they shall all be saved No more at this Time JOHN X. 28. And I give unto them Eternal Life and they shall never perish neither shall any pluck them out of my Hand BRETHREN I am upon the Proof and Demonstration of the Doctrine which I raised from our Text viz. That none of the Sheep of Christ or Saints of God can so fall away as eternally to perish The last time I spoke to the fourth Argument which was taken from the Nature of the Covenant of Grace I shall proceed to the next Argument Fifthly They who are the Sheep of Christ Believers in Christ or his Elect Ones cannot finally fall away because they are the Children of God begotten of God and born of God Two things I shall do in prosecuting this Argument First Prove that all Believers are begotten and born of God Secondly Shew you how it doth appear from hence that they can never finally fall away and eternally perish First That they are begotten of God appears from several Scriptures Of his own Will beg at he us with the Word of Truth c. Meerly by his own Grace as the original Cause with the Word by the Spirit as the instrumental Means Spiritual Generation is the Work of God the Product of the Will of God and not of the Will of Man Which were born not of Blood nor of the Will of the Flesh nor of the Will of Man but of God Not of Blood as in natural Generation or not of the Blood of Abraham Grace and Regeneration being not the Product of the State or Faith of believing Parents This was the carnal Boast of the Jews We have Abraham to our Father Not of the Power of Man's Will that cannot produce the New Creature in himself nor in a Child or Brother If it was in the Power of a godly Man or godly Minister to convert or to regenerate his Child his Wife or his Brother would he let them perish But alas alas this is out of Man's reach out of his Power he cannot renew himself A Child may as easily beget it self in the Womb before it self was as a Man can form Christ in his own Soul or regenerate himself 't is God that doth it the Holy Spirit begets us Except a Man be born of Water and of the Spirit he cannot enter into the Kingdom of Heaven Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God and every one that loveth him that begetteth loveth him also that is begotten of him Whosoever hath that efficacious Soul uniting Soul transforming Soul renewing Sin-killing Grace of Faith is born of God 'T is not a bare believing Jesus is the Christ no but such a Faith that works by Love or the Faith of God's Elect For ye are all the Children of God by Faith in Jesus Christ Faith saving Faith the Faith of the Operation of God produceth this glorious Effect through the Spirit in the Soul From all which Scriptures it evidently appears that all Believers all the Saints are the Children of God begotten and born of God Quest Well what of this some perhaps may say How doth this prove they cannot fall away so as to perish 2 dly I answer This is my second Work and you will soon see how forcible the Argument is from hence to prove that none of them can perish See what our Blessed Saviour saith That which is born of the Flesh is Flesh and that which is born of the Spirit is Spirit That which is born of corrupt Nature or is the Product of the Flesh is Flesh or of the same Nature of that which did beget it As it is said of Adam he begat a Son in his own likeness that is a depraved sinful and mortal Child The Flesh bringeth forth Effects proportionable to the Cause 'T is thus in the first Birth But if by Flesh you will have our Saviour intend the product of Man's natural Abilities or the Effects of the highest Improvements of his natural Light Understanding Will c. why then it follows still that a Man purely natural can produce nothing but natural Operations for nothing in operation exceedeth the Virtue or Excellency of that Cause which influenceth it So that no Man can by his Abilities however improved produce any divine or spiritual Operation and this shews that Man must be born of the Spirit that becomes or is made truly spiritual and sit for the Kingdom of Heaven And saith our Saviour what is born of the Spirit is Spirit or is of the same Nature with the Holy Spirit that is Spiritual Holy Immortal since every Creature begetteth its own Nature Qualities and Image Such as is the Cause such is the Effect Thus it is in Generation and thus it is in Regeneration it must be from a Divine from a spiritual Cause and not a Natural that the Image of God is formed in the Soul The Flesh cannot bring forth an Heavenly Babe Can Corruption produce or be the Cause of Regeneration Can a Worm or an Ant bring forth a Man sooner than Flesh Or can any Man under Heaven beget or form and bring forth the New Creature in the Soul which is called the forming of Christ or the Image of God in us But now pray consider that such as is the Nature or Quality of the Begetter such is the Nature of that which is begotten of him therefore since the New Creature is begotten by the Holy Spirit it must partake of the Nature of the Spirit Christ saith it is Spirit it is spiritual immortal or incorruptible Hence the Apostle Peter saith Believers partake of the Divine Nature Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious Promises that by these we might be partakers of the Divine Nature Every Child of God is begotten by the Spirit through the Promise as Isaac was I will come and Sarah shall have a Son Compare this with that in 1 Pet. 1. 23. Being born again not of corruptible Seed but of incorruptible by the Word of God that liveth and abideth for ever Pray observe it which liveth and abideth for ever Mortal Seed in Generation begetteth and bringeth forth a mortal Babe a corruptible Child but the Word and Spirit of God begetteth and bringeth forth an immortal or an incorruptible Babe Such is the Babe of Grace or Child of God I speak of the New Creature or the regenerated Part in Man From hence let me draw this Argument viz. Arg. 1. That which is begotten and born of and is brought forth by the Spirit of God or of immortal and incorruptible Seed is an immortal or incorruptible Babe But the New Creature in the Soul of the Regenerate is begotten and born of or brought forth by the Spirit of God therefore the New Creature in the Soul of the Regenerate is an immortal or an incorruptible Babe Now if it be immortal or incorruptible it can never die but liveth and abideth for ever and
the Gospel is true and that Christ is the only Saviour and that the Institutions and Ordinances of the Gospel are his Blessed Appointments Thus many of the Jews tasted of Christ's Word i. e. They believed in his Name when they saw the Miracles which he did But Jesus did not commit himself unto them because he knew all Men They gave a true Assent to the Proposition of his Word yet did not close in with him they did not consent to receive him to desire love and obey him they had no Union with him by saving Faith and the like may be said of these Persons in our Text. 2. Nay these Persons finding Jesus Christ to be the true and great Saviour they may taste the Word or believe with some kind of Joy though it be a false Joy Who would not be saved or have Christ as a Saviour This they like they would be saved from Hell and Wrath but do not consider that Christ came to save his People from their Sins He will save none who abide in their Sins who hold them fast and resolve not to let them go Many may taste some sweetness in hearing of the Power of Christ to save who go on presumptuously in their ungodly Practices It is expresly said that the stony-ground Hearers received the Word with joy they had a taste of it A common Faith seems to give a taste the Name of a Saviour relishes sweet 3. They may taste of the Promises of the Word but may not like the Precepts of it or what sometimes follows and overtakes such who profess the Gospel or may like some Precepts but not like some others of them every Word of God with these is not precious they cannot deny themselves and follow Christ whither soever he goes They are not like David who saith Every Word of God is pure therefore I love thy Commandments above Gold yea above fine Gold Therefore I esteem all thy Precepts concerning all things to be right and I hate every false Way 4. A bare taste or a simple taste of the Word is enough for these a great deal of the World may be they think is too little yet a little Religion a little of the Word short Prayers and little Preaching will suffice them A great Portion is too little for their Children but Six-pence or a Shilling they may think is too much for the poor Saints or a small matter a great deal to be given to the Children of God It is evident these Persons gave little or nothing to the poor Saints by what the Apostle speaks in the Verses following our Text and therefore no sincere Believers For God is not unrighteous to forget your Work of Faith and Labour of Love in that ye have ministred to the Saints c. You as if he should say are not of that sort I am a speaking of they do not love the Children of God though they have had a taste of the Word This one Vertue Brethren is more than all those five Attainments mentioned in my Text when that which a Man gives is given in love to Christ 5. Yet this bare taste as you have heard might have some Effect upon these Mens Hearts 1. They might find some kind of delight in that Knowledg they have of the Doctrine of the Gospel and might speak in the Commendation and Vindication thereof Thus Balaam seemed wonderfully to be affected with the State of Israel and with the Tabernacle and Tents of Jacob yet he loved the Wages of Unrighteousness 2. It may work as you heard last Day a visible Change in them such a Power may go along with that taste they like Saul might become other Men. 3. They might have the same Lamp of Profession with true Christians and be taken for real Converts not known to the Godly but to be such The wise Virgins doubtless thought well of the Foolish they did not know they were unsound or foolish Ones 4. Such a Work and Effect the Holy Spirit and tasting of the Word might have that they might be full of great Expectation of bâ—ing embraced by Christ when he comes if they fell not away before 'T is said the foolish Virgins went out to meet the Bridegroom they had much Confidence may be more Confidence tho it was Self-confidence that the Wise for true Believers may be attended with many Doubts Dr. Owen speaking of this sort mentioned in my Text saith and no doubt saith the Truth That there is an inferiour common Work of the Holy Spirit in the Dispensation of the Word on many to whom it is preached causing in them a great Alteration and Change as to Light Knowledg Abilities Gifts Affections Life and Conversation when the Persons so wrought upon are not quickned regenerated or made new Creatures nor united to Jesus Christ that in the Persons thus wrought upon there is or may be such an Assent and Light and Conviction of the Truth proposed and preached to them as in its kind is true not counterfeit giving or affording to them a Profession of the Faith That is they are blinded and know not that they are unsound in the Main their Hearts for want of true Light deceive them as in the Case of the foolish Virgins nay and they may perhaps hold out in their Profession constantly unto Death nay may give their Bodies to be burned O see Brethren that your Faith is the Faith of God's Elect and that you are savingly renewed O look about you since it may be thus The Doctor adds That among these Persons are oft-times some that are endued with excellent Gifts and lovely Parts Qualifications and Abilities rendering them very useful to the Church of God being Vessels in his House to hold and convey to others the precious Liquor of the Gospel though never had their own evil Hearts changed To which let me add they are such or of this sort of Persons who are liable to sin the Sin against the Holy Ghost or so fall that it may be impossible for them to be renewed by Repentance Yet before they so fall it may not be impossible for them to become true Converts The Nature of which Sin against the Holy Ghost I purpose to open before I close with this Text. Fourthly I shall proceed to shew you what a taste of God and of his good Word it is which all true Believers have 1. 'T is a taste that arises from Spiritual Hunger There is a true sense of Want they have a craving Appetite and nothing but God in Christ can satisfy their Souls My Soul thirsteth for God for the living God saith David And hence it is that they are pronounced blessed Blessed are they which hunger and thirst after Righteousness for they shall be filled not have only a taste No no but they shall be filled they shall eat to satisfaction They see that they want a Righteousness whereby they may be declared Just and Righteous before God namely the
whether this Light Power or Moral Grace as they call it be Natural or Supernatural Mediate or Immediate they do not seem well to accord about it Some of them as one observes say the Power of Natural Reason or the Exercise of Human Credence is sufficient to a Man being convinced of the Truth of the Gospel or of the Declaration of God's Love and Grace in Christ so that he may believe as easily as to believe any other Matter upon infallible Testimony Others call it a Gift or the Light of the Spirit which all Men have yet if thorowly examined it is no more than a Natural Gift Light or Ability That it is the special Grace of God or Illumination of the Holy Spirit is not granted but denied by these Men it being no other Grace or Power than is afforded equally to those who perish as to such who are saved It is not such Grace or Operations of the Spirit that infuses holy Habits which determines the Will or inclines it to Good but such Excitements that only awaken and rouse its Native Power it is such Grace that the Will may receive or refuse the whole Efficacy of it so far as I can gather it lies not in its own Nature nor from the effectual Operations of God's Spirit but from the Will of Man Now how contrary this is to the Truth of the Gospel and all the Experiences of renewed and gracious Persons I leave to their considerations yet to detect and condemn these Notions I shall add a word or two before I conclude 1. Can a dead Man quicken himself or be raised to Life without a vital Principle be infused into him Will Moral Swasions bring a dead Man to Life 2. Hath Man a Power naturally in him exceeding the Power of Satan Or is he stronger than that strong Man armed Or are not all Men naturally under the Power of the Prince of Darkness he taking them Captive at his Will Let this be considered for seeing God's Word doth positively declare this to be the State of all Men by Nature i. e. that they are under Satan's Power what signifies that which they affirm Will Satan be perswaded to release and let go his Captives which he holds down in strong Bonds and Chains Or doth not our Saviour expresly intimate he will keep all his Goods in security until a stronger than he comes and binds him and devests him of his Power 3. Is not Faith said to be the Gift of God and not only so but that we believe according to the working of God's Almighty Power and after the same manner that he wrought in Christ when he raised him from the Dead 4. Is not the Carnal Mind enmity against God having in it an utter Averseness and Moral Impotency to do that which is spiritually Good for it is not subject to the Law of God neither indeed can be 5. Doth not the Scripture say that those who are born again are not born of the Will of Man but of God And again it is said of his own Will begat he us And if so is not the Creature as passive in Regeneration as the Child is in Generation God doth not work on the Soul absolutely of his Will according to these Men but waits to see what Man 's Will will do all depends on Man's-Will Grace with them neither worketh Physically nor Irresistibly and that God cannot or doth not by any Divine Operations of unwilling make the Will of Man willing for after all God doth the Will hath power and oftentimes does resist it and render all God doth of none effect Now as a reverend Person well observes according to these Mens Doctrine as the Power for these great Concerns of Salvation is not in God or his special Grace so neither is the Act from him that which gives or work the Act determines the Will or causes it to determine it self but the Lord by his Grace brings it only to the Will 's choice and leaves it to do as it list The Lord by his Power works not the Will to turn to God to loâ—e God to imbrace Christ to yield to the Spirit but leaves it indifferent to turn to God or against him to love God or to hate him to imbrace Christ or reject him to yield to the Spirit or resist him It must be left indifferent as to either Grace turns not the Scales but leaves the Will an equal poise that the Will of Man not the Grace of God may have the casting weight if Grace should weigh it down the Liberty of the Will they say would be violated and in nature destroyed Is this the Doctrine of general Love which they will have to be in God to Mankind viz. Hath the Lord left it indifferent in his Eternal Purpose whether any should be saved or no For if the Will complies not God will not bend it or bring it by irresistible Grace in a Physical Way to a Compliance and though Christ in redemption according to them died for all yet he hath left it indifferent whether any should be actually redeemed or no for the depraved Will of Man determines the whole Event of all that which Christ hath done and the Gospel or the Spirit doth do and if some Men were not better natured and more considerate than others Christ might have died in vain And it follows also that such who are saved have more cause to admire their Wills compliance in believing than to exalt and admire the free Grace of God if what they say be true Alas this general Love of God they talk of that is but an indifferent respect to all or any for all are beloved alike or else God is a respecter of Persons they say ends in Love or Hatred as the Sinner's Will determines it If the Will accepts chuses and yields to Christ then the Person is beloved and chosen by Him but if the Will refuses as the Will of every Mortal might as well as one according to their Notion then he is hated Whatever particular Love they ascribe to God it is no other than what rises or is occasioned from the Sinner's Love to him God foresaw that such and such Persons would believe and love him therefore purposed to save them he foresaw that they would embrace chuse and love Christ therefore he loved them and chose them to Eternal Life provided they continue their Good-liking and Affections to God unto the End How they will be able to deliver themselves from these and such like Consequents from attending their Notions I see not The Apostle says We love him because he first loved us and that we have not chosen him but he hath chosen us But certainly if these Men consider their Principles when they speak of particular Persons they must say he did not love us first but we loved him and that he did not chose us first but we chose him And thus the Doctrine of God's Free Grace
this Marriage-Contract or Espousal Love of Christ to his true Israel This Conjugal Love of Christ is that never-exhausted Fountain of all our spiritual and eternal Comforts all Mercies like Streams which never fail flow to all Believers from hence Can a Man shew greater Love to a Woman than to espouse her to be his Wife This is beyond the Love of Parents to Children Christ bestows himself on us and all he hath nay and that he might do this he bought or purchases us Christ bought his Spouse none ever gave such a vast Sum for a Wife as Jesus Christ hath done and shall any think he will lose her after all this if he is able to help it How can that enter into any Man's Thoughts Will a faithful Husband a tender Husband suffer his most dear and beloved Wife that he hath such Affection to to be torn from him and be abused and pulled into pieces and he look on If he hath Power in his Hand will he not rescue her nay die upon the Spot before he will see this done But alas ala what is the Love of any mortal Man to his Spouse to his Wife when compared with the Love of Christ to his Saints who loved his Church and gave himself for her and whose Love is as you have heard so wonderful infinite and inconceivable Moreover I hope none doubt of his Power Others may see their Wives ravished and torn in pieces before their Eyes and cannot help it they are not able to help and save them but Christ wants no Power as he wants no Wisdom Care or Affections Now what are the Enemies the most dangerous Enemies of the Spouse of Christ Is not Sin the chief Sin the World the Devil c. Will he then think you let Sin prevail Satan prevail so far as to deflour murder and destroy that precious Soul he thus loves and hath espoused to himself Those who assert final falling from a State of true Grace must say he doth thus viz. He suffers Sin to destroy his Spouse even to put out the Eyes deflour strip wound and murder the Soul he has espoused whilst he stands by and looks on and can but will not help nor deliver her because the Soul is bliaded by some Lusts or drawn away by an Enemy therefore they say he will not He that can believe such a Doctrine let him But Fifthly Christ Love hath an attracting and a retaining Quality in it It draws the Soul to Christ and it keeps it close with Christ when it hath received and imbraced him it draws nay constrains the Soul to love Christ We love him because he first loved us And no Man or Woman that loves Christ sincerely but they hate Sin it constrains the Soul to return Love for Love Christ's Love is like Elijah's Garment that he cast upon Elisha who immediately run after Elijah and said Let me I pray thee kiss my Father and Mother and then I will follow thee And be said Go back what have I done unto thee Thus doth Christ's Love to the Soul in all that feel its Influences they follow him cleave to him and also keep with him for like as the Fear of God so the Love of God is put into our Hearts if we are sincere Christians and we shall not cannot finally depart from him Sixthly Christ's Love is a free Love as nothing did purchase it so nothing can nor shall lose or forfeit it I will love them freely From the whole I infer If the Love of Jesus Christ is an early Love a Love of Complacency if it be a wonderful and amazing Love if it be an immense infinite and incomprehensible Love if it is a conjugal Love an attracting and retaining Love a free and abiding Love which he hath to every Believer then he will not ever let go that hold he hath of every one of them so as to suffer them to fall from him as eternally to perish But such is the Nature of the Love of Jesus Christ therefore he will never so let go that hold he hath of every Believer as to suffer them to fall so as eternally to perish Brethren such is the Love of Christ to his Saints as that he gives them special Tokens and Assurance of his Eternal Favour Some of them are these following 1. He calls them with an effectual and special Calling 2. He renews them and stamps his own Image upon them 3. He puts his Holy Spirit into them 4. He justifies them freely by his own Grace giving them his own Robe of Righteousness which is beyond a Garment of Cloth of Gold 5. He sanctifies them and endows them with Power to mortify Sin and when they fall he helps them up again by his right Hand 6. He seals his Love to them with the Kisses of his Mouth or by his most sure and precious Promises 7. He commands his Holy Angels to attend them and to administer to them and keep them in all his Ways 8. He leads feeds and preserves them under all Trouble Temptation and Afflictions and sympathizes with them 9. He sets them as a Seal upon his Heart as a Seal upon his Arm they are engraven on the Palms of his Hands he hath sworn that his loving Kindness shall never be taken away from them As I have sworn that the Waters of Noah should no more go over the Earth so have I sworn that I will not be wroth with thee For the Mountains shall depart and the Hills be removed but my Kindness shall not depart from thee c. 10. He puts his Law into their Hearts that none of their Feet should slide APPLICATION First To close with this O see you that are Believers that you strive after the Knowledg of Christ's Love Motives 1. It is the highest Ingratitude not to desire after the Knowledg of such Love Shall a Beggar be beloved by a Prince and she not be affected with it nor inquire after it 2. Because you are the Objects of this Love of this Affection doth it not seem an amazing Consideration to you May be you can't soon believe it because you see no worth in your selves Ah saith the Soul Christ loves me thus What such a poor sorry and filthy Wretch Wonder O Heavens be astonished O Earth The more you know it the more you will love your Blessed Saviour He loved me not a righteous Person but me a Sinner a loathsom Sinner when in my Blood and Filth 3. This will make you little in your own Eyes the more we know of God and of Christ and of his Love the more we shall loath and abhor our selves O that ever I should grieve him as I have done How did the sense of God's Love and Goodness to David humble him Who am I O Lord and what is mine House that thou hast brought me hitherto And yet is this a small thing in thine Eyes O God
do appropriate part of it to my self which is the worst part of Popery They say that Christ's Merits with their own good Works do justify and save them And what do the Arminians say less who join Faith Inherent Righteousness and Sincere Obedience with the Merits of Christ both in Justification before God and in the Salvation of their Souls They say all Men are in a capacity or have Power to work out their own Salvation if they will Mr. William Allen says on that Text Rom. 4. Now to him that worketh not but believeth on him that justifieth the Vngodly his Faith is counted for Righteousness That they are the Works of the Law he doth not say That he that loves not c. So that Love Gospel-Obedience and Holiness according to these Men are not excluded as the Matter of our Justification before God but are a part of it They plead for Gospel-Works in point of Justification though not for the Works of the Law Pray what Difference is there between these Mens Doctrine and that of the Papists But I having lately in my Treatise called The Marrow of Justification so fully confuted this Grand Error I shall add no more to it at this Time but come to examine the Text. 1. It is evident that the Persons to whom the Holy Apostle wrote this Epistle were Saints and Justified Persons or such who were quickned renewed or regenerated by the Holy Spirit Therefore 2. Let us consider what Part of Salvation it was which they were required to work out 1. They could not appease the Wrath of God nor satisfy Divine Justice that sure was not in their Power to do nor is it here intended 2. They could not deliver themselves from the Curse of the Law because by their uttermost endeavour they could not arrive to a compleat or perfect Righteousness nor satisfy for the breach of it by Original Sin and by Actual Sins formerly by them committed 3. They could not change their own Hearts or create in themselves a new Heart they had no creating Power certainly they dare not say they had Power or were capable to form Christ in their Souls or restore God's lost Image in them Again 4. They could not raise themselves from the Dead for they were once dead in Sins and Trespasses and sure they will say that to raise and quicken the Dead is Christ's Work only You hath he quickned he does not say you have ye quickned 5. They could not bind the strong Man armed who formerly had the ruling Power in them and in whose Chains and Fetters they were once bound Will they say that all Men have a greater Power in them than is the Power of Satan so that Man may translate himself if he will out of the Power and Kingdom of Satan into the Kingdom of God's dear Son as all Believers by the irresistable Power of God are 6. They could not believe of themselves because Faith is a Fruit of the Spirit of God and 't is said expresly It is not of our selves but it is the Gift of God Now all things are as parts of our Salvation or appertain thereunto and none of all these things can be here meant by the Apostle because the Persons to whom he wrote had all these things work'd out for them and in them before Quest What Work is it then What were they to work out Answ I answer The Apostle means that good Work of Mortification of Sin and all Works that are the Fruits of Faith that is they should lead a Holy and Godly Life they having received a Principle of Grace from Christ to this very End there being a Necessity that the Tree be first made Good before the Fruit can be Good and that a dead Man have a Principle of Life infused into him before he can either move or work Quest But can the Creature do these things you mention of himself Answ The Apostle seems very jealous of these Saints lest they should catch up some Arminian Notion which is too much rooted in Man's corrupt Nature and therefore to vanquish Free-Will or the Power of the Creature for ever nay the Power that is in regenerated Persons he adds For it is God that worketh in you both to will and to do of his own good Pleasure who worketh in them powerfully effectually carrying on the Work through all Difficulties and Obstacles with victorious Efficacy God works not only Grace in them at first but still by his Spirit through fresh Supplies does aid influence and assist them and will until the Work is perfected or until the Day of Christ We cannot mortify Sin pray nor do any good Work without the Spirit If ye through the Spirit saith Paul do mortify the Deeds of the Body ye shall live So then this is the Sum In Holiness and all good Works we act and do But how even as we are acted moved and influenced of God It is as when God acts works and moves in us by his Spirit And as to do all with fear and trembling this is only to shew how low we should lie at the Foot of God and be humble and not lifted up with Pride since all our Power and Sufficiency is of God But so much to this Text and Objection Object 8. But what say you to that Text in Jer. 22. 24. Though Coâ—iah the Son of Jehojakim King of Judah were the Signet upon my right Hand yet would I pluck thee thence This Place of Scripture is sent me as a grand Objection against Final Perseverance Answ We must distinguish between one that might be near to God or as dear as a Signet on the right Hand in respect of Place or External Dignity as a King and God's bringing him from thence by Temporal Punishment and one that is a Signet upon God's right Hand in respect of Divine Grace and Favour in Jesus Christ or as touching his Eternal Election the latter this Text does not refer unto Object 9. Is it not said If ye abide in me and my Words abide in you c. Answ The Supposition If ye do doth not always denote a Possibility that a Person may not do so See John 15. 10. If ye keep my Commandments ye shall abide in my Love even as I have kept my Father's Commandment and abide in his Love Was it possible for Christ not to abide in his Father's Love Our Saviour uses these Expressions as an Argument of Comparison 1. This shews how acceptable Holiness and Obedience is to God 2. It also implies thus much i. e. That God hath ordained his Saints to Faith Love and Obedience as well as to Eternal Life If my Word abide in you c. Now elsewhere God saith to Christ And the Words which I have put into thy Mouth shall not depart out of thy Mouth nor out of the Mouth of thy Seed which are Believers they shall have his Word abide in them for ever The Law of God
