my suppoting-grace is better for thee than the deliverance thou beggest Paul was heard in that he was not heard though he was not heard in the letter of his request yet he was heard for the better for his advantage On the contrary The Devil was not heard in that he was heard he beg'd liberty to tempt Job God gave him leave Job 1 Lo he is in thy hand all he hath is in thy power but what did the Devil get by it he was baffled and fool'd and prov'd a lyar to his face for Job notwithstanding all the losses upon his estate kept his integrity and sinned not but saith the Devil Put forth thine hand and touch his bone and his flesh and he will curse thee to thy face and the Lord said Lo he is in thy hand but save his life then the Devil used all his art he could to make him blaspheme God but he could not prevail so the Devil was proved a lyar to his face Now the use I shall make is this This doctrine may be like Aaron and Hur to hold up Moses hands it is a great encouragement to every one of us to pray still to seek the face of God still though he seem to delay us or deny our importunities or to turn from us yet follow God still though he seem to deny our prayers yet give not over praying for you see God will at one time or other in one kind or other answer all the prayers that are put up to him In the day when I cryed thou answeredst me Let me tell you We shall never have cause to repent of our praying could we pray an hundred times more than we do we should never have cause to repent of our praying except it be for this That we have prayed no more frequently and fervently And so much for the first point of doctrine The second point of doctrine is this It is one gracious way of answering our prayers when God doth bestow upon us some spiritual strength When he bestows strength in our souls that is one way of Gods answering our prayers graciously if he do not give the thing we desire yet if he gives us strength in our souls he graciously answers our prayers For the better clearing of this point it may be demanded What is this spiritual strength I answer it is a work of the spirit of God enabling a man to do and suffer what God would have him without fainting or backsliding I call it a work of the spirit of God because indeed it is the spirit of God that does corroborate and strengthen the soul Eph. 3.16 That he would grant you according to the riches of his glory to be strengthened with might by his spirit in the inner man Alas we of our selves if we have not the spirit of God to help us are as weak as water we are no more able to stand in a day of trial or withstand any temptation than a little child is able to withstand a giant but now when Sampson was cloathed with the spirit then he could grapple with a Lion so when once we are cloathed with the spirit of God we shall be able to encounter with Lion-like corruptions and temptations Secondly Whereby a man is able to do and suffer what God would have him to do and suffer there is strength considerable strength required in doing the will of God Joshua 1.7 Only be thou strong and very couragious that thou mayest observe to do according to all the Law which Moses my servant commanded thee turn not from it to the right-hand or the left that thou mayest prosper whither soever thou goest but there is a great deal more strength required in suffering Paul had attained a great deal of strength when he said For the Lord Christ his sake I have suffered the loss of all things Phil. 3.8 Thirdly I say whereby a man is enabled to do and suffer what God requires without fainting and backsliding there is strength required in doing the will of God but there is much strength required in suffering I but yet more strength is required in perseverance for if we faint in the day of adversity our strength is but small Prov. 24.10 and therefore says the Apostle We must often look upon Jesus Christ the author and finisher of our faith and consider him who endured such contradiction of sinners against himself lest we be weary faint in our minds Heb. 12.3 Secondly It may be demanded how doth God strengthen a man with strength in his soul I answer these three ways First God strengthens a Christian with spiritual strengths when he doth comfort him in the assurance of his love shed abroad in his heart by the Holy Ghost Oh this will enable a man to bear any burthen Smite Lord will such a one say I will bear any thing willingly because my sins are forgiven Secondly God strengthens us with strength in our souls by encouraging us in our sufferings by cheering up our hearts with some inward cordial Look how God cheer'd up Saint Paul when he was in danger when forty men swore his death in Acts 23.11 And the night following the Lord stood by him and said Be of good cheer Paul for as thou hast testified for me in Hierusalem so must thou bear witness also at Rome So when God comes and cheers up the heart and brings some of his best cordials in our worst fainting fits when in our strongest afflictions he brings in his sweetest consolations when we are able to say with David Psal 94.19 In the multitude of my thoughts within me thy Comforts delight my soul when God brings in his divine comforts then he strengthens us with strength in our souls As I remember when Philip Landsgrave being long prisoner under Charles the fifth being demanded what cheered him up in that condition made this answer I feel says he the divine comforts of the martyrs God hath divine comforts for his people in their fainting fits as their afflictions abound so he makes his comforts to abound Thirdly God strengthens with strength in the soul when he does support and keep up the spirit from sinking says David in Psalm 94.17 18 Vnless the Lord had been my helper my soul had almost dwelt in silence but when I said my foot slipped thy mercy O Lord held me up That is an excellent Scripture Isa 41.10 Fear thou not for I am with thee be not dismayed for I am thy God I will strengthen thee yea I will help thee yea I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness And observe when God does support a man though the affliction be never so heavy yet it shall not sink him but he shall be able to stand under it see it in David 1 Sam. 30.4 when he was at Ziglag when there was such a load of afflictions upon him he wept that he could weep no longer his own soldiers mutinied his wives were taken and carried captive yet God
some Pastors and Teachers for the perfecting of the saints for the work of the Ministry for the edifying of the body of Christ He gave gifts to men he did not only give extraordinary gifts such as Apostles and Prophets and Evangelists but ordinary gifts to Pastors and Teachers for the building up of his own body And as he feeds his sheep with his Word so with his Sacraments and here is such feeding as you did never hear the like for this blessed Shepherd feeds his sheep with his own flesh and blood his own flesh that was crucified to satisfie Divine Justice and his own blood that was shed to quench the fire of Gods wrath that was kindled against them this is that our Saviour tells you of in John 6.51 I am the living bread which came down from heaven if any man eat of this bread he shall live for ever and the bread which I will give is my flesh which I will give for the life of the world And in Revel 1.5 He hath loved us and washt us from our sins in his blood As they say of the Pelican when her young ones are ready to die she opens her breast with her bill and feeds them with her blood so the Lord Jesus Christ feeds every one of his sheep with his flesh and blood Again He feeds the souls of his sheep with the graces of his own blessed Spirit as Faith Repentance Love Humility Sincerity and the like which are spiritual food suitable to the spiritual nature of the soul So he feeds his sheep with the Promises which are said to be breasts of consolation Isa 66.11 That ye may suck and be satisfied with the breasts of consolation that ye may milk out and be delighted with the abundance of her glory With the breasts of consolation that is with the precious promises And this is that which that good King Hezekiah intended in that speech of his Isa 38.16 Oh Lord by these things men live and in all these things is the life of my spirit so wilt thou recover me and make me to live These precious promises made good to my soul by these do men live and these are the life of my Spirit Thus you see how this blessed Shepherd feeds his Sheep But yet more He does not only feed his Sheep but he gives them Stomachs also look as it is in point of knowledg we are not able to see him of our selves we cannot see him without him for he is our Light and as in point of performance we are not able to believe on him nor come unto him without him for he is our strength so here neither can we feed on Jesus Christ nor the promises nor the graces of his Spirit until he gives us a mouth to taste these things therefore the Apostle exhorts us as new-born Babes desire the sincere Milk of the word that we may grow thereby if so be we have tasted that the Lord is gracious as if he should have said You cannot feed unless you have tasted of this blessed Saviour 1 Pet. 2.2 3. Secondly As he feeds so he cloaths his Sheep here amongst men the Sheep cloaths the Shepherd the Fleece of the sheep cloaths the Shepherd But here this blessed Shepherd cloaths every one of his Sheep he cloaths them with costly raiment indeed Ezck. 16.10 11 12 I cloathed thee also with broidered work and shod thee with Badgers skin and I girded thee about with fine linnen and I covered thee with Silk I decked thee also with ornaments and I put bracelets upon thy hands and a Chain upon thy neck and I put a Jewel on thy forehead and ear-rings in thine ears and a beautiful Crown upon thy head thus wast thou decked with Gold and Silver and thy rayment was of fine Linnen and Silk and broidred work Therefore it is that you read that the Apostle bids us to put on the Lord Jesus Christ Rom. 13.14 He cloaths us with the Robe of his own Righteousness He covers us with the garments of Salvation as a Brridegroom decketh himself with Ornaments and as a Bride adorneth her self with her Jewels Isa 61.10 Thirdly He does protect his Sheep and watcheth over them from Morning to Evening he hath his eye continually upon them therefore David speaking of the Lord being his Shepherd then says he Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death I will fear no evil for thou art with me thy Rod and thy Staff they comfort me Psal 23.4 Fourthly and lastly He gives to his Sheep Eternal Life John 10.28 And I give unto my Sheep Eternal Life and they shall never perish neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand Thus you have the Point opened That Jesus Christ is that Blessed Shepherd who is abundantly able to feed and protect his People here and to give them Eternal Life hereafter because he hath the greatest Care over them the greatest Love to them the greatest Power that ever Shepherd had and the greatest Reward to give them that can possibly be bestowed Now for the Uses of this Point and they are three by way of Instruction Examination or Tryal and Exhortation First By way of Instruction Oh see the Blessed the Happy the Comfortable Condition of all those that have a part and interest in the Lord Jesus Christ this Blessed Shepherd what tongue of Men or Angels is able to express the happy and blessed condition of that man that hath gotten Jesus Christ for his Portion such a one shall be sure of Food of Cloathing of Protection of Joy of Comfort of Happiness of Eternal Life and what not Oh how may that soul dance for joy that hath gotten Jesus Christ to be his Shepherd surely it is a comfortable and heart-chearing meditation in these turbulent and stormy times when the Church of God hath so many enemies and so sew friends when the Antichristian Faction roars against the little Flock of this blessed Shepherd like so many Bears to devour them here is the comfort Jesus Christ sticks as close to his Flock as ever David did to his Flock when the Lyon and the Bear came to make a prey of them Fear not little Flock says our Saviour it is your Fashers good pleasure to give you a Kingdom Luk. 12.32 As he said when he was sailing in the Boat with Cesar the Boatman beginning to be afraid because of the tempestuousness of the waters Fear not man thou carriest Cesar and all his Fortunes with him so may it be said of every one that hath Jesus Christ in the Boat with him Let him not fear true indeed the Ship wherein Christ and his Sheep are may be tossed but it can never be over-turned because the Shepherd and Pilot are in it therefore happy is the condition of all those that have an interest in this Blessed Shepherd But on the contrary Oh the deplorable and desperate condition of all those that have not Jesus Christ for their Shepherd
be more base in my own sight 2 Sam. 6.27 Lastly Act Grace humbly when you have done all that you can do say you are unprofitable servants and say with St. Paul It was not I but the grace of God which was with me 1 Cor. 15.10 Lastly I shall shew you in what seasons you must act Grace certainly Grace must be acted at all times but there are some special seasons wherein we must especially act Grace First Upon the receipt of some special Mercy then we should act Thankfulness more than ordinarily and say What shall I render unto the Lord for all his benefits towards me Psal 116.12 Is Gods hand enlarged in bounty then let my heart be enlarged with thankfulness Secondly When you lye under a smarting Rod a piercing Affliction then act Faith and Patience A man usually never acts Grace better than when he is under some abasement a soul can better mannage a state of adversity than it can a state of prosperity for when it is in a state of abasement then it is at a less distance from God as Roses they are never so sweet as when they are in a Still and fire is under them never does our Graces usually send forth a sweeter favour than when God is pleased to exercise us with Afflictions David was never better than when he was under the Rod then he made those heavenly soul ravishing Psalms that you meet with in the book of Psalms The best Psalms the most heavenly and spiritual Psalms were made when David was in a low condition witness the 34 Psalm it s one of the sweetest Psalms you meet with when was it made when David was in the lowest condition that ever he was in when he was in that straight he was forced to feign himself mad 1 Sam. 21.13 See how Davids heart was enlarged in the making of this Psalm Thirdly Another fit season to act Grace in is when you receive the seals of the Covenant of Grace in the use of the holy Ordinance of the Lords Supper that is a time for you to act Grace in then should you be acting brokenness of heart for can you look upon a broken Saviour without a broken heart upon a bleeding Saviour without a bleeding heart then should you be acting Humility and say as Mephibosheth What is thy servant that thou shouldst look upon such a dead dog as I am 2 Sam. 9.8 Nay but here is more that thou shouldst not only look on me but set me at thy Table what a beggar a loathsom leprous beggar to sit at the Table of the King of Glory Then act Love to Jesus Christ what hath he loved me so dearly Oh how should I love him above all expressions of love and be sick of love to him Then act Faith especially for that is a grace you have most need of when you come to the Lords Table as now faith is the very eye whereby we look upon him it is the hand whereby we receive him it is the mouth whereby we feed on him says Christ except you eat my flesh and drink my blood you have no life in you Joh. 6.52 53. He does not here speak of a Corporal eating of him far be it from us to have such a thought as they of Capernaum had how can this man give us his flesh to eat that man that believes in Christ he feeds on Christ Then be acting of Thankfulness after you have received the Lords Supper Oh what thanks shall I return to the Lord my God! Oh! my whole course of life should be nothing but a continual gratulation to my Father for that never-sufficiently admired gift of the Lord Jesus Christ If I had ten thousand thousand tongues I could never praise him sufficiently Then act holy Resignation of your selves up to Christ what did the Lord give himself for me I will give my self up to him was he crucified for my sins I will crucifie my sins for him Study conformity to him and that will evidence that you have Communion with him There is no more certain evidence of our Communion with Christ in his Graces Comforts Merits and Spirit c. than in our conformity to him when we resemble him in Grace here it is a certain evidence that we shall resemble him in Glory hereafter In one word do but make it your business to be acting your Grace and you may trust God for the bringing in of your Comforts the more you are active in Grace the more shall be your Comfort If we had more activity of Grace we should have more evidence of Christs dwelling in our hearts here and God would have more Glory our souls would have more peace and we should have abundance of more rejoycing in the day of our Lord Jesus CHRISTS TEMPTATION THE SAINTS SUPPORTATION A SERMON Preach'd Decemb. 9. 1657. Heb. II. 13. For in that he himself hath suffered being tempted he is able to succour them that are tempted THE scope of the Apostle in the former Chapter is to prove that Jesus Christ is truly God therefore far above the Angels for says he in the fifth verse of that Chapter Vnto which of the Angels said he at any time thou art my Son this day have I begotten thee In this Chapter the Apostle proves that Jesus Christ is truly man and therefore in that respect inferiour to the Angels Verse 9 But we see Jesus who was made a little lower than the Angels for the suffering of death crowned with glory and honour And because it might be demanded But why is it needful that Jesus Christ should be man why did he not take on him the nature of Angels but he took on him the seed of Abraham Verse 16. The Apostle give us four reasons why our blessed Saviour would be man why he took our human nature upon him First He did it for the sanctification of our nature and that reason is set down in v. 11 For both be that sanctifieth and they who are sanctified are all of one that is they are all of one and the same nature we come all from one common root Christ came from the same root that we did namely from Adam and this he did that he might sanctifie our nature Secondly The Lord Jesus Christ became man that he might in our nature and for our benefit destroy him that had the power of death that is the Devil that is set down in Verse 14 Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood he also himself likewise took part of the same that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death that is the devil Thirdly He became man that he might deliver us not only from the hurt of death but deliver us also from the fear of death and that 's set down in Verse 15 And deliver them who through fear of death were all their life-time subject to bondage Fourthly He became man that by the experience of his sufferings in our
fine voluble Tongues in Prayer that a man would think them to be Angels in prayer but look into their lives and O how crooked are they in their paths and conversation So A man may have the gift of Government so much prudence and policy a man may be such a deep Polititian that he may be able to ballance the affairs of a Kingdom and yet have no grace at all that was the case of Achitophel he was so prudent and politick in his counsels that he was esteemed as an Oracle of God 2 Sam. 16.23 And yet for all this such a one may come short of Heaven and that may be said to those men that have those parts and gifts and qualifications and are not sanctified that have the gifts of preaching and praying and Government which was said to Simon Magus Thy money perish with thee so they and their gifts and parts and qualifications perish with them Thirdly Again you shall see in another particular how far Professors may go and yet come short of Heaven namely he may have some superficial beginnings and tasts of grace and holiness and yet have no truth of grace and so come short of Heaven let me shew you this in these four particulars 1. He may be able to give his assent to the truth he may consent to this truth That the Bible is the word of God and that he believes it is so so Simon Magus did Acts 8.13 the Text saith that he believed 2. He may have so much knowledg as may move his affections with joy that he may rejoyce in the word that he knows thus the Pharisees They rejoyced in John Baptists light for a season John 5.35 And it is said of the second ground in the Parable that they received the word with joy Luke 8.13 And God speaks of the Hypocrites Isa 58.2 Yet they seek me daily and delight to know my ways as a Nation that did rigteousness and forsook not the Ordinance of their God they ask of me the Ordinances of Justice they take delight in approaching to God and yet all this it was but like a Land-flood that is quickly dryed up or like a flash of lightning which quickly passeth away 3. He may have such a tast and superficial beginning of grace that he may be moved so much at a Sermon as to have some kind of purpose and resolution of amendment of life 1 Sam. 26.21 you may read there that wicked wretch and Hypocrite Saul had sometimes good purposes and resolutions Then said Saul I have sinned Return my son David for I will no more do the harm he was convinced in his conscience that it was out of malice that he did persecute that innocent Servant of God so it may be you may have some Drunkard when he lyes under the smarting Rod of Gods displeasure to vow that he will never be drunk more 4. A man may have this tast and superficial beginning of grace that he may attain to some external reformation he may escape the pollutions of the world through the knowledg of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ 2 Pet. 2.20 A natural carnal man an Hypocrite may get so much soap out of the Word of God as may wash his outside but yet he may return to the mire again because he is a Swine still he may be washed like a Hog on the outside but yet he is a Swine still Hypocrites may abstain from many sins out of a slavish fear and perform duties out of by-respects Jezzabel fasted the Pharisees prayed and gave alms Felix feared and trembled here was the beginnings and tasts of grace these tasted of the heavenly gift Heb. 6.4 they had a tast of the water of life but they spit it out again But then it may be demanded What is the reason that a Professor may go so far in the ways of Christianity and yet come short of Heaven For answer I shall give you reasons for all these three particulars First A Professor may go thus far in the way to Heaven and yet come short of Heaven for these two reasons 1. Because there is some failing in his profession his profession wants either root or sincerity or love to Jesus Christ It may be his profession wants root he hath taken up the profession of Religion but he was never yet humbled the Plow of humiliation never went deep enough he was never convinced of the indispensible need that he hath of Christ to say Give me Christ or I dye he was never convinced of the evil of sin of the burden of sin of the loathsome nature of sin of the Hell that is in every sin Or it may be he wants Sincerity he takes up Religion for by-ends or for self-interest or it may be he follows Christ for the Loaves for indeed there are but few that follow Christ for Christs sake It was the complaint of Austin Jesus is seldom sought for Jesus sake And as God complains Zech. 7.5 When ye fasted and mourned did ye at all fast unto me even unto me Ephraim is an empty Vine bringing forth fruit unto himself Hos 10.1 Or it may be his profession wants love now love is an inward principle and where the inward principle of love is in the heart there profession never fails Ephes 6.24 Grace be with all them that love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity But now it may be outwardly he hath some love to Jesus Christ as the Prophet Ezekiel speaks of his Hearers or God to him concerning them Son of Man the children of thy people come unto thee as the people cometh and they sit before thee as my people and they hear thy words but will not do them for with their mouths they shew much love but their heart goeth after their covetousness Ezek. 33.30 31. And the Lord Christ may say to them just as Dalilah said to Sampson How canst thou say thou lovest me when thy heart is not with me Judg. 16.15 That is one Reason 2. A second is this Men may go so far in the way to Heaven and yet come short of it because though they have an outward lamp of profession yet they have no oyl in their lamps that is no reality they have not that faith that works by love they have not that repentance which teacheth them more mortification which crucifieth the flesh these are the Reasons of the first Branch Secondly It may be demanded How comes it to pass that men may be so confident that they are in a state of grace and yet come short of Heaven The reason is this because of their own self-flattery and self-delusion They think themselves something when they are nothing and so deceive themselves they think themselves rich and increased in goods and stand in need of nothing whereas they are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked They think they have grace when indeed they have none they think their Grace is true when it is but counterfeit they think
