heavy Judgement the more it is upon a man the less he feels it and the further he is from a possibility of repenting truly and believing in Christ for Salvation he must needs run head-long to evil and to Hell whom the Devil drives But Some may ask me what they must do Quest to escape this Judgement of being blinded and hardned by the Word Answer First When ever you hear the Word preached hear it with Reverence and Attention Keep thy Foot when thou goest to Eccles. 5. 1 2. Psal 119. 11. the house of God be reverent in his Presence and hear the word with due Attention as it is the word of God Let it not go in at one Ear and out of the other but hide it in your hearts that you may not sin against God 2dly Meditate upon the Grace of God in Christ to poor sinners think dayly on the freeness fulness and riches of it If the serious Thoughts of Grace and Love to undone Sinners will not melt you and constrain you to leave your sins and love Christ who have loved you to the Death I know not what will The prodigal Son when he thought of the fulness of Bread that was in his Fathers House then he resolved to return home and fell down at his Fathers Feet and said Father I have sinned Luk. 15. 18 19. against Heaven and before thee and am not worthy to be called thy Son Nothing like Grace and Love to constrain melt and humble the Sinner Oh! Think much on God's Love and Grace But lastly For I must not enlarge pray earnestly to God for a soft and tender heart plead his Covenant Promise who hath said That he will take away the Heart of Stone and Ezek 36. 26. give a heart of Flesh Oh! Pray that every Sermon may soften your Heart and melt it Gal. 4. 2. down into godly Sorrow Many cry God damn me but there 's few in good earnest Pray for Grace and for a tender Heart Oh! 1. Thes. 5. 17. Luk. 18. 1. 6. Turn the word preached into Prayer and say Lord make this and every word of 〈◊〉 a good word unto my Soul I shall add do more but leave what hath been said to the Blessing of the GREAT GOD. SOLIDEO GLORIA FINIS ERRATA Pray Courteous Reader mend with your Pen these following Faults PAge 7. line 32. for Sword read Fear In the same Page for Temption read Temptation Page 13. line 23. for Means read Meant Page 9. line 3. for Judiciously read Judicially Page 15. line 32. for Promulging read Promulgation Page 38. line 3. for Ways read Voice Page 39. line 10. for Pleasures read Pleasure In the same for To read Into A FUNERAL SERMON 2 Tim. iv Verse vii viii I have fought a good fight I have finished my course I have kept the Faith Henceforth there is laid up for me a Crown of Righteousness which the Lord the Righteous Judge shall give me at that Day And not to me only but unto all them also that love his appearing SOlomon the Wise tells us To every thing there is a Season and a Time a Time to be Born and a Time to Die a Time to Mourn and a Time to Rejoyce Eccles 3. 1. c. I doubt not All the Godly and the Serious and Sensible here present will readily acknowledge with me That this is a Time to Mourn But will it not look like the adventuring on a Paradox to affirm to you That it is also a Time to Rejoyce A Time it is indeed to Mourn for the loss of so dear a Relation and so Pious and Christian a Friend But are we not Christians as well as Men And while Nature seeles sighs nay sinks at the dismal Loss of Friends or Relations Grace should triumph over Nature and Faith over Sense While we are bemoaning their loss we should be Rejoycing in the Crown and Glory of Saints of which number she was we have so great Reason to be assured Our Deceased Friend was one of their Number who by their Holy Conversation give a plain and sensible demonstration of the Power of the Principles of our Holy Profession both by their Life and their Death For Words have not that Energy and Force that Action and Conversation hath a shining Life and a triumphant Death perswade beyond all the Power of Argument or charms of Rethoric And concerning the not only unblameableness but Piousness of her Life for whose Death we now Mourn it was so well known to all that knew her that she hath therein a better Character than I can give her for modesty of Stile and Reserves of Expression become me when I consider the Modesty and Humility of her Deportment through the whole of her Life I come therefore now to the Text I have proposed to Discourse upon The whole Text is drawn in Figures borowed from the Olimpic Games well known in the Times and Places in which the Apostle wrote Games appointed for all the activities of Persons prepared by Frame and Constitution of Body Vigour of Mind and Inclination and strictly Disciplined Dieted and Exercised thereunto Such an allusion is at other times made use of by the Apostle as 1 Cor. 9. 