in Jesus Christ which is preached to poor sinners in this this righteousness is contained here you may lay hold of it by holding of this thou must keep it thou needest not poor Sinner if thou wouldest have all thy sins pardoned be a justified soul and blessed for ever climbe up to heaven by thy own good works and righteousness for it nor run down to hell in despair thinking thou mayest as soon finde it there as any where else no no poor soul what saith it The word is nâ—gh thee Heaven is nigh Justification Salvation is nigh thee it is in Gods word of faith which thou hearest preached that free promise which brings thee tidings of an everlasting righteousness lay hold of this thou art blessed for ever keep hold of this and thou shalt see thy self a justified person and an Heir of Heaven for ever And who mee thinks hearing this would not have thoughts of a Heaven thou poor soul sittest all the week long at thy Cups and with thy Queans and art scared from having any thoughts of Heaven or obtaining of Jesus Christ and life eternal through him because thou thinkest if ever thou doest it thou must make a Ladder of good works and climbe up to Heaven and thus thou knowest not how to do but it is a Hell to thee to have thoughts of it or if not so yet thou thinkest thou must run mad for a while at least the thoughts whereof terrifie thee as much on the other side whereas poor soul thou art mistaken the righteousness of Christ by which souls are righteousness of Christ by which souls are justified and saved needs neither of these for the obtaining of it thou needest not go up to Heaven nor down to Hel to get it thou needest not stand howling and crying and moping a moneth together to get a Heaven no but come to the Promise and all is thine but I tell thee not that when this is done thou shalt swagger and swear and be drunk and roar as before thou didst no but a new nature shall be put into thee and God whom now thou art affraid of as a Judge to hang thee thou shalt come running unto and throw thy self into his arms as into the arms of a loving Father and that work as prayer hearing which thou art now in prison whilst thou art about thou shalt account this glorious liberty 4 Faith it begets and keeps up a secret perswasion in that soul which lives thereby that either the righteousness of Jesus Christ which is declared in the promise already for certain is or if not may bee mine As faith leads the soul out unto and holds it close to the promise where Christs righteousnesse is held forth so there is something which faith in its acting doth to bring the soul unto and constantly to hold it to the promise for it is not an easie thing to bring a poor soul which sees nothingness and emptiness in it self and all its own righteousnesse to close with the promise of Christs righteousnesse and to hold the soul to the same in such sort as it shall not swerve or start aside stagger or reel from that promise in this great business of its Justification Now that which faith doth for the bringing of the soul unto and holding it close to the promise is the begetting and maintaining in the soul a certain secret and inward perswasion which is twofold Either 1 Such as hath an assuring act of faith joyned with it and may bee called Faith of assurance which though it bee not that wherein the life of faith doth properly consist yet it oftentimes accompanyeth living by faith and is more constantly found in that soul which lives by faith than it is in another which doth not live by faith which is a perswasion that that righteousnesse of Christ which is revealed in the promise for the justification of sinners is certainly mine applied to mee and that through the same I am already justified and shall never come into condemnation and therefore I come and take hold of the promise and keep to it as that which is my continual evidence against sin and Satan that I am justified and shall never come into condemnation so that the soul comes to the promise and saith This promise is mine the treasure in it is mine the Jewel of Christs righteousnesse that it brings is mine and in this confidence it triumphs over death hell sin the devil and all the enemies of its Justification and Salvation This perswasion wee finde in the Apostle Paul upon which hee grounds his glorious triumph Rom. 8. vers 33. to the end Daring all his enemies and all the enemies of the Elect of God Who shall lay any thing to the charge of Gods Elect It is God that justifieth who is hee that condemneth It is Christ that dyed yea rather that is risen again who is even at the right hand of God who also maketh intercession for us who shall separate us from the love of Christ Shall tribulation or distresse or persecution or famine or nakednesse or peril or sword All comes from this perswasion vers 38. For I am perswaded that neither death nor life shall bee able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. And as I said before though this perswasion that I am certainly just and righteous before God in the righteousnesse of Christ bee not that proper act whereby I live by faith yet the more I attain to of this life of faith the greater and more constant will this perswasion bee for the stronger faith grows in any soul the more full assurance doth it bring though yet that assurance is not the act whereby it lives by faith but a fruit thereof yea in those souls who have attained to a higher degree of the life of faith as Paul and others in those times had the actings of faith do more appear in the act of Assurance and less in the acts of bare Adherence