the Power to change the Heart is not in the Creature it is God's Work on the Soul 't is he that stamps his own Image upon us and if he withdraws the Influences of his Holy Spirit from Men or refuses to give Grace to them in order to bring them to Repentance and to believe in Christ they must perish Now God will not afford these Persons that so fall away the Assistance of his Spirit in order to the working the great Work of Faith in them therefore it is impossible for them to be renewed He saith not saith one it is impossible they should be saved but that it is impossible they should be renewed unto Repentance these Apostates Salvation is impossible because their Repentance is impossible He that never repenteth can never be saved for he that repenteth not shall not have Remission of Sin and if the Holy Spirit be utterly withdrawn from Men it is impossible they should ever be renewed to Repentance 2. The Persons therefore here intended do not repent cannot repent Repentance is hid from their Eyes they never endeavour after Repentance they are left to hardness of Heart and to final Impenitency by the Lord as a just Judgment for their horrid Evil and cursed Apostacy possibly they may fall under Terror and Despair yet never desire or look after Repentance on God's Terms Brethren it is not impossible for the greatest Sinner in the World to be renewed that hath not sinned against the Holy Ghost or whom God hath not wholly given up to blindness of Mind and to hardness of Heart All manner of Sins and Blasphemy against the Father and the Sun shall be forgiven unto Men but the Blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto Men. And all Vnrighteousness is Sin and there is a Sin unto Death 3. God leaves these Persons for ever he utterly casts them off And wo unto them saith he when I depart And may say unto them and much more as he said once unto Ephraim Ephraim is joined unto Idols let him alone He commands his Ministers to let them alone and not striâ—e with them reprove not exhort them any more He saith unto Conscience Let them alone check curb reitrain nor rebuke them any more He saith unto his Spirit Let them alone move them or excite them to perform Religious Duties no more strive with them no more for ever No Doctrine no Word no Rod no Affliction or Judgment shall do them good any more for ever This Spiritual Judgment is the worst of all Judgments and so makes it impossible for them ever to be renewed unto Repentance for there remains no more Sacrifice for Sin but a certain fearful looking for of Judgment and fiery Indignation which shall devour the Adversaries 4. God puts an end unto all expectation concerning them he looks for no more Good from them he exercises no more Care about them no more Labour Pains nor Patience towards them God affords no more Means of Grace for their Conversion Repentance is hid from their Eyes he says Let this Ground lie barren for ever it shall never be plowed sowed nor watered any more for ever He looks for no more Fruit he will not dress it nor dung it any more his Sun shall shine upon it no more nor shall the Rain fall upon it from Heaven any more wo unto such Souls God saith to them as Christ said when he cursed the barren Fig-tree Never Fruit grow on you any more 5. God in Judgment and Wrath gives these up to a reprobate Sense to hardness of Heart to blindness of Mind and to a seared Conscience and they become notoriously Wicked being filled with Rage and Madness full of Envy and Malice against God and against Christ and against all that fear God 6. And usually they are left in severity to their sensual Lusts and become notoriously Wicked and Prophane nay rather worse than the worst of Carnal Persons that never were enlightned at all And so he gave them up to their own Hearts Lusts and they walked in their own Counsel They are left or given up unto Satan to be led acted and influenced by him and are commonly also carried away into pernicious Errors and Delusions even to believe a Lie that so they may be damned because they received not the Truth in the Love of it that they might be saved And many times they become Persecutors of God's People reproaching vilifying and contemning all Religion Quest What a kind of Sin is the Sin against the Holy Ghost And what sort of Persons are they who may sin this Sin Answ 1. I shall shew you first in the Negative what a Sin it is not Namely all Sin or Sins whatsoever that any carnal Person who to this Day abode under the Power of Natural Ignorance and never was inlightned by any Operations of the Spirit commits for such cannot commit the Sin against the Holy Ghost it being positively said That they are such who were once enlightned 2. It is not every Sin which is against Light and Knowledg for no doubt but David and Peter sinned against Knowledg and the Light of their own Consciences and after they had been enlightned yet were recovered and renewed unto Repentance 3. The Sin against the Holy Ghost is not every Sin that is committed against the Holy Ghost for he that grieves the Holy Spirit and that quencheth the Holy Spirit sins against the Holy Spirit nay all wicked Men who sit under the Preaching of the Gospel no doubt sin against the Spirit whilst they resist the Strivings and Motions thereof 4. It is not any hainous and abominable Sin as Whoredom Perjury Murder no not Self-Murder not the murdering of the Saints of God nor putting Christ himself to Death by wicked Hands or the murdering of the Lord of Life and Glory Paul was guilty of the Blood of Stephen and many of the Jews were pardoned who might have a Hand in the barbarous Murder of the Son of God 5. It is not every wilful and presumptuous Sin for multitudes of wicked ignorant Persons so sin daily for whom there is Mercy and Pardon upon Repentance though they have a Whore's Forehead and refuse to be ashamed 6. It is not every degree of Apostacy or Backsliding from God A true Child of God may be guilty of a partial Apostacy for thus Israel sinned and fell from God nay backslid so far as to turn to cursed Idolatry yet God offered them Pardon Return backsliding Israel saith the Lord and I will not cause mine Anger to fall upon you for I am merciful saith the Lord c. 7. Nay I will not say that every malicious Sin against God's People is the Sin against the Holy Ghost when Men hate the Saints for their Religion and Goodness though it be one of the highest Degrees of Wickedness because therein their hatred against God himself is manifested But what may not a Man do that
and under the Sentence of Eternal Death being Enemies to God and having Enmity in their Carnal Mind against God and great Mountains of Guilt lying upon them I say thus it is with them but they know it not It is with them as it was with the Church of the Laodiceans Because thou sayest I am Rich and increased in Goods and have need of nothing and knowest not that thou art wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked See what a sad State this professing People were in and yet ignorant of it thought they were perfect as that Man must needs suppose that thinks he wants nothing they no more knew their great Danger than did the old World of the Flood and Sodom of those Flames which suddenly consumed them all 4 thly Some conclude they believe and have true Grace they make a profession of the Gospel and have been baptized having great Gifts and Parts and yet for all this never were effectually changed never obtained the Faith of God's Elect but through Ignorance they are perswaded all is well with them and so they come not to look out to Christ but do neglect the Means of Conâ—â—rsion by being perswaded they are converted already Now this Ignorance may be occasioned several ways 1. Chiefly it arises from that natural Darkness that is in them and which naturally cleaves to all Mankind Sin has put out the Eyes of our Understanding But 2. It may also arise partly from the Ignorance of those blind Guides whose Teachings and Doctrine they may I mean some of them sit under My People are destroyed for lack of Knowledg and the Cause was those that taught them caused them to err If the Blind lead the Blind they will both fall into the Ditch O take heed under what Ministry you venture your Souls The Pharisees and Scribes were learned Men and some of them great Preachers but wholly ignorant of the Doctrine of the Gospel and of Salvation by Jesus Christ Many like the false Teachers of old Cry Peace Peace when there is no Peace 3. Moreover this Ignorance arises partly from Satan he hath too great an Influence on the Hearts and dark Minds of Men But if our Gospel be hid it is hid to them that are lost In whom the God of this World hath blinded the Eyes of those that believe not lest the Light of the glorious Gospel of Christ who is the Image of God should shine unto them Satan hath a mighty Power over sinful Men by his cunning Devices to keep them in Ignorance and to hinder them from studying knowing and believing the Gospel and by this Means they neglect this Salvation Such are blinded by Satan that believe not he may perswade them that a general Faith or a common Faith is true Faith and sufficient and so he cheats them with a Counterfeit instead of saving Faith or Satan blinds Mens Eyes by moving them to seek Salvation in some other way than by Christ alone and by believing in him resting relying and depending on him like an evil Person who puts a poor Traveller out of his way or directs him the direct contrary way that so he may be robbed and murdered by him and by other Thieves that may way-lay him 2. Some neglect the Salvation of the Gospel from that inordinate Love they have to the things of this World Thus the young Man that came running to Christ neglected it he had his Heart so set upon his great Possessions that he went away from our Saviour sorrowful and refused the Salvation of his own Soul he could not part with the World for a Part in Christ and Eternal Life So they that were invited to the Marriage-Supper out of an inordinate Love to the things of the World refused to come The Kingdom of Heaven is like unto a certain King which made a Marriage for his Son and sent forth his Servants to call them that were bidden and they would not come But they made light of it and went their ways one to his Farm another to his Merchandise This Marriage-Supper is this great Salvation but the things of the World are more valued by most People than the Salvation of their Souls Luke saith And he sent forth his Servants at Supper-time to say to them that were bidden Come for all things are now ready Many Persons refuse to feed on Christ they believe not will not eat of this Supper will not feed on a crucified Christ or eat his Flesh and drink his Blood by Faith through Love to their carnal Pleasures Honours and worldly Profits And they all began with one consent to make excuse The first said unto him I have bought a Piece of Ground and I must needs go and see it I pray thee have me excused And another said I have bought five Yoke of Oxen and I go to prove them I pray thee have me excused Another said I have married a Wife and therefore I cannot come Lawful things may be abused and the Heart so set upon them that they drown Men in Perdition and Destruction Mens Hearts naturally are earthly and sensual and as they know not so they desire not the Knowledg of God and Jesus Christ they are satisfied with that Portion they have this World is for them they care not regard not the things of another Life 3. Some neglect this Salvation out of Love to unlawful things They will feed on forbidden Fruit I mean on their filthy Lusts they will swear steal whore be drunk grind the Face of the Poor deal unjustly give way to Pride c. and from hence neglect the Salvation of their Souls I was lately told of a gracious Woman living near this City whose Daughter wore a very high Head-dress or that shameful Mode now in fashion which so grieved the Mother that she gave her a rich Ring upon condition she would leave off that Dress or Top-knots Her Daughter took the Ring and conformed for a while to her Mother's just Desire but it was not long before she gave her the Ring again and repented of her Reformation and got on her old Dresses again Alas some will not leave off and forsake their Lusts for Chains of Gold they will live in their Sins persist on in their ungodly Courses let what will come they matter not who they grieve they prefer their cursed Lusts and Pleasures above this Salvation though it be so great as you have heard 4. Moreover some neglect Salvation because there is a Cross joined to the Crown they must take Christ's Yoke upon them and be exposed to Reproach for his sake and this they cannot endure the Yoke is uneasy to the Flesh the Flesh cannot bear it No it is only easy to such whose Hearts are renewed who have got a new Nature The Cross makes many lose the Crown but Brethren had Jesus Christ refused the Cross where had we been 5. Some Persons neglect Salvation through the treachery and
Wrath it is inconceivable Wrath as God's Love and Goodness is inconceivable infinite incomprehensible which all that love him shall partake of to Eternity so on the other hand his Wrath and vindictive Vengeance is unexpressible nay inconceivable which will be let out upon the Ungodly Who shall be punished with everlasting Destruction from the Presence of the Lord and from the Glory of his Power Mark it from the Glory of his Power from the Greatness of God's Power exalted Power O it appears to be amazing Wrath were this considered well and laid to Heart 4. It will be unmixt Wrath or Wrath without Mixture the Wrath of God that is let out here in this World is full of Mixture nay that which hath been let out upon the Spirits and Consciences of Men hath had some mixture in it some Ease mixt with Anguish some mitigation of Pain and Horror some Mercy mixt with Misery but in Hell the Wrath of God is unmixed Wrath it is all pure Wrath nothing but Wrath. The same shall drink of the Wine of God's Wrath which is poured out without mixture into the Cup of his Indignation and he shall be tormented with Fire and Brimstone c. 5. It is fierce Wrath it is called the fierce Wrath of the Lord a Metaphor taken from a fierce and amazing devouring Fire Sinners are commanded to seek the Lord before the Decree bring forth before the Day pass as the Chaff before the fierce Anger of the Lord come upon them I he Heat of Anger inraged Anger and Fury Behold the Day of the Lord cometh cruel both with Wrath and fierce Anger 6. It is irresistable Wrath no withstanding it no making Head against it Wrath breaks forth against the Sinner like a Giant or mighty Army that none can resist nor stand before Who can stand before his Indignation and who can abide the fierceness of his Anger his Fury is poured out like Fire c. 7. It is just and deserved VVrath Wrath that is due to such who slight and neglect so great Salvation it is the Wages of Sin of such Sin it is their just Due and Desert as Wages are due to a Servant Every one says With-hold not from the Hireling his Wages A Servant when he hath done his Work must be paid his Wages it is right and just that he should have it so it is Right and Justice in God thus to reward all those who abuse his Mercy and neglect his Salvation so great Salvation God will proportionate every Man's Reward according to the nature and degree of his Sin 8. It is heavy Wrath David complained of the Heaviness of his Sin Alas it was no doubt as Mr. Caryl notes from the Apprehension of the Anger and Wrath of God Mine Iniquities are gone over my Head as a heavy Burden they are too heavy for me I have offended thee I fear thy Displeasure my Sin deserves thy Wrath but tho there are Mountains of Iniquity upon unconverted Sinners they feel no Weight they make light of it they sport at it but when Wrath comes once to be laid upon them they will feel how heavy that is who can bear this Burden or stand under this Weight When Wrath was laid upon our Blessed Saviour how heavy did he find it it made him sweat great drops of Blood it almost crushed him down unto the Earth one Sin is heavy and if God lay the Weight I mean the Guilt of it upon the Soul it will crush it down to Hell O then what a Weight will that be which will lie upon Sinners when the Burden or Weight of all their Sins are laid upon them and none to take that Weight off of them for ever how low will it sink them 9. It is eternal Wrath everlasting Wrath Wrath that will never cease They shall be punished with everlasting Destruction He shall be tormented with Fire and Brimstone in the presence of his holy Angels and in the presence of the Lamb and the Sincke of their Torment ascendeth up for ever and ever O what a wosul Condition will all those be in that God lets out such Wrath upon How lamentable is and will be their State who neglect this so great Salvation Can you think of these things you that slight the Offers of God's Grace in Jesus Christ and not tremble APPLICATION 1. O what a Mercy have they obtained that are delivered from such Wrath such heavy Wrath As no Man is able to bear the Wrath of God so no Man is able to get away from it when it hath took hold of him he cannot escape from that which he cannot endure Alas the Devils themselves shall be tormented with all Unbelievers and they cannot escape with all their Powers of Darkness and indeed this will add to the Torment of the Wicked I mean to be yoked in Hell-Torments with such Companions to be forced to abide for ever with Devils who perhaps will add then to their Misery and aggravate their 〈◊〉 by upbraiding them with their Folly in believing him who was 〈◊〉 Father of Lies and to contemn so great Salvation for the sake oâ— very Vanity for the love to Sin or love to the transitory Pleasures and Riches of this evil World 2. We may also from hence see cause to admire the Love of Jesus Christ who bore the Wrath of God for us Certainly had not he had the Power of the Deity to uphold him he could not have born that Wrath that was so heavy upon him O love and honour this blessed Saviour who hath saved you that believe from such Wrath His Blood hath quenched this flaming Fire so that you shall never feel what the Wrath of God is Brethren remember we could not be delivered from the Wrath of God unless Jesus Christ did bear it in our stead even Jesus who delivered us from Wrath to come our Jonas was thrown into the Sea of Wrath to save us from sinking down to the bottom of eternal Wrath. 3. And may not this stir you up that are ungodly Persons to flee from Wrath to come Why do you stand making a Pause as it were O haste to Jesus Christ come to him for that is the way and the only way as you have heard to be delivered from Wrath. You know not how near you are to fall under the Wrath of God and then it will be too late God gives you space to repent and to take hold of his Salvation you will Sinners have no Excuse no Plea in the great Day if you neglect the Day of your Visiâ—ation and slight the Offers of God's Infinite Grace and Favour Can you bear the Wrath of God Are you willing to try how heavy it is We read of an eternal Weight of Glory that will be a good Weight not a burdensome Weight not an oppressing Weight it is called a Weight of Glory because of the Greatness of it the Excellency of it But know as there
professing Godliness tho' I dare not say but some sincere Christians may be overtaken with this Evil as well as others yet I hope God will soon convince them of the odiousness of it Yet no doubt it doth clearly discover that some of this sort are loose and vain persons and but meer chaff in Gods sight which the day that is coming will burn up And such especially have cause to suspect themselves who pride it in their own hearts and take delight in those hateful and abominable fashions and cannot bear to be told of it tho' in never so wise and discreet manner nor will they be brought by any perswasions to reform and leave them off tho' it wounds the very Souls of many of them they have Communion with Fifthly O that they that fear God would consider that he beholds them and looks upon them whose eyes are like unto a flame of Fire These Dresses O ye Daughters of Zion know assuredly none but foolish and vain persons do like and approve of even none but the Devil and his Followers is it not sad in such a day of distress sorrow and humiliation when Gods Hand is lifted up upon the Nation and thousands of poor Families want Bread that Christians should thus walk and consume their Substance on their Pride and costly Lust 4. They appear to be but chaff who seem to make it a small matter to grieve the Hearts of sincere Christians what care they who they wound and afflict they 'll have their Fancies their Humours tho' the thing in it self may be doubtful whether a breach of Gods Law or not and so like eating of Meats that was a thing indifferent in it self and might or might not be done Nay that make light of grieving the Holy Spirit in themselves and in others also let the Lord be grieved his Spirit grieved his poor Ministers grieved and his faithful Children grieved they regard it not but set light by it These may also be suspected i. e. that are indifferent in and about Closet and Family-Prayer and other weighty Duties of Religion or are loose and formal in it This shews they bear no weight they are not ponderous but light as Chaff Moreover such may be suspected who set light by Hearing the Word of God alas to go to hear a Sermon is a light thing with some if there be any worldly Loss attending it tho' it be not to the Value of a Groat they can't go or if the Weather be not very good they plead Excuse as not being able to go so far tho' may be the next day in worse Weather they can go about their earthly Business twice as far Likewise such who for every small matter refrain from coming to the Lords Table may be any trivial offence shall hinder them they are offended with this Person and that Person and so cast a slight upon Christ and on his Sacred Ordinance and thus persist from time to time They can go to Church or stay at home Can pray and hear and can forbear Religion is a light and indifferent thing with them This shews such are under fearful Temptations or else loose and light Professors in the sight of God 5. Such are Chaff that only have the husk or shell of Christianity Chaff is the husks of Wheat many Professors please themselves with the external part of Religion having a form of Godliness but are Strangers to the Life and Power thereof Like the foolish Virgins they have Lamps but no Oyl a Name but want the Nature of true Believers can talk and discourse of Religion of the Covenant of Grace and excellency of Christ they may have I grant clear Notions in their heads of the Mysteries of the Gospel and defend it too against opposers yet their Hearts are unsanctified and never felt nor experienced the work of Faith with Power they have the out-side of a true Christian the Shell of the Wheat but if tried and searched there 's nothing but Chaff no Kernil in them they want the root of the Water All true Believers have past through the Pangs of the New Birth they found they were once Dead but are now alive once blind but now they see once lost in their own Eyes but now found once Carnal but now Spiritual once had their affection set on things below but now on things above Sin was once Sweet and Pleasant to them but now 't is bitter and Loathsom in their Eyes because they see it is so in the sight of God Their Judgments are informed their Understandings savingly enlightned Christ and heavenly things are valued and esteemed above all things here below yea above ten thousand Worlds by them and their understandings are not only brought to assent to the truth of Christ to the Glory and Beauty of Christ but their wills also are subjected to him they are brought to consent and yield themselves to the Lord they believe and love believe and obey believe and suffer reproach taking up the Cross putting on the yoke of Christ their affections are so changed and under divine Influences that what they loved once they hate and what they once hated or liked not they dearly love and approve of now But thus it is not with Chaffy Professors They may be changed from open Prophanness to an outward Reformation of life but their Hearts are not changed Sin is not Crucified in them self is not subdued that enmity that was naturally in their hearts or dislike of the Life and Power of strict Godliness is not removed they act only from common Illuminations of the Spirit and so they put a force upon themselves when found in religious Duties and find not a natural Inclination and sweet Propensity in their hearts to heavenly things and this shews they are no more then Chaff 6. And lastly Chaff I told you was Light and every breath of wind will move it this way and that way and if it rises high it will may be blow it quite away there being no Kernel in it whereas the Wheat abides So Chaffy and vain Professors are startled at every small blast of Persecution and presently begin to move out of their place and shun assembling themselves with Gods People Nay every wind of corrupt Doctrine is ready to blow some of this sort a way they are unsettled Persons they want weight or are not rooted in the Truth wanting a good Understanding and a Principle of saving Grace in their Hearts Be not carried away with divers and strange Doctrines for it is good to have the heart established with Grace and not with Meats This sort are soon corrupted from the Simplicity of the Gospel by the Cunning Crastiness of Men being ready to receive any strange Notion or close in with a New Scheem of Religion some turning to Judaism and add Moses to Christ or joyn to the Gospel their own Works they are commonly corrupt either in Principles or Practices or in both making a stir about the