24. And being Sanctified by the Divine Spirit is most elegant and expressive of holy Senses In this Place The Apostle of the Gentiles gives us under these Emblems a threefold Character of himself and then sets out the Prize 1. His Encountring and Combating all the Temptations of Satan within and of the World without wherein he Fought not as one that beateth the Air but at sharps as they say with great effect for Offence and Defence as those Combatants alluded to used to do 2. He who received the Prize Finished his Course Therein he alludes to those who Run in a Race that they might Obtain He Ran not as in certainly He Ran the whole Course of Doing and Suffering and of his Ministry and Apostleship the whole Race set before him to the very Mark 3. He kept the Faith the great Faith of the Gospel in union to the Crucified Jesus which was the scandal of the Jews and Gentiles even the Cross of Christ and the Obedience of Faith in all the Holiness Mortification to the World and the Lusts of it within and without and doth extend to all kinds of Suffering Heavenlyness of Mind and Conversation Hereby he behaved himself as a mighty Champion that by no means would let go his Hold or Deposium the Pearl of great Prize or surrender it to the violence against it And so he leads us to the second Part of this great Text under the same allusion The Crown or the Prize not the Corruptible Crown of those Games but the Incorruptible to which the Apostle refers a Man is not Crowned except he strive Lawfully and herein he thus expresses himself Henceforth is laid up for me a Crown of Righteousness which the Righteous Lord shall give me Before I begin
Love of the Truth as it in Jesus is the ready way to be judicially hardened and blinded and to be given up by the holy God to believe Lies that we may be damn'd 2 Thes 2. 10 11. If you read the Scriptures in the margent you will plainly see that Gods judicial Mat. 13. 14 Mark 4. 12 Acts 28. 26 27. giving over this People to blindness c. was consequent to their sinful stopping of their Ears shutting of their Eyes and sinning against the light of the Word of their own Consciences received from it It is dreadful sinning against the Light of Conscience which is Gods spy and Mans Overseer and the Light of the holy Word for this cause many are blinded and judicially hardened by God the Judge of all God hath given them says St. Paul the Spirit of slumber Eyes that they should not see and Rom. 11. 8. 9. Ears that they should not hear unto this day Quest But who are they that thus sin against Light The Light of the Word and of Conscience which so highly provoke God to anger against them Answer First They are such as sin after the many Warnings and Admonitions given them by God in his holy Word God's Trumpet viz. his Word is blown in Sinners ears dayly which calls them to retreat and break off from sin God saith My Son if Sinners intice you if they would Prov. 1. 10 11. have partake with them in their Sins consent thou not give no way to them nor to their Temptations they that sin with others must look to suffer with others in their plagues without true Repentance They that like Simeon and Lovi Brethren in Iniquity shall also be Brethren in Misery Therefore says God enter not into the Path of the wicked go not in the way of evil Prov. 4. 14. 15. 16 17. Men Avoid it pass not by it turn from it and pass away for they sleep not except they have done Mischief and they eat the Bread of Wickedness c. Oh! how cautelous is this Caution to have a Care of sin and of being led away by the Wicked into the evil Ways of it Forsake says God the way of the 2 Cor. 6. 17 18. Foolish and walk in the way of Vnderstanding and come out from amongst them and touch not the unclean thing and I will receive you and be your God and you shall be my Sons and Daughters saith the Lord. Sinners You cannot plead Ignorance as an Excuse for your sins who live under the Gospel You have heard the Word of God preached often by a many of Gods Servants which call you to break off Sin by Repentance to plow up the fallow Ground of your Hearts and not sow among Thorns lest the Fury of the Jer. 4. 3 4. Lord come forth like Fire and none can quench it because of the evil of your Doings The Word calls you to deny all Ungodliness and worldly Lust and to live sâ—berly righteously and Tit. 2. 11. 12. godly in this present World You have you Wretches been told often of Sin and warned against it and yet you will venter upon it You have been told of your Pride and Malice and Swearing calling God to damn your Souls and of your Drunkenness and Sabboth-Breaking and yet you live in these Tim. 3. 13. 