so that such doe not so much say the Righteousnesse of Christ it may bee mine and therefore I cleave to the promise which brings the same as thus it is certainly mine I am certainly justified and therefore I hold to the promise and that which is the ground of this my assurance and my evidence to prove the same against all the charges of the Law Sin Satan or any of the enemies of my Salvation Or 2 Such a perswasion as hath an adhering act of faith joyned with it and may be called faith of adherence which is a perswasion of this that the righteousnesse of Christ which the promise declares for the justificotion of sinners though I cannot for the present certainly say it is mine yet it may bee mine and I may bee justified and therefore I go to the promise and hold to the promise where this is to bee had this perswasion is properly the life of Faith considered in it self the other is the life of Faith
is one reason why God bids us so much to pray one for another that by improving one anothers graces wee might have more love each to other 12 Take as little notice as possible may bee of injuries Many times it may bee I take notice of a little matter a trifle and this sets my spirit a boyling and quencheth my love to my brother and my brother hee seeth mee so captious that I take snuffe for every trifle and this raiseth his spirits and incenseth them more against me Therefore the best way to maintaine love is not to take notice of injuries no further then as I am bound to do sometimes it is my duty to do it when as I see my brother in injuring me doth highly offend against God then it is not my pride but rather my self-denyal to take notice of it Thus much of the second thing How Saints may have their hearts brought up to the practice of this duty 3 Is to answer some Objections which lye in the way to hinder it Object But some will say I know as well as you can tell mee that I should love Saints and so I do but I do not think such and such to bee Saints Ans 1. Is he such a one who in the judgement of other as godly as thy self and it may be more unprejudiced and who both know him and his conversation as well and it may be better than thou doest is accounted a Saint and doest thou know nothing of him to evidence the contrary which they do not then though this bee not sufficient ground for thee to conclude him a Saint yet so much ground there is that without breach of charity thou canst not conclude the contrary Let mee tell you that some of Gods people when they see ground to question anothers sincerity yet he professing himself to bee a true Saint and other godly men so esteeming of him if the ground be not very clear and evident when they shall come to pass any censure upon such a one their hearts will smite them and they will reply upon themselves why should I be suspitious of such a one this is my base corruption hee may for ought I know bee ten times better than I and more holy in Gods sight than I c. 2 Let me by way of answer farther tell thee that it is not necessary thou shouldest certainly know him to bee a Saint whom thou lovest but it is a ground sufficient for thee to love if hee appear to bee so and thou seest nothing expresly to the contrary If I should onely love those whom I certainly know to bee Saints and should bee or a censorious spirit I might it may bee sometimes see cause to question whether or no I should love any and if others should bee diligent observers of my actions and walk by this rule might they not sometimes it may bee see ground to question whether or no they ought not to withdraw their love from mee would I bee willing they for every failing they see in mee should do so Let mee then take heed of doing that to others I would not have done to my self Therefore I say it is enough for thee and mee that those whom we love appear to bee Saints and we do not see clear and evident ground to the contrary though really they are not so And doth not Christ intimate as much when hee tells his Disciples Whosoever shall give a cup of cold water in the name of a Disciple Mat. 10.41 42. Yea let mee tell you that a true Christian hath many times as much comfort in a deed done to one as a Saint though he should bee none hee judging the best as though hee were a Saint indeed As for example I give an Alms 3 Take heed thou doest not as many do make this an object to colour over some corruption Thou hast a corruption in thy heart will not let thee love such a one and to hate him and satisfie thine own conscience sayest hee is not a Saint 4 What if he should bee a Saint What if God at the day of judgement should own him as one as one saith of one abusing a Scripture what if at the judgement day this should not be the meaning of the Text So what if this thy interpretation of thy Brother that hee is an Hypocrite should not be Gods 2 Object But he is not of my opinion Answ Thou art in a miserable condition if thou lovest thus If thou hast no better evidence for Heaven than this love such love will not evidence thou lovest God but thy self 2 Hee differs from thee how if his should be truth and thine error May not such a thing bee 3 Hast thou done thy duty in matter of practice to bring him out if not wilt thou blame him because hee goes from his duty in matter of opinion 4 How if Christ should measure out to thee in the same way Say soul you love onely those that are of your opinion you are not of mine because you do not love Saints as Saints which is my minde should bee done therefore expect no love from me 3 Object But he hath so many corruption I cannot love him