the sands on the Sea-shoar were removed tho' it would be a long time first yet they would be all removed at last And had the Damned but so much hope that after so long a time as that would amount to their Torments would have an end it would revive their Spirits O this word Eternity Eternity is most amazing to wicked men besides as in Pleasures Joy and Delights time seems to slide away in a silent and insensible manner so in horrid Pain and Misery the days seem long and tedious every minute is accounted so that the Consideration of this must needs make their Eternity if it were possible a double Eternity nay many Eternities for one hour under the greatest Extremities of Misery seems ten times nay an hundred times longer than an hours time in the Enjoyment of the sweetest Delight and Pleasure An Eternity of Joy is long in respect of Duration but seems short saith a worthy Divine in respect of Apprehension So on the other hand say I an Eternity of Pain Torment and Misery is long in respect of Duration but seems much longer in respect of Apprehension Quest But shall there not be an end of the Torments of the Damned will infinite Goodness be so severe with his offending Creatures can this stand consistent with the Sweetness of his Nature and infinite mercy Answ I Answer there is a Perfection in every one of Gods divine Attributes as his Love is infinite to such who are his Elect ones who do believe in him honour and obey him so is his Hatred infinite to all those who despise hate and dishonour him 2. God will be sure glorifie his Veracity or the Truth of his Threatning He that hath said the righteous shall be saved with an everlasting Salvation or shall have eternal Life hath said that the wicked shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the Glory of his Power They are tormented day and night for ever and ever Now since God hath Decreed and denounced eternal punpishment to obstinate sinners it is sufficient to satisfie all Doubts about the Justice of it Let God be true and every man a Liar for divine Justice and Wrath is the Correspondence of his Will Actions and Holiness of his Nature to the damned ' As divine Love and Goodness is to such who are saved we may therefore saith one as easily conceive there is no God as that God is unjust because absolute Rectitude is an inseparable perfection of his Nature ' is God unrighteous who taketh Vengance God forbid 3. Sin deserveth no less than an infinite and an eternal punishment therefore unless the Damned could give an infinite Satisfaction by suffering they must suffer eternally for they must lye in Prison until they have paid the uttermost farthing But alas how should they make full payment to Gods Justice who run continually into Debt more and more for the Damned in Hell do not cease sinning they will sin to Eternity and therefore must suffer to Eternity 4. Nay they will sin with the greatest Fury and Madness against God when they come to be under the greatest sence of Despair imaginable they will sin then like as the Devils do now and will for ever when they see they are deprived of all good and only possess what is evil O how will they hate God blaspheme his holy Name for evermore the blessed God is the Object of their Curses and eternal Aversation in Hell is weeping and gnashing of Teeth ' Extream Sorrow and extream Fury Despair and Rage saith one are proper Passions of lost Souls their Enmity against God is direct and explicit the Feaver is heightned into a Frenzy If their Rage could extend to him and their Power equal to their desire they would dethrone the most High Hatred takes pleasure in Revenge ' 'T is said of the Worshippers of the Beast that they gnawed their Tongues for pain and Blasphemed the God of Heaven because of their pain These Torments and Blasphemies of the Damned are clearly represented by these cursed impenitent Idolaters ' If a Criminal were justly condemned to a severe Punishment and should contumeliously with the greatest Fury reproach the Prince by whose Authority he was condemned could it be expected there should be a mitigation of the severity of the Sentence ' How then should the righteous Judge of Heaven and Earth reverse or mitigate the Sentence against the Damned who blaspheme his holy Majesty and if they were able to effect as they are malicious to desire would destroy his very being and execute that on him which he in Justice inflicts on them 5. To hast to the Application The infinite Guilt that cleaves to sin and the Consideration that they continually add more Guilt upon their own Heads requires a proportion in punishment as the Evil of sin exceeds our Thoughts The Majesty of God being infinite consequently the punishment of it will be infinite and beyond our Conceptions it will be a letting out of his infinite Wrath and utter extent of his power therefore unto the Wicked is reserved the blackness of Darkness for ever APPLICATION From hence we may inferr how great Evil there is in sin O sin is the Plague of all Plagues who can conceive how detestable a thing is sin in the sight of God since He who is so gracious merciful and compassionate a God should throw millions of Men and Women in his Wrath into the lake that burns with fire and brimstone 2. This also shews the woful Depravation of Mankind what Darkness Ignorance and Folly is in their Minds and Hearts that choose Sin when told not only how hateful it is to God but what intolerable and durable Torments it doth expose them unto One would think that a person that hears these things should never indulge his vicious Appetite any more nor lay his Reins loose on the neck of his Lust but it is more marvelous to see or hear that he who believes the Scripture and doubteth not of the Truth of Hell Torments should yet notwithstanding lead an ungodly Life what believe there is such Torments prepared for all impenitent Persons and yet not turn to God by Jesus Christ 3. From hence also we may inferr how necessary it is that Ministers open the Torments of Hell seeing Jesus Christ so often in the Gospel threatens all Hypocrites and Vnbelievers therewith They that say it is legal Preaching to preach such a Doctrine as this know not what they say will they magnifie their Wisdom above the Wisdom of Jesus Christ and the first and great Preachers of the Gospel of Peace who said we knowing therefore the Terror of God perswade Men that is to beleive in Christ and to live godly Lives that so they may never feel Gods eternal Wrath the Hearts of Men can more easily conceive of the Torments of Hell than of the Joys of Heaven And as it may be of use by way of
Degree of his Love unto his Saints So that if we can believe that God the Father loved Christ his only begotten Son we may also believe that both Father and Son love those who are really the Sheep of Jesus Christ the Love that Christ hath unto his People is as true certain and abiding as the Father's Love to Christ or Christ's Love unto the Father 2 dly I shall shew you what a kind of Knowledg Christ hath of his Saints 1. Christ knoweth them by Name As 't is said of Moses so it may be said of every true Believer Yet thou hast said I know thee by Name Even in like manner in this Chapter the Lord Jesus shews us that the true Shepherd calleth his Sheep by Name and leadeth them out this denotes the knowledg he hath of them particularly 2. Christ knows their Hearts as he testifies to the seven Churches in Asia And all the Churches shall know that I am he that searcheth the Reins and Hearts c. This shews he is the most High God For who knoweth the Heart but God himself This Jehovah glorieth in as his own absolute Prerogative it being out of the reach of any Creature I the Lord search the Heart I try the Reins Moreover 't is said of Jesus Christ That he needed not that any should testify of Man for he knew what was in Man He needeth not any to bring him Information concerning the Principles Ends Aims Purposes and Tempers of Men and therefore he knows his Sheep his Saints that they are sincere or upright-hearted Ones he knows them from Hypocrites from the Goats from the foolish Virgins 3. Christ knows where they live in what Land City Town or Family I know thy Works and where thou dwellest even where Satan's Seat is He knows the Place where they dwell and how they behave themselves 4. He knows their Works How many times doth he express this in the second and third Chapters of the Revelations even in the beginning of every Epistle to the seven Churches I know thy Works whether they proceed from a renewed Nature from a Principle of Divine Grace or Spiritual Life or not whether from Faith or not whether right Gospel-Works of Obedience or not he hath a Knowledg of Comprehension or Understanding of all But 5. He knows his Sheep his Saints with a Knowledg of Approbation as I hinted before 6. Christ knows their Faith the Quality and Quantity of it that it is true Faith unfeigned Faith the Faith of the Operation of God or of his own Spirit But there are some of you that believe not for Jesus knew from the beginning who they were that believed not and who should betray him Though Faith be an inward secret Act of the Soul yet Christ knows it he knows who hath it wrought in them and also though it be never so small even as a Grain of Mustard-seed whether it be weak or strong great or little growing or decaying he knows it 7. Christ knows the Love of his People whether they love him in Sincerity both the Truth of their Love and the Degree of their Love Jesus saith unto Simon Peter Simon Son of Jonas lovest thou me more than these He saith unto him Yea Lord thou knowest that I love thee And as he knows whether they love him above all or not so he knows whether they love one another or no whether it be with a pure Heart fervently and in sincerity Christ knows it whether it be a Love in Words or with the Tongue only or in Deed and in Truth 8. He knows the Humility of his Saints whether they are clothed with it or not Though the Lord be high yet hath he respect unto the Lowly but the Proud he knoweth afar off He is far off from them though he knoweth such but he is near unto humble Souls he dwelleth with them 9. He knows the Patience of each of his People under all their Sufferings Losses and Disappointments they meet with in this World I know thy Works and thy Labour and thy Patience c. He knows how they carry it under the Rod of Afflictions which will work for the good of all that are patiently exercised thereby In a word Christ knows every Grace of the Spirit in the Souls of his People and whether they are in Exercise or not 10. He knows the Works and Actions of his Saints and of every one of them particularly I know thy Works And again he says I know thy Works 1. He knows what our Lives are whether we walk circumspectly or not whether we make Conscience in all we do and walk uprightly or not He knew Abraham that he would fear and serve him and command his Children and Houshold to keep his Commandments also He knew that Noah was only Righteous in that Generation He knows our up-rising and our down-lying whether we begin the Day with him and end the Day with him or not 2. He doth not only know all our Works and Actions whether Natural Moral or Spiritual but also the Manner of our Actions how we perform all our Duties towards God and towards Men. 3. He knoweth with what Hearts we act whether with Zeal Life and Power or not whether we stir up our selves in Duty to take hold of him or perform Duties of Obedience but with a cold and lukewarm Heart He knows with what Hearts we hear read pray meditate give to the Poor in all these Respects he knows his Sheep 4. He knows the Principle from whence we act the Means we use the Works we do and the End we propound to our selves in all our Actions whether we aim at his Glory or seek our selves self-Profit self-Honour self-Applause all is known to him 5. He knows what we have been and what we now are what we have done and what we do and will do hereafter nothing is hid from him 11. He knows our Carriage and Behaviour in our Families in our own Houses and what our Behaviour is in the House and Church of God whether we know our Places and our Duty in the Station where we are set He knows and will judg between Cattel and Cattel betwixt the fat and the lean Sheep if any oppress his Brother or if the Strong and Rich neglect or wrong the poor and weak Ones of his Flock he knows it He knows whether we make his Word our Rule in all Cases and do not offend nor grieve each other And if any be offended with their Brother he knows whether they proceed against him according to the Directions he hath left us to walk by 12. Christ knows all our Sorrows Troubles and Afflictions And the Lord said I have surely seen the Affliction of my People which are in Egypt and have heard their Cry by reason of their Task-master for I KNOW their Sorrow 13. He knows our Wants Temptations Tears and Poverty I know thy Works Tribulation and Poverty If
of this No Man taketh this Honour unto himself but he that is called of God as was Aaron He did not intrude himself upon this Service but he had a lawful Call unto it the Father called him and sent him into the World to keep feed and save his Sheep This shews the wonderful Love of the Father he is the first and principal Author of our Salvation All things are of God who hath reconciled us unto himself by Jesus Christ All the spiritual Blessings we have by Christ spring from the Father the Father is held forth as the first Cause first Mover and Contriver of all spiritual Mercies for us The Father also fitted and qualified him or put him into a Capacity to accomplish this Work and Office he prepared him a Body that so he might die for his Sheep Thirdly Jesus Christ is a kind loving and compassionate Shepherd What Shepherd ever loved his Sheep as Christ loved his The greatness of his Love bowels of Affection and Compassion appears 1. By his coming so far as 't is from Heaven to the Earth to seek them For the Son of Man is come to save that which was lost Luke reads it To seek and to save that which was lost My People have been lost Sheep Jer. 50. 6. 1. We were all lost in the first Adam not one Sheep but was lost and had not Christ came to seek and save us we had been all lost for ever 2. We were all lost not only by Original but also by our own actual Sin All we like Sheep have gone astray we have turned every one of us to his own evil way We were all gone out of the way gone far from God and without all hope or possibility of returning had not Christ came to seek us For we were all as Sheep going astray but are now returned to the Shepherd and Bishop of our Souls 3. They also by the Grace of God at length came to see that they were lost they are lost in themselves and in their own sight Jesus sent forth and commanded them saying Go not in the way of the Gentiles c. but go rather to the lost Sheep of the House of Israel The whole House of Israel was lost but there were but a few of them that saw their lost State 2. The Bowels and Compassion of Christ to his Sheep chiefly appears by his dying for them He laid down his Life for the Sheep none could shew greater Love than this As the Father knoweth me even so I know the Father and I lay down my Life for the Sheep 3. His great Love and Affection to his Sheep is manifested by his care to gather them He shall gather the Lambs with his Arms and carry them in his Bosom Gathering implies bringing them Home unto himself by the Arm of his Power or by the effectual Operation of his Word and Spirit To whom hath the Arm of the Lord been revealed Or who hath felt and experienced the powerful Influences of his Spirit and saving Grace thereof on their Souls This must be before any poor Sinners are gathered or brought home to God Jesus Christ must rescue them out of the Mouth of the Lion and Paw of the Bear as David did his Sheep who was a Type of him We were all once in Satan's Hand that hungry Lion had us in his Teeth and was going to tear us to pieces but then comes our Blessed Shepherd and delivers us None but he whose Power is Infinite could gather us or bring us home to God such a miserable State were we in 4. Christ's Love is further expressed by that affecting Metaphor Luke 15. 6. He goes after the lost Sheep leaveth the rest in the Wilderness and never gives over until he hath found it And when he hath found it he layeth it on his Shoulders rejoicing O my Friends how great is the Love of Christ to one poor lost and undone Sinner He will not lose one that his Father hath given him No no though it be but one individual Soul that is missing yet he will go after that seek that leave all the rest to look after that one poor Sheep and when he has found it he sees it cannot go it has no strength therefore he lays it upon his Shoulders Sinners Christ must lay hold of you and take you up and lay you on his Shoulders and carry you home if ever you are saved It is upon Christ's Shoulders Christ's Power that every Elect Soul is brought home 't is not on the Power of their Will their Strength their Faith no but on Christ's Shoulders Moreover it is said He rejoiced and calls upon all his Friends the blessed Angels and Saints to rejoice with him for I have found my lost Sheep This shews his wonderful Love to poor undone and lost Sinners that are his Sheep whatever it costs him whatever Pains Labour or Charge home he will bring them saved they must and shall be I have other Sheep saith he that are not of this Fold them also I must bring and they shall hear my Voice 5. His Love to his Sheep to his Saints also appears in his laying them in his Bosom in his Heart O how near and dear is every believing Soul to Jesus Christ It 's a Metaphor taken from a Father or tender Mother that hugs an only Child in his or her Arms and lays it in their Bosom knowing not how to express the Greatness of their Affections Christ himself is said to lie in the Bosom of the Father which denotes how he is beloved by him how near and dear he is to him Even so this discovers his great Affections to his People 6. He also makes his Love manifest to them by his gentle leading of them He shall gently lead them that are with young He will not lead them faster than they are able to go or lay more upon them than they can bear nay he gives Strength to them and supports their Souls under all their Troubles and Sorrows Jacob was a compassionate Shepherd If I over-drive them saith he all the Flock will die Christ had many things to tell his Disciples but they were not able to bear them He lets out or discovers his precious Truth to his People according as he knows they are able to receive it and take it in You shall not have harder Things Trials Temptations nor Afflictions than your strength is There hath no Temptation taken you but what is common to Man and God is faithful who will not suffer you to be tempted above what you are able but will with the Temptation also make a way to escape that ye may be able to bear it 7. His infinite Love and Bowels are made known also to his Sheep by his feeding them as well as it is by his leading them He feeds them with choice Food he gives them his own Flesh to eat and his own
this Bread it feeds and strengthens our Faith and also our Love to the Lord Jesus Who can forbear to love that Christ who poured forth his precious Blood for us He was made a Curse for us by hanging on the Tree and bearing our Sins When you take this Bread and this Cup you declare you take and accept of Christ as the only Food of your Souls and that way of Salvation God hath been graciously pleased to find out and when you eat the Bread and drink of the Cup you shew that you feed alone upon him and that he is your Saviour Indeed Christ doth in effect say to you Soul take all this in token that I have satisfied the Justice of God for thy Sins I have made thy Peace take this Bread and this Cup as a Pledg of it and of my Eternal Love to thee and as a Token that all thy Sins are forgiven and that thou art mine also 1. By this Ordinance we learn and clearly see the horible Evil of Sin the cursed Nature of Sin in that nothing could atone for it nor satisfy the Law and Justice of God but the precious Blood of the Son of God himself 2. Here likewise we see that infinite Love of the Father in giving of Christ to die for us He spared not his own Son but delivered him up for us all 3 Here also we perceive the wonderful Love of Jesus Christ who willingly laid down his Life for us 4. Moreover here we see how we come to be saved or the Way of Life and that it is only by a Sacrifice and that by the Sacrifice of Christ himself alone 5. Here we see our near Union with Christ and blessed Union one with another as the Bread and Wine is turned into Nourishment the first is held forth and as many Corns of Wheat do make one Loas so we being many Members are but one Body and therein the latter Union is held forth also I mean our Union one with another Thirdly The Ordinance of Prayer is also as a Pasture for Christ's Sheep to feed in If we pray in Faith we receive what we desire and stand in need of That Soul that goes to God in Christ's Name believingly never comes away empty handed We have not because we ask not or else ask amiss that we may consume it on our Lusts to please the Flesh and gratify our Carnal Appetites and so an evil End spoils good Means So long said a good Woman in distress as I have a praying Heart God will have a helping Hand It argues we have not hungry Souls if we have not praying Souls You may as well live without eating as spiritually live without praying and as it is a sign you are not well when you cannot eat so it is a sign your Souls are not well when you cannot pray And as it is a sign the Body is faint when the Breath is short or breaths not freely so it is a sign of a faint and languishing Christian when his Prayers are short or prays not freely He that believes savingly will pray servently He that thrives not in this Pasture will thrive in none As be cannot live naturally that breaths not no more can that Soul live spiritually that prays not He that casts off Prayer casts off God No wonder God withholds Mercies from us when we restrain Prayer from him Pure Prayer is only pleasing to a pure God our Prayers must be directed to the right Object O thou that hearest Prayer to thee shall all Men come We must always direct our Prayers to God but must not forget to come unto him by Jesus Christ and we must see to the Matter of it as well as the Object If we ask not that which is lawful our Prayers must needs be unlawful as it is a Sin to do any thing God commands not so it is a Sin to ask any thing God allows not We must also be right in the Manner as well as in the Matter of our Prayer When our Spirit prays not our Hand receives not And we must if we would thrive in this Pasture also see that our End be right Our great End should be that our Prayer may be accepted and God may be glorified The first thing we should ask in Prayer is that the Name of God may be hallowed O Soul haste into this Pasture Whatsoever ye ask saith Christ in my Name I will do it that the Father may be glorified To pray in Christ's Name 1. Is to know we come to have this Privilege to draw near to God only by Christ i. e. through the Vail that is to say his Flesh he hath purchased us this Liberty 2. 'T is to pray in his Strength i. e. by the Spirit which he hath procured for us and given to us 3. 'T is to pray in the Virtue of Christ's Mediation Whatsoever we ask on Earth Christ obtains for us in Heaven 4. To ask in Christ's Name is to ask for his Sake for his Worthiness 'T is not what our Deservings are but what Christ's Merits are Fourthly The Promises of God are another Pasture where the Sheep of Christ do daily feed The Promises of God are of a Soul-fastening and Soul-strengthning Nature But there is no feeding here without believing A Sheep may as well feed on Grass without Teeth as a Christian can feed on the Promises without Faith The Reason why the Soul cannot get into this rich Common or rather fat Medow is because he cannot get over the Slough of Unbelief Man lives not by Bread alone but by every Word that proceeds out of the Mouth of God He can feed his People and support them by a Word of Promise when their Bread faileth Nor must we take unlawful Means to supply our Necessities nor distrust the Care and Providence of God tho we do not see which way we shall subsist Trust in the Lord and do good so thou shalt dwell in the Land and verily thou shalt be fed We must depend upon the Providence and Promise of God for Supplies both of Body and Soul The young Lions lack and suffer Hunger yet they that seek the Lord shall not want any good thing We must let God judg and chuse for us 't is better for us sometimes to want than to abound There are Promises as I have sometimes shewed you that answer every Condition we can be in Fifthly The Providences of God and the Saints Experience are another Pasture for Christ's Sheep How oft have they been fed this way I have been young and now am old yet have I not seen the Righteous forsaken nor his Seed begging Bread This was more especially David's Experience and under that Dispensation when the Promises of God were of temporal Blessings ours under the Gospel are better Or else take it thus Not begging in vain If they are such Children that walk in the Steps of their godly Parents or not so begging
Righteousness of the Law might be fulfilled in us that is in our Head Surety and Representative for though we in our Persons were utterly unable to do it yet Christ having done it in our Behalf and Nature it is accepted as if we had done it our selves Christ's Righteousness and Obedience being imputed to us who do believe so that what he did and suffered is accounted unto us as if we had done and suffered it yet it was Christ that purchased Life not we he purchased and we possess he is the Redeemer we are the Redeemed he merited all and we have all freely of Grace through his Merits or through that Redemption that is in his Blood 5. Life and Salvation is a free Gift or of Grace only doth appear yet further because the Foundation thereof laid from before all Worlds in God's eternal Election was the Spring of it and this was alone of God's own free Grace There is a Remnant according to the Election of Grace And if it be of Grace then it is no more of Works otherwise Grace is no more Grace But if it be of Works then it is no more of Grace otherwise Works are no more Works This Opposition or Contrariety is not only between Grace and legal Works but between Grace and all manner of Works whatsoever because it lies betwixt the Nature of Grace and Works they are repugnant or contrary the one to the other they can no more be the Causes or Motive of any one Action than one individual thing can be White and Black in the same part as a worthy Writer notes Men are not elected partly of Grace and partly of Works foreseen but wholly of Grace nothing but an Act of God's Sovereign Grace was the Cause and Motive of it 6. Life and Salvation is a free Gift or by Grace only because the Glorious Covenant between the Father and the Son made and entred into before the World began was alone of God's Grace of his infinite Grace and Favour God was at liberty who foreseeing Man's Fall and horrible Transgression he having forfeited all those Blessings bestowed originally upon him whether he would or would not afford him any Help or Relief but might have justly and utterly rejected the whole Race of Mankind as he rejected all the Angels that sinned or kept not their first Estate Did Man fallen Man deserve this Love this Favour who was become an Enemy to God Was there any thing in Man that could be a Motive to move the Almighty to enter into this Covenant to save so vile a Creature such a poor and despicable a Creature as Man became by his Sins the Visage of his very Soul being now loathsom deformed and abominable in the sight of God God's holy Image being utterly defaced and all his Beauty gone being besmeared and covered all over with noisom Filthiness and Pollution filled with Enmity and Hatred against God dethroning his blessed Creator and setting up the Devil in his Place subjecting himself to that implacable Enemy of his and casting off his most holy and gracious Sovereign from whence he received his Breath and Being Nay and in respect of God himself it must needs appear to be wholly of Grace could Redemption of Man add any thing to the essential Glory of God Did he stand in need of Man to make him more happy or glorious in himself who being an independent Being had been eternally happy in the Injoyment of himself had Man never been made or had he left him under Wrath and Misery Or was he obliged to save us and that he might do it to send his own Son to die and be made a Curse for us Or could he not have created other Creatures to have shewed forth his glorious Perfections Or why might he not have sent his Son to have taken hold of the Nature of Angels to have redeemed them who were his Creatures as well as fallen Man and more glorious too than Man before they fell and let Man have perished for ever and not have entred into such a Covenant of Grace with his own Son on his Behalf 7. Life and Salvation therefore is a free Gift it is wholly of Grace because we could not have obtained it unless God sent his Son out of his own Bosom to effect it The giving of Christ and the Father's sending of him into the World is nothing but an Act of his own free Grace God so loved the World that he gave his only begotten Son c. 8. Because Everlasting Life is by Christ alone nor could we have had it except he died I am 〈…〉 the Truth and the Life no Man can come unto the Father but by 〈…〉 is by Faith that it might be by Grace But after that the 〈◊〉 and Love of God our Saviour appeared Not by Works of Righteousness that we have done but according to his Mercy he saved us by the washing of Regeneration and renewing of the Holy Ghost Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ That being justified by his Grace we should be made Heirs according to the Hope of Eternal Life Thus if we consider the Rise the Spring the Motive and the Author of Everlasting Life all appears fully to be of God's Grace alone but should we proceed a little further as to the Means and Application of the Remedy in order to interest in this Salvation that is all of Free Grace also 1. We are called and quickened by God's special Grace according to his Eternal Purpose in Jesus Christ No Man could quicken himself All rational Arguments without Divine Influence or an Almighty Power will not bring our Souls into a State of Life See how Paul ascribes his Conversion and special Vocation to God's Grace But when it pleased God who separated me from the Womb and called me by his Grace to reveal his Son in me c. Special Vocation is of God's Free Grace who hath saved us and called us with an Holy Calling not according to our Works but according to his own Purpose and Grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus before the World begun We are quickened renewed or regenerated by Grace through the Operations of the Holy Ghost 2. Adoption is of Grace Having predestinated us unto the Adoption of Children to the Praise of the Glory of his Grace As the Purpose was free so is the Execution free also That the Purpose of God according to election might stand not of Works but of him that calleth To them gave he Power to become the Sons of God c. The Privilege of being Sons and Daughters of God is freely given to us through Jesus Christ 'T is through Christ for that we might become Sons he became a Servant and died the cursed Death of the Cross for us to redeem them that were under the Law that we might receive the Adoption of Sons 3. Justification is wholly of Grace Being justified freely by