honour Jesus Christ even as they honour the Father See it exprefly commanded in John 5.23 That all men should honour the Son even as they honour the Father He that honoureth not the Son honoureth not the Father which hath sent him Why should they honour the Son as they honour the Father because he is so precious in his person being God and Man united together in one person therefore see that you honour him therefore kiss the Son with a kiss of Reverence of Love and of Obidience lest his anger be kindled against you Secondly Is the Lord Jesus Christ so precious in his Titles as being the Delight of the Father the Fathers Fellow the Judg of the World the Judg of quick and dead O then never give rest to your eyes nor slumber to your eye-lids never rest satisfied with any condition with any portion with any parts priviledges whatsoever here below till you have got an interest in him that is every way so precious get him and get all want him and want all A man that catches at the shadow you know loses the substance but get the substance and you get the shadow with it So long as you look after other things besides Christ you lose him but if you get him you get the shadow of all you get life and peace and comfort and all that your hearts can desire be content to lose all to get him who when you have got you shall be sure never to lose Thirdly Is Jesus Christ so precious in his Offices as King Priest and Prophet then do you labour to be experimentally partakers of all those Offices that you also may be Kings And hath made us to be Kings and Priests to God and his Father Rev. 1.6 Labour to be Kings in Ruling over your own lusts over your own distempers and passions as he said excellently Do but conquer thy self and the world is conquered to thy hand A greater victory it is for a man to conquer himself than to conquer a Kingdom Labour in this sense to be Kings that your iniquities may not have dominion over you but that you may at length get victory over your lusts which fight against your Souls Again labour to be spiritual Priests to offer up spiritual Sacrifices to God acceptable through Jesus Christ and do you labour to be Prophets that is endued with such wisdom and spiritual knowledg that you may be able to admonish and instruct one another This is that which the Apostle speaks of to the great commendation of the Romans in Rom. 15.14 And I my self also am perswaded of you my Brethren that ye also are full of goodness filled with all knowledg able to admonish one another Do you my Brethren labour to be like Jesus Christ in all his Offices Fourthly Is Jesus Christ so precious in his Ordinances O then do you labour to taste the sweetness of every Ordinance taste the sweetness of the Word of God that you may say How sweet is thy Word to my taste yea sweeter than Honey to my mouth Psalm 119.103 Taste the sweetness of Jesus Christ in the precious Ordinance of the Lords Supper that you may say I sate down under his shadow with great delight and his fruit was sweet to my taste Cant. 2.3 And in Cant. 5. ult His mouth is most sweet His mouth is sweetnesses as the Hebrew phrase carries it and he is altogether lovely He is most sweet fn his Ordinances O say one hours Communion with him is better than all the pleasures of the World one taste of that spiced Wine and of the juice of the Pomgranate spoken of in Cant. 8.2 I would lead thee and bring thee into my mothers house who would instruct me I would cause thee to drink of spiced Wine of the juice of my Pomgranate One draught of that generous Wine that spiced Wine how pleasant and delightful would it be to my Soul Is Jesus Christ so sweet in his Ordinances Oh then labour to taste the sweetness of Jesus Christ in his Ordinances Fifthly Is Jesus Christ so precious in his Prerogatives he is the only Saviour the only Mediator then subject your selves to him and to none but him be subject to him as your only Prince and Saviour and say O Lord our God other Lords besides thee have had Dominion over us but by thee only will we make mention of thy Name Isa 26.13 Lastly Is the Lord Jesus Christ so exceeding precious in the purchase of his blood then do you labour to have an interest in his purchase what is it for you to hear of the purchase of Christs blood if this purchase be not yours if you have not a share and part in it What is Christ if he be not my Christ What is his purchase if it be not my purchase For Example If he hath purchased an Eternal Redemption by his own blood O do you labour every day to get an assurance that you are in the number of his Redeemed ones But how may we know that I answer If you be the Redeemed of Jesus Christ then you will walk in the way of the Redeemed of Christ and that way is called Holy Isa 35.8 And an high-way shall be there and a way and it shall be called the way of holiness the unclean shall not pass over it but it shall be for those the wayfaring men though fools shall not err therein Hath he purchased not only Redemption but the Donation of his Spirit Oh do you beg the Spirit of God that that Gift that great Gift may be bestowed on you according to that Promise a Text I opened to you in many Sermons And I will put my Spirit within you and cause you to walk in my Statutes and ye shall keep my Judgments and do them Ezek. 36.27 If any man have not the spirit of Christ he is none of his Rom. 8.9 And do you put the Lord in mind of all those gracious Promises that he hath made I will pour water upon him that is thirsty and floods upon the dry ground I will pour my Spirit upon thy seed and my blessing upon thine off-spring Isa 44.3 Again Hath he purchased such precious Graces to be bestowed upon all his Children upon all those that have an interest in him O then do you labour to be truly gracious not only to have restraining grace but renewing grace not only common grace but sanctifying grace sound faith sincere love unfeigned obedience that you may have the graces of Humility meekness patience that you may have the Image of Jesus Christ stamped upon your Souls that you may receive of his fulness grace for grace that you may in every grace of Christ have a part that by his Wisdom you may be made wise by his Holiness we may be made holy Again Hath he purchased likewise such precious Priviledges for his Children O then do you labour to be made partakers of those precious Priviledges to be united to Christ and to have
poured upon Aarons head run down to the skirts of his cloathing so from that fulness of Grace which is in Jesus Christ Believers receive and grace for grace a continual supply of grace from him he is the Author of all their graces he is the Author of their Faith he is called The Author and Finisher of their Faith Heb. 12.2 He is the Author of their Love Christ first warms their hearts with a sense of his Love before they can love him We love him because he first loved us 1 John 4.19 He is the Author of their Repentance God hath exalted him to be a Prince and a Saviour to give repentance and remission of sins to his people Acts 5.31 Thirdly And then they receive spiritual comforts by him too My peace I give unto you my peace I leave with you not as the world giveth give I unto yon let not your heart be troubled neither let it be afraid John 14.27 He gives Believers that peace that the World can neither give nor take away from them that peace and comfort that can hold up their heads in all outward storms In the world says he you shall have tribulation but in me you shall have peace John 16. ult At the same time when they have tribulation in the world they may have peace in Christ at the same time when there is ratling upon the Tiles there may be Musick in the Chamber outward tribulations and inward consolations they may stand together at the very same time In the multitude of my thoughts within me thy Comforts delight my Soul Psalm 94.19 So though there may be multitude of troubles within yet there may be comforts to refresh the Soul This is the third Reason why Jesus Christ is so precious to Believers Because they have much in hand from Christ they have Temporal Mercies and Spiritual Mercies Spiritual Priviledges Justification Sanctification and Adoption and Spiritual Graces and Spiritual Comforts Reas 4. Jesus Christ is very precious to Believers because they expect much from him As they have much in hand by him so they have more in hope from him they have much for the present but more for the future for what do they expect from him but an Inheritance incorrupted undefiled reserved in Heaven for them an everlasting Kingdom a Kingdom that cannot be shaken everlasting Communion with himself bosom-Communion with himself in Glory to have their Souls bathed in those Rivers of pleasure that are at his right hand for evermore yea the following the Lamb. wheresoever he goes to be triumphing in his Praises to be sounding forth those Hallelujahs to him that sits upon the Throne for ever to live and lie in his continual embraces Eye hath not seen nor ear heard neither hath it entred into the heart of man to conceive what God hath laid up for them that love him Now because with the eye of Faith they look upon these things and they fully expect to enjoy them therefore hence it is they do so highly prize Jesus Christ Reas 5. Jesus Christ is very precious to Believers they do most highly prize him Because Faith you must know is a uniting grace an espousing grace it is the Wedding-Ring as I have sometimes told you that makes up the Match between Jesus Christ and the poor Soul as soon as ever a man comes to be a Believer to take Jesus Christ to be his Head his Husband his Portion then is the Match made up between them Christ dwells in our hearts by Faith Ephes 3.17 Now then Believers being thus espoused to him thus united to him they cannot but dearly love him As a Wife that hath pitcht her affections upon a Husband and forsaken all others and hath vowed to cleave to him and him only while they both shall live therefore she does prize him above all the men in the World so when the Soul is once united to Christ marryed to him Thy Maker is thy Husband when the Soul is espoused to Christ it cannot but dearly love him and forsake all others in comparison of him Reas 6. Jesus Christ is very precious to Believers Because true Faith ever works by Love Gal. 5.6 For in Christ Jesus neither Circumcision availeth any thing nor Vncircumcision but Faith which worketh by Love True Faith will make a man dearly love the Lord Jesus Christ now if we love him we cannot but prize him whom we love so dearly The Use I shall make of this Point briefly First For Examination And O that you and I could engage our own hearts a while and call our selves to account in sad and serious thoughts whether Jesus Christ be precious to us yea or no Is he highly prized by you even by you that hear me this day Can you say with the Church My Beloved is white and ruddy the chiefest of ten thousand And with St. Paul I esteem all things but dross and dung in comparison of Jesus Christ the whole World the glory the beauty and treasures and pleasures of it but as a heap of dung in comparison of him this pitch and frame you must come unto or else you can never have any assurance that Christ is yours and that you are his for as our Saviour saith in the like case He that loveth Father or Mother more than me is not worthy of me c. Matth. 10.37 So here if any thing be more prized than Jesus Christ you can have no assurance that Christ is your portion if any thing be preferred before him or prized more highly than he is there not great need then that you should enquire whether Jesus-Christ be precious to you yea or no That I may press you to this enquiry consider but this one Motive this is one of the surest Characters to distingnish between a sincere-hearted Christian and an Hypocrite For he that is sincere and upright-hearted does lay Jesus Christ the nearest to his heart and says None but Christ nothing but Christ whereas ever observe it and you shall see a Hypocrite hath always something that lies nearer to his heart than Jesus Christ does however he may shew much love to Christ with his mouth yet his heart goes after his covetousness or after some base lust or other as God told the Prophet Ezek. 33.31 And they come unto thee as my People and they sit before thee as my People and they hear thy words but they will not do them for with their mouth they shew much love but their heart goeth after their covetousness So that Jesus Christ hath not the heart of a Hypocrite he may have the mouth of a Hypocrite a shew of love but there is something still that doth lie nearer his heart than Christ does Look into the parable of the Sower and you will find that Seed that was sown in the stony-ground it sprung up and made a fair shew for a while but there was something that lay between the seed and the Soil so there is something that lies between
Kingdom of God The Kingdom of God cometh not with observation Luke 17.20 it cometh not with outward Pomp and Splendour it comes not with observation because it is a hidden Kingdom a spiritual Kingdom inward Faith and Love and self-denial and other inward Graces because these are the things belonging to the Kingdom of the Lord Jesus Christ and being not obvious to carnal eyes therefore they see no beauty in them Therefore this is a plain token they see no beauty in Christ they that see no beauty in Christs Kingdom in his Ordinances and in his Spiritual comforts certainly they see no beauty in Christ There wants no beauty in him but carnal men want eyes to behold him certainly spiritual things they are the most precious and invaluable Commodities that are therefore because thou feest no beauty in Heaven and in heavenly things spiritual things the graces of the Spirit and the comsorts of the Spirit thou art one that dost not prize the Lord Christ Secondly They do not prize the Lord Jesus Christ that prefer their lusts before him that prefer the wills of the Flesh and of the Mind as the Greek word signifies before him in Ephes 2.3 Those that say in their hearts though it may be they will not speak it with their mouths but it is the language of their hearts We will not have this man to reign over us we will walk in our own crooked ways and not in the ways of Christ in the ways of holiness Certainly they that prefer their lusts before him they do not prize him Thirdly They that do not prize the Messengers of Jesus Christ they do not prize Jesus Christ himself So says our Saviour himself expresly Luke 10.16 speaking to his Disciples and in them to his succeding Ministers He that heareth you beareth me and he that despiseth you despiseth me and he that despiseth me despiseth him that sent me When Hannun the King of the children of Ammon cast contempt on the Messengers and Ambassadors of David and so wickedly entreated them by cutting off their Garments in the middle to their buttocks and shaving off the one half of their Beards 2 Sam. 10 it was a plain token that he despised David also because he despised his Ambassadors Fourthly They do not prize the Lord Christ that can keep the best room they have I mean their hearts for creature-comforts but the Lord Jesus Christ as I may say with reverence is thrust into the Stable But you will say How does that appear Thus when a mans Liberty or Estate or Friends or outward reputation come to be hazarded if Christ be owned that man now that can prefer any of his creature-accommodations rather than run any hazard for the Lord Jesus Christ certainly that man does not prize Christ When it comes to a point that a man must part with some or all of his comforts and accommodation rather than part with his Saviour that man that can part with his Saviour rather than his comforts certainly that man does not prize Christ Thus was it with the Gadarens when it came to the Point that they must part with their Swine or with Jesus Christ they would part with Christ rather than with their Swine Fifthly They that do not prize his Ordinances that do not keep close to him to his way of worship those that do not set their hearts and souls to seek him to seek his Truth to seek his Face to rejoyce in his Love to content and satisfie themselves in him to say If I have but Jesus Christ though I be as poor as Job upon the Dunghil yet I am rich enough certainly these do prize the Lord Jesus Christ Oh that we could learn to be true to our own Souls and to love our selves so well as not to beguile our own Souls in the latter end That 's the second Use of Conviction Thirdly A third Use is this If Christ be thus precious to all true Believers then there are these three or four Lessons or Doctrinal Inferences that may be gathered from this conclusion or point of Doctrine First If Jesus Christ be so precious to Believers then it follows that Faith is an exceeding rich and precious Grace it is called precious Faith 2 Pet. 1.1 Simon Peter a Servant and an Apostle of Jesus Christ to them that have obtained like precious Faith with us through the righteousness of God and our Saviour Jesus Christ But why is Faith so precious a Grace because it makes Christ so precious to our Souls it makes a man look upon Christ with an admiring eye it ravishes the Soul with the love of this precious Redeemer and it makes him break out and say There is no Beloved like my Beloved Oh the Dignity of his Person Oh the Vertue of his Blood Oh the value of his Sufferings Oh the sweetness of his Graces Oh the Comforts of his Spirit Oh the excellency of those glorious and transcendent Hopes that are laid up in him You read of Moses that he scorned all the Treasures of Egypt Why because by Faith he beheld him that was invisible Heb. 11.26 27. By the eye of Faith he lookt upon Jesus Christ and he saw more beauty in him than in all the Treasures of Egypt more sweetness in one smile of his Face than in ten thousand Worlds Oh therefore that you and I could learn to trade for Faith more a great deal than for the World Oh let us trade for this rich and precious Grace look out for Faith and long for Faith and strive to believe for until this Grace of Faith be planted in your hearts Jesus Christ and you are strangers Christ and you stand at a very great distance but as soon as ever Faith is planted in the Soul then there is instantly a closing with Christ as quick a closing between Christ and the Soul as there is between the Loadstone and the Iron the Soul presently closes with him and cleaves to him as soon as ever it begins to believe Secondly If Jesus Christ be so prrcious to Believers then learn this Lesson by way of Inference That Believers are rich and honourable Persons Why because Jesus Christ is to them both Riches and Honour I gather this from the signification of the word in the Greek Text Jesus Christ is both a Price and an Honour to his for the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifies both a Price and Honour Jesus Christ therefore is a Price to Believers he is a Pearl to them First He is a Pearl of inestimable Price to all those that have got an interest in him this Pearl of Price is better worth than ten thousand worlds by him we are enriched in all things 1 Cor. 1.5 I thank my God always on your behalf for the Grace of God which is given you by Jesus Christ that in every thing ye are enriched by him And you read of the unsearchable Riches of Christ Ephes 3.8 Vnto me who am less than the least
and they that shall put their hands to the Plow and look back are not fit for the Kingdom of God Oh great is the danger of Apostacy but now without some considerable strength you will not be kept from failing and those failings will turn to fallings and those fallings to fallings away and at last falling into everlasting destruction Now these fallings and fallings away do usually follow this want of spiritual strength not being strengthened with strength in our souls But may be you will say to me What course must we take that we may get this spiritual strength in our souls I answer briefly make use of these rules and helps First Be very sensible of your weakness and infirmity be humble be base in your own eyes be nothing in your selves that you may be able to say In Jesus Christ have I righteousness and strength Isa 45.24 It was a sweet Meditation of Saint Augustin Lord I will be weak in my self that I may be strong in thee And the Apostle hath such a phrase For when I am weak then am I strong 2 Cor. 12.10 that is when I am most weak in my self then am I most strong in a Saviour Secondly If you would have this strength in your souls be acting the Grace which you have received already for action increaseth strength and strength will help action forwards the more you are doing duty the more will you gather strength to do duty It was the Motto of an eminent Divine in this Nation now with God The way to Holiness lyes in the works of Holiness so the way to get spiritual strength lyes in doing the work you have to do with that strength you have use strength and you shall have more strength Thirdly If you would have strength in your souls grow especially in corroborating and strengthening Graces What are those strengthning Graces 1. Faith that is a very strengthning Grace you read of the strength of Faith Abraham was strong in Faith and that made him do great things that he could against hope believe in hope that is against hope of sense believe in hope of a promise Rom. 4.18 so be strong in Love Love to Jesus Christ Love is a very strengthening Grace Love is strong as death Cant. 8.6 7 Death you know is so strong that it hath conquered all men that ever were in the World never was there any Gyant so strong but could be conquered by Death there is no discharge in that War the meaning is this never any man encountred with Death that came off but Love is stronger than Death If thy heart be fired with Love to Jesus Christ it will carry you with a great deal of strength through all difficulties and sufferings with patience and perseverance 3. Again Get more sincerity Job 17.9 The righteous also shall hold on his way and he that hath clean hands shall be stronger and stronger Oh the more sincere you are the more strong you are For example Wherein consists the strenth of a Pillar it is in the uprightness of it if it begins to bow and bend and be crooked then it falls but the uprightness of it is the strength of it 4. Joy Joy that is another strengthening Grace Nehem. 8.10 Neither be ye sorry for the joy of the Lord shall be your strength Oh the more inward joy in the Holy Ghost you have the more chearful you are the more strong you are grow in these strengthening Graces Fourthly Would you have this strength in your souls then take heed of rushing into any known sin for sin as it wounds the conscience it weakens the soul also sins against conscience are like a thief in the Candle which weakens our strength and wasts our joy Nothing weakned Sampson so much as his sporting with his Dalilah Never had he lost his strength had it not been for his running into that sin take heed therefore of sins against conscience Fifthly If you would have strength in your souls take heed of evil company shun them as a Pest-house for many times evil company weakens the soul more than any outward temptation Psal 119.115 Depart from me ye wicked for I will keep the Commandements of my God It is as if he should say he could never set about the work of Obedience so long as he kept company with the wicked Sixthly If you would have strength in your souls then get more intimate and bosom-communion with Jesus Christ every day for the truth is all our strength is from him I am able to do all things through Christ that strengtheneth me Phil. 4.13 The more you are acquainted with Christ the more will you have of this strength which David here in the Text speaks of Lastly If you would have this strength be much in prayer that is an excellent Scripture Psal 119.28 My soul melteth away for heaviness strengthen thou me according to thy word Oh the more we are in Prayer and Care and Watchfulness and Humility and Self-denial and in the exercise of Grace the more we shall find our spiritual strength increased then we shall experimentally say with David Thou hast strengthened me with strength in my soul LIGHT DISCOVERED AND MAN RECOVERED A SERMON Preach'd Augst 17. 1656. 2 Tim. 1.10 the latter part of the Verse And hath brought life and immortality to light through the Gospel THE Apostle in the beginning of this Chapter exhorting Timothy to a faithful discharge of his Ministerial Calling puts in this weighty caution in the 8 verse Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord nor of me his prisoner but be thou partaker of the afflictions of the Gospel according to the power of God that is be not ashamed of the Gospel that he calls there the Testimony of our Lord Jesus Though it may be thou maist meet with afflictions and oppositions in the profession of it yet seeing these afflictions are but sufferings for the Gospel-sake therefore bear them patiently it is better that thou shouldest suffer than that the Gospel should suffer This Caution or Exhortation the Apostle presses from an Argument drawn from the unspeakable benefit and advantage that comes streaming to us by the Gospel namely Eternal life and that the Apostle might be rightly understood he lays down the three causes of this Eternal life or Salvation First The principal and moving cause of this Salvation that is the Grace of God in the foregoing verse ver 9. Who hath saved us and called us with a holy calling not according to our works but according to his own purpose and grace which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began Secondly He lays down the meritorious cause of our salvation that is the Lord Jesus Christ who hath merited this salvation by dying for us in the middle part of the 10th verse who hath abolished death that is who hath taken away the sting and curse of Death Thirdly He lays down the instrumental cause of our salvation that is the
