the close of my thoughts on the Text but before I go any further I cannot but break out into a use of admiration and first then beloved here 's the Free-grace of God in giving his Son a Sacrifice for those that believe John 3. 16. God so loved the World how so why so as one said there is not such another so with so great love that he gave his only begotten Son and 't was so freely too without the least motive to take with his love so loved the World as was unexpected by them so and in such away too that could never have been thought of or contrived by all the wisdom of all the Heavenly Host it was looked on as a demonstration of the love of Abraham to give up his Son a sacrifice to God and truly 't was love indeed I am afraid few in our days have such a love to give up a Son that he loved Gen. 22. 2. 12. I but this was but to give up the worse to the better the Creature to the Creator but this was more God gave his Son the better for the worse the Creator to dye for the Creature oh infinite immense love that God should give his only Son the Son of his delight Behold my Servant in whom my Soul delighteth and more then that he delighted to give him to dye here is admirable Free-love too and it pleased the Father or the Father took delight or complacency in bruising his Son Oh the free-love of God Secondly Let us here admire the love of the Son that he should offer himself a Sacrifice for sinners that he that was offended should dye for offenders yea that we should have th' offended set offenders free yet this he did for enemies Rom. 5. 10. It may be for a friend or a good man some one or other would dare to dye as in Ver. 7. But was it ever known that any dyed for an enemy yea that he should lay down his life himself not by constraint but willingly all the world could not take away his life from him so he saith himself in Matth. 26. 53. Thinkest thou that I cannot now pray to my Father and he shall give me more then twelve Legions of Angels they would soon have delivered him or himself could have delivered himself no but he doth it freely without compulsion or force Iohn 10. 18. No man taketh it from me but I lay it down of my self I have power to lay it down of my self and power to take it up again Where art thou now that saist Christ is not God was there ever any Creature that had power to lay down his life of himself Paul in the strength of Christ in Gods strength could do all things and in that strength could be not onely willing to be bound but to dye but he had not power to lay down his life of himself and if it should be thought that any had power to lay down his life yet no man hath power to take up his life again when he had laid it down nay more is it warantable for man to give his life of himself and no man take it away I but saith Christ no man taketh it away surely none that 's a Creature hath this love of the Son me thinks this should endear our hearts to Christ and make us cry out in the vehemency of our affections as David did of the Law of God Ps 119. 97. Oh how love I thy Law it is my meditation all the day Oh how love I the Lord Jesus when we want words then oh how oh how love I the Lord He is my Meditation all the day yea when I remember him on my Bed in the night watches Psalm 63. 6. Then my Meditation of him shall be sweet Psalm 104. 34. And it would be sweet indeed if we could thus apply him to our selves and say with David and Isaiah Oh Lord thou art my God Psalm 140. 6. Isa 25. 1. This word my God is a sweet word as when Jesus said to Thomas be not faithless but believing John 20. 27. Thomas answered and said my Lord and my God So in the 13. Verse when the two Angels in white asked Mary plain-hearted Mary What is the matter Mary why weepest thou Why saith she beause they have taken away my Lord How should this comfort poor souls and how should this endear souls to Christ and make them willing to go through any difficulty when they can say he is my Lord the very thoughts of Christ did make the Spouses heart so rise within her that her tongue could not be silent but she would be setting out his excellency as she was able and when she had not words when her Rhetorick failed her to express her self she crys out as one in an extacy at such a raised rate â—he is altogether lovely and believer let me ask thee for others know it not is not Christ altogether lovely in his love and in his Free-grace as I have said and oh that by the freeness of his love and grace that any poor soul may be perswaded that there is nothing on his part to be done in a way of merit no no believer Christ hath purchased eternal Redemption for thee Heb. 9. 12. And therefore there is nothing for thee to do but answer his love with thy love and that cannot be better known then by living to his praise and rejoycing in him and singing his praises as David saith Psalm 81. 