our Duty to love God with all our Heart and Soul What Advantage brings Christ's Death to abrogate one perfect Law and establish another here is little Gospel A second Difficulty is we must either say Christ has purchased to us Pardon for Sins against the Gospel-Law or none at all but that one Sin of Adam's if the Moral Law be abrogated after the Fall we never sinned against any Law but the Gospel for we were under no other Law according to him c. The Sum of that I drive at is this viz. There is a necessity we must be justified and saved by Grace only because we cannot be saved by a Law of Obedience but by Christ and Grace alone If we sly not to Christ by trusting believing and depending on him and the Grace of God in him who hath satisfied the Justice and Law of God for us and brought in Everlasting Righteousness the Law of God will cut us down and throw us into Hell for ever 2. It is by Grace alone that we are saved because all boasting is excluded and cause of boasting And this is the Design of God in the Gospel viz. That Man might not have whereof to glory but in the Lord alone Nor could this be done any other way but by his contriving our Salvation to be wholly by his own free Grace Where is boasting then it is excluded by what Law of Works nay but by the Law of Faith not of Works lest any Man should boast 3. It is only by Grace that we are saved or Eternal Life is the free Gift of God and Gift of Christ because he will have all the Glory of it God will not give the Glory of our Salvation unto others Having predestinated us to the Adoption of Children by Jesus Christ according to the good Pleasure of his Will to the Praise of the Glory of his Grace wherein he hath made us accepted in the Beloved 4. It is by Grace only because God would magnify his Son by whose Righteousness and Obedience imputed to us we are justified and saved and it is to this end I say that God might exalt Jesus Christ his Design was to magnify Christ in our Salvation and to abase Man Thou hast given him Power over all Flesh that he should give Eternal Life to as many as thou hast given him 5. And lastly It is by Grace because God would have Salvation sure to all Believers Therefore it is of Faith that it might be by Grace to the end the Promise might be sure to all the Seed c. If Salvation were by our Works and Obedience it might be very uncertain or if the whole of our Happiness and Eternal Life be not in Christ's Hand but that it dependeth on the Will of Man or on the condition of our Faith and Holiness or in the improvement of our Abilities and it is possible that we may or may not answer the Condition thereof it might so fall out that not one Soul might be saved Besides should it be so those that are saved would then have something to glory in or boast of in the Great Day They in effect may thank themselves and admire their own Wisdom Care and Industry that brought them to Heaven Fourthly Why doth and will Christ give Eternal Life to all his Sheep to all his Saints Answ 1. Because Eternal Life was purchased for them by his Death But by his own Blood he entred once into the Holy Place having obtained Eternal Redemption for us 2. Because all that are given unto Christ are ordained unto Everlasting Life 3. Because Christ was sent into the World to this End to give Life unto them I am come that ye might have Life and that ye might have it much more abundantly It was that he might give his People the Knowledg of Salvation and save them from their Sins 4. Because Life is given to Christ to this End viz. to communicate it to all his Elect he is made a quickning Spirit that he might quicken all his As in Adam all die so all that are in Christ shall live Spiritually here and Eternally hereafter Because I live ye shall live also 5. Because all his Elect were quickned together with him virtually when he rose from the Dead yea and also virtually they entred into Heaven with him for he ascended as their Head and blessed Representative 6. Because Eternal Life was promised to them in Christ before the World began and they have many firm and sure Promises made of it to them since also 7. Because they are united to him and Christ hath prayed That they may all be made perfect in one and he hath prayed that they may have Eternal Life Now Union with Christ gives right to Glory a whole Christ shall be glorified and not a part only Quest What doth Eternal Life import Answ I answer It doth import a Deliverance from all Evil present and to come and a full and perfect possession and injoyment of all true spiritual and everlasting Good and Glory above Quest But doth not this seem to diminish or lessen the Glory of God the Father to assert That it is Christ that gives Eternal Life c. Answ No not in the least for all things are of God and through Jesus Christ All things are of God who hath reconciled us unto himself by Jesus Christ It is God that hath reconciled us unto himself 't is by Christ we are reconciled his Blood being the Price of our Reconciliation God the Father gave Christ for us and also gives him to us And this is the Will of him that sent me that every one that seeth the Son and believeth on him may have Everlasting Life and I will raise him up at the last Day And thou hast given him Power over all Flesh that he should give Eternal Life to as many as thou hast given him It is the Father that gave Christ the Power as Mediator to give Eternal Life unto his Sheep APPLICATION First This may serve to reprehend those that would not have Salvation to be wholly of Grace it clearly condemns Free-Will for if it be only by God's Grace it is not at all of Man's Will They 't is true do acknowledg the Contrivance of our Salvation to be of God's Grace alone or the Effects of his great Love and his sending of Christ into the World to be an Act of Infinite Grace but withal deny Regeneration and effectual Vocation to be wholly the Effects of God's special and distinguishing Love but do affirm that Grace which those Men have who perish at last would have been sufficient to have renewed them had they improved it They assert that all Men have Power to believe and that that Grace which God affords to Men to save them 't is in the preaching of the Word or consisteth in no more than Moral Swasions Arguments or Excitements in a rational way But
likeness as Mediator and taking our Nature not to Christ barely considered as God for as Christ is God he is no where saith to be the First-born among many Brethren Now this Conformity being absolutely designed in Election Christ in the Contrivance and Intention of the Father was the first Exemplar and Copy of it or the main Center to which all must be brought that were given unto him the Father setting him up and electing him as Head of all that should be saved or as the glorious Bridegroom and therefore it was requisite he should be consulted about those who were to be the Members of his Body and his own blessed Spouse for ever And since Christ was also to suffer and undergo such Pain and Sorrow in the purchasing and redeeming of them it was necessary he should not only freely assent and consent in the Choice of them but also be certain of the obtaining and securing them all to and for himself for ever and not run the Hazard of injoying or not injoying of them which must follow he did if the Doctrine of some Men of dark Minds were true To proceed it may not be amiss to consider what is contained in the Bowels of my first Argument viz. that there is a peculiar People or some certain Persons as personally considered of the lost Children of the first Adam who are Elected or Chosen of God in Christ from all Eternity of his own Sovereign Grace and good Pleasure ordained unto Everlasting Life and that this Decree of Election doth prevent their final falling or make it impossible that any of them should ever so apostatize as eternally to perish The Argument being thus fairly stated it calls upon me to do two things First To prove that there is such a particular and personal Election of a peculiar People of the lost Sons of Adam Secondly To shew how this prevents their final falling and makes it impossible that any of them should ever so apostatize as eternally to perish A little to open the first of these 1. I say of peculiar Persons which denotes it belonging to them only and to none else others are passed by or not afforded by any such Divine Act of Grace the like Privilege they are God's Jewels or his peculiar Treasure though until called and cleansed or their inward Filth and Pollution purged away they cannot be delighted in by him or be beloved with a Love of Complacency though from Eternity God did love all his with a Love of good Will purpose of Grace and of Benevolence I say personally Elected that is the Objects of this Grace or of this Election were singled out and pitched upon by Name not with respect had to such or such Qualifications foreseen in them they being repenting believing and holy Persons but chosen in Christ the Head of Election that they should believe should repent and should be Holy and without blame before him in Love They are chosen that they may be Holy not because they were Holy or God foresaw they would be Holy I say they were ordained to Everlasting Life Now to predestinate decree or ordain denotes the same thing and signifies the absolute Purpose of God to bring them into a State of Grace here through Jesus Christ and to Eternal Glory and Happiness here-after Hence it is said As many as were ordained to Eternal Life believed or appointed and he that ordered or ordained the End ordained the Means also and so prepared them for Everlasting Life They were chosen in Christ in the Mediator in their Blessed Head that their standing might be secured through their Union with him and his Righteousness being imputed to them according to God's Eternal Purpose 2. And further to make good the first Part of what I have laid down viz. That there is such a particular Election what lies more clear in the Word of God and the Election of Jacob I shall here first mention as a full Proof of what I say For the Children being not yet Born neither having done Good or Evil that the Purpose of God according to Election might stand not of Works but of him that calleth Here the Apostle designedly or on purpose confirms not only the Doctrine of Personal Election but also that of Preterition of a passing by or rejection of the other and all resulting from the Eternal Purpose and Good Pleasure of God's Will As it is written Jacob have I loved but Esau have I hated The main scope of Paul in this place is to shew that God hath not cast off all Israel that is those who are the true Israel or such who are the Children of the Promise or that do belong to Christ according to the Election of Grace see 5 6 7 8 Verses therefore they that run the Love of God and Election here spoken of to the Posterity of Jacob and Reprobation to the Posterity of Esau and will not have it to be understood of their particular Persons do palpably abuse the sacred Text and Drift of the Holy Ghost Now that all Men may know that Election doth run to or take hold of particular Persons and that not for any foreseen Faith or Holiness in them Paul saith The Children being not yet born neither having done Good or Evil. And therefore adds not of Works that is of foreseen Worthiness or Desert in Jacob but that the Purpose of God according to Election might stand that is stand firm as an Act of God's Sovereign Love and Grace only and abide a blessed Truth against all the Opposition and Cavils of cloudy Minds I might have mention'd Abraham Isaac Moses David and others also Jeremiah of whom God says Before I formed thee in the Belly I knew thee that is I knew thee to be one of them that I had chosen and given to my Son or one of mine Elect Ones and I sanctified and ordained thee a Prophet Moreover in the New Testament we find that our Saviour calls his Disciples by Name and tells them That he knew whom he had chosen excluding Judas he must therefore intend their Eternal Election for as I said before Judas was chosen to the Apostleship also Paul by Name Jesus Christ declares to Ananias was a chosen Vessel not only as an Apostle but one also comprehended in the Election of Grace Do but observe the Nature of his Conversion and what he was before and when called by the special Grace of God Moreover of this number and sort were those that the Lord speaks of in Elias's Time which Paul mentions I have reserved to my self seven thousand Men who have not bowed the Knee to Baal Though it is a certain Number put for an uncertain as to us yet all their particular Persons were chosen and known to God Even so at this present Time also there is a Remnant according to the Election of Grace God had some particular Persons then whom he had from everlasting elected and
all Understanding It is because God's Love is set upon them and it is such a Love What a Love 1. I answer it is an Everlasting Love The Lord appeared of old unto me saying Yea I have loved thee with an Everlasting Love c. It is a Love from Everlasting therefore it must be a first Love an early Love and because he loved them from Eternity he elected them from Eternity 2. It is a firm Love a strong Love an endeared Love nay an inconceivable Love I in them and thou in me and that the World may know that thou hast sent me and hast loved them as thou hast loved me A Love of the same Nature of the same Quality O! what is the Nature of that Love the Father hath to Jesus Christ Who can conceive of it much less express it It is impossible for us to comprehend how firm strong and endearing it is but thus he loves all his Elect Ones Christ as Mediator is the Object of the Father's Love so are all his Members The same Love that is let out to the Head as to the Nature of it is let out to his Mystical Body and to every particular Member thereof 3. The Father's Love is a Love of Delight He is said to love others with a Love of Pity but he loves his Saints with a Love of Complacency He will rejoice over thee with joy he will rest in his Love he will rejoice over thee with singing He takes delight and satisfaction in his Love not in our Love to him but in his Love to us Again it is said As the Bridegroom rejoiceth over the Bride so shall thy God rejoice over thee 4. The Love of the Father is an inseparable Love nothing can separate his Love from his Elect like as nothing could separate his Love from his own Son so nothing can separate his Love from his Saints For I am perswaded that neither Death nor Life nor Angels nor Principalities nor Powers nor things present nor things to come nor Height nor Depth nor any other Creature shall be able to separate us from the Love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. I am fully assured as some read it not by any special Revelation but by the same Spirit of Faith which is common to all Believers neither fear of Death nor hope of Life nor shall the Devils be able or evil Angels though they are Principalities or Powers though of that Rank or according to others who by Principalities understand the wicked Potentates of the Earth nor shall cruel Persecutors be able nor shall Things present whatever Temptations Miseries or Afflictions which you now lie under or may hereafter meet with neither height of Honour or Spiritual or Civil Advancement nor depth of worldly Disgrace or Abasement or the deepest of Spiritual Desertion that can befal them nor any other Creature or Thing shall be able to separate us who believe or are united to Christ from the Love of God which is in Jesus Christ our Lord. Arg. That which no Power of Earth or Hell no Potentate no Enemy no Friend or no thing whatsoever is or shall be able to do or effect cannot be done or it is impossible it should be done But no Power of Earth or Hell no Potentate no Enemy no Friend or nothing whatsoever is able or shall be able to separate true Believers from the Love of God which is in Jesus Christ our Lord Therefore it is impossible any such should fall so away as eternally to perish Object But stay say some your Argument is not good for Sin may separate them from the Love of God We grant indeed from what the Apostle says that nothing else can do it but Sin may for your Iniquities have separated between you and your God Answ I answer It is a mistake Sin cannot separate them who are his beloved Ones from his Love the Scripture mentioned proves not that such who are true Believers may be separated from God's Love or that Sin can finally separate them from their God therefore consider 1. That I deny not but Sin may separate such from God who are his People only by visible Profession or only his in an externally legal Covenant as the whole House of Israel at that Time was when the Prophet uttered those Expressions and it hath separated them and the greatest part of them I mean for ever for the Jews for the Sin of Unbelief and rejecting of Christ were utterly cast off 2. Sin may also separate God's Elect Ones from his sensible sweet and comfortable Presence for a time God may hide his Face from his dearest Children or bring them into great Afflictions 3. Israel when in the Babylonian Captivity was said to be separated from God because they were separated from his Temple and visible Worship where he promised them his Presence But it doth not follow from hence Sin can ever finally separate God and his Love which is eternal and abiding from those he hath chosen in Jesus Christ To make it appear yet more fully that Sin cannot separate them from the Love of God for ever consider First That though it is true as I have before shewed that God's Beloved Ones may grievously sin against him yet they cannot sin away his Love and Affection And to make this appear hear what God himself saith If his Children for sake my Law and walk not in my Judgments If they break my Statutes and keep not my Commandments What then will he take away his loving-Kindness from them and cast them off for ever O no Then will I visit their Transgression with the Rod and their Iniquities with Stripes nevertheless my loving Kindness will I not utterly take from him nor suffer my Faithfulness to fail my Covenant I will not break nor alter the thing that is gone out of my Mouth Object This is spoken of Christ My loving-Kindness I will not utterly take from him c. Answ 1. I grant that it is spoken of Christ but not of Christ personally but Christ mystically considered Did Christ personally ever forsake God's Law Besides doth not God say his Children 2. Christ and Believers are considered as one in regard of their mystical Union with him 3. Doth the Covenant of Grace made with Christ respect his Person only Or doth it not refer to all that are in him or given to him or all his true spiritual Seed But to put it out of doubt read the next Words and tremble whoever you be that assert that the Elect may perish for ever Once have I sworn by my Holiness that I will not lie to David Well what is that which God hath sworn by his Holiness and will not lie to do for David the true David that is his own beloved Son pray read the 36 th verse His Seed shall endure for ever and his Throne as the Sun before me His Seed that is all those that are given to him or
Sins and Iniquities I will remember no more Though they will be sick none can live and sin not yet they have a Physician that can and will heal them The Covenant hath a healing Antidote in it for every spiritual Malady of the Soul of a poor dejected Believer And because God hath promised to give Repentance to his Israel Sin not being actually forgiven without Repentance or before Repentance therefore God will give Repentance to all his Children he will look upon them as Christ look'd upon Peter and then they shall and do weep as he did bitterly Nay Brethren Jesus Christ is exalted on high to this very End Him hath God exalted with his right Hand to be a Prince and a Saviour to give Repentance unto Israel and forgiveness of Sins That is to cover to conquer and subdue all their Corruptions and to supply their Wants and to protect and defend them from all Enemies and eternally to save their Souls For which End he had his Name given him And thou shalt call his Name Jesus for he shall save his People from their Sins from the Guilt of them the Power of them and the Punishment of them Also therefore Sin cannot separate them from God's Love and ruin their precious Souls Sixthly No Sin can destroy the Soul nor separate it from God but such Sins only that have dominion that rule and reign in Men and Women such that the Sinner loves and allows in himself Nay all unrenewed Persons are Servants of Sin but no Sin reigns in a true Believer he loves no Sin allows of no Sin therefore cannot commit Sin Sin shall not cannot reign in them for Sin shall not have Dominion over you for you are not under the Law but under Grace Grace will prevent it the Covenant of Grace and the Influences of Grace and the Promises of Grace The Law commands but gives no Power to obey but Power to subdue Sin goes along with the Gospel the Law is the Strength of Sin but the Gospel is the Death of it Object But for all this good Men may be overcome and backslide from God and God may leave them and love them no more Answ 1. I answer They may be overcome for a Time or worsted in the Conflict but they shall not finally be overcome though they fall they shall rise again And as it is said A Troop shall overcome Gad but Gad shall overcome at last so it may be said of every Believer Hence the Apostle says We are more than Conquerors through him that loveth us Rejoice not over me O mine Enemy when I fall I shall rise 2. Though they backslide from God for a time yet he will recover them again I will heal their Back-slidings and will love them freely See here that God's People by their Backslidings do not lose his choice Love and Affections No no he will love them still and that freely too and will not rest till he heals them of that Sickness which is the worst they can relapse into 3. The Elect are another sort they are not of them that backslide so that God's Soul takes no pleasure in them But we are not of them who draw back unto Perdition but of them that believe to the Salvation of the Soul There are some that so draw back after they have made a high Profession of the Gospel but Christ's Sheep are not Sons of Perdition but Sons of Faith or true and sincere Believers they cannot so sin so apostatize because the Seed remains in them they cannot commit Sin they cannot sin as others do not so as to lose God's Love or not sin unto Death therefore cannot perish They went out from us but they were not of us for if they had been of us they would no doubt have continued with us c. They were not such that had real Union with Christ the true Anointing was not in them they were not of Christ's Sheep not sincere Believers not Elect Ones From hence let me draw this Argument Arg. 2. All those that sin cannot separate from the Love of God in Christ nor eternally destroy nothing can but they shall be certainly saved but Sin cannot separate true Believers or the Sheep of Christ from the Love of God in Christ nor eternally destroy them therefore nothing can but they shall certainly be saved Object But doth not this give encouragement to Believers to sin and so a Licentious Doctrine Answ 1. The Apostle answers this very Objection to anticipate such a sort of Men that were in his Days which we meet with in these of ours What shall we say then shall we continue in Sin that Grace may abound God forbid He having largely in the foregoing Chapters proved the Doctrine I am upon viz. That Salvation is alone by Christ by the Free Grace of God in him that our Justification is by the Righteousness of Christ imputed and no other way And that Everlasting Life is sure and certain to all the Seed to all in Christ or to all who do believe in him and he shews that where Sin abounded Grace hath much more abounded Particularly in the precedent Verse he asserts That as Sin hath reigned unto Death even so might Grace reign through Righteousness unto Eternal Life by Jesus Christ our Lord. From hence he raises this Objection to anticipate carnal and blind Mortals who see no further and answers it with God forbid how shall we that are dead to Sin live any longer therein 2. Let me tell you that they who leave Sin refrain from Sin upon no higher better or more noble Principles than the fear of Wrath or eternal perishing or only act from slavish Fear have doubtless not one Dram of true Grace in them Brethren to abstain from Sin to strive against Sin to resist Temptations and to be found in all Duties of Obedience and Holiness lies in high sublime and evangelical Principles and from such Motives that have greater Force and Power on the Soul than the fear of Wrath or Hell can have As 1. Saith a Believer Is Sin hateful to God doth God's Soul loath it is it abominable to him and shall it not be so to me but shall I sin God forbid 2. Hath Sin pierced my dear Redeemer Was it the Spear that let out his Heart's Blood that wounded and tore him to pieces that made him sweat great Drops of Blood that let out Divine Wrath upon him and made him a Curse for me and shall I sin and wound him again God forbid 3. Did Christ die for me to redeem me did he stand in my stead and bear mine Iniquities and shall I sin God forbid 4. Hath God bestowed such Grace upon me as to love me from Everlasting to chuse me to redeem me to renew me and all to this End that I should be to the Praise of his Glory and bring forth the Fruits of Holiness and not sin against him and shall