Answ God doth love him notwithstanding 2 Wouldest thou bee willing God should deal thus by thee 3 If thou wilt not love till Saints bee perfect then thou wilt never love Vse This reproves many Consider 1 How sad will it bee to have Saints go and tell God of their wrongs 2 How wilt thou bee ashamed when Christ shall vindicate his Saints 3 What wilt thou do when Christ shall come Mat. 24. last 4 Christ takes all done to Saints as to himself Saul Saul Why persecutest thou mee 5 It is a signe of a graceless heart 1 Joh. 2.9.11 Hee that saith hee is in the light and hateth his brother is in darkness even untill now But he that hateth his brother is in darkness and walketh in darkness and knoweth not whither hee goeth because that darkness hath blinded his eyes Chap 3.15 Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer and yee know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him Chap. 4.8.20 Hee that loveth not knoweth not God for God is love If any man say I love God and hateth his brother he is a lyar For hee that loveth not his brother whom hee hath seen how can he love God whom he hath not seen Vse Love one another Consider how the Apostle urgeth this Eph. 4. begining and beg for it as one for life Phil. 2. begining Of Offences Mat. 18.7 VVoe unto the world because of offences IN the words read we have First a fearful woe coming upon the world viz. the men of the world such persons as are without Christ and God in the world Woe unto the world Secondly The inlet of this fearful woe unto the world what that is which is the original cause of the woe or that opens the door to the woe to come in upon the
not cast Anchor within the Vail O bee more in the exercise of this Grace of hope It is one thing I have observed of all the three great Graces Faith Hope and Charity wee are least in the exercise of the grace of Hope wee look to exercise Faith to goe out to the Promises and to exercise Charity but Hope which is the middle grace wee are apt to neglect if hope bee not exercised in some measure faith will bee dead and charity dead Now the work of hope is to look to the glorious Inheritance to the reward which one day wee shall enjoy be much in the exercise of the grace of hope look upon the reward God would have us look to it hath left one grace to bee exercised about it look at the mark of the price of the high Calling I do not say you should work altogether for it but look on it for incouragement what a glorious Inheritance you shall possess one day after you have done the will of God here for you shall receive the Promise and what is this Promise the promise of an eternal Inheritance O how doth this incourage a poor soul it is but a little while and I shall receive the Promise that glorious Inheritance Exercise this Grace of Hope which lyes in Expectation let us not lay by our Hope and thinke it enough to exercise Faith and Love and let Hope lye by that should help on both It is the Anchor that holds us fast and makes us steady it grasps the Inheritance before hand and holds us to it Labour that this Hope may bee cast within the Vail take heed it bee not pitched upon this or the other thing upon any thing without the Vaile But let your Hope bee grounded upon the Covenant of God therefore hope because God hath made a Covenant therefore I lay hold upon this Covenant because Jesus Christ was given out to dye for poor sinners his Blood was powred out for ungodly ones I come to him as a poor ungodly one to him that justifieth the ungodly therefore hope O ground thy hope upon Jesus Christ therefore I hope because the Lord hath been pleased to make free Promises of Grace to mee to blot out my sinnes for his Names sake Doe not ground your hope upon any thing besides for that is to ground your hope upon something without the Vaile and then such hope as this cast within the Vaile will make you blessed for ever The Lord give you and I to pitch our Anchors of Hope there Christ's New Commandement Joh. 13.34 A New Commandement I give unto you That yee love one another THE words read unto you are a part of and indeed the very beginning of that sweet and heavenly Sermon which our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ made to his Disciples when hee was taking his farewell of them to go to his Father Two things there are which Jesus Christ seems now upon his departure to have a deep sense of 1 Lest his Disciples in the time of his absence should bee bereaved of their inward peace and consolation to prevent which hee layes them in in this his last Sermon many sweet and precious soul-strengthning Cordials 2 Lest through their weakness they being as yet but little children as hee terms them in the foregoing verse amongst whom wrangling and jarring is not onely natural but a custome should in the time of his absence fall at oddes and variance within themselves For prevention of which he no sooner minds them of his departure but hee layes a streight charge upon them that as they did love him or regard his honour before men they would be especially carefull that there might be no division or want of affection among them when he should be gone Which charge of his that it might sinke deep into their memories he gives it over and over as in our Text and again Chap. 15.12 and again vers 17. Yea that they might see how exceedingly his minde did run upon this and how the fear of their failing herein did as it were stick in his heart considering they were as yet but little children and therefore very liable to fall together by the ears he layes down this as the first and great