1 Tim. 6. â— 12. Sins This is indeed to sin against Light Oh! have a Care you provoke not God to give you up to blindness of Mind to deceive and to be deceived Flee these things and follow after Righteousness and Godliness Faith Patience Love and Meekness But 2 dly Such sins against Light c. as Live in the total neglect of those Holy duties which God calls for and that they know well they should be found in the practice of You have been told often that Gal. 4. 2. 1 Thes 5. 19 20. you ought to Pray to continue in Prayer and to Pray alwayes that is always to have your hearts in a praying frame for God and yet you Live in the neglect of it there are many prayerless persons who mind not this Work which is their priviledge as well as duty You have been told also that it is your duty to hear God's Word often and to live the Sermons in your Lives which you hear with your Ears out of the Pulpit and to read the Scriptures much which are able to make you Wise unto Salvation But Oh! how is this Work neglected by many if they do hear and read now and then they mind it not but cast the Word of God behind them What wretches are these not to mind what the Great King of Heaven and Earth says to them I have called says God but they have Prov. â— 25 29. refused and have set at nought all my Counsels and would not be reprov'd by me they hate knowledge and have not chose the Lord this is matter of Lamentation and it shall be for a Lamentation that the great God should call after sorry sinful man and he refuse to hear and regard Is not this provoking what will God do to such Will he let them go unpunished No he 'll lay his Ireful Rod upon them and Laugh when their Calamity comes Many are convinc'd that it is their Ver. 27. 28. duty to pray in their Families and yet can go Days Weeks and Months without it and God never hear of them I fear many professors are guilty in this point let me tell you in the Name and Fear of the dreadful God that these are dreadful sins and a ready way to bring Gods Curse down upon you Pour out says the Prophet thy Fury upon Jer. 10. ult the Heathen and the Families which call not upon thy Name Here Heathens and prayerless Families and Persons are reckoned together as being nothing better than they Think often upon that word of the Apostle He that knoweth to do good and doth it not to Jam. 4. 18. him it is a sin But 3 dly Such persons sin greatly against Light that Live in the practise of those sins which they condemn in others it is the trick of Hypocrites and wicked Men to condemn that in others which they allow and practise themselves But what saith Paul to such kind of men Art thou inexcuseable Rom. â— 1 2 3. O man whosoever thou art that Judgest For wherein thou Judgest another thou Condemnest thy self for thou that judgest dost the same things But we are sure says he that the Judgment of God is according to Truth against such as commit such things thinkest thou this O man That judgest them which do such things and doest the same that thou shalt escape the Judgment of God Seneca wrote against Superstitions and the Superstitious and yet worship'd Images himself Many condemn that as sinful in others which they allow in themselves is not this to sin against Light Let such persons have a care they be not left of God
of slumber taking away the gifts of the Mind and giving men over to the power of Satan and to the love of Sin with-holding that good by the Gospel which our Souls need and others in mercy enjoy But 3dly The sins of a Person and People may provoke God to curse their very Blessings Prop. 3. and cause those things which are Mercies in themselves to prove Judgments to them As for instance Rain is a great mercy to have the former and the latter Rain in Jer. 5. 24. its Season is no small Blessing Yet how has sin turn'd this into a Judgment to many In every drop of Rain there is an Ocean of Isa 42. 21 26. Wisdom Goodness and Mercy but sin often makes it a Judgement to many Fire is a Mercy Yet how often for sin has it been sent in a way of Judgement it overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah and laid them in Mark 9. 43. Ashes for their sins How many dreadful Fires hath sin kindled in this Nation and City And there is one Fire kindled by it that will never go out and that is the Fire of Hell c. To have the Gospel is a great Mercy but how shall we escape if we refuse to hear Christ that speaketh in it and neglect Heb. 2. 3 12 25. so great a Salvation Sin provokes God to curse our blessings and turn them into Judgements If ye will not hear and if ye Mal. 2. 