carries them in his Bosom and gently Leads them and accordingly there are these two Points of Doctrine that are most eminently and clearly held forth in the Text. Doct. 1. That Jesus Christ is that Blessed Shepherd that is able both to feed and protect his People here and to give them eternal Life hereafter Doct. 2. That the Lord Jesus Christ in his carriage towards his People hath a tender respect to their Infirmities I begin with the first Doctrine The Lord Jesus Christ is that blessed Shepherd that is abundantly able to feed and protect his People here and to give them eternal life hereafter For the proof of this Doctrine take two or three Scriptures in Joh. 10.11 I am the good Shepherd the good Shepherd giveth his life for the Sheep and in Heb. 13.20 He is called the great Shepherd of the Sheep Now the God of peace that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus that great Shepherd of the Sheep through the blood of the everlasting Covenant c. And he is called the Shepherd and Bishop of our souls in 1 Pet. 2.20 For ye were as sheep going astray but are now returned unto the Shepherd and Bishop of our souls so that doubtless Jesus Christ is the most blessed the best the greatest the sweetest Shepherd that ever was as will appear by these four reasons First Because he hath the greatest care over them Secondly Because he hath the greatest love to his Sheep Thirdly Beeause he hath the greatest power that ever Shepherd had Fourthly Because he hath the greatest reward for them that can possibly be bestowed First Jesus Christ hath the greatest care over his Sheep for he seeks them when they are lost I come says he to seek and to save those which were lost Luk. 1.9 20 For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost And he gathers them from the ends of the world he fetches them from all corners of the earth there is not one of his sheep that is not one that belongs to the election of grace but in what place soever he be though among Pagans Heathens and Infidels of what condition soever he be whether high or low rich or poor noble or ignoble of what calling or employment soever As some will be ready to complain and say I am lockt up under a Calling I would be better if my Calling would let me I but there is not one of Christs sheep that belongs to the election of Grace though he be lockt up under a Calling but the Lord Jesus Christ will seek him out in what condition or Calling soever he be That 's the first reason He hath the greatest care over his sheep to gather them into his Fold 2dly Because he hath the greatest love to his sheep such love as the like was never heard of Greater love hath no man than this that a man lay down his life for his friend John 15.13 There cannot be greater love manifested than this but such love hath the Lord Jesus Christ he hath laid down his life that good Shepherd laid down his life for his sheep as in the forenamed place John 10.11 I am the good Shepherd the good Shepherd giveth his life for the sheep You know Jacob sheweth a great deal of love to his sheep in that as he tells you he was in the day-time parched with heat the drought consumed him and in the night-time pinched with frost and he broke his sleep many times to watch his sheep Gen. 31.40 My sleep says he departed from mine eyes That was great love but David shewed greater love to his Flocks Psal 78.70 he followed the Ewes great with young when God took him from the Sheepfolds to wield the Scepter And he shewed yet greater love to his Flock as he tells you in 1 Sam. 17.34 35 And David said unto Saul Thy servant kept his Fathers sheep and there came a Lion and a Bear and took a Lamb out of the stock and I went out after him smote him delivered it out of his mouth and when he arose against me I caught him by his beard and smote him and slew him thy servant slew both the Lion and the Bear David ventured very far he ventured his life for one Lamb of the Flock but Jesus Christ that blessed Shepherd did not only venture his life but he laid down his life for his sheep and he did not venture to grapple with an ordinary Lion but with that roaring Lion that walks about seeking whom he may devour Nay he did not only wrestle with that roaring Lion but with all the powers of darkness he wrestled with principalities and powers Nay he wrestled with the wrath of a sin-revenging God and all that he might save his poor sheep therefore never was there such a loving Shepherd as the Lord Jesus Christ That 's the second reason Thirdly He hath the greatest power and ability that ever Shepherd had for this is extraordinary that he makes all the sheep he hath all his sheep are the workmanship of his hands Psalm 100.3 Know ye that the Lord he is God it is he that hath made us and not we our selves we are his people and the sheep of his pasture He hath that power that he can do whatsoever pleaseth him in heaven and in earth All power in heaven and carth is given to him Matth. 26.18 He hath that power that he is able to deliver his sheep from the gates of hell He hath said that the gates of hell shall not prevail against them Matth. 16.18 He hath that power that he can do that for his sheep that all the world and all the Princes in the world cannot do for them and therefore he must needs be the best Shepherd That 's the third reason Fourthly He hath the greatest reward also to bestow upon every one of his sheep Alas his sheep give nothing to him My goodness does not extend to thee Psalm 16.2 We can bestow nothing upon this blessed Shepherd he hath no need of any thing we have I but he bestows a very rich portion upon his sheep a glorious reward he feeds them he cloaths them he protects them here in this world and gives them eternal life hereafter First This blessed Shepherd feeds all his sheep he feeds them first by his Word and then by his Sacraments He feeds them by his Word by sending his Messengers as under-Shepherds to feed his Flock It is a Gospel-promise that in Jer. 3.15 I will give you Pastors according to my own heart which shall feed you with knowledg and understanding And it was one end of our Saviours ascention into Heaven and a great blessing we have by it he ascended into heaven that he might give gists unto men Ephes 4.8 11 12 13 verses Wherefore he saith when he ascended up on high he led captivity captive and gave gifts unto men and he gave some Apostles and some Prophets and some Evangelists and
other Fourthly He that sins through infirmity will still keep his conjugal love to Jesus Christ and although some failings in him may work a kind of estrangement between Christ and his soul yet notwithstanding his heart will still cleave to the Lord Jesus Christ and this appears thus Because he will chuse no other Husband he will chuse no other Saviour for all this but he would rejoyce with all his heart if he might be but reconciled to Jesus Christ though there hath been some unkindness between Christ and him He says I will return to my first Husband for then was it better with me than now Hos 2.7 and he is grieved for the unevenness of his carriage towards so sweet a Husband us he hath been to him If there be such a disposition in you to hold fast your conjugal love to Jesus Christ and still keep close to him though there may be some unkindness yet thou pitchest on no other Husband certainly this is but an infirmity But says the poor soul Can that be an infirmity that cleaves to me all my days that I have been vext and perplext with twenty thirty years together I answer Possibly there may be such infirmities cleave to Gods children As for example some deadness in duties dulness and deadness in hearing the Word it may be slipperiness of memory or forgetfulness of the words we have heard or it may be some strong corruption which is like a thorn in the flesh which the Lord Jesus hath left in thee to humble thee and to make thee base in thy own eyes all thy days But it may be then you will object and say How then will this stand with the Doctrine you delivered even now you made it a mark or token of spiritual life That Grace will prevail against corruption that the Government of the Lord Jesus Christ would be victorious I answer True Grace will be victorious at last but I do not say it will be all at once but it will be by degrees and it is some kind of victory and conquest over corruption when it is subdued though it be not quite extinguished if it be weakned and abated though it be not destroyed when a man can feelingly cry out of it as the Apostle did O wretched man that I am who shall deliver me from this body of death and he breaks out and says thanks be to God through Jesus Christ Rom. 7.25 Secondly I answer God sometimes works by contraries God is carrying on the work of Grace in his Children when corruptions seem to be thriving and growing when God means to give his Children victory he suffers them to be foyled first the work of Grace in the heart sometimes goes backwards that it may go forwards As the Seed that is sown in the Field it rots in the ground before it springs and grows Sometimes you must know that God will strengthen us by our very slippings he will have us learn to stand by our very falls and bruises he will have us to be strengthened by our weaknesses and infirmities he will have us to be deep-rooted by our shakings Our infirmities are the keepers of our Graces it makes us look more carefully to our own standings it is good therefore to observe the methods and manner of Gods dealing with our souls and to learn to live by faith be acting of faith in the business of our infirmities for as I have often told you The life of faith is in the use of faith so much as we use faith so much we live by it it is good for a man to live by faith in point of his infirmities and to say when I am foyled I shall have victory when I fall I shall arise when I am weak I am strong as the Church said Micah 7.8 Rejoyce not against me O mine enemy when I fall I shall arise when I sit in darkness the Lord shall be a light unto me Thus you have the explication of the point what an Infirmity is and what are the causes of it and what are the signs and symptoms of it For the use of the point 1. For Consolation 2. For Caution 3. For Exhortation First For Consolation because that is the principal use of the Text And O that I could speak not only to the ears but to the heart of any poor doubting drooping dejected soul O that this Doctrine might be as a box of ointment to comfort such an one to refresh him O that I eould but drop in some Consolation into any poor bruised soul that hears me this day that such an one might lift up those hands that hang down and feeble knees that tremble Isa 35.3 And this is the comfort I have to tender to thee That the Lord will not reject thee for an infirmity He carries his Lambs in his Arms and gathers them in his bosom poor weak ones he carries them in his bosom when it may be the Leg is broken and they are not able to go he gently leads those with young in all their fears doubts and disquietments about their Condition he hath a tender care of his Lambs of his weak ones If thou art but one of Christ Lambs know thus much for thy comfort that he hath a care of the poorest Lamb that is in his Flock if thou art a Plant in his Vineyard know that he hath a care of the tenderest Plant never was it known that a merciful and compassionate Father cast off a child because of his weakness many times it may be when the child is so sick and weak that it is not able to speak but only to say Father it may be it cannot speak out then the Bowels of the Father yearns towards him the more the weaker the child is and unable to speak the more his compassions are rowling towards him O let not our unbelief make Jesus Christ unnatural Do we think that Jesus Christ has less compassion toward his Lambs than Jacob had Jacob was such a Shepherd that he had such a tender care of his Lambs that says he if you over-drive the flocks the lambs will die and do you think that Jesus Christ is less sollicitous for the good of his But alas says the poor soul my infirmities discourage me they weaken my assurance and rob me of my peace and comfort I answer true it is infirmities do so but they should not do so and that they may not do so take these three or four Considerations First Consider in every infirmity as there is something against God so there is something also from God There is something against God that is true because our infirmities are not suitable to the holiness and strictness of his Law and therefore we should strive against them with prayer and care and watchfulness But as there is something against God so there is something also from God It may be he le ts loose those infirmities upon thee even like a Messenger of Satan to buffet thee to humble
the habitual receiving of Christ we are meerly passive a man does no more to his own regeneration than a dead man can do to his own resurrection But in the gradual receiving of Christ we are active we are co-workers with God 2 Cor. 6.1 as the Apostle speaks we move towards him when we are moved by him The child before it is born hath no nourishment but what it receives from the Mother but when the child is born then it hath a nutritive faculty and is able to feed and nourish it self So in the first work of conversion we are meerly passive and do nothing at all but receive all from Christ and do nothing in the carrying on the work of our salvation But when once we have received a life from Christ then we may act and exercise that life for our own good and the glory of God Now of both these receivings of Jesus Christ does the Apostle speak both of the habitual and gradual receiving of him As you have received Christ Jesus the Lord so walk in him Walking is an active motion and when the Apostle says Walk in him it is as if he should say As you have received the truth of grace so also be acting of your grace to the glory of Christ So then this is the meaning of the Doctrine when I say it is not enough for a Christian to receive Christ but he must also walk in Christ the meaning of the Doctrine is this It is not enough for a Christian to receive grace from Christ but he must be also acting his grace For the proof of this truth let me give you two remarkable Scriptures 2 Tim. 1.6 Wherefore I put thee in remembrance that thou stir up the gift of God that is in thee I know the Apostle speaks of the Ministerial gift but it is as true of the work of grace for the Greek word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifies grace as well as gift Stir up the grace of God in thee Mark the phrase it is a remarkable phrase for in the original it is to blow up thy grace 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 just as a man blows up a fire that grows dull or is hid under the ashes blow up the grace of God in thee The other Scripture which is parallel to this is that Text Gal. 5.25 If we live in the Spirit let us also walk in the Spirit that is if we have received a spiritual life or influence from Christ let us walk in the spirit that is let us act that spiritual life that we have received by the operation of grace If we have received the life of grace let us also act the life of grace For the better explication of this point two things are to be briefly unfolded First What is required of a Christian that he may act his grace that he may walk in Christ Secondly Why must a Christian that hath received grace be acting his grace First What is required of a Christian that he may be acting of his grace In answer to this I shall lay down these five Propositions First No man can act that grace he hath received by his own strength without the help and assistance of Jesus Christ 1 Cor. 15.10 But by the grace of God I am what I am and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain but I laboured more abundantly than they all yet not I but the grace of God which was with me He does not say the grace of God which was in me that habitual grace which I had but the grace of God which was with me So then it is not the strength of habitual grace that carries a man through any duty but the auxiliary the assisting the concurring grace of Jesus Christ it is his grace with us more than his grace in us And says our Saviour speaking to his Disciples Without me ye can do nothing John 15.5 Ye that are my Disciples ye that have the spirit of grace without me ye can do nothing The habit of grace the acting of grace and the perfecting of grace are all from Jesus Christ If we cannot put forth a natural action without him for in him we live move and have our being Acts 17.28 how much more can we perform a spiritual act in a spiritual manner without him Phil. 2.13 says the Apostle For it is God that worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure Yet take this caution with you When I say a man cannot act his own grace by his own strength you must not therefore be lazy and say I can do nothing without Christ for you must know the Lord Christ works grace in us by setting those faculties that are in us on work though we cannot work by our own strength yet we must be co-workers with Christ says the Apostle Work out your salvation with fear and trembling for it is God that worketh in you both to will and to do of his own good pleasure Phil. 2.12 13. That which some persons make an argument of laziness We will do nothing say they in the business of Salvation for it is God that worketh in us both to will and to do The Apostle makes it rather an argument of diligence Nay therefore be you working as well as God though it is God that works in you both to will and to do yet do you work out your salvation if you put forth your strength to the utmost he will help you That 's the first Proposition Secondly Another Proposition is this It is not enough to act one Grace but Christians must be acting every grace for all graces proceed from the same fountain We receive from Christs fulness and grace for grace John 1.16 Jesus Christ is the fountain of all grace Col. 1.19 It pleaseth the Father that in him should all fulness dwell We must draw water from no other Fountain you must not look on Faith as a distinct habit or Love or Repentance as a distinct habit as if these were several branches proceeding from several roots they all proceed from one and the same root Faith is a habit of grace closing with Christ Repentance is a habit of grace receiving Christ Love is a habit of grace renewing and fitting the soul to receive Christ they all proceed therefore from one and the same root and every grace must be acted Thirdly The third Proposition is this It is not enough to act grace one way but Christians must act grace every way we must not only act grace invisibly and inwardly in reference to God but we must act grace outwardly and visibly in reference to men This is that our Saviour speaks of Let your light so shine before men he speaks of the light of grace Mat. 5.16 Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works glorifie your Father which is in heaven and says the Apostle James 2.18 Shew me thy faith by thy works Fourthly There are
certain seasons wherein grace must be especially acted as there are certain seasons of the year in Spring you have buds and blossoms in Summer you have fruits green and growing in the Autumn you have the same fruits ripe and ready to be eaten Every thing is beautiful in its season Eccles 3.11 He hath made every thing beautiful in his time so every grace is beautifully acted when it is seasonably acted Fifthly He that hath the least measure of grace must not be discouraged but must be acting it still that in the exercise of it it may be increased nay certainly a man that hath but one Talent Mat. 25.15 that is but a little measure of grace and doth act it well he shall have more comfort a great deal than he that hath five Talents and doth not wisely act them Thus you see the first thing opened what is required of a Christian that he may rightly act his grace The second thing for explication is But why must Christians thus be acting of their graces Let me give you these four reasons First The acting of grace will be a certain evidence of the truth of grace there is no more certain evidence of the truth of grace than the acting of grace it may be there are some poor souls that hear me that will be ready to say O what would I give that I might but have a certain and infallible evidence of the truth of grace though it were but as a grain of Mustard-seed that I could but say that I have true faith and true repentance and true love to Jesus Christ had I an assurance that it were in truth what would I give I will tell thee for thy comfort Here is a rule in the Text If thou walk in Jesus Christ that is if thou be acting that little grace thou hast received it is a certain token of the truth of it A painted fire will not warm a man a painted Cow will give no milk a painted Horse will not move a painted Tree will not grow so here a painted Christian a counterfeit Christian a Hypocrite counterfeit grace will never grow a counterfeit Christian is always a dead and barren Christian but if thou art a fruitful Christian it is a token that grace that thou hast is grace in truth as the Apostle speaks 2 Pet. 1.5 6 7 8 And besides this giving all diligence add to your faith virtue and to virtue knowledg and to knowledg temperance and to temperance patience and to patience godliness and to godliness brotherly-kindness and to brotherly-kindness charity for if these things be in you and abound they make you that you shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledg of our Lord Jesus Christ when a man is acting of his grace he is adding to his grace add to your faith virtue and to virtue knowledg c. When a man is acting of his grace then he is not barren nor unfruitful when these two go together then may a man be confident that he is a real Christian a Disciple indeed and not a Disciple in name only There are these two special properties of grace the acting of grace and the growth of grace and you have them both in that place 2 Pet. 1.5 6 7 8 the activity of grace when a man is not barren nor unfruitful in the knowledg of our Lord Jesus Christ And the growth of grace when a man adds to his faith virtue to virtue knowledg to knowledg temperance to temperance patience c. Compare these two places of Scripture together Gal. 6.15 with Gal. 5.6 In Gal. 6.15 says the Apostle For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision availeth any thing nor uncircumcision but a new Creature compare that with Gal. 5.6 For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision availeth any thing nor uncircumcision but faith which worketh by love In the former place namely Gal. 6.15 but a new creature there the Apostle speaks of the habit of grace in the latter namely Gal. 5.6 but faith which worketh by love there he speaks of the activity of grace when the habit of grace is turned into the activity of grace when faith worketh by love that is a token of true graceindeed A second reason is this The more you act your graces the more you shall encrease them Tradesmen know the more they trade with their Stock the more they increase their Stock Grace is like the Windows oyl the more it is poured out the more it is increased 2 Kings 4.6 Nay there is a promise made to that man that doth well use his grace Matth. 25.29 For unto every one that hath shall be given and he shall have abundance which place must be rightly understood our Saviour speaks there of gifts of the same kind and same order otherwise we will run into the Pelagian and Arminian opinion which is That the well-using of the gifts of nature will merit the gifts of grace so the Arminian would have the meaning of the words to be he that well uses the gifts of nature to him shall be given the gifts of grace Our Saviour there â—peaks no such matter but he speaks thus he that hath saving-grace shall have more saving-grace that man that hath saving-grace by well-using of it shall have more saving-grace as a man the more he plays upon an Instrument the more dextrous he grows the more cunning and skilful he will be So here the more you act your graces the more a great deal shall you increase them to him that hath shall be given and he shall have abundance Thirdly A third reason is this Because God hath given grace for that very end that it may be acted If God hath given thee grace it is not that thou shouldst hide it like a Candle under a Bushel nor for thee to put in a dark Lanthorn but that thou shouldst set it upon a Table for the advantage and benefit of others But the manifestation of the spirit is given to every man to profit withal 1 Cor. 12.17 And in 1 Pet. 4.10 As every man hath received the gift even so minister the same one to another as good stewards of the manifold grace of God And why are we said to be Stewards of the manifold grace of God because we should be dispensing them as Stewards that have their Masters goods not to put them in their own purses or to convert them to their own advantage but to be dispensing of them and diffusing them for their Masters advantage we are Stewards of the manifold grace of God look as God gives to some more riches than to others because he would have them to be more rich in good works than others so he gives to some more grace than he gives to others because he would have them diffusive of grace making others rich in grace He gives to some more comforts than he gives to others because he would have them to comfort others with the same comforts wherewith they themselves are comforted of God