thing of all that he would have them to minde in his absence A New Commandement first Commands as in the Commands of the Moral Law are greatest as if he should say Little children a little while I am with you and then I am to leave you and O it fears mee exceedingly that no sooner shall I be gone but you will be together by the ears and therefore as the first thing of all and one main thing that I would have you alwaies to remember I beseech you yea I command you minde this to love one another I am extreamly afraid of the contrary and therefore I charge you Love one another Love one another A NEW The onely Query necessary for the explication of the words is this why the Command of Love is here called A New Commandement seeing it is ancient as ancient as the Law of God the whole Law being comprehended in this word LOVE To omit the various reasons which are given of the thing that which I conceive to bee most consonant to Truth and most agreeable to Scripture-language is this because This duty of love is more clearly revealed more fully discovered and more frequently pressed in the New Testament than ever it was in the Old Though it be certain the Law in the second Table thereof required love to the Brethren yet did it not so clearly and particularly reveal and presse the same as wee have it revealed and pressed under the Gospel And thus in respect of more clear revelation it may be called A New Commandement as the Covenant of Grace which from first to last is one and the same in respect of the more cleare administration thereof is in Scripture called A New Covenant Doct. It is the Command one of the great Commands of Jesus Christ that Saints should love one another None I suppose will question the truth of this if they doe let them read over the place fore-quoted together with Heb. 13.1 and the Epistles of John where this is plentifully urged One place for all may serve 1 Joh. 3 23. where the Apostle summes up the Gospel into two Great Commands whereof the first is faith in the Son God the second is love to the Brethren In prosecution of this I shall shew 1 What great ground and reason there is why Saints should love one another 2 How Saints may have their hearts brought up to the practice of this duty to love one another 3 Answer some Objections which lye in the way of many as obstacles and impediments whereby they are hindred from the exercise of this precious grace and so great and necessary a duty of love For the first I may say That there is all the reason in the world why Saints should love one another
1 I shall begin with my Observation and make that a reason of it self because it is the Command of Christ That Saints should love one another Which should I do no other but repeat over and over you should see reason enough for the thing The Command of a Father is enough with a dutifull Son The will of the Husband with a loving wife And so the Command of Christ had wee nothing else should bee sufficient with those who profess themselves to bee dutifull Christians 2 To this Command of Christ wee have added his own example which may bee a second reason why Saints should love one another Christ bids us learn of him and bee followers of him how will you ever do this Christians if you love not one another as hee hath loved you all This example of Christ Christ himself proposeth to his Disciples to provoke them to love one another Jo. 1â— 12 This is my Commandement that yee love one another as I have loved you As if hee should say I have loved you notwithstanding you are froward and waspish peevish and unbeleeving creatures consider this and learn to extend the same love to your brethren that I have done to you 3 Saints are in near relation one to another How near Abraham made this an argument to Lot why there should bee no strife between them We are Brethren Why as near as Brother and Brother for they are Brethren as near as members of the same body for they are all one body It is almost a wonder in Nature to see members of the same body fighting one with another to see the hands beating of the feet and the feet spurning and trampling of the hands wee conclude when wee see a man doing thus that hee is not himself hee hath the frenzie So it is a wonder in it self though in our dayes none to see Saints fighting one with another one throwing cudgels at the other and the other at him certainly were Saints themselves they would not do it When one member woundeth and bruiseth another that member that doth it because it is of the body feels the smart as well as that to whom it is done So when one Saint wounds another let him look to it If hee bee a Saint indeed and of the body hee himself will one day or other though perhaps at present hee doth not feele the smart and anguish of every blow and wound hee hath given his brother if hee bee not of the body you know whether he will then I need not tell you 4 Saints are beholding one to another Ingenuity teacheth us to love those wee are beholding unto Now there is not a Saint but hee is beholding to other Saints beholding to them for their prayers c. O that such who make it their common practice to rail upon and revile their Brethren would thinke of this It may be there is not a day thou risest but thou fairest the better for that Saint and those Saints thou frownest upon and speakest evill of perhaps hee may have been with his Father putting up petitions for thee even at that instant wherein thou art reproaching and casting dirt upon him and O! wilt thou for shame requite him thus for his love If brotherly love be wanting is there