2 3. will not lay it to heart to give Glory unto my Name saith the Lord of Host I will even send a curse upon you and I will curse your Blessings yea I have cursed them already because ye do not lay it to Heart Here is the Cause of the Curse and it is a Cause so just as they upon whom it falls have no Reason to complain of Gods too severe proceeding against them God beloved is the Author and Inflicter of all Judgements he sends his Curse for sin but especially for Amos 6 3. Corruptions in Religion and Contempt of his holy Word When God's Word and Gospel is heard and preached it must be Prov. 13. 13. Jam. 1. 22 23. Ps 119. 9. Luke 2. 19 Heb. 6. 8. attended upon and obeyed For without this Hearing is counted no hearing we had as good not hear as not lay the Word to our hearts and practice it in our lives God's word must be hid in our Hearts and Christs sayings must be pondered there or else we hear not to purpose Careless and fruitless Hearers are nigh unto Cursing whose end Paul tells us is at last dying so to be burned But Fouthly From one and the same Cause may arise divers and contrary Effects that Prop. 4. which softens one may harden another that which enlightens one may be a means to blind another Christ that is a Stone of Foundation to a believer is a Stone of stumbling to the Unbeliever The Gospel of Peace Mat. 3. 12. 2 Cor. 2. 15 16. and glad Tidings to a wicked Man is a fire a sword and a fan but to the godly it is a savour of Life and a means to bring ' em to God thro' Christ and to Salvation As the Sun melteth the wax and hardneth the clay so the Gospel accidentally by the corruption that is in wicked men and by the fearful Judgements of God hardens and blinds them while others are softned and made anew by it The Gospel to some is the Power of God but to others a Stone of stumbling and very foolishness The Gospel 1 Cor. â— 23 24. that is a blessing to some thro' sin and unbelief proves a Judgement to many Oh! Let Persons have a care that they do not rest in the having barely the means of Salvation as the preaching of the Word c. It is a Mercy indeed to enjoy the Gospel but it is not to be rested in by any for thro' their Corruption and Sin it may be a greater means of Damnation Bless God for the means of Grace be thankful to him for his holy Word but be sure you be not satisfied without the Grace of means lest Rom. â— 16. you be blinded c. Say when you go to hear the Word preached Lord let it be thy power to the saving of my poor Soul But Fifthly The Judgements which fall upon Prop. 5. particular wicked men for their Sins and Unbelief are to be accounted the Punishments of the whole Body of Unbelievers This Judgement of Blindness in our Text which hapned to many of the Jews and Pharisees for their rejecting Christ and his Gospel is the Punishment of all Persons that shall be found such Offenders And that for four Reasons Because all the Judgements that sell upon Reas 1 them for their rejecting Christ and stumbling at him all wicked men have and do deserve Are not they worthy of the same Strokes and of the same Judgements that slight the same Christ and trample upon the same Blood and Gospel which they did What saith Paul to this If they says he that despised Moses's Law dyed without Mercy c. Of how much forer Punishments shall they be thought worthy who have Heb. 10. 28. trodden under Foot the Son of God and have counted the Blood of the Covenant an unholy thing c. Surely such Wretches cannot think at last to escape the deserved Judgements of God who undervalue Christ and trample upon his Blood and Merits Vengeance Ver. 30. is mine says God and I will repay it I will ease me of mine Adversaries and be avenged on all them that despise my Son and cast my Word behind them Oh! Let Sinners hear and tremble and lay this Ver. 31. Psal 2. 12. to heart that'tis a fearful thing to fall into the bands of an angry God For while his Wrath is kindled but a little blessed are they that trust in him But secondly Because when God threatens some he Reas 2 threatens all that are such gross Offenders As the Promises run general to all that repent and believe in Christ so the threatnings run to all that are and shall be found at last Rejecters of Christ and his Word Were the Jews and Pharisees blinded who stumbled at Christ and his precious Word Were they offended because of him and so were cut off and punished for their Unbelief So shall all as are offended at Christ and his Word and shall at last be found Unbelievers for as he that believeth shall be saved and not at last confounded so he Mar. 16. 16. 1 Pet. 2. 6. that believeth not shall be damned Christ the Judge of all will come at last in staming Fire that is in a terrible Manner to take Vengeance on them that know not God and obey not his Gospel who shall be punished with 2 Thes 1. 7 9. everlasting Destruction from the Presence of the Lord c. Let all Persons have a Care Young and Old Rich and Poor they