loved his Sheep his People his Spouse as himself above himself Mary loved him so as to wash his Feet with her Tears but he loved Mary so and all his Elect Ones as to wash their Souls in his own most precious Blood Jacob loved Benjamin David loved Absalom but David said Jonathan's Love to him was wonderful passing the Love of Women But what is a Bubble to the Ocean a Spark of Fire to a Furnace or a finite Love to an infinite Love What is all Love to Christ's Love 5. Christ's Love to his Sheep to his Elect is wonderful because it passeth knowledg That ye may know the Love of Christ that passeth Knowledg 1. It passeth the Knowledg of the Natural Man What can he with all his natural and acquired Parts find out as to the greatness and wonderfulness of Christ's Love 2. It passeth the Knowledg of the Moral Man What can the Natural or the Moral Philosopher do as to the comprehending finding out or demonstrating the Nature of Christ's Love Can he sound the Depth of the Sea Can he measure the Breadth of the Heavens Can he account the Length of Eternity Besides here is a Height that their Art discovers not the Mathematicks teacheth not this Mystery That ye may be able to comprehend with all Saints what is the Breadth and Length the Depth and Height and to know the Love of Christ that passeth Knowledg 3. It passeth the Knowledg of the Spiritual Man he cannot arrive to a full and perfect understanding of it 4. Nay it passeth the Knowledg of the Holy Angels their Wisdom and Understanding no doubt is wonderful but here they are at a loss they stand in amaze looking into and admiring with astonishment this Love to see him that is God become Man to save such a Vile and Sinful Creature to love and delight in him that was so great an Enemy 5. It is wonderful because a whole Eternity will be but little enough to let out to Believers the Love of Christ It will never be fully known it cannot be comprehended all above and all below are at a loss they are all at a nonpluss and astonished at it Thirdly Christ's Love therefore to his Sheep to his Saints is an immense incomprehensible or an infinite Love as the Wrath and Anger of God and the Lamb when kindled and let out is inconceivable so is his precious Love to his People this Breadth Length Depth and Height doubtless refers to the unsearchable Greatness and Immensity of God Canst thou find out the Almighty to perfection Canst thou come to the uttermost of what God is Canst thou find out the inmost Recesles or Secrets of God's Heart of Christ's Heart Hast thou seen what is laid up in the inner Chambers of his Spirit then thou mayst know his Love for it is like himself God is Love Love is his very Nature It is as high as Heaven what canst thou do deeper than Hell what canst thou know longer than the Earth broader than the Sea Many Wits as one notes run Riot in Geometrical Notions about Moral Dimensions and whereas Naturalists give us but three Dimensions of a Body Longitude Latitude and Profundity the Love of Christ Brethren hath Altitude added which is a Fourth Doubtless all these Dimensions are mentioned only to set forth the Immensity of Christ's Love 1. Christ's Love is broad enough to spread over and cover like a Mantle all the Sins of his Elect and also to hide them from Satan's Rage and Fury His Love is long enough to reach us with his Arm of Affections where-ever we are or whatever our Wants be Christ's Love is deep enough to find us out and relieve us under all depths of Afflictions Despondency or Distress of what sort soever Christ's Love has a Height in it enough to defend us like a high Wall against all the Assaults of those Enemies that are in high Places and above us we cannot see them As-Satan is a Spirit he has the Advantage of us such is his Nature he is said to be in high Places he is the Prince of the Power of the Air. But God is above him Christ is in a higher Sphere his Love hath a Height in it so that neither Height nor Depth can separate us from his Love as well as it cannot separate us from the Love of the Father 2. Christ's Love is an infinite or an immense Love as appears because it is without beginning it is from Eternity before ever the Earth was That which was before the World was is without beginning but the Love of Christ to his Elect was before the World was even from Everlasting Yea I have loved thee with an everlasting Love 3. Christ's Love to his Sheep to his Saints is an infinite or immense Love doth appear because his Love to them is as that Love the Father hath to him As the Father hath loved me so have I loved you Though as may not be a Note of Comparison in every Sense yet it doth signify the Truth Firmness and Greatnese of Christ's Love The Father loveth Christ with an eternal immense immutable constant free full and perfect Love so doth Jesus Christ love every one of his Elect Ones Again saith Christ to his Father that the World may know that thou hast loved them as thou hast loved me He would have all know how he loves his People or such that were given to him 4. It appears to be an infinite Love because it cannot be found out defined or comprehended it passing all Understanding as also by the glorious and amazing Effects thereof which are apparent to all 5. Because it is without ending all those that Jesus Christ doth love or hath set his special Affections upon he loveth to the End his Love is not only from Everlasting but also to Everlasting he abides in his Love notwithstanding all the Weakness Frailties or Decays of Love in his People towards him He heals and with a Nevertheless will heal their Back slidings and love them freely Fourthly The Love of Jesus Christ to his Saints is a Conjugal Love it is an Espousal Love Though I purpose to speak to the Nature of that blessed and mystical Union which is betwixt Christ and every Believer under a distinct Argument yet let it be considered here that the consideration that Christ's Love is such as that he doth espouse every Godly Soul and marry it to himself this must needs be one of the highest Arguments that can be produced to prove their final Perseverance because Espousal Love is the Sweetest the Firmest and most abiding Love especially the Love of Christ's Espousal I will betroth thee unto me for ever yea I will betroth thee unto me in Righteousness and in Judgment and in loving Kindness and in Mercy I will even betroth thee unto me in Faithfulness and thou shalt know the Lord. What words can more fully express the Firmness of
me I am against it Grace hath the upper Hand in my Soul I am for the Law of God I give my Voice for Christ I that is my renewed part that 's the I he speaks of 6. He cannot sin unto Death sin so as to fall finally fall and perish for ever 'T is evident that this is intended here though there may be a Truth in the other respects If any Man see his Brother sin a Sin which is not unto Death he shall ask and he shall give him Life for them that sin not unto Death There is a Sin unto Death I do not say he shall pray for it The Elect sin but not unto Death there is Pardon for all their Sins if they ask their Sins shall be forgiven them but there is a Sin unto Death a falling into Heresy or Debauchery or such an Apostacy that shall never be forgiven but thus they cannot commit Sin that are born of God so as to perish Which indeed the Apostle in the same Chapter shews to be his meaning All Vnrighteousness is Sin and there is a Sin not unto Death Mind his next words We know that whosoever is born of God sinneth not He clearly shews us what he intendeth by sinning not namely he sinneth not unto Death but he that is begotten of God keepeth himself that the Wicked one toucheth him not This is the great Happiness and Advantage of the Children of God who partake of his Holy Nature they are furnished with a self-preserving Principle the Seed remains they shall never lose their New Nature therefore cannot sin unto Death For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the World the World in all its Snares Sins Allurements and Temptations whatsoever that is they shall at last overcome Because he that is in them is stronger than he that is in the World 6 thly The very Relation of Children secures them and fully shews they cannot shall not sin fall and perish for ever for what Father a dear and tender Father will suffer any one of his Children to be torn into Pieces and cruelly devoured before his Face if he be able to preserve and deliver it Or should he suffer it would not all say that he was a cruel and unmerciful Father one that had no Love no natural Affections to his poor Child If therefore any one Child of God falls into the Enemy's Hand I mean into Sin 's Hand or Satan's Hand and is torn into pieces or is destroyed and ruined for ever it must be 1. Either for want of Love in God to that poor Child of his 2. Or else for want of Power and Ability in God he being not strong or able enough to save his distressed Child out of the Hands of those cruel Enemies Or 3. For want of Care and Watchfulness in God from whence the Enemy took an Advantage and destroyed his Child that was begotten and born of him Now it cannot be that God wants Love to all or any one of his Children we have shewed you that he loves them with an everlasting infinite and inconceivable Love such a Love as nothing can separate his Children from it and to say he either wants Power to save them or Care and Faithfulness is Blasphemy O what is the Love the Care and Faithfulness of God Besides he has committed them into Christ's Hand to keep and preserve them as my Text holds forth And can any think that Christ has not received a Charge to keep them from the Danger of Sin that they be not finally lost thereby as well as from any other Enemy Or do you think Christ will fail in his Care and Faithfulness who is their great Shepherd Sponsor Surety or Trustee Moreover if he should as I shall hereafter shew you lose one Child he loses one of the Members of his own Mystical Body Now from the whole let me draw this general Argument and so conclude with this 1. If every true Believer is begotten and born of God 2. If they partake of his Holy and Divine Nature 3. If Children cannot cease being Children or that Relation continues as long as Life continues however disobedient the Child may be and if it be thus with the Children of God who are begot and born of him or by his Spirit that they cannot cease being his Children nor lose that Divine Nature they derived from him in Regeneration 4. If God hath provided so well for his own Children in the Covenant that they shall not depart from him 5. If no Child that was born of God did ever perish that we read of 6. If they are the Children of God or Heirs of God and joint Heirs with Christ 7. If they cannot sin unto Death Then no true Believer can so sin and fall away as eternally to perish But all these things affirmed are true certainly true therefore no true Believer can so sin and fall away as eternally to perish Brethren I shall apply this and pass to the sixth Argument APPLICATION Infer 1. From hence we infer that those Men who affirm that such who are the Children of God begotten and born of the Spirit may perish are strangely beclouded for they must suppose that a Child may utterly lose the Nature and Relation of a Child and degenerate so far as to become a Dog a Swine c. which is impossible in Nature and much more in Grace for as none but the Almighty Power of the Infinite God could change the Soul so it is impossible for any Diabolical Power to turn or change that Holy Nature again and that not only because the Divine Nature and Image of God is such in self but also by reason of the Design and Purpose of God in and by Jesus Christ in our Restauration that being such that it cannot be lost any more without the highest dishonour to God and a frustration of his Eternal Purpose and Counsel which was to destroy the Works of the Devil If any should object that Adam had the Image of God in him before he fell and lost it I answer He was the Son of God by Creation only not by Grace he was not begotten by the Holy Spirit nor did he stand as we do in Christ Infer 2. This may also therefore inform all Believers that they are in a most happy and safe Condition because they are born of God and brought by Grace and Regeneration into an unchangeble State Exhort O see that you are the Children of God begotten of God for if so though you are but Babes yet you are out of Eternal Danger Let me give you Brethren here a few Marks or Characters of Babes in Christ or of a Child of God 1. Babes have all the Parts and Lineaments of a Man if it be a perfect Birth So a Babe in Christ hath all the Essentials of a true Christian he hath all the Parts and Lineaments of the New Creature There is a Formation of God's Image or a gracious Work of
doubt of that And if you can make it appear that he so died for us as you affirm namely in the room or stead of all his Elect then your Argument is not to be answered Answ I answer That Jesus Christ did not suffer Death for our Good only but in our room or stead also I shall prove and make clearly to appear 1. This Notion if you will so call it of Christ dying for us must denote his dying in our stead because it is so always generally taken when one Person is said to die for another one is condemned and another dies for him that is in his Room to save the guilty Person from Death And should not this be granted we should be all confounded and not know either what Men or the Scripture means when they say such a Man such a Person died for another or for others when the Person for whom that great Love and Favour was shewed to was as a Criminal and condemned to die which moved his Friend or Surety to step in and suffer the Penalty for him or in his stead Now it was so here we were all Criminals guilty of the highest Treason against the God of Heaven and were by the holy Law of our offended Soveraign condemned to die and to bear Eternal Wrath and our Blessed Saviour was chosen in our room and given up as an Act of the Father's Infinite Love and Favour and as an Act of no less Love Favour and Compassion in Christ to die for us and to satisfy Divine Justice for us or to bear the Punishment we were to have born and must had not he born it for us for ever 2. Is it not plainly foretold that the Messiah should be cut off but not for himself Now since he had no Sin of his own and yet was cut off for Sin it follows he was put in our Place and stood charged with our Guilt or Debt and so was penally cut off he was cut off for us to save us from Divine Wrath and Vengeance It was not for himself it was not for the fallen Angels it was therefore for us that we might not die but live eternally 3. Pray Brethren see what our Saviour saith upon this Account Greater Love hath no Man than this that a Man lay down his Life for his Friends Can this Expression intend any thing more or less than in the room or stead of his Friend or die for them Thus Christ died Even the Just for the Vnjust the Just in the place or stead of the Unjust or us the guilty Persons Hereby perceive we the Love of God Because he laid down his Life for us we ought to lay down our Life for the Brethren These Texts fully prove the Notion He that lays down his Life for his Brother or dies for the Brethren dies in their stead to save them from Death as some have done For scarcely for a righteous Man will one die yet peradventure for a good Man some would even dare to die But God commendeth his Love towards 〈◊〉 in that while we were yet Sinners Christ died for us Now then seeing Christ underwent Death and bore that Punishment that was due for Sins and there being no Cause in himself why he should suffer that Pain and Penalty it unavoidably follows that it was because he stood in our Place charged with our Offences 4. Again it must be thus taken and understood because it is said The Lord laid on him the Iniquity of us all Our Sins were made to meet in him He was wounded for our Transgressions he was bruised for our Iniquities It was not by Christ's praying and interceding to the Father for us to forgive us our Iniquities No no that was not enough it was his dying for them He bore our Sins in his own Body on the Tree He prayed again and again but that Cup could not pass by if we are delivered and saved from our Sins he must die nay his Soul must be made an Offering for Sin 5. That Christ died in our stead will further appear because he was made Sin for us that knew no Sin He bore the Sins of many that is the Punishment of them Our Sins were charged upon him though he had no Sin of his own in a moral Sense but was pure from all Iniquity yet in a judicial Sense he was made Sin as he was constituted and put in the Sinner's Place dying and making Satisfaction in our stead as our blessed Head and Surety And how frivolous is the Cavil of the Socinians who would have it be understood where it is said Christ was made Sin that he was accounted a Sinner by wicked Men. This cannot be the meaning of the Place because as he was made Sin for us that knew no Sin so it was that we might be made the Righteousness of God in him Do wicked Men account Believers to be made the Righteousness of God in him Or does not God look upon us or count us in him so to be 6. But why is it said by the Holy Ghost But when the fulness of Time was come God sent forth his Son made of a Woman made under the Law to redeem them that were under the Law c. Had he not stood in our Law-place why is it thus expressed Certainly God saw it necessary to substitute him and to accept of him in our stead and therefore he was made under the Law i. e. he was obliged to keep the Law perfectly for us God requiring that of us in order to Justification which we being fallen were not able to do therefore he did it for us and in our Nature being made of a Woman he took our Nature upon him and suffered Death making a full and compleat Satisfaction for our Breach thereof whose Sufferings and Obedience upon the account of his being God as well as Man had an infinite Worth and Merit in them And if this which the Apostle saith in this place doth not prove that he suffered in our room I must confess I know nothing of this great Gospel-Mystery 7. That he suffered not only for our Good or Profit but also in our room and stead doth further appear because it is said He died for our Sins Who was delivered for our Offences and rose again for our Justification This Particle saith a Learned Man joined with an Accusative doth generally signify the impulsive Cause and not final Mat. 10. 22. 13. 5. 14. 9. John 20. 19. 2 Cor. 4. 11. And particularly when it is used in reference to Sufferings it hath that signification and no other see Levit. 26. 18 28. Deut. 28. 11. 2 Kings 23. 26. Jer. 13. 22. John 10. 32. In all these Places it necessarily signifies the Meritorious and Impulsive Cause and nowise the Final for our Offences must needs be understood that our Offences were the Meritorious and Impulsive Cause of Christ's Sufferings Another Particle the Holy
Divine Wrath hath made so sweet a Calm that God declares in him i. e. in his Son he is well-pleased and that Fury is not in him now no more for ever towards Believers who can or shall then condemn them Jesus Christ hath turned away God's Anger by impairing of his Right and Soveraignty without derogation from his Perfections So that now he can and doth receive us who believe into his Eternal Love and Favour through the Death of his own Son it being the Judgment of God that they who sin are worthy of Death But that Death which Sin incurred and the Sinner deserved Christ hath endured for his Elect and delivered them for ever from the Pain and Punishment thereof and stand acquitted of and justified from for ever Thirdly It is because Jesus Christ who was the Antitype of the Scape-Goat hath carried away all our Sins who do believe The kill'd Goat made the Atonement for the Sins of all God's Israel and because one Goat could not prefigure the whole of Christ's Undertaking therefore there were two Goats appointed And Aaron shall lay both his Hands upon the Head of the live Goat and confess over him all the Iniquities of the Children of Israel and all their Transgressions in all their Sins putting them upon the Head of the Goat and shall send him away by the Hand of a fit Person into the Wilderness And the Goat shall bear upon him all their Iniquities unto a Land not inhabited c. Brethren pray observe here is mention four times of all the Sins of the Children of Israel all their Iniquities all their Transgressions all their Sins And again the Goat shall bear upon him all their Iniquities The Goat was a Type of Christ to shew that not one Sin of a Child of God shall ever be laid upon him charged upon him because Christ had them all laid upon him and he hath carried them all away all their Sins great Sins as well as smaller Sins Sins before Grace and after Grace were all laid upon Jesus Christ yea Sins of all sorts Sins of Commission and Sins of Omission no Sin could be expiated without the Death and Blood of Christ Also a full and free Confession was to be made upon the Head of the Scape-Goat of all Sins Brethren as the smallest Sins needed such a Sacrifice such an Atonement namely the Death of Christ so the greatest Sins were not excluded from that Atonement and blessed Benefit of his Death Moreover the Scape-Goat carried all their Sins away into the Wilderness or into an unknown Land or into a Land of Forgetfulness never to be remembred any more this hath our Lord Jesus done Christ hath put away Sin and put it away for ever and that by the Sacrifice of himself once for all He hath laid on him the Iniquities of us all and also all our Iniquities He could not be supposed to have suffered for our Sins if our Sins respecting the Guilt of them were not laid upon him or charged upon him and imputed to him his Sufferings otherwise would have been Arbitrary and Unjust had he not been substituted by the Father and called forth as our Surety nor could his Death been accepted the Law no where condemning or punishing any one who in a Law-sense is an innocent Person He was made Sin without knowing Sin He knew the Guilt by Imputation but he knew not Sin any otherwise neither Original nor Actual He was born without Sin and lived without Sin in his Mouth was found no Guile yet he had our Sins upon him and carried them away he being the Antitype of the slain Goat satisfied for all our Sins and as he is the Antitype of the live Goat he hath born them away for ever Arg. 4. If any one Sin of the Children of God shall ever be charged upon them as to that Vindictive Wrath that is due to Sin so that they may come under Eternal Condemnation of it then hath not Christ born all their Sins nor carried them away into the Land of Forgetfulness But Christ hath born all their Sins and carried away all their Iniquities as he is the Antitype of the slain and living Goat therefore their Sins shall never be charged upon them as to the Vindictive Wrath that is due to them so that they can never come under Eternal Condemnation Fourthly None of Christ's Sheep or no Believer can fall so as eternally to perish upon the Consideration of the Death of Christ 1. Because Christ hath by his Death delivered them from the Curse of the Law as well as from the Guilt of Sin the Law is the Strength of Sin it is by that Sin condemneth the Sinner The Law lays every Man under the Wrath and Curse of God and unless it be answered God might be said to change his Will should he justify any Man nay it would seem to reflect upon his Holiness the Precepts must perfectly be kept by Man or his Surety the Breach we had made of it by Sin must be satisfied for both these Jesus Christ hath done not for himself he needed not to have come to keep the Law to justify himself for as God he is infinite Holy but as Mediator he did this for us he obtained a perfect Robe or Righteousness to give away and put on us He hath brought in everlasting Righteousness and made an end of Sin How made an end of Sin Not that there shall be no Sin any more in the World No but he has made an end of the condemning Power of it the strength it had to kill and damn the Soul is took away for ever from all that believe from all that he hath put his Righteousness upon God's justice being satisfied we are furnished with an exact and compleat Righteousness that shall last for ever 't is an Everlasting Righteousness that every Believer hath in Christ Who therefore shall condemn Christ hath delivered us from the Curse of the Law being made a Curse for us Sin is our Sickness Sin is that by which we stand charged and the Law condemns us pronounces a Curse against us but Christ hath cured us of this Sickness and delivered us from this Curse As it is written Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things that are written in the Book of the Law to do them Till we believed we lay under that fearful Curse but from this we are discharged and Christ hath undergone that great Curse for us and there is no other Curse can come on Believers all separation from God and Wrath is by the Curse of Law but this is ended and gone for ever to every one that believeth Nothing therefore now can separate them from God the Curse is taken away and the Blessing is put on us 2. From hence it appears that the Veracity of God is ingaged to acquit all them that believe in Christ as his Justice is obliged to leave Sinners under the Curse of
past Christ's Death hath glorious Effects as the Apostle shews For if the Blood of Bulls and Goats and Ashes of an Heifer sprinkling the unclean sanctifieth to the purifying of the Flesh how much more shall the Blood of Christ who through the Eternal Spirit offered himself to God purge your Consciences from dead Works to serve the living God To talk of Christ's Death and see no Effects of it alas what 's that All that Christ died for shall see and feel too its Glorious Effects and Operations upon their Souls and Consciences though the Sacrifice be over the Virtue and excellent Causality of it abides for ever Ninthly Christ by his Death redeemeth his People from all Iniquity and this was his End in dying What signifies such a Redemption that leaves a poor Slave in his Chains and Irons without procuring a Release for him In this lies the Glory of our Redemption by Christ 't is not only from the Curse of the Law and Wrath of God but from a vain Conversation also See the Apostle's Words Who gave himself for us that he might redeem us from all Iniquity and purify unto himself a peculiar People zealous of good Works If this was his End and Design in his Death do any think he will see himself frustrated in it Shall any Enemy of the Soul bring Christ under a Disappointment Compare this with 1 Pes. 1. 17 18 19. Tenthly and Lastly Jesus Christ hath by his Death purchased Eternal Redemption or Everlasting Life for all his Sheep and by his Spirit hath also given to them the Earnest of it therefore his Death preserves them to Salvation In whom ye also trusted after ye heard the Word of Truth the Gospel of your Salvation in whom also after ye believed ye were sealed with the Holy Spirit of Promise which is the Earnest of our Inheritance until the Redemption of the purchased Possession unto the Praise of his Glory Now I should come to speak more particularly to the Effects of the Death of Christ and inlarge upon some things that I have but a little touched upon but that I must leave until the next Time and shall only speak something by way of Improvement of this Argument APPLICATION First To you that are Believers O praise and bless God for a Crucified Saviour What in Heaven and Earth is cause of greater Wonder and Admiration Christ's Death is the meritorious Cause of all Spiritual and Eternal Joy and Comfort all Grace flows out of the Wounds the Spear and Nailâ— made in his Blessed Body and from the Death and Pangs his Soul underwent Nothing is a greater Evidence of Christ's Love to us than the Death of his Cross 2. Apply his Blood draw Virtue from his Blood fly to his Death see how that stands to save thee from the Justice and Wrath of God in his Death is thy Hope and Succour when pursued by Satan and under all Temptations 3. Triumph in the Cross of Christ thou O Child of God wast crucified with Christ thy Sins were punished in him and thou art acquitted in him and raised in him O labour to know Christ and him crucified Labour to know him and the Power of his Death and the Fellowship of his Sufferings c. 4. And as to you Sinners is not here Ground of Hope for you Christ died for the chiefest of Sinners And whosoever believeth in him shall not perish but have everlasting Life But wo to such who slight this bleeding Saviour that sin because Grace hath abounded or that make the Death of Christ an Incouragement to them to continue in Sin Tush say some trouble not your self with me Christ died for Sinners O Souls will you crucify Christ again I tell you if you do not feel the Effects of his Death in vain is all your present Hope 5. This may serve also to detect such and severely to reprehend them that say Christ died to save all or for all and every Man and Woman in the World Brethren if he died for all that is in the Stead and Room of all then all shall be saved God will not condemn such whom Christ laid down his Life for or in the place or stead of as I have proved from God's Word But further to detect this Error of General Redemption 1. Consider that Redemption is a Word easy to understand it is the saving of a Person that is in Slavery or Captivity commonly procured or obtained by a Price paid or a Ransom but if the Person is indeed redeemed he is set at Liberty To say a Man is redeemed and yet left in Chains and strong Bonds out of which he cannot come unless the Redeemer break those Chains and Bonds to pieces is to speak untruly or in plain English a Lie Now are all Men redeemed Redemption cannot be more universal than it is in Matter of Fact If ten Men were in Slavery in Argiers and a Sum of Money was paid to redeem them and yet after all care is not taken to make that Ransom to be effectual for their Redemption but six or seven of them are left in Captivity can any Man say all the ten were redeemed out of that Slavery and Thraldom wherein they are held Even so it is here for Men to say that the Redemption by Christ is for all the World and yet the greatest part of Mankind lie in Bonds under the Power of Sin and Satan and have not the Death of Christ made effectual to them is a great Mistake and indeed not true as to Matter of Fact 2. Are we redeemed only from the Curse of the Law and from the Wrath of God and are we not also redeemed from Sin and from being under the Power of Satan That Redemption that is by Christ is you hear from all Iniquity and are all so redeemed The Apostle Peter saith Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things as Silver and Gold from a vain Conversation but with the precious Blood of Jesus Christ c. So many as are and shall be redeemed from all Iniquity from a vain Conversation or whom Christ hath redeemed from the Power of Satan he setting them at Liberty who naturally are bound and bringing them out of the Prison-House so many and no more did he die for and no further doth Redemption by Christ extend 3. If there are many left in the Enemies Hand and under their Power and eternally perish then there is no general or universal Redemption but there are Multitudes so left and perish 4. That Grace Love and blessed Price that doth not procure Universal Salvation is not cannot be an Universal Redemption But God never shewed such Grace and Love by the Price of Christ's Blood that doth procure Universal Salvation therefore there is no Universal Redemption for that Price or Paiment which doth not actually pass or terminate in Salvation is no Redemption at all an Attempt to redeem unless it be
