to that word Heb. 2.1 We ought therefore to give the more diligent heed to the things which we have received lest at any time we let them slip And that we may not forget but keep in our memories the words of Christ First consider That all the promises and counsells which Jesus Christ hath made known to us are not only for present but for future use Isa 42.23 Hearken and hear for the time to come We should hear as if we were to hear no more The Cordial which hath some time revived us must not be laid aside lest for want of it another time we faint quite away The reason why they were ready to faint under afflictions Heb. 13.5 was because they had forgotten the exhortation which speaketh to them as to Sons For this cause Jesus Christ often bids his Disciples remember the word he had spoken to them and knowing their frailty promises his spirit Joh. 14.26 and that sayes he 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 shall bring to your remembrance Secondly consider Not to remember the words of Christ is a sad sign of our dis-esteem of Jesus Christ We usually remember Precepts Counsels and Sayings according to the authority which the person hath with us from whence they come It is a very great dishonour to Jesus Christ when we shall cast his words behind our backs Did we honour Jesus Christ as our King Lord and Lawgiver we should be more careful to remember what he hath spoken to us We often blame our heads as if the fault lay only there that we do not remember the words of Christ when indeed the fault lies most in the hearts that we have not more love and esteem of Christ there Thirdly The time will come when we shall dearly repent every truth forgotten that we did not endeavour to seal instruction upon our hearts First When God shall with-hold instruction from us because we have refused it the time may come when as Amos 8.12 Men shall run to and fro and seek the word of the Lord and shall not find it and then we shall see the worth of the word that now we prize not Secondly When God shall call us to an account for all the Sermons and Instructions we have received as he will certainly do though we forget yet he will remember and he will ask how we have kept and improved the Word he hath spoken to us To help us in keeping or remembring the words of Christ Directions First Let your hearts be affected with the worth and excellency of the word that it is more precious than Gold or Silver and then we shall keep it as choice treasure That which a man prizeth he will keep in safe custody and have often in his eyes as David sayes of the word Psal 119.97 O how I love thy Law it is my meditation all the day long It a man account the word as his treasure he will not forget it as Jerem. 2.32 Can a Maid forget her Ornaments or a Bride her Attires This they forget not Yet because we account not the word as excellent and necessary as these therefore it follows Yet my people have forgotten me dayes without number Secondly Apply every word of Christ to your own souls though men will not keep what is anothers yet usually they keep what is their own while men carve away the word to others as if it concern'd them not 't is no marvel if they keep it not but if we accounted every word as spoken to us and our portion we should hear and keep it Men remember the news which concerns themselves We should hear Christ speaking as Job 5.27 Hear thou this know it for thy good Thirdly Meditate often upon what you have received as Mary pondered the sayings which she heard in her heart The way to keep any thing safe is to have a constant eye upon it Meditation is the Souls serious retiring into it self to take a view of all that of God that is laid up within it self Fourthly Hasten to do all that you have heard and learned Psal 119.60 It is said by David I made hast and prolonged not the time to keep his Commandments A man will not easily forget his Trade so if we daily obey commands and believe promises we cannot easily forget the commands and promises given to us which last direction leads to the second exhortation Exh. 2 Secondly It may exhort us to keep the words of Christ with an Evangelical and Practical keeping Keep the word as a man keeps his Rule or the Souldier keeps his Weapon let not the word depart from thee and do not thou depart from it by forsaking the appointments and commands of Christ First consider That if we do not keep the words of Christ by obeying and a suitable walking we do but in vain pretend love to Jesus Christ as they that had no more of Christ but to call him Lord Mat. 7.21 Not every one that saith unto me Lord Lord shall enter into the Kingdom of Heaven c. So not every one that sayes he loves me but he that doth my word he is my friend Secondly consider what a sin it is to pretend love to Christ and not so truly to love him as to keep his words 't