other world sure to thee look to it thou wilt never have any part in Christ thou wilt never have any hope towards God if thou be tampering thus and trading thus greedily for this present world it may be Conscience doth thus stand by and give warning to the worldly heart but all 's one for that come what will come the heart is so set upon it that it will not be warned 2. Hence it is that they so greedily make out after the world Oh what hast doe they make to be rich how doe their Souls hunger after worldly greatness they covet greedily all the day long Prov. 21. 26. They enlarge their desire as Hell and are as death and cannot be satisfied as it was said of the Caldean Hâ—b 2. 5. they enlarge their desire as Hell of which t is said he hath made it deep and large they have deep desires the bottom of their Soul comes up they have large desires they never have enough Ezek. 33. 31. Their heart goeth after their covetousness that is either after those earthly things which are the objects of their covetousness or after the ductus or leading of their covetousness their covetousness leads on and their heart follows their heart goes yea it runs after it their heart out runs their feet their heart out works their hands when I awake I am still with thee saith the Psalmist and when the worlding awakes where is his heart presently in the field in the shop in the market his heart is there before his body can get there it may be that must stay a time in the house after he awakes and put on his clothes or take his breakfast or may be to make a short prayer for a fashion but his heart goes presently abroad as soon as ever he awakes and leaves only his tongue behind to pray But whence is this eagerness this hungring and riding post after the world why t is his love to the world that makes him gape so wide after it he loves to be rich he loves give ye Christ is propos'd and set before his eyes the bread of life the water of life the windows of Heaven are opened the fountains above are broken up the durable riches the everlasting pleasures life and peace and rest and joy and glory are sett forth in open sight before the world and as Psal 14. 2. God looks down to see if any would understand and seek God to see who amongst all the world had a mind to his riches to his treasures who was for Christ who was for Grace who was for Heaven but behold they are all running another way there 's none that understands none that will seek God every door is shut every heart 's asleep when God passeth by If he should never give till many ask if he should stay till they seek him how long might he stay he must come and call and knock and break open their doors and pour into their mouths and t is well if Heaven will down with any at last whilest full tables and full draughts of this world will down and never stick now and then a crumb now and then a drop from above is all that will be taken in Oh this agrees not with our stomack t is the world that is our favoury meat Oh what abundant proof is there brethren of this difference of our appetites to things spiritual and things carnal Oh what thriving and what grown Christians had we been had we been as hungry after grace as after greatness in this world had there been so much craving and catching after God as after Mammon had there been such good husbandry among us for things to come as for things presen What 's the reason that our Souls are such dwarfs and babes and starvlings Are they not so is it not very poor and very low with us what treasures have you gotten how little knowledge or Faith or love or power or vigour of spirit have you attain'd how is death still feeding upon us Death in our understandings Death in our affections Death in our Consciences Death in our duties we walk up and down more like the Ghosts of Christians then like living Christians pale and wan and weak and cold mere carkases of Christianity when the Soul and Spirit of religion is not Look about enquire among you and see how many such dead carkases there are to one living lively Soul how many empty caskes that make a little sound to one full vessel The Lord be merciful to us though the name and shell of Religion be among us and upon us yet the spirit and kernel of it seems to be almost quite vanished out of the earth It was once said Revel 3. 4. Thou hast a few names even in Sardis that have not defiled their garments But oh may it not be said thou hast but a few names neither in Sardis not Thiatira nor Philadelphia nor any where among all the Churches thou hast but a few names any where that have any more then a name that they live Brethren how is it with us who are here before the Lord turn in every one his eye upon his heart goe down and ask every one of you Soul how fares it with thee how art thou fed oh my Soul how art thou clothed what hast thou by thee what what grace what peace what hope to comfort thee who is there within thee is Christ there is the holy spirit there quickning thee and cleansing thee or is not the world there preying upon thee and consuming thee Ask your Souls art thou in health O my Soul dost thou live and thrive and hold up thy head and hold on thy way and thy work or art thou not sick head sick and heart sick and weak and poor and blind and naked look in each one of you step down and take an account of your state If you would do so I doubt there are few of us but would find all within in a very pitiful and lamentable case What 's the reason of all this the Lord God hath offered to feed us and nourish us and nurse up these languishing Souls the Lord God hath stood among us with his baskets of bread and his bottles of wine hath put such meat to our mouths that would have nourished us up from babes to be men from such weaklings to be strong in the Lord but there is such an unsuitableness betwixt the things of God and our carnal hearts that we have no appetite to them and so they will not down whereas the things of the world do find such a Spirit of the world in us that of any thing that it hath to offer us nothing comes amiss we not only readily take it in but greedily hunger and make out after it By the way Christians learn that if ever you would get victory over the world you must first get you another spirit in vain do you think to live other then a worldly life whilest the spirit
of the world lives in you Oh have you been so long professours of Christianity and have not yet gotten the Spirit of Christianity Is this the Spirit of Christ that leads you on in an earthly course did God give you his Spirit to teach you how to be such drudges to the world did God give you his Spirit to teach you how to plow and sow and buy and sell and hoord up treasures on earth what are your thoughts your designs your courses your ordinary talk and discourse what is it but earth earth are these the thoughts the wayes the language of the Spirit can any one that beholds our conversation that in the general bent and tenour of it is all about the world and but now and then a cold wish or a few heartless words about the things of God can any man that beholds us say I these are the persons that are dead to the world that are crucified that are mortified to things below these are they that have received the spirit of Christ indeed these speak like Christians and look like Christians and live like Christians like men of another world can it be said thus of us can we say thus of our selves my life is a spiritual life my course is an heavenly course my steps are all bending to another countrey can we say thus would not our daily course our daily discourse give us the lye if we should Oh we are yet of an earthly sensual Spirit the Spirit of this world is yet bearing rule in us our very Soul is but a lump of earth and flesh Oh for another Spirit a new Soul a more divine and cellestial frame O seek O wait for this better Spirit and then we should quickly see another life once let the world be thrust out of the heart and we shall quickly see more of Heaven breaking forth in the life 2. The strength of the world lyes in the God of this world Sathan gives strength to and marshals its temptations so as that the success of them depends much on him this he he doth 1. By over rating the good things present and underrating the good things to come 2. By sharpning the edge of the evil things present and blunting the edge of the evil things to come 3. By an active stimulating and provoking the Soul on any terms whaatsoever to pursue the present good and to escape the present evil 1. By over rating the good things present and under rating the good things to come He that looks on the world through the Devils glass shall see it double to what it is he gives the same prospect to us as he did to our Lord Matth. 4. 2. shews it in its Glory every Comet Shines as the Sun he makes the silver as gold the brass as silver stones as iron every thing hath a borrowed face and looks better then it is The Apple whereby he tempted our first parents Gen. 3. 5. he makes a deifying Apple In the day that you eat your eyes shall be opened and ye shall be as Gods knowing good and evil Sathans design is to blind and put out mens eyes knowing that they can never see the terrene glory till their eyes be out but his pretence is to open eyes to make such discoveries of the hidden excellencies in these earthly treasures as will transfigure Earth into an Heaven He presents the world as that which hath substance sufficiency contentment hearts ease satisfaction in it he sayes to his friends as the Lord sayes to his Prov. 8. 17. c. I love them that love me and them that seek me early shall find me riches and honours are with me yea durable riches and righteousness I will cause those that love me to find substance and I will fill their treasures thus the Lord speaks to his and the Devil gives the world a tongue to speak at the same rate I love them that love me I have riches and honours durable riches and I will fill them with treasures And as the world speaks so worldlings think it cannot boast greater things of it self then will be believed Hos 12. 8. I am become rich sayes Ephraim I have found me out substance the shadow is a substance in those eyes that see no better things Hence these things are taken up by the men of this world as their portion as their heritage as their happiness and hope thou givest them their portion in this life Psal 17. and they take them as their portion and now Lord what wait I for saith the Psalmist my hope is in thee and now world what wait I for what work I for what live I for truly my hope is in thee the worldling sayes God is my portion and in a sense he says true for the world is his God And on the other side as Sathan over rates this so he under rates the other world 2 Cor. 4. 4. The God of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not lest the light of the glorious Gospel of Christ who is the image of of God should shine unto them The Gospel is a window through which the light and glory of the other world breaks in and shines down upon this here the pretended opener of eyes smites with blindness by a vail of unbelief he keeps the Gospel and all the glory of it out of sight unbelief gives the lye to all that the Gospel speaks calls all into question holds under uncertainties whether there be any such thing or no and what 's doubtful and uncertain whether it be or no will be vallewed there after What a low price do carnal hearts put upon the deep things of God upon the great things of eternity Glory and honour and immortality and eternal life what cheap things are they accounted whilest soul and conscience and peace and hopes and life are so ordinarily sold to purchase an earthly inheritance that 's the bargain that every where is driving in this earth how few are there that will deal for Heaven and Glory though it may be bought without mony and without price though it may be had for the seeking for though it be bought to their hands yet they will not take it Now what advantage is this to wordly temptations when the price of things to come is so beaten down when the price of things present is so hoised and raised as if the one could hardly be over-bought and the other were scarce worth the dealing for 2. By sharpening the edge of present evils and blunting the edge of evils to come The afflictions of this life are made to cut deeper than the vengeance to come The persecutions of men are more feared than the Plague of God Satan makes his Vassals to think there is no Heaven or Hell to those on Earth Poverty looks more dismally than eternal Fire Disgrace than Damnation the Wrath of man than the Cnrse of God Let Death and Damnation be preached to the World and this stirs them
or Devils Oh bless God for Faith even ye of little Faith at its first entrance it gives your soul a lift from heaven to earth There it lists your names no longer men of this world but henceforth Citizens with the Saints and of the houshold of God there it hath laid you up an Inheritance and thence it brings you your maintenance thither it turns your eyes and all your streams it shews you what you have there and by those beams it draws you up thither Those to whom it shews the least of that glory it shews enough to disgrace the glory of the world and as this Sun-light grows so doth all the beauty of the world fade and vanish out of sight By Faith our conversation is in heaven Now by how much the more our conversation is in heaven by so much the more our hearts are there by how much the more our hearts are in heaven by so much the less on earth and when once the world hath lost our love it hath lost its power over us 1. By how much the more our conversation is in heaven by so much the more our hearts and affections are there we ordinarily love to be where we use to be No such damp grows upon affection as by distance and estrangement when we loose our acquaintance we loose our delight in God Acquaint thy self with him and be at peace Joh 22. 21. Acquaint thy self with him and be in love there wants nothing to fix our affections on heaven but being better acquainted there Intimacy begets dearness Do you not love God t is a sign you have had little to do with him Is not your delight in Heaven t is a sign you are seldome there Is prayer and holy meditation and exercising your selves in the Scriptures and attendance on ordinances a weariness and altogether unpleasant to you sure you have little known what the spirit of Prayer and Communion with God in his word and ordinances mean those whose Souls dwell by the wells of salvation and often let down the bucket do taste that the waters thereof are sweet they shall be abundantly satisfied with the fatness of thine house and thou shalt make them drink of the rivers of thy pleasures for with thee is the fountain of life Psal 36. Those that walking closely with God do dwell in the secret of his presence under the sweet dewes and influences of his grace the business of whose life is to behold and love and serve the Lord their hearts have found such rest there that they can find no rest elswhere 2. By how much the more our hearts are in Heaven by so much the less are they on earth worldly professours have all their religion in their mouths there 's little within whatever they talk If any man love the world the love of the father is not in aim If any man love the Father the love of the world ceases Heaven and Hell may meet as well as Heaven and Earth in the same heart Set your affections on things above and not on the earth on both you cannot your bodies as easily as your Souls may dwell in Heaven and Earth together You use to say I cannot be here and there too no sure enough you cannot whilest your Souls are the inhabitants of this they are exiles from the other world and when they have their dwelling in Heaven they are but strangers and Pilgrims on the Earth this world hath lost your hearts when God hath gain'd them 3. When once the world hath lost our hearts it hath lost its power over us who will be entic'd by what he hates or slights God and the world rule both by love If God hath our love he hath the command of all that ever we have if we love the world what can it not do with us whither can it not lead us If the world hath lost our love it were even as good lay down its weapons and let us alone let them follow God let them be holy let them to Heaven their hearts are gone and there 's no holding them back It may still hang in their heels and retard their motion Heaven-ward but their hearts being gone thither their main course will bend it self 6. Faith gives assurance of this better inheritance Heb. 11. 1. Faith is the subsistence of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen It is an evidence not only that there is another world and a better world then this and that this better state may be obbtaind that there is an entrance into the everlasting Kingdom possible that these mortals may be clothed with immortality that these corruptibles may put on incorruption and these poor worms that creep on the dust may get them wings and fly away hence into everlasting bliss but it is also an evidence that all this shall be that there shall be a performance of all those glorious things which God hath spoken concerning his Saints Blessed is he that hath believed for there shall be a performance of all that hath been told him Luk. 1. 45. Faith hath taken bond for performance The Almighty God hath bound himself to us and lest through unbelief we should stick at taking his single bond he hath given security hath brought in his Son and heir the Lord Jesus Christ to stand bound with him Faith hath taken this bond and having it self sealed to the Articles or conditions on our parts upon the performance whereof the inheritance stands sure to us upon the greatest security that Heaven and Earth can give it keeps it by it and hath it ready to produce upon all occasions to stop the clamours of unbelief The Covenant of God that 's our security The Almighties bond and articles wherein he hath made over all that ever he hath by an immutable and irrevocable deed to his Saints Heb. 6. 17 18. Nay more Faith will shew a believer his own name in this deed If it can but shew it self to us can make it evident that it is what it is the Faith of Gods elect if it does but once appear that we do sincerely believe it therein shews us our names in the promise of God To say to any one that knows he believes to say to him He that believeth shall be saved is fully as much as if it had been said to him by name Thou O man even thou shalt be saved thy name is written in the book of life Unbelief will be staggering at the promise and will call in question all that the Lord God hath said And when this world comes upon us and tempts us opens its pack and shews us its wares and offers us our choice of whatsoever will please us Take it saies unbelief make sure of something let not go such penniworths they may be the best thou art ever like to have Mayst thou be rich mayst thou live in pleasure and in honour here Be not such a fool as to neglect thy self for a conceit of some strange
the World is an unbeliever without Christ and in the state of damnation Oh think not light of your worldliness 't is a death token upon you and such as marks you up with those that perish that this is certainly so that every worldling is an unbeliever and unconverted I shall make evident by these infallible demonstrations 1. Can that man be a believer who is a lover of the world more then a lover of God Art thou a believer who lovest not canst thou say thou lovest God when the better part of thine heart is with the world will this be accepted when thou canst only say Lord I bring thee half mine heart and but the least half neither here 't is divided let the world I pray thee have the first choice and take thou all that the world leaves give me leave first to mind my earthly things and next to these God shall be regarded Speak Conscience will God accept such a gift such a little piece of a soul when the main is bestowed on another Will God say Surely this is my Child surely this is my Servant next to the world he loves me best of all Do ye think he will what saith the Scripture Mat. 10. 37. He that loveth Father or Mother mâ—re then me is not worthy of me he that loveth Son or Daughter more then me is unworthy of me Find if you can a more convincing argument of an unbeliever then that of the Apostle 2 Tim. 3. 4. A lover of pleasure more then a lover of God He that loveth the world more then God is none of his that cannot be deny'd And art thou not the man dost thou love God as thou lovest the world let thy life speak what seekest thou whom servest thou where dost thou bestow thy self in whom dost thou bless thy self what is the chief pleasure and comfort of thy life Is God he Is it God whom thou seekest and servest and blessest thy self in does not thine heart know that thy Mammon is the God whom thou servest that thou lovest to be rich and to prosper in the world more then ever thou lovedst to be holy and righteous before God Dost thou love God where are thy labours of love what hast thou done for God ever since thou wert born where are thy fruits thou hast brought forth unto the Lord hast thou been serving God all thy daies and yet hast nothing to shew of all that thou hast done thou hast son ething to shew for thy serving the world this house thou hast gotten or that Farm or these Sheep and Oxen or this stock of money something thou hast to shew to prove thee a servant of the world but hast thou been serving God all thy time and hast nothing to shew for it Sure Brethren worldly men are either very fools or very false to themselves if they do not condemn themselves here I confess I have done little for God all my time I have been busie for this world but I confess I have but loytered and neglected the things of the other world I must never lye for the matter mine own Conscience tells me 't is thus Foolish soul Hast thou serv'd the world more then God and canst thou yet make thy self believe thou lovest God more then the world to say thou lovest God above all though thou hast but little sought or serv'd him is to say I love him above all but I care not much for him if another man should have said so would not thine own heart have laugh'd at him for a fool or condemn'd him for a lyar Tremble Worldling and hear this first evidence against thee thy whole life tells thee thou lovest the world more then thou lovest God and God himself tells thee that he that loveth the world more then God is none of his 2. Is he a believer that is not come to Christ Coming to Christ and believing in Christ are the same Joh. 6. 35. Art thou come unto Christ whence art thou come from the world what and yet thine heart still in the world art thou come to Christ who art still where thou wert when thou wert without Christ canst thou be here and there too deceive not thy self thou mayst as well be at once in heaven and hell as thine heart be in Christ and in the world Are Christ and the world friends are God and Mammon become but one Master are the two kingdomes united and may the same persons at once be subjects of them both Hath Christ ever said be mine and then stay where thou art list thy name under me for a Disciple and then go and serve the world still be proud be covetous be sensual be in all things as the men of this world are only be my Disciple Is not the renouncing of the world included in our coming to Christ doth not he that saith to thee Come first say depart and is not thy comming to Christ in the very nature of it a departing from the world thy choosing of him a refusing of it when Christ and the world are offered to thy choice canst thou choose both must thou not necessarily take to the one and let the other go And hast thou renounc'd the world who art stil a worldling what hast thou renounc'd of it or how far forth hast thou renounc'd it Is it not thy treasure still is it not thy Lord still Is not this it which thou still takest as thy governour and reward Doest thou love it as thy God and serve it as thy God and hold it fast as thy God and yet hast thou renounc'd it does every one that knows thee point with the finger at thee there goes an earth-worm there goes a Mammonist there lives a true drudge to the world and wilt thou yet say I have done with the world Is thy lust and thine appetite after more as greedy and insatiable as ever is thy love and delight and rest in what thou hast as great as ever is it so hard to get any thing out of thine hand for God so that that little which comes must be wrung as so many drops of bloud from thine heart art thou so pinching and sparing that scarce any without thine own belly is ever the better for thee and hast thou yet renounc'd the world Art thou so crucified and vexed and tormented when thou art cross'd or miscarriest in any little of thy worldly interest and canst thou yet say I am crucified to the world Can the world make thee lye and dissemble and play the knave when t is for thy advantage can it command thy conscience and thy religion and thy hopes to do obeysance to it can it keep thee out of thy closet out of the Church must prayers and sabbaths and sermons and Sacraments be neglected when the world hath any business for thee and hath it still so much business for thee that thou canst scarce have one prayer or one sabbath clear of its encroachment doth it follow thee