16. Rom. 2. 16 17. Mie 2. 12. Word Have you sound it to be a saviour of Life unto Life and the power of God to the saving of your Souls Doth not my word saith God do good to the upright O examine what good you have found by the Gospel You have been hearers of it many Years what Have you received no Soul-benefit by it Let me ask you two or three questions and do you ask them seriously your own Souls Have you been savingly enlightned by the Quest 1 Spirit in the Word Can you say with the blind man upon good grounds I was born blind but now I see Are your Eyes beloved opened and Illuminated to see the evil of sin and the good that is in Jesus Christ Every Eph. i. 18. 19. one that is brought to Christ Interested in him are Spiritually Illuminated their understandings which were darkned are enlightned by the Spirit Is it thus with you Have the Spirit by the Word set up a divine Light in your Souls Is the Veil taken from off your Eyes Are you that were darkness 2 Cor. 3. 16. Eph. 5. 8. Acts 26. 18 1 Cor 4. 5 6. in the abstract made Light in the Lord Are you turned from Darkness to Light and from the power of Satan to God In a Word Hath God commanded the Light to shine into your Souls and shewn you his Glory in the face of Jesus Christ God saith Paul that commandeth the Light to shine out of Darkness hath shined into our hearts to give the Light of the Knowledg of the glory of God in the face of Christ Is it thus with you Have you found God dealing thus with your Souls Are your hard and frozen Hearts softned Quest 2 by the Word Have any of you in good earnest been made to cry out with them 3000 that were pricked at the Heart under Peters Sermon Men and Brethren what shall we do That beloved which neither can be bruised nor broken with any strokes nor softned with any Moisture is hard indeed By this you may know your Hearts Will no means and monitions of the Word break your Hearts Will no exhortations entreaties nor promises in it melt you Surely thy heart O sinner Must be hardned indeed that nothing will move nor melt it Oh! have the Word or rather the Spirit by the Word broken and melted any of your Hearts Have you found it a hammer and a fire A hammer to break your rocky Hearts Jer. 23. 29. and a fire to burn up your Lusts and melt down your hearts into Godly Sorrow Can you mourn for sin as sin And are you grieved that you can love Christ no better nor bring forth no more Fruit for his Glory are you concerned for his absence And do you greatly rejoyce in his presence If it be thus 't is a good sign your hearts are softned Are you transformed by the Gospel into the Image of Christ Is the Old man put off Quest 3 Eph. 4. 22 23. with is deeds and the New man put on Can you truly say with Paul from good experience we all with open face beholding as in 2 Cor 3. 18. a glass the Glory of the Lord are changed into the same Image from Glory to Glory Even by the Spirit of our God have you had transforming sights of Christ in the pure Glass of the Gospel Are you become new Creatures Can you remember it was not with you once as it is now Is sin Loth some and Christ Lovely to you Then you have received good by the Word and it is not a Judgment but a Mercy to you 3d. Use is by way of exhortation Oh! Use 3 Let me exhort you all in the Name and Fear of the dreadful God to these few following things and I shall soon have done First be exhorted and perswaded to abstain from all sin but especially from sins against Light and Knowledg A good Man thro' the violence of temptation or Infirmity may sin against knowledge as David and Peter did But have a care as one says of cold blood and continuing in known sins Remember that knowledg taketh away all excuse of sin If I had not come says Christ to the Jews and spoken to them they had not had John 12. 22. sin but now they have no Cloak or Excuse for their sin Ignorance if not affected may excuse a tanto but not a toto but Knowledg will not excuse any Dost thou know that drunkenness O Man is a sin And that Lying Whoredom and Sabboth-breaking are abominable sins and yet Live in them Alas what hope canst thou have A willing practise of known sins and true repentance cannot stand together Nay remember it 't is the ready way to a reprobate Mind and to Eternal Ruine Tho' while in this mortal State you cannot but sin yet beware of two things First of being willingly Ignorant of that which God gives you the means to know This O sinner Is the mark of a Reprobate Wretch Peter tells us of some that are willingly Ignorant of this that by the Word of the Lord the Heavens were of Old There 2 Pet. 3. 5 6. be many that do not know Christ savingly and this is their misery they do not desire to know him They say unto God depart from Job 21. 