a Sum 12. That Purchase of Remission of Sin and Salvation that leaves Men under a Certainty of Damnation is not esteemed Redemption at all but a Purchase of Remission and Salvation upon the Condition these Men talk of leaves most under a Certainty of Damnation because it is an impossible Condition in respect of Man he being dead in Sins and Trespasses therefore can't perform it and also in respect of Christ because he never purchased Grace for them to enable them to perform that Condition 13. If the Death and Resurrection of Christ shall have its proper Effect to the Eternal Salvation of all them for whom he died as a Corn of Wheat that falleth into the Ground or is sown in the Earth in that respect hath its Effect then all for whom he died shall be saved But his Death c. shall have like Effect see his own Words And Jesus answered them saying The Hour is come that the Son of Man should be glorified Verily verily I say unto you Except a Corn of Wheat fall into the Ground and die it abideth alone but if it die it bringeth forth much Fruit. See here all that are and shall be saved our Lord ascribeth unto his Death as the absolute Effect thereof all his Elect being virtually in him as all the Increase virtually is in that one Corn of Wheat that is sown into the Earth that is produced by it See Reverend Dr. Chauncy If saith he there be the same Eternal and Unchangeable Cause of Redemption as of Application as to the same Persons then whosoever is redeemed shall have Redemption applied and be saved eternally But there is the same Eternal and Unchangeable Cause of both Ergo. 3. All that are redeemed must be saved or if they be not saved the Reason is from the Insufficiency of his Redemption and whatsoever is not efficient is not sufficient to attain the End either from want of Virtue in the Thing or Will in the Efficient Now if Christ's Intention were to redeem all he intended that which he could not do if he intended not to redeem all whatever the simple Virtue of his Obedience might have done had it had an Intention of the Agent annex'd to it yet having it not it is limited by it and becomes insufficient 4. If the Death of Christ be sufficient to redeem all and all are not actually redeemed so as to be saved it is Nonsense to talk of Universal Redemption for an Universal Redemption without Universal Salvation is an Absurdity of the first Rate 5. If Christ's Death be universally sufficient then it is irresistable in attaining its End and if so Man's Will cannot hinder it But these Men that hold Universal Redemption will say That notwithstanding this Redemption some Men will not be saved therefore this Redemption is not sufficient to save all for it seems it doth not conquer every Man's Will so as to make him willing to be saved and it seems by them Christ is such a Redeemer as cannot save whom he will and therefore not being an Alsufficient Redeemer cannot be a sufficient Redeemer to save all 6. He that died to redeem all died instead of all But Christ did not die in the room or stead of all The Major wants no Proof and all Opposition to Christ dying in our stead is but a meer Wrangle And that Point is yielded of late by our soberest and most Learned Vniversalists I proceed to the Minor Christ did not die in the stead or room of all for if so in what Christ suffered in their stead that are not saved he was injured To pay this or that Man's Money and be accepted and taken Debtor and Paymaster in his stead and yet for all this if the Man is not discharged nor one Farthing of his Debt both Christ and the Sinner must needs be fallaciously and injuriously dealt with 7. It is not fit Christ should die for all seeing his Father elected not all and gave not all to him for Christ to redeem more were to disobey his Father's Will and not to do it If any say God elected all it 's most absurd to talk of chusing some from among many others When a Man takes the whole Number this is no Election or if any say that Election is Conditional provided a Man will this also is no Election for if Election be upon the Condition of Man's free Will one Man is not chosen and not another but all have equal previous Designation to the End and so there is no Election at all 8. All that Christ shed his Blood for he loved with a Conjugal Love and therefore must be married to them in Application and they must necessarily be saved 9. The Works peculiarly ascribed to each Person according to their Divine Order and Manner of working are of equal Extent whom the Father elects the Son redeems and the Holy Ghost sanctifies Thus far the Reverend Dr. Isaac Chauncy I might add divers other Arguments against this pretended Universal Redemption but because what I have already said under this Argument taken from the Death of Christ doth so fully overthrow such a pretended conditional Universal Redemption I shall say no more unto it Object But doth not the Scripture say that Christ died for all and for the whole World and for every Man Answ 1. It cannot be taken for every Individual Man and Woman in the World for the Reasons we have given 2. It is evident by All that the word World doth in many places only intend some of all sorts by a Synecdoche a part being put for the whole As it is said All Judea and Jerusalem and all the Regions round about Jordan went out to be baptized of John Behold the same baptizeth speaking of Christ and all Men come to him Again Christ saith When I am lifted up I will draw all Men to me Also Paul saith That the Manifestation of the Spirit is given to every Man to profit withal Hath every Man and Woman in the World the Holy Ghost in them and the eminent Gifts thereof The Apostle says That every Creature of God is good and nothing to be refused that is to say every Creature of God is good for Food Now pray are not these words to be taken with restriction Are not Toads and Snakes and a multitude of other Creatures and Things the Creatures of God and are they therefore good for Food or intended here I even wonder to see how Men run into Mistakes through ignorance of some Texts of Scripture As Mr. Joshua Exel lately and very confidently and boldly hath asserted in print That John the Baptist did certainly baptize all universally even both Men Women and Children because the Text says That all Judea Jerusalem and all the Regions round about Jordan went out and were baptized of him which I have answered and shewed his weakness in asserting any such thing from thence All there no doubt intends but
hereby magnified they join hand in hand for the effecting of it Fourthly No Power can supersede God's Decree nor obstruct Jesus Christ in his compleating the Whole of his Work I will work and who shall let And again it is said He shall bring forth Judgment unto Victory He shall not fail nor be discouraged The Pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his Hand And seeing then that the Final Accomplishment of the Salvation of every Believer is put into Christ's Hand for a farther Demonstration how this tends to secure them all from Danger and to preserve them to Eternal Life Take here a short Induction of Particulars 1. Consider the Nature of that Covenant by virtue of which all the Elect are put into Christ's Hand It is a Covenant made and entered into by the Son as Mediator with the Father not only to redeem and purchase Life for them and to infuse Life in them but to preserve them in a State of Life so that none of God's Covenant-Children might depart from him any more for ever which the first Covenant failed in and therefore God found fault with that or rather with them with whom it was made who failed in continuing their Obedience thereunto but sinned and fell from God Now say I God to prevent the like again hath entered into a New Covenant with his Son for us which is so well ordered in all things and sure as that not one Soul shall ever eternally miscarry that is comprehended therein O remember that this Covenant was the Result of Infinite Wisdom as well as it resulted from inconceivable Love and Goodness in God and it was to frustrate and destroy the Works of the Devil for ever so that he might never have Cause to insult over the Majesty of God in getting out of his Hand one Soul that he designed in his Eternal Counsel to make happy and save for ever 2. Consider Jesus Christ to this End in this Covenant hath took all that the Father gave unto him into his Hand as their Surety Pray consider all Believers are thus in the Hand of Christ Hence he is called the Surety of a better Covenant He is their great Sponsor if any be lost he must answer for them Let me read that Text in 1 Kings 20. I shall only allude to it to clear up this Matter the better to weak Capacities Thy Servant went out into the midst of the Battel and behold a Man turned aside and brought a Man unto me and said Keep this Man if by any means he be missing then shall thy Life go for his Life I know this was spoken by the Prophet parabolically yet it may serve to shew you the Nature of Suretiship where one engageth for another or for others Thus Judah became Surety to his Father for Benjamin I will be Surety for him of my Hand shalt thou require him if I bring him not unto thee and set him before thee then let me bear the blame for ever Reuben also became Surety for Benjamin And Reuben spake unto his Father saying Slay my two Sons if I bring him not to thee and deliver him into thy Hand This was more indeed than was required of him or that his Father Jacob could accept of without Sin had he failed But O see the Nature of Suretiship Jesus Christ hath taken all his Saints into his Hand as their Surety to the Father and God hath accepted him in this Case and looks for them all at his Hand the Father substituted him not to be a Shepherd only but a Surety also 3. And let it be considered that Jesus Christ became not our Surety to pay our Debts or to satisfy for our Sins which we stood charged with before our Conversion but also for all our Sins after we believe his Blood was a plenary Satisfaction for all so that Christ says as it were to the Father as Judah to Jacob I thy Servant am become Surety for these and every one of these that thou hast given to me and if I bring them not to thee and set them not before thee in Heaven then let me bear the blame for ever Or he may say as Paul speaketh concerning his Son Onesimus If he hath wronged thee or oweth thee ought put that on my Account I Paul have written it with my own Hand I will repay it c. Thus Christ may say Father charge the Sins the Debts that my Saints have and shall commit to me I will be accountable for them And indeed he hath already done it once for all and not only so but to bring them all to Heaven and this in a most high and sublime Covenant and Holy Compact he made with the Father before the World began therefore not one Soul of them can perish 4. Consider also that in pursuit of this Covenant and Suretiship Jesus Christ hath suffered Death spilt his own precious Blood which the Father doth accept of as their full Discharge and shall any once suppose that one Soul of his People for whom he thus struck Hands and died for and took into his Care and Charge shall eternally miscarry 5. Consider that as they are in Christ's Hands and he hath suffered Death for them and in their stead so also that the Merits of his Blood might become effectual to them he is every ways fitted endowed and qualified with all things whatsoever that is necessary in order to his actual Discharge of this great Trust he hath taken upon him 1. He hath received the Spirit without measure to the end he might have that and all Grace that is needful to communicate to every one of his Saints as he sees necessary for them and it is laid up in his Hand not given all at once to them but they shall have all their Wants supplied according to his Riches in Glory 2. He hath Wisdom enough also for he is Wisdom it self 3. He is clothed with Power also he is a Saviour a great One Pray hear what he himself saith I that speak in Righteousness mighty to save All Power is given to me in Heaven and Earth c. He cannot fail for want of Power as Mediator let the States or Straits of any Soul of his be what they will or of any that relie upon him or come unto him Wherefore he is able to save to the uttermost all that come to God by him Nay and this Power is given to him to this very end namely not only to quicken and renew them but also to perfect Holiness in them and to bring them to Heaven at last As thou hast given him Power over all Flesh that he should give Eternal Life to as many as thou hast given him 6. Consider the strict Charge the Father hath given to Christ as he hath put all Believers into his Hand 1. A Charge to redeem them he laid down his Life as the Father commanded him 2. See that in Isa 49.
Grace as I may say is the Off-spring of Heaven And what doth God love on Earth above his own Grace in the Souls of his People 'T is God's Gift though it be Christ's Merit And as Reverend Charnock notes Grace hath great Allies the greatest Power that ever yet acted upon the Stage of the World had a Hand in the birth of it Should we see all the States of the World engaged in bringing a Person to a Kingdom and maintaining therein his Right we could not rationally think that there were any likelihood they should be baffled in it The Trinity saith he sat in Consultation about Grace For if there were such a Solemn Convention held about the first creating of Man much more about the new and better creating of him and raising him somewhat above the State of Man the Father decrees it the Son purchaseth it the Spirit infuseth it The Father appoints the Garison what Grace should be in every Soul Christ raiseth this Force and the Spirit conducts it the Trinity hath a hand in maintaining it and all this is but the carrying on the New Creature The Father is said to beget us John 1. 13. and we are said to be the Seed of Christ Isa 53. 10. and born of the Spirit John 3. 6. therefore that which hath so strong a Relation and Allies cannot be lost Thus Charnock 2. The Father is the Root and Foundation of Grace as it is the Effect of his free Love and Favour and every Grace is part of the Divine Nature in it there is an imitation of one or other of the Divine Attributes and it exemplifies the Divine Perfections in its Operations The Design of God in infusing of his Grace into our Souls is to shew forth his Vertues or his Praise and Glory in all the Parts of it and doth glorify one or another Attribute of God 3. What is Grace and the Work of Grace in the Soul but God's Workmanship which as you have heard he hath shewed much Skill and heavenly Wisdom about and also hath been at more Cost to effect in us than in making the World he will not therefore suffer that Work to be marr'd and brought to nought We are his Workmanship created in Christ Jesus to good Works Did he give his Son purchase Grace and will not the same Love engage his Power to preserve and perfect it in us 4. And since God's Power is concerned in preserving Grace in us and us in a State of Grace can it be thought that Satan that strong Man armed when he had full possession of the Soul and also had so strong a Party in us on his Side and yet could not prevent an overthrow he being vanquished and turned out should ever get possession again especially since now the Soul is so well armed and hath the strongest Party on its Side against him besides such wonderful Allies to stand by it to oppose its Enemies and to aid and assist it against him and all his Abetters If Grace when a Babe gave Satan such a fatal Defeat and Overthrow certainly now it hath got such strength in the Soul it will never be overcome by him We are kept by the Power of God through Faith unto Salvation And Christ hath prayed that our Faith fail not and was heard therein Brethren is the Power of the Omnipotent God limited to a Faith of the Creature 's getting and to his Care in securing If so it is as much as to say the Nurse will keep the Child in her Hand if it doth not get out of it and stray away from her We say God keeps us by his Power through Faith because he hath ordained Faith and Holiness to be the Means which he by his Power will maintain in us as well as Happiness or the Salvation of our Souls to be the End 5. God hath promised to help us to uphold us to strengthen us and to preserve us unto the End The Steps of a good Man are ordered by the Lord and he delighteth in his Way Though he fall he shall not be utterly cast down for the Lord upholdeth him with his Hand If he falls into Sin into Temptation or Affliction the Lord will not leave him but help him up and bring him out of all his Distresses He hath promised never to leave us nor forsake us He hath also promised to be our God and our Guide even unto Death and hath assured us That the Righteous shall hold on their Ways and he that hath clean Hands shall grow stronger and stronger and to put his Fear into our Hearts that we shall not depart from him Again the Apostle asserts That he that hath begun aâ— good Work in us will perform it to the Day of Christ 6. In a word it cannot stand consistent with the Wisdom Love Faithfulness Holiness nor the Glory of God to suffer any of his own Children and redeemed Ones to be pulled away from him by Sin Satan the Flesh or this World or any Enemy whatsoever and Grace to come to nothing in them 1. Can it stand consistent with his Wisdom to suffer his own Eternal Counsel to be frustrated Or hath any Man the true Grace of God and yet not as the Result of God's Purpose from Eternity If so how comes it to pass that Paul tells the Saints That they were saved and called with an holy Calling not according to our Works but according to his own Purpose and Grace which was given us in Christ before the World began Can it stand consistent with Divine Wisdom to let Satan insult over God himself and boast after this manner Thou hast sent thy Son to die for these Persons thou hast renewed them by thy Grace and made them thy own Children and espoused them to thy own Son and this according to the greatness of thy Love and thy Purpose before all Worlds and didst it also to destroy and bring to nought my Design and laborious Work in seeking to devour them but see how thou art defeated and frustrated in all thou hast done I have tempted them to Sin I have again deceived their Souls and set thee against them and thy Design in saving of these is by me made of none effect I have turned those Saints into Swine and robbed them of all that Grace and rich Treasure thou gavest to them notwithstanding thou hadst put them into the Hand of thy own Son to preserve and keep 2. Can it stand consistent with his tender Love to leave his Saints in the midst of so many cruel Enemies who are unable to save themselves as poor Babes of two or ten Days old out of their Hands and yet suffer them by Sin and Satan to be torn to pieces whilst he stands by and looks on and yet they are such that are his own Children begotten and born of him by his Spirit Or shall his Love be so great in begetting Grace or in infusing
off from pressing Care and Diligence on the Mariners 4. That God who hath ordained the End I tell you again hath also ordained the Means Without Holiness no Man shall see the Lord. We are chosen in Christ that we may be holy and without blame before him in Love Nor can any ever come to any well-grounded hope he shall be saved or know he is elected unless he is holy heavenly spiritual watchful and diligent in all Gospel-Duties which is the Fruits and Effects of Election 5. The Decree of Election considered absolutely in it self without respect had unto its Effects is no part of God's revealed Will that is it is not revealed that this Man is and that Man is not Elected This therefore can be made neither Argument nor Objection about any thing wherein Faith and Obedience are concerned 6. The Sovereign and ever-to-be-adored Grace and distinguishing Love of God is laid down in the Word of God to be the greatest Motive to Holiness imaginable Who maketh thee to differ from another O that God should open my Eyes call me by his Grace may a Believer say Shall I sin against him because his Grace so abounds to me God forbid If God hath elected me I may live in Sin walk as I list is the Language rather of a Devil than of a Man much less of a Saint I speak the more to this because I would shew you that are Believers what Improvement you ought to make of God's Free Grace and Love to you Put on therefore as the Elect of God Holy and Beloved Bowels of Mercies Kindness Humbleness of Mind Meekness Long-suffering forbearing one another and forgiving one another And as Moses said Consider what great things God hath done for you Object 4. If I shall persevere to the End what need is there of those Take-heeds in the Scripture Why are we bid to watch and take heed lest we fall Answ This is all one with the former besides I answered it largely when I first entred upon my Work but yet let me add a word or two further 1. A Child of God may sin and fall grievously and greatly dishonour God and bring Reproach on the Gospel which may tend to grieve some and harden others nay he may lose his Comfort and Joy of God's Salvation therefore hath need to watch Satan is a strong a vigilant and cunning Enemy O see what Reasons you have from thence to watch and pray 2. If you grow careless carnal or indifferent in the Matters of Religion it may be a sign that your Hearts are not right with God Many of the Members of the Churches to whom the Epistles were directed were no more than Professors and if so they were liable to fall away and perish for ever Object 5. But same Branches in the Vine may bear no Fruit but may be cut off and wither c. Answ I have also fully answered this Objection already see the Argument taken from our Union with Christ There is a twofold being in Christ an External being in him by a Profession and a true Spiritual being in him Object 6. If Christ died not for all what ground have I to believe he died for me Answ 1. What doth it signify to believe Christ died for all unless thou findest the Effects of his Death in thee Many thousands shall perish notwithstanding Christ died for them in their Judgment that make this Objection yea the generality of them for whom he died therefore unless all were saved what Encouragement is there to believe from hence 2. He that believes shall be saved If thou therefore dost believe thou shalt be saved Is not this a better Ground of Faith than that of Christ's dying for all 3. A bare believing that Christ died for all I have proved is no Ground of thy Interest in his Death for that may be without any Fruits or gracious Effects 4. Thou hast the same Ground to believe as any have or as such had who do now believe before they did believe or as they had once who now are in Heaven 5. Christ died for the chiefest of Sinners and the Promises of Mercy upon believing are made to the vilest Sinners on Earth 6. Great and black Sinners have found Mercy and are now in Heaven even some of them that put Christ to Death And is here not Ground of Faith and Hope for thee 7. Remember that if thou believest not but dost continue in thy Sin and Rebellion against God thou shalt be certainly damned thy rejecting of Christ will have that Effect at last upon all Unbelievers 8. Moreover Christ calls to stout-hearted Sinners such that are far from Righteousness He brings his Salvation near to them He calls upon a People not called by his Name He hath received Gifts for the Rebellious also that God might dwell among them And is not here a good Ground to venture thy Soul upon Jesus Christ be thou who thou wilt 9. No Person is excluded by the Lord that we know of Can any Man say there is no Mercy for him unless he hath sinned against the Holy Ghost which may be not one in an Age is guilty of The Nature of which Sin I purpose to open after I have closed with this Text. Thy Condemnation O Sinner will be of thy self God will judg the World in Righteousness this we are all agreed in and set down as an undeniable Article of our Faith None shall have this to plead at the last Day I was not Elected God will vindicate his Justice and Righteous Proceedings in the Day of Judgment and all Mouths shall be then stopped and every Man's Conscience be a Witness for or against him And though foreseen Faith and Holiness is not the Cause why any are elected yet foreseen Wickedness is the Cause why Men are reprobated O Israel thou hast destroyed thy self but in me is thy help Object 7. But is it not said Work out your Salvation with fear and trembling Answ 1. This Text the Papists do abuse as well as the Arminians who strive to make Man a Co-worker or a Partner with Christ in our Salvation But this the Apostle intends not because we are saved by Grace For by Grace are ye saved through Faith and that not of your selves it is the Gift of God Not of Works lest any Man should boast For we are his Workmanship created in Christ Jesus to good Works 2. Whoever it is that brings in this Text as an Objection against the Doctrine of the Saints Final Perseverance you may be sure is a corrupt Person in his Judgment and one that pleads for a Covenant of Works or joins the Creature with Christ as a Co-workein the Salvation of Man For if it be to be taken in their sense then it would follow that Man is his own Saviour for if I procure my own Salvation by Works or by working it out for my self I save my self or am my own Saviour or I