2 Cor. 1.4 5. The grace of God is given for this end to dispence to others Fourtly A fourth reason is this If you do not act your graces God shall lose his glory and his glory should be dearer to you than your liberty and all your outward comforts It is a true speech of him that said the truth of grace doth save my soul but the acting of grace makes for the honour of God the truth of Grace makes for my safety but the acting of grace makes for the service of God in the place I am in Now a child of God hath the glory of God lying near his heart says a child of God I would lose my life rather than the end of my life I would be usefully spent for God for the honour of God for the name of God in living in suffering in dying rather than to enjoy all the honours or pleasures or treasures that the world can afford Thus you see the point opened and made good to you Now for the Use of it and there are three Uses I shall make of it First By way of Information If they that have grace must be acting and increasing of it then certainly it follows That they that have no grace had need to get it If they that have received Christ Jesus must walk in him then they that have not received him certainly they have great need infinite need to close with him O the miserable and doleful and damnable condition of all those that for the present are in a Christless condition in a graceless condition no tongue of men or Angels is able sufficiently to express it no tears of blood can sufficiently bewail it If any of you die in such a condition you must resolve to die everlastingly and to suffer the vengeance of eternal fire Jude 7. you must resolve to be satisfying of a sin-revenging God in hell and yet never be able to satisfie him you must be always dying and yet never die Rev. 6 And in those days shall men seek death and shall not find it and shall desire to die and death shall flee from them This will be the condition of all those that die Christless that die graceless that have not received Christ into their hearts and that have not got grace into their hearts oyl into their lamps they shall be alway dying and yet never die O with what weeping and wailing and wringing of their hands and tearing of their hair and renting of the cawl of their hearts shall they cry out O that I might dye and dye and never have a being more O that I might dye the most cursed the most tormenting the most painful death that ever creature on earth dyed so I may but dye But this is the misery of all misery I live to dye and must live eternally This is the condition of all those that have not got Christ in their hearts O then why do you rest in such a condition one week nay one day O if ever there were any love to your souls kindled in your breasts any desire of salvation wrought in you any care of escaping those unconceivable tortures and torments resolve to receive Jesus Christ upon his own terms and say O Lord rule in me as thou pleasest so I may be but thine resolve to receive him as a Prince as well as a Saviour It was a point I pressed upon you with all my might from Acts 5.31 Receive Jesus Christ to give you repentance as well as remission of sins He is a Prince and a Saviour to give repentance and forgiveness of sins He gives repentance before he gives remission if he gives nor repentance for sin he never gives remission of sin O resolve to trade for him some of you know no other trade but to treade in the world to be tumbling up and down in dirt and clay and to provide for your Families a Heathen man may do as much as you do O that you would be perswaded to drive a Trade for heaven for grace for saving-grace That which Solomon speaks of wisdom I may say of every grace Prov. 4.7 Wisdom is the principal thing therefore get wisdom and with all thy getting get understanding So say I grace is the principal thing therefore with all thy getting get grace It is no matter though thou be poor in the World if thou beest rich in grace If thou shouldst be rich in the World and get thy Coffers full of gold and silver yet if thou get no grace in thy heart it had been better that thou hadst never been born Secondly By way of reproof Here is a just and sharp reproof even of Gods own children that have received Christ and yet do not walk in him do not walk worthy of him in all well-pleasing that have received grace and yet do not act grace but rather wrap it up like a Talent in a Napkin I cannot speak it without indignation How many Christians are there some of whom I am really perswaded they are the Servants of Jesus Christ yet they are sick of a spiritual Lethargy Appoplexy they are in a spiritual slumber a man in an Appoplex hath his reason he is a reasonable man but he cannot make use of his reason what is man the better for his wealth if he does not make use of his wealth so what am I the better for grace if I do not make use of it for the glory of God and the good of others In Matth. 25 you read the five wise Virgins slumbered as well as the five foolish It is a sad thing when even Gods own children true Professors shall be slumbering yet the five wise Virgins slumbered as well as the five foolish Yet this is the condition of the Servants of God at this day I can hardly meet with any but their grace is suspended they are fallen asleep their activity for for God and their acting of grace is lull'd asleep I pray God he do not thunder against us as once the Mariners did to Jonah What meanest thou O sleeper arise call upon thy God if so be that God will think upon us that we perish not Jonah 1.6 When the wind roars and the waters rage and the storms arise and there is but a step between thee death and thou asleep is it not a shame for thee to be snorting when the ship is in danger of sinking so may it be said of all us who are asleep in security I pray God that he do not awake us with a rushing wind It may be the rod may come sooner on us than we are aware and a sharper rod than we are aware of Oh that I could but awaken my own soul then I might hope to help to awaken you out of this spiritual slumber then you would say to me as David did to Abigail Blessed be God and blessed be thou that hast given me this counsel this day 1 Sam. 25.32 33. Blessed be God that thou hast awakened me out
General it is a dishonour to him 2. Then it is damnable in the effects of it because it puts Religion to open shame it makes the Name of God to be blasphemed Rom. 2.24 It is a scandal to the weak it staves men off from the profession of Religion and it opens the mouth of Adversaries to speak evil of the ways of God thus it is damnable in the effects Thirdly It is destructive in the end and issue of it for First God will reckon Apostates amongst Reprobates God will lead them forth with the workers of iniquity those that turn aside to their crooked ways Psal 125. ult Lead them forth that is put them in the same condition with the most profligate and scandalous sinner that is 2. Their latter end shall be worse than their beginning as our Saviour shews in the Parable Mat. 12.43 When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man and returns again he brings seven Devils more and the end of that man is worse than his beginning The Apostle tells us in 2 Pet. 2 and the two last Verses It had been better men had never known the way of holiness than having known it to turn aside from the holy commandment it fares with them according to the Proverb the Dog is turned to his vomit again and the Sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire Before I come to make Application of this truth there is one doubt to be resolved You say Christians must hold fast the grace they have received Why may some say Can a man that hath received saving grace lose that grace he hath received To this I answer No He cannot lose saving-grace totally or finally this is Mary's part which cannot be taken away Mary hath chose that good part which cannot be taken away Luke 10.42 The Apostle saith he that is born of God sins not cannot sin to death because the seed of God as a principle of spiritual life abideth in him 1 John 3.9 therefore he cannot sin unto death the righteous are said to be built on an everlasting foundation Prov. 10.25 that is he abides unmovable in grace till grace be turned into glory and the reason of this is saving-grace bestowed upon the Elect is built on four immutable and unmovable Pillars 1. The love that God bares to his people it is an everlasting love Jer. 31.3 I have loved thee with an everlasting love we are very fickle and unconstant in our love to God but God is not fickle or unconstant in his love to us 2. The Covenant of grace is a stedfast Covenant so saith David in the last words of that sweet Singer of Israel when he was to leave the world He hath made with me an everlasting Covenant sure and stedfast and ordered in all things 2 Sam. 23.5 It is a Covenant sealed with the blood of Christ therefore it is called the blood of the everlasting Covenant Heb. 13.20 this everlasting Covenant cannot be broken True indeed sin may break the peace of the Covenant but it cannot break the bond of the Covenant of Grace it may break the peace of the Covenant Psal 89.31 If thy children break my statutes and keep not my commandments then will I visit their transgressions with a red and their iniquities with stripes but I will not suffer my faithfulness to fail my covenant will I not break nor alter the thing that is gone out of my mouth 3. The third Pillar is this the Power of God which is irresistible and unconquerable on this Pillar our blessed Saviour builds the salvation of his Elect John 10.29 My father that gave me these sheep is greater than all and none can take them out of my fathers hand and on this Pillar St. Paul built his hope of Salvation He is able to keep that I have committed to him he is able to keep my depositum 2 Tim. 1.12 4. The fourth Pillar is the Intercession of Christ and his intercession is a prevailing intercession Heb. 7.25 Wherefore he is able to save to the uttermost those that come to God by him seeing he ever lives to make intercession for them Whence was it that Peter though he fell fearfully yet he did not fall finally because our Saviour prayed for Peter I have prayed for thee that thy faith fail not Luke 22.31 But mark though this be true That saving grace once wrought in the heart cannot be lost for it is built on these four immutable Pillars the Love of God the Covenant of Grace the Power of God and the intercession of Christ yet it is possible for a man in the state of grace to have his declinings as I shewed you not long ago he may have his declinings in regard of the measure of grace and the comfortable feeling of grace and in the operations and vigour of his grace First A child of God may lose the former heat and fervency that he had The Church of Ephesus fell from her first love Secondly He may lose the comfortable feeling of Grace David prays Restore to me the joy of thy salvation 3. Grace may be as a spark of fire covered over with a heap of ashes that yields neither light nor heat and so he may lose the vigour of his grace therefore Christians should take heed of these declinings and should hold fast the grace they have received Now to make some Application 1. By way of Reproof How justly taxable and reprovable are they that do not hold fast the grace they have received but fall from their first love Oh how many back-sliders are there many that did begin well but they are weary of well-doing the Lord awaken them out of their drowsiness know you not it will be bitterness in the latter end will you lose all you have and all you hope for God forbid Therefore to close up this Point with a word of Exhortation I beseech and exhort you in the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ That you will hold fast the grace you have received the savour of Religion that you have got the principles of Religion and the practice of a holy Conversation hold fast these Take heed of Apostacy as you love your God as you love your Souls as you tender your own everlasting Salvation be not found in the number of those that draw back to perdition but be stedfast and immoveable always abounding in the work of the Lord for as much as you know your labour shall not be in vain in the Lord 1 Cor. 15. ult That you may persevere and not be weary Let me give you these three or four helps 1. Be not content with a notional and traditional Faith for such a Faith will change as the time changes but labour for a divine well-grounded lively working effectual Faith experimental Faith such as the Samaritans had Now do we believe say they not because thou toldst us this is the Christ but because we have heard him our selves and we know indeed this is the
Jesus Christ and the Soul of a Hypocrite You know the story of the young man in Matth. 19.22 When Jesus Christ made him a fair proffer Go and sell that thou hast says he and give it to the poor and thou shalt have treasure in Heaven and come and follow me He made a fair shew but the world lay nearer his heart than Jesus Christ did therefore when he bid them sell all and give to the poor he went away very sorrowful And you know the story of Orpah and Ruth Ruth 1. Orpah she gave her Mother-in-Law a kiss and bid her Farewel but Ruth clave to her Mother Naomi So it is here It may be an Hypocrite can complement with the Lord Jesus Christ can give him some outward Ceremonial observance but when it comes to this that he must part with any thing for Christ when Christ tells him If thou wilt be mine thou must take me on my own terms thou must look to bear my Cross as well as to wear my Crown thou must look for Hatred Persecution a Cross a Prison for my sake then he begins to shrink and draw back I love Jesus Christ well says he but I love pleasures better the World better Liberty better still there is something that a Hypocrite prizes before Jesus Christ But then you will say How may I do to know that Jesus Christ is precious to me indeed I will tell you briefly First See whether your desires be strongly carried out after the Lord Jesus Christ whether they be vehement constant and industrious desires or no for if your desires after Jesus Christ be right they will be very vehement desires like hunger and thirst that are commanding The appetite hunger it hath this property not only to be violent in its desires but to be terminated to one object I must have food says an hungry man and nothing but food will please him offer him Musick no that will not content him offer him Gold and Silver that will not content him he must have food and nothing in the World but food will content and satisfie him So that Soul that hath a true desire after Christ says I must have Christ and none but Christ will content me Riches Pleasures Honours will not satisfie my Soul I must have Christ none but Christ Secondly And are your desires constant and continued desires It may be some men may have flashes of desires when their Consciences are awakened when they lie tumbling upon a sick-bed or when the wrath of God begins to be kindled against them But tell me Are thy desires constant Canst thou say with David My soul breaketh for the longing it hath unto thy Judgments at all times Psalm 119.20 I know there may be an intermission of the act of desire but then the constant bent of the Soul is Chrisward As a Tradesman that makes it his Tâ—â—â—â— to buy and sell though he doth not always buy and sell so the Soul will be always trading in desire for Christ though there may be an intermission of desires Thirdly Are they industrious desires that make you not only to desire him but to seek him The desire of our Soul is to thy Name O Lord and to the remembrance of thee And then With my soul have I desired thee in the night yea with my Spirit will I seek thee early Isa 26.8 9. If so be your desires after Christ be right they will put you upon all means of Grace and the using of them carefully and conscientiously enquiring after him and following of him in the use of every Ordinance This is the first way whereby you may know whether Christ be precious to you See what your desires are if they be strongly carried out after Christ if they be vehement constant and industrious desires Secondly Would you know whether Jesus Christ be precious to your Souls yea or no then see whether your love to Jesus Christ be a true love unfeigned love whether you love him in sincerity or no Grace be with all them that love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity Amen Ephes 6. ult Implying many love him not in sincerity Thus you may know whether you love the Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity First You will remember Christ your hearts will be much taken up with him When I remember thee upon my bed and meditate on thee in the night watches Psalm 63.6 Are your thoughts taken up with him Secondly If you love him in sincerity you will hold no correspondency with sin you will hate sin and hate every sin Thirdly If your love to Christ be sincere it will be accompanied with smarting sorrow for your former unkindnesses to him as Mary Magdalen because she loved much she wept much Thus will such a Soul say Against thee have I sinned thee have I offended with Judas I have betrayed thee though thou didst never shed thy blood for him as thou didst for me therefore my sins are the greater because against thee I have sinned Thirdly Would you know whether Christ be precious to you or no let me then propound to you these three Soul-searching Questions First Tell me What are you willing to give for Christ Secondly What are you willing to lose for Christ Thirdly What pains are you willing to take that you may obtain him First If you would know whether Christ be precious to you then answer this Question What are you willing to give for Christ I know nothing can be given by way of merit do not understand me so but what are you willing to give in the use of means First Are you willing to give as much for Christ now as you would give in a time of sickness when you are lying upon your Death-beds when the Soul sits upon the lips and is ready to take its leave Are you willing to give as much now in health as you would give in a time of sickness Oh when a man lies on his sick-bed and Death knocks at his door Christ then it may be would be very precious to him Oh what would he then give for a Christ Those in Noah's time that never regarded the Ark all the while it was a building yet when the Flood came what would they have given for an Ark then What would you give for Christ at that time when you are upon a Death-bed ready to be delivered by your Death-bed to your cold Grave Certainly Christ is as precious now as he will be when you lie upon a sick-bed when you shall look Death in the face Again Are you willing to give as much for Christ now as at the day of Judgment Oh what seeking and suing will there be to Christ at that day Lord pity me Lord own me I am undone for ever without thee Oh what seeking and suing will there be to Christ at that day Certainly Christ is as precious now as he will be at that day when he shall come in Flames of fire taking vengeance on them that know him not
Lesson That such and so great is the indispensable need that we have of the Lord Jesus Christ that without him we are undone for ever In the 53d verse of this exeellent Chapter Verily verily I say unto you except you eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink his blood you have no life in you He speaks there of eating of his flesh and drinking his blood in a spiritual manner You know there are many desires of the Soul that may be dispenced with but hunger is a desire that must be satisfied unless you have bread for your sustenance the body dies so unless you have Jesus Christ for your spiritual sustenance your Souls die and drop down into Hell for ever for look as the union of the Body with the Soul is the life of the Body so the union of the Soul with Jesus Christ is the life of the Soul O hearken to this thou that art yet in a natural and unregenerate estate uncalled unconverted that never was yet transplanted from off the old rotten stock of Adam and replanted into the true Vine the Lord Jesus Christ if thou livest in this estate and diest in this estate thou art undone for ever the poorest worm that crawls upon the ground is in a better condition than thou art in Acts 26.27 Believest thou the Prophets said St. Paul to King Agrippa I know that thou believest Believest thou this Doctrine say I to thee that art yet uncalled unconverted I know thou believest it not for if thou didst believe it thou couldest not rest contented in a Christless condition for one week no not for one day but wouldest by prayers and tears and supplications cry out Lord Jesus give me thy self whatever thou denyest me give me thy self though I be as poor as Job upon the Dunghil But we cannot perswade men that the danger of a natural estate and condition is so great as indeed it is but the Lord convince you and perswade you of it A second Doctrinal Inference that may be hence deduced is this If Jesus Christ be the living bread then it follows the vanity and emptiness and insufficiency of all Creature-accommodations is exceeding great name what you will of these outward accommodations that the World do so greedily gape after whether Riches or Honours or Pleasures or goodly brave Buildings this and that alas we may say of them they are not bread Isa 55.2 Wherefore do you spend your money for that which is not bread Your money that is your precious opportunities your time that is your money to make your Markets for Eternity with for Moments are the Markets for Eternity Wherefore do you spend your money for that which is not bread and your labour for that which satisfieth not Alas alas these outward things they are neither satisfactory nor permanent they are not satisfactory for Solomon tells us that He that loveth silver shall not be satisfied with silver nor he that loveth abundance with encrease Eccles 5.10 As soom may you hope to fill a Chest with Wisdom and Knowledg as to fill a Soul which is a spiritual substance with temporal things And as these outward things are are satisfactory so neither are they permanent or lasting 1 Cor. 6.13 Meats for the belly and the belly for meats but God shall deslroy both it and them Look as the belly devours the meat so the worms at last shall devour the belly and so both meat and belly perish together But if you can but once get this spiritual bread the Lord Christ you shall never perish Alas alas consider your own folly and brutishness in seeking for satisfaction here below where none is to be found your bread without Christ is but gravel in your throats your moral Vertues without Christ are but glittering sins your bodies without Christ are but dust and ashes dust that will drop down into the Grave and ashes that are fitted for the Furnace of Hell-fire your Souls without Christ are but the Devils Palace your lives without Christ is but the service of sin and your deaths without Christ will be nothing else but the wages of sin Oh who would rest then in a Christless condition Who would sit down contented with these poor transitory shadowy comforts A third Lesson we may learn by way of Inference is this If Jesus Christ be the living bread then our main end and errand in coming to the Lords Table is not to feed the Body but to feed the Soul 1 Cor. 11.21 What have you not Houses to eat and to drink in saith the Apostle So that it is not the end of your coming to the Lords Table therefore you eat but a little piece of Bread and drink but a little draught of Wine to put you in mind that it is not the Body that you come to feed but you come to feed the Soul and therefore you should labour to get a preparation suitable to that spiritual bread that you are to taste of But what is that you will say I answer There should be something done before your coming and something done in the Administration of the Elements and something done after the receiving of the Elements First There should be something done before you come Oh beg a blessing upon your spiritual bread Man lives not by bread alone but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God Matth. 4.4 I may apply it thus Your Souls will not live by this Sacramental Bread but by the Word of Gods blessing If God will bless this spiritual food to you your Souls shall live On therefore beg the Blessing of God upon this Heavenly Bread Secondly And then there is something to be done while you are eating this Bread you should get your hearts all on fire with love to this blessed Redeemer that was contented to be made bread to be prepared food as I told you even now to be threshed and winnowed and ground and bak'd and scorch'd in the Oven of his Fathers Wrath Oh how should your hearts be all on a flame with Love as the two Disciples were going to Emaus As Jesus Christ brake bread and gave it to them and opened to them the Scriptures their hearts did burn within them Luke 24.32 they were as it were all on a fire So should it be with you when you come to the Lords Table you should have your meditations wholly taken up with that which is the life of the Sacrament even the death of our Saviour let not your hearts be roving and wandering about watch them narrowly you will hardly keep them close to a duty two Minutes without great watching Thirdly There is something to be done after when you have eaten of this living bread that is to be exceeding thankful study to walk worthy of the Lord unto all well-pleasing That 's the first Use of Information The second Vse is of Exhortation Is Jesus Christ that living bread that gives eternal life to all those that have a