4. us we desire not the Knowledg of thy ways Oh! beware of this for to be Ignorant and not desire to know is a sad sign of a hardned Heart and a blinded Mind But 2dly beware of doing contrary to your knowledg For to him that knoweth to 2. James 4. 18 do good and doth it not to him it is a sin His knowledg aggravates his fault To sin against Light and Knowledg is a crimson sin a sin of a deep dye Every infirmity every thing that falls short of the Rule is sin but much more that which contradicts the Rule This Man's sin is a hainous sin a capital sin 't is a sin with a witness and will be punished with a vengance If he that sins Ignorantly will be damned surely then he that doth not what he knows but contrary shall be double Luk. 12. 47. damned He that knoweth his Master's Will and doth it not shall be beaten with many stripes But 2dly be exhorted to comply and fall in with the motions of the Blessed Spirit in the Word Do not the Spirit at no time move upon your Hearts and cause some convictions in your Consciences c. Oh! see that when the Spirit move you do not resist For his Spirit God hath said shall Gen. 3. 6. not always strive with Man Oh! quench not the Spirit turn not a deaf Ear to his Calls do not drown his convictions as some in a Cup of Ale or in merry Company But I must not inlarge Therefore in the Third and last Place Be exhorted and perswaded dayly to fear and dread being hardned by the Gospel a hardned Heart is a most
the Hearts of all to whom He Preached For speaking of the Preaching of the Gospel He saith The Weapons of our Warfare are mighty So with the open professed Oppositions to the Truth of Christ in his Redemption To the Jews a Scandal as it it was contrary to all the Revelation of God in the Old Testament and to the Gentiles Foolishness as if it had no Agreement with the Reason Learning and Wit of Men of Understanding and Accomplishment 1 Cor. 1. 23. 4. He had to Fight with the Powers of Darkness Spiritual Wickednesses in high Places as every Christian hath For as He says we War not That is not principally against Flesh and Blood but against Principalities and Powers the Rulers of the Darkness of this World And for the maintaining this Fight He had the same necessity with all Saints To take to himself the whole Armor of God that he might stand in the evil day and having drne all to stand Eph. 6. 10. 5. All the Persecutors and their cruelty like the Beasts of Ephesus in what Sense soever taken He had to Fight with wherein He suffered as an evil doer and was Killed all the Day long But in all He was more than a conqueror through him who Loved him 6. He had to Fight with Guilt Death and the Grave the Wrath to come and with all the unbelief of his own Heart But he over came by the continual Application He made to the Death and Resurrection of Christ Jesus who Loved him and gave himself for him in whom he desired to be Found So that he Ran up to that assurance to make that challenge who shall lay any thing to my â—harge as one of Gods Elect to be assured â—hat neither Life nor Death Things present nor Things to come should be able to separate him from the Love of Christ and so he could Sing that Triumphant Song Oh Death where is thy Sting Oh Grave where is thy Victory The Sting of Death is Sin the Strength of Sin is the Law but thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord as in the case of the Body of Sin and Death All he places still in Christ and thus we see on all accounts The Apostle Fought a good Fight and through Christ had the Prospect of a High and Noble End of the VVar that is of Victory Head 2. I come then to the Second Point of the Apostles Triumphing Declaration of his own State in Christ I have finished my course That we may rightly apprehend Here are two things to be understood by it I. The General course of a Christian State in its own Motion Action Conversation from the Time of Conversion unto the very Hour of Death This was one thing the Apostle understood by his course for God having drawn out the Line of Life as he hath seen fit for every one of his Servants Their course of Christian Action is by him drawn out proportionable So that there is no part to be unadorn'd Something of Publick Private Secret Unholy Action is to be applyed to every part of it There must be a Running to obtain It is called therefore Running the Race that is set before us Looking to Jesus to shew in whose strength the whole Race is run So It is expressed concerning David by his serving his Generation according to the will of God and of Johns fulfilling his course as a Servant of God in a Holy Conversation besides his Ministerial service How many great concernments hath every Christian to look to His Implantation into