kind of taste they may have of those Powers c. 1. By the Powers of the World to come of which they are said to have a taste I understand are meant the Glorious Effects of God's mighty Power that was and shall be further exerted in bringing in the Kingdom of the Messiah first in those miraculous Operations which being to assure us of the certainty of the new World were wrought before these Mens Eyes 2. The Powers of the World to come do doubtless consist also in the dissolving of this present World and all the States and Kingdoms of the Earth Thou hast of old laid the Foundation of the Earth and though the Heavens are the Work of thy Hands they shall perish but thou shalt endure yea all of them shall wax old like a Garment as a Vesture shalt thou change them and they shall be changed compared with 2 Pet. 3. 10 11 12 13. The mighty Power of God shall be put forth in dissolving this old World 3. And not only so but also that God by his Almighty Power will bring in and establish the Kingdom of the Messiah in the Glory of it for as the dissolving of the old World appertains to the Power of the great God so doth also his bringing in according to his mighty Power the new Heavens and the new Earth The Heavens shall pass away with a great Noise and the Elements shall melt with fervent Heat and the Earth and the Things therein shall be burned up And all this is but to make way for the World to come or for the new Heavens and new Earth wherein dwelleth Righteousness 4. The Resurrection of the Dead also appertains to the Powers of the World to come and in it lies no small part of God's mighty Power neither Who shall change our vile Body that it may fashioned like unto his own glorious Body according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things to himself 5. The Power of the last Judgment and definitive Sentence together with the eternal Punishment of wicked Men and Devils may also be here intended Who shall be punished with everlasting Destruction from the Presence of the Lord and the Glory of his Power 6. Moreover the exerting of God's mighty Power the Power of his Grace Divine Love and Goodness in his glorifying of the Saints may be meant also here by the Powers of the World to come When he shall come to be glorified in his Saints and admired in all them that believe For as the letting out of the Power of his Wrath and Vengeance in the World to come upon the Wicked as was hinted before may hereby be comprehended so likewise the letting out of the Power of his Love and Goodness on the Godly Secondly I shall shew you now what a kind of taste the Persons in our Text may be said to have had of the Powers of the World to come 1. They had or might have a taste of the Truth and Certainty of the World to come which they clearly saw confirmed by those miraculous Operations in the extraordinary Gifts of the Spirit and wonderful Works that were wrought by the Apostles nay which perhaps some of them had Power to do themselves for many shall say at the last Day Have we not prophesied in thy Name and in thy Name cast out Devils and in thy Name done many wonderful Works To whom Christ will say I profess I never knew you depart from me ye that work Iniquity No doubt but as Saul and Balaam prophesied so Judas might as well as the other Apostles cast out Devils and do other wonderful Works 2. And as by those miraculous Operations they might have a taste of the Powers of Christ's Kingdom as it began then so this might cause them stedfastly to believe the Truth of the Powers of the World to come in the future State and Glory thereof Many Persons do not firmly believe this and therefore regard not how they live here in this present World but say let us eat and drink for to Morrow we shall die So also in another Place by the same Prophet it is said Come say they I will fetch Wine and we will fill our selves with strong Drink and to Morrow shall be as this Day and much more abundant These ungodly Wretches fear nothing of those Judgments that are come but lay their Hearts loose upon the Neck of their Lusts But the enlightned Persons in our Text did believe or give stedfast Credit to the Truth of that future State both of the Resurrection and Judgment-Day even of that Day of Reckoning when Sinners shall be punished for all their abominable Wickedness they believed God's Word and the Revelation thereof touching what will come upon the Ungodly in the World to come and so are said to taste of the Powers of it and this Persons may do and yet perish 3. They might not only have a taste of the World to come by a common Faith or by giving stedfast Credence to the Truth and Certainty of it but might also be under great Convictions of the Evil of Sin knowing that all the Sweet thereof will be turned into Bitter and that Sin in the World to come will be punished and the Sinner condemned to Everlasting Burning and that God will reward every Man according to his Deeds and might know also that some shall find greater Condemnation or a hotter Hell than others more intolerable Pain in that Day As 1. All such who draw others into Sin whether it be Drunkenness Pride Theft Uncleanness c. 2. All such who sin after strong Convictions and great Illuminations or that sin against Light and Knowledg 3. Such who have been often reproved and yet live in their wicked Practices and harden their Hearts let Ministers and godly Parents say what they will they regard it not 4. Such who have greater Means of Grace than others or who live under an awakening and powerful Ministry and yet go on in their Sins in Pride Swearing Drunkenness Uncleanness c. 5. Such who sin under Judgments or when God's Hand is lifted up and his Wrath poured out upon Men for their Abominations and greater Wrath denounced and ready to break forth 6. Such who sin boldly impudently in the Face of the Sun Shew their Sin as Sodom and hide it not 7. Such who expose the Holy Name of God which they profess to Reproach and harden the wicked World in their Sins and open the Mouths of many to blaspheme God and speak evil of his Ways and People 8. Such who delight in Sin or take pleasure in their Wickedness do boast and glory in that which is their shame 9. Such who despise and contemn Jesus Christ and his Ministers in their Hearts and wilfully cast off all Counsel 10. All thâ—se who abuse God's Patience Goodness and Long-suffering and make that an encouragement to them to continue in their evil Ways which should
Brethren each Person in the Trinity hath a part in it the Father hath his Part the Son hath his Part and the Holy Ghost hath his Part also Remember that these three are one though three Persons or Subsistences yet but one and the same God one in Essence though distinguished as to their distinct Personalities the Person of the Father is not the Person of the Son the Father took not upon him Flesh and died for our Sins but the Son the Son sent not the Father but the Father sent the Son The Father and the Son do not proceed from the Holy Ghost but the Holy Ghost doth proceed from them But a little to open and insist upon the distinct Parts which each Person hath and how concerned in the accomplishing of this great Salvation 1. The Father is held forth in the Scripture as the Contriver or first Author of this Salvation All Things are of God who hath reconciled us unto himself by Jesus Christ All Things in and about our Salvation are of God the Father as he is the Fountain and Spring of it He hath devised means that his banished might not for ever be expelled from him I have found a Ransom Where did God find it saith Reverend Caryl Certainly in his own Bosom in his own Heart Jesus Christ came out of the Bosom of the Father there he was and God found him in and with himself he did not find the Ransom by chance but he found it in his own Wisdom Love and Goodness 2. The Father was injured his Glory seemed to be eclipsed by Sin therefore must be righted and his Honour repaired and he sought out the proper way to do it I know as if God should say how to do the poor Sinner good I know how to save him and do my own Honour my Justice Truth and Holiness no wrong my Honour is secured my Justice is satisfied and yet the Sinner whom my Heart is set upon shall be saved 3. The Father could only appoint the Terms and Way of our Salvation Who but God could tell or did know what would comport with his Truth and Justice and with the Sanction of his Righteous Law and Infinite Holiness And he saw it did not comport with his Truth Justice Holiness and Blessed Law to save Man meerly as an Act of Sovereign Mercy but it did agree in his Infinite Wisdom to transfer the Punishment of the Sinner to another namely to his own Son he taking our Nature on him who from the Union of the two Natures in one Person procured an Infinite Satisfaction or made a Plenary Compensation for our Sins 4. God the Father is therefore held forth as the Person who substituted his own Son as Mediator and Surety in our stead and room to work out our Redemption or this great and glorious Salvation and to this end prepared him a Body A Body hast thou prepared me And the Father is said also to send his Son How many times doth our Blessed Saviour ascribe this unto the Father in the Gospel recorded by John I am perswaded not less than forty times The Father that sent me is with me God sent not his Son into the World to condemn the World This is the Will of him that sent me 5. All the Blessings of our Salvation are ascribed to the free Bounty Mercy Love and Goodness of God the Father Blessed be the Lord God of Israel for he hath visited and redeemed his People and hath raised up an Horn of Salvation c. And therefore he is stiled The Father of Mercies and God of all Comfort Now this being so what an abominable thing is it for the Socinians to say That the Doctrine of Satisfaction renders the Son more merciful and kind than the Father see Penn's Sandy Foundation shaken No this is very unjustly and unrighteously thrown upon this great Gospel-Truth Certainly it exalts the Goodness and Mercy of God the Father far more than their idle and absurd Notion of God's pardoning Sin in a way of meer Mercy without a Satisfaction to his offended Justice seeing God in a way of Mercy and Divine Goodness is so set upon this Work of our Salvation that though it cost him the Life of his own Son yet it shall be done he will not spare him He that spared not his own Son but delivered him up for us all The Father did not spare him as an Act of his own Love and Goodness to us God so loved the World that he gave his only begotten Son Certainly that Person shews greater Love and Pity to another who to save him gives a Million than he that gives but a Pound Must God by these Men be deemed to have no Mercy at all because he seeks the Honour of his Justice equally with the Glory of his Mercy Is he not Merciful because he is Just as well as Gracious 6. Brethren it was the Father that loved us and chose us in Jesus Christ before the Foundation of the World which is the Spring of all Spiritual Blessings even of Redemption and Salvation it self 7. Moreover the Father is said to raise Jesus Christ from the Dead Though the Son being God could raise himself yet as Mediator the Power to quicken whomsoever he will is said to be given to him by the Father Besides it is the meer Grace and good Pleasure of God the Father to accept of Christ and his Obedience for us and to accept of us in Jesus Christ Also it is the Father that blesseth us with all Spiritual Blessings in Heavenly Places in Christ Jesus Nay no Man Christ says can come unto him unless it be given by the Father that is Power must be given to him to come And again he saith No Man can come unto me except my Father that sent me draw him We ought therefore to see we do not lessen the Glory of God the Father in our Salvation who is the Efficient the Original and moving Cause thereof My Father saith Christ hitherto worketh and I work Brethren we are not to attribute the Works of Creation and Providence to God the Father only for he hath a great and glorious Hand in the Work of Redemption I may say to accomplish this Work even the Salvation of his Elect he worketh hitherto and Christ also worketh which brings me to consider of the next Person in the Trinity concerned herein Secondly As the Father hath as you have heard his part in bringing in the great Salvation of the Gospel so Jesus Christ the Son of God hath his part in working of it out the Father fix'd on him as the great Agent actually to perfect it he is in such a peculiar manner concerned in it that his Name is Saviour his Name shall be called Jesus Jesus signifies a Saviour certainly this must needs be a great Salvation if we consider the Greatness Dignity and Glory of his Person whom God hath sent to save us
and Pleasure O what a great Salvation is Gospel-Salvation How soon doth eternal Misery or Torment seize upon the Ungodly even no sooner do they die but their Souls are in Hell and no sooner do Believers die but their Souls are in Paradise and had not Christ came and wrought out our Salvation our Souls must have lain under Wrath and Misery for ever in an eternal separation from God and all true Joy and Happiness O what a fearful and an amazing Loss is the loss of the Soul Sirs pray remember this Salvation is the Salvation of your precious Souls thy Soul O Sinner is dearly concerned in it Our Soul is our All what have we more A Man is never utterly undone till his Soul is utterly lost if the Soul is saved all is saved but if the Soul is lost for ever lost all is lost But 2 dly The loss or losing of the Soul is the loss of the Body too that must have perished for ever with the Body of Beasts whilst our Souls must have lain in Torments had not Christ came to redeem us Moreover The Salvation of the Soul is the Salvation of the Body Christ came to save both the Soul and Body too And hence the Apostle saith Even we our selves groan within our selves waiting for the Adoption to wit the Redemption of our Body that is for the farther Effects of our Adoption Now are we the Sons of God but it doth not appear what we shall be that is it doth not appear what we shall be when our Bodies shall be raised He shall change our vile Body that it may be fashioned like unto his own glorious Body This Salvation saves not our Souls only from Wrath but our Bodies also they shall rise to Life and Immortality the Bodies of the Wicked as well as their Souls shall be cast into Hell but the Bodies and the Souls of the Godly shall be glorified in Heaven for ever O what a grievous thing it is to think of the loss of the Body to have the Soul taken away from the Body But how sweet is it to think of that Day when those two old Friends shall meet together again and when both shall be delivered from all Evil from all Deformity and Pollution and be glorified and also shall never part more or be separated from each other to the Days of Eternity APPLICATION 1. Reproof to such who despise their own precious Souls What Fools are they who to save their Hutts lose their Heads or who to save their Goods in a fearful Fire lose their dear Child in the Cradle As I once told you of a Woman that did thus her House was on Fire and she bestirred her self to get out her best Goods and at last when she could go in no more she rejoiced that she had saved her Goods but said one to her Woman where is your Child O my Child my Child then she cried her Child when it was too late for that was burned to Death in the Cradle Just thus some to get and save their Goods to get the World lose their Souls We read of some who to save their Lives or their Bodies from being burned to Ashes for Christ denied Christ they could not burn for him What saith our Saviour He that seeks to save his Life shall lose it What Fools are they then who think that way to save their Bodies for as they lose their Souls so they lose their Bodies also And it is not worse to have the Body to â—e in Hell-Fire for ever than to be burned in Martyrdom and be consumed to Ashes in Corporal Fire 2. Consider that all such who neglect this great Salvation slight and neglect their own precious and immortal Souls What is the Hope of the Hypocrite though he hath gained when God taketh away his Soul He makes a bad Market that puts off his Soul at any Price What shall a Man give in exchange of his Soul Jesus Christ who knew the great worth of it laid down a Price of infinite Value to redeem and purchase it Witches they say sell their Souls to the Devil out of Malice to be revenged on some that have offended them What a dismal thing is that how fearful is their State But pray Brethren what do they lose who sell their Souls to the Devil as it were for the sake of their brutish Lusts or out of love to Sin Thus the Whoremongers and unclean Persons sell their Souls and Drunkards who will have their merry Bouts their Cups and Pots and silthy Companions and may be their Whores too let what will become of their immortal Souls others will have their Pride and haughty Hearts gay Clothes and their detestable Dresses though their Souls are clothed with Rags and a crawling Worm knaws on them and to Hell must be thrown at last where the Worm dieth not and the Fire is not quenched Moreover the carnal Worldling will be rich he will lay up Gold and Silver he will gain the World though he lose thereby his own Soul But remember Sinners Christ died for the Soul this Salvation is the Salvation of the Soul and does any wretched Sinner despise his Soul or is it think you not worth his Pains to part with his Cups with his sinful Companions with his or her Pride unlawful Gain or the love of this World to save it for ever 3. How does this tend to reprove such who do expose their precious Souls to eternal Wrath for the unjust Gain of Six-pence or a Shilling Are there not too many such in the World who will cheat lie and defraud their Neighbours for a small matter of profit O how dear will they one Day pay for that Gain 4. How does this reprove likewise such Parents that think they can never do enough for to enrich their Children or get them great Portions and care not what they eat drink wear or how richly their Bodies are deck'd and adorned but take no care of their immortal Souls but rather indulge them in their Sins and vain and wicked Practices and set also Soul damning Examples continually before their Eyes 5. We may also infer from hence what a mighty Charge an amazing Charge Parents have committed to them as also the Ministers of the Gospel who are to take care and watch over the Souls of such who are committed to them as such that must one Day give an Account of them 6. Moreover wo be to such who deceive and blindly lead the Souls of Men to destruction that are so exceeding precious If the Blind lead the Blind they will both fall into the Ditch 7. Shall I exhort you Sinners to look to Christ for the Salvation of your Souls 1. He bids you look to him Look unto me and be ye saved all ye Ends of the Earth 2. Consider that there is no other way to save your Souls there is but one Saviour and one way of Salvation There is no other Name given under
he cannot see the Kingdom of God and that But he that believeth not the Wrath of God abideth on him and this in my Text touching the Impossibility there is for any Man to escape that neglects this so great Salvation and whatsoever else is contained in the New-Testament 3. It was also ratified and confirmed by the Blood of Christ by his Death and by his glorious Resurrection and by the rending the Vail of the Temple and by that great Darkness that was at the time when our Lord gave up the Ghost over all the Earth and by the rising of many of the dead Bodies of the Saints after his Resurrection Look to it Sirs this Salvation must needs be very great that was thus confirmed Fourteenthly The Gospel-Salvation is great if we consider with what amazement the Holy Angels behold it they are said to look into it 1 Pet. 1. 10 11 12. Of which Salvation the Prophets have enquired and searched diligently who prophesied of the Grace that should come unto you Searching what or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify when it testified before-hand the Sufferings of Christ and the Glory that should follow Vnto whom it was revealed that not unto themselves but unto us they did minister the things which are now reported unto you by them that have preached the Gospel unto you with the Holy Ghost sent down from Heaven which things the Angels desire to look into They look into it with the greatest diligence do as it were bow down to pry into it they stand as it were astonished to see the Son of God in Flesh or having taken Man's Nature upon him he that is their mighty Lord and Soveraign to abase himself to such a degree and to die the shameful Death of the Cross to work out Salvation for such vile and rebellious Creatures as Mankind are 'T is said He was seen of Angels The Angels knew of Christ's coming no doubt long before he was manifest in the Flesh The Angel told Daniel of the seventy Weeks and of the cutting off of the Messiah and the Angels also brought the first News of his Incarnation and Nativity but nevertheless with what Wonderment was he seen of the Angels The natural Knowledg of the Angels which we understand not no doubt is great but they have also an experimental Knowledg they learn of the Church the manifold Wisdom of God They were likewise Witnesses of our Saviour's Resurrection and ministred to him in his bloody Agony Lo the Salvation of our Souls doth not a little affect the Holy Angels they see God's Love is more to Mankind than it was to those Creatures of their own Nature that fell I mean the Evil Angels O my Brethren shall the Angels look into this Salvation whom it concerned not as it doth us they did not need a Saviour to redeem them and shall not we look into it pry into it and be affected therewithal Shall all in Heaven contemplate it and not we Is it so great so glorious and shall we not mind it above all things Fifteenthly It is great Salvation because it is a free Salvation it is all of Grace You may have it Sinners without Money and without Price Isa 55. 1. True some things you must part with whoever you are that will have a part in this Salvation But what is that Nothing of any Worth nothing that will do you any good You must part with your Sins with your filthy Lusts with the Love of this World Christ came to save his People from their Sins not in their Sins no no. They that will not part with their Iniquities with their carnal and sinful Pleasures Profits and Honours are never like to have any Part or Lot in this Matter Nay and they must part with all their own Righteousness too I mean in point of Trust and Dependance and must see that they have nothing which can recommend them to God nothing that can justify them in the sight of God unless a Man denies himself in all these Respects he cannot be Christ's Disciple But notwithstanding this yet the Salvation of the Gospel is free the worst of Sinners have an Offer of it they whose Sins are as red as Scarlet or as red as Crimson here is Wine and Milk without Money or any thing the Creature hath to purchase it or to give for it it is not to be had for the sake of any thing done by us or can be done by us or wrought in us Sinners the Water of Life is freely tendred to every one that thirsteth nay to every one that will that has a Will inclined to accept it if it could not be had unless we first cleansed our selves from our Sins or made us a new Heart it would not be free or alone of Grace nor to be had on easy Terms nay not at all But you have heard that a new Heart is one part of this Salvation 't is contained in it and those that would be washed must come to the Fountain of Salvation they must come to Christ believe in Christ or by Faith apply his Blood to wash and cleanse their polluted Souls Brethren if there was a Salvation for rich Men only what would become of the Poor But this Salvation is offered unto the Poor as well as unto the Rich nay and they chiefly indeed do receive it as our Saviour testifies And if it was a Salvation for Righteous Men only what would become of ungodly Sinners But remember this Salvation is only for Sinners I mean such that see their Sin and know the want of a Saviour Christ came not to call the Righteous but Sinners to Repentance Sixteenthly In the last place Gospel-Salvation is a great Salvation because it is an eternal Salvation And being made perfect he became the Author of eternal Salvation to all them that obey him Heb. 5. 9. As Christ brought in an Everlasting Righteousness so he wrought out an Everlasting Salvation Israel shall be saved in the Lord with an Everlasting Salvation once saved and for ever saved For as the Damnation of all that refuse or neglect this Salvation shall be Eternal so the Salvation of all that receive it shall be also Eternal The Earth shall wax old like a Garment and they that dwell therein shall die but my Salvation shall be for ever and my Righteousness shall not be abolished Thus I have done with the Demonstration of the first Doctrine which I shall improve in applying the next Proposition HEB. II. 3. How shall we escape if we neglect so great Salvation Doct. II. THE great Salvation of the Gospel may be neglected This is implied in my Text. How shall we that preached it escape if we neglect it Or how shall you that hear it preached escape if you neglect it First I shall shew you what is intended by neglecting this Salvation Secondly Shew you who they
that so many Persons neglect their own Salvation I shall now proceed to the last thing proposed to be spoken unto in the Prosecution of this Proposition Which is Fourthly To shew you the great Sin and Evil of such who do neglect the Means of the Salvation of the Gospel First I shall shew you the Greatness of this Sin in respect of God or shew what a Dishonour it is to him Secondly Demonstrate the Greatness of the Evil thereof in respect of the Sinner himself that doth neglect it Thirdly Considering by whose Influences and Instigations they do it Fourthly Considering the Vanity of those things for the sake of which this Salvation is neglected First Such that neglect this Salvation do cast great Contempt upon God 1. They cast Contempt upon the Wisdom of God that found it out and on that glorious Counsel that was held in Eternity about it What is it but a breathing forth of the highest Disdain on the Wisdom of God What is the Voice of some Sinners Hearts We shall be saved tho we go on in our own Ways God is good merciful c. This is as it were an undervaluing of the glorious and no less gracious Contrivance of Infinite Wisdom to seek to be saved some other Way or to neglect this Way Suppose a Prince should hold a Council in order to make a Company of Rebels happy for ever not only to pardon them but to make them Rich Noble and Honourable and he should send them the Offers of this rich Bounty and Goodness and they should contemn it slight it and wholly neglect the free acceptation thereof would not this cast a Slight and Reproach upon that Prince And would not all Men say sure they were mad Brethren all ungodly Men who neglect this Salvation consult with the Devil take Counsel of the Devil and of their own wicked Hearts to frustrate if it were possible the Counsel of God He hath ordained the Preaching of the Gospel as the Way to work Faith in them and so to give them an Interest in Salvation but they slight and neglect attending upon the Word nay believe it not but conspire against God and set themselves against the Lord and against his Christ saying Let us break their Bonds asunder and cast their Cords from us Let us cast away the Offers and Promises of this God and of this Christ about Salvation and an Eternal Kingdom and those Threatnings of Wrath and Hell whereby they would one while allure us to forsake our Sins and beloved Lusts and at another time frighten us into Faith and Obedience and to submit our Necks to his Yoke Come let us slight all those Arguments he uses to win us over to him yea spurn at them and disregard all the Hopes and Fears these Cords would put us into could they get us under their Power What are all these things but Fancies vain Dreams Tush our State is good enough we can repent hereafter What is the Gospel but to do as we would be done unto Let us not trouble our Heads with any other Notions of Religion And thus they slight and cast contempt upon the infinite Wisdom of God who found out and contrived this way of Salvation and by which his manifold Wisdom is revealed 2. They also who neglect and slight the Salvation of the Gospel do cast Contempt upon the highest Goodness Love and Mercy that was ever shewed to Man God so loved the World that he gave his only begotten Son that whosoever believeth on him might not perish but have Everlasting Life Love to the wonderment of Men and Angels Shall such a Marriage be offered by the great King such a Banquet be prepared that cost so much and shall any make light of it and despise Infinite Goodness for the sake of their own filthy Lusts and think they may be saved some other Way They thereby render the Holy God cruel to his own Son in his giving him up to die and to become a Sacrifice for Sin Brethren if Salvation be neglected it is either out of Presumption or Despair 1. Now such that presumptuously neglect it seem to magnify God's Mercy in their own Conceit being wholly ignorant of his Justice and Holiness and so slight the constituted Method of his declared Goodness in Jesus Christ and so whilst they seem to magnify God's Mercy they impair nay contemn his Soveraignty by chusing and prescribing other Ways of God's communicating of himself to his Creatures than what he in his Eternal Counsel fixed upon and found out 2. If it be neglected through Despair they cast Contempt upon Christ's Blood as if there was not a Sufficiency in it to cleanse and save them from their Sins and not only so but also render God not to be believed who hath said There is Life in his Son and whosoever believes in him shall not perish Therefore Despair makes God a Liar as it is a high degree of Unbelief Moreover it renders God to be cruel to his Creatures for though they fall down at his Feet and humble themselves yet the Voice of Despair is God is only an angry Judg and clothed with nothing but Wrath and Fury Nay and it casteth a disparagement upon the Power and Sufficiency of God to save when he appears in his full united Strength for so he does manifest himself in Jesus Christ And hereby such seem to intimate as if a multitude of Sins could throw God's Mercy into the Depths of the Sea instead of Mercy 's casting our Sins therein notwithstanding Justice hath received a full Satisfaction for them by the Hands of our Blessed Saviour and Surety 3. From hence it appears that they who neglect this Salvation through Unbelief do cast also Contempt upon God's Power to save rendering him unable to do it by his right Hand even by Jesus Christ Man is very apt to question God's Power like them of old Can God spread a Table in the Wilderness All Distrusts arise from Fears and Jealousy either of the Strength or else of the Faithfulness and Justice of the Object addressed unto in a Time of Distress that either the Person is weak and unable to help or else dishonest and unjust and though he hath promised to save to help yet he will not Even so it is here all they that neglect the Salvation of the Gospel from Unbelief and desponding Thoughts either seem to strip God and Jesus Christ of his Power to save or else of his Truth and Faithfulness who hath said Look unto me and be ye saved all ye Ends of the Earth And again He that cometh unto me I will in no wise cast out A convinced Sinner before he comes to Christ nay and sometimes afterwards too when under Temptation is apt to say Can God pardon my Sins Can God remit my Sins that are so great Pray take notice of two Texts of Scripture the one respects such Sinners that are not awakened and so seem to presume