This will give you good hope that Christ is yours and good evidence that he calls to you Come unto the waters 2. In this Well of Salvation there is water of life Ye shall draw water that is living water In this water is comprehended all things belonging to life and godliness Here is bread in this water he that is the Rock springing in the earth is the bread that came down from heaven Joh. 6. 48. 50. Here is bloud with the water out of his side came water and bloud Here is wine and milk in this water Is 55. 1. Ho every one that thirsteth come ye to the waters come buy wine and milk Come to the waters why what shall we get there O there 's wine and milk in the waters come to the waters for wine and milk What case is there of any of the Saints but here 's that which is proper for it Here 's water for the filthy here 's bloud for the guilty here 's bread for the strong here 's milk for the weak here 's wine for the sad here 's for meat medicine and delight here 's the flower of the wheat the healing balm the sweetness of the fig-tree the fatness of the Olive the Tree of Life Christ is in these waters 3. This water of life is to be drawn out of this Well of Salvation Hence 't is that we must come every man with his Pitcher Faith is our Pitcher what need of a Pitcher if there were no water to be drawn unbelievers might then speed as well as believers 4. It s a joy to the Saints to work at the Well With joy shall ye draw c. We read 1 Sam. 7. 6. that the people of God once drew other waters and out of another Well they drew water and poured it out before the Lord. The Wells were their repenting sorrow-bitten hearts the waters were their tears which they poured out before the Lord these were bitter waters and drawn with sorrow the waters you are now come to are pleasant faith and love and joy and praise are here to be both your work and your waters the three latter are the pleasures of the other world the first Faith is your Pitcher to fetch them in and your mouth to drink them down God hath brought you hither to prove the sweetness of love to taste what 't is to love and be beloved God opens you a Spring of everlasting joy thereby to dilate and inlarge your souls in admirings and praises 4. The advantages we hence get against the world are amongst others these following The precious things of Christ thus exhibited in the Sacrament will 1. Quench our thirst 2. Renew our strength 3. Sharpen our weapons 4. Set the reward before our eye 1. They will quench our thirst after the world The world invites as Christ Ho every one that thirsteth come to my waters If any man thirst let him come unto me and drink God and the world are both for the empty souls he that 's empty of God there 's a man for the world he that 's empty of the world there 's a soul for God he that is surfeited of the pleasures of sin will nauseate the joys of Religion he that is satiated with the pleasures of Religion will slight the joys of the world John 4. 14. Whosoever drinketh of the waters that I shall give him shall never thirst that is either when he is come up to the Well head and shall have drank his full draught he shall thirst no more for ever he shall be satisfied for ever or else he that shall drink of my waters here that shall drink of the brook in the way shall not be thirsty after other waters he that hath drank of the upper springs will better spare the nether springs Our intimate converses with Christ and those gracious savours and divine impressions they leave upon our hearts do naturally weaken and allay our fleshly appetites and inclinations wisdome is not more necessarily expulsive of folly light of darkness holiness of sin then the love and joy of the Lord of the love and the lusts of this world Brethren whatever divine touches whatever peace and joy you seem to feel upon your hearts if the world be not a looser by them if it stand its ground and maintain its interest and esteem in you all that you seem to feel of God upon you look to it that it prove not a fallacy and a dream for my part I shall ever suspect that intimacy my soul hath seem'd to get in heaven and all the pleasure of it if I be not the more content to be a stranger in this earth O my God wilt thou draw forth the breasts to me let me suck and be satisfied let the Lord God be my satisfaction and then let the world try the strength of its temptation 2. They will renew our strength This staff of bread will be the strength of our hearts they are the weak souls whom the world conquers But of this having spoken in a former direction I pass it over here with the naming 3. They will sharpen our weapon We never are foil'd but when our faith fails This is our victory even our faith this weapon of our warfare is mighty through God By how much the more our faith is exercis'd on God by so much the more vigorous believe and you shall be established believe and you shall be strengthened believe and all that you see before you shall be meat for your faith to put it in heart But how shall I believe yea rather how shouldst thou but believe whose Table is this to which thou art come whose word was it that said This bread is my body which was given for you This cup is the New Testament in my bloud which was shed for you This bread is the communion of my body this cup is the communion of my bloud what is this body what is this bloud but virtually all the spirit and life of the Gospel what is the meaning of those words Take and eat and drink but that its the will of God if it be your will also that all this shall be yours would Christ say take what he meant not to give would Christ say eat that which is not bread will be feed souls with common bread did he bring you hither to mock you how should you but believe Believe and you shall find his flesh to be meat indeed his bloud to be drink indeed this bread to be Manna this cup to come to you full of the spirits of the Gospel which will so nourish and quicken your faith that as a mighty man refreshed with wine it will rejoyce to run its course and tread down your Enemy under you 4. The reward is set before our eye Rev. 2. 17. To him that overcometh will I give to câ—t of the hidden Manna and will give him a white stone and in the stone a new name written which no man knoweth but he that
thy love I am he whom when thou calledst I would not come whom thou wouldst have turned but I would not turn when thou wouldst have pardoned and healed me I sold thy pardon and refused to be healed and wilt thou not plead for such a one as I I have chosen this world for my portion I have lov'd it and serv'd it and when I should have been praying or hearing minding my soul and laying up treasure in heaven I was loath to be such a bad husband I was busie in following my affairs looking to my Corn and my Cattel and my Trade and here I have gotten money and Lands and will not these plead for me Is not a rich mans Plea good will not my gold and my silver my honors or my ornaments get entrance into thy Kingdome if not Lord this is all I have to say for my self if this will not do who shall plead for me O Brethren if you would be perswaded to sit down daily and to think over some such thoughts as these then there would be hope If we could but preach you upon this thinking there would be hope that you might think you into Christ 2. Hold your affections under government Prov. 16. 32. He that ruleth his spirit is better then he that taketh a City and no wonder for he hath taken the whole world captive All victories imaginanable are summ'd up in this one victory the conquest of the heart By spirit we are here to understand the passions or affections the spirit of man is as the Apostle saies Jam. 3. the tongue of man is an unruly evil impatient of subjection and pressing for dominion God hath placed our affections under government under the government of our reason and those principles of heavenly wisdom faith righteousness and holiness which we are indowed with but these like an unbroken horse that will not go whither the rider but whither it self listeth do rise up and rebel against reason and will be the leaders and not followers and this unruliness of the passions is the root of the distempers and disorders of the life when men surrender up themselves to be lead by affection whither doth it carry them reason leads us up to God It is the Candle of the Lord that lights us our way to him our affections are blind guides love is blind desires are blind and whether will the blind lead us If we could live by faith nay if we could but live more by reason by right reason we should get us up out of this earthly country even reason will tell us that God is better then creatures and that the inordinate following of creatures is the forsaking of God For the better holding your affections right take these two directions 1. Keep your selves in the love of God 2. Whatever you love in the world let it be also your fear 1. Keep your selves in the love of God let affection follow the conduct of reason to Heaven and there let it dwell but till reason lead it down again keep your selves in the love of God Jude 21. keep up a right understanding of God and that will keep up your affections keep up your affections to God and that will keep them off from the world the heart will ever be in love and till it find a better this harlot must be its beloved deformity is as beauty whilest beauty is out of sight He saies in vain set not your affections on the earth that does not first say set your affections on things above He that saies set your affections on things above and not on the earth if he be heard in the first will not be denyed in the second keep you in the love of God and you keep you clear of the love of the world 2. What ever you love in the world let it be also your fear fear will be loves bridle and reason would teach you to fear what ever you love here nothing hath such an advantage upon us to steal away our hearts from God as the things we love The Lord is seldom such a looser as by his bounty when he lets down his silver cords of love to draw up our hearts we make chains of them to fetter us here below His gold and his Jewels his bracelets and earrings which he sends us to allure our love are often molten into an Idol and engross our hearts to them Whatever thou lovest in all the world hast thou a wife or a child that thou lovest hast thou a friend or companion that thou lovest hast thou an house a pleasant habitation hast thou gardens or orchards fields or vineyards that thine heart is pleas'd withall O be jealous of them Keep your distance come not too near thou commest for my Soul my child my house my mony my friends I must have an eye to you you come to steal away mine heart What a sad requital and yet how commonly is this the requital which we make for bounty and kindness I should have lov'd God better if he had not been so good to me I should have lov'd God better if he had not given me so good a wife so dear a child so fair an estate so many friends wilt thou fear such unworthiness then fear whatever thou lovest If what you love be not also your fear it 's like to be your loss and sorrow If Sampson had fear'd his Delilah whom he so loved he had sav'd his locks his God and his life his love to that harlot did him more mischief then all the armies of the Philistimes Solomons wives became his tears fondling children often revenge their parents dotage by becoming thorns in their sides and swords in their hearts whatever thou overlovest look for it to find it thy cross or thy curse what will thy friends or thy mony be when either thou hast lost them or thy soul by them what ever thou overlovest God will tear it from thine heart if ever he mean thee good he will touch thee in the apple of thine eye he will try thee in thine Isaac he will tear off that Jewel that entices thy Soul from him what thou canst not part with look for it that must go or thy soul 3. Set a strict watch upon your senses By these 't is that Satan with all his temptations hath such an easy passage to our hearts our senses are the doors of our hearts the outlets of corruption and the inlets of temptation they bring the outward objects and the inward lusts together when the fuel and the fire are layd together then there is a flame Both the Evil and the Good that is in us came in much by this way How came Sin and Death into this world and all the plagues and miseries we are labouring under or lyable to which way came they in By the eye they came in when the woman saw the fatal apple then she lusted and tasted Gen. 3. How came life and immortality grace and peace and all our
eyes and the pride of life And also the objects of these lusts as they are such the pleasures the profits and the pomps of the world together with all worldly tribulations and afflictions By Faith understand a living saving Faith which unites to Christ and thereby engages him in our Combat with us This is the Victory even our Faith Faith is said to be our Victory 1. Formally The world hinders and holds us back from Christ Faith is our coming to Christ our coming to Christ is our Victory over all that which held us back 2. Instrumentally This is the Victory that is this is our arm or our hand this is the weapon of our warfare that hath gotten for us the Victory Divers observations lye in the words Doct. 1. The world is a Christians Enemy A Conquest supposes a Combat and a Combat supposes an Enemy Doct. 2. A Believer hath his Enemies under his feet even whilest he is in the fight He is a Souldier as soon as he is a Believer and he is a Conquerour as soon as ever he is a Souldier His very taking up Arms is his Victory Doct. 3. A Christian overcomes the world by his Faith In the prosecution of this third Doctrine whereon I intend to bottom the following discourse I shall shew 1. Wherein the enmity of the world against Souls stands 2. Wherein the strength of the world lies whereby it prevails against our Souls 3. Wherein the strength of faith lies whereby it overcomes the world 4. The conflict of faith with this warring world or the several ways in which faith so maintains the fight that it obtains the victory 5. The Conquest of Faith over the conflicting world or wherein this victory stands 1. Wherein the enmity of the world against souls stands or discovers it self The world is an Enemy as before It pretends to be a friend but its friendship is enmity enmity against God Jam. 4. 4. and therefore against souls its kindnesses are darts its kisses are swords and arrows its very peace is war against the soul But what is this Enmity or wherein is it discovered For the better understanding of this I shall premise these four things 1. Every creature of God is good The whole Creation in their Original were mans friends or servants there was nothing hurtful that was made 2. The enmity that is came in by sin Sin was the only Make-bate as betwixt God and Man so betwixt Man and the rest of the Creatures all the Enemies which man hath in Heaven or Earth he may thank his sin for 3. There is no malignity in the creature properly against man in his lapsed state They are yet all capable of being good and serviceable to him 1 Tim. 4. 4 5. Every creature of God is good it is sanctified by the Word of God and Prayer Riches are good yea and honors and pleasures may be good and useful to man 4. It is by accident and not from the nature of the things that the creatures are become enemies to us Sinful man is a distempered diseased creature distempered in his mind and hereupon he misapprehends and mistakes the world and looking for that good that is not in it he looses that which is making it his happiness it becomes his undoing He is distempered and diseased in his heart yea and his whole man And hereupon as in bodily diseases the best of creatures which would be nourishment to the healthy are to the sick the nourishment of their diseases and as such are apt to lust after those things which are most noxious so is it with diseased souls our appetites are vitiated and whilest we lust after either that which we should not or more then we should have those very things which are good in themselves become mischievous and hurtful to us the maintaining and encreasing our disease These things premised I shall now shew wherein the enmity of the world against our souls stands and that is in these two things especially 1. In withdrawing our souls from God Particularly 1. In withdrawing our affections from God as our Portion 2. In withdrawing us from our Allegiance to God as our Soveraign 1. In withdrawing our affections from God as our Portiâ—n The world by the advantage of our distempered minds and appetites sets up it self as our God as our happiness or chiefest good it proposes its self for a portion to us and that both as a richer portion and more suitable then God would be it perswades us to take our portion in hand and to take up with what 's before us as our happiness and not to be so unwise as to make an adventure for an unknown happiness with the hazard of that present felicity and contentment which we tast and see to be so good God calls Come unto me and I will give thee rest I will be thy portion and reward come up to the other world there 's an Inheritance for thee No no saith the world stay with me dwell here below thou seest what thine entertainment is here there thou knowest not what thou shalt find here thou hast substance here thou hast Sun-shine here thou hast hearts ease here thou art full and aboundedst thou hast thy house full and thy hands full and thy belly full and thy heart full thou knowest what thou hast thou canst tast thou canst see how good this world is the Treasures of the other world though they be called Treasures of Light yet to thee they are but Treasures of Darkness thou knowest not what they are be content dwell here below where thou art well 2. In withdrawing us from our Allegiance to God as our Soveraign When it hath once drawn away the heart it will with ease pull away the shoulder if Gods Crown be despised his Yoke will quickly be shaken off we break our faith with God when once we are fallen in love with the world if it become our treasure we yield our selves to it for servants the strength of its temptations lies in the esteem we have of it and the affection we bear it What will the Authority of the Lord do with us when he hath lost our hearts and we have chosen us another God! What cannot the world command us to if we have once set it before us as our Goal and Prize if it be our end it will appoint us our means and way no unrighteousness but will be right in our eyes that will serve our worldly designs farewell faith truth mercy honesty and all conscience of sin further then we can make a gain of godliness And by withdrawing us from our love and obedience to God to this I might add 3ly It exposes us to his wrath and displeasure when we will none of him he will none of us when he is forsaken by us he sets himself against us by despising the riches of his goodness we fall under his fury and fiery indignation This is the state into which the world is leading us 2. In
withholding us from Christ Christ comes to bring us back unto the Father 1 Pet. 3. 18. to reduce us to our duty and restore us to our happiness The world that withdraws us from God withholds us from Christ Particularly It holds us back from coming to Christ It holds us in from following of Christ 1. It holds us back from coming to Christ And this it doth by these four means By Darkning our sight Deadning our sense Hanging upon our hearts and about our necks Furnishing us with excuses 1. By darkning the sight that we cannot see either the excellency or the necessity of Christ Christ draws on Souls to him by love and fear First he frights us in by presenting the danger and misery that is falling upon us and we cannot escape if we stand out Look to thy self Sinner this world will betray thee to thy ruine thy pleasures are thy traitors thy carnal friends are thy traitors thy estate is thy traitor they are feasting thee and feeding thee but t is for the day of slaughter the butcher the butcher of souls is near thee into whose hands they are betraying thee they seek thy life thou art but a dead man death is already feeding upon thee the curse of God doth already cleave to thee and is ready to fall upon thee in its full weight thou wilt be devoured thou wilt be swallowed up ere thou art aware come away come to me and thou shalt be safe this house is falling on thine head escape for thy life the avenger of blood is at thy heels flee to the City of refuge I am thy City of refuge come unto me Thus he provokes by fear And this is such an argument to drive Souls into Christ as a clap of thunder or a storm of hail is to the Traviler to hasten him to shelter Then Christ draws by love presents himself and his salvation to the Soul displayes all his beautie and excellencies before it opens the Gospel wherein his grace and his glory appear and shine forth the Gospel is sent down full of Christ there are all the treasures and unsearchable riches of Christ and all held forth in open sight to invite sinners unto him Now the world dashes all this that it workes nothing on the Soul by blinding the eye that it cannot see what Christ sets before it what is either beauty or blackness to the blind soul 2 Cor. 4. 4. The God of this world hath blinded the minds of them which beleive not lest the light of the glorious Gospel of Christ who is the image of God should shine unto them We are naturally born blind and if our eyes begin a little to be opened this earth is thrown as dust in our eyes that we may not see what 's before us The things of this world as the Moon interposed causeth an eclipse in our souls that we cannot see the Sun we cannot discern either light or darkness either the light of the glorious Gospel or the darkness of the Pitt either our hopes or our dangers this earth keeps both Heaven and Hell out of sight The things of the world should be a glass wherein we may behold the glory of the Lord we may see God in every creature The Heavens declare the glory of God Psal 19. 1. And so doth the earth also and all that is therein but that which God made a glass in which we might see his glory the Divel makes a cloud to take God out of sight what God made a window to let in the light the Divel makes a shut to keep it out Worldly men fix and terminate their eyes in worldly things they can neither look besides them nor through them It is not with them according to the course of nature The Sun dazles mens eyes that they cannot see the Earth but the quite contrary The Earth dazles their eyes that they cannot see the Sun Men usually carry their eyes in their hearts they will not look but where they love or if they should look heavenward yet they could not see the earth hath dazled their eyes Sinners take heed of these riches take heed of these pleasures these substances and these shadowes which your hearts are set upon they will not only be as clogs to keep you down from ascending heavenward but as clouds to hinder you from looking thither It may be they appear as bright clouds but a bright cloud will hide the Sun out of sight as well as a black 2. By deadning the sense they can neither see nor feel they see not the excellency nor can feel their need of Christ who are drunken with these worldly vanities they who altogether live by sense are without sense of any but the present things they can make a shift to live without Christ the less of Christ the better for their turns Christ and the things of Christ are the only things that stand in their way are their way to poverty not to wealth to reproach and shame not to honour they can well enough want Christ while they live but what need they may have of him after this life that enters not into their hearts they are so busy with what they find here that they look not so far as the grave much less beyond it 'T is hard dealing with such hearts but when you find them alone retired and withdrawn from the world and how long may we wait ere we meet with such a season find them in a croud among their carnal friends and companions find them among their Sheep or Oxen or at their pleasures and the noise of these will so drown all that can be said that its like to make as deep impression as a showre upon a stone cry out in their eares fire fire throw Death and Hell in their faces it moves them not so much as to draw forth such a question What may I do to escape We never will come to Christ till we see we need him and we never see our need of Christ till being withdrawn from the hurries of this World we have leisure to sit down and consider How seldom do carnal hearts ask What use is there of Christ wherefore is he come what want would there be of him if there were no Christ If God that spared not his Son but gave him a ransome for the world had spared all this cost it had been all one to them they could have liv'd as merrily and as plentifully here however and that 's all they mind or regard Or if they have any sense of their need of Christ at all it is so little that it will do nothing to the perswading them after him the wound is not so deep but the name of a Saviour will skin it over Seldome does it rise so high as to wring out such a serious question What may I do that Christ may be mine How many Houses and Markets and Shops and Companies may we come into ere we hear any such question Go into the
thou going hearken to Christ hearken to this Word hearken to this Conscience and what then shall become of me What shall become of thy estate what shall become of thy esteem what shall become of thy liberty what shall become of all thy love and friendship and pleasure thou hast in the world art willing to be poor art willing to be in bondage art willing to be in reproach and disgrace open that door once let Christ in have any thing to do with Conscience and thou art undone all that ever thou hast all that ever thou lovest in all the world must thenceforth become strangers to thee Hast thou not given me thy heart have not I lyen in thy bosome hast thou not cherished me and cared for me as thine own soul and have not I deserv'd thy care and respect have not I been thy food and thy rayment and thy joy and all the comfort of thy life What wilt thou be when I have left thee when thy estate hath left thee thy pleasures have left thee thy friends have left thee I know thou lovest me thou lovest to be rich and to be great and to be at thy ease and thy liberty as thou lovest thy life I know I have thy heart and thou art loath to leave me I but therefore consider and take heed if thou hearken to Christ once if thou meddle too far with Religion and wilt be dealing for another world once then farewell this But canst thou find in thine heart to leave me have I been a Wilderness to thee or a Land of darkness hath it not been well with thee hast thou wanted any thing hast thou not been full and abounded hast thou not flourished and prosper'd hast thou not had thy belly full of meat and thy belly full of mirth and thy bones full of rest and thy heart full of ease and content what hast thou wanted whilest thou imbracedst my love and canst thou now find in thine heart to part look to thy self what day thou strikest hands with Christ thou must shake hands with all the world Look for no more favour from me thou dost not know when thou art well when thou hast enough but henceforth if thou take this course thou shalt have little enough If Christ carry thee he shall carry thee naked thou shalt leave all thy good things behind thee and look for it I have not been so great a friend but now I 'le be as great an enemy I 'le persecute thee and plague thee and vex thee and if I may no longer sleep in thy bosome I 'le stick in thy sides if I may no longer be the treasure of thine heart I 'le be a dart in thy liver But consider be advised foolish soul let us not part thus stay stay with me go not after thou knowest not what forsake not an old friend for a new believe it the old is better if thou wilt be wise stay as thou art and mind thy present commodity lay by the thoughts of the other world let hereafter take care for it self never stand amuzing thy self about thou knowest not what I have not been so good to thee but I will be better to thee then ever come let 's take our fill of love eat drink and be merry gather keep lay up what 's before thee and cast away care And thus it wooes and flatters and bewitches it into a neglect of Christ so long till it hath smitten the soul under the fift rib and stab'd it to death and drown'd it in perdition and destruction 4. It will help men to excuses for their neglect of Christ Men are asham'd to play the Fools but they would have something to say for 't to stop mouths withall to stop the mouth of Conscience to stop the mouths of Men to stop the mouth of their Judge if it be possible Luk. 14. 18. Those that were invited to come to Christ it s said they all began to make excuses they were asham'd to say they would not come that had been too gross but they excuse themselves we cannot come Ruth 4. 6. The Kinsman of Ruth that had the offer of redeeming the Inheritance of his deceased Kinsman answered no I cannot redeem it lest I mar mine own Inheritance He would not say I will not redeem it no an excuse must be found out I cannot redeem it I should mar mine own Inheritance if I redeem my Brothers So these here they do not say I will not but I cannot come Why what 's the matter you cannot come to Christ what excuse have you whence have you your excuse Oh the world furnishes them with an excuse I have a Farm sayes one I have Oxen to look to sayes another I have a Wife to mind sayes a third I pray thee have me excused I cannot come Christians have your hearts never made this use of the world to make it your excuse for your neglecting Christ and your souls it hath hindred you many a time from coming to Christ and then excused you for not coming How many prayers hath it lost you how many Sabbaths hath it lost you the loss of these may be the loss of Christ the loss of your souls How much of these spiritual advantages hath the world lost you and when they are lost when you have lost a praying time or hearing time lost a Sabbath or a Sermon or a Sacrament this must serve for an excuse I was busie and could not come An excuse is a pretence or a shift that men find out to save themselves from blame for all their neglects of Christ and their souls as if they should say it s a shame for men to neglect Christ that have nothing else to mind in his stead it s a shame for men to neglect their souls that have nothing else to look to I have no mind to Christ and his wayes this looking after my soul and my Conscience and the matters of the other world are things that I like not and list not to be medling withall but what shall I say for my self if I neglect them I am asham'd to say I care not for Christ I care not for my soul I care not for heaven and everlasting glory I care not though I perish and die I dare not say thus and yet these things that Christ calls to me are so contrary to me that I have no mind to meddle with them But what shall I say for my self if I do not some excuse or other I must have what may be my excuse Why hast thou never a Farm to look to never a Wife nor Family to look after or hast thou not an house or an horse or a companion hast thou no sports nor pleasures no Hawks nor dogs to follow hast thou nothing to do hast thou nothing to say tell Christ tell Conscience thou hast other business to do thou hast thy friends or thy pleasures that call thee another way any thing may serve a bad excuse