Christ Renovation New Creation The In-dwelling of the Spirit the Graces and Fruits of it His Living walking in the Spirit The work of Faith with Power Sorrow after God working Repentance to Salvation never to be Repented of The constraining Love of Christ the living to him the dying Dayly Converse with the Word of God Hearing Reading Meditation Holy Discourse Prayer Thanksgiving Self-denyal Sufferings being made meet to be Partakers of the Inheritance of the Saints in Light All these with much more set before us in Scripture shew us what the Race of a Christian is what his course is Now to find our Heart engag'd herein with all earnestness Pressing forward to reach the mark by the utmost stretch and extending our selves to it is what the Apostle speaks of himself He had run on in this Christian course on this Line to very near the End of his Line of Life and it is a Glorious Review of a sincere much more of an Eminent Christian while he can behold Christ the Alpha and Omega the Beginning and End of All All the Haltings the Falls False-steps the many Lingerings made up Answered and Attoned for by the Author and Finisher of our Faith who for the Joy sett before Him ran the whole course the Father Lin'd out to Him Doing always the things pleasing in his sight Who set every step according to his Obediential Love to the Father and thefore went forth to his Death with highest Resolution Let us Arise saith he and John 14. 31. Go hence He endured the Cross despised the shame and is set down on the right hand of the Majesty on High And thus his servants follow his steps and so we have reason to hope of this his Servant that she was swift she Finished her course she Finished the course she was sett in though a more private and retired one before she was Prohibited as the true sense of that word we Translate Not suffered signifies Heb. 7. 21. To continue any longer therein 2. There is yet a higher and more exalted sense of the Apostle Finishing his course not a more substantial or Fundamental sense For that is indeed the Fundamental All the redeemed of Christ in and by him running their course and so entring into their Masters Joy but there was also in all times a more Publick and high sphere of Action Into which God hath been pleased to raise some of his servants and there hath not been a higher then the Ministry of the Gospel and most particularly the Apostolick and to this undoubtedly the Apostle had regard when he here saith I have Finished my course For herein the Apostle had a Line given to him and a measure the measure of the Line which he would not stretch himself nor into other Mens Labours but according the Rule or Line prescribed him by God 2 Cor. 10. 13 c. And this was so abundant that he Laboured more abundanily then any other 1 Cor. 15. 10. He was the Apostle of the Gentiles Ministring the Gospel of God so to them that the offering up of the Gentiles might be a Sacrifice Acceptable to God by Jesus Christ being sanctified by the Holy Spirit which was indeed a high sphere of Christian Gospel-Activity and whereof he saith He might Glory And the Line was so every way enlarged that he Preached the Gospel round about from Jerusalem to Illyricum Rom. 15. 16 c. He did fully or Fulfil to
to blindness of Mind and hardness of Heart One he Condemns for Covetousness and yet he is Covetous another for Pride and yet he is Proud such were these in my Text they said men must not commit Adultery and yet Rom. 2. 19. 20 to 24. they committed Adultery they pretended to abhor Idols and yet committed Sacriledge They taught that a man must not Steal and yet they Stole so while they boasted of the Law they became Transgressors of it and Dishonour'd God But 4 thly They sin against Light that sin against the express Threatnings of God in his Word against sin Hath not God said that to be sure your sins shall find you out i. e. the punishments due to you for them Has not the Lord said expresly that the Wicked Psal 9. 17. shall be turned into Hell and all the Nations that forget God and yet you go on as if God were but in jest and did not mean as he spake God hath thunder'd out his Judgments against Sin and Sinners he hath said that he will wound the Head of his Enemies and Psal 68. 21. the hairy Scalp of him that remaineth still in his sins And yet you go on and hold your sins fast tho' God sets the point of the Sword at your Breast yet you will go on in your sins and Rebellion against him Is not this think you to sin against Light doth not this argue that the pleasures of sin doth more delight and please you than the Threatnings of God afright you Are not many sinners like the Leviathan Job 41. 