1. Sing aloud not only rejoyce but sing and sing aloud Make a joyful noise to the God of Jacob that is to the God of believers yea Vers 2. Take a Psalm and Sing but may a poor soul say I know this work or rather joy for Saints but how shall I know whether I am of this number of believers true I here of glorious things for the Saints And glorious things are spoken of thee oh thou City of God but this is that which marr's all my joy I do not know whether I am a believer but what shall I do to know this that shall be my work as fast as I can come to it but before I give any Carracters of the Saints of God I would a little shew some of the various ways that God takes in the bringing home of his chosed to himself and it may be this may a little satisfie thee and it may be thou mayst find out thy state by this and truly we should try our state by any means we must examine our selves Solomon saith Prov. 27. 23. Be thou diligent to know the state of thy Flocks And should not we be diligent to know the state of our souls and 't is knowable else why doth the Apostle say Examine your selves whether you be in the Faith 2 Cor. 13. 5. And give all diligence to make your Calling and Election sure 2 Pet. 1. 10. Let us search and try our ways and turn again to the Lord Lam. 3. 40. Let every man prove his own
lyes pressed hard with some violent temptation that he seems to take little delight in God as Job Jeremiah and David when Gods hand pressed them sore these are not times for a man to pass a right Judgement of his state and he that thus and then judges himself judges only according to appearance and not a righteous Judgement John 7. 24. And the Scripture doth plainly lay down a rule thus to judge a mans state by namely whether or no a man love God so as to leave all not by constraint but willingly out of the love to God and so is a clear and distinct Carracter of a mans state what it is as may be easily cleared from Matt. 10. 37. Luke 14. 26. And though it be of absolute necessity that we know this else we can never have any sollid and true joy in our hearts or else as the Apostle saith to the Gallations we shall never rejoyce in our selves alone yet I am perswaded that not one of many is able thus to judge of his state though as I said even now it is that that is our chief concernment as we value a well grounded peace But with subordination to this great and grand Carracters I hope to hold out from the Word of Truth many simptomes of a Heaven born soul or of a soul for whom Christ is Sacrificed as the Phrase in the Text is First 'T is a good sign Christ is thine if thou hast heard the voice of Christ My Sheep saith Christ hear my voice he doth not say the Goats or the Flocks of the World or the Devil hear his voice but my Sheep hear my voice thou wilt say this was hinted at before when it was said that one of the first things that Christ doth is to open blind eyes and to unstop deaf ears but I am not speaking of that now but of hearing Christ voice so as to know it from a stranger for so saith Christ a stranger they will not follow John 10. 5. Now if thou hast that skill to know thy Lords voice 't is a good sign thou hast had some intimacy with him I mean so know it as not to be deceived by a conterfeit voice but I 'le be brief Secondly Hast thou been made willing to follow Christ They that follow me in the regeneration ye shall sit upon Thrones Judging the Tribes of Israel Try whether you are willing to follow Christ in duty in ordinances in afflictions If any man take not up his Cross and follow me he cannot be my Disciple Why so because none is a Disciple but such as follow Christ Luke 14. 27. Matth. 10. 38. He that taketh not his Cross that is take it willingly readily for he doth not say take it when 't is not laid on him for Luke saith bear the Cross in that prequoted Text which doth intimate that he must have it put upon him try now man as thou goest art thou willing to suffer shame for his Name art thou willing to follow Christ not only to his exaltation but to his persecution not to the Crown but to the Cross 't is a sign thou art a Virgin then if thou art willing to follow Christ wheresoever he goes Rev. 4. 14. Into a Prison as well as a Palace I put in this here because it follows the hearing of Christ's voice My Sheep hear my voice and they follow me If I do set down things disorderly not arising higher step by step for indeed when a Christian can follow Christ he is come to a good degree excuse me in this for two reasons First In that my time is but borrowed or redeemed if thou knewest how hardly thou wouldst not say I offered thee that which cost me nought Secondly Because I would now rather find out consolation then windy ostentation which is but to savour after the flesh I can but hint at things pray you enlarge them in your own Meditations Thirdly Hast thou a Holy fear of God upon thee David crys out Psal 34. 10. Oh fear the Lord all ye his Saints intimating that none but Saints know how to fear him he doth not say be afraid but fear him there are two sorts of fear 1. There is a slavish fear arising from the apprehension of wrath of punishment such a fear as arises from guilt thus it was with Adam when he had sinned Gen. 3. 