is there done for Christ how little is Christ serv'd or sought Judge ye every one in your own selves how little hath been done for Christ or is now a doing look back and summe up all that you have done and gather together all concerning which you can say this hath been done for Christ this day or this houre was spent in seeking of Christ and see into what a narrow room all will be brought look into your hearts and see how many shops and feilds you may find there to one sanctuary how how many Markets and Fairs have been kept there to on Sabbath how many servants hath Christ at work for him within you all that is within you have the name of the servants of Christ every faculty is his servant your thoughts affections understandings consciences every member your hands eyes tongues have all the name of the servants of Christ but are these at work for Christ are your understandings veiwing Christ are your thoughts searching after Christ are your affections working up towards Christ are your consciences pleading for Christ are your tongues speaking for Christ are your hands laying up or laying out for Christ the Devil hath his servants busy a working for him our carnal thoughts our fleshly lusts our earthly affections all our earthly members are hard at work for the Devil to harden us against Christ to entice us from Christ to defile and destroy our Souls but how little is done for Christ t would make our hearts to tremble if we did consider how little may be there may be divers of our souls in which there hath not been one stroke of work done for Christ since they had a being and in whom there 's any thing done oh how little is it What footing hath Christ gotten in your hearts what faith or love or fear or honor hath he in you how goes his sanctifying work his mortifying work on in you how fares it with his enemies in you your lusts and passions and carnal affections are not these still Lording it in his room Oh how little is it that is yet done for Christ within us how little power and authority hath he in us how low is it with us both in point of grace and peace how little is he minded or lov'd or prais'd in us how little pleasure or delight do we take in him how little care take we for him any little good thing that he hath committed to us how hath it been cherish'd and nourish'd and improv'd doth it not languish and pine away whilest our faces shine our flesh flourishes our outward man thrives in what a withering perishing case is our inner man Think with your selves are matters with you within as you could wish they were is it with your souls as Christ would have it do you think he will say to you in the case you are in well done thou hast been a faithful servant a good Steward of my manifold graces how is it without you what are your duties what are your wayes what praying or hearing or walking oh what shuffling over duties what halting in your goings what do you more then others are you not carnal and vain as others are you not proud and froward as others are you not unsavoury and unprofitable as others of what use are you to those you walk amongst what examples are you to them wherein are they the better for you does your light shine do ye provoke them to love and good works what do you for your Relations for your friends for your families or any of the members of Christ What mourning is there under the dishonor of Christ what sense of the sufferings of Christ doth not Christ suffer much in the world in his Ministers in his Members in his Worship in his Sabbaths and Ordinances how fares it abroad with Christ how fares it with his Gospel with his Saints is all well is it peace doth the Church prosper doth Religion flourish or doth it not suffer and mourn and bleed and is even ready to vanish away and yet who is there almost that cares for any of these things how few are there that lay them to heart where are the hearts that tremble for the Ark of God that ask how fares it with the Israel of God Oh Brethren its lamentable to see how little upon any account whatsoever the things of Christ are any where minded But what 's the reason why look abroad every where in the world and you may see reason enough what is there a doing every where go into one Town go into another go into one house and another and another and what are they doing how busie are we in buying and selling and building and planting ploughing and sowing marrying and giving in marriage this is it we are so busie for this world that Christ and the things of Christ are little regarded by us 2. It holds us short of that grace and true peace which we might receive from him The cares of this world choak the Word that it cannot prosper in such souls that it can neither quicken us nor comfort us Grace is a flower that will grow best in those Gardens where it hath least of earth A worldly-minded Christian a worldly-minded Professor will never be but a Dwarf will be but an Infant in Religion at forty years old How many may we see among us that have liv'd many years under the profession of Religion and have had some hope towards God and some confidence that Christ is in them of a truth who if they should take an account of themselves what increase have I made in the grace of God all this while What hath been added to me to my faith or love or zeal of God to my knowledge of God to my acquaintance with mine own heart how much humility spirituality mortification what power over my corruptions my pride my passion my peevishness my fleshliness have I obtained what evidences have I gotten for heaven what clearness and grounded confidence and assurance am I grown up to now more then I was seven or ten or twenty years agone what have I gotten how much and wherein have I improv'd in all this time Oh how may most of us sadly answer What have I gotten how have I grown oh the Lord he merciful to me have I not lost have I not sunk and decayed is it not worse with me now then many years ago my faith grown my love grown my holiness and my hope grown my comfort and my confidence grown the Lord help me rather my fears and my doubts my darkness and my deadness and my sins are grown upon me I have less life and less love and less joy and less peace then when I first look'd after Christ Let worldly-minded Professors prove and consider themselves narrowly if this such a lean starveling lifeless state of soul be not all the kindness they are beholding to their worldliness for it hath built you houses and bought you Lands
stopped the mouth of Conscience quenched the heat of zeal slain holiness with the edge of the sword put to flight the hopes of the Saints left for dead those whom God hath raised up to life left the Church that living vineyard as a field of dead carkasses their peace slain their comforts slain the Spirit of light and life within them vanished into dimness and deadness and all this because our Faith hath so much fail'd what are we become to what a low ebbe are we brought O we of little faith well but yet there is hope concerning this thing This stump if there be but life in the root will spring again and recover again you that have but a little faith blow up that living sparkle and your sick and spoiled and half dead Souls will revive again let your faith once out of weakness be made strong and it will recover all you have lost Beleive more nourish and cherish and exercise Faith more lean on the rock of ages look unto Jesus lay hold on the Covenant live in the word of promise hang upon the shoulders feed upon the fulness of the Lord and there let your Faith gather strength again and this will be the strength of your hearts will renew your life recover your love enflame your zeal set your holiness and your hopes again upon the wing and bring the world and its temptations again under your feet the strenth of a Christian is his Faith 2. The strength of Faith is Christ Christ is the mighty one the mighty God If. 9. 6. The rock of ages in whom is everlasting strength If. 26. through Faith this mighty God is our God this rock of ages is our rock 1 Joh. 4. 4. Ye are of God little children and have overcome them because greater is he that is in you then he that is in the world who is he that is in you t is Christ that is in you who is he that is in the world the Devil is in the world Christ is greater then the enemy and therefore you have overcome He that is in the world is great but he that is in you is greater he that is in the world is strong and subtil but he that is in you is stronger and wiser then he little Children ye have overcome what are a company of poor children to a mighty giant But behold the childrens Champion and you will quickly see on which side the victory will go There are 2. things in Christ which are the strength of faith His Power Victory 1. His power he is a mighty one as before I have layd help on one that is mighty Psal 89. 19. he hath power Temptations To prevent To deaden To succour those that are tempted 1. He hath power to prevent temptations 1 Cor. 10. 13. he will not suffer us to be tempted above what we are able You may conclude from the promise of Christ to his power he will not promise more then he can doe when he saies he will not suffer us to be tempted you may be sure he hath power to restrain the tempter Christ hath all our tempters and temptations in his power the Devil in his power the World in his power they must have leave ere they can strike a stroke If he say the word the Assyrian shall not come against Jerusalem nor dig a trench about them nor shoot an arrow against them he hath his hook in the nose and his bridle in the Jaws of all his enemies As the Devil could not tempt Christ so neither any of his servants unless the Spirit lead them into the wilderness to be tempted therefore he directs us to pray Lead us not into temptation 2. He hath power to deaden temptations to take off the edge of them that so though they come yet they shall not enter though Sathan strikes yet his arrows shall not stick Gal. 6. 14. By him the world is crucified to me and I am crucified to the world Christ by his Cross hath slain the world it s now become to the Saints as a dead thing It s beauty and glory is dead dried up and withered Christ by his cross hath discovered the glory of the other world life and mortality are hung forth in open sight on the Cross of Christ and that sunshine hath withered all the flowers here below who will play at such small games that sees the invisible Crown which the Cross of Christ hath set before his eyes And as the beauty and glory so the power and wrath of the world is slain Christ by his death kill'd all the powers of darkness a Christian sees that the world can now doe him neither good nor hurt it can neither befriend nor mischief him who would be enticed by a dead Carrion or affrighted by a dead Lyon And I am crucified unto it Christ hath slain the World without us and our worldly Lusts within us Our old man is crucified with Christ Rom. 6. 6. ye are dead saith the Apostle Col. 3. 3. dead to this World Set your affections on things above for ye are dead to things below I am crucified to the World that is worldly temptations are no more to me than if I were a dead man What are meat and drink and cloaths and pleasures and honours to a dead man If the Devil should go and preach among the tombs and call out to the dead hearken to me and I will feed you with delicates cloath you in scarlet enrich you with silver and gold exalt you to honour what skull or bone would be moved the same success will he have in his tempting crucified Saints were they totally thus mortified the highest temptations would move them nothing at all no more than a Carkass in the grave and according to the degree of that mortification they have attained to so far forth is the edge of temptation blunted 3. He hath power to succour those that are tempted Though the Tempter be let loose and temptation come thick and strike deep as by reason of our imperfect mortification they may our experiences sadly restifie how much the World is often too hard for us how often we are intangled and led away by it what breaches it makes on our peace what wounds in our hearts and what fears and misgivings hereupon arise in our souls how we shall stand for the future thus are we weary and distressed and hard bestead but though it be thus with us in the midst of all these there 's this to support us Heb. 2. 18. In that he suffered being tempted he is able also to succour those that are tempted 2. His Victory over the world Christ hath power over the World to restrain it from tempting to deaden its temptations to succour those that are tempted yea more than that he hath already overcome the World and thereby secur'd our fifinal victory John 16. 33. In the world ye shall have tribulation but be ye of good comfort I have overcome the World Why
are idle ye are idle is their word when any of theirs will worship God an hour spent in prayer or reading by such as belong to them is as great a crime as so much time wasted in play or idleness to your work to your work any work that 's done for God is counted lost to them He that fears God would have God served by all his and never counts himself served when God is neglected He sees that the education of those that are under him in the knowledg and worship of God is necessary work and excellent work a godly family is a nursery for Heaven he counts it his best husbandry to be husbanding up such choice plants as will afterwards be for trees to be here and there transplanted in the vineyard of the Lord he would train up a new generation that may rise up in his room to bear the name of God in their generations whereby the Lord may have a seed preserved to shew forth his praises from generation to generation Gen. 18. 17. I know Abraham that he will command his children and his houshold after him and they shall keep the way of the Lord. It may be written over the sayings of the seed of the righteous as Prov. 31. 1. The words of King Lemuel the prophecy which his mother taught him over others it may be written not the prophesies but the prophaness the oathes the lyes the scoffes that his mother taught him the covetousness and the oppression that he hath learned of his Father What 's the reason of that rudeness and those debaucheries that Ignorance Atheism and Irreligion that abounds in wordly families t is all they have been bred up to they have learn'd to be wicked of Children the iniquity of their Fathers covetousness would not allow them time to teach them better things He whos 's own foot is escaped out of the snare would not leave any of his in prison behind him T is a vain argument for the Devil to use with such thou wilt never thrive if thou spendest so many thoughts and words and hours about such matters thou wilt if thou takest this course bring thy self to a morsell of bread and wilt teach all thine the way to the same poverty and make them all as bad husbands as thy self this would do something with earthly minds but he that fears God if it must be had rather be undone then to preserve or increase his estate by the murther of Souls This may be my way to increase my store for what is labour without a blessing and what blessing where God is not known this may be my best husbandry for this world but whether it be or no God must be served Oh what dark and dismal holes are the dwellings of worldlings their habitations are full of violence cruelty and bloud lodges in them they live by murther and rapine the bloud of Souls is their meat and drink the lives of their Children must be sacrifices to their lust they buy them livings and raise them portions out of their own ruine all the purchases they make for them they may call the Potters field for they are the price of bloud they will suffer them to run down to Hell for fear they should leave them beggers on earth they 'le make them too good husbands to be ever good Christians they are bondmen themselves and they sell all theirs for servants to the same master Christians you that hope you are gotten free prove that you are so by being zealous of getting that freedom entail'd upon your posterity leave them no longer at the brick kiln but bring them away with you to serve the Lord. 1. Bring them with you before the Lord lay them often at his feet pray over them Here be my blind Lord and my lame my creeples and my captives Lord open their eyes and bring forth these prisoners out of prison behold the Souls which thou hast given me here they are before thee Oh that they might live in thy sight let all mine be thine Hast thou delivered thy servant O let all these be as the Soul of thy servant hast thou brought me out of bondage O let me not leave a Child behind 2. Bring the Lord to them let these poor prisoners hear of a redeemer make Christ known to them and that they may accept of his redemption make them first known to themselves Instruct them often make them to know their sin and their misery the dreadful bondage that they are under at present and the dreadful pit they are hastning to and then tell them of that redeemer that is come out of Zion 3. Bring them over to the Lord be an Embassadour for Christ to them cease not to warn them to command perswade beseech them in Christs stead till they consent and be reconciled to God Be industrious be at pains with them lye at them from day to day bethink not your time and labour And if the world step in and reprove you this is not the way to thrive these houres spent in thy trade or calling would turn thee and them to more profit then prove thy self to have broken its yoke from off thy neck by turning away thine ear from its suggestions 4. That in all his dealings in the world he have respect to truth righteousness and mercy He would not live by lying he would not get by unrighteousness nor save by unmercifulness The worlds vassals must stick at nothing that will serve their turns must lye defraud oppresse extort grind the faces starve the bowels break the bones of their poor brethren this is for their interest 1 Tim. 6. 10. The love of money is the root of all evil whence is it that there is so little faith or truth or righteousness or mercy among men so little truth in their words so little faith in their promises so little righteousness in their dealings no more bowels of compassion we may be ashamed to think how little we may fear and tremble to think how little so much praying and hearing and professing and yet so much falshood and wrong so much knowledg of God and yet so little conscience towards men such pretences to faith and yet so little exercise of charity this is dreadful but whence is all this the love of money is the root of all evil this is the lyar this is the oppressour this is the barbarian the love of money there had been more faith and more truth and more mercy had there been less of this love where this root is dried up where the world is no longer lov'd it will be no longer serv'd or obey'd nothing of it will be regarded but what comes in in a way of truth and righteousness He that loves truth above the best trading righteousness above the greatest riches that counts mercy the best good husbandry he that had rather stand to a bad bargain then break promise make a bad market then advance his gain by a lye suffer bad
grace be grace high in knowledge and low in love strong in confidence and loose in conscience hot in affection and cold in practise in the solaces of the spirit and yet walking in the flesh Behold a Christian like Nebuchadnezzars Image the head of gold the feet of iron and clay desinit in piscem mulier formofa supernè 'T is strange to observe what contradictions some Professors of Christianity are they are what they are not they are not what they are whilest they would be the great reconcilers of flesh and spirit of earth and heaven and make the serving of God and their own bellies the same service behold how they are divided from themselves they love God and love him not they serve God and serve him not this they may do as well as love God and this present world Oh how different are many of us from our selves our practices from our principles our doings from our sayings and yet how little differing from others you pray as others do not you hear as others do not you swear not as others you curse not as others but do you not covet as others are you not carnal as others Consider your wayes who more intent upon their present commodity who more hot upon the chase of an earthly inheritance then some of those who profess to have laid up their treasure in heaven Are there none to be sound who pretend to the greatest confidence of Divine Love to the highest pitch of Spirituality and Divine Communion who seem to pant after the Lord and breath out their souls in their warm and passionate duties and yet are eaten out and swallowed up of the cares of this life It is an amazing thing to consider what a strange degree of earthliness is to be found among such what infatiable hunger what indefatigable labour after an encrease of their estates how little respect to soul or conscience where their gain is concerned how ordinarily dispensing with lying promise breaking and almost any unrighteousness when 't is for their advantage how many grains must there be allowed them e're charity it self can judge them honest And where is all bestowed that is thus gotten in how little goes out for God or any of his how many hypocritical bemoanings of the hard case of the poor to one liberal alms Some gather only that they may lay up others that they may have to spend upon their lusts to build them houses and furnish their tables to trim their carkasses to please their eye or their palats and all this either justified and allowed or at least made up with some such hypocritical complaints Woe is me this world is too hard for me O it eats up my time O it steals away mine heart how am I overcharged how is my soul even choaked within me what shall I do to help it And when the complaint is thus made the matter is mended now a good Christian now ease and joy and confidence returns and then on again the same course Brethren be serious consider your selves feel your own pulses view your own faces and ways observe your hearts see where their daily walks are may you not find them ten times walking to and fro through the earth to once or twice casting a look towards heaven What are their daily tasks what is the work you every day put them upon Instead of those higher and nobler Offices of Vessels of Honor waiting before the Throne of God standing in his Courts bearing his Name beholding his Face setting forth his Praises have not our hearts been made hewers of wood and drawers of water carriers of burthens servers of tables purveyors for the flesh caterers for the appetite servants to the back and the belly the great traders and merchants of the earth to buy in provision for lust Worthy employment for immortal Souls as if the utensils of the Temple the golden altar the golden table the candlesticks the bowls and the basons all of beaten gold should have been fetchd out and set up in a blind Inne or a dirty alehouse for the service and the pleasure of every drunken companion Have not your Souls none of you been thus dealt withall are not these your heart-works when any thing is to be done for God the body must do that the body must to the closet the tongue must pray the ear must hear the eye must read but the Soul must stay abroad when any thing is to be done for the other world that must be but bodily exercise but when this flesh must be served that 's the heart-work that 's work for the Soul If these Souls could be seen with bodily eyes a man that goes into the field or into a fair or to a feast might see an hundred Souls more there then bodies and he that went into the congregation of the Lord if there were never so great a throng may be he might see but a few hearts in the company Christians consider is this your faith is this your victory over the world is this to be mortified is this to be crucified with Christ or to have your conversation in Heaven or can you think your selves believers especially of so high a form when so earthly and carnal What think you of those Jews of whom the Lord speaks Ezek. 33. 31. They come unto thee as the people cometh they sit before thee as my people they hear thy words but they will not do them with their mouth they shew much love but their heart goes after their covetousness Are these the people of God all whose religion is to come to hear and to pray to have a mouth full of God a mouth full of love and an heart full of covetousness Give me leave to interpose a word or two to the carrying on the former conviction as to many professâ—rs of religion in order whereto let us a little consider that Scripture Philip. 3. 18. 19. Where the Apostle speaks of a sort of professours much of this earthly make and he speaks with tears in his eyes Many walk of whom I have told you often and now tell you even weeping that they are enemies of the cross of Christ whose end is destruction whose God is their belly and whose glory is their shame who mind erthly things In the former part of the chapter you may observe how 1. He gives an account of himself and his own Christianity and this in these particulars 1. He set such an high rate on Christ and an interest in his righteousness that in comparison hereof he counted all things else but loss and dung let this gain be loss this earth be dung troden under foot as dung cast out as dung so I may win Christ and be found in him 2. He unites interest in Christ with conformity to Christ they lye both together in the same heart and his Soul is making out after both in the same breath That I may win Christ and be found in him and that I may know him