no ingenuity neither And how knowest thou but it may bee that which if it be how ill dost thou thinke will thy heavenly Father take this at thy hands Suppose a man had two Sons and one of them should bee praying and intreating of his Father to bestow such and such favours on his Brother and the other should at the very time go railing against his brother and reproaching him before his Fathers face think with your selves how ill would the Father take this carriage of his at his hands So 5 Love is debt Rom. 13.8 Owe no man any thing but this to love one another for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the Law If he be not an honest man that will not pay his debts what shall we call them Saints that will not love their brethren 6 Saints have enemies enough It is policy when a man hath many enemies to make as many friends as may bee and not to make his friends his enemies had but the Saints policy me thinks they should love one another 7 Breach of love is the breach of the whole Law Rom. 13.8 9 10. The neglect of some duties break one Commandement the neglect of others another but the neglect of love breaks all Judge then what a sinner hee that will not love his Brother is 8 Wicked men love one another Is there any good to be learned from a bad man Yes this the Saints themselves may learn to love one another for so do they 9 And lastly There are many duties which lye in common between the Saints which they are bound to performe one to another Which they can never do if love bee wanting as comforting edifying relieving reprooving c. 2 How Saints may have their heart brought up to the practice of this duty of Love 1 Love Saints as they are Saints I say as they are Saints not as they are of this or that party for my opinion or against it but as they are Saints thou wilt never love as thou shouldest do till thou lovest Saints as Saints as they have the Image of God upon them Christ and the Spirit of Christ in them which is the onely thing lovely in all and for which all are to bee loved I am not when I should exercise love to ask the question concerning the party to bee loved is hee such a one or such a one of this opinion or that high or low in the world of little parts or great parts c. No but is hee a Saint or not a new creature or not Hath hee the Image of God upon him or not If so let him bee what hee will for any of the other I must love him and it is my duty to love him But alas in our dayes the question is Is hee such a one or such a one then I will have nothing to do with him what though hee bee a Saint Men are not so mad to say so but their practice shews it What a ridiculous thing would it bee if a man should send his Son to a dear and intimate Friend of his and his Friend before ever hee would admit him into his presence or own him to have society with him should put out twenty foppish questions concerning him what is hee is he sickly or well a youth or a man grown beautiful or deformed hath he brown hair or black To ask is he my Friends Son were a beseeming question but to stand asking and delaying upon the other would bee extreamly foolish and that which might well make an A B C boy laugh at him So c. Would you love aright love Saints as Saints Do not say Is he rich or of parts I will love him Is he for my
opinion I will love him if not let him bee as holy as hee will I will hate him and revile and speak evil of him No no Love all as Saints Let mee tell you Hee that loves another for parts loves him for something of the creature for parts are such hee that loves another for his opinion loves him for himself for hee loves himself and his opinion in the man But he that loves another because hee is a Saint and hath the Image of God upon him hee loves him purely for Gods sake Now to set this truth upon our hearts consider 1 If ever thou wouldest have God to own thy love love Saints as Saints God will own no other love though it go currant on earth it will not in Heaven Christ at the last day owns onely that love shewn to Saints at Saints to the least of Saints Matth. 25. Think you not that there were many at Christs left hand at this day who had loved great Saints c. and yet Christ owns not their love 2 If ever thou wouldest have the comfort of thy love love Saints as Saints The Devil will finde some flaw in thy love let it run in what channel it will if not in this he will say when thou wouldest take comfort from thy love that thou didst not love such a one because a Saint but because he was of thy opinion or rich or of great gifts and parts 3 If ever thou wouldest love as God loves love Saints as Saints God loves his people out of no other respect but as they are Saints as he sees his image upon them As a Father loves his childe out of no other respect so much as this as he is his childe not so much because of his shape or part little or great a Boy or Girle c. So saith a Father This is my childe and therefore I love him saith God This is my childe he hath my image upon him and therefore I love him If thou wouldest love as God loves look at nothing in the world so much in those whom thou lovest as whether they bee Saints or no. I had rather love a man and hold communion with him who differs in a hundred things from mee if I see in him the Image of God and the Spirit of a Saint than he that jumps with mee in every tittle if this bee wanting I had rather love a man that can speak but ten words and hath in him the power of what hee speakes and is humble withall than hee that can utter ten thousand curious notions and is proud and self-conceited therewith