work 't is you are upon O take heed to your selves Salvation and Damnation are before you and one of the two you are certainly working out Is it indifferent to you which of the two it be is it all one to please God or to provoke him to get you nearer or to put you farther off from the Kingdom of God What think you of such praying and such hearing as you content your selves with Will the living God be serv'd with such spiritless Duties Is Death your way to Life Are these dead and heartless Duties Is this dead praying and dull hearing that upon which you will venture your Souls Will you pray your selves into Hell While you have in your hands the Key of the Kingdom of Heaven will you lock the Door with it and shut your selves out Whilst others are swearing and lying and coveting and cursing themselves to Hell will you be hearing and praying your selves thither whither else will such dead Duties carry you certainly such blessing is as cursing such hearing is as hardning the Ears such praying is as blessing an Idol Will God regard Mockers Will God be served with Wind and Words O tremble fear lest you not only lose all your Duties but be irrecoverably lost by them Again what an influence would this Consideration have upon all the actions of your Life if you understood and were sensible that all that ever you do hath such a respect to your eternal state that according to it your final Sentence will be Where-ever you are what-ever you are doing you are serving God or the Devil you are working for Life or for Death There are no indifferent actions considered in individuo and with their Circumstances that make neither one way or other all our motions are either upward or downward Our Life is our Race and every Action of our Lives is a step backward or forward our going in or out of our way Nay onr very doing nothing is doing something if our ease or rest be idleness it 's serving the Devil if it be a refreshing for our Work it 's serving God We may be in a sense serving God when we be a-sleep and we may also by our sleep be serving the Flesh and the Devil We are ever either laying aside our Weights or laying on more Weight we are making us Wings or making us Chains helping our selves on or hindering us in our way We are in this World as Merchants trading for Eternity Our whole Life is a treasuring up good or evil for our selves against the last day We are alwayes either buying or selling buying the Truth of selling our Souls we are upon the Exchange every day and hour either changing better for worse or worse for better every inch of our time is our Talent to trade withal and we are still laying it out to our gain or our loss Our Lives are our Seed-time we are still sowing to the Harvest what we sow in Time we must reap in Eternity Our Eating and Drinking our Working and Playing our Talking and our Silence will one way or other spring up to our hands hereafter Do you understand this Friends Do you consider it O what manner of Persons should we then be what wary and circumspect Lives should we live Would not this if it were considered dam up that stream of Iniquity that runs down through all our course Would our covetous practices our fraudulent and unrighteous dealings would that lying and scoffing that self seeking and flesh-pleasing which take up so much of our time would this hold up the head against such a sense of the influence they must have upon our eternal State Should we then spend so much of our time in doing wickedly or doing nothing would it not find us other Work and work enough for our Time our Tongues and our Hands and our Heads and all our Powers But we do not consider or understand When you are walking in the vanity of your Minds after the Lusts of this World what do you use to think of this or do you think nothing of it I so 't is indeed you will not then think what you are doing but stand and pause awhile when you are serving your flesh can you think now I am serving the Lord now I am working out my Salvation now I am providing for my Soul and laying up against the time to come Dare you say now I am sowing for Eternity this is that which I would reap in the other World This Mirth and this Jollity this Pride and this Idleness this Laughter and these Lyes Let these and the Crop they will bring forth be my Harvest hereafter Would not the thoughts of such a Harvest make you dread such a Seed-time Or else can
you say The time that I spend thus I can spare from my Soul that care 's taken already Christ is sure Heaven is sure to me Now for the flesh and mine ease and my pleasure now for this present World I have done enough for that to come Or else will you say These dayes of my Vanity and Earthliness will I hope be left out of my Reckoning my Prayers and my Alms the good that I have done is so much that my evil Deeds and Dayes will be over look'd and past by But must not every Day must not every Work be brought to Judgment Doth not the Righteous and All-seeing God book down all Is not the Sin of Judah written as well as their Tears and Duties Is not every thing noted in his Book And must not all things that are written therein be read in that day Canst thou look on this and not fear continually every day 1 Pet. 1.17 If ye call on the Father who without respect of Persons judgeth according to every Man's Work pass the time of your sojourning here in Fear If you had to do with a God that would never call you to a Reckoning whether you serv'd him or not or how much or how little you serv'd him or whom else you serv'd besides him if you had to do only with such a God the matter were not then so much how you liv'd and spent your time But if ye call on the Father if you serve such a God who will reckon with every one of you and for every thing you have done you had need look better to it Pass the time the whole time of your Sojourning here in Fear Beloved if your own Souls were not so highly concern'd yet this Consideration That the Work of your Lives is to serve the Lord would work you to Fear If you were upon some Service for a Prince or a great Man of the Earth suppose it were but to make him a Garment would you not fear how you sullied it or bungled upon it Or if it were but to keep his Garden would you not fear how you let it run to ruine What is this God whom you serve Is he not a great God the King of all the Earth Is he not an Holy God and a Jealous God that looks to be sanctified and to be the Fear and the Dread of all those that serve him Isa 8.23 The Service of God is often exprest in Scripture by fearing of God Cornelius Acts 10.2 was said to be a Man fearing God that is the same as a Man that served the Lord And the Apostle exhorts Heb. 12.28 That we have Grace in our Hearts whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and Godly Fear Thou servest the Lord but wouldst thou that thy Service be accepted with God Then serve him with Fear Therefore to the end to hold this Fear upon you I shall add this Counsel Through your whole course and all the parts of it carry this express Notion upon your Hearts That you are serving the Lord in all that you do Do all you do as the Servants of the Lord and look on every Duty as the serving of him What the Apostle requires of the Servants of Men is the Duty of every one of the Servants of God Col. 3.23 24. What-ever you do do it heartily as unto the Lord for ye serve the Lord Christ When you go to pray think with your selves this is a Duty which I ow to God I am going into my Closet upon a Service I have to do for God there When you give an Alms or when you teach or instruct your Families think with your selves these are Services which I have to perform not only to my poor Brethren to my ignorant Family but I ow them to the Lord and to him I will perform them I have a Service to do for God amongst the Poor I have a Service to do for God in my Family God hath bid me Feed the one and Teach the other and to whomsoever I do it I 'le do it as unto the Lord. And in like manner in all the matters of your Life in the ordering of your whole Conversation let this be still in your Eye and upon your Heart God hath sent me forth as his Servant into the World I have no business here but for the most High I am born for him I am fed I am clothed I live for him all that ever I have are the Talents of my Lotd committed to me to use and improve for him I am Debtor to no other I am Servant to none else what-ever goes out any other way this is no less than unfaithfulness to him whose I am and now I go bound for him for his pleasure I was made and to him I am devoted this Life of mine and every day of it and every breath of it I consecrate to the Lord his Servant I am and 't is no Work for me that I cannot call serving the Lord. What would such a Sentiment upon the Heart bring forth What care yea what watchfulness yea what fear would it produce What shall I serve the Lord with that which cost me nothing Shall cheap-Service and easie-Service and lazy-Service and eye-Service be all that the Lord God shall have of me I dare not serve my Governour so and how will my God take it But what shall I divide my Service betwixt the Lord and any other Master shall my Flesh be serv'd shall my Pride be serv'd shall my Covetousness shall Men be serv'd shall this Heart or this Time or this Estate be divided betwixt the Lord and them How if the Lord find me in another Field in another House or upon other Work than whither he sent and appointed me How if he find any of his Talents wasted his Goods conveyed away to another Master how will he bear it Yea how shall I bear it Art thou not afraid O my Soul how this will be born and what a Reckoning thou mayest be brought to for it O let me fear to be such an evil Servant that I may not fear the evil Servant's doom let me continually fear every day that I may prevent the fear of the Reckoning-Day Such a standing Impression would this Notion of our being engaged in Service for God kept constantly upon the Heart produce This Notion mingled with all our Thoughts Duties and Wayes and the Holy Fear it will bring forth will not only hold us to constant Service but will put us upon the highest and best Service What is the Lord whom I serve Is he not one who looks for all I have and is he not worthy of all I have What an honour is it to be the Servant of God and what a terror to be none of that number He is the best Master he is worthy he is worthy of the very best I have Fear and be ashamed O my Soul to put him off with any thing that is not worthy of him What will an