are the Doers of the will of God shall know more of his will and shall be more assured of what his will is JOHN VII 17. If any man will do his will he shall know of the Doctrine whether it be of God or whether I speak of my self NOW I come to the second Doctrine which is principally and especially held forth in this Text and it is this That he that doth the will of God shall know more of it and shall be more assured of what he knows For the better handling of this weighty Truth uttered by our Lord Jesus Christ it will not be amiss to divide the Doctrine into two Branches or into two Propositions and to speak distinctly to each of them The first Branch of the Doctrine is this He that doth the will of God shall know more of his will The second is this He that doth the will of God shall be more assured of what he knows For the first Proposition or the first Branch of the Doctrine He that doth the will of God shall know more of his will God will reveal himself more fully more clearly to such a Soul as is careful to live up to his light to walk according to the measure of knowledg he hath received this is that our Saviour promiseth in Matth. 13.12 For whosoever hath to him shall be given and he shall have more abundance but whosoever hath not from him shall be taken away even that which he hath Whosoever hath to him shall be given What is the meaning of this That is as learned Pareus well expounds the place He that hath the beginning of saving knowledg and sound Conversion and sincere Faith and Obedience To him shall be given What shall be given There shall be given an encrease of that knowledg an encrease of that faith an encrease of that love an encrease of that obedience Whosoever hath to him shall be given But on the contrary Whosoever hath not from him shall be taken away that he seemeth to have that is from Hypocrites that make a fair shew as if they had grace saving knowledg true repentance and the like from him shall be taken away that he seemeth to have This is an excellent Scripture to prove the perseverance of the Saints they shall encrease in grace but then on the contrary it proves the warping declining and withering condition of Hypocrites they shall grow worse and worse and lose those gifts that they have The Arminians they make a wicked construction and interpretation of this place of Scripture for they say He that hath and well improves his natural parts and abilities he deserves the gift of saving grace This is their Exposition He that well useth the gift of Nature doth deserve of God the gift of saving grace this is a false Exposition and a reasoning against Reason for our Saviours words must be understood thus To him that hath shall be given He that well useth the gifts of Nature true indeed he shall have an encrease of the gifts of Nature for example Aristotle and Plato and the better sort of Heathen well using the gifts of Nature had the gifts of Nature encreased and they grew to be excellent men so far as the light of nature would carry them God gave them an encrease of the gifts of Nature but now he that well useth the gifts of grace to him shall be given he shall have an encrease of those gifts of grace Hitherto tends that excellent passage of the Prophet David Psalm 25.12 What man is he that fearcth the Lord him shall he teach in the way that he shall chuse Mark this Scripture well That man that conscientiously walketh in the fear of the Lord and in obedience to his Commands he shall have more light and more direction from the God of his Salvation God will teach him and God will direct him and God will enable him to walk in a way that is well-pleasing in his sight that God whom he fears will guide and direct him to walk in paths of righteousness So in verse 14 of the same Psalm The secret of the Lord is with them that fear him and he will shew them his Covenant A marvellous sweet and comfortable Scripture The secret of the Lord that is God will reveal some secret some mysterie of his some mysteries of grace and of the power of grace to those that do fear him and conscientiously practise what they know God will as I may say make them of his Privy-Council they shall be acquainted with some secrets of God that others are not acquainted with and the Prophet here instances in one secret God will shew them his Covenant O what a sweet Promise is that God will shew them the excellency and sweetness of the Covenant of grace that Covenant David speaks of 2 Sam. 23 Although my House be not so with God Alas I have had many failings failings in my Political Relations and failings in my Domestical Relations as a King as a Master as a Father though my House be not so with God though it hath not been ordered as it should be yet he hath made with me a Covenant sure and stedfast and ordered in all things aright Never mortal man was saved by a Covenant of works all that have been and all that shall be saved were and shall be saved by a Covenant of grace Now that man that feareth God God will shew him the Covenant of grace and God will shew that man the unconceivable beauty and sweetness and all-sufficiency that is in Jesus Christ God will shew to such a man the marvellous sweet and secret contentment that is in the power of Godliness God will shew such a man the invaluable comforts of his Spirit the Sweet-meats of Heaven those Soul-ravishing and Soul-satisfying comforts that delight the Soul Psalm 94.19 Thy Comforts delight my Soul God will shew such a man the transcendent excellencies of those glorious hopes that are laid up in Heaven for the Saints in light Thus the secrets of the Lord are with them that fear him Some secrets and mysteries that are not shewn to the World God will reveal to all those that fear his Name that do conscientiously walk before him that live up to their light And what a sweet and precious Promise is that which our Saviour made in John 14.21 He that hath my Commandments and keeps them he it is that loveth me and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father and I will love him and manifest my self to him Mark that man that loves God and that walks in a way of obedience that lives up to his light that doth the will of God he shall know more of Jesus Christ Jesus Christ will more fully manifest himself unto him I will love him and I will manifest my self unto him he shall have more discoveries of my love To name but one Scripture more 2 Pet. 3.18 But grow in grace and in the knowledg of our Lord and
is that of the Prophet Jonah in the Whales belly in that remarkable place Jonah 2.2 Then Jonah prayed unto the Lord his God out of the fishes belly and said I cryed by reason of mine affliction unto the Lord and he heard me out of the belly of hell cryed I and thou heardst my voice If you would know a reason why God is thus ready to hear and answer the prayers of his Servants when they cry take these three or four reasons briefly First Because of Gods faithfulness He is very faithful that hath promised Call upon me in the day of trouble and I will hear and answer and thou shalt glorifie me Psal 50.15 So in Isa 65.24 And it shall come to pass that before they call I will answer and whiles they are yet speaking I will hear God is faithful to his promises All his promises in Jesus Christ are yea and in him they are amen Our unfaithfulness cannot make him unfaithful if we believe not he remains faithful he cannot deny himself Secondly God hears his Servants prayers Because of that compassion that is in him towards them as he is very faithful so he is very pitiful as he hath beams of Majesty so hath he also bowels of mercy and his bowels yearn towards his poor children when they cry to him Can a mother forget her sucking-child that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb yea they may forget yet will I not forget thee Isa 49.15 A tender-hearted mother if she hear her little child whimper in the cradle that does not move her but if the child cry to purpose then her bowels yearn towards it she can stay no longer from it but runs in all haste to it so here when we do but whimper pray coldly God may be is not ready to hear but if we cry in prayer if we follow God with our supplications then his bowels cannot but yearn towards us Third reason Because Gods servants have Jesus Christ to pray for them We have an advocate with the Father Jesus Christ the righteous he is pleading our cause 1 John 2.1 And he ever lives to make intercession for us Heb. 7.25 Nay his very presence with the Father is our intercession he appears in the presence of God for us he appears as our advocate in our stead for our good Heb. 9.24 For Christ is not entred into the holy places made with hands which are the figures of the true but into heaven it self now to appear in the presence of God for us The fourth reason is this Because the servants of God have not only Christ to pray for them but they have the Spirit of Christ to pray in them Rom. 8.26 Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities for we know not what we should pray for as we ought but the spirit it self maketh intercession for us with groans which cannot be uttered If you ask me But how does the spirit of God help our infirmities I answer These four or five ways First The spirit of God helps our infirmities by affecting us with them with our wants and weaknesses that being humbled and lying low at the feet of God we may be vessels more capable of mercy God will not pour in the oyl of his mercy but into the vessels of a broken heart now the spirit of God by a sight and sense of our manifold infirmities doth empty us and work in us some kind of brokenness of heart and so fits us for mercy Secondly Again the spirit of God helps our infirmities likewise by acting his own graces in us by acting those beginnings of faith and love and humility and self-denial which he himself hath wrought in us Thirdly By stirring up in us holy motions holy desires and pantings and breathings after our heavenly Father even such breathings as these Psal 42.1 2. As the hart panteth after the water-brooks so panteth my soul after thee O God my soul thirsteth for God for the living God when shall I come and appear before God when wilt thou come to me when shall I come to thee And my soul followeth hard after God Fourthly The spirit of God helps our infirmimities by working in us a childlike-boldness enabling us to cry Abba Father we can come to God as a child to a Father Father I want this I want that God is delighted to hear the moan-makings of his poor children Fifthly By restraining Satan that he may not interrupt us and distract us in holy services for this is certain we seldom go to duty but Satan still stands at our right-hand When Joshua the high Priest stood before the Angel of the Lord Satan stood at his right-hand to resist him Zach. 3.2 But now Jesus Christ he is stronger than Satan and he by his spirit does rebuke him But there is one great objection I know will be ready to arise in every one of your hearts You say God is ready to hear and answer the prayers of his poor servants when they cry to him but some will say Experience seems to deny this Gods own servants pray oft and yet they have no answer nay God is sometimes angry with the prayers of his servants Psal 80.4 O Lord God of Hosts how long wilt thou be angry against the prayer of thy people the prophet Jeremy he professes he cryed to God and shouted and yet God shut out his prayers and wrapt himself in a cloud that his prayers should not pass through Lam. 3.44 Thou hast covered thy self with a cloud that our prayers should not pass through It may be some will say I have been praying for such a grace twenty thirty years together and yet have not got it for strength against such a corruption and yet have not got it For answer to this objection you must know First Gods people sometimes pray not when they seem to pray Secondly God hears his people when sometimes he seems not to hear First Gods people pray not when they seem to pray as when they pray coldly and carelesly this is as no prayer as the Apostle said in the like case When ye come together therefore into one place this is not to eat the Lords Supper 1 Cor. 11.20 as if he should say irregular unprepared receiving is not receiving at all as good never a whit as never the better so here cold careless formal customary prayer is as no prayer Dan. 9.13 All this evil is come upon us yet made we not our prayer before the Lord our God that me might turn from our iniquities and understand thy truth for these seventy years hath thine hand been heavy upon us yet we have not made our prayers before the Lord our God we made a shew of praying but our careless praying may be said to be no praying Again Gods people in praying may be said not to pray at all when they exercise only gifts in prayer and have not the grace of prayer for you must know the power and prevalency of
now be confirmed and precious Evidences of Eternal Salvation may be now gained and likewise precious Graces and precious Faith and precious Hope and precious Love Humility Repentance and Self-denial these precious Graces may be now procured a precious soul may be saved a precious pardon may be sealed Oh what precious things then are tendred to you in the preaching of the Gospel these opportunities therefore are exceeding precious if Christ be thine now he is thine for ever Oh that you you did but know the price of these things that are tendred to you in the preaching of the Gospel if a condemned prisoner did know how precious the pardon that was brought to him was would he slight it Here is a precious Pardon Grace Mercy Peace all tendred to you in the preaching of the Gospel How infinitely then does it concern us to improve our Gospel-seasons 4. The fourth Lesson by way of inference is this It lets us see the contempt nay the neglect of the Gospel is a very dangerous sin for if the knowledg of Salvation be brought to the soul by the Gospel then certainly he that neglect the Gospel neglects Salvation and Salvation it self shall not save that man that despiseth the remedy yea that neglects Salvation says the Apostle How shall we escape if we neglect so great Salvation Heb. 2.3 As if he had said It is impossible to escape eternal Damnation if we do but neglect this eternal Salvation These are the Lessons from this Doctrine and that 's the first Use of Information The second Use I shall make of this Doctrine it is for Examination If so be the knowledg of eternal Life be brought by the Gospel be discovered and revealed by the Gospel then take occasion to call your selves to an account and see whether this eternal Salvation be so discovered to you that you may be partakers of it otherwise what advantage will it be to you to hear that Life and Immortality is brought to light unless this Light do shine into your souls But may be you will say to me How may we do to know that the Day-spring from on High hath shined into my soul that God hath called me out of darkness into his marvellous Light that he hath discovered the Mysteries of Salvation to me even to me I answer You may know it briefly thus If the Light of Life be revealed to thy Soul then certainly thy knowledg will not be a Notional knowledg only but an Experimental knowledg thou wilt not have a knowledg swimming in thy head only but a soaking and sinking knowledg in thy heart thou wilt not only know Christ but taste Christ thou wilt taste that hidden Manna Rev. 2.17 To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden Manna Thou wilt not only know but taste the bitterness of sin and thou wilt say Jer. 2.19 It is an evìl and bitter thing that I have for saken the Lord and that his fear is not in me A blind man may talk of Colours that never saw them and a hungry man may talk of a full dinner that never tasted it so a carnal man may have a great deal of knowledg in his head and never rellish nor taste it but he that hath the knowledg of Salvation revealed to his soul he hath a Light shining in his heart Jer. 31.34 And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour and every man his brother saying Know the Lord for they shall know me from the least of them unto the greatest of them saith the Lord that is they shall not need to be taught those experimental truths that are written in their own hearts by the finger of the Spirit of God A man that hath this Life and Immortality brought to light by the Gospel will say You need not tell me that sin is a bitter thing I have tasted the bitterness of it You need not tell me the favour of God is sweet and lovely Oh it is sweeter to me than life it self You need not tell me that Jesus Christ is very Amiable and Beautiful I see him to be so with my eye of faith You need not tell me there is a marvellous power in the death of Christ for the crucifying of sin I do experimentally know it when a man hath this experimental knowledg he will say as the Apostle 1 Tim. 1.13 I was before a Blasphemer and a Persecutor and injurious but I obtained Mercy because I did it ignorantly When a man hath the feeling and experience of spiritual Truths in his own soul then may he be sure that Life and Immortality is brought to light by the Gospel unto him A third Use I shall make of this Doctrine it is of Reproof Two sorts there are that are justly liable to the reproof of this Doctrine First It condemns and crys down that Hellish practice of the whore of Rome and the Popish Clergy who lock up the Scriptures and keep Millions of souls from the knowledg of Gospel from the knowledg of the mysteries of Salvation this is all one as if they should lock them up in the pit of Infernal darkness for if so be Salvation or Eternal Life be brought to light by the Gospel and this Gospel be to them but as a Light in a dark Lanthorn must not they needs inevitably perish Oh cruel bloody Butchers Oh merciless mischievous Soul-destroyers may we say of the Romish Synagogue well may the whore of Rome be said to be drunk with blood because she is drunk not only with the blood of the bodies of Men but with the blood of the Souls of men Oh the tender Mercies of God that hath opened our eyes to see better things and to free us from the bondage and slavery of that Antichristian yoke this is a great mercy to be delivered from the poyson of those serpents and a greater mercy than ever we can be thankful for But take this withal I beseech you Take heed that Popery do not creep in at a back-dore of Toleration let us bless God for that liberty that we have but take heed that you do not hanker after those Popish Doctrines that may poyson the soul and that will provoke God to remove his Candlestick from amongst us A second sort to be reproved are those that grow weary of the Gospel I but may be you will say Are there any so bad in our days as to be weary of the Gospel yea my brethren many there are that are weary of the Truths of it many that are weary of the Profession of it many that are weary of the Power and Practise of it First Many there are that are weary of the Truths of the Gospel that chuse rather to be raking in the stinking puddles of Popery Arminianism Socinianism and other damnable heresies as the Apostle calls them they chuse these rather than the clear fountain of truth revealed in the Gospel Oh these are in a very dangerous condition when men chuse rather to