figures of Sabbaths the ordinances of them are to us as wells without water lamps withoul Oyle meer shadows of good things we go up from week to week to meet one with another but how seldom do we see God in the company and hereupon Sabbaths come and goe and leave us still as we were the Devil may well enough trust us with such Sabbaths the world may give us leave to go thus before the Lord and be no looser by it Brethren get you into the inner court which on these dayes especially was to be set open Ezek. 46. 1. there is an entry through the house of the Lord that leads in to the heart of the most high get you into that sanctum sanctorum and there let be your rest as often as the morning of that blessed day looks forth upon you get your vessels ready and go you forth to meet the bridegroom open your eyes with these thoughts this is the day which the Lord hath made I will rejoyce and be glad in it climb up betimes and let every duty be a stair by which you ascend to your Lord let divine contemplation let prayers and praises c. be the whole work let the blessings of Divine Communion be the whole expectation of that day and when you find your hearts refreshed with his presence and filled with the company of your God and he sends you away laden with the tokens of his love and with the impress of his face upon your hearts and the relish of his goodness fresh upon your palats when you thus go hot out of the presence of the Lord then you will learn to despise that day of small things with which the World entertains you Shall I forsake my sweetness saith the figtree shall I forsake my fatness saith the Olive and become King over the trees let the bramble take that honour farewell dignities and dominions farewell pomps and pleasures farewell houses and lands I have enough I have seen the face of God 3. It is a day of special provision for Souls whereon the Lord brings forth out of his treasury his spiritual provisions to keep the Soul in heart Hunger-starv'd souldiers are but poor fighters they are the weak souls whom the World hath vanquished Sabbaths are the Souls Market dayes Men have their Markets whence to be supplied with necessaries for their bodies and on this day God keeps a Market for Souls He hath his Milk and his Honey his Wine and his Oyl his Bread and his Water of Life and on this day in special he makes Proclamation Ho every one that thirsteth come to the Waters and he that hath no money Come ye buy and eat yea buy Wine and Milk without money and without price The bread which comes down from Heaven though it be to be had every day our Week-dayes may in their measure be all Sabbaths yet on this day it falls more plentifully The Jews had their corporal Manna on the six dayes and none on the Sabbath but the hidden Manna falls more thin and more sparely on our other dayes and on this day more abundantly They were to gather double on the sixth day that they might have to supply them on the Sabbath but for the Spiritual Manna all our other dayes are to be supply'd from our Sabbath provision A Christian who is not fit to meet the Bridegroom is neither fit to meet his adversary without Oyl in his Lamp T is the great commodity that 's set to sale in this Market Oyle for our vessels Come bring your empty vessels here 's Oyl to fill them The Ordinances which are this day administred are the pipes opened those golden pipes by which the golden Oyl is emptied forth and conveyed down from the living Olive Zech. 4. T is no wonder that men hunger after this world who know no better feeding An Asses head or a kab of Doves dung are of great price when there is no bread 2 King 6. 25. T is for want of bread that worldlings can make such a feast of their Locusts and wild Honey Those that have eaten of the hidden Manna will not lust after Quails the Worlds dainties will come out at their nostrils whose bellies have been filled with this hid treasure Those whom God hath fed in his green Pastures those whom God hath led by his still waters they cannot live in these salt Marishes or stubble fields Those whose souls God hath made well watered Gardens will not need the Pools of the Wilderness It s no wonder that the World beats us when we go for many daies together without making one good meal When our souls are famished into weakness then are we our enemies prey they are the hunger starved sheep that are a prey to Crows and Kytes If Sathan can but keep us low if he can either keep the Manna from falling about our Camps or keep us idle when we should be gathering he may then lead us after his lure at pleasure T is not a little strength that will suffice us against his great temptations and t is not a little bread by which we are like to gather any great strength we had need feed well if we will be strong and we had need be strong or we shall never fight well A Soul that uses to come before the Lord with an appetite that feeds hungrily and is as the thirsty earth that drinks up the showers that come oft upon it whom the Lord satisfies with the fatness of his house you may turn him loose to the World flesh and Devil the life of God within him maintained by influences from above will much secure him against all their assaults Christians know your Sabbath priviledges the advantages of Sabbath separation Sabbath communion and Sabbath provision Understand your advantage and make your advantage of them Be ye seperate Remember your Creator and rest from your works as God did from his Remember your Redeemer and rise from your dust as Christ did from his Let this day of his Resurrection be the day of your Resurrection and Ascention Let Sabbaths be Sabbaths indeed holy to the Lord and wholly his Divide not the day betwixt flesh and Spirit God and Mammon but let it be entirely the Lords day Let every duty and Ordinance of this day be a Communion Prepare to meet your God and go up to meet him Seek his face in hope to see his face see and love see and rejoice see and admire and praise him in his excellent greatness Hearken what the Lord God will speak and let him hear your voice Confirm your friendshâ—p renew your acquaintance in Heaven repeat your Covenant transactions Have you chosen the Lord for your portion tell him you stand to your choice have you renounc'd your flesh and the World promise him not to return to folly Have you made the Lord your trust put forth fresh acts of faith upon him Look to him lean on him for his righteousness and strength Let such as these
immarcessible to which we are redeemed we have a survey of them all in this price that was paid for them The love of Christ his kindnesses and compassions do all look forth upon us His sweat his stripes his grief his groans his bloud do all speak Behold how he loved us behold what he hath laid up for those that love him Brethren will not this price buy off your Souls from this Earth which hath bought them from Hell will neither the price nor the purchase do it will not Heaven be taken in exchange for clay you have been at the table of the Lord but sure you do not use to see Jesus there if your Souls yet dwell in the dust Look ye to that tree the cross of your Lord that instrument of death behold how it is become a tree of life a tree of life hung with all manner of precious fruits there are all the curses naild and witherd there are all the flowers and fruits of the Paradise of God growing up and flourishing there is joy and glory there is life and peace Sursum Corda What are these Souls what moles and batts what no eyes to see this glory what see it and not desire it what still feeding with the worms Let these moles get them eyes let these worms get them wings look till you can see and see till you can love and then ascend and be satisfied When I am lifted up I will draw all men after me Joh. 12. 32. Is not the Son of Man lifted up dost thou not see him before thee what is thine heart that doth not yet begin to ascend O what is Christ what not worth the thirty pieces wilt thou again sell thy Lord for money once more look on him whom thou hast pierced and then say O my Soul whom wilt thou Jesus or Barabbas this World is a robber what do I here am I come to crucifie the Son of God afresh to set him at nought again to sell him the second time my mony perish from me rather then it should again become the price of bloud 2. The Sacrament is the New Testament sealed the use of a Seal is to secure and confirm therefore Seals are affix'd to writings bonds or covenants to give them their full force and ratification The writing to which this Seal is set is the Gospel the great and precious promises which are full of life and immortality and all the riches of the promised land The Lord in giving us the Sacramental Elements his Bread and his Cup doth therein deliver us the Covenant of Grace sealed to assure us of the truth and certainty thereof as if he should say This shall be a sign betwixt me and thee that if thou accept of my Gospel treasures upon Gospel terms if thou wilt have no other God but wiâ—t forsake all and follow me this shall be to assure thee that I will be thy God and all that I have is thine And as the Lord seals on his part so we set our seal to our part of the Covenant as the Covenant is mutual so is the sealing Gods giving is his sealing and our receiving is ours our receiving the Elements from the hand of the Lord our eating and drinking is our seal to witness our acceptance of God upon Gods terms let this be a sign betwixt me and thee that I accept Lord I accept of thee according to the tenor and terms of thy Covenant Our acceptance of these Elements is as a Servants taking Covenant money or a Souldiers taking Press money which binds the one to his Master the other to his Captain and our sealing in this manner doth in a sense ratifie Gods Seal as to our particular interest in the promise as upon a servants receiving his Covenant money the Covenant is confirmed not only on his own part but also on his Masters His Master is now engaged to own him provide for him protect him and reward him as his servant It s true Gods Seal alone fully confirms the truth of the Covenant in general but upon my sealing to the condition on my part provided it be sincere and unfeigned hereupon Gods Seal doth not only confirm the Covenant in general that he which believeth and obeyeth the Gospel shall certainly be saved but it now makes it sure to me and gives me a certain propriety in all the promises of God There 's not a man in the world that thus accepts and sets to his Seal but the Seal of God stands good to him he hath it under Gods hand and seal that he shall be pardoned he hath it under Gods hand and seal that grace and peace and all things necessary unto life and salvation are his Only it must be understood and remembred as before our acceptance is not to be only of what God promises a willingness to be pardoned and saved but of what God requires a willingness to serve him and forsaking all others to cleave only unto him as a Souldier takes his Press money not only in token that he accepts of his pay or a servant his Covenant money in token that he accepts of his wages but it is their taking pay upon terms to fight and taking wages on terms to work Now hence arises a double advantage in our war against the world an Encouragement Engagement 1. Gods Seal encourages us on The Covenant of God assures not only a Crown to the Conqueror but assistance to the Combatant He will be not only the rewarder but the helper of all those that diligently seek him He hath said Heb. 13. 5. I will never fail thee nor forsake thee And hereupon thou mayst boldly say The Lord is my helper He hath said Ezek. 36. 27. I will put my spirit within you and ver 26. I will give you a new heart This flesh will never prevail but what cannot the Spirit of the Lord do this old heart and the world will never part they were ever friends and ever will be but he will take away this and give you another heart Fright not thy self with the difficulties thou seest before thee from the strong party the world has within thee thy carnal nature with all thine earthly members from the Allies and Confederates it hath without thee Satan with all his instruments and temptations thou wilt be like to say How can I turn this stream of nature how can I stand against this floud of temptations Can I create me a new spirit or can I conquer whilest this old spirit lives can I command my love and my fear and my hatred as I please can I love what I will and hate what I will and fear what I will can I fly from what my heart follows after or fight against what I so love and desire How can I endure such hardness as not only the fight but the victory will bring upon me Can I be poor can I be hungry be naked be destitute can I be in reproach in disgrace and contempt will this
there any empty souls among you hungring and thirsting after the bread and water of life what if Christ should come down and meet you here and feed you with these good things would you not say O this is sweet feeding O this is a sweet morning O this is a pleasant meal If you could see all the blessed fruits of the gospel spred upon this table if you saw pardons sealed before you for every one of your souls if grace and peace if love and joy if holiness and power and every thing your souls want or wish for if you should see them here on the table if you should hear a voice from Heaven calling unto you Eat O friends drink yea drink abundantly O beloved you that want a pardon there 't is for you you that want holiness humility patience power assurance here 't is for you take it It may be the full souls among you would be nothing moved it would better please them to hear there 's a penny for you there 's a sheep or an house or a living for you But every hungry soul would cry out O this is sweet ' its good to be here 3. That these fruits of Christ are exhibited and given forth in the sacrament The sacrament is a communion the Communion of the body of Christ the Communion of the bloud of Christ 1 Cor. 10. 16. wherein we come not only to see but to receive Christ crucified to receive of his fulness grace for grace Isa 12. 3. we have a promise with joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation here note 1. That the Church of Christ hath her wells of salvation without is death and destruction sinners have their pits and their pools and their cisterns but no wells There is a fountain and a fountain opened Zech. 13. 1. but 't is to the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem to the Israel of God not to his enemies to these the fountains opened is a fountain sealed Christ shall profit them nothing Christ is the Churches inclosure no common for aliens If you ask what are those wells I answer the word is a well the ordinances are wells in particular this ordinance this sacrament to which we are come this day to draw this is a well it hath the depth of a well this ordinance is a deep mystery 't is not every hand no nor every eye that can reach the water 2. It hath the spring of a well wells have not a standing and underived fulness but they have a spring that feeds them Christ is the spring that fills this well 3. It hath the fulness of a well cisterns will hold little water in the well there is store all Christ is here in whom all fulness dwells This well is the Churches it belongs only to those that belong to God 1 Cor. 3. 22. 23. whether Paul Apollos or Cephas whether ministers or ordinances all are yours because you are Christs and Christ is Gods Rom. 9. 4. who are Israelites to whom pertaineth the adoption and the glory and the covenants to whom the adoption and the covenants belong theirs are the seals The things that are without are yours sinners sin is yours guilt is yours temptations snares woes death is yours because ye are none of Christs this well of life is none of yours It will be demanded of you as Math. 22. 12 Friend how camst thou in hither what hast thou to do to take my covenant or the bloud of my covenant into thy mouth since thou hatest instruction and castest my words behind thee Psal 50. Such may not come to the well or if they come it may prove a well of damnation to them not of salvation and so the Apostle tells them it will prove 1 Cor. 11. 29. This water of life may prove as the water of jealousie that bitter water that will cause their belly to swell and their thigh to rott may be a curse and not a blessing Look to it sinners you may be drown'd in this well when you come to drink you may drink flames and fury instead of the water of life Oh how many have been drown'd in these waters who rushing unpreparedly upon this dreadful ordinance have drown'd all that little good they seem'd to have something possibly they formerly had that was hopeful but by the just judgment of God upon them for abusing such an ordinance they have lost all at first they came it may be with some little tenderness and trembling of heart but not being upright in the main they have at length lost all their sense and have been smitten with deadness and hardness O consider what you are and how 't is with you now you come here are you Christs are you sincerely his are you resolvedly his if you have not assurance that you are his what probable evidences have you that you are are your souls wishing for Christ waiting for Christ thirsting and panting and following after love to Christ likeness to Christ subjection to Christ evidences that he is yours are you resolved never while you live to turn back and give over your pursuit of Christ nor to sit down by any thing short of an universal conformity to his image and will Are you crucified with Christ Is the world crucified to you and you unto the world Is the old man slain and all your earthly members feel every limb of the old man if there be not life still found in them feel the heart of the old man is there not self-will self-self-love and the love of this present world yet alive feel the head of the old man is not pride and self-conce it alive what plottings and contrivances what great designs are there carrying on for the flesh and the world feel the gall and the spleen of him is not bitterness and wrath envy and malice yet alive observe the eyes and the ears and the tongue and the habit and the way doth not the old man live in all these are not the eyes pleas'd with beholding vanity the ears itching after fleshly fooleries Is not the sound of him upon the tongue the shew of him in the countenance the habit and whole way of life feel the pulses of the old man his breathings and pantings is it not after earth still Brethren if there be any sad remains of this earth and flesh in you as doubtless there are yet is there an abatement of the power and vigor of them if the old man be not quite dead yet is he in a Consumption are the waters of lust fallen yea and still falling lower are you in good earnest for mortification for the death of every lust and are you impatient while they live are you come to this point you 'l never be the friends of your flesh you 'l never take its part again against warnings against reproofs you 'l never live in peace with it but will wrestle and fight and wait for the victory as long as you live
Field where Men are busy a plowing and sowing or reaping and there you may hear them enquiring how may I keep off the Birds or how may I keep out the Beasts from hurting my field when will it be rain or when will it be like to be fair weather Come into the Market where men are buying and selling and trading and there you may hear them asking how goes the price of Corn or of Cattel where are the best Commodities where is the best choice Come into the houses where they are eating and drinking or working and there you may hear them enquiring what must we have for the next meal what for to morrow c. But oh how seldom do we hear amongst them all any such questions How is my Soul provided for how how doth my soul prosper No no when the world is gotten into the heart there 's no sense of Souls or the concernment of them where the world is in the heart Death and Hell may be there too and never regarded Could we once make men deeply sensible how great their need of Christ is what they are without Christ in what slippery places they stand in what jeopardy they go daily what a dreadful gulf of woe and misery the wind and tide of their worldly prosperity are carrying them down into and how suddenly they may be swallowed up in perdition and destruction and what miserable comforts their past pleasures and plenty will then be to them were they sensible that nothing but Christ and a part in him would stand them in any stead to save them from that gulf that the casting anchor on that rock of ages would alone secure them from splitting on those fatal rocks from perishing by those tumbling waves and billows that are hurrying them down to the lake beneath were they sensible that t is Christ only that can secure them from these dangers their need would be argument enough to drive them to him But being drunken with the pleasures of sin whilest this wine is in the wits are out they will not consider they do not perceive the danger they are in When the Prodigal Luk. 15. had spent all that he had in his riotous living when his whole stock was wasted and not an husk left then he had time to consider and bethink himself what a case he was in and the pinching sence of his necessitous state to which his folly had reduced him this brings him to his wits again he comes to himself and then away he will to his father If you had met him a little before in his cups and amongst his whores if you had found him at his riotous table and in the heat of his lust and should there have preach'd to this Prodigal Friend this life will not last alwaies t will be thy wisest course to consider in time what thou dost Be sober be temperate run from these Harlots and return to thy Father how would he have laughed and scoffed at such a sermon at least the next cup would have wash'd it off his heart but when his hunger and thirst preach thus to him Get thee home to thy Father then away he goes 3. It hangs upon our hearts and about our necks The world hath gotten hold of our hearts and there it will keep its hold while it can It s gotten so much within us and hath so twisted and twined it self about our affections that it will be very hard getting it off We cannot close with Christ but we must break with the world we must be divorc'd from this ere we can be married to our second husband worldlings see what work Christ makes in those hearts where he gets possession he whips out the buyers and sellers and their merchandise out of his Temple he changes the customes and pleasures and business of the heart Its dealings and its delights Its love and its labour must be no longer bestow'd and consum'd upon meat and drink and money and mirth he hath other delights for it and other work to keep it doing These things must be minded in their place and in their season but they must keep their place Stand off Farms and Oxen stand off Lands and money keep your distance get you down and take the lower room give this man place who is more honourable then you all Christ and the world contend for the place which shall sit uppermost and go foremost in the soul Christ will not come in to be an Underling he will have the chief room the chief respect and esteem he will have the command of all that is in the house herein stands Christianity or our conversion to Christ in surrendring up the Throne to Christ 't is not the question whether thou canst find a corner in thine heart to entertain Christ in but who sits in the Throne who hath the government of thy soul who hath the right hand within thee Canst thou say to the Lord Jesus Sit thou on the right hand let all thy foes be made thy foot-stool All sinful pleasures all sinful gains must depart and come no more where Christ dwells and those which are lawful must come under and be brought into subjection to him no more sensuality or carnal mirth no more covetousness or oppression no more pride or self-exalting away with these cast them out and never take them in for ever if thou meanest that Christ shall take up his habitation in thee And no more zeal for the lawful concernments of this life no more pleading business against Religion no more pleading safety against duty no more pleading credit against conscience no more pleading gain against godliness preserve and improve thy estate maintain thy credit provide for thy safety follow thy business thou mayest and thou must but bring all under make all to stand aside and give place to Christianity and Conscience Christ will be no underling he resolves for the Throne where ever he dwells And the world that hath already gotten the Throne is loath to become the foot-stool 't is who shall be King 't is who shal be God that the great Contest is about and the world that hath King'd it so long knows not how to be content to be a subject it sees it must come down if Christ come in there cannot be two Kings in one Kingdome it must come down this pride must come down this credit these pleasures this carnal mirth this covetousness must be laid in the dust if Christ set footing here And therefore it does all it can to resist Christ stops the ears blinds the eye turns away the heart from hearkening to him Christ stands at the door and knocks Christ cryes and calls Come unto me open to me Christ promises and offers Come and I will receive you open and I will come in unto you and dwell with you If the soul begins to listen to the call of Christ the world steps in and objects What dost thou mean simple soul What art thou doing whither art