Sins strange and unaccustomed Sins there 's no Sin so gross but it may be thy Sin and there 's no Sin so small but it may be thy undoing there 's no Sin so great a stranger to thee but one time or other it may give thee a visit thou mayest be tempted to that Sin which thou wast never tempted to in all thy life thou mayest be over-come of that sin which thou never committedst all thy dayes before Say not of any sin this I fear not it may be the next that comes and if it come thou hast that within thee may bid it welcome Fear all Sin but especially fear thy Beloved Sin Fear what-ever thou lovest in all the World but especially the Sin of thy Love there be some Sins that that thou canst better spare and what thou canst better spare thou needest least to fear But what is this Beloved Sin or how may I know which it is 'T is worth your enquiry and I shall give you the following marks or discoveries of it by which you may understand both what Sin it is that is your Beloved Sin and how great reason you have to fear it 1. The Beloved Sin hath easie entrance The Apostle calls it Heb. 12.1 The Sin that doth easily beset us It layes Siege to the Soul and it hath an easie Siege of it it lies not long without the Walls the Gates are quickly thrown open to it when-ever it comes to the Door 't is usually let in at the first knock Strangers may be made to wait or be sent packing but this Friend must be fetched in and bid welcome the Devil may save his labour to tempt to this Sin it self is temptation enough It is the Familiar of the Heart one of its nearest Acquaintance 2. It hath the command of all The Beloved-Sin is the Master-Sin 't is by love that Sin rules what-ever hath gotten thy love hath therein gotten the dominion in thee Lovest thou God then at his command thou art Lovest thou Sin then this becomes thy Lord thou wilt deny or keep back nothing it will have This Herodias may ask what she will and she shall have it not half but all not the Baptist's Head but thine own Head and Heart and Soul and Life all must be sacrificed to it All the good thou hast and not only this but all other Sins and Lusts must stoop to it and serve it For instance If Pride be the Master-Sin the whole Man and all that ever he hath must be Servants to it yea and every other Lust must either serve it or give place to it Covetousness must get in Wealth to maintain it Envy must throw Dirt in others Faces that would eclipse it Curiosity must provide it of Ornaments all the parts and powers of the Soul all its vertues and inward Endowments all the actions of the Life must all be made use of to serve and uphold it Meekness Temperance Patience Charity Chastity Preaching Praying Fasting all our Religion must be press'd to do homage to this Idol and whatsoever would be a disgrace whether it be good or evil must be laid aside or trodden under-foot If it be a disgrace to be covetous Pride will be content to be poor if it be a disgrace to be quarrelsom Pride will be peaceable yea if it be a disgrace to be proud Humility must serve it for a Covering and Ornament If it be an honour to be Godly and Conscientious the Proud will be a Professor and if it be a disgrace or reproach then farewel to Religion Conscience hide thine head Every thing must be entertained or rejected according as it may serve or hinder it and this Pride must have the ordering and disposing of all If Covetousness be the Master-Sin then all we are or have must be at its command The Sensual Appetite must be denyed and Hunger and Thirst must be born for its sake Expensive Pride or Wasteful Prodigality must no longer be endured Slothfulness and Idleness must by no means be indulged to All our time wits parts strength all those vices injustice oppression unmercifulness must be hired to gather in Dust to feed this greedy Worm And the like may be said of any other Beloved Sin it hath the command of all 3. It must have no check nor controul The Beloved must dwell in quiet do what I will and none must say to it What dost thou Like that Fondling Adonijah of whom 't is said 1 Kings 1.6 His Father had not displeased him at any time nor said Why hast thou done so The Darling must be dandled but never corrected or questioned or if there be a necessity and it cannot be avoided that some check be given it then the same charge must be given as concerning that other of David's Fondlings Absalom 2 Sam. 18.5 Deal gently with the young Man Not too harsh not too close Nay my Sons 't is not well that I hear of you said Eli to his wicked Sons 1 Sam. 4.24 And that 's the hardest word that will be born 4. It 's the last that 's parted with Reuben shall go and Simeon shall go and Judah shall go but must Benjamin go to My Son shall not go down said once old Israel Gen. 42. this Pride let it go sayes the covetous Man and this Sloth and this Pleasure but must this Mammon and my Heart be parted it shall not go This Covetousness let it go saith the proud Man and this Ease and this Pleasure but shall this Honour and these Ornaments go If I be put to Labour I can bear it or if I be Poor I can bear it I can work hard or fare hard but I cannot be despised though my Estate be brought low and my Back be bowed down yet my Spirit will not come down this Pleasure I can spare and this Ease and this Honour saith the peevish but I cannot help it to be angry and impatient when I am provoked Nature will have its vent any thing but this but in this thing the Lord pardon me I cannot help it 5. It 's often the parting penny betwixt Christ and the Soul betwixt the Soul and Life 'T is the last that 's parted with and sometimes 't will never be parted with Christ must go and Life must go the Soul must die rather than this Sin not be saved alive Doubtless there are Souls in Hell that have parted with much and would have parted with all but this one thing their Beloved Sin and for the sake of this they perish everlastingly Was it not the care of that young Man that came to Christ for Eternal Life Mark 10.21 He was fair for Life only Christ tells him One thing thou lackest Get thee loose from the love of this Earth and Heaven shall be thine O sayes his Heart I have too much to lose and I love it too well to part with it so sorry I am I cannot I have a good will to thee I have a mind to live abate me
that feelest it but would'st thou therefore fear to have thy Wound cured Christian wouldst thou have thy Lusts live Dost thou not pray for their Destruction Dost thou not sigh and groan under them Dost thou not wish and wait and hope and long for thy Redemption from them Dost thou count them as Enemies and art thou afraid of that Weapon that 's now put into thine hand to avenge thee of thine Enemies Objection I would be glad this Flesh might die but O may it not be put to an easier death 'T is not their death that I fear but those Instruments of death that are so tormenting Answer 1. Then save thy self that torment by laying thine own hand upon them Prevent thy need of the Cross by doing its Work thy self Let it be thy daily Work by Faith by Prayer by Watchfulness by Self-denyal by Temperance by Meditation by Resolution and such other gentle means by degrees to destroy thy Lusts thy self save the Cross its labour by doing its Work to its hands 2. Must they die an easie death What or else wilt thou not that they die at all Will it be so easie for thy Soul to die by their hand that thou wilt rather venture on that than a little present trouble Shall thy right hand or thy right foot cast thee and carry thee to Hell because it would be painful to cut them off and cast them from thee Is it become so easie to thee to be in bondage to these Egyptians that thou wilt rather serve at the Brick-kilns than venture for thy Redemption on the hazards of the Red-Sea or the hardships of the Wilderness Fear this Flesh more than thou dost and that Servitude it holds thee under and that future Misery it's dragging thee to Fear this more and then thou wilt not fear thy Redemption by what means soever it be brought about Thou wilt not say Deal gently with mine Enemy deal tenderly with this Flesh Let it die Lord let it die let me be delivered from the Body of this Death and I will not prescribe to thee for the way and means 2. Fear not the Cross out of faintness of Spirit-Faint not when thou art chastned saith the Apostle Heb. 12.5 much less before-hand before the chastning comes I shall put in a word or two as Cordials to preserve from fainting Let these two things be considered 1. The Lord is his Peoples God This is his Covenant with them Jer. 30.22 I will be your God and you shall be my People Let us consider a little what great support this Promise yields I will be your God What 's the meaning of that What is there in this more than every one may lay claim to Is he not the God of all the Earth Is he not the Sinner's God Is he not the Drunkard's God the Atheist's God the God of them that say in their Hearts there is no God He is so The God that made them the God that rules them the God that Judges and will Condemn them This is a word of terror to the ungodly World I am their God that is I am above them as high as any of them are I am higher than they and will bring them down to the Dust of Death But what is there in this word as to Believers What meaneth the most High when he speaks this word I will be your God to them The meaning is this I will be your God in Covenant I will be your Friend and your Father your Portion and Heritage your Rock and your Refuge for ever I am the Almighty God and able to save you from all your distresses I am the All-sufficient God and able to supply all your Wants and Necessities and whatsoever I am all is yours Now Friend when God sayes I am thine what matters it who or what can say I am none of thine Suppose the gods of the Earth should say to thee Away we are none of thine Suppose thine old Friends and Acquaintance should say Stand back we are none of thine Suppose thy nearest Relations thy Father or thy Brother or thine Husband or thy Wife should say We are none of thine Suppose thine House and thy Countrey should cast thee out and say neither are we thine Yet this one word from the Lord but I am thine how would it support and abundantly satisfie thy Soul 2. None so well know this ordinarily that the Lord is their God as his suffering People It may be thou wilt say Ah this word this word I am thine what a good word is here O were I but sure it were spoken to me what then should I fear Let the Lord but speak thus to my Soul I will be thy God and then let the World and the Devil too speak what they can we 'l be thine Enemies if God be thy Friend we 'l curse thee if God bless thee we 'l hunt thee if God harbour thee we 'l stick in thy sides if God be in thine heart we 'l lay thee low enough if God exalt thee we 'l be thy death if he be thy life Well even do your worst were I but sure the Lord hath said this word to me I will be thy God I will not fear though ye all be Devils unto me But O here 's my great trouble 't is this which sinks my Soul and makes mine Heart to faint within me I see the World running against me I see Troubles running upon me and I am in great doubt whether God hath spoken this word to me I will be thine Dost thou doubt Dost thou not know whether God be thine Why the day of Adversity that 's the time when thou mayest be most like to know it There are none ordinarily that so well know that the Lord is theirs as his suffering People For 1. God doth often shew himself in a Storm who hid himself in the Sun-shine 2. The Sufferings of the Saints will be the Proof of their Sonship 1. God doth often reveal himself in a Storm who hid himself from us in our Sunshine Our dayes of Darkness are often the times of Light and Love Light from Above is most needed and will be better accepted when 't is darkest below The hatred of the World doth usually usher in the tydings of Divine Love When thou art led into a Wilderness to be tempted and tryed there thou mayest expect he will speak comfortably to thee Hos 2.14 Why art thou afraid of Affliction Wouldst thou not be glad to know the Lord is thine Follow him into the Wilderness and that may be the Vineyard where he will shew thee his Loves 2. The Sufferings of the Saints will be a Proof of their Sonship Heb. 12.7 If ye endure chastening God dealeth with you as with Sons Our Sufferings for Christ will be the evidence of our Sincerity to him Prove that thou lovest Christ above all and thou therein provest that God is thine and what greater evidence that we love Christ above all than this