wanting the power of them all because so doing I should love as God loves and hold communion as God holds communion 4 If ever thou wouldest love here as thou shalt love in Heaven hereafter love Saints as Saints There are many souls who if ever God bring them to Heaven will love their brethren in another guise way than now they do then they shall not flye one on the back of another and one bee ready to kick another out of Heaven saying You are such a one and the other him and you are such a one No then they shall bee ashamed of such childish tricks as a grown man is ashamed to thinke of what trickes hee plaid when hee was a childe how hee scratched one brother and because hee was but a little crossed in his will laid another cross the pate No then Saints shall love Saints as Saints Then shall one say I love thee because I see the Image of my Father in thee and the Glory of my Father upon thee And then shall the other say and I love thee for this and nothing else Now from what hath been said of loving Saints as Saints that you and I may practice it let us endeavour to have our hearts brought up to love these four sorts of Saints and so we shall love Saints as Saints 1 Love little Saints See Christs care of little ones Matth. 28.18 how will hee take it at the hands of those who shall receive them Vers 5. How ill hee takes it from them who offend them Verse 6. How carefull he is that they may not be despised Vers 10. And how carefull his Father is of their salvation Vers 14. Yea Matth. 25. When Christ passeth sentence hee absolves or condemns men according as they behaved themselves towards the least of his Saints either in doing or not doing for them Vers 40.45 Christ doth not say In as much as you have done or not done thus and thus for Sir such a one and Master such a one my servant But in as much as you have done or not done thus or thus to one of the least of these Saints that goe in their Scarlet Coat in their Silkes and Velvet many will love but yet they love not Saints as Saints Wouldest thou love Saints as Saints labour to love Grace in the Grey Coat Leather Coat as much as in any other 2 Love Saints in their lowest condition If thou hast loved a Saint when the world and friends favoured him see thou lovest him as much when all these frown upon him 3 Love contrary minded Saints It is nothing to love a man that will speak as I speak and do as I do 4 Love offending Saints I am to forgive him and I can never heartily forgive him if I doe not love him Matth. 18.21 12. Peter thought seven times a great matter Christ bids him forgive his brother seventy times seven to teach us that many offences should not break the band of love amongst Saints I shall conclude all concerning this with that of the Apostle Col. 3.10 11. where he tells us that in the New creature there is neither Greek not Jew i.e. Men are not to be considered as of this Nation or that Circumcision or Uncircumeision of this opinion or that these were so great contrary opinions in those dayes or as enjoying outward priviledges or wanting them as Circumcision was accounted a great priviledge to those that had it Barbarian Scythian as they are rude illiterate or clownish persons as the Barbarians Scythians were a rude people Bond or Free that is a Master or servant in Authority or out But Christ is all and in all i.e. Christ is all we are to look at and it is Christ in all wee are to look at all are to be looked at as they are in Christ as Saints 2 Love though thou are not loved Thus Paul loved 2 Cor. 12.15 There was abundant love in Pauls heart to them though little in theirs to him Yea the lesse in theirs the more in his It is the practice of most they will love onely so far and so long as they see themselves beloved and therefore upon any suspicion of theirs that their Brothers love declines towards them theirs immediately cools towards him and that is an evill which both speaker and hearers have too much their shares in whereas the contrary is our duty who ever
I look upon as a Saint I should love him though he love not mee I should not only love him when hee loves mee honours mee speaks well of mee but when hee doth the contrary that so should his love quite dye towards mee yet mine might bee as hot and lively towards him as ever now to do this consider 1 That I shall give an account not of my Brothers love to mee but of my love to my Brother Christ will not ask mee did your Brother love you but did you love your Brother if hee love not mee let him look to that hee shall answer for that but if I love not him let mee look to that I shall answer for that if hee will walk so as to give his account with sadnesse shall I do so too It is said 1 John 4.17 That love gives us boldness in the day of Judgement how so which will absolve or condemn as I said before as men have behaved themselves towards his Saints in loving or not loving them and therefore such as have been more full of love shall more boldly appear at that day 2 That my spiritual comfort lies not in my Brothers love to mee but in my love to my Brother What comfort were it though all the men in the world should love a Saint if this were all it were poor comfort But now if I can love a Saint because it is my Fathers will I should when yet hee loves not mee what comfort is here when the heart can as'twere say I love thee Brother because thou art a Saint hate mee as much as thou wilt I care not for it for I am resolved to love thee because thou art a Saint whether thou wilt or no. 3 That the excellency of love lies in this in loving my brother when he loves not mee to love when I am loved is no excellent love this is only to do as Publicans do as wicked men may there is no singular thing in this Mat. 5.46 47. 