Armed man and like a Mighty Stream threatning to bear down all before it Oh what Generation is the next like to be if this be thus Vpon Pauls healing the impotent man the cry was Gods are come down to us in the likeness of men Act. 14 1â— But may not the cry now be Devils are come up to us in the likeness of men Are there not many men now like so many Incarnate Devils Do they not look upon Oaths as the greatest Rhetorick and upon Adultery as the greatest Pleasure Do they not look upon Murder as a just revenge and upon Polygamy as an Ornament to worldly Grandure If this Generation be thus what is the next Generation like to be I have read of one Father and 't was pity there should be that one to read of who liked his Children the better for resembling him in wickedness I have also read of others who hearing their Ancestors were gone to hell said that they would go thither too Do not many Parents now seem to be unwilling to go to hell without their Children indulging them in all manner of Impiety and Impurity Is it not enough for them to go to hell but must their Children follow them Certainly now these things considered it is incumbent upon Parents to look after the Education of their Children 2. To the Young Now these have Grace or have it not To these therefore distinctly 1. To the Young that have Grace I have two words to these 1. Art Green and yet hast Grace Admire then the Riches of Free-Grace Hath God plucked thee as a brand out of the Fire and left the rest of the Children to dwell with everlasting Burnings Oh infinite mercy Art not only born but born again born of water and of the Spirit Oh Matchless mercy Are not only many young ones but many old ones yet in their blood bleeding to death and 't is to be feared an Eternal death and hath Jehovah God said unto thee Live Oh Admire then the Riches of Free-Grace Oh let this be thy Holy and thy Heavenly boasting in all places 1 Cor. 15.10 and amongst all Persons By the grace of God I am that I am 2. Art Green and yet hast Grace Be joyous then thy Joy may be greatest when thou art Oldest Polycarpus could say when he was old Thus many years have I served my Master Christ and hitherto hath he dealt well with me Those are like to have most Peace when and while they are old that have Grace when and while they are young For thou art my hope Oh Lord God thou art my trust from my youth Psal 71.5 17 18. Oh God thou hast taught me from my youth Now also I am gray-headed for sake me not 2. To the young that have not grace Art young and hast not grace set then upon this work and Remember thy Creator in the days of thy youth Oh now begin to concern thy soul with the concerns of thy soul Quest But what Directions may be given to young ones that are graceless ones Solut. 1. Look not upon death at a distance in the days of thy youth Many if not most young persons look upon death at a distance and 't is death to them to think upon death Oh how many young persons are there that greedily swallow down that of the Psalmist Psal 90.10 The days of our years are three score years and ten or according to the Margent As for the days of our years in them are seventy years Oh say not we have Calculated our Nativity and we finde our years to be three score years and ten Is there one of threescore and ten that lives to threescore and ten 2. Shun the Occasions of sin in the days of thy youth If thou wouldest not fall down of â—he Plague keep clear of the Pest house May not I say with that great Doctor of the Gentiles Flee youthful lusts 2 Tim. 23.22 3. Be very conversant with the holy Scriptures of truth in the days of thy youth Be much in reading the Scriptures Oh there 's no book like unto this Book Oh soul this Book is the Book of Books Other Books are called the books of men but the Bible is called the Book of God Oh turn over these leafes and converse these lines On soul in those lines thou mayst read the Love that Christ had to little ones Suffer children yea little children saith Christ to come unto me and forbid them not Mat. 19.14 for of such is the Kingdom of Heaven 4. Wait at Wisdomes Gates and in her Galleries in the days of thy youth Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word Preached Jam. 1.19 May not I say to thee as the Apostle did Be swift to hear slow to speak slow to wrath 5. Look upon thy self as lost in the days of thy youth Suppose Parents gracious yet they cannot entail grace upon their Posterity Oh Child believe me thou canst not go to Heaven by thy Fathers Copy thou must have a Christ of thine own Grace of thine own or dying thou wilt be damned and thaâ— for an eternity Mar. 16.16 He that believeth not shall 〈◊〉 damned not may but shall be daâ—ned