it God's Ill Will against Sinners God's Blessing is his Good Will and his Ill Will this is his Curse Joseph's Blessing The good Will of him that dwelt in the Bush Deut. 33.16 is the Portion of all the Saints and in God's good Will is every good Thing the precious Things of the Earth and the fulness thereof yea and the precious Things of the Heaven also Psal 30.5 In his favour is Life And in God's Ill Will is every evil Thing thou needest no more to make thee perfectly miserable than this that the Almighty bears thee ill Will. 'T is an Affliction to be under the ill Will of Men for a Child to have the ill Will of his Father for a Wife to have the ill Will of her Husband for a Man to have the ill Will of his Neighbours for a Subject to be under the ill Will of his Prince But what-ever there be in this God's good Will will make amends for all though all the Family where thou livest yea though all the Countrey bear thee ill Will if God bear thee good Will thou art a blessed Man If thou hast the good Will of all the World and only God bears thee ill Will thou art cursed with a Curse This Curse of God is 1. Revealed in his Word 2. Executed in part in this World 3. Pronounced in the last Judgment 4. Executed in full in the World to come 1. The Curse of God is revealed in the Word of God Rom. 1.18 The Wrath of God is revealed from Heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of Men. It is revealed from Heaven that is by the Law of God The Law of God binds Sinners under the Curse of God and declares to them what this Curse of God is 2. The Curse of God is in part executed in this World The Curse followed Sin close at the heels and is executed on Sinners here 1. In temporal Plagues There is a Curse upon the Creatures which were made for their use Gen. 3.17 Cursed is the ground for thy sake The whole Earth with all things therein hath something of the Curse cleaving to it whereupon though it still be useful yet there is something in it that is noxious to Man Vpon their labours which often become fruitless and ordinarily irksome and tiresome In the sweat of thy face thou shalt eat thy bread Gen. 3.19 Vpon their Estates sometimes blasting and devouring them entring into their Houses and eating out the Timber thereof and the Stones thereof or else turning them into temptations and snares Vpon their Bodies Sin wounds and bruises in Sickness and Death 2. In Spiritual Evils inflicted upon the Souls of Sinners The Curse of God not only falls upon their outward Man but enters into their very Hearts upon which the Lord most signally executes this Curse by leaving Sinners and giving them up to blindness of Mind to a reprobate Mind Rom. 1.28 to hardness of Heart Isa 6.9 to the power of their Lusts Psal 81.12 whereby they are filled with all unrighteousness and reserved as in Chains under darkness to the Judgment of the great Day Sinner thy blindness thine hardness thy walking after thy Lusts in the Counsels of thy wicked Heart this is the Curse of God upon thee thy Sins are thy Curse And that Impenitence and that reprobate Mind which God gives some Sinners up unto is their sealing under the Curse God sometimes curses Sinners in this Life as Christ cursed the fruitless Fig-tree Mat. 21.19 Never Fruit grow on thee for ever Be thou never good for any thing never good Thought never good Motion come into thee never a drop of Dew or Rain fall upon thee never a Bud or Blossom spring up in thee nothing prosper in thee but be thou barren for ever of every good thing let that Soul wither and perish and die for ever This Curse is the most dreadful of all Curses above-ground and the very next to Hell 3. The Curse is pronounced in the last Judgment in that terrible Sentence Matth. 25.41 Depart from me ye Cursed into everlasting Fire prepared for the Devil and his Angels Now that if it be possible Sinners may be awakened out of sleep and be wrought to this Fear I shall a little open the Mouth of the Pit by opening this fearful Sentence Depart from me Depart whither why whithersoever it is 't is sad enough that 't is depart from me from Christ Christ is the Life it can be no less than Death to depart from Life Ye Cursed You that are bound under the Curse you that have been filling your selves with Curses clothing your selves with Curses treasuring up Curses to your selves all your time against this day Get you gone with your Curses upon you your Sins be upon you your Guilt be upon you your Blood be upon your own Heads for ever Ye are cursed with a Curse bear ye that burthen for ever and ever Into everlasting Fire And now you see whither 't is they are to depart I told you but now that 't is Misery enough that they must depart from Christ and from the presence of the Lord. If Sinners were to be sentenced down to this Earth again sent back to their Fields and Vineyards to their Ale-houses and Whore-houses to the best of their dirty pleasures here below yet this that they are sent into banishment from the Presence and Paradise of God when God shall so far open their Eyes as to let them see what they have lost this would be an unspeakable torment to them But this is not their place when they are taken hence they shall return hither no more they must bid an eternal farewel to all their carnal and bruitish ease and pleasures their Houses and their pleasant Places shall know them no more for ever God will not leave them so much as the least of the left-hand Blessings not a drop of Water to cool their Tongues 'T is into the Fire they must go The pain of Fire is the most tormenting of all the pains we know and therefore made use of to shadow out those inexpressible intolerable pains to which the ungodly shall be sentenced in that day Everlasting Fire What not yet at the bottom No this Gulf hath no bottom they shall be ever knowing and yet never know the worst of their Case what-ever they feel the worst is still behind because Eternity is still behind they shall never have ease nor rest again but shall be tormented night and day for ever and ever Prepared for the Devil and his Angels These are their Companions in their Tribulation Must we into the Fire But may we not have good Company in the Fire God may be in the Fire with me So he was in the case of the three Confessors and then the fire could not burn No t is the Devil that will be with you in the fire to torment and to be tormented with you for ever What is it to dwell in an Earthly House that 's
our selves to God Yet he will not take the account we give without trying whether it be a true account 2 Cor. 5.10 We must all appear before the Judgment-Seat of Christ 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 we must be made manifest and laid open as the word imports that it may plainly be seen what we are And this severe search that shall be made in the Judgment the Apostle calls in the next verse the terror of the Lord. 'T would shake the securest Hearts to understand what a thorow search will be made of them in that day God will bring all things to light God will lay all in the Ballance What a dreadful Word was that to that King Dan. 5.27 Thou art weighed in the Ballance and found wanting What if that should be your case at last if God's Light should find you to be Darkness if God's Ballance should find you too light What if whilst you count your selves Children God should find you Bastards if whilst you count your selves Vines he should find you Thorns if while you count your selves Believers Beloved and Chosen of God that day should declare you to be Infidels and Reprobates What if it should be so you are stark Fools and worse than mad if you think such a question may not be put What if I should be mistaken Is such a mistake on which your eternal state depends of so little consequence with you as not to need such a question to be put about it Are you so little concerned how matters shall go with you in the Judgment Are you so little concerned what your final Sentence shall be which of you for Life and which for Death who for Blessedness and who for Burning What Rocks are those Hearts of yours if they do not rent and quake for fear And if you do fear to think what if I should be mistaken let that Fear set you a searching whether you have hitherto been mistaken or no. Beloved whether you fear or no give me leave to tell you I am afraid concerning you 1. Some of you I fear there are upon whom there hath been no good wrought no nor any thing done towards it not a Clod broken not a Thorn rooted out not a Grain of good Seed fallen upon your Hearts Upon whom the Lord hath been ploughing as upon Rocks sowing as upon Heaths hammering as upon Anvils hewing as upon Iron who with those Rebels Isa 48.4 have Brows of Grass and Iron Sinews who have hitherto resisted the Holy Ghost and put from you the Word of Life whom both the Seed and the Showers that have fallen upon you have left hard and barren bringing forth nothing but Briars and Thorns In whom Oaths and Lyes and Drunkenness and such like are all the Fruits that have been brought forth who are far from God and yet far from fear whom a very little search might be enough to convince you that you are in the Gall of Bitterness and the Bond of Iniquity If you would but cast an Eye upon God's Glass your foul Faces would quickly shew you what you are O Sinners if you your selves yet fear not let others fears concerning you thus far prevail with you as to cast a serious Eye upon your selves Make a little enquiry Is it not thus with me Is not my Soul in this very case If I should ask Where are my Sins Behold they compass me round about they are in mine Heart and in my Mouth and my whole Life is filled up with Iniquity But if I should ask Where is my Faith where is my Repentance where is the new Heart and the new Life Where is the Knowledg and Love and Life and Fear of God What could I say what answer could I give Make a little enquiry thus a very little to a Man in thy case me-thinks should be enough to convince and awaken thee 2. Others of you I fear there maybe upon whom the Lord hath been at work but the Work is not yet brought thorow Upon whom though the Plough hath entred and made some sign yet it hath not gone deep enough though the Thorns some of them are cut down yet their Root remaineth though the Seed of God hath fallen upon you and some Blades have sprung up yet it hath taken no root upon whom though there appear some dawning towards the Day yet you are not come to Sun-rising As for you it is a mercy that there is something done especially if there be still more a-doing It is a mercy that the Lord hath made a motion of Love to you and that he is not totally rejected that there is a Treaty for Peace whereof you have so far accepted as to yield to a Cessation of Arms and a forbearance of those open Acts of Hostility against God which have been that the Drunkards are become sober that the Swearers now fear an Oath that the Enemies of God and of all Righteousness are now content to hear of a Reconciliation This is a mercy Much more That any of you are so far convinced of the misery of Sin of the excellency and necessity of Religion and Godliness that you are wrought to some good liking of the Holy Wayes of God and are wishing and waiting and making out after the Lord. This is a Mercy because there is hope that he that hath brought you hitherto will bring you on farther and farther till he hath brought you home But yet there is matter of great fear too lest presuming you have already attained you should sit down short of Saving-Grace and so perish at last With a special respect to such as these I shall shew 1. How such Persons may be wrought to this Fear 2. How this Fear will work to a farther Search 1. To work this Fear in such let these following Particulars be considered 1. There are preparations to Grace that are not Grace 2. There are Images of Grace that are not Grace 3. There are some properties of gracious Persons that are no certain Evidences of Grace 4. There is no one Grace that is really so which will put us out of doubt 5. What-ever we have that is short of Saving-Grace it may go back and we may be reduced to a worse State than ever before 1. There are preparations to Grace that are not Grace God usually takes time and leads Men on to Christ by degrees we are not presently Converts as soon as we cease to Bedlams There may be awakenings of sleepy Souls there may be enlightnings of dark Souls there may be shakings of obdurate and hardned Souls which though they may have a tendency to farther good yet may be far enough short of it There may be the pangs of travel which may never bring to the Birth In particular 1. There may be Conviction of Sin and yet no Grace Conviction is not Conversion Ahab was once a Convinced Person and so was Judas also but never Converts 2. There may be a good Opinion of Grace where there is no Grace The Way