is no mud at all but now Satan never comes to us but he finds matter enough and ground enough to work upon there is a great deal of mud at the bottom therefore he prevails on us when he comes But that is one end that he may teach us to expect temptations he himself was tempted then certainly much more must we expect to be tempted Secondly Jesus Christ was tempted that he might know how to compassionate us in our temptations Thirdly He was tempted that he might take out the sting the poison the venom of every temptation that though we be sorely assaulted by Satan yet we may not be conquered by Satan That that David speaks to Saul Psal 188.13 Thou hast thrust sore at me that I might fall but the Lord helped me The like may Believers say of Satan Thou hast thrust sore at me if it were possible to thrust me into hell but the Lord is my helper nay God can so order it when Satan thrusts his forest darts at us he can ward off the blow or at least so order the temptation that it shall kill our sins and not hurt our souls As I have read a story of one Pareus Jason who was conflicting with his adversary when his adversary thought to have run him through with his sword God did so order it that it did open an imposthumation which all Physicians could not heal so that instead of killing of him he preserved his life so God can so order it when Satan is thrusting sorely at us with his temptations they shall kill our sins but shall not hurt our souls So then the words being opened to you the way to the Doctrine is made plain which is this Doct. Christs temptations and his sufferings for us stir up in his heart a tender compassion to succour us in our temptations and in our fufferings That which God commands Israel is suitable to this Exod. 23.9 Also thou shalt not oppress a stranger for ye know the heart of a stranger seeing ye were strangers in the land of Egypt So the Lord Jesus Christ knows the hearts of tempted ones and knows how to pity tempted ones because he himself was tempted That which the Apostle speaks 2 Cor. 1.4 God comforteth us in all our tribulation that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble by the comfort wherewith we our selves are comforted of God I may apply it thus The Lord Jesus Christ knows how to succour us to comfort us to support us in our temptations with the same spirit that he had in his sufferings and in his temptations though his temptations were so great that he himself needed an Angel to come and comfort him For the better explication of this point there are two Quaeries that would be satisfied First Why Christs sufferings and temptations stir up in his heart such tender compassion towards us to succour and relieve us in our temptations and sufferings Secondly How the Lord Jesus Christ does succour and relieve poor tempted ones in their distrsses and sufferings For the first Why does Christs sufferings and temptations stir up in his heart such tender compassions towards us I answer The reason is plainly this because the Lord Jesus Christ his suffering in our Nature makes him not only a merciful God but a merciful Man also the Lord Jesus Christ as he is God equal with the Father to all Eternity so his mercies are from everlasting to everlasting Psal 103.17 But now his sufferings in our flesh makes him not only a merciful God but a merciful man also a merciful Mediator between God and man so he hath not only beams of Majesty but bowels of mercy his sufferings made him a merciful High-priest that is touched with the sense of our infirmities as you read Heb. 4.15 for says he We have not an High priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities but was in all points tempted like as we are yet without sin The Lord Jesus Christ suffered all our natural infirmities though he did not suffer our sinful infirmities He was tempted in all things like unto us yet without sin a merciful High-priest he is and this is that that makes him so tender-hearted to the sufferings and infirmities of his People Oh what bowels of compassion hath Jesus Christ towards the souls of poor People Mat. 9.36 the Text says When he saw the multitude he was moved with compassion on them because they fainted and were scattered abroad as sheep having no shepheard His bowels did earn towards them as the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifies he had compassion on their souls because they wanted those that might instruct them in the way of life and happiness And what compassion had he on the bodies of poor ones that waited on his Doctrine Mat. 15.32 Then Jesus called his disciples to him and said I have compassion on the multitude because they have continued with me now three days and have nothing to eat and I will not send them away sasting lest they faint in the way And what compassion had he towards the poor Widow that had lost her only son and they were now carrying him to the Grave the Text says he had compassion on her his Bowels did earn towards the poor Widow therefore he touched the Coffin and raised him up again Luke 7.13 Look as a Child-bearing woman that hath felt the bitter pangs and pains of Child-birth hath more compassion towards a woman in that distress than a barren woman that never felt those pangs and sorrows or as a man that hath been sorely afflicted with the Gout or Stone pitianother man that is afflicted with the same disease more than one that never felt the torment of that disease and as it is storied of Queen Elizabeth when she past once through an Hospital where she saw many poor Orphans and Fatherless and helpless Children Oh says she I was once an Orphan a poor helpless creature when I was shut up in prison therefore says she I have tasted of the sufferings of Orphans and I cannot but be merciful to Orphans and as it is said of Luther That he was a rare and and excellent man in comforting afflicted consciences those that were tempted and afflicted why because he himself was exercised with temptations for three years together so here the Lord Jesus Christ is a most rare and excellent Comforter a Physician good at all diseases especially at binding up broken hearts and comforting tempted souls why because he himself had experience of the sting and venom of temptations but some may say the Lord Jesus Christ is now in heaven hath he not left the bowels that he had on earth I answer No the Text says Isa 63.9 In all their afflictions he was afflicted and the Angel of his presence saved them in his love and in his pitty he redeemed them and he bare them and carried them all the days of old Act. 9.4 the Lord Christ cryes
bread thou mayst as well turn stones into bread as water into wine but then afterwards he comes to more gross and grievous temptations to cast himself down headlong to murther himself and commit the horridest Idolatry that can be named So Satan is modest at the first he will perswade thee to tell a merry jocond lye to tell a lye in jest that is no great matter from a jesting lye he perswades thee to tell an officious lye for an advantage to thy self or neighbour from an officious lye he will tempt thee to a pernicious lye to tell a lye for thy neighbours ruine for the ruine of thy neighbours Name or Goods or Life Oh observe the wiles of Satan his temptations are at fist more modest The sixth Rule is this Do not think when one temptation is conquered or resisted that therefore thy corruption is mortified or that the Devil is quite vanquisned or quite hath left thee no for Satan lest our Saviour but for a season Luke 4.13 after he was shamefully vanquished and foiled he left him for a season he came to him again as he did in John 4.30 The Prince of this world cometh and hath nothing in me The Devil like a Ram sometimes retires that he may come forwards with the greater violence Seventhly Would you be strengthned against temptations then above all take the Shield of Faith that is the Apostles Rule Eph. 6.16 Above all take the shield of faith whereby you may quench all the fiery darts of the devil Faith is the eye of the soul Now as a cunning Fencer when he is striving with his Adversary the first thing that he aims at is to strike out the eye of him with whom he is contesting if he can but strike out the eye then he knows he hath a great advantage so the Devil this cunning Fencer he strikes at the eye of Faith if he can but conquer thy Fath he knows he shall conquer thy soul therefore says he I fight neither against small nor great but against this King-Grace I fight against Faith therefore our Savour prays that Peters Faith should not fail so long as his faith did not fail though his other Graces be routed and broken yet Faith will recover all That was an admirable Captain who when the Battel was lost recovered it again himself when all his Soldiers fled and left him namely Shammah 2 Sam. 23.12 He alone stood to the battel and conquered a whole Troop and slew many of the Philistines Faith may be compared to Shammah when other Graces are foyled and routed our Faith will recover all again Now how should we strengthen Faith Faith is compared to a Shield now this Shield is composed of four or five plates First The gracious Promises that God hath made this is one plate that makes the shield of Faith you cannot be cast into such a condition wherein you may not meet with some Promise therefore study the Promises such as these When thou passest through the waters I will be with thee and through the Rivers they shall not overflow thee when thou walkest through the fire thou shalt not be burnt neither shall the flame kindle upon thee Isa 43.2 So that is an excellent Scripture Isa 42.19 And I will bring the blind by a way that they know not I will lead them in paths that they have not known I will make darkness light before them and crooked things straight these things will I do unto them and not forsake them What a precious Promise is that though God leads his people through a dark Wilderness as I may say and they see not one beam of light yet notwithstanding if they lean upon the Lord he will cause darkness to be light before them A second Plate that the shield of Faith is composed of and made up of is the glorious Attributes of God Gods Wisdom Power Mercy Goodness Truth all these put together do spell All-sufficiency the wisdom of God to guide us the power of God to protect us the mercy of God to pity us and the like Thirdly Another Plate is this the triumphant victory of Jesus Christ he hath conquered our Enemy blessed be his Name our Saviour he hath crusht the head of the Serpent as Luther said excellently Why should we fear a conquered world when the Conqueror himself is on our side so why should we fear a conquered Enemy a cursed Enemy when the Conqueror himself is on our side The fourth Plate is this The former Experiments we have had of Gods goodness 2 Cor. 1.10 Who delivered us from so great a death and doth deliver in whom we trust that he will yet deliver us And when the Prophet David was in those straits when he cryed out Will the Lord cast off for ever and will he be favourable no more hath God forgotten to be gracious hath he in anger shut up his tender mercy Oh says he This is my infirmity but I will remember the years of the right hand of the most high Psal 77.7 8 9 10 I will remember thee from the land of Jordan and of the Hermonites from the hill Nizar there I had a deliverance and there I had a deliverance and when my soul is cast down within me I will remember thee at such a place and at such a place where thou didst work a great deliverance for me Psal 42. Fifthly The last Plate the shield of Faith is made up of is Gods infinite love in giving of Jesus Christ He that spared not his own Son but delivered him up for us all how shall he not with him freely give us all things If God hath given us Jesus Christ he will give us supportation under trouble and he will give us deliverance out of trouble The last Direction is this Give not over praying Although for the present thou seest not the fruit of thy prayers give not over praying but remember he that was tempted for thee on earth is now interceding for thee in heaven Satan cannot be more ready to assault thee than Jesus Christ to assist thee Satan cannot be so busie on earth to hurt thee as Jesus Christ is busie in heaven to help thee and prayer through the intercession of Jesus Christ can cast out Devils Mr. Fox in his book of Martyrs in the second Volume speaking of Luther in the life of King Henry the eighth mentions a story of a man that was possessed with the Devil that had sold his soul to the Devil at Wittenburg But Luther got a company of praying Christians together to seek God on his behalf and would not give over seeking till they had received an Answer So at last the Devil in a great wind threw the Indenture in at the window Sometimes Prayer casts out the Devil God sometimes gives such signal testimonies of hearing Prayer for the enocuragement of his Servants therefore do not give over resisting Satans temptations nor praying against him Do as that blessed Saint Katharine Bretter when
1.6 Thirdly Consider the time of running is but short but the time of your Reward will be eternal if you do not come short of this eternal Rest but hold out and run to the end of the Race If you can but say with the Apostle 2 Tim. 4.7 I have fought a good fight I have finished my course I have been faithful unto the death I have not wickedly departed from my God as David speaks Psal 18.21 If you be not Apostates but hold out to the end know that your labour shall not be in vain in the Lord. O the unconceivable Reward O the invaluable and unconceiveable Bliss of all those that come to this eternal Rest The tongue of Men and Angels is not able to express it I beseech you on the one side fear the loss of it and on the other side let the consideration of that eternal happiness quicken you to do the utmost of your endeavours to attain it If you had ten thousand lives to spend in the service of God if you had ten thousand Estates to lay down at his feet if you could do as much as all the Apostles did and all the Martyrs did or suffered let me tell you the fruition of Jesus Christ one day in glory will recompence it all The Lord work these things upon our hearts that every one of us here present may fear exceedingly and continually lest a Promise being left of entring into his Rest we should forsake the Promise and by forsa ing the Promise should come short of eternal Happiness The persevering Saint shall be the Crowned Saint REV. III. 11. Behold I come quickly hold that fast which thou hast that no man take thy Crown THE seven famous Churches of Asia mentioned in the three first Chapters of this Book of Revelations had this honour put upon them to have seven Epistles sent unto them immediately from the Lord Jesus Christ himself and as they were the glory of the World while they stood fast to God and to his Truth so were they after their declining from God and his Truth made the Monuments of his anger and indignation The words I have now read unto you are part of the sixth Epistle written from the Lord Jesus Christ to the Church of Philadelphia wherein as he was a faithful Witness and one that knew their spiritual Estate better than they knew it themselves therefore he sets down in his Epistle something by way of Commendation Consolation Exhortation Something is set down here by way of Commendation in ver 8 I know thy works behold I have set before thee an open door and no man can shut it By open door may be meant either a free and full liberty and opportunity of spreading the Gospel as the Apostle uses that phrase 1 Cor. 16.9 For a great door and effectual is opened to me and there are many adversaries or else by open door may be meant a door of Hope in reference to Eternity that door of Heaven that sin had shut against us is by the merit of Jesus Christ opened to us Oh blessed are they that have this door opened to them by Jesus Christ who is the Door the Way the Truth and the Life but says he Thou hast a little strength and hast kept my word and hast not denied my name This is by way of Commendation though she had but a little strength yet because she improved it and did not deny the name of Christ was not an Apostate Church this our Saviour puts upon her account of Commendation 2. Here is something also by way of Consolation in ver 9.10 Behold I will make them of the Synagogue of Satan which say they are Jews and are not that is I will discover their Hypocrisie I will make them known to be what they are and reveal to whom they do belong I will make them to come and worship before thy feet and to know that I have loved thee that is I will subdue thy Enemies under thy feet and let them know that I have loved thee and in ver 10 Because thou hast kept the word of my patience I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation which shall come upon all the world to try them that dwell upon the earth Here is marvellous comfort Jesus Christ never brings his Children into a Wilderness but he goes with them when they go through the fire and through the water he will be with them I will keep thee and I will uphold thee says he Then in the third place Here is something by way of Exhortation in the words of the Text Behold I come quickly hold that fast which thou hast that no man take thy Crown In which words there are two things considerable 1. A Duty pressed 2. Motives expressed The Duty pressed is Constancy and Perseverance Hold fast that which thou hast The Motives expressed are two the one is drawn from the suddenness of Christs coming to Judgment Behold I come quickly the other is taken from the danger of losing their Crown set before them That no man take thy Crown 1. For the Duty pressed Hold fast that thou hast keep it with might and main use thy utmost endeavour to keep what thou hast What was that this Church had which Christ exhorts to hold fast It had both the profession and possession of true Religion Now this true Religion consisted in two things in purity of Doctrine and in holiness of Life and Conversation both these this Church had she had purity of Doctrine as I shewed you out of ver 8 Thou hast kept my Word and hast not denied my Name thou hast kept my Word Then for holiness of Conversation she had not denied Christs Name in the midst of Persecution Thou hast kept theword of my patience Now says our Saviour that which thou hast that true Religion thou profesest maintain and keep hold fast against all opposition both in profession and practice hold fast the truth thou hast embraced and hold fast the grace that thou hast received So then the Doctrine I shall commend to you hence is this Doct. That Christians must hold fast both the Truth and the grace they have received with Constancy and Perseverance There are two branches in this Doctrine which we might make two Propositions The first this That Christians must hold fast the truths they have received with Constancy and Perseverance The second this That Christians must hold fast the grace they have received with Constancy and Perseverance I begin with the first That Christians must hold fast the truths they have received with Constancy and Perseverance For the proof of this consider that place 2 Tim. 1.13 Hold fast the form of sound words which thou hast heard of me in faith and love which is in Christ Jesus the word is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that Model or that Plat-form of Gospel-Truths those fundamental Truths which the Apostle had wrapt up in a bundle to be received and embraced
so Tit. 1.9 Holding fast the faithful word as he hath been taught that he may be able by sound Doctrine both to exhort and convince gainsayers holding fast the faithful word as Adversasaries pluck one way so do you pluck another way striving earnestly for the faith of the Gospel So Heb. 10.23 Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering for he is faithful that promised Prov. 4.13 Take fast hold of instruction let her not go keep her for she is thy life Prov. 23.23 Buy the truth and sell it not buy it at any rate sell it at no rate thus you see this Duty commanded see it commended in one Example most remarkable and imitable because it was in the purest times the Primitive-time of the Church Acts 2.42 And they continued stedfastly in the Apostles doctrine and fellowship and in breaking of bread and in prayers For the better explication of this Point it may be demanded 1. How must Christians hold fast the truth they have received 2. Why must Christians hold fast the truth they have received 1. How must Christians hold fast the truth they ave received I answer They must hold it fast these three ways In their Memories Affections Practice and Conversations 1. They must hold fast the truth in their Memories Heb. 2.1 Therefore we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard lest at any time we should let them slip We should learn of the blessed Virgin Mary of whom it is said That she kept all these things and pondered them in her heart Luke 2.19 It is not the great getter but the great saver that becomes the rich man it is not the hearing but the keeping of Truths that will make us spiritually Rich. 2. We must hold fast the truth in our Affections we must cleave to the truth in love and liking thus did David Psal 119.31 I have stuck unto thy testimonies O Lord put me not to shame and in ver 20 My soul breaketh for the longing that it hath unto thy Judgments at all time O how love I thy Law it is my meditation all the day Ver. 97 and ver 167 of the same Psalm My soul hath kept thy testimonies and I love them exceedingly On the contrary when men have not a sincere love to the Truth they lose both the Truth and their own Souls too 2 Thess 2.10 11 Because they received not the love of the truth that they might be saved and for this cause God shall send them strong delusions that they should believe a lye that they all might be damned who believe not the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness This is the case of many Papists and Atheists at this day they are drawn away to believe lyes lying miracles lying doctrines when God sees men careless and remiss in their love to the Truth he says to such careless wretches Take him Jesuit take him Satan bind him and blind him and lead him to destruction Hence are all those frequent Exhortations which are fcattered up and down in the Scripture to love Wisdom Understanding and Instruction Prov. 3.3 My son forget not my Law but let thine heart keep my Commandments let not mercy and truth forsake thee bind them about thy neck write them upon the table of thine heart Prov. 4.6 Forsake not wisdom and she shall preserve thee love her and she shall keep thee Prov. 7.4 Say unto Wisdom thou art my sister and call Vnderstanding thy kinswoman What a man loves that he will keep carefully if he loves a Jewel he will be careful to preserve it if he loves a Picture he will be careful not to deface it a man will part with that last which he loves best 3. Hold fast the Truth not only in Memory and Affection but likewise hold fast the truth in Practice and Conversation you should yield conscionable subjection to every known Truth without holding any one part of the Truth in unrighteousness the more a man practiseth what he knows the more he shall know what to practice John 7.17 If any man will do his Will he shall know of the Doctrine whether it be of God or whether I speak of my self True knowledg is the mother of Obedience but obedience is thenurse of Knowledg when a Scholar hath taken out one Lesson well it is an encouragement to a Master to teach him another certainly if we would practice more we should know more The secrets of the Lord are with them that fear him and he will shew them his Covenant Psal 25.14 Look as the Widows oyl by laying it out was encreased so knowledg laid out in practice is put forth to advantage therefore put forth every known truth into practice This is the way to hold fast the Truth you have received The second Quaery by way of Explication is this But why must Christians hold fast the truth they have received with Constaney and Perseverance The Reasons are these First Because the Truth hath many Enemies to oppose it corrupt it gainsay it malign it deface it and disgrace it though Truth cannot be ashamed yet it is many times blamed Jesus Christ himself had not more Enemies upon Earth than his Truth hath at this day yea our blessed Saviour had the more Enemies because he did bear witness to the Truth John 8.40 But now you seek to kill me a man that hath told you the truth which I have heard of God this did not Abraham That was the great quarrel they had against our Saviour because he told them the truth Now as Jesus Christ the Way the Truth and the Life was opposed so will his Truth be opposed to the end of the World First The Devil is a grand Enemy to the Truth that Prince of darkness would not willingly have one Lamp of the Sanctuary unblown out the most of his rage is against the faithful Ministers of the Gospel who hold forth the word of Truth to Gods people Secondly Ignorant Unbelieving Atheistical wretches that count Preaching foolishness that will be ready to undervalue it Thirdly Subtile and undermining Priests and Jesuits those Frogs out of the bottomless pit they will endeavour to corrupt it Fourthly Scandalous Protestants which bring not forth fruit these will cast an aspersion and scandal upon the Truth therefore because of these Enemies Christians should hold forth the truth they have received That 's the first Reason Secondly The second reason is this Truth is worth the holding fast because we have many blessed priviledges by it as for Example 1. The truth of the Gospel is our Cap of Maintenance it is the Charter of our Priviledges it is the evidence of our everlasting Inheritance Thy Testimonies have I claimed for my heritage saith David And will you not keep your evidences for a good Inheritance 2. Here is another Priviledg If you will keep the Truth you may be sure the Truth will keep you as we say of a Tradesman If he will