and fill'd your purses and fed your carkasses and provided for your Families but it hath starv'd your souls O my leannes my leannes my dry and withered soul my weak heart my wasted Conscience Oh how little truth or tenderness how little love or lise or warmth do I feel within me Oh how much pride and frowardness oh how much lust and liberty to sin hath there grown upon me I can fret and vex and chafe I can be false I can lye and dissemble all the Religion I have gotten into my soul after so long a time of profession is not enough to restrain these vile abominations Oh my soul how sad is it with thee how low is it with thee to this day how comes this to pass why this is thy good husbandry this is thy worldliness thy labouring so much thy hungring so much after the meat that perishes or thy being given to thy pleasure or thy ease this is it that hath held thee in such a poor case such an unfruitful and barren state such a dark and uncomfortable state as thou art in at this day for all this unhappiness thou art beholding to the world and thy worldliness Thus you have seen the enmity of the world against souls it holds back from Christ darkens the sight that we cannot see the excellency or the need of Christ deadens the sense and hinders from following Christ keeps Christ short c. Let this by the way be an argument to disswade from worldliness are you Christians or would you be so would you ever come to any thing in Religion would you prosper in holiness would you have the comfort of Christianity then take heed and beware of a worldly heart which will either hinder you from ever coming to Christ or else be a Canker and a Moth to devour and eat out the spirits of all that Christianity you have II. Wherein the strength of the world lies whereby it prevails upon so many souls It is a wonder it should ever prevail so as it does that ever men of understanding endued with immortal souls should suffer themselves to be led up and down down as they are by such a pernicious and mortal Enemy that when they have seen so many lost and undone by it they should never take warning that it should ever be trusted as it is that it should ever be lov'd as it is that it should ever be hearkened to as it is especially considering how unreasonable its demands are and how inconsiderable its rewards What does the world demand what would it have This is it if it would speak out Come sell me thy God come sell me thy hopes that thou hast for the other world come sell me thy soul come give me thy heart love me and serve me But what shall be mine hire what wilt thou give me then if it would speak out this is the reward it gives Vanity and vexation death and destruction Hell shall be thine hire But suppose it should give what it sayes it will all the good things on this side the grave riches honors pleasures ease abundance of all these and all manner of contentment in the enjoyment of them yet what 's all this thou shouldst gain on this side the grave to what thou shalt loose and to what thou shalt suffer on the other side of the grave what 's Earth to Heaven what 's Time to Eternity Suppose it should say plainly come take thy good things here and thy evil things hereafter take thy riches in this and thy poverty in the other world take thy pleasures here and thy plagues beneath be full or be merry prosper flourish rejoyce for a few houres or for a few dayes and be miserable cry howl be in torments to Eternity If the World should speak out thus to Men this it designs if it should speak out thus into what madness must those Souls be bewich'd that would hearken to it and yet behold though this be the design its driving on and men might know it if they would but consider yet behold how the whole world almost are wondering after this beast and busy in making bargains with it to be its captives and servants yea not only suffering themselves to be perswaded and beguiled in o this bondage but also willingly offering themselves for servants I pray thee take me into the number of thy servants Take my Soul world saies one take my God saies another take my hopes saies another Let me be but a rich man let me be a great man let me have so much money or so much lands or so much pleasure or ease or honour let but this Moon shine upon me and take the Sunshine whoever will let me be this worlds favourite and I am content to be its servant and so along they go after it till they be lost for ever What a wonder is this and yet how many such prodigies are to be seen every day and in every place this is the case of every worldling thou that wilt be rich thou whose heart goes after thy covetousness thou who art given to thy pride or thy pleasures or thy ease thou art boring thine eare to the threshold of thy mortal enemy thou art doing away thy patrimony for husks thou art doing away thy Soul and its eternal inheritance to buy in thy life into an house or parcel of Land or for a bundle of crackling thorns to make thee blaze before which thou mayest dance and be merry for an hour or two and then go down to everlasting darkness This being such a marvelous thing that such an enemy that is so known and confest to be by the very men that suffer themselves to be led Captive by it for what worldling is there that will not confess that this world is an Enemy that such a known Enemy should still so easily prevail in the world as the Apostle in another case Gal. 3. 1. 3. O foolish Galatians who hath bewitched you are ye so foolish that having begun in the Spirit ye will be made perfect in the flesh O foolish worldlings who hath bewitched you are ye so foolish that being born to things Spiritual and Eternal you will be thus led captive by things Temporal and Fleshly this being such a marvelous thing it will be worth our time to enquire wherein the strength of the world lyes whereby it so strangely prevails And indeed it is a piece of the best policy and that which gives great advantage against an enemy to study and find out where his strength lyeth Judg. 16. 6. c. When Dalilah attemped the delivering of Sampson bound into the hands of the Philistimes she lyes at him day by day tell me where thy great strength lyeth tell me where thy great strength lyeth in vain did they assault him in vain did she bind him her Cords and her Wit hs and her webs could never hold him till at length she found out where his strength lay which when she had
once found out she quickly spoil'd him of it and delivered him a captive to his enemies find out the strength of the World what it is and wherein it lyes and then you will understand your way to the conquering of it But where lyes this strength of the World I answer In The Spirit of the World within us In the God of the World without us 1. In the spirit of the world within the world hath a strong party within man which sides with it 1 Cor. 2. 12. We have received not the spirit of the world but the spirit which is of God we have not we who have that spirit of God in us have not received the spirit of this world but all others have no other spirit In the whole generation of worldly men there is the same spirit as in the whole generation of the Saints there is the same divine spirit the same spirit of grace the same spirit of faith the same spirit of love the same holy spirit So in all the men of this world there is the same worldly spirit The spirit of this world is an earthly Spirit 1 Cor. 15. 47. the first man is of the earth earthy in his creation he had an earthy body and by sin he is come to have an earthy Soul Sin was his fall from Heaven to Earth as in his choice he made for himself he chose an earthly inheritance so in his temper and disposition and tendency his very nature now inclines and bends towards earthly things his Soul as well as his Body lusts after and feeds upon dust The spirit of the World is a short sighted spirit it cannot see afarr off 2 Pet. 19. Heavenly things are too far distant to be discerned by it it loves and gapes for and grasps things present things to come are far out of its sight The spirit of the world is a low and narrow spirit these poor and beggerly things that this earth affords are the highest of its ambition Seekest thou great things for thy self Yes I do what worldly greatness are these the great things thou seekest a great name a great estate great possessions thou mistakest thy self man these great things are but small things below the spirit of a man below a divine and immortal Soul meat and drink and mirth and money are these the best things thou findest for thy heart to be set upon for thy soul to take pleasure in sure thou hast changed Souls with the bruits that canst take up with such things as these The Spirit of the World is an homebred spirit it hath never been abroad but hath been born and bred in this worldly region it hath never set foot nor been acquainted in a better land the spirit which is of God carries up to the upper regions the regions of light and life and glory and immortality where it hath made discoveries of other manner of treasures and joyes and glories then are here to be found but the spirit of the world hath ever dwelt at home the souls of worldlings dwell in their houses of clay and never travail farther then they can with the snail carry their houses upon their heads their Souls travail no farther then their carkases This Spirit of the World by what hath been hinted of the make and temper of it you see hath a suitableness to worldly things and this is the great advantage the World hath upon us it tempts us to that we love and like all that the World perswades us to is to seek what we have a mind to to do what we have a mind to to follow our natures and dispositions to find out what will best please us and there to take our fill The difficulty of Christs victory over Souls lyes in this that he calls and commands them to things and to wayes contrary to their natures not to please but to deny themselves to kill their Flesh to cross their appetites to contradict their own mind to pursue an happiness which is so sublime and spiritual and so unsuitable to their carnal natures that it is altogether unsavory to them and hereupon he hath hard work to prevail and t is but here and there one amongst many that will be prevailed upon to hearken to him to how many houses may we come to how many souls may we bring the everlasting Gospel ere one will open and accept how many are call'd to Christ to one that comes O brethren you are witness how hardly any of your souls were perswaded to come along with Christ and may be some of you stand off and hang back and will not be perswaded to come fully in to this day What 's the reason of this Oh carnal men think that Christ calls them to their loss perswades them to their hurt that they have a better being whilest they are wallowing in their riches and their pleasures then ever they should find in following of Christ But now the advantage that the world hath on Souls is that it tempts them to things pleasing to them their natures joyn with the world and draw them the same way Whilest Christ calls if any man will be my disciple let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me this is all the world requires if any man will be my servant let him seek himself and shift for himself and please himself and shun the cross and follow his own heart and what great difficulty is there to perswade men to follow their own minds when worldly temptations meet with worldly spirits when temptations to pride meet with proud hearts when temptations to pleasure meet with flesh-pleasing hearts when temptations to vanity meet with vain hearts when temptations to covetousness meet with covetous hearts how mightily must they needs prevail From this suitableness of the spirit to worldly things it doth Readily take in of the World Greedily make out after the World 1. It doth readily take in of the World the world never knocks but the heart opens the world never offers but the hand is ready to receive yea though the terms upon which we must have it be never so unreasonable though for every draught of pleasure they must after drink the double in wormwood though with the gains of the world they must drink in a curse yet like men in a dropsie though to drink will be death their thirst must be quenched It may be when the world is a tempting the Soul conscience stands by and gives it warning take heed of these pleasures ther 's poyson in that cup or ther 's wormwood at the bottome take heed of these deceitful riches ther 's a snare lies under there 's a curse cleaves to them look to thy self Soul the world is but a playing the Devil with thee these pleasures and these riches it hath sent to fetch away thy Soul it holds thee so busy about thine earthly affairs that thou mayest the mean while loose the opportunity of making Christ thine of making the
seldom does us more good than by his srowns and the Devil never does us more hurt than by his kindnesses It never fares better with Gods Children than when they are crost nor ever fares it worse with the Devils Children than when they are cocker'd never suspect the Devil more than when he pretends to do you a courtesie what ever it be by which he usually pleasures you dread that as Death and Hell Mistake not Gods chastisements nor the Devils complements be content that God should displease you and be afraid when the Devil pleases you be convinc'd that Gods smitings are a precious Balm and the Devils stroakings are stabs at your heart fear not his Thunder and Storms so much as his warm Sun Beware of this folly Whatever pleases me is good for me Beware of this madness I must be pleased what ever comes of it mine eye must be pleased my humour must be pleased mine appetite must be pleased I must be pleased what ever it costs me If you be for that the Devil knows where to have you though God does not please you though holiness does not please you though Heaven does not please you the Devil that knows your palate will find something that will If Mony will do it if Mirth will do it if Meat and Drink and fine Cloathes or merry Company will do it this he offers you and by this he holds you captive at his will III. Wherein the strength of faith lies whereby it overcomes the world What a mighty enemy is here who can stand before it What is little David to Goliah what is a sling and a pebble to a sword and a spear to an helmet and greaves and a target of brasse The mighty Philistim comes blustring and boasting and fuming and chafing so that he made an earthquake in the Camp of Israel and what could a poor stripling do to undertake this mighty Champion what hope is there of victory over him little David tells us 1 Sam. 17. 45. Thou comest to me with a Sword and a Spear but I come unto thee in the Name of the Lord of Hosts this day will the Lord deliver thee into mine hand and all this assembly shall know that the Lord saveth not with Sword and Spear the battel is the Lords and he will give you into our hands The strength of Israel is this David the strength of David is his Faith the strength of Faith is the Name of the Lord Prov. 18. 10. the Name of the Lord is a strong Tower the righteous runneth into it and is safe But to come closer to the matter in hand this general I shall dispatch in these two Particulars 1. The strength of a Christian is his Faith 2. The strength of Faith is Christ 1. The strength of a Christian is his Faith Mark 9. 23. to him that believeth all things are possible there 's nothing impossible to Faith because there 's nothing impossible to God The 11th chapter to the Hebrews is a short Chroniele of the mighty Acts and Atchievements of Faith It spoiled Death of its prey as in the case of Enoch verse 5. his Faith carried him to Heaven another way he was translated and did not see death It made an Ark to save from a Flood as in the case of Noah verse 7. It caus'd a living issue to spring out of dead bodies as in the case of Abraham and Sarah verse 12. It received a living Child from the dead by offering it up to death as in the case of Abraham offering up his Son Isaac v. 17. 19. It foretold things to come and conveyed down the Fathers blessing on his posterity as in the case of Isaac Jacob and Joseph v. 20. But more fully to our purpose It overcame the world 1. It despised and rejected the prosperity of the world v. 15. They were not mindful of their earthly countrey they had a better an Heavenly countrey in their eye and were content to be Pilgrims in this in hope to be possessours of that better inheritance v. 24. Moses by faith forsook the glory of Egypt the Court of Pharaoh the bosome of Pharaohs daughter choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God then to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season 2. It triumph'd over the power and wrath of the world v. 33. It subdued Kingdoms wrought righteousness quenched the violence of fire escaped the edge of the sword out of weakness it made strong turned to flight the Armies of the Aliens endured cruel mockings and scourgings yea moreover bonds and imprisonments endured stoning sawing asunder wandrings about in sheep-skins and goat-skins destitute afflicted and tormented In all these things the servants of God were more then conquerours through Faith in him that loved them Christians where is your faith how is it that the world is still on horseback riding on conquering and to conquer not only riding over our backs but riding over our Faith crowing over our consciences triumphing over religion and righteousness as if Christ had lost the day and conscience had run the field Oh how many Captives hath it taken from the mighty what multitudes of prisoners hath it gotten Some it hath in golden chains fettered in riches and worldly gains in honours and dignities Some it holds with a Spiders web which yet they cannot break the fashions and fooleries of the world its pomps pleasures and humours others it hath laid fast in iron chains manacled with fears and dread of its fury and violence they dare not be Saints any longer their faith and their love and their zeal are all thrown away they dare not appear in their Armour lest they should be known for Christs disciples How many renegadoes and Apostates hath the world made that have run from their colours and have listed themselves under the Devil under whose conduct they are fighting against that faith and holiness which once they professed and those that are left behind how weak and faint-hearted are they most become afraid not only of sufferings but of their duty O how are we lost in our conflicts with temptations whither are our hearts run some into our fields some into our shops some into our gardens some into our beds of ease where we may sleep in a whole skin Some are gotten into sanctuary turn'd aside to iniquity to escape affliction Oh how few hearts are there left behind with Christ and those that are how cold and spiritless are they become t is woful to observe with what a pale face Christianity looks at this day May we not sadly invert the words of the Text This is the victory that hath overcome our Faith even this present world whilest the Apostle boasts that the believers of old by their faith subdued Kingdomes wrought righteousness obteined promises stopd the mouths of Lions quenched the violence of Fire c. May we not now hear the world triumphing that it hath shaken the Kingdom of Christ wrought wickedness vacated promises
place as was said before and it s thrust lower and and lower still as God rises higher till at length it be brought quite underfoot It s impossible that God and the world should be intensely lov'd together that both should be our God our end and chiefest good is a contradiction It s irrational for any to conclude that they have any great respect for God who are strongly affected to the world Many professours of religion may be convinc'd that their religion is vain by this that to what ever height it seems to be rais'd its still overtop'd by their earthly mindedness 1 Joh. 2. 15. If any man love the world intensely chiefly the love of the Father is not in him Never talk of Christianity till you cease to be worldings and never look to be lesse worldlings till you understand better what Heaven is Faith in its first entrance into the Soul brings this tidings that God is better then the world and according as it grows higher so is its testimony to this truth more clear and full As the Apostle saith concerning the righteousness of God Rom. 1. 17. so is it true of his Goodness kindness mercy alsufficiency the goodness and kindness of God is revealed from faith to faith that is according as faith grows so is God and all the excellencies of his glorious name more known Every cubit added to the stature of our faith is a new beam of light sprung forth from the face of God and God known is Heaven known our blessedness our inheritance known God is our inheritance Faith as was said before is the good Spie Num. 13. sent forth to view the land of promise The two Generals Christ and Sathan have each of them their Spie which they send forth Christs Spie is Faith the Devils Spie is Sense The Devil will be sending forth his Spie Sense must go and view the inheritance of the Saints But this being short-sighted and not able to travail far must take up all its tidings upon hearesay and finding no good report amongst all its acquaintance sensual men will never speak well of the things of God it hereupon returns with an evil report It s a dark land and a dry and barren land there 's nothing of all that thou lovest to be found in it and it is uncertain whether there be any such land or no everlasting joy and rest are represented as fancies and conceits to carnal hearts It s better here here are houses and lands and pleasures we know there are we see there are but what there is in the other world is altogether dark and uncertain to us Beloved hath your sense never dealt thus by you what apprehensions have you of the glory to come have not your blind senses disparag'd and disgrac'd the things of the Kingdome of God to you You take every thing to be as sense Judgeth it and what is the Judgment of sense of these glorious things It speaks highly of things temporal this world is good a land flowing with milk and honey But what saies it concerning things eternal Are none of you the men and women whose carnal hearts have told you and you have believed them that t is uncertain whether there be an Heaven or no or if there be yet the happiness of it is so much unknown that if you might it would be more to your content to live your eternity among these sheep and oxen in these gardens and orchards in the possession of your earthly delights and pleasures then ever to be carried hence to that unknown world Your opinions of these higher things we may guess at by the care you take about them What care is there taken about the things of God what is there a doing in your houses in your closets or any where about these matters Have you taken up any design for Heaven are you taking any effectual course for eternal blessedness Are you as hearty and serious in seeking God as in seeking this world whilest your hearts are so hot and so zealous and busy in pursuing things temporal is it not upon the matter indifferent to you whether you do any thing or no or how you do it in seeking the Kingdome of God do you pray and labour and watch for your Souls with as good a will as ever you did work for your living do you hunger and thirst after the knowledge and grace of God after a part in Christ after the pardon of your sins as ever you do after your appointed food What enquiries do you make How is it with me what evidences have I for Heaven have I any right to the tree of life Is there no fear I may fall short of the rest and be shut out of the Kingdom of God how may I know whether Christ be mine or no Consider are there any such enquiries no no your sense hath so much disparag'd things to come that they are to you even as if they were hardly worth the inquiring after But now Faith is the good Spie that makes a good report of that Holy Land it makes more diligent search after the riches of it and finds out its hidden treasures and then speaks as it finds faith hath a glass wherein it can behold and whereby it doth reveal to the Soul the glory of God The gospel is its glass 2 Cor. 3. 18. the promises are its glass those great and precious promises 2 Pet. 1. The promises are the deeds and conveyances by which this inheritance is made over Now as among men in their Deeds there is a recital of all the particulars made over by them The houses the lands the gardens the orchards the rivers the royalties and all the immunities belonging thereto so is it here the promises are a Map or Survey of Heaven and Faith is often looking into these deeds reading over the writings and thence understands what a glorious purchase it hath Nay more Faith brings down some of the fruits of this good land this good Spie comes in loaden with some clusters from Canaan A believer that walks with God God le ts fall to him now and then some handfuls of that harvest some drops of that vintage which is ripening for him above what are those beams of divine light that sense of divine love those intimations of divine acceptance those communications of the divine image in the increases of holiness and righteousness that joy of faith and peace in believing what are these but a Specimen of Heaven the first fruits of glory By Faith the Kingdom of Heaven is within us there 's God within us and Christ within us and glory within us Those believers that live in the power of Faith and holiness need not travail far in search for Heaven t is but looking inward there they may find it say not who shall ascend in search for Heaven t is in thine heart Sinners need not go down to the deep to search for Hell there 's an Hell within them The
filth and stench of Hell in their vile affections the smoke and flames of Hell in their reeking and burning lusts the darkness of Hell in their darkned and blinded minds and sometimes the torments of Hell in the anguish of their guilty and self revenging consciences And as sinners may find an hell so believers an heaven in the heart an heaven of light an heaven of love and joy and praise Thus it is with some and thus it might be with all were we stronger in Faith Oh what do we lose by living thus by Sense when we mighâ— live by Faith how have our carnal hearts by consuming and spinning out our daies in sloth and idleness sticking at the labour of duty whining under difficulties shrinking from sufferings indulging to our ease and our pleasure and liberties how have our carnal hearts robb'd us of the life of God the pleasures of Angels the joys of the Upper Region and left us little more of Christianity then its wounds and bruises its mournings and complainings its sighs and sorrows Oh foolish hearts that consult so unwisely for our selves that choose rather to live in Brakes among these bryars and thorns then among the Beds of Spices that will rather laze it in a Wilderness then get us up to the Garden of the Lord The life of Faith is an heavenly life The life of God Ephes 4. 18. though Faith shall never come into heaven it self yet thither it translates our hearts It came down from heaven it is the gift of God and though it must not return thither 't is love not Faith that shall dwell before the Throne of God yet thither it raises those hearts in which it lives Though it may not dwell there hereafter Faith shall then be lost in sight yet now its travelling thither going and returning every day and hour Phil. 3. 20. Our conversation is in heaven there 's all our business where should a Christian be where does he live but where his business lies A Believer that had heretofore so many things to do dividing his heart and time hath now cast all his business into one hath brought all his business near his home he hath nothing to do abroad in the Tents of wickedness in the Camps of the Uncircumcised he hath done with serving flesh and lusts and times and tables and carkasses here his whole work did lye but no more of these now they must be all laid aside or at least made to come and serve with him in his higher business God and glory the loving and praising and serving and securing God to his soul is all he hath to do Phil. 3. 13. This one thing I do forgetting that which is behind and reaching forth to that which is before I press to the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. These lower things his outward priviledges hopes and advantages were once the things before him but he 's now gotten beyond and hath left them all behind him not only his Jewish priviledge whereof he had boasted but much more all earthly things he hath cast off these weights and is now flying upon the wing of Faith ascending in flames of love winding up his soul by constant labour above this dung and darkness to the Regions of light and glory This is his business And hence is his blessedness heaven is his work and his meat his labour and his hire he will know nothing for a blessing or a comfort but what his Faith brings him down from above Why art thou cast down O my soul why art thou so disquieted within me Bid him Hope in God tell him thou shalt yet praise him who is the light of thy countenance and thy God and this will comfort him Say to him while you will Man be of good comfort the fig-tree blossoms the labour of the Olive will not fail there is fruit in the Vines there are Flocks in the Folds there are Herds in the Stalls comfort thine heart what wouldst thou have more And how little will this ease him Oh where is my God how is it with my soul what tidings from above have I a treasure there doth God smile what tidings from within Is it peace there doth my soul prosper Is there grace there is truth in my inward parts this is good news Come in thou blessed of the Lord thou comest with good tidings this shall comfort me This is the life of Faith a conversation in heaven Thus we should and thus we might live more then we do but I doubt I have been here in telling you a Mystery whereof the most of us have but little experimental understanding Christians what acquaintance have you with this life of God Is this your business heavenly work are these your comforts heavenly supports we are yet carnal and walk as men Oh this earth earth how doth it hang on our spirits we live as if there were a middle Region betwixt heaven and earth a middle state betwixt Faith and unbelief Some little we have attain'd of this heavenly life and blessed be the Lord for any thing but oh how little is it Friends wonder not that you see no more of the Divine Glory conclude not that there is no more to be seen put it to the proof live more with God more purely more closely more constantly with him live in the daily exercise of Faith and you will get the sight of other manner of glorious things then can be told you What 's the reason that unbelievers are so wholly in the dark and can see nothing of God no more then they can despise and laugh to scorn O 't is because they come not near where God is they are alienated from the life of God their whole business is in the heart of the earth here they dwell and here is their whole converse Speak ye unbelievers where dwell ye what is your Occupation where is your Conversation far enough from heaven sure where ever it be Speak ye proud and haughty ones where is your Conversation our Conversation is in the air we feed on wind live upon breath honor and applause is all we work for and live upon Speak ye Covetous where is your Conversation our Conversation is in the earth we feed upon dust and ashes and in these our business lies Speak ye contentious quarrelsome ones where is your Conversation our Conversation is in the fire in storms and tempests Speak ye voluptuous Sensualists where is your Conversation our Conversation is in the mud and mire in lasciviousness wantonness and all manner of filthy lusts Speak ye Ranters Ruffians Swearers Cursers Blasphemers where is your Conversation our Conversation is in Hell in the Alehouse the Tavern the Brothel-house we live where Satans Throne is in the very Suburbs of Hell Oh what a difference hath Faith put betwixt Believers and all others in the world whilst they only live the life of God all others live the life of Bruits