10. I heard thy voice in the Garden and I was afraid he did not fear the Lord before he offended him but he was afraid of his wrath when he had offended by the way take notice sinner if thou shouldst cast thy eyes on this thou that darest sin boldly without fear thou wilt afterward be afraid yea and tremble at the sight of wrath 2. There is a fillial and childlike fear or if you please a conjugal fear and this arises from the goodness of God They shall fear the Lord and his goodness in the latter days Hos 3. 5. From the consideration of forgiveness God should be feared There is forgiveness with thee that thou mayst be feared Psalm 130. 4. 'T is a fear of the right stamp to fear him as one would fear to displeases ones onely friend that one loved as it is with those that are in Love they will rather run the hazard of any thing then displease them if their love be true oh this is the fear that God calls for and gives a blessing to Blessed is the Man that thus feareth the Lord Psal 112. 1. Therefore pass the time of your sojourning here in fear 1 Pet. 1. 17. Why must it be in fear why it follows Forasmuch or because ye know you were not redeemed with corruptible things but with the precious Blood of Christ Oh Sirs ye are they that know you were redeemed Pass you the time of your sojourning here in fear 'T is true a fear of the loss of Heaven should quicken us to diligence as Heb. 4. 1. Let us fear least a promise being left us any of us should fall short of it I but the fear off ending God is the truest Gospel fear and is surely the product of the Spirit of God and so is a good sign in them that have it that they are them for whom Christ is Sacrificed Fourthly Hast thou received Christ is he come in it may be thou dost not remember the opening of thy heart to him so punctually as some may do but doth thy soul find that all his enemies are made to stoop and give way before him when Lydia's heart was opened how sweetly did she embrace Christ in his Apostles and constrain him to come in all other her lodgers were made to give place I 'le warrant you canst thou say Christ in me the hope of glory if thou canst 'tis well time was he was without and stood and called as Cant. 5. 2. Open to me my Sister my Love my Dove my head is filled with Dew and my locks with the drops of the night By the way let
Holy Ghost Jude 20. So that men cannot pray but by the Holy Ghost Men may as I said mumble over a form of words it may be I but a man cannot pray but by the Holy Ghost 't is the Spirit of God that will help souls to pray to confess sin and to plead promises the Spirit helpeth our infirmities with groans that cannot be uttered he that hath the Spirit can come to God as a Friend and say Father I have need of such and such mercies I have need of strength against sin and such and such corruptions are like to overcome me he that hath the Spirit of God is the Friend of God as Abraham wa called the friend of God often times take one place for the rest that comes next to my hand 2 Jam. 23. Now a friend of God can go and plead with God and say Lord such and such sins and corruptions are to hard for me but Lord thou hast said Micab 7. 19 20. Thou wilt subdue our iniquities and cast our sins into the depth's of the Sea Oh Lord perform the truth to Jacob and the mercy to Abraham that thou hast promised yea sworn to our Fathers in the days of old Now soul if thou dost find in thee a Spirit of Prayer and Supplication that thou canst plead with God in his promises as I have instanced here in one why then 't is a good sign thou art thy self called of God and precious in his sight but I would hasten toward an end of these things XXIX 'T is a good sign thou thy self art in Christ if thou art willing to bring others into Christ grace is of a diffusive nature it will spread it self Peter saith Christ when thou art converted strengthen thy Brethren Luke 22. 23. It may be this is of a second conversion and you know Paul speaks of travelling in Birth again till Christ be found in the Gallatians Gal. 4. 19. It seems to intimate they were born before but were turned aside to crooked pathes for saith Paul Verse 20. I stand in doubt of you but I will not dispute it here but leave it to the sober wise but however When thou art converted strengthen thy Brethren that is do what thou canst to convert and confirm others in their most Holy Faith Wherefore Brethren edisie one another as also ye do 1 Thess 5. 11. Grace will beget and strengthen as many as it can it will draw others what may be to the good ways of God Come saith David and I will tell you what God hath done for my soul His spirit was full it was ready to break before it had vent and thus it was with the Woman of Samaria when she had once heard Christ She run into the City and saith Come oh come and see a man that told me all that ever I did She was willing they should know all that ever she knew of Christ and so saith Paul I would thou wer 't such as I am except these hods Acts 26. 