29. that Laughs at the shaking of the spear many Laugh when they hear of Hell but they will not when they come there there be many so bold that they deride Gods threatnings they say as them who draw Iniquity with Cords of Vanity Let him Isaiah 5. 19 20. make speed and hasten his work that we may see it c. As if they had said we have heard that God will do much against sinners and that his Judgments will Light upon them Why do not he do it We would fain see it Let the Counsel of the Holy One of Israel draw nigh and come that we may know it What wretches are these thus to deride Gods threatnings Let such vile ones remember this that for men to see Gods Flaming Sword as it were drawn against sin and sinners and yet strengthen themselves in sin is to sin against Light and Knowledg and the way highly to provoke God But Lastly such sin indeed against Light as sin after many Promises and Vows made against it How many have promised God fairly to amend and leave sin and yet they go on in it What says Solomon to such When thou vowest a vow unto God defer not to pay it For he hath no pleasure in fools pay that Eccl. 5. 4 5 6. which thou hast vow'd Better is it that thou shouldest not vow than that thou shouldest vow and not pay Suffer not thy Mouth to cause thy Flesh to sin c. Many put God off with a many good morrows and fair promises to Repent and amend their-ways but mind not to perform'em A Vow is a religious promise What a Vow is made to God to dedicate our selves to him and to be for him and for no other but him Now how greatly do they sin that have not only purposed but promised to leave sin and yet they Live in it Every man that vows makes himself a debtor he binds himself to God in a solemn manner Now for a man to sin after a vow to vow himself to God and yet give himself to Sin and the Devil is to sin against Light with a witness Let men have a care what they do in this point and especially professors who have the vows of God upon them It is dangerous to Leave God when we have vow'd our selves to him Thus much for the first general 2dly I shall now lay down a few propositions for the better clearing of the Doctrine and they are these six following viz. First Prop. That God sometimes punisheth sin with sin for sin he gives men up often to be led Capuve by their base Lusts God gave them up says Paul to uncleanness Rom. 1. 24 26. thro' the Lust that were in their Hearts When men harden their hearts willfully God often hardens them judicially Pharaoh would not let Exod. 7. 3 4. the People go Well says God with he not let my Son go to serve me I will Harden his Heart that he shall not let them go c. They that will not Repent when God would have them but harden their Hearts and say they will do so again shall not have a Heart nor Grace to Repent to purpose when for Fear of Judgements they with Esau seek a place for Repentance It is a dreadful Judgment for God to Punish sin with sin But 2dly Spiritual Judgments of all on this Prop. 2. side Hell are the worst a Judicial Blindness of Mind and Hardness of Heart of all Rev. 22. 17 Hos 4. 19. Plagues are the worst For God to say Let him that is Filthy be Filthy still and he that is Unjust be Unjust still is very dreadful Spirit strive not with him any more he is joyn'd to Idols let him alone What can be more dreadful on this side Hell than for God to say Ez. 24. 13. to Sinners because when I have Purged thee thou wast not Purged thou shalt not be Purged from thy Filthiness till I cause my Fury to rest upon thee Spiritual Judgments and Plagues are the worst and that for these three Reasons First Reason is in respect the Subject upon whom they Fall and that is the Soul which Mat. 16. 26. is a rare and precious Jewel The Soul of Man is worth more than all the World for the World cannot with all its Riches save nor redeem it The Soul is a spiritual substance in Man Created by God the Father of Spirits which can exist when separated from the Body Now by how much the Soul What the Soul is Ecc. 12. 7. is better than the Body by so much must it be worse for the Soul to be afflicted as mercies to the Soul are the greatest so judgments upon it must be the greatest But 2dly Because these plagues are the greatest Evidences of Eternal Wrath What surer mark for Hell can there be than this for a Person judicially to be left of God here John 3. 36. and given up to Blindness of Mind to believe Lies is a sure mark of eternal ruine and destruction 3dly Spiritual judgments are the worst because they hinder and with-hold from us the best good which is God and Christ Now that which restrains and keeps from us the best and chief good without which our Souls cannot be happy must needs be the worst kinds of restraints and judgments What plagues are like those of Hardness of Heart a Spirit