on after a total victory he hath his foot on the neck and his hand still in the fight He keeps his enemy in his eye and stands upon his guard daily he dispatches messengers his prayers his sighs his tears to fetch down fresh supplies from above his prayers speak his sighs cry his tears have a tongue and all go up with the same message as the Gibeonites sent to Joshua Josh 10. 6. Slack not thine hand from thy servant come down to me quickly save and help me He sets all his graces his faith his love his hope his patience in battel array against it He is still making sure the party that the world hath within him keeps lust under keeps pride and covetousness and sensuality low that is more or less according as he acts as a Believer He secures the strong hold keeps his heart keeps his Farms and his oxen and his pleasures at the greatest distance he can from his heart he sends his heart far enough away out of their reach he conveys it into the other world where it dwells and builds and plants and sows and gathers and lays up a better treasure where it rejoyces and recreates it self where it hath better work and better company and better pleasures to wean it from these below he lives in the view and contemplation of God in the Society and Communion of Saints and Angels and is so satisfied with the Fountain of Living Waters that he be neither thirsty after the waters nor choak'd with the mud of these broken cisterns He studies the world more and comes to a better understanding of it of its vanity of its enmity of its treachery power and policy and the more he knows it the more he fears it the more he knows of God the more he loves and thirsts and longs after him the more he knows of the world the less he loves and the more he fears it He fears not so much its anger as its kindness he fears his worldly pleasures his carnal friends his earthly businesses and his prospering in them he carries a sence of the danger he is in by them and a fear of the snare they may be to him where-ever he goes whilest he is necessarily detained and busied here he carries this fear as his guard to secure his Soul whither ever he walks to his table to his bed to his shop in his journeys he feeds with fear and works with fear and travels with fear and trades with fear lest whilest he is thus necessarily conversant in the world he be again intangled with its temptations And in this warfare he grows and gathers strength daily is more able to contemn the world it becomes every day less and less to be a temptation to him Time was when whenever the world came enticing him after it hearken to me mind thy earthly concernments and thou shalt be rich and prosper and abound follow Christ and this holiness and t will be thine undoing time was when these were arguments of great weight with him that could command his heart controul conscience conjure his affections and perswade him to any thing but now they come too late they are scarce temptations to him his heart is so set upon the securing his eternal interest and so transported with the sense of the importance of that great concernment those higher things are so great in his eye and so much upon his heart that it seems but a very small thing to be possessour of all things here and to make but a small difference upon his condition whether he hath or wants 2. Wherein this victory stands which I shall answer Negatively Positively 1. Negatively and this in 4. particulars 1. A believer hath not so overcome the world as to be above all need of the world though man lives not by bread onely as Math. 4. Yet he must have bread yea and must work for his bread and therefore must diligently follow his calling wherein he may provide things honest provide him an honest livelihood 2. Not so but that he is still free to use the world in his need every creature of God is good good for use being sanctified by the word of God and Prayer 1 Tim. 4. 4. Both necessaries and the abundance of the things of this life are a blessing from God and the free use of them so far as to fit us for service is not onely lawful but a duty that self denyal that over-sparing use of the creatures which impaires our strength or dulls our Spirits is not a virtue but usually is either the fruit of a melancholique distemper or a temptation 3. Not so as to be for ever freed from all noxious temptations of the world This world is an enemy still and this enemy will be still fighting against the Soul A Christian will never be such a conquerour here but he must still keep on his armour and stand upon his guard hereafter when the victory shall be compleat he shall sit down Rev. 3. 21. To him that overcometh will I give to sit with me in my throne at present we must stand Ephes 6. 13. And having done all to stand stand upon our watch stand to our arms but hereafter we shall sit down we are yet in our march with our Lord in his Chariot of war for our place in his triumphal Chariot for sitting down with him in the throne we must wait till hereafter 4. Not so as to be for ever free from all surprisals and falls by these temptations The world will assault us and in these assaults too often gets the better of us though it cannot command us quite back from Christ yet it may turn us aside and much hinder us in our following of him though it cannot now destroy us yet it may distract and disturb us though it cannot recover its absolute dominion over us yet it may lay our feet again in the Stocks We may love it too much and fear it too much and mind it too much and follow it too hard and our souls may become great loosers by it God may be forgotten Souls may be neglected Conscience may be defiled Duties omitted or shuffled over and all sense of Eternity for a time buried in an heap of worldly cares or delights We have experience enough to give in evidence to this and much more 2. Positively and thus our victory over the world stands in our having attained 1. A power to possesse the things of the world without placing our happiness in them 2. A power to manage our worldly affairs without the prejudice of our Souls 3. A power to use this worlds good things to their proper ends 4. A power to want this worlds good things and bear the worlds evil things and to keep our hearts and our way whether we prosper or suffer 5. A willingness to be gone from this and to take our flight to the other world 1. Victory over the world stands in our having attain'd to a power to possess
wares to lye on his hands then say they are good he that had rather have no blessing in his hand then no bowels to lay it out for God He that however he hath this world about him has an estate houses lands money in greatest abundance he that however he labours in all fair and innocent wayes to preserve and improve what he has yet chooses rather to be poor then not to be honest to have nothing then not to be a good steward of what he has he that will not be tempted to be false unrighteous or unmerciful for the getting or saving an estate the world hath not much in the heart of that man Oh brethren if this be to overcome the world then how many more captives hath it still then the most are aware of what trade is there driven almost any where in the world wherein the trade of lying hath not a great stock going Are there not even among men pretending to religion too many found who instead of using the Psalmists prayer Keep me from the way of lying will rather content themselves with the Syrians prayer The Lord pardon me in this thing the Lord forgive me I know not how to help it It 's true that men of great dealings have great temptations to it and is it not as true that they are taking temptations But how can you then take your selves to be any of Christs disciples or how can you stand here praying with the same mouth that it may be within a day or two will be found in the market lying Can the same fountain send forth sweet water and bitter Jam. 3. 11. Deceive not your selves you do but lye unto God in your duties that make it your practise to lye unto men in your dealings If any man seem to be religious and bridleth not his tongue from lying as well as other ill language that mans religion is in vain Jam. 1. 26. And as little truth as there is in mens words is there not as little righteousness in their wayes the lying tongue and the oppressing hand are animated from the same heart How very few are there that weigh their actions on that unerring beam Do unto others as you would they should do unto you Wouldst thou be oppressed thou wouldst not why then doest thou oppress wouldst thou not be defrauded why then dost thou defraud wouldst thou not over-buy nor undersel why dost thou then in the same kinds go about to over-reach thy brother Brethren you do not know your own generation you live in if you do not understand how commonly and how greedily men are every where heaping up to themselves the gains of unrighteousness and for mercy there 's little hope of finding that where righteousness is departed And now Soul where is thy victory over the world thou pretendest to Christ takest thy self to be a beleiver and hopest thou hast chosen God for thy portion and renounced this present world what and yet lye for a little worldly advantage be unrighteous that thou mayst be rich sell thy conscience for a penny and bless thy self in thy good bargain Hath the world such power of thee that for its sake thou wilt be thus false and deceitful and cruel and yet hast thou overcome it Is this thy Faith is this your Christianity to be disciples of Christ so far as it may be for your profit was there any such reserve in your engagement to be the Lords I le be thine so thou wilt abate me lying I will serve thee in any thing so thou wilt allow me the gain of unrighteousness I le profess thy name and I le pray and I le hear and I le be godly in all things wherein my gain is not concerned In these things the Lord pardon thy servant in these things let me have the liberty to be as other men and in any thing else command me what thou wilt Brethren be plain hearted throughout be able to say with the Apostle Heb. 13. 18. We trust that we have a good conscience willing to live honestly in all things convince the world that you are none of theirs but are come out from among them and are of Christ indeed by being in all things as he was in the world who did no sin neither was any guil found in his mouth 3. Victory over the world stands in a power to use our worldly goods to their proper ends What is there on this side Hell sin onely excepted but being well us'd will prove our blessing Rom. 8. 28. All things shall work together for good to them that love God What is there on this side Heaven grace only excepted but being ill used may degenerate into a curse Psal 69. 22. Let their table be made a snare and that which was given to them for their wealth be an occasion of falling All things in the world as they have their various particular uses and intermediate ends so they have but one common end in which they all concenter God who made man hath made all things else also for himself and man only of all these lower creatures is made capable both of understanding the end to which all things are and of directing them to it and accordingly is oblig'd so to do Then only may we be truly said to enjoy what we have and are secur'd from the mischiefs of it when we have so much power over it as to use it aright he that hath not an heart to use what he hath and to use it well is rather possess'd by it then the possessour of it upon this account are worldly men the worlds servants servants of their estates rather then the masters of them will you call him a master that is under the command of his servant that cannot govern nor order nor dispose of himself and what he has but is alwaies governed by it when the world saies go he must go when this saies come he must come when it saies work he must work and till it saies sit still he must not rest who must neither eat nor drink nor give nor lend but where the world gives him leave who is a slave if this be a freeman He that understanding his dominion of all that is in his hand and his way to use it aright accordingly exercises his dominion this man is Lord and the world his servant Now as I hinted but now the proper end to which all we have should be lastly directed is God God made all things for himself and he hath put us in possession that we may use them for him for whom they are made All we have are our talents intrusted in our hands by our Lord with this charge Occupie till I come Luk. 19. 13. Occupie till I come as those that must give an account to me when I come that I may receive mine own with advantage v. 23. t will be but a lame account we shall give of what we have received if we bring not in every talent employed
is accounted our sure refuge so that we fear not that the world can make us miserable then t will be all one as to our godliness whether the world be with us or against us He that can say God is my portion whether I want or abound I have never so much but I have need of a God I have never so little but a God will suffice He that can say God is my refuge whether I be in safety or in danger I am never in such hazards but in God I am secure I am never so out of hazard but I need his security how little is it that the world with all its glory on the one hand or all its fury on the other can do upon that Soul thou mayst then go on thy way rejoycing thou mayst serve the Lord without fear in holiness and righteousness all the dayes of thy life He that knows and feels what God is can want or suffer what ever is in the world in him he finds a supply of every vacuity and a salve for every sore He that knows what pinching want and piercing sufferings are will understand that nothing but God can hold him up or bear him through You are mistaken if you think that natural hardiness and self confidence will do without divine supports in pressing cases He that hath this power hath gotten it from above he that hath this power may be whatever the Lord will have him Then are we more eminently endued with this power when we have attained to 1. Self-denial under the greatest opportunities of self-seeking or self-satisfaction 2. Contentment under the greatest straits 3. Patience under the greatest pressures of affliction 4. Humility in the height of honour 5. Magnanimity in the depth of danger or difficulty 6. Equanimity in the greatest turns and changes of our outward condition 1. Self-denial under the greatest opportunities of felf-seeking and self-satisfaction Self-denial properly is the neglecting the interest and the crossing the inclinations of our flesh in order to service or the preventing of sin Then onely self-denial is a vertue or a duty when our allowance of our flesh in its liberty would be either a sin or an occasion of sin or an hindrance of duty when it would be a preferring the advantages of the flesh above the service and honour of Christ Now by how much the greater our opportunity to please our flesh by so much the greater vertue it is to deny it He that might be full and yet for Christs sake is content to be empty he that might be rich and yet is content to be poor he that might live at ease or in honour and yet for Christs sake is content to be vile or in trouble He that chooses rather to be serviceable then to be safe to be holy then honourable he that upon the account of Christ flyes from fleshly advantages when these fly after him this is the man T is a vertue to be quiet when Providence denies us to be content to be poor and in affliction when it comes unavoidably upon us t is something to be able to say I cannot help it and therefore will be quiet But when we can let Conscience deny us let love to Christ let zeal for God straiten us when Providence allows us our liberty and our fill this is something to purpose To neglect the world when the world neglects us or flyes from us not to seek great things for our selves when we have no hope of obtaining not to mind the pleasing our pride or our appetite when we have not wherewith to maintain them to spare from our flesh when we have nothing to spend upon it to fast when we have no bread to put on sackcloth when we have no better raiment not to contend for our wills when we see we cannot have our wills there is not so very much in all this though it be more then every one hath attained to But voluntarily to lay down all at the foot of Christ to part with all for the sake of Christ when we might have even what we would in a way of sin to keep our flesh short when it is in our power to make it a larger allowance this is a great testimony how high the interest of Christ is exalted and how low the world is brought in us One great instance of this self-denial you may read in Moses Heb. 11. 24. 25. By faith Moses when he came to years refused to be called the son of Pharaohs daughter chusing rathor to suffer affliction with the people of God then to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season Observe it fairer opportunities of flesh pleasing of living in the splendour of worldly glory and the Grandieur of a prime favourite in the court few of the sons of men ever enjoy'd he was adopted the Son of Pharaohs daughter nurs'd up upon her knee and in her heart and upon this account what his hopes and advantages might be t is easy to imagine But at once he forsook all he had a service to do for his God and such an affection to the people of God that away he goes puts himself out of Pharaohs favour and casts in his lot among his suffering brethren I shall consider divers circumstances which all heighten this noble instance 1. The circumstance of time When he came to years t was not a childish folly done when he was so young that he knew not what he did but when he came to age when he came to understand himself whilest he was a child he suffered himself to be dandled on the lap of these carnal pleasures but when he came to age and understood what these things were and had gotten those higher things of the other world in his eye when he came to age he put away these childish things this world is a paradise only to children and fools pictures and babies and rattles will please children men must have manly delights thou that art so taken with the embraces and dalliances of this world thou that makest thy self sport with images and rattles when thou comest to have the understanding of a man thou wilt wonder at thy childish folly 2. When he was upon the matter newly come to age a young man in the prime and vigour of his time when he had but begun to tast the sweet of his youthful pleasures the pleasures of this lâ—fe are most taking at the first tasting the first draught is the sweetest when they grow more common and ordinary they sour and become less savory Oh how rare a thing is it to see young men in their prime to disgust and despise the world Old men whose strength is gone whose spirits are dead who have been glutted and tired out with pleasure have lost their appetite 2 Sam. 19. 35. I am this day fourscore years old and can I discern between good and evil can thy servant tast what I eat or drink can I hear any more the voice of singing men
can be thus bold with the Lord will be bold with all the world Brethren you that think you shall be bold for the Lord when ever you are put to the tryal that have now a forward mind to own the worship and wayes of God and have hope that in nothing you shall be ashamed but that at all times and in all things Christ shall be magnified in you whether by life or by death let me ask you Have you boldness with God Is he your friend Is it peace betwixt him and your souls How came this peace in time was when there was no peace you were Runawayes and Rebels against God your natural state was a state of enmity are you reconciled by the Bloud of Christ are you returned and become Converts to God hath the Lord been at work with your souls hath he convinced you humbled you broken you slain the enmity and brought you into a Covenant of peace with himself It s dangerous to talk of being bold with God till you are brought home unto God 't is for the stubble to be bold with the flames 't is to dash on the Rock to sleep on the Waves to take Sanctuary in wrath and fury and to trust to indignation as little succour and relief will the unconverted find with the Lord Are you reconciled are you the friends of God Are you of the acquaintance of God friends may grow strangers and strangers cannot be bold Do you use to converse and walk with God how often do you visit him is there constant entercourse and correspondence maintained betwixt the Lord and your souls Are you tender how you break your peace and lose your acquaintance is it your care to walk before him in uprightness do you not ordinarily grieve or offend or carelesly neglect the Lord Is there no allowed treachery or falshood in your hearts to him do you not suffer new quarrels to arise betwixt the Lord and you or if there be have you therein a quarrel against your selves When you offend him do you offend your own hearts Is every sin against God a wound to your own souls are you ever angry with your selves but when God is at peace Is it your constant care to keep all clear and fair betwixt the Lord and you and hereupon can you come boldly before the Throne of Grace and make known your wants and your grievances and ease your hearts by opening them and emptying them into the bosom of your friend fear not this your boldness with the Lord will give you boldness on the behalf of God how frightful soever the case may be Oh take heed that your confidence that you shall stand your ground in the day of tryal be not presumption And certainly whatever your thoughts are at present if you be not the real and inward friends of God now if you have but the name and the face of his Disciples if you follow him for fashion or for company or for novelty if notwithstanding all the regards and respects you profess to have for God and his wayes there be still a Conscience of guile and deceit within if notwithstanding all your heat and forwardness in his publick worship you are strangers to the love and life of God and are still in league with his Enemies serving your flesh and this world And hereupon whatever you do in publick yet you have no freedome in secret with God no secret familiarity no secret entercourses of love and friendship you cannot be bold and open-hearted when you have him alone if you cannot be thus bold with the Lord your promising your selves that you shall be bold for him is your presumption and will deceive you Only let me tell you for fear of discouraging such who should not be discouraged he that hath the ground of this holy boldness that through the bloud of Jesus hath peace with God whose constant care is to please the Lord and to walk before him in his uprightness though by reason of the darkness and misgivings of his troubled trembling heart he scarce dares to call God Father and can hardly at any time look him in the face without fear and shame and hereupon shakes at the fore-thoughts of the day of tryal this poor trembling soul may expect when he is put to it to be enabled to stand as Mount Zion that shall never be removed 2. Boldness in God We were bold in our God 1 Thes 2. 2. This boldness stands in a firm dependence upon God Job 13. 15. Though he kill me yet will I trust in him A resolved Christian will depend upon God for his counsel and conduct Psal 73. 24. Thou wilt guide me with thy counsell he will not lean to his own understanding he is fearful enough to walk in his own counsels he knows that 't is not in man that walketh to order his own steps but withall he knows he hath a better guide he depends on God for his aid and assistance His faith saies the same which Christ saies Isa 50. 7. The Lord God will help me therefore I shall not be confounded therefore have I set my face as a flint and I know that I shall not be ashamed He will keep his way and adventure events and issues upon God God will provide is his encouragement in his most difficult cases and hence he bears up under the most frightful aspect of his present case what ever it be 1 Sam. 30. 6. But David encouraged himself in the Lord his God He was in a great distress and in great danger but yet he bears up All is gone and worse is coming mine enemies have carried away all and my friends are become mine enemies my friends are against me and I have none to stand with me I am in great distress what shall I do But where is the Lord who is the Lord but my God O there 's enough Why art thou cast down O my Soul and why art thou discouraged within me Hope in God be strong and of good courage 3. Boldness for God There is a boldness to which God is nominally entitled which is not boldness for God but for our selves The bold asserting our own conceits and opinions for divine truths the bold imposing our own inventions as the will of God the zealous pursuing matters of religion for our own advantage and crying out over it zeal for God the intemperate insisting on the controverted and questionable matters of religion this our boldness we may call our weakness and wilfulness our pride and selfishness God will never thank you for such boldness father not your follies or phrensies upon the most high God will reward such boldness either with frowns or with fury Boldness for God stands in a constant maintaining our fidelity and allegiance to God in a resolved promoting the real interest and honour of his name and worship a boldness to pray as in the case of Daniel Chap. 6. 10. When the King forbad him a boldness to preach as