Look unto Christ in the days of thy youth Thou art a Sinner Lastly but Christ is a Saviour thou art a great sinner but he is a great Saviour Oh Child Luk. 19.10 thou art lost but Christ came to seek and to save that which was lost Not only to save but also to seek in order to saving that which was lost But to close this Discourse If thou hast any love to thy self love to thy soul concern then thy soul with the concerns of thy soul in the days of thy youth Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Col. 3.11 Heart Keeping the hardest Keeping PROV 4.23 Keep thy heart with all diligence for out of it are the Issues of life THAT Solomon is the Author of this Book in general is generally acknowledged but he is so the Author of this as David is of the Psalms for as the whole Book of Psalmes is not Davids so the whole Book of Proverbs is not Solomons A Proverb and a Parable differ more in sound then in sense 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 they are of very near Affinity for they are are the speeches of wise men yea they are the Extracts and spirits of wisdom I will open my Mouth in a Parable Psal 78.2 I will utter dark sayings of old These are called Aenigmata dark Sentences To understand a Proverb and the Interpretation Prov. 1.6 the words of the wise and their dark sayings So that a Proverb properly signifies a Parable and a Parable properly signifies a Proverb Sed quid moror istis Keep thy heart with all diligence for out of it are the issues of life In these words you have a Duty imposed and
the Egyptians Go unto Joseph and whatsoever he say unto you do And may not I say unto you as Mary at the Marriage said unto the servants concerning Christ Whatsoever he say unto you do it In respect of Christ 2. In respect of Christ The Heart is Christ Seat this therefore must be kept above all keeping The Heart is Christs Throne here below now this is his House As the Christian is Christs lesser and lower house so the Christians heart if I may speak it with a holy reverence is Christs lodging room in that house That Christ may dwell but where in your hearts but how by faith Eph. 3.17 That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith Shall not a Princes Presence-Chamber his lodging-room be kept above any chamber above any room kept above all keeping As the Womb of Christ wherein he was conceived was and the Tomb of Christ wherein he was laid was so must his Temple be Now Christ was conceived in a Womb wherein no other was conceived interred in a Tomb wherein no other was interred so will he Temple himself in that heart where no other shall be his Corrival and where no affected lust shall be his Equall If Christ dwell in the heart by faith then sin must out of the house by force Christ and Corruption especially if affected cannot dwell under the same Roof in Peace cannot lodge in the same house with love and liking 1 Cor. 16 15. Know ye not that your bodies are the members of Christ Shall I then take the members of Christ and make them the members of an harlot God forbid Many too many have their Paramours their Concubines Oh soul lodge not an Harlot in thy heart for that 's Christs house Was it not pity that David should take Bathsheba into his house for she was another Mans wife Oh how did the displeasure of God begin to flame against the King of Gerar for taking Sarah Abraham's wife was it not pity that Sampson took Dalilah into his lap The Man first lost his locks and then lost his life In respect of the heart 3. In respect of the heart As the heart must be kept above all keeping in respect of God because he hath commanded it in respect of Christ because 't is his Seat so in respect of itself and that upon a manifold Account For 1. 'T is a corrupt heart The heart of a Saint is very corrupt but the heart of a sinner hath nothing but corruption Corrupt Jerusalem wash thy heart from wickedness a Saints heart hath too much sin but a sinners heart is fuller of sin then the Sun of light or the Ocean of water The heart of a Saint is sinful but the heart of the sinner is sinfully sinful wickedly wicked The heart is the Nursery of sin the Magazine where all the weapons of unrighteousness lie Deu. 15.9 'T is a lesser Hell Beware that there be not a thought in thy wicked heart in thy Belial heart so the Margen It s a kind of an Hell Jer. 4.14 for a man that hath bâ—t a spark of grace to be tempted and turmoiled with the innate corruptions and rebellions of his own heart And if a man would devise a Torment for a soul truly gracious he cannot devise a greater then this Shall not this heart then be kept above all keeping 2. 