4 My love comes nearest to Gods love when I love but am not loved God loved us when hee was not loved of us before we loved him 1 Joh. 4.19 We love him because he first loved us Now that we may do this take this rule for in truthes of this nature we must have precept upon precept and line upon line as the Prophet speaks ever make this the ground of thy love to thy brother that thou art beloved of God and because thou art beloved of God therefore thou wilt love thy brother say soul when thy Brother hates thee I am beloved of God my Brother hates me but I am beloved of God he speaks evil of me but I am beloved of God and because I am beloved of God and that God that loves mee commands me to love my brother therefore I will love him though he love not me This John lays down as the ground of our love to our brethren 1 Epist 4.11 If God so loved us we ought also to love one another 3 Account thy self least of Saints and judge every one better than thy self Thus did Paul Ephes 3. and this rule Paul lays down to maintaine love amongst the Philippians Let each one esteeme others better than themselves Phil. 2.3 My Brethren you know it for it is an evil that at one time or other we shall all of us finde in our own hearts that it I do but see a little more love expressed to another than my self I am presently ready to think that another hath all the love and that I am not loved at all and so am ready to hate both the party that loves and the party that is loved Now whence comes this but only hence I am of a proud and filthy Self-conceit think my self better than another and that therefore I deserve more love than he whereas did I account every one better than my self then when the case is thus I should reason thus What though such a one be loved better than I and such a Brother love him better yet is there no reason that I should be offended either with him that loves or him that is loved because he that is loved is better than I and so deserves more love than me I will not therefore be angry with my Brother because he loves him better than I nor envie him because he is so loved but I will ever honour love and prize both the one and the other Now that thou maist come to look upon thy self as the least of Saints consider 1 The opportunities and means thou hast had above others Say yonder is a poor Saint suppose I have more than he yet if I consider the opportunities and means I have had which hee hath wanted in this respect I have less I have had the Word plentifully in the power and purity of it taught been in Church fellowship so many years he poor soul hath wanted all this and yet how lively is he had he had my opportunities he would have been ten times better than I. 2 The time thou hast had say I have been ten twenty thirty forty years in Christs Schoole and yet what a Sot am I what a dead heart have I yonder is one but of yesterday a year two year old in grace and yet how farre is he got and fair on the way to get before mee already 3 The several ways God hath taken to make thee grow one while I have been afflicted in my body another while in my estate I have lost such a ship c. another while in my Children such a Childe lost c. yet after all I am as carnal as ever O had God taken so many ways with such and such there would have been other fruit of it in them 4 Rule Get a heart taken up with Spiritual things you shall seldome see a Saint whose heart is taken up with Spirituals to bee of a wrangling or quarrelsome spirit but ordinarily those that are lowest in Spirituals are highest in strife and contention A Spiritual heart hath so many admirable objects to employ its self and time about that hee findes no leasure to brawl with or to buffet his Brother as take a man that hath his head taken up with high things a noble spirited man let him pass the streets and one laughs at him another miscalls him hee takes no notice of it but now take a low spirited man and if they grin at him hee 'l grin at them miscall him hee 'l miscall them this comes from the lowness and baseness of his spirit so here-hence comes our divisions hence our strife Christians are of low and childish spirits and we know it is a very ordinary thing for Children to wrangle and fall together by the ears in their Fathers house but grown men wont do so Would you maintain love get your hearts exercised with spiritual things if thou art one who art of a wrangling and contentious spirit it is a sign thou hast an idle heart thou dost
world that is OFFENCES By offences here are not meant those Works of Darkness which the men of the world commit Drunkenness Swearing Sabbath-breaking Adultery c. which Sinners in the world roule in these bring a woe but not the woe here spoken of but by Offences here are understood those offences which others commit but men of the world take up to their hardning so that the offence here which hath the woe hanging upon it is offence taken not barely offence given Observe Doct. 1. Though just occasion may be given of offence yet an offence may be so taken as that a man may undoe himself bring a woe upon himself in the very taking of it Doct. 2. An offending person doth not only damage himself but doth also wonderfully damage others 1 He damageth Christs little ones as vers 6. and that principally by shaking their faith offences are a shaking thing they shake the faith of beleevers and therefore it is that Paul when he had