the Popish Religion is a loose and licentious Religion a Sintolerating Religion for the Pope can dispence with murthering of Princes and the like if it will promote his interest forbidding Priests marriage and yet suffering at the same time Stews and Brothel-houses It was a saying of Sir Walter Raleigh Were I to chuse a Religion for liberty and wickedness I would chuse the Popish Religion therefore in Gods fear hold fast the truth against Popery And hold it fast likewise against the errour of Arminianism which advances mans free-Will above Gods free-Grace And hold fast the Truth against Socinians that deny the Divinity of the Lord Jesus Christ In brief be rooted setled and established in the present truth stick close unto the Word of God as David did stand for it plead for it chuse to lose Liberty Estates Comforts Life and all rather than to part with the Truth David made the Truth his Inheritance Now as Naboth said to Ahab The Lord forbid it me that I should give the Inheritance of my Fathers unto thee 1 Kings 21.3 Could he say so of a temporal Inheritance and shall not we say so of a spiritual Inheritance which is transmitted to us by the blood of Martyrs Shall the Ministers of the Gospel have cause to complain as in Jer. 9.3 And they bend their tongue like their bow for lyes but they are not valiant for the truth upon the earth Shall we deal with the truth as the Priest and Levite did with the man that went down from Jerusalem to Jericho and fell among Thieves left him wounded and half dead nay dying in the streets Hath God said Buy the truth and sell it not Prov 23 and shall we sell it for our lusts and profits God forbid Consider who it was that abode not in the truth it was Satan a Lyar who hath no truth in him John 8.44 Even so all wicked men are said to be destitute of the truth and to hold the truth in unrighteousness Rom. 1.18 that is they strive against the light of truth in their hearts those common principles of truth which they had in their understandings they suppressed and choaked that so they might sin more freely but God forbid that we should do so Will not this make the Spirit of truth to forsake us when we forsake the truth What an heroical resolution was that in holy Paul 2 Cor. 13.8 For we can do nothing against the truth but for the truth Oh what an honour is it to a Christian when truth hath such soveraignty in his heart that it is dearer to him than his own life Tit. 1.9 Holding fast the faithful Word Hold forth the word of Life and hold fast the word of Truth hold forth the word of Life by a true profession and conversation and hold fast the word of truth by courage constancy and resolution 1. But may be you will ask me What means may we use thus to hold fast the truth I answer briefly 1. Embrace the truth not only in the light of it but in the love of it what you love you will be sure not to part with Oh get your hearts fired with love to the truths of the Gospel that you may say Lord I love thy truth exceedingly 2. Love not the truth for the person's sake but love the person for the truths sake love no mans parts or person to admire him and be a folower of him farther than he follows Christ Be ye followers of me even as I also am of Christ 1 Cor. 11.1 saith the Apostle It was a great fault in Barnabas Gal. 2.13 that he was carried away by Peters dissimulation by his admiring Peters person so much by his resting and relying too much upon Peter he fell into Peters errour 3. Be ever jealous of your own strength and trust not too much to your own ability this will provoke God to leave you to your selves and then you will fall fearfully 2 Cor. 12.10 For when I am weak then am I strong when I am weakest in my self then am I strongest in a Saviour but when I am strongest in my self in my own opinion then am I weakest in a Saviour no man stands by his own strength for by humane strength can none prevail 4. And lastly Get your hearts established with grace Heb. 13.9 It is a good thing that the heart be established with grace be ballasted with grace as the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifies A Ship that is well balasted is not so ready and apt to reel as one that is not and when the Apostle puts in a caveat against unsetledness and falling from grace what means does he prescribe 2 Pet. 3.17 18 Ye therefore beloved seeing ye know these things before beware lest ye also being led away with the errour of the wicked fall from your own stedfastness but grow in grace and in the knowledg of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ says he O that you and I could grow more in grace O that we could grow more in the practical part of Religion in our hearts and houses in our lives and conversations I beseech you therefore hearken to this first Exhortation and Duty here prest upon you namely to hold fast the truth you have received hold it fast in your memories in your affections and in your conversations so much for the first branch of the doctrine That Christians must hold fast the truth they have received with constancy and perseverance I come now to the second Proposition or second branch of the Doctrine that is this Christians must hold fast that Grace that they have received with constancy and perseverance For the proof of this the Scripture is abundantly plain and pregnant in Psal 119.23 Teach me the way of thy Statutes O Lord and I will keep it to the end Matth. 24.13 He that endures to the end he shall be saved it is not setting our feet in the way of Christianity but it is a continuance in that course that will bring you to the end of your hopes the salvation of your souls So in Heb. 3.14 We are made partakers of Christ saith the Apostle if we hold the beginning of our confidence firm unto the end this will be an evidence that we are partakers of Christ indeed if we persevere and continue in the grace we have received to the end of our days so we are commanded to serve the Lord not some few days but all the days of our lives Luke 1.75 He that puts his hands to the Plow and looks back saith our Saviour is not fit for the kingdom of God Luke 9. ult and in John 8.31 If you continue in my words then are you my disciples indeed without this perseverance we are but nominal not real Disciples But if you ask me Why must Christians continue in grace and hold fast the grace they have received Hear but some Scripture Arguments strongly pleading for this truth First Unless Christians hold fast the grace and holiness
they have received they lose all they have and all they hope for All they have viz. Their present endeavours and all they hope for their future Reward 1. They lofe all they have all their praying reading hearing and communicating and humbling themselves before God all this will be lost if they do not persevere does not God himself say so Ezek. 18.24 When the righteous turneth away from his righteousness he does not speak there of one truly and really righteous in a state of grace one that is savingly righteous when he turns away from his righteousness and commits iniquity and does according to all the abominations that the wicked man doth shall he live all the righteousness that he hath done shall not be mentioned in his trespass that he hath trespassed and in his sin that he hath sinned in them shall he die So that a man loseth all he hath done in the business of Religion Saith Hierom We must be judged not by our past but by our present condition As the Tree falls so it lyes as death leaves us so shall judgment find us 2. He loseth all he hopes for too for the Crown is promised to none but to those that do hold out Be thou faithful to the death and thou shalt receive a Crown of life Rev. 2.10 Christianity is compared to a Race Let us run the race that is set before us Heb. 12.1 Now as in a Race it is not enough for a man to begin well but he must hold out else he loseth the Gole so is it in the Race of Christianity therefore saith the Apostle so run that you may obtain not only run but so run that you may not lose the Gole 1 Cor. 9.24 2. Such as Christs love is to us such must our love to Christ be Christs love to us is a constant and unchangeable love whom he loves he loves to the end John 13.1 The Lord Christ is not only the beginner but the finisher of our faith Heb. 12.2 He did not leave the work of our Redemption imperfect but he held out until he came to consummatum est till he cryed out upon the Cross it is finished Reason Third may be this Christians must hold fast the grace they have received because Apostatizing and turning our backs upon God is a most dangerous damnable soul-destroying sin 1. It is dangerous in the Original of it it springs from four bitter roots 1. It springs from Infidenlity or Unbelief take heed saith the Apostle lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelies in departing from the living God Heb. 3.12 Unbelief is a damnable sin where it is not bemoaned bewailed and striven against but reigning unbelief is a damnable sin so saith our Saviour Mark 16. ult He that believes not shall be damned And he that believes not the wrath of God abides upon him for ever John 3. ult Now this Infidelity makes the soul depart from God and it makes God depart from the soul It was a great observation of an eminent Divine now with God Look as the first return of the soul to God is by Faith for Faith sets the Soul in joint it brings Christ and the Soul together so the first departing of the Soul from God is by unbelief for from thence comes a departing to other sins and this departing to other sins encreaseth our unbelief and unbelief being encreased the rent or breach between God and the Soul is made wider and wider till at last the Soul comes to a total departing from God and then God totally departs from the Soul and says Depart from me thou cursed wretch I know thee not Now this same Apostacy it springs from Unbelief 2. This Apostacy springs from Hypocrisie for usually Hypocrisie ends in Apostacy as I have told you often Judas the Hypocrite proved Judas the Apostate Amaziah did that that was right in the eyes of the Lord but not with a perfect heart 2 Chr. 25.2 therefore Amaziah the Hypocrite proved Amaziah the Apostate In Psal 78.37 it is said there Their hearts were not upright neither remained they stedfast in his Covenant Why were they not stedfast why did not they keep constant to the ways of God to the Vows and Covenants made with God their hearts were not upright where grace is sincere it will be lasting but that which is counterfeit will be lost whatever is counterfeit is fading 3. It springs from Pride and Presumption when men think they have grace enough and holiness enough and have gone far enough in the way to Heaven this is the root of Apostacy there is a gradual as well as a total Apostacy the Saints and Servants of God may be guilty of gradual Apostacy so Peter was though not of total Apostacy it was Peters presumption that was one principal cause of his fall lofty Cedars are thrown down with a Tempest when the lower Trees in the Valley stand firm and fast So likewise lofty Christians high in their own conceits many times nestle themselves on high and their fall is great whereas Christians that walk humbly are supported and preserved Look as a man that gazeth at the Stars looks up on high quickly catches a fall because he looks not to his feet So a man that is highly conceited in his own opinion lifts up his head on high many times catches a feaful fall it is just with God to leave such men to try them Hezekiah though a very gracious King yet when his heart was listed up with Pride 2 Chron. 32.25 the Text saith God left him to himself to try what was in his heart in ver 31. That Solomon speaks of falling into misery is as true of falling and declining in grace Prov. 16.18 Pride goes before destruction and a haughty Spirit before a fall 4. Apostacy springs from Covetousness and worldliness look as the seed in the thorny ground it brought nothing to perfection because it was choaked with the cares riches and pleasures of this world as you may read in the Parable of the Sower Luke 8.14 So it is here where the heart is stuft with covetousness and the cares of this life that is usually a forerunner of a fearful fall Demas hath forsaken me having embraced this present world what was the ground of his Apostacy but his worldliness and selfishness so that Apostacy is dangerous in the Original of it Secondly It is damnable in the effects of it for 1. This puts Jesus Christ to open shame in Heb. 6.6 Apostates crucifie Christ afresh and put him to open shame for by falling away from him we do as much as tell the world we have found his service that it was an unprofitable service the service of the world is better than his service and that we have not found in Christ what we expected when we turn our backs on Christ and go to the world we do as much as openly proclaim the world is a better Master than Christ is When Soldiers forsake their
it was very pleasant therefore in the scituation of it Secondly It was pleasant in regard of the Air though it is true it was a hotter Climate than ours is yet it was a very temperate Climate it was a Climate of that temper that they were free from all noisome vapours so it was a healthful Land in that regard Thirdly It was a very fruitful Land a Land that did abound with Corn and Cattel and Vines and Fig-trees and Pomgranates as you may find Deut. 8.7 8 9 For the Lord thy God bringeth thee into a good Land a Land of Brooks of waters of Fountains and depths that spring out of valley and hills a Land of Wheat and Barley and Vines and Fig-trees and Pomgranates a Land of Oyl Olives and Honey A Land wherein thou shalt eat bread without scarceness thou shalt not lack any thing in it a Land whose stones are iron and out of whose Hills thou mayst dig brass It 's a Land saith the Lord wherein thou shalt not lack any thing any thing that may be desirable any thing that may be comfortable for their subsistence for them therefore to despise such a Land as this was it could not but provoke the Lord to anger You know there is no juster provocation among men than kindness churlishly refused Now for the Israelites to despife this Land a free gift a gift of bounty and favour such a gift as they could not in the least merit at the hand of God you find God himself beating them off from that Deut. 9.4 Speak not then in thine heart after the Lord thy God hath cast them out before thee saying for my righteousness the Lord hath brought me in to possess this Land It was not for thy righteousness-sake but it was for his own Name-sake and his Promise-sake that he made to Abraham for them to possess this Land therefore it was a gift of favour and free bounty doubtless and it was a very great sin because ingratitude is hateful both to God and man Vnthankfulness as one calls it is the hellish bar or stop to all future mercies A man that is about to pour in some precious Oyl or Liquor into a Glass if he see the Glass be crack'd or there be a hole in it you know he will pour in no Oyl or Liquor in that Glass So here an unthankful man is a broken Glafs and God will not bestow his favours upon those that are unthankful at least he will not bestow them in mercy he sometimes gives these outward blessings in anger I gave thee a King in mine anger Hos 13.11 but he never gives mercies in love and favour to unthankful wretches This sin of unthankfulness sometimes provokes the Lord to strain for his Rent when men will not give him the quit-Rent of thankfulness Therefore says God Hos 2.8 9 Because she did not know that I gave her Corn and Wine and Oyl and multiplyed her silver and gold which was prepared for Baal therefore will I return and take away my Corn in the time thereof and my Wine in the season thereof and will recover my Wool and my Flax given to cover her nakedness says God I will strip her naked and leave her bare Unthankfulness provokes the Lord you see to take away all his mercies and to strain for his Rent but that is not all for it provokes the Lord to inflict some spiritual judgment when men are unthankful Rom. 1.21 and 24 verses compared together it 's said Because that when they knew God they glorified him not as God neither were thankful but became vain in their imaginations and their foolish hearts were darkned Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts to dishonour their own bodies between themselves So that you see despising or undervaluing those outward blessings or mercies that God bestows upon a People is a God-provoking sin a sin of ingratitude Let me briefly apply this for this is not the Point I intend principally to handle but only to touch at it I beseech you my Brethren Let every one of us enter into our own hearts and by some serious self-reflecting thoughts call our selves to an account whether we be not in the number of those that despise and undervalue those National mercies wherewith God hath enrich'd us We live in a pleasant Land in a Goshen for light in a Canaan for plenty We live here in a City that is lifted up to Heaven in Mercies in the use of Ordinances I believe there is not such a place under the Heavens of God not such a City that hath such plentiful provisions both for Soul and Body as we have But have we walked worthy of the Lord unto all well-pleasing Have we liv'd up to our light under our means under our mercies Have we thankfully prized and improved these National priviledges and blessings that we enjoy No no God knows and our own hearts know that it is not so Alas it may be said of these Nations as it was said of the Land of Canaan Ezra 9.11 The Land to which ye go to possess it it is an unclean Land with the filthiness of the People of the Lands with their abominations which have filled it from one end to another with their uncleanness So may it be said of this pleasant Land this goodly Land this goodly City that we live in it is an unclean City through the filthiness and abomination of many that live therein and therefore that which God threatens Levit. 18.25 And the Land it self vomiteth out her Inhabitants even so justly might our God deal with us because we have defiled the Land with our abominations and uncleanness therefore the Land should spew us out We have swallowed down his mercies without regarding him that bestowed those mercies upon us just like the Hog under the Acorn-tree that swallows down the Mast but does not look unto the Tree We have been a murmuring and discontented people so looking upon one cross as to forget a thousand mercies We have no way walked worthy of all the good things that our God hath given us to enjoy therefore it were just that God should deal with us as he threatens Deut. 28.47 48 Because thou servedst not the Lord thy God with joyfulness and with gladness of heart for the abundance of all things therefore shalt thou serve thine enemy which the Lord shall send against thee in hunger and in thirst and in nakedness and in want of all things and he shall put a yoke of iron upon thy neck until he have destroyed thee c. Our unthankfulness is intolerable the Lord awaken us to repentance but I will not insist longer upon that Point I eome therefore to the second Notion Consider the Land of Canaan as it was a Type or Figure or Pledg or Earnest-penny of that same Heavenly Inheritance that God hath laid up for the Saints in Light and so their ingratitude was far greater they despised
of the Lord Jesus Christ deny that he is God when this is one of the Titles wherewith he is called The Mighty God The Everlasting Father The Prince of Peace What glorious Titles are here So you shall read he is called his Fathers delight Isa 42.1 Behold my servant whom I uphold mine Elect in whom my sul delighteth And the Fathers bosom-friend John 1.18 No man hath seen God at any time save the only begotten Son which is in the bosom of the Father he hath declared him If the love of all the Parents in the World were concentred in one it were but as a drop of that infinite Ocean of Love that is between the Father and the Son Nay more he is called the Fathers Fellow Zech. 13.7 Awake O Sword against my Shepherd and against the man that is my Fellow saith the Lord of Hosts So likewise he is called The Head of the Church Eph. 5.23 and the Judg both of quick and dead Acts 10.42 In a word such is the Dignity of his Person such is the Excellency of his Merits such is the sweetness of his Graces such is the fulness of his Perfection that the Scripture does abundantly put those terms of honour upon the Lord Christ as sometimes comparing him to a Corner-stone because he does support us Ephes 2.20 Sometimes to A Vine because he does refresh us John 15.1 Sometimes unto a Physician because he does heal us Matth. 9.12 Sometimes to a Day-star because he does enlighten us Rev. 22.16 Sometimes to A Shepherd because he does lead us John 10. Sometimes to Manna or the Bread of life because he does feed us What glorious Titles are these that are given to Christ therefore he is precious in his Titles Thirdly As he is precious in his Titles so he is precious in his Offices in his Kingly Office in his Priestly Office and in his Prophetical Office First He is precious in his Kingly Office he calls himself The King of Kings and Lord of Lords Rev 19.16 The King of Kings He is such a King that conquers the enemies of our Salvation as Sin and Satan and Death and Hell and the World other Kings Rule over us but this King can only Rule in us My Kingdom is not of this world saith he The Kingdom of God is within you Lnke 17.21 This King can make Laws that can bind the Conscience he is such a King as hath all Power in Heaven and Earth committed to him Matth. 28.18 Again He is such a Priest as hath reconeiled us to God the Father and ever lives to make intercession for us who is touched with the feeling of our infirmities Col. 1.21 Heb. 7.25 Heb. 4.15 And he is such a Prophet as can perfectly instruct his Church others may preach to the ear but he hath his Pulpit in Heaven only that can preach to the heart other Preachers can open the Scriptures but it is Jesus Christ only that can open our understandings that we may understand the Scriptures Luke 24.45 Then opened he their underderstandings that they might understand the Scriptures O what glorious Offices are these Fourthly He is precious in his Ordinances For Example His Word is exceeding precious to all those that have tasted the sweetness of it how precious was it to David Psalm 119.72 The Law of thy Mouth is better unto me than thousands of gold and silver How precious are Sabbaths to those that know how much of Heaven is wrapt up in the Sabbath Certainly these Sabbath-days are Market-days for our Souls wherein we may make provision for Eternity days wherein the Lord Jesus Christ many times communicates himself and much of his sweetness to those that wait upon him in holy Duties And how precious is the Ordinance of the Lords Supper wherein the Lord Christ makes us a feast of fat things a feast of Wines on the Lees of fat things full of Marrow Wines on the Lees well refined Isa 25. Wherein he gives his own flesh to eat his flesh that was crucified to satisfie Divine Justice and his own blood to drink that blood which only can quench the fire of Hell quench the fire of Gods anger which otherwise would have been burning and burning against us to all Eternity Fifthly As he is precious in his Ordinances so he is precious in his Prerogatives for he and he only is the Saviour of the World and besides him there was no other Saviour Acts 4.12 Neither is there salvation in any other for there is none other Name under Heaven given among men whereby we must be saved That is there is nothing can be named for it is but a Hebraism there is nothing can be named under Heaven whereby we can be saved but only the Name of Jesus Christ he had no Coadjutor or Helper in the work of our Redemption Isa 63.3 I have trodden the Wine-press alone and of the People there was none with me for I will tread them in mine anger and trample them in my fury and their blood shall be sprinkled upon my garments and I will stain all my rayment And as he is the only Saviour so he is the only Mediator too For there is one God and one Mediator between God and Man the Man Christ Jesus 1 Tim. 2.5 So he is the only Head of his Church Eph. 1.22 And hath put all things under his feet and gave him to be the Head over all things to the Church He only hath the Supremacy and Authority as being Omnipotent and Omnipresent one that is able to protect his people from all injuries one that is able to prevent all the plots and projects that are hatcht and invented against them he hath these Prerogatives that cannot be given to any Creature in Heaven or Earth but only unto him therefore he is precious in his Prerogatives Sixthly The Lord Christ is precious also in the purchase of his blood the purchase he made for us by his blood is a very precious purchase and the portion that he bestows on his Elect that he hath purchased for them is a precious portion so he is precious not only in regard of his Person but in regard of his Portion For Example the Redemption that he hath wrought for us by his blood is a precious Redemption a Redemption from Sin and Satan and Death and Hell In whom we have redemption through his blood the forgiveness of sins Ephes 1.7 Secondly The donation or bestowing of his Spirit it is a very precious gift that the Spirit of God should in his Name that is for his Merit be bestowed upon all those that do believe But the Comforter which is the Holy Ghost whom the Father will send in my Name he shall teach you all things and bring all things to your remembrance whatsoever I have said unto you John 14.26 O what a precious invaluable gift is it to have the Spirit of God given us to quicken us to draw us to Jesus Christ and to carry on the