'T is a bruitish heart Bruitish Psal 92.6 A bruitish man knoweth not neither doth a fool understand this The heart of man is not only filthy but foolish The bruitish man is the foolish man Wisdom excelleth folly as far as light excelleth darkness The heart of man is naturally foolish and as the heart is foolish so the man is childish for he feeds upon dirt rather then upon bread yea upon dirt but not upon bread Vnderstand ye bruitish among the People Folly is bound up in the heart of a Child but the Rod of Correction shall drive it away from him Folly is not only bound up in the heart of a child of man but in the heart of a child of God Do ye thus require Jehovah Oh ye foolish people and unwise Den. 32.6 Should not the heart now be kept above all keeping 3. 'T is a barren heart There 's not a seed of grace in the heart till the hand of God sow it there Berren The heart naturally and originally is like white Paper without any Inscription Not a Syllable of the Grace of God is written there till the Finger of God write it there This shall be the Covenant that I will make with the House of Israel Jer. 31.33 but what is it I will put my Law in their inward Parts and write it in their hearts and will be their God and they shall be my people But who is this I 'T is Jehovah After those days saith Jehovah I will put my Law in their inward Parts and write it in their hearts May not the best of men speak after the Prophet My leanness my leanness Wo unto me Might not Christ say Isa 24.16 were there not a spark of grace within to the best of men as he did to the fruitless Fig-tree Cut it down why cumbreth it the ground Luk. 13.7 Shall not the heart now be kept above all keeping 4. 'T is a dark heart Dark A natural heart is a dark heart yea a natural heart is not only dark but darkness it self in the very Abstract before the Sun of Righteousness arise there For ye were somtimes darkness but now are ye light in the Lord 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Eph. 5.8 walk as children of light What would the World be without the Firmamental Sun but a World of darkness Oh what would the Soul be without the eternal Son the Sun of Righteousness but a Dungeon of darkness Oh says the soul how muddy are my thoughts how dark is my understanding I know nothing yet as I ought to know Oh 't is little that I know and I am ignorant of my ignorance The most perfect soul hath but an imperfect sight of God or himself The most seeing man or the Seer himself hath a Film upon his eye at least much darkness in it and must at present look thorough Spectacles 1 Cor. 13.12 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 We now see thorough a Glass darkly Darkly or in a Riddle according to the Greek Shall not this heart then be kept above all keeping 5. 'T is a hard heart Hard. The heart of man is so bad I cannot tell how bad it is The heart is compared to an Adamant They made their hearts as an Adamant stone c. Zach. 7.12 Is not a Flint hard but an Adamant is harder As an Adamant harder then a Flint have I made thy Forehead Ezek. 3.9 Oh wonder not then to hear Persons to complain of their hardness of heart They are strangers to their own hearts that complain not of the hardness
the grace of Christ and in Christ is seasonable when the soul is under temptation and under Affliction Is not that a lofty and a lovely expression For peace I had great bitterness Isa 38.17 but thou in love to my soul hast delivered it from the pit of corruption for thou hast cast all my sins behind thy back 10. Grace in Christ is surpassing grace Sin is an evil thing Sin is an evil the evil of evils Ther 's evil and nothing but evil in sin Sin is evil but grace is good sin is worse but grace is best Sin is a large Field a large Territory but grace is a larger Sin is the largest Territory in the World but grace Mans Ephah is full of sin but Gods Ephah is fuller of grace Mans cup is full but Gods cup is over full and that for an Eternity For as sin has reigned unto Death Rom 5. 〈◊〉 so hath grace reigned through righteousness unto eternall life by Jesus Christ our Lord. Here is sin reigning unto death but here 's grace reigning unto Eternal life The wages of sin is death but the gift of God is Eternal life Rom. 6. 