the other refers to convinced and awakened Sinners who seem to despair and yet go on in their Sins 1. Isa 57. 10. Thou art wearied in the greatness of thy Way yet sayest thou not There is no Hope Thou goest on in thy unjust and sinful Ways till thou hast even wearied thy self as if the Lord should say and yet thinkest thy State good wilt not say there is no Hope but contrariwise thou hast Hope and dost conclude all is well these are bold presumptuous Sinners Compare this Text with that in Jer. 2. 25. But thou sayest There is no Hope No for I have loved Strangers and after them I will go We are very vile our Consciences reprove us convince us of our abominable Evils but there is no Hope God will not pardon us nor take us into his Favour therefore we will go on in our own Ways and take our swing These were ashamed of their doings as the next Verse shews and yet not so ashamed as to leave their Sins and Doings and to return to the Lord but doubted of his pardoning Grace We see say some there 's no ground of Hope there is no help for such as we our Hearts are so hard Corruptions are so strong in us there is no Salvation for us we will therefore take our Course cleave to our Sins and Lovers and to our old Companions we will even follow our Trades and pursue the World and satisfy our Lusts with Pleasures Despair sometimes makes Persons desperate others of this sort grow melancholy and ready through Satan's Temptations to lay violent Hands on themselves when it prevails far upon them Now these I say do cast great Reproach upon the Power of God and his pardoning Grace in Jesus Christ 4. Such who believe not but neglect the Salvation of the Gospel cast contempt and dishonour on the Truth of God they do not give credit to what God says in his Word about Salvation by Jesus Christ and of that necessity there is of Faith in him and Union with him and of being born again if ever they are saved If ye believe not that I am he ye shall die in your Sins But the Jews would not believe this Hence it is said He that believeth not maketh God a Liar because he believeth not the Record that God gave of his Son As such do who do not believe the Testimony of any Person though never so true And is it not a horrid Evil to render God a Liar He saith Except ye repent ye shall all likewise perish and except a Man be born again he cannot see the Kingdom of God But this is not believed by many Persons they hope to be saved though not regenerated 5. Such who believe not but neglect the Salvation of the Gospel yet think to be saved go about to cross and contradict the settled Will and Purpose of God it is in effect to shew a dislike of God's way of Salvation The Jews are said not to submit themselves to the Righteousness of God they magnified their Wills above the Will of God liked not of that way of Salvation that he in his Eternal Counsel fixed upon they will be saved by their own Righteousness that which God accounts but as filthy Rags they esteem as a choice Robe Suppose Brethren there was some other Way to be saved than by Christ yet is it not meet that the Creature comply with the Will of his Creator Shall he rebel against his Soveraign Were there two ways to such or such a City one by Sea and the other by Land and a Prince commands his Servant to go by Sea and not by Land shall he attempt to go by Land and so cross his Master's Will and violate his express Command But it is not so here there is but one Way of Salvation There is no other Name given under Heaven therefore such must needs be more inexcusable who neglect this Way and their Condition dangerous for let them think what they will damned they will be at last whoever they are that neglect this Salvation But more of that hereafter 2 dly Those that neglect the Salvation of the Gospel do slight and cast Contempt on Jesus Christ they seem to undervalue all that he has done certainly that was not worth his coming from Heaven to Earth to effect that you do not think worth your while to go a Mile or two to attend upon the Means of nor worth setting your Thoughts seriously upon Was our Salvation so great that he parted with his Life to procure it and is it not worth your parting with your Sins to have an Interest in it What is the Voice of the Hearts and Ways of such Sinners Do not they reproach the Son of God after this manner Why wast thou so unwise to shed thy Blood to purchase Salvation for us We do not value it above the Pleasures of the World we esteem our carnal Delights and earthly Profits more than that Salvation which thou hast wrought 2. Nay they slight the Person of Christ who says Behold me behold me look unto me Can you see me stand knocking at the Door of your Hearts and refuse to let me in Should one cry out Pity me pity me you will break my Heart if you do this thing suppose it be a dear Father or Mother that thus speaks to a Child that takes evil Courses and the Child regards not the Cry nor Tears of its Parent would not all say that such a Child contemn'd his Father Thus Sinners you will be found contemners and slighters of Jesus Christ one Day if you neglect this so great Salvation he stands ready to imbrace you in his Arms to espouse your Souls but you slight and despise him and his precious Love in your Hearts 3. Nay such who neglect this Great Salvation slight the Voice of Christ's Blood Sirs the Blood of Christ cries his Death has a Voice in it Hath Christ's Blood been shed to redeem you to cleanse you from Sin to save and sanctify your Souls and will you not hear the loud Cry thereof Nay doth not Christ himself cry to you after this manner Wilt thou continue in thy Sin and neglect the Salvation I have purchased What greater Ingratitude what worse Indignity canst thou cast upon me and upon that Sacrifice which I have offered up to make thy Peace and reconcile thee unto God After this manner Christ seems to speak 4. To neglect this Salvation is to cross or contradict the grand Design of God in sending his Son into the World was it not to exalt Jesus Christ to magnify him Last of all he sent unto them his Son saying They will reverence my Son God requires and commands all to honour his Son believe in his Son receive and imbrace his Son subject to his Authority to this End he sent him into the World But how do such seek to cross the Design of God herein who prefer their earthly Profits and
Pleasures nay their sinful Ways and wicked Practices above Jesus Christ and that Salvation he hath purchased O how great is the Sin of such who neglect this Salvation 5. Hereby also they abuse the matchless Love the unspeakable Love and Favour of Jesus Christ they do not only slight his Person contemn his Blood and cross the Design of the Father but they also abuse and disdain his precious Love which caused him to take upon him the Form of a Servant and to yield himself up to the cursed Death of the Cross Greater Love hath no Man than this that a Man lay down his Life for his Friend But Jesus Christ laid down his Life for his Enemies Whilst we were yet Enemies we were reconciled unto God by the Death of his Son And shall Sinners after the manifestation of such Love slight him and the Salvation wrought by him at such a dear Rate Nay shall Christ's repeated Calls Wooings and Intreaties be not regarded who spreadeth forth his Hands all the Day long Shall any be so ungrateful so blind so rebellious as to let Christ stand all Night at the Door of their Hearts even till his Head is wet with Dew and his Locks with the Drops of the Night This shews the great Evil and Wickedness of those who neglect this great Salvation Doth not this tend to expose the Son of God to shame to be thus slighted as if not worth the least regard Should a Prince come a thousand Miles to court or offer his Love to a low a contemptible and base-born Damsel and she should nevertheless slight him and give him no entertainment would not this be deemed an abominable Abuse of his Love as well as great Contempt cast upon his Person Sinners are ready to say there is no comeliness in him that we should desire him but alas 't is because they do not know him they are blind and see him not 't is the carnal Eye that can see no Beauty in Christ were the Eyes of their Understandings opened they would be of another Opinion concerning him 6. The Evil in neglecting of this is so great that it is as it were a piercing of Christ again nay and when a poor Sinner is convinced of this great Iniquity he cries out What have I done Have I not grieved nay wounded afresh my dear Saviour by not believing in him and not receiving the great Salvation offered by him Though I never saw the Person of Christ yet I have offered Violence to him in resisting his Authority despising his Love and slighting his Salvation As a Man is guilty of Treason by abasing the Statue or Image of a King so are Men guilty of the Blood of Christ and of trampling upon it when they count it as a Trifle or unprofitable to their Salvation seeking Life and Salvation some other ways or are wholly regardless about it it is as a Stab at his very Heart a tearing out as it were his Bowels he suffered willingly all those great Torments which were inflicted upon him to remove from us a necessity of Suffering had he not stept in to bear our Sins we had been lost for ever O why then is not he imbraced by Faith that works by Love It implies a Sinner has no Love to him no not so much as to his Sins and Folly it is a denying the Excellences of Christ the Preciousness of Christ for as Faith accounts all things but Dung in comparison of Christ so as one observes Unbelief counts Christ but Dung Union and Communion with him but Dung in comparison of this World and the Pleasures of Sin 7. Those that neglect the Salvation of the Gospel thinking to be saved some other way do seem to reflect upon if not despise the Wisdom of Jesus Christ Do they not charge him with Folly and Inconsiderateness in undertaking such a Task such a Work on such hard Terms when it might be had some other way What suffer such Pain Sweat great Drops of Blood and be nailed to the Cross to procure Salvation for us which might be obtained by a sober Life or by doing to all as they would be done unto or by following the Dictates of the Light of natural Conscience or by our own Inherent Holiness What did Jesus Christ aim at by shedding of his Blood but the appeasing of God's Wrath and the bringing in of an Everlasting Righteousness and to purchase Grace to sanctify Mens Souls and to open the Gates of Heaven which Divine Justice had shut and barr'd up against us Now certainly those who neglect this Salvation do either fancy these Blessings are not worth regard or looking after or else they may be procured by some other Way and on easier Terms than by Faith in the Blood of Christ And is not this to charge our Lord Jesus with Folly and with the Greeks of old to account the Preaching of the Cross Foolishness 8. They render it is evident the shedding of Christ's Blood to be in vain who neglect the Means of this Salvation and so thereby slight the Blessings which he hath purchased it must be an undervaluing of the price of Redemption for that which a Person regards not though procured at never so dear a rate he declares was in vain purchased this is with a Witness therefore lightly to esteem of the Rock of their Salvation it is to stop their Ears to the Cry of Christ's Blood His Blood as you heard cries to Sinners to apply it to their perishing Souls and to leave their sinful Ways but they regard it not though it seems afresh to stream forth from his Heart in the Virtue of it and flows through the Pipes of the Gospel in the Offers of it Did not they who refused to come to the Marriage-Supper declare that the King had in vain prepared all those costly Dainties for let who will come and eat thereof they will not And thus many render the bloody Sacrifice to be offered up in vain by neglecting the Salvation offered in the Gospel 9. Such also who believe not but reject and turn their Backs upon the Gospel-Salvation put Jesus Christ to Grief again It is said He was grieved because of the hardness of their Hearts So God said he was grieved forty Years with those who believed not in the Wilderness O how many Years have some of you grieved both the Father and the Son to speak after the manner of Men and is not this a great Evil Will you grieve and weary out the Heart of God and the Heart of Jesus Christ 10. It also gives occasion to Satan to vaunt boast and triumph over the Son of God See says he how little these Men and Women for whom thou gavest thy self to die the Death of the Cross do mind the Salvation thou hast purchased for them they like and approve of my Ways and Motions my Offers better than any thing thou hast procured for them and dost offer to them May
not Satan insult after this manner over the Lord of Life and Glory whilst Sinners close in with his Temptations and cleave to their Lusts earthly Profits and Pleasures and neglect the great Salvation of the Gospel 3 dly Such who neglect this so great Salvation offer Violence to the Holy Ghost 1. They do resist the Holy Spirit whom God hath sent as his great Messenger to influence enlighten and convince their Hearts and Consciences about the Worth and Weightiness of this Concern He will reprove the World of Sin of Righteousness and of Judgment Of Sin because they believe not on me Because they neglect attending upon the Means of this Salvation believe not the Necessity there is of this Saviour nor of Faith in him and seek it not above all things Is it a small Matter to resist the Holy Ghost O lay it to Heart 2. They grieve the Holy Spirit also yea and hereby tire him out so that he at last withdraws his Influences from the Sinner and will strive with him no more like as he did by the World and if so the ruin of the Soul will be unavoidable for without the Holy Spirit no Man can repent believe or be renewed be regenerated and so come to have Interest in this so great Salvation 3. Such quench the Spirit who neglect this Salvation and do not believe it is to cast Water on that Divine Spark which the Holy Ghost strives to kindle in the Soul of a poor Sinner or to blow out the Candle of the Lord so far as the Sinner is able to do it whereby Spiritual Light and Knowledg comes to be let into the Heart 4. Nay to neglect this Salvation in the Means of it is as much as may be to hinder the Work and Office of the Holy Spirit in and about this Salvation The Holy Spirit hath more immediately to do with Sinners his special Work is to enlighten to convince of Sin to work Faith in the Soul and to renew and sanctify the polluted Heart and all that neglect this Salvation or that slight those Convictions they have of the Evil of Sin or Sense of their woful Condition do seek to obstruct the King's great Officer and Messenger in the discharge of his Office Look to it Sinners for if it be deemed a dangerous thing to resist a Constable in the exercise of his Office because he is the King's Servant what Danger do you expose your selves to that oppose withstand and strive to hinder the Spirit in the discharge of his great Work and Office It is to contemn the King's Ambassador the Holy Spirit is sent to treat with Sinners in Christ's Name it is hereby Christ himself speaks to them from Heaven and they that adhere to the Motions of the Spirit do adhere to Jesus Christ and they that oppose or resist his Motions do oppose and resist Christ also The Holy Spirit is the great Gospel-Blessing promised to infuse Grace in the Soul all Grace is from the Spirit Sinners cannot believe without the Holy Spirit nor love God The Love of God is shed abroad in the Hearts of Believers by the Holy Ghost There is no Regeneration without the Spirit Those that are born again are born of the Spirit no Union with Christ without the Spirit no broken Heart no Cries no Tears that will prevail with God without the help of the Spirit Such that will not adhere to his Motions and Influences say in their Hearts that they will not be changed will not believe nor repent nor have Christ to be their Prince and Saviour The Spirit awakens the Conscience and stirs up Fears in the Soul and sets before the Sinner's Eyes his great Evil Guilt and horrid Pollution therefore if they refuse the Wooings Intreaties and Influences of the Spirit they must perish for ever APPLICATION 1. O let us lament and mourn over all that neglect this so great Salvation All Unbelievers and Neglecters of the Means of Salvation are horridly guilty before the Lord 't is hereby all their Sins are bound upon their Consciences and cleave to them and are charged upon them not only Original but all actual Sin whatsoever 2. O infinite Love and Patience May we not stand amazed and wonder at the long-suffering and forbearance of God O House of David saith the Prophet is it a small thing for you to weary Men but will you weary my God also What greater Wickedness and Ingratitude can there be than this Will you contemn and resist your Saviour and the Holy Ghost How long shall God wait upon you Will he always wait to be gracious O know that his Mercy will at last be turned into Fury 3. Unworthy are such to live to be fed to be clothed to be protected and preserved that thus despise God's Mercy and sovereign Goodness Would a Man feed clothe and bestow great Favours on such that despise slight and contemn him 4. What do you think of your selves Sinners to you I speak that neglect this so great Salvation O this is your Sin you refuse the only Remedy God hath found out to heal and save your Souls therefore your Damnation will be just and deserved with a witness You love Darkness rather than Light you contemn the highest Good the best of Beings and the highest Expressions of his Love and Favour that God that made you that Christ that spilt his Blood to redeem the worst of Sinners those Bowels that pitied you you refuse and resist that Spirit that would renew you sanctify you and make you meet for Heaven and all this out of love to your base Lusts your cruel Enemies that seek to destroy and murder your precious Souls Abhor your selves Alas Men do not see what Monsters of Wickedness they are whilst they neglect this so great Salvation You sin I say against the Remedy the costly Remedy the only Remedy against the Remedy that Infinite Wisdom hath found out and Infinite Goodness hath vouchsafed Yet if you return to God there is Mercy for you say O Lord now we see our Sin O that you could but say so in truth and fall down at the feet of God and say Thou hast overcome us with thy Love 5. Lastly Here is Comfort for Believers who have received this so great Salvation O bless God for Faith cherish the Motions of the Holy Spirit that hath broken your Bonds you prefer Christ and the Salvation by Christ before all things live worthy of a Part and Interest in this Salvation you have Salvation and shall not lose it O walk so that you may never lose the Joy of it for that you may do God may hide his Face Christ may withdraw himself if he hath done it enquire when you had him and consider what you have done that he hides his Face from you let the Cause if it be Sin be bewailed and let the loss of him be more grievous to you than the loss of Comfort from him and be willing to
When People hear the Cry of Fire in the Night how do they cry out Where Where Alas this Fire seizes not on your Houses nor Goods no nor on your Bodies only but on your Souls it has already kindled even the Wrath of God which no Sinner can escape that neglects this Salvation God's Wrath is compared to Fire and it has perhaps already taken hold of some of your Consciences but if it be not kindled there yet it is kindled in God's Anger For a Fire is kindled in my Anger and shall burn unto the lowest Hell O that they were wise that they understood this that they would consider their latter End 2. Is the Wrath of God so terrible and can no Unbeliever or impenitent Sinner escape it what cause is here for them all to tremble Suppose you should be told that this Night you shall certainly not escape Death neither you nor your Wife nor Children but that your House shall be burned down your Goods Self Wife and Children shall all be burned to Ashes and that this Judgment you shall not escape would it not be startling and terrifying Tidings if you should believe it But alas what would that be to this doleful Tidings viz. that your precious Soul and Body as well as your Wife and Children and all belonging to you if you and they do neglect the Means of this Salvation and not believe in Christ and become new Creatures shall in a short time be in everlasting Flames and undergo intolerable Pain and Punishment from the Presence of the Lord and from the Glory of his Power which you shall not escape for the Mouth of the Lord of Hosts hath spoken it Nay and it shall be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrah in the Day of Judgment than for you or for that Soul who refuses the Offers of Christ Pardon of Sin and Salvation through him Fifthly It may be for a Lamentation to see how few understand the Nature of this Salvation and study the Mysteries of it or desire an Interest in it and also to see how many make light of it whilst others by dangerous Errors seek ways to eclipse the Glory of God's Free Grace therein Remember those Demonstrations you have heard to open the Greatness of the Salvation the Gospel Sixthly This reprehends such who are more affected with Temporal Salvation than with the Spiritual and Eternal Salvation of the Soul and also all such that defer looking after and striving to get an Interest in it Seventhly By way of Exhortation 1. Let me exhort you to praise God for Jesus Christ who is the Author and Finisher of this Salvation Christ is all and in all in our Salvation God hath sent us an Almighty Saviour O how miserable should we have been for ever had not God sent us Jesus Christ 2. Let me exhort you to admire the Love of Christ in coming to work out this Salvation What hath he born and undergon to save our Souls O love and exalt this Saviour and eclipse none of his Glory 3. Be exhorted to praise God for affording you the Knowledg of Gospel-Salvation O how few are they who have heard of this joyful Tidings But few Nations of the World have this News sounding in their Ears viz. the Gospel preached to them they have no declaration of it God shews his Soveraignty herein he reveals himself and the Knowledg of Salvation to whom he pleases And indeed many dark Parts of this Nation have but little of the Mysteries of the Gospel made known to them What People in the World have greater cause to admire God's distinguishing Grace and Favour than we that live in and about this City London is exalted to Heaven in respect of the Means of Grace O that it may never be brought down to Hell as our Saviour threatned Capernaum 4. From hence also I might exhort you to bless God for faithful Ministers who publish the Salvation of the Gospel to you How beautiful upon the Mountains are the Feet of him that bringeth good Tidings that publisheth Peace that bringeth good Tidings of Good that publisheth Salvation Let it appear you highly value and honour your faithful Ministers by your diligent attention on the Word and Doctrine they preach For Motives consider 1. God has ordained Preaching as the ordinary Way and Means to work Faith Faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the Word of God And to increase and strengthen Faith also 2. God is gradiously pleased to assord Men a Day or a Time of Visitation in which he offers Terms of Peace unto them Take heed you do not like Jerusalem lose your Day and neglect the Means God affords you 3. You know not how short your Day may be and if you lose your Day you will lose your Souls also The Harvest will end with some and they not saved And that you may not lose the Day of your Visitation take a few Directions 1. Seriously think on the sad and woful Condition which naturally you are in being dead in Sin and Children of Wrath and if you die in that Estate you are lost for ever 2. Let your Thoughts now be let out on your latter End for when the Night comes no Man can work This is great Wisdom and every Man's Duty we none of us know how soon our great Change may come And what will you do if you live in the neglect of the Means of Salvatio even until God cuts you off 3. Pray that the Wind of the Spirit would blow upon your Souls The Wind bloweth where it listeth it bloweth at God's Command when on whom and how he pleaseth The Spirit is that great and only Agent that must work Faith in you quicken you and regenerate your Souls 4. Therefore see that you do not quench the Spirit but improve all the Convictions thereof 5. If you would have an Interest in this great Salvation you must have an Interest in Jesus Christ the great Saviour If you do not receive Christ by Faith but refuse him sad will your Condition be for no Christ no Salvation Quest How may I know that I have Christ or an Interest in him Answ 1. If thou hast Christ thou hast Life thou art spiritually quickned And as thou hast Spiritual Life so also thou hast Light thy Eyes are opened I mean the Eyes of thy Understanding 2. Thou canst remember the time when thou hadst no God no Christ or wast without Christ and it is much if thou art not able to tell how when or after what manner thou didst meet with him whether it was by the Word preached or by reading or by some Affliction c. 3. If Christ be thine he is very precious to thee Canst thou say with David Whom have I in Heaven but thee neither is there any on Earth that I desire beside thee And with the Spouse My Beloved is white and ruddy the chiefest among ten thousand Paul