is Hypocrisie they be Christ's false friends an open enemy is less dangerous than they Ezek. 33.31 They hear thy words but they will not do them their heart goes after their covetousness They be false to themselves and delude their own souls with a bare profession and hearing Jam. 1.22 Be doers of the word and not hearers only deceiving your own souls Secondly consider what judgement they incurre and who can tell how great it is 't is call'd a beating with more stripes when the least stripe from that hand can break the loynes Luke 12.47 He that knoweth his Masters will and doth it not shall be beaten with many stripes Secondly consider This is the clearest evidence of our interest in Christ of his love to us that we keep his Commandments By this we know that we have him as our Christ when we do not only love him as a Jesus a Saviour but obey him as a Lord and follow his Law When God shall write his Law in our hearts Is not this an evidence that Christ is ours Thirdly Great and many are the encouragements which he hath promised to them that keep his words There be many blessings in the word but they only have the blessings for theirs who keep his word Jam. 1.15 Whoso looketh into the perfect Law of Liberty and continueth therein he being not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work this man shall be blessed in his deed he shall ask what he will and have it Joh. 15.7 If you abide in me and my words abide in you ask what you will and it shall be done unto you Direct That we may do the words of Christ First Let it be the aim and intentions of our souls when we
work after Christ Secondly I will rise now and go about the City c. i. I will betake my self to all publick Ordinances and shew more zeal and life in my duties and in these will I make enquiry Thirdly I asked the watch-men i. the Ministers of the Gospel which are or should be as faithful watch-men that watch for our Souls and be able to speak a word in season c. So nothing will satisfie the Soul that truly loves Christ without him and no means shall be neglected till she enjoy Him Secondly Why must he be thus beloved Reason 1 First Because he is lovely altogether lovely First Lovely in his life observing all the will of God there was a wonderful beauty upon him if we behold and can understand that hidden glory of an untainted Holinesse and exact conformity to the will of God Secondly Lovely in his death never more lovely and amiable to the believing Sinner then when he was most despicable in the eyes of Rebellious Sinners O then he appears most beautiful and desireable when he hangs on the Crosse there making our Peace procuring our Pardon obtaining Life and Glory for us by that shameful death Thirdly Lovely in all his Graces each Grace a matchlesse Jewel Rocks of Diamonds Mountains of Pearl not worthy to be mentioned with the least of his Excellencies If he put but a little of this Grace upon any Soul though he be never so vile cloath'd with corruption as in Ezek. 16. from the 9. to the 16 vers yet may be made beautiful by his Comelinesse Fourthly Lovely in all his Ordinances in which the more immediate sight the Soul hath of him the more he is taken with his Beauty No wonder he is call'd in Hag. 2.7 the desire of all Nations Reason 2 Secondly Because of his deserving love we loved him because he first loved us Consider in his love these four particulars First He laid down his life for us such a Love will deserve love and life too Joh. 15.13 Greater Love hath no man then this that a man lay down his life for his friend Secondly He lives now in Heaven for us 7 Heb. 25. He ever liveth to make intercession for them He is there minding our necessities agitating our affairs by his sitting there we have Liberty of comming thither by his sitting there in glory we have our standing here in Grace Thirdly He accounts that as done to himself that is done to them that are his Zach. 2.8 He that toucheth you toucheth the Apple of his eye and Mat. 10.40,41,42 c. He that receiveth you receiveth me and so he said to Saul Acts 9.4 why persecutest thou me when he was with Commission from the High Priest dragging the poor Professors of Jesus Christ to the Prison Fourthly He longs to have us with him Joh. 17.24 Father I will that where I am there they may be also to behold my Glory He is not q. d. satisfied without their company and is alwayes imparting his most secret Counsels to them Joh. 15.16 Henceforth I call you not Servants for the Servant knoweth not what his Lord doth but I have called you Friends for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you Reason 3 Thirdly Because otherwise we shall not regard his words which is intimated in the Text If we love him we shall keep his Words but if we love him not we will not keep his Words It is want of love to Christ that is the cause of the