〈◊〉 through Jesus Christ our Lord. Ther 's sin enough in man to damn man ther 's grace enough in Christ to save man Ther 's sin enough in man to damn man and that for an Eternity ther 's grace enough in Christ to save man and that for an Eternity 3. How this grace is in Christ that is sufficient for a Christian under temptation Grace is in Christ two wayes Formally and causally 1. Formally Grace is in Christ Formally as in the subject of it Christ is the God of grace In the beginning was the word and the word was with God and the word was God But what then The word was made flesh and dwelt amongst us and we beheld his glory Jo. 1.1 14 the glory as of the onely begotten of the Father full of grace and truth 2. Causally Grace is in Christ Causally as in the fountain of it As Christ is the God of it so he is the giver of it for he is thee head of the Church Col. 1.13 And he is thee head of the body the Church Now thus Christ is in a manifold respect 1. Because Christ is above the Church and ruleth it as the Head guideth the body Christ is soveraign as well as Saviour and Surety He is therefore called King of Saints Rev. 15.3 2. Because Christ conveyeth Life into the Church as the Head to the Members Christ giveth life to the Church Maintaineth life in the Church yea Christ in the Churches life Col. 3.4 When he who is our life shall appear 3. Because Christ provideth for the Church as the Head doth for the Members Christ gives the Church Manna yea Christ doth not onely feed the Church but is the Churches Food and he is at once Meat and Medicine I am the bread of life Jo. 9.48 4. Because Christ Participates with the Church in the same nature with it as the Head doth with the Members For we have not an high Priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities Heb. 4.15 but was in all points tempted like as we are yet without sin 4. Why there is in Christ for a Christian a sufficiency of Grace under temptation In a three-fold respect God Christ and the Christian. 1. In respect of God God 2 Tim. 2.16 because his foundation standeth sure The foundation of God standeth sure having this Seal the Lord knoweth them that are his God knoweth those all those that he hath given unto Christ and he hath laid up in Christ a sufficiency of grace for these that they may not miscarry for an Eternity 2. In respect of Christ because he is to lose none that are given unto him Christ While Christ was in the World he kept his and upon his going out of the World he ingaged the Father to keep them As God knows all that are given unto Christ so Christ is to keep all that are given unto him Jo. 17.11 While I was with them in the world I kept them in thy Name those that thou hast given me have I kept and none of them is lost but the Son of perdition that the Scripture may be fulfilled Jo. 17.12 But where did the Scripture speak this of Judas Let his dayes be few and let another take his Office Psa 109.8 3. In respect of the Christian As there is a sufficiency of grace in Christ upon Gods account and upon his own Christian so upon the Christians 1. In order to the strengthening of the Christian Ther 's a fulness of grace in Christ for Christians that Gods power may be made known yea 2 Cor. 12.9 10. made perfect in mans weakness This appears by the words after the Text for speaking of his grace as sufficient in the Text he gives this reason For my power is made perfect in weakness and when I am weak then am I strong When I am weak in flesh I am strong in Spirit when I am weak in my self I am strong in my Saviour Christ can say Paul thou art weak but I am strong yea I am strength The strength of Israel that cannot lye Now there is a Sufficiency of grace in Christ that a Christian may be strengthned under all his troubles and trials under all his Temptations and Tribulations 2. In order to the smiling of the Christian We use to say a Christian life is like a Courtiers life for upon the favour or disfavour of the Prince depends the Comfort or discomfort of the Courtier Thus upon the smiles or frowns of Christ depend the comfort or discomfort of the Christian A Christian is like the Marigold concerning which they say that it opens with the shining and shuts with the setting of the Sun If the Sun of Righteousness set in a Cloud 't is as Death to the Christian but if this Sun of Righteousness break thorough a Cloud 't is as life to the Christian Christ will not alwayes frown lest the Spirit should fail before him and the soul which he have made If ever a drooping desponding despairing soul be comforted Christ must be the Text and the Preacher too I even I am he that comforteth thee Now there is a sufficiency of grace in Christ in order to a Christians comfort Jo. 6.63 The words that he speak they are Spirit and they are Life 3. In order to the feeding of a Christian Ther 's a sufficiency of grace in Christ that the Christian may feed upon the promiss that when he hath nothing in his purse he may find enough in the promiss and when he hath nothing in his private hand he may find enough in his publique head Feeding upon the promise is believing in the promiss for the promiss is a ground for Faith as the precept is a Rule for Obedience