29. Oh how did his soul long for the conversion of others in Rom. 10. 1. My hearts desire and prayer for Israel is that they may be saved Soul is it thus with thee dost thou know thy friends and relations to be in an unconverted estate and dost thou long and pray they may be converted Is thy fellowship with the Father And dost thou desire their fellowship may be with you with the Father and the Son Jesus Christ and dost thou declare to others what thou hast seen and heard of Jesus Christ that thou mayest draw them into fellowship with Jesus 1 John 1. 3. If so 't is a good sign thou art one in Christ XXX And lastly If thou art in Christ thou lovest the Saints of Christ not love them barely as they are men but as they are Saints a man may love another but not upon the account as he is a Christian man he may love him as he is of a sweet behaviour and carriage or as he is a relation or as an aquaintance or as a friend that may be profitable to a man in the World I but I speak of love to a Saint as he is a Saint and therefore Christ saith He that giveth to a Prophet not as he is a man or a friend But as in the name of a Prophet shall receive a Prophets reward Matt. 10. 41. 42. Now I say if thou lovest Christ's Disciples thus thou art in Christ and Christ saith by this shall all men know that ye are my Disciples how so why If you love one another John 13. 35. This Spirir was in Moses which made him say If thou wilt not forgive their sin blot me out of thy Book Exod. 32. 32. Which Book we would with submission say 't is the Book of his Temporary Life and truly this was great love that he would lay down his life for Israel in this he was a Type of our Lord so David had a great love to the Saints and a delight in the Saints Psal 16. 3. To the Saints and to the excellent in the Earth in whom is all my delight Had David nothing else to set a little of his delight upon yes David was a King he had a Crown and many things else to have delighted in but to the Saints and to the excellent in whom is all my delight Davids delight was all on the Saints and that with good reason because they were most excellent Why had not David many mighty Men of Valour that were excellent ones you may see a whole Catalogue of Davids Worthies in the 1 Chron. 11. 10. to the end and were none of these Noble Princes of valor that were in his Court his delight no saith David to the Saints in whom is all my delight and it will appear by the delight he had in the company of them that fear the Lord Psal 119. 63. I am a companion of all them that fear thee Not of Nobles and great Men of whom then Of all that fear thee why David there be some poor Men that fear God dost not thou think scorn David being a King to company with poor Men no saith David I am a companion of all that fear thee and 't is so with others too saith David Vers 74. They that fear thee will be glad to see me or when they see me the Saints be glad to see one another therefore David saith again Verse 79. Let those that fear thee turn unto me be they poor or rich be they those that fear thee Oh let them turn unto me be they Servants or any I 'le keep them company that fear the Lord I but David would it not credit thy Court to keep Ranters and Swearers for the World saith he is no Gentleman that cannot swear no saith David I 'le keep no such as they are My eye shall be on the Faithful in the Land they shall dwell with me Psal 101. 6 7. But for those that work deceit they shall not dwell in
is not in man to direct his steps Jer. 10. 23. And therefore in all our ways we should acknowledge him he will have man have nothing to do in his own Salvation 't is true man must move in the strength of God but he must not look to himself who must he look to then he himself tells you Isa 45. 22. Look unto me all ye ends of the Earth And be ye saved no may we not do somewhat our selves no no said God why Lord For I am God and there is none else Plainly intimating that none can save but God himself oh then take heed of bringing in any thing with Gods Salvation in the time of the Law God commanded that men should not wear a Garment of divers sorts as of Wollen and Linnen together Deut. 22. 11. An excellent word to teach us that we should not wear the Wollen of our's which will gall to the bone with the Linnen of Christs own righteousness no he would have us have nothing of ours for righteousness but all his for righteousness and on that do thou trust though he kill thee as Job speaks Job 13. 15. Yet trust in him for he will save by himself therefore take heed and mix nothing with Christ's blood Secondly Be perswaded not to draw back from him if any draw back his soul will have no pleasure in him Heb. 10. 