declared the sad fall of Himaeneus and Philetus two that formerly had been of great note and eminency in the Church hee knowing what a shaking thing this would be to the poor to the faith of Gods people especially the weak he straightway adds this The foundation of God stands sure 2 Tim. 2.18 19. as to say I know poor hearts this news that Himaeneus and Philetus men of such eminency are fallen so foulely will shake you make yon ready to question all and conclude you shall certainly perish one day it such fall O but be not discouraged for you though you are weak in your selves yet you are of Gods foundation and that stands sure c. 2 The offending person damageth the world and that with the greatest damage that can be what greater damage can a man do to another than to bring the Wrath of God yea a woe from God upon him this he doth Woe bee unto the world The observation that I have chosen out of these words to insist upon is this viz. Doct. Offences they are a real and a heavie judgment upon the world or the woe of offences it falls upon the world My intent here is not to handle the common place or scandal or offence my Text having narrowed me up into too small a roome for such a design but only to speak of offence as the same hath an influence upon the world and the men of the world and that for the drawing down of woe and judgement upon them and so in the carrying on my Doctrine I shall shew 1 What an offence is 2 That there is an aptness in the world to be offended 3 That offences are a judgement a real and heavie judgement upon the world 4 Why do offences fall as a judgement upon the world 5 When do Christians justly offend the work First What an offence is Ans An offence is that by which another is stumbled or which hath in it a tendency to stumble another as that which he ought not and it is sin in him to be stumbled at as at the ways works cause truths promise people of God when a thing or action doth really stumble or minister occasion of stumbling to another as touching these or any of these that may be called an offence Hence in Scripture a stumbling stone a rock of offence are joyned together as synonimous expressions whereof the one doth but open the other as Rom. 9.32 33. 1 Pet. 2.8 Christs poverty and meaneness was a stumbling-block to the Jews in the way of their receiving of him and their fall upon this is called a being offended Mat. 13.57 The preaching of a Crucified Christ and Salvation by such a one was a great stumbling-block to that people they could not beleeve that he that was Crucified and shamefully intreated at Jerusalem was their Messiah for they expected that their Messiah should bee some great Potentate and that it he did dye as is the opinion of some of the Jews he is to dye yet that he should dye a more glorious death neither could they beleeve that Salvation was attaineable by this Christ therefore saith the Apostle We preach Christ crucified to the Jews a stumbling block Christ in this low and suffering condition was a stumbling block now it is observeable that as Christ crucified is called a stumbling block so the Cross is called an offence Gal. 5.11 the one explaining of the other and opening the nature of the other then it the offence of the Cross ceased Secondly That there is an aptness in the world to be offended appears 1 They lye in wait for them and therefore very apt so soon as ever offences arise to take them up 2 A small thing will offend them that man is apt to bee offended that a little thing offends who will be offended at that another easily passeth over now a little a very little thing will offend the world what poor petty offences did the Scribes and Pharisees take up against Christ one while they are offended because hee cureth diseased persons another while because Publicans and Sinners came to hear him preach another while because his Disciples passing through a Corn field plucked a few cars on the Sabbath another while because when they went to meat they did not wash their hands certainly there must bee an aptness to bee offended where such petty things offend 3 They will be offended at good that man is surely apt to take offence that will bee offended at good which all ought to love none to be offended at but the world will Christ preacheth the Gospel a good act the world are offended at that raiseth Lazarus out of his Grave a blessed and glorious act offended at that Paul preached Justification and Salvation by Grace alone a holy blessed doctrine yet the world are offended at that 4 If no offence be given they will make offences rather than not be offended the Pharisees and Priests are offended at Christ because he said destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up Joh. 2.19 yet it is clear they made this offence for they knew his meaning well enough and so soon as he was dead they speake it out This deceiver said after three days I will rise again Mat. 27.63 5 They will take up what may offend them upon easie trust never searching the proofe of it Joh. 7.52 Search and look for out of Galilee ariseth no Prophet only the report of the vulgar for this 3 That offences are a judgement a real and heavie judgement upon the world there is a woe the world because of these as appears in four or five things 1 The beauty and glory of the ways works truths people of God are thus vailed from the eyes of the world offences are as a scar upon the face though a face may have much beauty yet if there be a scar or scars upon it that obscures the beauty to the eyes of the beholder the ways and works of God have abundance of