the irradiations of his Holy Spirit and the light of his countenance whilest they are walking in the Law of the Lord the prospering of their Souls in the grace of God and the comforts of the Holy Ghost this is the sunshine of their lives Their countenance is fallen their heart is sick they reckon themselves among the dead when God and their Souls are parted He hath no part in God that can live comfortably without him It 's true the pleasure that the Saints take in God is more or less according to the different degrees of their love to God and accordingly will the sense of his absence be more or less There is a desiring love which is the highest attainment of some weaker Christians and there is a delighting love which is the attainment of the more grown Christians The purer and stronger the love the greater pleasures comes in from the object of it and the more impatience follows from its distance and estrangement from it The love of weaker Christians puts forth in thirstings after the Lord but they taste but little of the sweetness but the more grown can sit down under his shadow with great delight yet neither the one nor the other can be at ease or contented without him Again there is a difference in the Natural temper and constitutions of Christians some are naturally of lively and warm affections and of a chearful and serene Spirit others are of more flat and dull and heavy spirits and this will make a difference upon their sence of things Spiritual Yea and the same persons at several times may be differing from themselves by reason of bodily distempers or occasional discomposures which may have such an influence upon their Spirits that they may at such seasons not only have lost the sweetness of Divine communion but the sence also of its want and those very duties wherein they were wont to have delightful converse with God may seem the most uneasie and wearisome work of their time But yet whoever he be that in ordinary can be satisfied at ease and be merry whilst he is a stranger from God and neither finds pleasure in him nor takes comfort in pleasing of him this man can never conclude that God is his portion He that is least in the Kingdom of God will doubtless be able to say Lord whom have I in Heaven yea or in Earth besides thee Sinner thou sayest that thou also hast chosen the Lord but how is it that he is no more look'd after or regarded by thee How is it that thou canst live so much without God in the world and find no miss of his presence Art thou content to be miserable whil'st thou livest here or hast thou chosen two portions this world to be thy portion here and God only for hereafter I that 's the truth of the case thou foreseest that this world will not last alwayes but thou must after a while be gone and leave all behind thee whil'st these things will last thou wilt take up with them but when they fail thee thou countest upon God at last and so he must only stand by as thy last refuge when all else is gone then God must be thy happiness Is this thy choice of God when thou canst only say Rather God than nothing So I may be sure of thee hereafter I care not for thee now He that hath not chosen God for his happiness in both worlds hath sincerely chosen him for neither Canst thou say thou hast chosen him for thy happiness in this world also when thou canst count thy self happy without him canst thou want communion with him and yet be at hearts ease canst thou take the prosperities of this world to supply the want of a God the smiles of fortune instead of smiles from Heaven will thy twilight or candle-light serve thee instead of Sun-light Canst thou quiet and comfort thy self thus God is none of my acquaintance but I have good acquaintance enough in the world God is angry with me but I have many good friends about me that bear me good will My work for Heaven goes but sadly on but yet I prosper and thrive in the Earth I have none of the best hearts I confess but yet I have a good House and a good Estate 't would be sad indeed if I had nothing either above or below either within or without me if both Heaven and Earth had cast me out but whil'st one of them holds 't is well mine own Cisterne is full and so long I can spare the Fountain Canst thou comfort thy self thus Deceive not thy self God is not the portion thine heart hath chosen thou wilt never find rest in any thing else who hast pitch'd on him as thine only happiness and till thou hast made him alone thou hast not made him at all the portion of thy Soul 5. If you are willing and resolved to forsake all things for his sake God and this world are proposed to our choice and this is included in the very nature of choosing that one be taken and the other left 't is not choosing to take both one of the two must be parted with or neither can be said to be chosen and so the word tells us Luk. 14.33 Whoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath he cannot be my Disciple This seems to be an hard word but is it so indeed Is it hard to part with all our Brass and to receive it in Gold to exchange our rags for better clothing our husks for better seeding What is Earth to Heaven Is all thou hast in the world too great a price to redeem thy Soul from Death and to instate it in everlasting blessedness If these things could redeem thee would'st thou say 't is too much to give this Earth is more than Heaven is worth But farther consider It is not so hard as it seems to be for what is it to forsake all that we have God would not have us to throw away our Estates and make our selves voluntary Beggars to give away our Houses and take up our Habitation in Dens or Caves to give away all our bread and our clothes and leave our selves to hunger and nakedness God would not have us to break the peace with the world to disoblige and fall out with all our friends and to become strangers to our own flesh God would not have us studiously to offend Father and Mother to despise Brethren and Sisters to be undutiful or unnatural to be surly and rude and uncivil to any and thereby create our selves enemies and trouble 't is for the honour of Christianity that we behave our selves sweetly and courteously and dutifully towards all and 't is the Interest of Christianity that those that fear God be good Husbands and provident and have Estates to serve him withall in their generations This is not the meaning of our forsaking of all to cast our selves into voluntary poverty or studiously to make our selves
the objects and reproach of the world That forsaking of all which is necessary to and will prove our sincere choosing the Lord must be 1. In esteem and affection so as no longer to account or love any thing we have as our portion and happiness God will not allow us two portions one for the Flesh another for the Spirit one for this world another for the world to come God will be all in both worlds As we may not serve two Masters Luk. 16.13 So neither may we have two portions we cannot serve and we may not love God and Mammon God will be all or nothing to us he will as soon allow us two Gods as two portions when we make the world our happiness we make it our God and then we make it our happiness when we prize it too highly love it too dearly seek it too hotly when we prize or seek or love the world more than God or otherwise than in subordination to him 2. In vote and resolution to let all go at the good pleasure of God To forsake all is to get the heart loose from all to stand with a mind prepared and ready to part with all whenever God will To be able heartily to say If God will have it so I am willing to be poor and every way as low as he pleases Now I live in credit but if God will have it so I am willing of contempt and disgrace now I have friends but if God shall see it good to leave me no friend in the world I am content now I live and am in health and prosper and flourish but whenever the Lord will I am content to wither and suffer and die for his Name A willingness to be poor whenever God will have it so this is a forsaking our riches a willingness to be in disgrace to lose our friends or our lives at the pleasure of the Lord this is our forsaking all these He that will lose his life or estate when God calls him to it in his account he doth lose it there be more Martyrs in the world than have suffered at a stake if thine own heart hath given thee to the flames as a witness or Sacrifice to God 't is accepted with him as if thou hadst been actually offered up Abraham's intention and attempt to offer up Isaac for a burnt-offering was the same thing with God as if he had done it and had this testimony from the Lord that he did it Heb. 11.17 By Faith Abraham when he was tryed offered up Isaac Gen. 22.16 17. Because thou hast done this thing and hast not withheld thy Son therefore blessing I will bless thee Friend art thou willing to be undone willing to lay down thy life when e're God shall put thee to it God will say the like to thee because thou hast done this thing therefore blessing I will bless thee as 't is on the other side he whose heart withholds himself or any thing that he hath that will rather deny Christ than suffer for him he whose heart is against it and will not offer himself up though he should never be tryed or put to it the Lord will say to that man because thou hast done this thing hast forsaken me rather than thou wouldst suffer for me therefore cursing I will curse thee O how many Apostates in heart are there who did never actually Apostatize but would have done it had they been put upon the tryal Heart-Martyrs shall be accepted and Heart-Apostates shall be rejected even as they that are actually such 3. In practice or execution so as actually to let all go whenever God doth call for it Particularly 1. To suffer the loss of all whenever it comes to be a case that we must either suffer or sin Whoso hath sincerely chosen God will choose affliction rather than iniquity Elihu Job 36.21 would prove Job to be an Hypocrite by this that he had chosen iniquity rather than affliction and if he could have made good the antecedent that Job had made such a choice the consequent would have been strong against him It 's true every act of Sin nay of sinning deliberately and that when the temptation to it is is not great doth not certainly evidence us to be Hypocrites the Lord be merciful to us all if it were so the best of men turn aside too often from God to Sin even when we are not much tempted to it by suffering But however this is the principle that every one that is sincere proposes to himself to live by to suffer rather than to Sin to lose all that he hath rather than lose his integrity and his ordinary care and endeavour is that his practice be according to this principle 2. To use all as God would have him He that will not give an Alms will much less give himself for a Sacrifice he that cannot spare his bread to the Lord how will he spare his life He that bestows and employs all that ever he hath