38. Ah soul I know not so well what thou hast as I know what I have but I have mine iniquity and I do fear so hast thou few that ever I met with but had one beloved above all other this is that David kept himself from Psal 18. 23. I kept my self from mine iniquity Oh take heed that thine iniquity do not draw thee back but follow the Lord and keep on his way not only begin but follow on Hes 6. 3. Then shall we know if we follow on to know the Lord there is the mark of the prize of the high calling in Christ before but take heed and look forward for if thou look back there is Hell behind at thy heels if thou draw back it will be to perdition Oh that we may never draw back for if we do the fault will be ours for God if he hath begun a good work will go on to perform it or as it may be read finish it Phill. 1. 6. Let us then go on after Christ and not draw back from him but Thirdly And lastly to the Saints live as it becometh those that are called by him and make profession of him hath he loved thee with an everlasting love and therefore with loving kindness hath he drawn thee Jer. 31. 3. And wilt thou not answer his love by thy Life Oh soul wilt thou not stand for him and own him in bad days wilt thou not plead his cause against all enemies that plead's thy cause with the Father hath God given thee a gift oh improve it for Christ thy Lord he hath dyed for thee and wilt not thou live to him doth he appear before God for thee and wilt not thou appear before Men for his Name sake 't is sad to see how men sneak away and diseart Christ's cause under fine specious pretences 't is not prudence to do things say they when Authority would not have it so and so they have a pretence to cover themselves with that pretence this kind of Spirit was found in some of old in Holy Philpots time said he some persons make themselves a Clock to keep of the Rain with pretence of obeying Magistrates whom we ought to obey though they be evil and wicked but saith he such must learn to give Caesar his and God his due and with Peter obey the higher powers in the Lord c. this he speaks by reason of the cowardness of their Spirits in their Masters cause but oh soul that I could prevail with thee and my own soul to stand to Christs cause Oh I call Heaven and Earth to witness this day bear witness all ye that see or hear of this that I call upon you to plead Christ caused and hold fast his Name and not run away and leave Christ oh live as those that become the Gospel in this very thing oh sad 't is to tell there be some that in this respect have cause the very adversary to speak reproach fully and to blaspheme and as these are cowardly in Christs cause so there are others very debauched in their practices would to God there were no cause to say professors keep loose company many there are that keep a Club with vain Fellows I and I am afraid many times drink to excess oh take shame to your selves who are guilty this is loathsom in the sight of the truly Godly and I tell you you give them just occasion to judge you Hypocritical and rotten at the heart and to spare no rank let me be plain with you who take it upon you to be the Lords Watchmen you of the Ministry 't is sad that you that should be reproevers should fall justly under reproof or rather for I am on exhortation now you that should exhort others should need be exhorted and yet what lives do some of you lead I am ashamed to say debauched of you Oh insteed of a holy self denying life how many of you live an Earthly flesh pleasing life and how are your Families trained up insteed of the School of Christ it may be in a Dancing-School or at the Musick is this a life that becometh Professors but by this time I think I hear some of you begin to say is not it lawful to recreate our selves I am not minded here to answer all the cavils that the flesh will raise but this I 'le said Paul said indeed All things were lawful that is as I conceive with respect to conscience of his own but not expedient that is with respect to conscience of anothers and to my knowledge there are some hardened by your practices Oh how sad is it to see Ministers Wives Children and Families as well as other Professors come into the Congregation and insteed of being patterns of piety are patterns of Pride that insteed of having it said of them they were Modest and adorned with meekness and humility in modest apparel shameful it might be said they were proud high-minded and clad in gaudy Robes like pictures set to sell but I leave you to dispute it with one that will nonplusse you in all your disputations and silence all your objections but Saint thou that art truly such what ever others do though they Eclipse and darken the Glory of God and Religion yet do thou let thy light so shine that others may see thy good works and glorifie God Oh soul have a shinning conversation so saith the Apostle Phill. 1. 27. Only let your conversation be as becometh the Gospel Art thou Christ's live as one that wouldst honour Christ it will be an honour to Christian profession it will be a comfort to