abounding of every sin for if we did love him we should keep his Commands which is the second particular Secondly What is it to keep the words of Christ First There is a Natural and Mental keeping of the words of Christ and so we must keep them that is Remember his Words his promises Counsels and Appointments The Memory is mans Storehouse or Cabinet that should be kept Sacred for the Truths of Christ So the Disciples kept the word of Christ when they remembred his sayings and David Psal 119.93 J will never forget thy Precepts for by them thou hast quickned me i. I will keep thy Precepts for what we forget we lose and what we remember we keep And thus as Friends take pleasure to look sometimes on the Love-tokens of their absent Friends So may we have singular comfort and refreshment to see the Heart of Christ in the Counsels Promises and Appointments left with us Secondly There is an Evangelical and Practical keeping of the words of Christ When we do believe promises and obey commands Promises not believed and Precepts not obeyed are as water spilt on the earth besides the vessel that should receive it Heb. 4.2 but when they are believed they be as liquor put into the vessel for its proper use Hence saies Christ Luke 11.28 Blessed are they that hear the word of God and keep it Then we keep the words of Christ when we believe his promises observe his precepts in all our conversation and walk by his appointments and institutions in all our duties Thirdly Why 't is their property and duty that love Jesus Christ to keep his words Reason 1 First Because true love is comprehensive He that love Christ truly loves all that is his He that loves him that begat loves him also that is begotten The nearer any thing is to Christ the better it is beloved and then we love the word when we keep it as a special pledge of his love To have his word and a heart to keep it is a double blessing and indeed such a gift as the word of Christ is is worthy to be loved for it self and kept for the givers sake Reason 2 Secondly Because true love is Operative 't is the principle of Gospel obedience 2 Cor. 5.14 The love of Christ constraineth us Where there is the disposition of a Son there will be obedience to the Fathers commands so where there is a spiritual love to Christ it will set the soul on work and quicken it to keep the words of Christ as is said of Faith Shew me thy Faith by thy works So shew thy love to Christ by thy works as Faith without works is dead so is love without obedience Reason 3 Thirdly Because keeping the words of Christ gives the clearest and surest testimony of the truth of our love to Jesus Christ. Probatio delectationis est exhibitio operis Greg. Hom. Obedience is the most lively testification of love as Christ said to Peter Lovest thou me c. shew it in this in doing thy duty Feed my sheep So Christ tells us in the Text Where the fire of love is in the breast there the flame of duty and service is in the hands Joh 15.14 Ye are my friends if ye do whatsoever I command you In the 1 Joh. 5.3 In this is the love of God that we keep his Commandments Use 1 Use 1. For Exhortation First To a mental keeping of the words of Christ according
these be continued in their power and purity there the Tabernacle of God is among men and when these are taken away I-chabod the Glory is departed We may say God hath forsaken us As the Ark was a Tipe and Token of God special presence with the Jews so the Gospel and Gospel Ordinances are a signal Token of Gods abode with us for in these we may see him in these we may enjoy him by these we may be made like to him as in the 2 Cor. 3.18 But we all with open face behold as in a Glasse the Glory of God and are changed into the same Image from Glory to Glory even as by the Spirit of the Lord. Thirdly They make their abode with them in the Spirit which proceeds from the Father and the Son So they may both be said truly to abide with us while we have the Spirit the Comforter which proceeds from the Father and the Son as a pledge of their Love Joh. 15.20 When the Comforter is come whom I will send unto you from the Father I will send him sayes Christ even the Spirit of truth which 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which proceeds from the Father there is an 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a Procession of the Holy Ghost from the Father and the Son to the People that keep his word and thus Believers are said to hold fellowship with the Father and the Son in the 1 Epist of John 13. It is by the Spirit we are drawn being drawn we come being come we are enabled to walk with God and Christ It is this Spirit that doth all for us As in the Ecche The Ayre being moved by the voice returns the same sound by its own motion So in all our Communion with God and Christ the Soul being moved by the Spirit returns