according as God by his ordinary providence calls and appoints him that layes up and layes out only according to Gods order hath herein done that thing which will give him great ground of confidence that he hath an heart that will let go all whenever he is call'd to it The second Mark 2. An actual embracing of Christ as he that shall bring us to God 'T is Christ alone that must bring us to that God whom we have chosen 1 Pet. 3.18 Christ also hath once suffered for sins the just for the unjust that he might bring us to God Joh 14.6 I am the way the truth and the life no man cometh to the Father but by me And every one that cometh unto him he will certainly bring to the Father Now for the trial of our sincere embracing of Christ I shall put it upon this one thing our hearty consent to Christ Christians are joyned to Christ in a marriage union Hos 2.19 and 't is consent that makes the Marriage Consent to Christ is our will to have him and our willing Christ is our taking and embracing him Gen. 24.58 when Rebekah was ask'd the question Wilt thou go with this man Wilt thou have Isaac for thine Husband She said I will go there 's her consent and that 's the condition upon which Christ becomes ours whosoever will let him take of the water of life freely Now our unfeigned consent unto Christ includes in it and will be evidenced by Our approving of Christ Our accepting of Christ Our dedication and yielding our selves up to Christ Only I must tell you there is one thing that is necessarily pre-required to this consent and that is a distinct knowledge of Christ a knowledge of his person who and what manner of person he is a knowledge of his proper place in which he stands and his proper work that he is to do in order to the bringing us to God as in general that he is the Mediator betwixt God and Man
have respect unto all thy Commandements Then shall I not be ashamed that is then shall I be upright in the way and have boldness both before God and Men when I shall have respect that is when it is in mine heart to do thy whole will without giving my self leave to turn aside either to the right hand or the left He that Lives in the neglect of the acts of worship that prayes not and hears not he that neglects the general duties that sets not himself to seek the Kingdom of God to work out his own Salvation to walk as becometh the Gospel but takes up with a careless carnal worldly sloathful life whether he finds he allows himself in these great neglects or thinks he does not though his heart smites him and will not suffer him to be quiet or go out with such a life in peace the very neglect or not engaging in these great and most necessary duties does prove him an ungodly man and 't will not help this man to say I allow not my self in these neglects for where-ever there is grace there will be praying and hearing and something done towards the working out our Salvation 'T will never be found any man's godliness that he allows not himself to live thus ungodlily when yet he does it Though he gives not himself a deliberate toleration if yet his heart take leave to live thus without God in the world his wayes will betray him whose and what he is Yea and those that do something in those great and general duties yet if they allow themselves in the neglect of any particular duties that they know to be such in the neglect of Righteousness in the neglect of Mercy in the neglect of their Families and the duties they owe to them in the neglect of Neighbour or Strangers and the duties they owe to them and can wink at and dispense with themselves herein such men can never prove but their Religion is vain Art thou a Godly man who art an unrighteous and unmerciful man Art thou a good Christian who art no good Husband Art thou a good Woman who art an evil Wife Art thou a good Man who art a bad Neighbour and givest thy self leave to be so Art thou a Godly man whom halting after the Lord must serve thee instead of walking with God Art thou a follower of Christ who wilt have him abate thee some of his demands abate thee truth abate thee mercy abate thee self-denyal or if he will not abate it to thee any thing that thou likest not thou wilt abate it to him Is this to be undefiled or entire in the way of the Lord will God call that uprightness which cannot be called integrity and that sure cannot be counted integrity which advisedly leaves out any one of the Commandements of God But now he that gives himself to Prayer Hearing and praising the Lord who makes it the scope and business of his life to please God and make sure for eternity studying and endeavouring to approve himself in every thing to him who searcheth the heart and tryeth the reins and to keep himself unspotted of the world this is a Godly man this is Religion indeed Though through infirmity in many things he fall short he prayes but is sick of his praying he hears but is asham'd to think how he hears his Spirit is so often clouded and clog'd with corruptions and infirmities that he can feel no life nor take any comfort in any thing he does though by the power of corruption and temptation he be at times put besides praying and other duties and be sometimes found in the field when he should have been in his Closet in the Market when he should have been at Church though he find his heart too often running off from his work and slinking away after his earthly businesses and gaines and the vigorous prosecution of his design for heaven be sometimes intermitted though he sometimes fail in the ruling of his spirit in the governing of his thoughts and passions and hereupon be surprised by fits of pride or of anger or impatience the more it is thus the more doubtful will he unavoidably be touching his state and therefore dread to let thy lusts get head or take incouragement from their word yet if the bent of his heart and his course be towards the Lord and his intention and indeavour be to fulfil after him not indulging but judging himself for all his failings and striving within himself to stand compleat in all the will of God this man is a godly man and because he will not pardon himself God will certainly pardon and overlook all his infirmities and failings and graciously accept him in Christ Jesus to whom be glory for ever amen Now brethren to gather up all that hath been said for I would not have you to try by one but by all three marks laid down and so to bring this trial to an issue That soul that hath deliberately and absolutely chosen the Lord for his portion resolving to stand to his choice and not to change for ever that makes it the business of his life to pursue his choice and counts it the onely happiness of his life to serve and enjoy that God whom he hath chosen and for his sake is willing to suffer the losse of all things that so heartily approves of Christ and his Gospel that he accepts and adventures his soul and his hopes upon him alone that hath so dedicated himself and given up both the right and the possession of himself to him that he accounts himself no longer his own but is a servant and follower of Christ in righteousness and holiness of life heartily resolving and endeavouring never to allow himself in any known sin nor in the neglect of any known duty though his weaknesses be great his falls and failings be many this man is beyond all question a sincere godly man Doest thou yet fear whether thou be the man let that fear set thee a searching once and once again let it follow thee into thine heart and through all thy wayes let it lay thee in the ballance and compare thee with this pourtraicture of a godly man which is now set before thee if this will not serve to quiet and satisfie thee I know no more to say to thee but that thou diligently set thy self by increasing in the grace of God and outgrowing thy sinful weaknesses and failings to outgrow thy fears and thy doubts And when at length thou art come to a clear judgment that this is thy case then Son be of good comfort thy sins are forgiven thee if God have ever a child if there be ever an heir of the Kingdom of heaven in the world thou art one If thou be not mistaken in thy self but this be a true character of thee I am mistaken in the Gospel if thou be not a Godly and a blessed man Thou hast sincerely chosen the Lord and that 's a sure sign that
he hath chosen thee John 15.16 Thou art sincerely come unto Christ and therefore he will in no wise cast thee out John 6.37 Thou orderest thy conversation aright and therefore to thee will he shew the Salvation of God Psal 50.23 Thou shalt see the good of his chosen and rejoyce with the joy of his people and glory with his inheritance And now methinks there should be a particoloured face upon this mixed company some of you methinks should have the joy of the Lord in your countenances and his praises in your lips What hath the Almighty brought me hitherto hath he indeed taken me for his own and mark'd me up for life hath he given me an heart to pitch upon him and to accept of his son and thereby witnessed that I am accepted of him Is this his very Image which is to be seen upon mine heart and life and may I now say with boldness I am my beloveds and my beloved is mine blesse the Lord O my soul and all that is within me blesse his holy name Others methinks should be sighing and shaking for fear These are the blessed of the Lord but O in what case am I wo is me if none be the Lords but those that have thus chosen him for theirs if none be the redeemed ones of Christ but those that are his followers in holiness and righteousness O I dread to think whose I am Have I chosen the Lord am I a follower of Christ woe woe is me 't is too evident that I have chosen earth and vanity and am a follower after lies Ah wretch that I am are all my hopes is all my confidence now at last come to this Sinner how is it that thy soul is not yet in sackcloth and ashes that trembling and astonishment hath not taken hold of thee Art thou yet in quiet art thou yet at ease Is it nothing to thee to see thy self without Christ and without God in the world or canst thou wink so fast that thou canst not yet see that this is thy very case sure thou hast lost either thine eyes or thine heart if thy fears are not yet fallen upon thee As for you O beloved whom these markes have proved to be the Lord's Rejoyce in the Lord ye righteous and again I say rejoyce and study to confirm and establish your hearts in the joy of the Lord by walking worthy of that grace wherein you stand And thus I have dispatched the first branch of the first direction Search what good there is in you or whether there be the grace of God in truth in your hearts 2. Search what evils there are found in you You that have made a through proof of the grace of God in you by what hath been already said this part of the direction which yet remaines is intended as to you to humble you under and make you more watchful against those evils which yet remain But it s chiefly intended to that sort of professors who having but slightly search'd themselvs have gotten up to a confidence that they are the children of God In order to your making a further discovery of your selves besides what hath been already hinted to the same purpose let me advise you to search yet deeper what sins and corruptions there may be found in you you hope there is the good seed sown but what tares are there to be found in you Some tares will be found in the best fields some weeds will remain in the best gardens but search if there be no ranke-weeds such as use not to be found in the garden of the Lord whether there be no grosse nor reigning sins with any of you or if any such be whether they be suffered to grow and get head and overtop and choke those hopeful blades when