run upon dangers which it might without sin avoid that doth not unwarily create it self nor needlesly provoke enemies but fears not to meet them in his way nor will either turn aside or stand still to escape them Now put all these together he that is bold with the Lord who being reconciled by the bloud of Christ and walking before him in his integrity can with an holy boldness approach and make known his requests to the Lord for grace and mercy and help in the time of need He that is bold in the Lord whose heart is fixed trusting in God He that is in his name bold for the Lord bold to be faithful to God bold to be holy and righteous that will follow God and keep his way with the neglect of the highest worldly advantages on the one hand and the sharpest sufferings on the other that will choose the greatest of sufferings rather then little sins that will refuse the greatest advantages rather then neglect the least of duties that is meek and yet mighty through God that trembles at the word and yet stands against all the world that is tender as a bruised reed and yet stands against all the world that is tender as a bruised reed and yet not terrified at an army with banners whom a child may lead and yet a giant cannot drive an innocent dove with a serpents wisedom a patient lamb with a Lions heart who will not strive nor cry nor make a noise in the streets and yet in the strength of the Lord brings forth judgment into victory Here is the valiant Christian that triumphs over thrones and Dominions that in the name of Christ hath spoiled principalities and powers and hath led captivity captive Here is a man clothed with the Sun who hath the moon under his feet Christians where is this mighty spirit of the Gospel Behold some who seem sufficiently high flown are yet as weak as water whose hopes and whose comforts lye at the mercy of every temptation whose religion must strike sail at the fight of every enemy or tack about at every turn of the wind who are no body but in the sun-shine and the calm whose course must be steer'd by their commodity and safety who are for duty yet dare not pray to their loss who protest against iniquity yet will sin rather then suffer Is not this thy case wouldst thou not have been better if thou hadst dar'd thy conscience is for more praying and hearing and closs walking with God but thine heart will not serve thee the times will not bear it thy estate will be in hazard thy liberty yea and thy life too in danger thou darest not turn Apostate from Christ thou wouldst be one of the company still though thou be but a midnight Disciple and this must comfort thee under all thy disguised unfaithfulness thou haltest betwixt Christ and the World thou dar'st neither utterly to forsake him nor resolvedly to own him thou canst not tell what to be nor where to find thy self were it not for love of this World what a Christian wouldst thou be were it not for fear who should out-strip thee but as Matters are what to do thou knowest not and whose thou art who can tell to day thou art with the Disciples but who can tell where to find thee to morrow weak Soul hast thou good will for Christ why wilt thou not venture after him hast thou the name where is the Spirit of a Christian arise shake off thy fear and be bold Be bold for God Some are bold enough but 't is for themselves God hath the name but self is the mark that 's aim'd at beware that this be not it thou countest thy godly boldness Some are bold upon God upon the patience and forbearance of God bold to slight and affront the Lord bold to sin against him to stand it out against him against all his commands threatnings and judgments bold to continue unbelievers impenitent blasphemers unclean livers though God hath said that all such shall be damned to be thus bold is to be desperate they dare the Almighty to his face to bring his Counsel to pass and to perform all his words that he hath spoken against them Be bold but see that it be for God not against him Be bold for God but let it be also in the Lord. Be bold in the Lord but that you be not more bold then welcome look to it that you be the friends of God the boldness of strangers is sauciness or presumption The Lord upbraids his rebellious people with their confidence in him Mic. 3. yet they will lean upon the Lord they love me not yet they will lean upon me It s hard to say which is more dangerous the trust of the ungodly or their distrust God will be no Rock to those who will not that he be their Lord He will not accept of a testimony from a devil it disparages a good Cause to be pleaded by an evil mouth and as he will not regard thy confession so neither will he bear thee out in what it costs thee If thou wilt not submit to God confess him at thine own peril depend on me for my help expect countenance or encouragement from me lay hold on my power lay claim to my all-sufficiency or faithfulness how dar'st thou be so bold what art thou to me a stranger and yet so bold an enemy and yet so bold away Confident look to thy self stand on thine own bottom I have nothing for thee Art not thou he that wilt not be rul'd by me that wilt not accept of my love and peace that dissemblest with me that speakest me fair but thine heart is not with me art not thou he that dar'st continue in thy sin and to walk after the flesh and in friendship with this world whose heart goes after thy covetousness and thy companions and thy pride and thy pleasures and wilt thou lean on me and strengthen thy self in me I have offered to be reconciled to thee and thou wilt not I have offered to change thee to change thy mind and change thy way to make thee a new soul and a new life and still thou refusest and art the same man that ever thou wast may be thou hast gotten thee a new face and a new tongue and I have thy company sometimes thou draw'st nigh to me and comest in among my Saints but behold the same heart still that ever thou hadst thou wilt not be a Convert thou wilt not be brought into a Covenant of peace with me but are still in league with thy flesh and this world and how canst thou say I trust in God I will be no sanctuary for sin Brethren beware there be not any among you who make your trusting in God to serve you instead of turning to God your outward forwardness in the cause of God to serve instead of your hearty accepting the grace of God the Lord needs not nor will regard your
good words whilest your hearts are not with him go and be reconciled to your adversary for such the Lord is yet to you go and be reconciled to God accept of his grace resign to his Dominion set him up as Lord and Ruler within you let his Law and his love be in your hearts and then you may be bold both upon his acceptance of whatever service you do for his Name and upon your security in it Be the Lords in truth and then fear not to make the Lord your trust 5. Aequanimity in all the changes of his outward condition An equal steady fixed frame in all turns and changes If prosperity alone if afflictions alone will not corrupt or discompose us they are often made to take their turns sometimes one sometimes another if that may do it Though all wet or all dry will not yet sometimes wet and sometimes dry will rot the sturdy Oak He is a strong man indeed upon whom great and sudden changes of weather air diet and his whole course and way of life doth make no change Those souls are often toss'd with turns of fair weather and foul which can ride at anchor in constant tempests we can hardly be long the same whilest matters go not with us after the same way As the Psalmist Psa 55. 19. Because they have no changes so sometimes may it not be said Because they have many changes therefore they fear not God we may be so long emptied from vessel to vessel till we have lost our savour He is a Christian indeed whose soul is not tost out of its peace whose feet are not turn'd out of course by all the tossings and turnings of his outward state whose heart is not moved within when every day proves that all he has without are moveables Inward changes there are and ought to be according to the vicissitudes and varieties of providential occurrences every providence should make impression upon our spirits proportionable to it a due and different sense there ought to be of our outward mercies and crosses a sad sense of paternal displeasure is as necessary under corrections as a chearful sense of bounty and kindness when all things prosper with us We may not be as stocks or stones upon whom the Summer or Winter makes no difference God looks that worldly changes be seen and felt in hearts we may and must have our light and dark our joys and sorrows our hopes and fears there 's need and use of all But now in all these outward and their corresponding inward changes a Christian as to the main changes not his heart is fixed trusting in God he is not out of frame though he be in another frame to day then yesterday he was both in his prosperity and in his patience he possesseth his soul he is the same to Godward and towards sin still in motion heavenward and in defiance with iniquity As 't is on the other side with the wicked though they are as a troubled Sea yet they are still at rest in their iniquity whatever changes pass over them their hearts as to the main are not changed ever besides themselves and yet ever themselves wicked still emptied from vessel to vessel and yet their sent goes not forth out of them Ungodly still hardned still for sin and the devil still let their condition be what it will let them be in health let them be sick let them be full let them be empty let their steps be wash'd with Butter or sprung with Vinegar let their way be straw'd with Rosebuds or hedg'd with Thorns let them be merry let them be sad all 's one they are the same men and holding the same course wicked under mercies wicked under judgements wicked in their joys wicked in their sorrows O how do we see the providences of God thrown away lost upon the ungodly world Let the Lord do what he will with them shine upon them or thunder upon them deal gently or deal roughly with them cloath them or strip them feed them or famish them it comes all to one their hearts will not be broken nor turned to the Lord. Oh what strange changes hath the Lord of late made upon this wicked age what turns and returns have we seen smitings and healings scatterings and gatherings wars and peace sickness and health and yet behold the world still where they were lying in wickedness So for the Saints let the world do what they can upon them let them shine or thunder upon them deal gently or deal roughly feed or famish them they are still where they were their heart is fixed trusting in God And he that by all this feels the least disturbance upon his spirit he that sails most steadily in all winds and weathers whose heart is not unhinged by all his turnings who is not inordinately exalted nor depress'd by his fair weather and foul nor hurried out of himself by passionate and troublesome transports on the one hand or the other but holds his soul in such an even equal poise that his moderation appears unto all men there 's another that rides in triumph over earth and hell Oh Brethren how is it with us upon this account If we have made over our selves to the Lord and have ceased to be numbred among the men of this World if we no longer seek our treasure on earth and have laid hold on that better treasure above yet are we gotten so clear of things below that they have not still too great a power upon us Hath not this Moon a mighty influence upon our waterish spirits do not these ebb and flow according as it waxes and wanes are we the same men when things are not with us after the same manner are we the same in summer and winter can we keep our hearts and hold our course in all weathers Is it come to be all one with us as to our inward state which way matters go with us without can we want and yet be quiet can we be full and not be wanton can we be full and not forget God and be hungry and not fret our selves against him can we love God when he smites and fear him when he smiles Is it peace longer then there is plenty have we sunshine in cloudy dayes do we keep warm in the winter and not sleep in the summer how small a sunshine will steal off our garments and how little a wind will blow us off our legs Consider brethren it may be whilest the Lord hath prospered you and matters outward have gone according to your hearts then you could love and serve and praise and rejoyce in the Lord then you could be active and lively and fruitful and chearfully go on your way but the next cross providence hath been as water upon all your fire a little storm that hath risen hath put out all your light turned you besides all your duties and comforts turn'd you besides praying and rejoycing in God to vexing and fretting and
and Reason For what is that which thou callest the witness and the seal of the spirit but an Opinion of thine own a voice within thee or a strong perswasion of thine own heart that thou art of God which because it is attested by some gifts of the spirit and some affectionate workings of thine heart at times heavenward thou takest to be the voice of the Divine Spirit though it be never so contradictory to the Word of God and so wilt hold thy confidence notwithstanding what the Word speaks to the contrary But that thou mayst no longer thus deceive thy self know and consider That the Spirit witnesses and seals in this double way By being the mark of the Lord upon us By being the light of the Lord in us whereby we come to discern the mark of the Lord upon us 1. By being the mark of the Lord upon us 1 Joh. 3. 24. he that keepeth his commandements dwelleth in him and he in him hereby we know that he abideth in us by the Spirit which he hath given us By the Spirit we are to understand the graces of the Spirit that holiness and heavenliness of mind which the Spirit hath wrought upon us The spirit of God forms us into his own likeness and this image of the Spirit is Gods mark upon us As mens so Christs sheep may be known whose they are by their masters mark upon them whose mark is an earthly mind Is it of Christ or is it not the mark of the God of this world Holiness and spirituality is the mark of Christ earthliness and sin is of the Devil To whom does thy Soul belong The Spirit thou sayest witnesseth that thou belongest to God I but whose mark is it that is upon thee is this covetousness and greediness upon the world is this lying and defrauding this unrighteousness and unmercifulness which the world can ordinarily command thee to is this the mark of God or the Devil the Devil is this thy master for behold his mark still upon thee It 's true Christ buyes all his sheep out of the Devils flock but whatever sheep he buyes and brings home he scrapes out the old and claps on his own mark upon it and though there be some prints of the old yet remaining till we have put off flesh some dirt will stick yet the new mark which Christ hath set on now carries it Say not thou art seal'd with the Spirit whatever thy comforts or confidences have been unless thou seest his mark upon thee say not thou art mark'd by the Spirit whilest the Devils mark an earthly mind is the most visible and conspicuous upon thee 2. By being the light of the Lord within us whereby we are able to discern our Lords mark upon us 1 Cor. 2. 12. The Devil so amuses and deludes Souls that they often know not what to make of themselves but conclude themselves to be quite another thing then they are and this he doth by this threefold device by Counterfeiting Christs mark Pulliating his own mark Blurring and blinding the mark of Christ 1. By counterfeiting Christs mark and setting it on his own sheep Christ marks his sheep especially in the heart that 's the throne of the Spirit that 's the seat of Grace the heart the Devil can do something to the counterfeiting of this he can make common grace look like saving grace he can paint the face of a Saint upon the heart of a beast But he can more easily dissemble the outward marks of Christ Christ hath his outward marks his earmark Joh. 10. 27. My sheep hear my voice His mark in the forehead the owning or confessing of Christ before men Luk. 12. 8. He that confesseth me before men him will I confess before my father which is in Heaven His mark in the mouth he circumcises their lip and makes them a people of a pure language Zeph. 3. 9. All these the Devil can counterfeit with more ease he can bring his sheep to hear Christs preaching he can bring them to own and confess Christ before men he can teach his to pray and to be expert in the language of Disciples and when he hath done thus then he tells them see thou art one of Christs for behold thou prayest and hearest and confessest Christ and what are these but Christs marks upon thee when whatever is upon the tongue or the forehead the image of the Devil is still upon the heart 2. By palliating his own mark Christs mark upon thee I but whose is that this earthly mind that stands above it O he hath a device for that too he hath a cloke for covetousness 't is but providence or good husbandry nay this gain is godliness all this carking and caring and drudging for the world is but in obedience to the will of God to provide things honest in the sight of all men And in this the Devil is so damnably successful that it is one of the hardest tasks to help poor worldlings to the sight of what 's under this cloke though all that know thee do see that thou art an earthworm yet thou wilt not be brought to see thy self And as the Devil thus deceives his own so he distresses the Saints 3. By blurring Christs mark that it cannot easily be seen or known to be his As he can make a meer paint look like sincerity so he can make sincerity look like hypocrisie as many carnal confidents bless themselves in the opinion of their uprightness so many mortified broken upright hearts condemn themselves for hypocrites though Christ be in them and hath set his seal upon their hearts yet the Devil raises up so many black mists of melancholique thoughts and fears that they cannot see what there is of Christ in them and thereupon they judge very sadly of their case I doubt I am an hypocrite and none of Christs for what is there of the grace of Christ found in me But now the Spirit of the Lord as it works grace in the heart so it gives light to the eye it brings mens perswasions and opinions to the word and compares them with that it searches the scriptures and shews the Soul what Christs mark is it irradiates the heart and shews the very same mark which is written in the word stamp'd upon the Soul and thereby establishes it in power if there be no such mark found there but the quite contrary to it the peace that 's spoken is not of the Spirit of God but of the Devil Worldly professour dost thou not see the scripture death-mark upon thee or if thou doest not does not every one that knows thee behold it Doth not this earthly mind appear upon thy forehead upon thy tongue upon the palms of thine hands and the prints of thy feet may not thy love of the world be read in every look in every word in every line of thy life and wilt thou yet say it 's the Spirit of the Lord that speaks peace to thee whose
prostrating our selves before him in hope that this may make up our breach and be the healing of our wound But will this do Get you up get you up why lye you thus upon your faces Is there not an accursed thing among you think not that the Lord will be with you till that be destroyed from among you hope not for any thing from those prayers or fastings that do no execution upon your accursed things Do your prayers leave your pride alive your covetousness alive your wantonness alive your selves are like to dye notwithstanding all such prayers God is either upon refining or rejecting he hath cast us into his furnace kindled his fires been blowing with his bellows if our dross may yet be consumed If that be not done the next word we may hear may be that of the Prophet Jer. 6. 29 30. The bellows are burnt the lead is consumed by the fire the founder melteth in vain for this dross is not taken away reprobate silver shall men call them for the Lord hath rejected them Use 2. Of Direction and Exhortation Brethren have I not yet said enough to fetch you off from your servitude will you go free or have I spent my labour in vain must I leave you at the Brick-kiln or will you go over to Canaan what are your thoughts Is it good to continue in your servile state is the vassalage of unbelief better then the victory of faith what are your resolutions have you sold your selves for servants and will you stand to the bargain may you go free and will you not have you not understood enough of the worlds enmity have you not felt enough of the worlds tyranny have you not sin'd enough and suffer'd enough already by it what say you are you for liberty or bondage for captivity or victory why what may we do to obtain the victory why will you hearken then are you willing of help will you take Gods counsel when 't is offered you well in hope that some of you will hearken I shall yet farther adventure these few directions In the first place I shall mind you of what hath been already spoken touching the wayes by which faith overcometh the world and shall turn them into these 6. counsels 1. Get a right judgment of both worlds study and get an understanding of Earth and Heaven and give not off this study till you be throughly convinc'd of the unspeakable transcendencies of things to come above things present 2. Choose your lot in the best of the two determine for Heaven that infinitely better inheritance Be unalterably at this point I am for the everlasting blessedness however it be with me here 3. Be convinc'd that the good things of this World cannot further nor can the evil things of this world hinder your eternal blessedness and esteem of all things temporal according to the respect they bear to the things that are eternal 4. Be convinc'd that the Design of all the temptations of this World is to deprive you of your eternal inheritance 5. By living more purely a life of faith get clear apprehensions and a deeper sense of the blessedness to come 6. Give diligence to make your calling and election sure by turning your eyes back upon what hath been already said you may make fuller improvement of these directions upon which I forbear any farther enlargement To these I shall add this one general direction Make your advantage of all those means by which your faith may gather strength and in which it's strength is to be put forth and exercised Particularly 1. Improve all your duties this way Let all your seekings of God be a wrestling with the World Put this great affair into every prayer put it into your dayly confessions put it into your daily petitions Carry the sense of your sore bondage into the presence of God let the misery and the danger it hath subjected you to be written upon your hearts and go and spread the writing before the Lord. Let the throne of grace be a Judgment seat where this traitor may be daily arraigned and condemned Take unto you words confess unto God Lord I have dealt very falsely with thee and foolishly for my self I have forsaken the Fountain of living waters for broken Cisterns wherein is no water I have taken the World into my bosom and thrown the Lord at my heels I have set the World on the Throne and trodden Christ under my feet I have served mine enemy and slighted the Rock of my Salvation I have sold my soul for silver and my hopes for handfulls of barley I have followed vanity and neglected alsufficiency I have been a true drudg to this muck a good husband for this flesh but what have I been to the Lord what an evil and slothful servant If I should say I were not a worldling or a sensualist mine own soul would call me lyar to my face but though I see what a fool and what a beast and what a slave I am this sottish heart will not yet be wise it hath loved these Idols and will follow them still Confess thus unto God and if one dayes confession will not shame you out of your folly to it again the next day and the next day and every day as long as you live Bring in new Indictments fill'd up with all the aggravations you can gather up I have been often told of the evil of a worldly heart and life of the danger of it of the unworthiness of it I have been counselled to take heed of it and I have known it has been good counsel I have been oblig'd against it by commands by kindnesses by covenants by interest by experiences of the gall and the Wormwood it hath still prov'd in my belly whatever it hath been in my mouth My judgment and Conscience hath been against it I have been offered a better service and a better reward and I have understood it was a good offer and worth the accepting I have been charged upon pain of death and everlasting damnation to take heed and beware of it and yet still I am where I was Counsels have been despised commands have been broken kindnesses have been slighted covenants have been violated reason and conscience have been baffled yea death and hell have been despised for the sake of this lust and love of the world so foolish am I and ignorant and as a beast before thee Thus quicken and sharpen your confessions with all the aggravations imaginable till if it be possible thy folly may depart from thee not being able to bear such an hot prosecution Deal thus roughly and thus closly with your earthly hearts when ever you have them before the Lord that they may not dare to meet you so there again Put it into your daily Petitions Speak unto the Lord let not thy soul keep silence till he hear Let thine oppressed heart lift up its voice to the most high tell him Oh I have surfeited of