in the Law blameless As to his outward man he was blameless none could say that black was his eye yet all these Priviledges he esteemed loss and dung in comparison of Jesus Christ And then consider who it was that did undervalue them it was Paul a Scholar a man of Parts a man of no mean City but of the City of Tarsus in Cilicia Acts 21.39 It was Paul that was not a Novice in Religion that knew not what he said but Paul the Aged that was well experienced in such things that knew very well what he said it is he that passes this account of all things in comparison of Jesus Christ I says he esteem all these Priviledges and if I had a thousand times as many more I would esteem them but loss and dross and dung as nothing in comparison of Christ Oh how invaluable was Jesus Christ to holy Paul that was a Believer But for the better understanding of this Point that we may see how excellent and precious Christ is to a Believer how highly he is prized by him First It may be demanded Who are those Believers to whom Christ is precious Secondly Why is Christ so precious to them First Who are those Believers to whom Christ is precious I answer Not they that have only an Historical Faith of Christ to know that there was such a Saviour that came into the World and that he was God and Man and that he is able to save to the uttermost those that come to him Nor they that have only a temporary Faith such a Faith as they had which you read of in the Parable of the Sower Matth. 13 They that received the seed into stony places the same are they which hear the Word and anon with joy receive it but they have no root and for a while believe but in time of temptation and persecution they fall away Luke 8.13 Not they I say that thus have only an historical Faith or only a temporary Faith but they are said to be Believers that are contented to take Jesus Christ upon his own terms to receive him as their King and Priest and Prophet they that can be content to close with him and to cleave to him as to the work of their Salvation and that can say with Job Though thou kill me I will put my trust in thee Job 13.15 In a word They are said to be Believers that can rest and rely upon Jesus Christ that can cast their Souls into his Arms to sink or swim with him to live or die with him to be saved or damned with him it is the true Believer the Text here speaks of when the Apostle says here To you that believe he is precious you must not understand it of a formal believer neither must you understand it of a hypocritical believer you must not understand it of those that have a false Faith but of those that have a true Faith I told you not long ago which some of you may remember out of that Text Heb. 10.22 Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of Faith That there was a false and counterfeit Faith as well as a true Faith for example I told you First That that is an easie Faith that is easily let into the Soul without any work of conviction contrition and humiliation That Faith that hath no tears nor prayers nor earnest endeavours paid for the purchase of it is cheap ware and not worth a farthing Secondly That Faith that is an idle and an ineffectual Faith that is never working upon the precepts of God to obey them nor on the Promises of God to embrace them nor on the Threatnings of God to tremble at them Thirdly That Faith that is an unthriving Faith that never grows under the means of Grace True Faith is a growing Faith 2 Thess 1.3 says the Apostle We are bound to thank God always for you Brethren as it is meet because that your Faith groweth exceedingly and the charity of every one of you all towards each other aboundeth Fourthly That Faith that is a loose and licentious Faith that Faith that hath room for Christ and room for any reigning lust also room for Christ and room for the World and the things of it when a man can pretend love to Jesus Christ and yet live in a known sin whereas the true Faith purifies the heart Acts 15.9 And put no difference between us and them purifying their hearts by faith To them that have such a Faith this false counterfeit Faith this easie idle unthriving loose and licentious Faith to them Christ is not at all precious they see no beauty at all in him But they that have this true Faith that is ushered in by conviction and humiliation that is a growing Faith an operative and working Faith this holy Faith as it is called in the 26 verse of the Epistle of Saint Jude But ye Beloved building up your selves in your most holy faith praying in the Holy Ghost To them that have this true Faith to them Jesus Christ is precious and they are the Believers the Text here speaks of So much of the first who are those Believers to whom Jesus Christ is precious Secondly Why is Jesus Christ so precious to such Believers You see who they are but why is he so precious to them so highly prized by them Divers reasons might be rendered I shall give you these five or or six First Jesus Christ is so highly prized by Believers because they see the indispensable need that they have of him that without him they are lost dead damned and undone for ever therefore they prize him because they know they cannot live without him They know that a condemned Prisoner hath not more need of a pardon a poor beggar that is ready to starve in the streets hath not more need of food nor a naked man more need of cloaths nor a sick man more need of a Physitian than they have of Jesus Christ and therefore they prize him They know they are foolish yea folly it self therefore they have need of him to be their wisdom to guide them they know they are guilty Sinners therefore they know they have need of his Righteousness to clear them they know they are poluted and defiled Sinners therefore they have need of his blood to purifie them they know they are exposed to the wrath of a Sin-revenging God and the curse of the condemning Law and the condemnation of the second Death therefore they have need of him to be their Redemption They know that they are infinitely indebted that they owe to God a debt of ten thousand Talents which they are never able to discharge and therefore they have need of Christ to be their Surety they know they are weak and able to do nothing without him without me says Christ ye can do nothing and they know Christ is their strength as well as Redeemer and that through Christ they can do all things Phil. 4.13
and obey not his Gospel 2 Thess 1.8 Can you be content to give as much for him now as you would give in that day for him Can you be contented to give as much for him as a damned Soul would give for him if it were possible he could purchase him Certainly he is as precious now as he would be to a damned soul if he could be made partaker of him In a word Tell me Are you willing to give up your selves to him wholly to be ruled by him to give up your Understandings to him to desire to know nothing but Jesus Christ and him crucified To give up your Will to him to say Rule in me as thou pleasest so I may be but thine to give up your Affections to him to love him to delight in him to rejoyce in him to say with the Apostle God sorbid I should rejoyce in any thing save in the Cross of Christ Gal. 6.14 If you can do thus then you have answered the first Question and you may know certainly Jesus Christ is precious to you Secondly Tell me What are you willing to lose for Christ to part with for a precious Redeemer First Are you willing to part with your sins though they may be never so near and dear to you though they be as your right hand and right eye can you throw them away from you with detestation Isa 30.22 Ye shall defile also the covering of your graven Image and the Ornament of thy molten Image of gold thou shalt cast them away as a menstruous cloth thou shalt say unto it get thee hence they shall cast away their Idols with detestation Again Can you be content to part with the World your Estates your Liberties your Comforts any thing for Christ Understand me thus First If they come in competition with him Secondly If they stand in opposition to him First If they come in competition with him Tell me can you hate Father Mother Wife children any thing that is near and dear to you if it stand in competition with Christ or any thing that stands in opposition to him If any thing hinders the meeting of Christ and your Souls though never so near and dear to you can you cast it away can you be content to part with it Thirdly Answer me this Question What pains can you be contented to take for the gaining of the Lord Jesus Christ can you be as industrious and unwearied in the pursuit of those unsearchable riches that are laid up in Christ as you are after these temporary and transitory riches that oftentimes take to themselves wings and fly away can you be as unsatiable in seeking to gain Jesus Christ on the Lords Day as you are unwearied in your Callings on the Week day certain it is if Jesus Christ be precious to you you will think no pains too great you will think no cost too much you will think no industry can be great enough for the purchasing this Pearl of Price you will with the Wise Merchant in the Gospel sell all to purchase him you will seek him in the Streets as the Spouse did you will seek him in the Assemblies you will be driving a Trade still that you may get more of him more influences of Grace from him and more conformity unto him This is the first Use of Examination to discover whether Jesus Christ be precious to you or no if your desires be strongly carried out after him if your love be a servent and sincere love if you can be content to give any thing for him and to lose or part with any thing for his sake and if you can be content to take any pains and think no pains too great to gain him who is the Pearl of great Price The Lord make your own hearts your Judges in this particular And so much for the first Use of Examination There are three other Uses a Use of Conviction a Use of Information and a Use of Exhortation But I must refer them to another opportunity 1 Pet. II. 7. Vnto you therefore which believe he is precious I Have spoken to this Text in two Sermons already upon the like occasion of our solemn approaching to the Table of the Lord and there are two Points of Doctrine I have drawn from these words the first is this That Jesus Christ is infinitely precious in himself The second is this As Jesus Christ is infinitely precious in himself so is he also precious to all Believers and highly prized by them This Point I spake to upon the last Occasion and opened it to you and made one Use of Examination I now come to a second Use that is of Conviction If it be so that Jesus Christ is thus precious to all Believers then it follows few yea very few Believers there are in the World nay very few of those that do profess the Name of Christ because there are very few that do prize him very few that make that high account of him as becomes so rich so precious so invaluable a Redeemer But it may be you will say to me Who are they then that do not prize Jesus Christ who are they that do not value him I shall instance in four or five sorts of Persons First They do not prize the Lord Jesus Christ that see no beauty in him that they should desire him that see no beauty in spiritual things no beauty in Grace no beauty in the peace of a good conscience no beauty in Joy in the Holy Ghost in righteousness and holiness for in these things consists the Kingdom of God Rom. 14.17 For the Kingdom of God is not meat and drink but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Ghost Now those that see no beauty in those things that lead the Soul to Christ in those things wherein the Kingdom of Christ consists certainly they do not prize Christ This is the great fault of the Jews for which they were rejected as the Prophet Isaiah foretold Isa 53.2 3 He shall grow up before him as a tender Plant and as a Root out of a day ground he hath no form nor comeliness and when we shall see him there is no beauty that we should desire him He is despised and rejected of men a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief and we hid as it were our faces from him he was despised and we esteemed him not The Jews look upon Christ with a carnal eye they look upon his Humanity the meanness of his Birth born in a Stable the lowness of his Parentage the House of David being at that time but like the stump of a Tree a dry Root he coming from the Root of Jesse they look upon his attendance a company of poor Fishermen they look upon his condition not having a House to lay his Head in therefore they slight him reject him and despise him Just thus it is at this day many there are that value not at all spiritual things neither value they the
out Saul Saul why persecutest thou me when a man treads upon another mans little toe the tongue complains why do you hurt me Jesus Christ when he is now in heaven he complains of himself being persecuted in his Members he hath such a simpathy with them That 's the first Quaery Secondly It may be demanded How does Jesus Christ succour and relieve his servants in their temptations I answer he succours and relieves them these five ways First By discovering to them that it is a temptation for many there are that misliste their temptations some take temptations for the impulsess or impresses of Gods spirit not considering that there are tempting providences as well as approving providences such a providence was that which you read of when David had Saul at an advantage 1 Sam. 26.8 When Saul lay sleeping in his trench and his spear stuck in the ground at his bolster then said Abishai to David God hath delivered thine enemy into thy hand this day now therefore let me smite him I pray thee with the spear even to the earth at once and I will not smite him the second time Abishai thought that this was an approving medicine that God had delivered Saul into the hands of David and now he may be avenged upon him and cut his throat and smite him presently nay nay says David to Abishai destroy him not for who can stretch forth his hand against the Lords anointed and be guiltless David saw it was a tempting-providence not an approving-providence he would not have a hand in his blood he would not slay the Lords anointed though his enemy though a wicked man though a man guilty of blood for he had slain Fourscore of the Lords Priests at one time commanding Doeg to fall upon them and destroy them But says David I will not have a hand in the blood of the Lords anointed though he hath delivered him into my hand this was but a tempting-providence not an approving-providence this is a certain Rule that there are tempting providences as well as approving-providences to follow providence without the Word is dangerous to follow providence against the Word is damnable but to follow providence with the Word that only is safe and comfortable now David he had a providence here but he had not the Word of God going along with that providence and therefore he looks upon it as a tempting-providence Now Jesus Christ succours his people by discovering to them which is a tempting-providence and which is an approving-providence Secondly The Lord Christ succours and relieves them by his Gracious Supportation he does support them under their tryals that is a precious Scripture that tempted ones should be continually meditating upon 1 Cor. 10.13 There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man but God is faithful who will not suffer you to be tempted above that you are able but will with the temptation also make a way to escape that you may be able to bear it God sometimes draws the Bow to the Arrow head but he will not break the Bow if God lays heavy loads on poor tempted ones then he will make their shoulders so much the stronger by his Gracious Manutency or holding them by the hand Psal 73.23 Nevertheless I am continually with thee thou hast holden me by my right hand And when God holds a poor tempted soul by the right hand though he fall he shall not utterly be cast down because the Lord upholds him Psal 37.24 Thirdly Jesus Christ relieves and succours tempted ones by his gracious intercession for he sits at the right hand of God to make intercession for them Heb. 7.25 and if so be thou art but one that does but desire to believe in Jesus Christ and take hold of him though it be but with a trembling hand know thus much for thy comfort in every temptation that thou meetest with Jesus Christ does nominate thee to his Father he nominates thee in particular and he says to thee as he did to Peter I have prayed for thee that thy faith fail not Luke 22.32 Fourthly Jesus Christ does succour and relieve tempted ones by making a diversion some way or other of them by a less temptation sometimes he prevents a greater that would even crush a poor soul to pieces sometimes by an outward affliction upon the body he prevents a greater affliction and trouble that would lye upon the spirit It is better a thousand times to be afflicted in the body than afflicted in the mind Fifthly The Lord Christ doth succour tempted ones by a gracious Abolition as I may call it by a total removal of the temptation when he treads Satan under our feet as he hath promised Rom. 16.20 And the God of peace shall bruise Satan under your feet shortly And when he gives Charge to Satan as he did to him concerning the poor Child that was possessed with a dumb and deaf spirit I charge thee that thou come out of him and that thou enter into him no more Mark 9.25 Thus you have the point opened Now briefly to apply it two Uses I shall make of it Frist for Information Secondly for Consolation First For information you may learn this Lesson by way of Inference That Gods own people his Elect true Believers must look for temptations nay they must look for divers temptations Jam. 1.12 My brethren count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations in 1 Pet. 6 Wherein ye greatly rejoyce though now for a season if need be ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations They must look for temptations of all sorts as the Apostle saith in the like case All that will live godly in Christ Jesus must suffer persecution so all that will live godly must look for temptations Gods People may be tempted these four ways First Sometimes they may be tempted by their godly friends so was St. Paul Acts 11.12 when the Prophet Agabus foretold that Paul should be bound at Jerusalem and suffer so many things of the Jews Pauls godly friends disswaded him from going thither but Paul lookt upon it as a temptation for says he in the next verse What mean ye to weep and to break my heart for I am ready not to be bound only but also to die at Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus Acts 21.13 Secondly Gods people are sometimes tempted by wicked men as Joseph was by his wanton and lascivious Mistress Thirdly Gods people are tempted sometimes by Satan they are tempted to presumption on the one hand and to desperation on the other hand For these are two great Rocks upon which thousands of souls suffer shipwrack but there are more that perish on the rock of Presumption than of Desperation Fourthly Gods Children are sometimes tempted by God himself it is said God tempted Abraham to try him Gen. 22.1 And it came to pass after these things that God did tempt Abraham and said unto him Abraham and he said behold here I
Saviour Jesus Christ These two go together if you grow in grace certainly you shall grow in knowledg if you grow in obedience certainly your obedience shall encrease your knowledg in the mysteries of God For the Explication of the Doctrine two Queries there are that would be satisfied First How or in what respect our obedience shall encrease our knowledg Secondly How it comes to pass or what reason can be rendred why the obedient Christian shall know more of Gods will For the first How or in what respect our obedience shall encrease our knowledg He that obeys the will of God shall know more of his will How shall he know more I answer The knowledg of an obedient Christian shall be encreased in three respects First In regard of its Subject Secondly In regard of its Object Thirdly In regard of the Manner of it First The knowledg of an obedient Christian shall be encreased in the Subject of it or the Seat of it where it is placed as I may call it now the Seat of knowledg is the mind of man the intellectual part of man his intellectual faculty shall be enlarged by his obedience it shall be made more capable of receiving Heavenly truths than it was before God will enlarge that mans understanding whereas before he was but a Babe in knowledg and understanding now he shall be a grown man whereas before he could not digest Milk now he shall be able to digest strong Meat whereas before he was but faint and feeble in knowledg now he shall be strong like David Zech. 12.8 In that day shall the Lord defend the Inhabitants of Jerusalem and he that is feeble among them at that day shall be as David Secondly The knowledg of an obedient Christian shall be encreased and enlarged in the Object of it the Object I call those matters or things that are to be known such a one shall know more truths more mysteries of Godliness more of Gods secrets he shall have more manifestations of the Spirit of God revealed to him more discoveries of Truth from day to day it is that which God hath promised Isa 11.9 The Earth shall be full of the knowledg of the Lord as the waters cover the Sea The Prophet speaks of a larger measure of knowledg and further discoveries of truths than was wont to be made Thirdly The knowledg of an obedient Christian shall be encreased in regard of the Manner of knowledg he shall know the Truths of God in a better manner than he was wont to do How is that you will say I answer and shall give you an instance in five particulars First He shall know truths more inwardly Secondly He shall know truths more experimentally Thirdly He shall know truths more transformingly Fourthly He shall know truths more powerfully Fifthly He shall know truths more satisfyingly First An obedient Christian shall know truths more inwardly more feelingly than he was wont to do not only have a bare apprehension but such a knowledg as shall take an impression upon his heart and therefore this inward knowledg is compared to seeing and to tasting and to smelling First It is compared to Seeing Eph. 3.8 9 Vnto me who am less than the least of all Saints is this grace given that I should preach among the Gentiles the Vnsearchable Riches of Christ and to make all men see not only know but see what is the fellowship of the mysterie which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God who Created all things by Jesus Chuist The Italian Translation renders it that all men may see what was the dispensation of the Mysterie which was hid from the beginning of the World which God was pleased to hide in himself from the beginning of the World that all men may see I quote that Scripture to prove that inward Knowledg is compared to Seeing and Seeing is more than a bare Report according to that of Job Job 42.15 I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear but now mine eye seeth thee I abhor my self in dust and ashes Secondly This inward Knowledg is compared to Tasting 1 Pet. 2.3 If so be that ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious Tasting is more than Knowing and Tasting is more than Seeing If all the Orators in the World should describe what the sweetness of Honey is they could not do it so well as a man that tasts it Now the Soul comes to tast the sweetness that is in Jesus Christ Notional knowledg is one thing and Tasting knowledg is another thing they have a feeling experimental knowledg in their own hearts That is another Thirdly This inward Knowledg is compared not only to Seeing and Tasting but it is compared to Smelling also Isa 11.3 And the Spirit of the Lord shall make him of quick understanding in the fear of the Lord So the words are read but the Hebrew phrase carries it thus and so it is in the Margin of your Bibles The Spirit of the Lord shall make him of quick scent or smell in the fear of the Lord That is a man that is once taught by the Spirit of God that is taught of God as our Saviour useth the Phrase such a man shall scent and smell and savour and breathe out nothing but holiness As our Saviour it is said of him All thy garments smell of Myrrh and Aloes and Cassia Psalm 45.8 And because of the savour of thy good Ointments thy Name is as Ointment poured forth Cant. 1.3 Look as the Ointment that was poured on our Saviours head left such a scent or smell behind it that the whole house was filled with the savour of it John 12.3 So is it in this case a man that hath once received the Spirit of God and is taught by the Spirit of God such a man shall have such a sweet savour of the knowledg of God that it shall be able to diffuse it self to others 2 Cor. 2.14 The Apostle Saint Paul blesseth God for this that he caused them to triumph in Christ and made manifest the savour of his knowledg by them in every place And our Latin word for Wisdom Sapientia it hath its derivation from this it is a savoury Knowledg So that this inward Knowledg is more than bare apprehension it is you see compared to Seeing Touching and to Smelling Secondly He shall know truths more experimentally than he did before and this is that you read of John 4.42 It is the speech of the Samaritans to the woman that had left her Water-pot and went into the City of Samaria and declared to them of the City what she had heard and seen concerning Christ Now say they we believe not for thy sayings for we have heard him our selves and know that this indeed is the Christ the Saviour of the world And thus likewise did the Disciples make a Confession of Christ John 6.69 And we believe and are sure that thou art that Christ the Son of the living God