ever they appear is your hand upon them to pluck them up or your foot upon them to tread them down Deal faithfully and passe through all your fields mark and observe your ways and see what you can find Or if your life be clearer than it hath been and you find not much above ground search what 's under ground dig down to the roots descend into your hearts and when you go down into these deeps go down trembling to think what you may find there though you have washt your face and wip'd your mouth and cleansed your hands yet fear what you may find below Men that go down into the bottom of a deep Well or into some dark vault or cavern of the earth they go down trembling there may be toads or snakes Jym and Ohim may dwell there and you also know not what you may find in your deeps Tremble as you go down in search after the evils of your hearts If there be no oaths nor lyes no murthers or adulteries in your lives yet there may be whole nests of them in your hearts See if there be no Images of Jealousie set up there before which all within you fall down and worship if there be not another God within besides him that hath gotten the name without Search narrowly from room to room from corner to corner it may be you may find such evils as may amaze and astonish you If the Lord should lead you through your hearts as once he led the prophet Ezek. 8.5 c. from place to place and first shewed him the Image of jealousie and then by an hole through a wall and a door led him further where he saw every form of creeping things and abominable beasts all the Idols of the house of Israel pourtrayed upon the wall and the ancients of Israel worshiping them and leading him yet further he saw more and more and greater abominations than these If you should thus go in search through your hearts God knows what abominations you might find which yet you have not discovered nor suspected It may be you may find the world sitting upon the throne within you and if there be not the form of every creeping thing yet all the beasts of the field your horses and your oxen and your Sheep may be pourtrayed and engraven upon your hearts these temples of the Lord may be made stables and stalls and folds and barnes where your cattel and your corn may be lodg'd and laid up nay possibly you may find them dunghils full of Toads and Adders lyes and adulteries and all manner of unclean lusts may be breeding in them Or If you find nothing else see if that Image of Jealousie Self be not found behind the curtain sitting upon the throne of God with a crown of pride upon its head and all within you even your very religion doing homage to it and being made its servants Friends you little think what an inside you may have whatever your outside be Dig through the wall look through the hole and enter by the door and search with trembling lest where you hope to find Christ and the spirit of grace you should find the unclean spirit with
full and setled purpose of mine heart and O that this my resolution may be attended with such an effectual power that may make a present actual change upon my whole course and way of life Well I will go in the strength of the Lord and let me find the presence and the power of the Almighty with me O that I might not go out of this house nor be seen in the streets but the tongues of those that see me might say where hath this man or this woman been this day what hath been done to them whence is this strange change Is not this the man that was born blind Is not this the cripple that sate for alms at the beautiful gate of the Temple said they once is not this the man that lived in blindness and in ignorance of God is not this he that was such a lame halting trifling vain walker how do we see him to have his eyes open and living in the grace and power of God what a change is here how comes this to pass surely this man hath been with Jesus surely he is become one of the Lords and the spirit of the living God is in him What say you friends are you now for such a change come and give your selves thus to the Lord and then fear not to commit your selves to his custody trust him for your pardon trust him for protection leave the care of your souls upon him for ever Faithful is he that hath called you and will take care of you Now you have a sure title to him and are hid in his blood and this blood of the lamb shall be to you as the scarlet line on the window of Rhahab was to her Josh 2.18 or as the blood of the Paschal lamb sprinkled on the lintels and door-posts of Israel Exod. 12. your certain security that the indignation shall passe over you and the destroyer shall not hurt you for ever 2. Fear and flee the ordinary effect of fear is flight and the reason of flight is fear There are three things in flight 1. There is departure in it be gone get thee up out of this place said the Angels once to Lot Gen. 19. 2. There is haste in it Flight is a departure in haste Haste thee stay not in all the plain 3. T is in order to an escape escape for thy life escape to the mountains Flee sinner flee away from thy sins and live What day thou hidest thee in Christ thou must leave thy sins behind thee or if thou carriest them to Christ with thee which comes all to one it must be only to be crucified particularly 1. Flee out of thy state of sin 2. Flee from the practice of sin 2. Flee out of thy state of sin to say no more in this place to fright thee to thy heels know that thy state of sin is a state of bondage Act. 8.23 thou art a mere bondslave to the devil and thy lusts Dost thou not feel the chains on thy neck the fetters on thy feet art thou not made to serve under thine enemies whom thou canst not find in thine heart but to obey tho it be to the cutting of thine own throat Thou art not left at liberty to act as a Christian according to the Gospel no nor as a man according to thine own reason and conscience but art made a mere brute of to serve the pleasure of the devil and thy lusts Art thou content to live and die such a slave behold the whole world is for liberty what groanings are there under oppression what outcries against impositions and invasions upon rights and priviledges and what impatience of vassalage and servitude and canst thou be so patient of the impositions of lust and thy vassalage under the devil canst thou dwell for ever under the usurpers is there any tyranny like that of thy will and lust is the worst of servitudes onely easie to be born arise thou slave shake off thy fetters get thee up out of thine house of bondage It is not barely a cessation from the acts of sin that I am now pressing you to let him that stole steal no more let him that was a swearer or a lyar or a drunkard swear no more put away lying and turn away from the wine and the strong drink but get you free from your state of sin get you up out of prison cease not only from doing the work but continue not under the dominion of the divel be no longer the practiser no nor the prisoners of sin Christ came not to make your prison more clean or more easie to cast out some of your filth or to get you an abatement of some of your drudgery work but to bring forth the prisoners out of prison Isaiah 42.7 Christ calls not to the prisoners to take their rest or to do their masters work by halves no nor barely to let it all alone but he saies to the prisoners go forth Isa 49.9 Sinners are not only employed and set on work by sin and the devil but they are sold under sin held under sin shut up under unbelief They are prisoners not only by constraint but by consent also they are voluntary prisoners they have made a league with sin and are its covenant-servants they are not onely prisoners to Satan but to their own hearts the heart of man is become so very a devil that it is its own gaoler the devil cannot commit a sinner into safer custody than by making his own heart his keeper Sinners those hearts of yours are become such Devils incarnate so desperately set against Christ so deeply engaged in soul-damning works that if God should leave you to the custody and conduct of your own natures these will lead you on to your damnation 'T is now become natural to sinners to hate the Lord and his way of life Sin hath made such changelings of them from what they originally were that 't is their nature to play the fools and the beasts 't is their nature to be proud to be froward to be malicious 't is mens corrupt nature that so strongly enclines them to follow the Devil and flee from Christ The Chicken doth not more naturally follow the Hen and flee from the Kyte than Sinners do follow that Kyte the Devil and flee from Christ As 't is said of the Devil Joh. 8.44 When he speaketh a lye he speaketh of his own so may it be said of sinners when they do wickedly they do of their own when they lye and swear and mock and riot they do of their own Their inward part is very wickedness Psal 5.9 Their hearts are a fountain of iniquity Jer. 6.7 As a fountain casteth forth waters so she casteth forth wickedness She casteth forth her wickedness not only continually as a fountain casts out waters the fountain runs night and day Summer and Winter from year to year but with the same freedome also there 's no need of the Pump or the Bucket to fetch
me in this one thing so fear as to flee Sin you will at once escape all that can hurt you If I bid you flee from a Serpent a Cockatrice may meet you if you flee from the Sword the Famine may meet you if you flee from the Famine the Pestilence may devour you if you flee from the wrath of Man the wrath of God may fall on you onely flee Sin and you are out of danger for ever Direct 3. Fear and follow after This Direction will concern The Vnbelievers The Believers 1. For Vnbelievers who are yet void of the Grace of God my word to them shall be this Follow after true and saving Grace in fear of falling short of it Heb. 12.15 Looking diligently least any man fail of the Grace of God This Direction hath been in part prevented in what hath been said in the two former our seeking to get into Christ and to get out of a state of sin is the same in effect as to seek after Grace What I shall adde to what hath been said shall be onely these two words 1. Let your aim be at Sincerity and be sure you take not up with any thing that 's short of it This I take it may fairly be accounted the sence of that counsel of Solomon Prov. 23.23 Buy the Truth The words may as well be rendred Buy Truth or Sincerity get an upright heart whatever it cost you Truth is sometimes taken objectively for the Doctrine of Truth the true Doctrine of Godliness Sometimes it 's taken subjectively for Sincerity and Integrity that Truth in the inward parts which God loveth Psal 51.6 Both may be here intended but especially the latter It is pernicious and dangerous to fall short of either but especially of the last To be false to our Religion is more dangerous of the two than to be of a false Religion An hypocritical Christian is in a worse case than an honest Infidel there is more hope of some conscientious Papists than of licentious Protestants Buy Truth Whatever you miss of whatever it costs you get Sincerity and Uprightness To buy it here notes 1. To make it our own Make Religion your own not only by getting a right Notion of it a clear understanding wherein the sincerity of Godliness lies nor barely by holding the truth and owning it in a bold profession there are that hold the truth in unrighteousness but by getting it formed and engraven upon your hearts and subjecting all your powers to the Authority and Government of it not only holding the Truth but suffering the Truth to take hold of you and to form you into its own image This is to make Religion our own 2. To buy notes to make it our own by way of