answer by vertue of the Spirits motion in us Come sayes the Spirit I come sayes the Soul being taught by the same Spirit All the works wrought on the Souls of men in order to Salvation are wrought of God and Christ in us but by the Spirit As in these three special particulars First By the Spirit they instruct and teach The Spirit is an enlightning Spirit a Spirit of Judgement and of burning The Spirit reveals the Counsels of God the great Misteries of the Kingdom Leads into all truth makes men wise to Salvation Secondly By this Spirit they quicken comfort the Souls of men Rom. 5.5 It is by the Spirit that the Love of God is shed abroad in our hearts Our cold and frozen Spirits are warmed and made fit for action and by this Spirit we are awaken'd Hence the Church prayes for the breathings of this Spirit Cant. 4.16 Awake O North-wind and come thou South blow upon my Garden that the Spices thereof may flow out Thirdly By this Spirit they do strengthen and establish the hearts of men in the wayes of Holinesse thus they are made strong in the Lord and in the power of his might strong to resist tentations strong to suppesse corruptions strong to perform duties by this Spirit they are carryed through all difficulties by this Spirit their Infirmities are healed Rom. 8.26 they are made to persevere and kept stedfast and unmoveable alwayes abounding in the work of the Lord and Sealed up to the day of Redemption Thus God and Christ do make their abode with them that keep the words of Christ till they come to make an everlasting abode with them in Heaven And according to the workings of this Spirit more or lesse in the hearts of men God is said to be present or absent from his people Reasons Secondly The Reasons why God and Christ will make their abode with them that keep his words Reas 1 First Because of their special Love to and Care of them that keep his words Indeed all the Care of God in concerning his people that he hath in the World therefore in the Second Commandement he is said to shew mercy to thousands of them that fear him and keep his Commandements that do not cast his word behind their backs and forsaking his Appointments follow their own Inventions So that if we faithfully keep his word he will abide with us in our work And this is the Great Reason in the Text My Father will Love him Not but that he Loves his Elect from Eternity but he will manifest his Love to them and therefore he will make his abode with them as the People of his Love for in Deut. 32.9 The Lords Portion is his People and Jacob is the Lot of his Inheritance and in Mal. 3.17 they are called his Jewels and men will abide with their Treasure Reas 2 Secondly Because of the near Relation that is between God and Christ and them that keep his word That is a very full place of Scripture for this purpose Mat. 12.50 Whosoever shall do the will of my Father which is in Heaven the same is my Brother and Sister and Mother What nearer Relation can there be than this So near are they to Jesus Christ that keep his word observe his will and be true and faithful to his Appointments and sure such near Relations will desire Cohabitation on both sides First God and Christ are said to stand Related in a Paternal Relation Secondly They are said to stand Related in a Conjugal Relation First God and Christ stand in a Paternal Relation to his People First God is their Father and they are his Sons and Daughters And this the Church doth acknowledge in Isai 63.16 Doubtless thou art our Father though Abraham be ignorant of us and Israel acknowledge us not thou O Lord art our Father c. And with this the Lord comforted mourning Zion Isai 49.14,15 But Zion said The Lord hath forsaken me and my Lord hath forgotten me But God sayes Can a Woman forget her sucking Child that she should not have Compassion on the Son of her womb Yea they may forget yet I will not forget thee Behold I have graven thee on the palms of my Hands c. My abode is with thee Secondly Jesus Christ is their Father Isai 9.6 The everlasting Father Therefore he promiseth his Disciples in this 14. Joh. 18. I will not leave you 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Orphans or Fatherlesse Children He is the most affectionate tender hearted Father Tam Pater nemo tam pius nemo None so good none such a Father as he 〈◊〉 Tertul. Secondly God and Christ stand related to them that keep his word in a Conjugal relation and God hath said a special command of co-habitation upon persons in this relation The man must dwell with his own Wife First God is related as a Husband And will not God dwell with his People whom he hath espoused to himself I have betrothed thee unto me for ever Hosea 2.19 Yea I will betroth thee unto me in righteousness and in judgement and in loving kindness and in mercies I will even betroth thee unto me in faithfulness And