Exchange by parting with and doing away whatsoever is inconsistent with it Buy sincerity whatever it cost you it may cost you much ere you can get it It must be bought though not by a price a price you have not to give all that you have is not of that value to be a price for Grace But though you have nothing to buy it with as a Price yet you have something to part with as a Condition without which you cannot obtain all that you have must go for it Luk. 14.33 I have spoken much already to shew you wherein Sincerity stands study well those marks I have laid down for Christians to prove themselves by and then propose it to your selves never to give over till you are gotten up to that spirit and life of Godliness that will abide the trial of those marks Resolve to pursue it to the utmost whatever it may cost thee If thine Estate must go for it let it go better be poor than ungracious if thou must lose thy Friends bid farewell to them all better be an Abject than an Hypocrite if thy Name and reputation must go let it go better be a Reproach than a Reprobate if thy sloth and beloved ease must go and it will cost thee labour and pains as certainly it will buckle to thy work better Labour than eternal Poverty Stick at no terms whatever the Lord imposes submit to it Let me have Grace Lord and let it stand me in whatever thou pleasest Take from me what thou wilt impose on me what thou wilt only help me to bear and perform and I am content so that I may be partaker of that Grace which accompanies Salvation Friends let me again beseech and exhort you thus resolvedly to follow on after sincerity and soundness and beware you do not conclude you have obtained before you have and so fall short at last Once more let me remember you of what I have already told you There are preparations for Grace which are not Grace there are Images of Grace which are not Grace there is something like Faith and like Repentance which are not the same Have you set out after Christ hath the Lord awakened any of your Souls is the sleeping Devil rouz'd and hath he rais'd such storms as he sometimes does at his casting out Doth Conscience stirre hath it worried thee out of thine old sleep and security Hath the great Shepherd sent forth his dogs thy fears after thee to fetch thee in and is thy Soul now in motion towards Christ art thou put upon praying and hearing and considering thy wayes and attempting an amendment Hast thou thus set out after the Lord O take heed thou take not up thy rest here follow on till thou obtain Friends 't is great pity that any of you should come so far and yet not come thorough but perish in the way Take encouragement from what is already done but take not up your stand here count not this all and yet do not count it nothing Man be of good courage the Lord who hath brought thee hitherto hath therein said to thee as to that Scribe Mark 12.34 Thou art not far from the Kingdom of God O thank God for that word the next word may be The Kingdom of God is within thee What within a step of Christ O take courage and put on one stroke further and thou hast shot the gulf a little more Prayer a little more Labour and the work may be done Follow on after the Lord and hope in God behold how he cometh leaping over the Mountains behold the Father of this poor Prodigal running to meet his returning Son The Sun of Righteousness behold is even rising upon thee O shall the Sun go back or stand still Cry to the Lord Arise shine upon this dark and benighted Soul bring in that light of Life which is already dawning upon me O let not Sin and the World now thou art gotten so near pull thee back or hold thee at the door Come on come on poor Soul the salvation of God is near even ready to be revealed upon thee the Lord stands waiting to be gracious to thee Whilest thou canst not say I have already attained follow after and thou shalt attain
than others said Christ to his Disciples Math. 5.47 I have not done by others as I have done by you they have not been taught as you have been taught they have not been fed as you have been fed they have not seen nor heard nor tasted what you have done think not that it can be born that you do no more nor no better than they Coloss 2.6.7 As ye have received Christ Jesus the Lord so walk in him rooted and built up in him and established in the faith as ye have been taught abounding therein with thanksgiving Is Christ in thee let the life of Christ be made manifest in thy life as he was so be thou in the world he went about doing good go thou and do likewise Hast thou faith hast thou the love of Christ in thee where is thy work of faith where are thy labours of love hast thou been filled with the fruits of righteousness with meekness humility mercy patience let them all have their perfect work that thou may'st be entire lacking nothing Our first fruits must be brought forth upon our selves our first care and business must be to work out our own Salvation to keep every one of us our own vineyard Thou hast an heart of thine own to keep and a tongue to keep and eyes and hands to look to and govern well thou hast thy thoughts and thy passions and thine appetite and thy Conscience and thy conversation to take care of and the grace thou hast received is firstly to be exercised upon thy self But though thy work begin there yet it must not end there thou hast thy family to govern thou hast thy father's family the houshold of faith to look after yea and thou hast a larger charge than this as thou hast opportunity do good to all Gal. 6.10 thou art set to be a guide to the blind a light to them that are in darkness an instructer of the foolish a teacher of babes an example of the believers yea and of the unbelievers also in word in conversation in charity in spirit in faith in purity Now Christians know your work and set to your work serve the Lord with the best you have and serve the Lord with all you have and all this in fear lest you should receive the grace of God in vain I beseech you saith the Apostle take heed of that 2 Cor. 6.1 I beseech you that you receive not the grace of God in vain Then the grace of God is received in vain not only when nothing is done by it but in a degree it may be said to be received in vain when its fruits are not proportionable there is not so much done as might have been done When he that hath received ten talents brings forth no more fruit than might have been brought forth with five when he that hath received five talents hath done no more good than might have been done with two all our receivings that are over and above the proportion of our fruits all the over-plus of them is received in vain He that is a knowing Christian if he lives not to better purpose than a Christian of little knowledge he that is an ancient experienced Christian if he be no more useful in his life than he that is but a babe that which he hath received above what this babe hath received is received in vain and the Lord may say to him wherefore is this waste What art thou a man of knowledge and hast had such long acquaintance with God and such experiences of his special love and kindness to thee and do'st thou keep all so much to thy self that thou art of little more use in thy generation than a child Hath the Lord taken thee into his heart shewed thee his loves comforted thee in Prayer counselled thee in his Word feasted thee at his Table caused his grace so to abound towards thee and made thee glad with the light of his countenance and all for no more but this hath he furnished thee and fitted thee for every good work and yet art thou thus barren and unfruitful An unuseful and unactive spirit in a Christian is an unhappiness and an unworthiness which yet possibly some that are none of the lowest form for attainments may have reason enough to charge themselves withall and to conclude that though they have not altogether yet they have very much received the grace of God in vain Brethren beloved let us study and let us learn that wisdom which is from above which is full of good fruits dare not to be found among the barren of the flock nor of those trees which do little better than cumber the ground Once more let me put the spur to the side What if the Lord should come among his fig-trees and find so little fruit upon thee art thou not afraid thou might'st hear that word Cut it down why cumbreth it the ground Consider friend what fruits are there found upon thee the fruits of the flesh may be are still hanging on what clustres are there of them hatred variance emulation strife wrath envying pride covetousness what a vintage is there of these wild grapes but where are the fruits of the spirit what a small gleaning is there of them to be found and what shrivelings are those that are would'st thou that thy Lord should find it thus with thee we read Cant. 4.16 when the Church was in a thriving fruitful state she prayed Let my beloved come into his Garden and eat his pleasant fruits Do'st Thou make that Prayer O no I am afraid he should come and find me thus thy Prayer is more like to be Let my Lord delay his coming But how long must he stay thine heart would shake within thee to think that he should find thee thus but when O when shall it be better with thee Take this pruning hook fear will serve thee for such an use and lop off these evil fruits that the fruits of righteousness may spring up in their room When shall the Roses and the Pomegranates bud when shall the fragrant spices flow forth those blessed fruits of the Spirit love joy peace long-suffering gentleness goodness faith meekness temperance when shall these sprout once Christians do you not wish 't were better with you can you bear your own barrenness Is not this vain empty fruitless life an offence to you do you not confess 't is low water with you do you not complain of your uselessness and unprofitableness But shall this be all shall we never have better fruit to bring before the Lord but our confessions and complaints of our want of fruit but our self-bemoanings and self-judgings for our barrenness Better this than nothing but when shall it be better when shall we hear the voice of joy and praise and thanksgivings to the Lord for blessing our fields with increase when shall we be able to say See O Lord thy blood hath not been shed in vain thy spirit hath not been poured
thine heart that canst so easily keep it within O what wonders are sluggish Christians Life without motion Fires that burn not Suns standing still Souls condens'd into the gravity of Carkasses the winged Spirits become as the creeping things of the earth when shall these immortal sparks recover and come to themselves Christians be impatient with these your slothful hearts let there be no sleep in your eyes till your sleepy Souls be awakened Be asham'd that you who talk what God hath done for you should have no more to say of what you have done or are ready to do for him Set every wheel in motion and thereby fit them for more easie motion let them stand no longer still fear lest your rust should eat out all your strength Be henceforth for an active life bethink the time that hath been run out in sleep and now awaken and begin to live in good earnest 3. Severity or strict and painful holding our selves to our rule Christians must be men of action but they must not act wildly or loosely and at all adventures but their actions must be regular they must be punctual and strict to their rule Christ's commands some of them are hard sayings and will put the flesh hard to it but whatever they be they must be submitted to Matth. 28.20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you As Christ is severe in his impositions upon us so Christians must be severe in their impositions upon themselves and must not abate to themselves a title of their hardest duty Christians must be rigid to be rigid in the way of any party of them that are or that call themselves Christians is an evil A rigid Presbyterian a rigid Independent or Anabaptist are such in the wrong of their brethren but it is a duty and an excellency to be a strict and rigid Christian provided that our rigor be more to our selves and to our own flesh than to all the world besides Now to bring you to this Severity let me exhort you to these three things 1. Fear to be offended at the severities of Religion 2. Fear to baulk any thing of the severities of Religion 3. That you may not fear the severities of Religion fear the severity of Christ against Irreligion 1. Fear to be offended at the severities of Religion Blessed is he that shall not be offended in me Matth. 11.6 The fear of Christian strictness is that which keeps back many a Soul from Christ A Christian who that understands what 't is to be a Christian will ever be able to bear it 'T is too hard service for me to yield my self to to put my self under such a Law as ties me up so short from all that mine heart desires and holds me so close to things so contrary to me how can I endure it The attempting an universal change of the scope the customs the pleasures and the whole way of my life how grievous are the thoughts hereof the matter of my design the nature of my work the temper of my society to whom I must joyn my self being all spiritual and heavenly how contrary are they to me The forsaking my Friends and Companions the abandoning my pleasures the bounding my liberty the bridling mine Appetite and Passions the laying a law upon my senses the watching every word of my mouth and every thought of mine heart the holding my self on by line and by rule in a way of constant painfull duty without any allowance of the least turning aside to the right hand or the left no though it were to the saving of my life who can with patience think of it All these things are against me How many Souls have there been in the World whom such forethoughts of Christianity have kept back from Christ and held under the power of the Devil But though it doth not prevail thus far upon thee thou wilt adventure after Christ however though thou dost not say in thine heart this yoke is not to be born and so throw it away yet possibly thou mayst say 't is hard to be born and think much of it that less might not suffice Thou wilt yield to it in the general but too often when it comes to be a Case that thou thy self art put harder than ordinary to it thy flesh flings and throwes and murmurs and thou art for the time ready to bethink and repent of thy Christianity Hath it never been thus with thee Fear lest it should and still remember Blessed is he that shall not be offended in me That is not so only as not to renounce me but not so much as to complain or groan or drive heavily under me Good is the Word of the Lord that 's a word becoming the heart and tongue of a Disciple 2. Fear to baulk any of the severities of Religion 'T is one thing to say even in the heart Good is the Word of the Lord and another thing to submit chearfully to it when it comes to the pinch By severity I mean not unreasonable roughness or rigour to our selves the unnecessary afflicting or macerating our bodies by self-whippings and scourgings or Penances going barefoot or in sordid and vile raiment as 't is used in the Church of Rome but by severity I mean strictness and exactness to our Rule whatever pain or prejudice it may cost us or expose us to Our holding our selves closely to every duty in special to those harder duties of self-denyal and mortification the taming of our flesh the beating down our bodies and bringing them in subjection by temperance and necessary abstinence those ungratefull duties admonishing reproving withdrawing from offenders and whatsoever else our Lord hath imposed upon us Particularly there is 1. Severity in imposing upon our selves when we are not partial in the Law taking only Christs easier words and leaving out the harder but do charge our whole duty upon our selves and when we do not deal too gently or remissely with our selves onely telling our hearts this is thy duty and it would be good for thee to observe it but do deal more closely and charge it home See to it O my Soul that thou keep the charge of the Lord It must be done dare not for thy life to favour thy self or spare thy flesh by neglecting thy duty 2. Severity in observing and performing our whole Duty When we are not onely not like the Scribes and Pharisees Matth. 23.4 Who bind heavy burthens and lay them on other mens shoulders no nor such as bind heavy burthens for our own shoulders and yet not touch them with one of our fingers but whatever Conscience bids us do that we observe and do 'T is one thing to lay good Lawes and prescribe good Rules to our selves and another thing to observe them We must yoke our selves to our work and go on diligently under the yoke We must not only not quarrel with our rules as too strait for us but keep touch with them and not indulge
than to receive the tincture of our society upon our hearts we like our acquaintance and are apt to grow like them Be familiar with the spiritual God and you will become more spiritually minded no such advance towards divine conformity as divine communion conformity will prepare for communion and communion will increase conformity Christians Be spiritual your work is spiritual it lyes in the exercise of spiritual Graces in the performance of spiritual duties in the offering up spiritual Sacrifices Your encouragements are spiritual encouragements spiritual priviledges comforts and rewards favour and acceptance with God fellowship and friendship with God peace of Conscience and joy in the Holy Ghost What are all these spiritual works and spiritual encouragements to carnal hearts how unfit is the spirit of a brute for the work of a man and how unsuitable is the Spirit of a man the carnal mind to the work of a Christian They that are in the flesh fleshly men cannot please God Rom. 8.8 1 Pet. 2.5 Ye also as lively stones are built up a spiritual house an holy Priesthood to offer up spiritual Sacrifices acceptable to God by Jesus Christ Sowing of fields planting of Orchards buying and selling and trading are as proper works for the beasts of the earth and as much they are like to do at it as blessing and praising and serving the living God to carnal men Sinners you also come together to pray and hear and Sing and serve the Lord but you are like to make as good works of it as to the spirit of these duties as your Cattel would do at building your houses or keeping your markets and by how much the more any amongst Christians are like you by so much the more unskilful are they like to be at the work of God And what are spiritual encouragements to carnal hearts how little would it quicken and provoke carnal men on in the Service of God to tell them as you grow more serviceable so you shall be more acceptable to God as you abound in duty so your grace and your comfort and your hopes and your joy shall abound If you could tell them This is the way to be rich to rise and grow great in this world you shall gain favour and friendship with men the Dignities and Preferments the Gold and the Silver shall be shared amongst the most active and industrious Christians What multitudes would this fetch in to be Disciples and what contending would there be who should be the most forward of all Christ's followers But whil'st this is all we can say you shall find grace in the eyes of the Lord you shall have treasure in Heaven we see by experience enough how little this will move them Get these hearts to be more Spiritualized and then you will find both the work of God and his rewards to be most acceptable work and the highest encouragements Friends what 's the reason that we so lose all our arguments which the Lord puts into our mouths to perswade you to more serviceable and fruitful life we open the good treasure of Heaven to you we set the unsearchable riches of Christ before your eyes and do what we can to enamour you of them thereby to allure on your lazy hearts to kindle desire to quicken to labour but nothing will do you are as slow and as heartless in your pursuit of these invisible treasures as if nothing had been told you of their worth and excellency how comes this to pass why are you 〈◊〉 yet carnal I that 's it that spiritual good things are no more taking with you your fleshly wayes your fleshly pleasures your fleshly converses and correspondencies have so kept alive and fed and fomented the carnality of your hearts that they cannot discern or taste the things of the Spirit When we are become more spiritual we shall savour and relish spiritual things and then shall we feel what attractives they will be our desires will be above our delights will be above our hearts will be lost to these carnal things we shall leave this earth to earthly minds when this mantle of flesh is fallen off and we are gotten up into the Chariots of fire then shall we ride upon the high places of the Heavens and our wings shall carry us on swiftly towards the mountains of Spices As far forth as we are become spiritual our motions upward will become natural and by how much the more natural by so much the more strong and pleasant the rougher things of Religion will be then more smooth and the hard things easie 't is this flesh that creates us difficulties when the flesh is swallowed up of Spirit difficulties shall be swallowed up of delight and then shall we go on our way rejoycing then shall we labour and abound in the work of the Lord when we shall thus taste and see that our labour is not in vain in the Lord. Lastly Follow after pleasure the Pleasure of Religion This will spring up to you out of the former branches as I have already hinted Get you such a Spirit of power and holy activity grow up to that exactness simplicity ingenuity and spirituality that you may drink of their pleasures Here I shall shew 1. That Religion hath its pleasure 2. That the pleasures of Religion are the portion of the grown Christian 3. What the particular pleasures of Religion are that we should be reaching after 1. Religion hath its pleasures You may remember I have been lashing and leading you on hitherto at least within a step or two by fear And though your fears will now in great part be left behind you I would not yet leave you That which follows will be of this use to you to encourage you to bear the rougher conduct of fear all along your younger time by that sweeter course you shall have of it when fear shall give up to love as the pleasures that comes in from the hopes of freedom doth allay and sweeten the the severities of an apprenticeship Religion hath its pleasure It hath its tartness and its trouble as you have seen already so much unpleasantness it hath in its fore view that foolish Sinners shun it and run away from it for fear They will not touch the Roses for fear of the prickles As 't is with Saints so 't is with Holiness 't is a Lilly among thorns these thorns not only hurt the Lillies but keep back the hand of the gatherers how many more than there are would be reaching after this precious flower but for fear of being scratch'd Well but whatever there be in Religion to affright it hath much more to invite us to it Her wayes are wayes of pleasantness and all her paths are peace Prov. 36.17 They shall be abundantly satisfied with the fatness of thine house and thou shalt make them drink of the River of thy pleasures Psal 36.8 what and how great the pleasures of Religion are will be made appear in the third particular