his Will Worship and Waies is preserved and propagated to wit the holy Scriptures Isa 8. 20. to the Law and to the Testimonies c. 2. Fixed Officers To interpret expound and give the sense of the Word and to publish and preach it to the World Nehem. 8. 4. 8. Mal. 2. 7. 3. Fixed Ordinances Wherein the Lord is to be solemnly worshiped the Observing and keeping pure and entire whereof is required as in many positive Precepts so also in all those Scriptures which forbid Idolatry Superstition and Will-worship 4. A fixed time for instruction in the Law of God and for his more solemn Worship This fixed time is the Sabbath day Isa 66. 23. c. The Adversaries of Religion have attempted its destruction by heaving at these Pillars npon which it is supported and the opposition which hath been made against them hath been carried on some part of it at least much after the same way The Authority of the Scriptures hath been inunded by pretences to other rules besides to be added to them as unwritten Traditions or enthusiastical Revelations Ordinances have been assaulted by the addition of humane Inventions to Divine Institutions The destruction of the Ministry hath been by some of its Adversaries attempted by making all Teachers and Sabbaths have been undermined by others by pleading for an every day Sabbath First enclosing the six daies to the Lord and thereby at length laying the Sabbath in common to the World Upon these four pillars is Religion upheld let these be removed and what becomes of it and the destruction of this one this fixed time how greatly will it endanger all the rest An every-day Sabbath will soon bring us to no Sabbath and from no Sabbath we shall quickly come to no Ordinances no Ministery and from no Ministery how long will it be ere we arrive at No Scriptures no Religion no God But whatever the adversaries of Religion and their waies to supplant it be that which makes them adversaries and engages them in this wicked design are the lusts of this World Religion levels at the flesh its affections and interest and these set themselves to make their batteries upon Religion and all its supports and foundations Keep up Sabbaths and you are like to keep up Scriptures Ministery Ordinances Religion keep up Religion and the World falls under you But the more immediate influence the due sanctification of the Sabbath will have upon the conquering the World will appear if you consider that this day is 1. A day of separation for God 2. A day for special communion with God 3. A day of special provision for souls 1. A day of separation for God The people of God as such are a separated people separated from the lusts of men to the Law of their God Neh. 10. 28. Ezra 6. 21. In their first day their day of Grace they separate themselves from the evils of the World in this day they are to separate themselves from the affairs yea and the thoughts of the World Isa 58. 13. This day is an Hallowed day sanctified by God and to be sanctified by his Saints Gods sanctifying it is his setting apart the day for an holy use our sanctifying it is our setting our selves apart thereon for his holy service This day is a priviledged day nothing that 's common or unclean may encroach upon it The day of the Lord is as the house of the Lord a kind of meeting betwixt heaven and earth wherein God calls us up to the Mount and comes down to give us a meeting And as when he came down on Mount Sinai he required that his people who yet were to come no nearer him than the foot of the Mount should by washing their clothes and separating themselves from their Wives make ready against his comming down Exod. 19. 11 15. So doth he here give us as strict a charge Remember be ye also ready Be ye wash'd and be ye separate Wash your hearts empty your hands come in from your fields come out of your shops lay by your work leave this earth below come up to meer your God There are two things that give to objects their greatest efficacy and advantage upon us Their nearness to us and the remoteness of their contraries The World on this day loses both these advantages wherein we are called to stand aloof from it and to draw nigh to God We are then fairest for victory over the World when we are farthest off it 't is ill fighting a Cock on his own Dung-hill while the world is at our elbow there 's little like to be done against it whilst it is in our eye or our hand 't is not easie to keep it out of our heart when the Lord hath gotten our company alone and the World hath nothing not an Oxe nor an Ass not a business nor a pleasure to sollicit our love or labour When we are gotten out of sight and out of hearing of the wooings of this Harlot and its cries after us then is it most like to lose its hold of us The reason why we ordinarily make no more advantage of Sabbaths this way is because however we pretend to draw nigh unto God yet we do not with-draw from the World we come into the Sanctuary as Israel went out of Aegypt we carry not our Wives and our little ones only but our Flocks and our Herds and all our Substance we carry all we have with us when we come before the Lord. The lowing of the Oxen the bleating of the Sheep the sound of the Mill-stones is so still in our ears the Butter and the Hony the wine and the oyle the silver and the gold are so continually in our eye that we cannot hearken what the Lord God doth speak nor see his face Brethren who is there with you at this houre here you are before the Lord but who is there with you search every room look into every corner Is there none within that should not be there is there no messenger of Satan hath the World no agitatour now at work within you O behold whilest the Lord is a treating with our cares what a mixed multitude are there within cares and thoughts and lusts and projects for this world and what a stirr do they all make that God may not be regarded The Devil will be most most busy in such a time he doubts how matters might go with him if he now keep silence Doubtless many a Soul more might have been gain'd over to Christ had not Satan stood by and hindred and had those ever near us who forbad the match use to be alone with God out of the company and out of the noise of these harlots and then there 's hope the Lord may gain your love What wonder that that seed dies and becomes unfruitful that falls into a brake of thorns or amongst such birds as stand watching to catch it all away what hope that the counsel of the Lord be accepted of a
let faith and love and hope and prayers and praises which are the stairs to the other World and your weapons against this be your Sabbath-work and delight Let not finer cloaths and better fare let not idleness and ease no nor filling up a place in the Congregation be the only difference betwixt Sabbaths and other daies but this better work and meat for souls Provide against the dayes of scarcity provide against the dayes of temptation Let not the Manna fall besides your vessels Let him that hath an ear hear what the Spirit saith to the Churches Catch at every word observe every look of your Lord upon you And whatever you receive lay up and ponder in your hearts Have you received a check or reproof lay up your reproof have you received a word of counsel or instruction lay up your instructions Hath he spoken peace to you lay up that word charily by you whatever transactions have passed betwixt the Lord and your Souls keep the records and when you go forth whither ever you go carry all this upon your hearts that whenever the World meets you again and tempts you again you may be thus well appointed and throughly furnished against its assaults Brethren put hard on every Sabbath for such an undisturbed attendance on the Lord single out the Lord for the object of your whole converse knit your hearts thus to him solace your selves thus in him get you thus elevated and raised in your spirits from earthly to heavenly and every inch of ground you get of your adversary maintain it carefully from Sabbath to Sabbath If this were seriously design'd and more generally attempted by Christians we should find both another face and another power of Christianity in the earth the children of the Kingdom would be more visibly differenced from the men of this World and both the guilt and reproach of earthliness and sensuality be wip'd off from the Professors and Profession of the Gospel 3. Improve Sacraments this way The advantage that we have in Sacraments against the World lies In our Preparation Participation 1. In our preparation One confessed preparatory duty is self-examination 1 Cor. 11. 28. A great security of this Idol is the secret of its tabernacle It s covert in which it lurks unseen Worldlings many of them if they knew what is within them their Conscience would so prick that they could have no rest or ease till this thorn were puld out but they are not aware that the World is within them Yet this enemy lies not so close but upon a privy search it may be discovered Sacramental trial should be close and thorow no corner within us should be left unransacked The reverence of this great Ordinance and the dreadful consequence of comming so solemnly before the Lord with a Traitor in our bosoms eating and drinking judgment will cry in our ears Make diligent search The evidence that this one thing an earthly mind carries in it of our treachery towards God is so notorious that he hath but little understanding in the matters of God that would not from this alone conclude himself an unworthy guest at the Table of the Lord were all things else never so specious and fair Dar'st thou say Surely the Lord will accept me for he hath but this one thing against me That I love the World more than I love God I can own his name and waies I join with the Assemblies of his people I can pray and hear and fast I am neither proud nor froward nor envious nor malicious there is no evil but this covetousness but I hope I can acquit my self of Dar'st thou say thus I am no drunkard I am no Adulterer I am no swearer I am nothing but an Idolater the Lord I hope will excuse me in this thing Dost think he will indeed And may it not be like enough that upon this diligent search thou mayst find this to be thy case Friends get the sense of these terrible truths upon your hearts He that eateth and drinketh unworthily is guilty of the body and bloud of the Lord He that eateth and drinketh unworthily eateth and drinketh damnation to himself He that is an Idolater eateth and drinketh unworthily He that is covetous is an Idolater Let these things sink into your hearts and then see if you dare come without a narrow search make a narrow search and then you will see how great your unworthiness and danger is Certainly were there a due care taken of this duty it were not possible that men could go on from Sacrament to Sacrament under the power of their earthly hearts this would surely startle them This Ordinance would either make them afraid of their worldliness or this worldliness would make them afraid of Sacraments Worldly Professors what care is there ordinarily taken of this duty do you examine do you make diligent search do you make particular search for this evil It may be you enquire Am I in the faith am I in charity do I bear no malice hath no man a quarrel against me nay possibly you may go a little farther and ask Am I unjust am I an oppressor an extortioner have I done wrong to no man and if you can acquit your self here then an end But do you further ask Do I not love the world Is not mine heart too much upon it Am I not too busie for the world is not my time spent too much upon it are not duties neglected is not my soul or my families souls neglected for its sake am I not so bent upon growing rich in the world that I mind not how poverty grows upon my soul do I honor the Lord with my substance am I merciful am I bountiful do I seek no more nor no otherwise then God would have me seek do I aim at God do I entitle God to all I have do I know how to abound can I want if the Lord will have it so is God enough if I have nothing is not all the world enough if God be a stranger how can I bear crosses and disappointments in the world Speak friends are any of these things enquired after I doubt whether you be faithful in this matter oh might I prevail with you to put upon this closer and severer tryal you know not what it might gain you If you can but apprehend your Enemy at such a time as this when you are making this solemn approach to the Lord when it would be so dreadful to you to be found in league with it at what an advantage would you then have it Now is a time when if ever we are like to have you serious loose not the season beware of solemn triflings hide not now your eyes from seeing your disease beware of palliating and mincing be zealous to know the worst of your case put Conscience close to it what sayst thou Guilty or not guilty If Conscience plead Guilty then come before the Lord if thou darst without serious repentance and
in his bloud and then you are clean though your iniquity be searched for yet it shall not be found this righteousness shall answer for you for all your unrighteousness this righteousness shall purchase for you the eternal inheritance O methinks we should hear you all crying out with those Jews though with another heart and in another sense His bloud be upon us and upon our children 2. Peace That 's another fruit of Christs bloud he hath made peace by the bloud of his Cross Col. 1. 20. He hath made peace not only betwixt Jew and Gentile reconciling them both into one body but betwixt God and men reconciling both Jew and Gentile in one body unto God Rom. 5. 1. Being justified by faith we have peace with God This peace hath all blessings in it love good will pardon grace life as the wrath of God hath all woes in it all the plagues and miseries both of this world and that to come you need say no more to mark out any person for an unhappy and lost person but this The wrath of God abideth on him you have said enough you need not smite him the second time as the wrath of God hath all woes so the peace of God hath all blessings in it 2. The fruits of his spirit The former fruits righteousness and peace which I call the fruits of the bloud of Christ are in a sense the fruits also of the spirit as also these latter which I call the fruits of the spirit are in a sense the fruits of his bloud the spirit convinces of righteousness and preaches peace Joh. 16. 14. He shall take of mine and shew it unto you The spirit first indeed takes of our own and shews that unto us that same Gospel spirit that brings life and immortality brings first death and mortality to light he that convinces of sin is the same spirit that convinces of righteousness He shall take of our own and shew it unto us Look thee here soul what a vile and unclean thing thou art what a wretched and unhappy thing thou art what a Leper what a Viper what a devil in flesh thou hast made thy self what an Egypt what a Sodom what an hell thou hast within thee what a portion what a treasure thou hast laid up for thy self Serpents and Scorpions and Dragons Bloud and Wrath and Fire these must be the portion of thy cup. Secure sleepy soul jolly merry soul that art quiet and at ease sporting thy self with thy pleasures loading thy self with riches decking thy self with ornaments open thine eyes soul look thee here all that 's thine I here set in order before thee these sins and this guilt and these curses and these plagues these are all thou canst call thine own these shall dwell with thee these shall stick and cleave to thee as thy flesh to thy bone as thy body to thy soul this sad and amazing sight the spirit shews us takes of our own and shews it unto us But then says Christ he shall take of mine of my righteousness and peace and shew it unto you I say even these fruits of the bloud of Christ may be also called the fruits of the spirit But besides these there are others that the Scripture expresly calls the fruits of the spirit what these are you may read Gal. 5. 22 23. But the fruit of the spirit is love joy peace long-suffering gentleness goodness faith meekness temperance all the graces and the comforts of the spirit issuing from them these are the fruits of the spirit 2. That these fruits of Christ are sweet 1 Pet. 2. 7. To them that believe he is precious He and all his root and branches tree and fruit he is pleasant to the eye the thoughts of Christ are precious Psa 104. 3. My meditation of him shall be sweet It is a pleasant thing to behold this Sun he is sweet to the ear his words are sweet sweeter then the honey and the honey comb Psa 19. 10. His house and his dwelling is sweet Psa 84. 1. How amiable are thy Tabernacles O Lord. How might I inlarge here But more close to the matter in hand because sense will give us the fullest proof of sweetness let me ask 1. How sweet have you found the fruits of the bloud of Christ Ask the guilty if righteousness be not sweet if pardon be not sweet ask the prisoner if liberty be not sweet ask the debtor how he would receive his discharge from all his debts Dost thou know what bloud guiltiness means I need not commend to thee the bloud of attonement 2. How sweet are the fruits of his Spirit would it not be a pleasure to you to be holy and humble and meek is not love sweet is not holy joy sweet that is is not sweetness sweet nay is not godly sorrow sweet the mournings and meltings for sin have more sweetness in them then the sportings and laughings of sinners Is not the sense of integrity clearness and uprightness is not peace of conscience the assurance of divine love are not these sweet Ask those that labour under the gripes and pangs of a wounded conscience or are stung with the conscience of guile and treachery how they would prize peace of conscience ask those who have received the sentence of death in themselves and lye roaring like bulls in a net full of the fury of the Lord how pretious assurance of the love of God would be Ask those whose souls do dwell at ease who walk in the light of the Lord and have tasted that the Lord is gracious what they would take in exchange for those comforts wherewith they feel themselves comforted of God I appeal to some of your experiences whether ever you have had so much pleasure in all your lives as when you have found your hearts ascending Heaven ward in your flames of love and receiving testimony from the Lord that you are accepted with him surely your souls have tasted how good the Lord is But here note that these fruits of the Spirit some of them especially are sweet only To the Souls Healthy Hungry 1. To the healthy Soul that is to the holy Soul to the sick every pleasant thing is bitter is grace unfavoury is holiness harsh to thee doest thou find no relish in it are thy gourds and thy husks thy locusts and wild hony the pleasures of thy flesh only grateful to thy palate O thou art a sickly Soul there is no health in thee 2. To the hungry Soul The hungry he fills with good things and the hungry will relish his good things the full Soul loaths the honey comb canst thou not tast the sweetness O thou art a full Soul Satan hath filled thine heart thou hast an heart full of dirt and trash the Divel hath made a very stable or barn or dung pot of thine heart meat and drink and mony and mirth have chok'd up thy soul and that 's the reason that Christ is no more savoury Are
receiveth it Chap. 3. 21. To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my Throne There 's the Conquerours reward the hidden Manna the white stone the new name the Throne Now all these are here set before us we taste of the Manna we have a sight of the stone and of the Throne what encouragement is it to the heart to have the reward in the eye It was said concerning our Lord Heb. 12. 2. that for the joy that was set before him he endured the Cross and despised the shame And we are exhorted in the foregoing words Let us run with patience the race that is set before us looking to Jesus Let us run looking to Jesus let us bear looking to Jesus let us watch let us wrestle let us fight looking to Jesus looking to Jesus who endured the Cross and is set down on the Throne This Cross is here presented to us and in the Cross the Throne if we suffer with him if we overcome with him we shall also be glorified with him Lift up the hands that hang down confirm the feeble knees behold the Captain of your Salvation whose reward is with him and his work before him Dost say 't is hard to follow Christ 't is hard to forsake all for Christ canst thou now say so when he shews thee the treasure he hath for his followers open thine eyes look again upon that treasure and then see if all the labours straits losses sufferings of this life be worthy to be compared to that glory which he hath revealed 4. Improve worldly prosperity this way turn the world upon it self beat it with its own weapons As the Lord Judg. 7. 22. set Midian against Midian every mans Sword against his fellow so let Christians set the world against the world let its own hand be against it self The prosperities of the world are the keenest and most deadly weapons in all its quivers if these might be turn'd against its own breast what a slaughter would be made But how may this be done hearken to me and I will tell you how Receive all the good things of the world As Talents Temptations 1. Receive all the good things of the world as Talents for which you must give an account Consider your selves as Stewards of all that you have you have nothing under your hand but what is your Masters and for which you must be responsible This is a truth written in nature as well as in Scripture you may as well reckon your selves your own Makers as your own Lords and you may as well reckon your selves your own Lords as unaccountable for what you have If you have an estate if you have friends if you have great offices honors and dignities if you have a larger proportion of bodily health better parts and endowments of mind you have so much the more to reckon for as your riches encrease as you are advanc'd higher in the world so your work and your care and your Obligation thereto encreases the more you have committed to your trust the harder will your task be to mannage it well and the more dreadful will be your doom if you miscarry If the doom for one talent hid in a Napkin be so dreadful Mat. 25. 30. Cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth what will thy judgment be for ten talents all spent upon Harlots or in riotous living The sense of this will both still your flesh from craving what you have to be bestowed upon it and kill your desires after more Give what you will to it upon such terms to use it all for God and to be lyable to a severe account for whatever is otherwise imployed and your very flesh will be ready to turn it back upon your hands Say to thy covetous heart here 's an opportunity for thee to be rich work as hard as ever thou wilt get as much as ever thou canst but when thou hast done know that whatever thou hast gotten is none of thine thou dost but get that thou mayst have so much the more to use for God or to loose for God not an house not a field not one peny of all that thou hast laboured for must be spent upon thy flesh thy pride or thy appetite or thy covetousness shall have never the more for all thy store but all must go another way tell thy heart thus that thy flesh must not have the spending of it and then see how little pleasure 't will have in gathering Tell thy slothful heart here 's an estate for thee here are honors here is the love and good will and good opinion of men for thee if thou likest it take it but know that this is all to set thee the harder on work they are all thy Masters goods which he gives thee with this charge Occupy till I come Hast thou an estate look to it for he will look for it that thou honor the Lord with thy substance and the more thou hast the more care will it cost thee and the more labour to use it well Hast thou dignities and art thou set in authority take heed and see to it that thou be good in thine office woe to thee if thou neglect the charge of the Lord and what wilt thou do to fulfill it Hast thou the love and good will of men this gives thee the fairer opportunity and thereby imposes on thee the greater necessity to deal roundly with them in counselling admonishing and reproving them as occasion shall require they will take that from thee which they will not from another and upon that account there 's none in the world that owes them so much of that service nor shall pay so dearly for his neglect as thou and so whatever else thou hast wisdome learning natural parts bodily health the more thou hast of them the more work they will find thee Tell thy slothful heart thus and what thank will it give thee for such advancements whatever they be Tell thy voluptuous heart here are pleasures for thee here 's meat and drink and fine cloaths and sports and pastimes here are Gardens and Orchards Apes and Peacocks but what wilt thou do with them now thou hast them so much as will help thee to be more useful and serviceable to the ends of thy being to glorifie thy God to promote the salvation of thy soul so much thou mayst take but take more at thy utmost peril tell thy sensual heart the more thou hast of these things the more wilt thou be put to that hard duty of self-denial thou must vex and torment and crucifie thy flesh the more by how much the more thou hast to satisfie it whatever thou hast before thee and how much soever thou lustest after it thou must not touch more then thy allowance though thou hast it in thine hand yet thou must rather put a knife to thy throat then thine hand to thy mouth What sayes the
When I awake I am still with thee that is my thoughts are presently with thee my meditations are of thee and where my thoughts are there am I. When the thoughts are with God the soul is with God when the thoughts are in the earth and mud the soul is all bemired The soul goes forth to view to taste and to chuse for it self the thoughts take a view the affections and senses taste and take the relish and then accordingly the will chuses The will should nakedly follow the understanding and chuse only what the unbyassed judgment tells it is good but it does too ordinarily follow the affections and senses these blind the reason and so ingage the will we chuse what we love and what pleases rather then what upon an impartial deliberation we judge to be good The things of both worlds work upon hearts objectively by the good or evil that is apprehended in them they accordingly affect us our thoughts search into things what there is in them when our thoughts by searching find out God God is regarded and when they are in search after the world they make a shift to fancy this to be good and accordingly it is imbraced The thoughts are the feet and the eyes of the soul the feet Eccles 5. 1. keep thy feet when thou goest into the house of God that is keep and look well to thy thoughts The eyes Prov. 17. 24. The eyes of a fool that is his thoughts are in the ends of the earth the rovings of the thoughts are the souls compassing the earth and its walking to and fro to the ends thereof Keep your thoughts in by the Lord and you keep your souls in your thoughts will be in exercise will be walking daily and hourly some whither or other there 's no keeping them in they will abroad either to heaven or earth oh send them to heaven daily and hold them there let them have no leisure to wander in this earth Brethren think your selves up to heaven as we may pray our selves up and believe our selves up to heaven so we may think our selves thither worldly men think themselves into pride or think themselves into covetousness or think themselves into wantonness are so long thinking and thinking in fuel for lust till they have set it all in a flame as worldly men think themselves into wickedness so let Christians think themselves into holiness think themselves into humility sobriety contentation and heavenliness of mind call off your thoughts from this earth and you will cease to be earthly call them back from vanity and you will cease to be vain call them up to heaven and you call them off from what 's below Think on God more Christians and the everlasting Kingdome think on the way that leads to it on the dangers that lie in the way on the dread of perishing in the way on the beauty and pleasure and comfort of being upright in the way of the goal and prize that is at the end of the way Take up such thoughts as these Is not God better then the world that is is not all things better then nothing Is not grace better then sin that is is not fair better then foul Is not peace better then wrath peace with God then friendship with the world are not the fillings of Gold better then heaps of earth Is a little grace so good and is not more desirable can there be much grace where the desire is so divided betwixt it and vanity Is gold in the Our so precious as gold out of the fire Is the twilight pleasant O what is the day light Is a mixture of flesh and spirit of heaven and earth as desirable as all spirit all heaven If grace be so good if peace with God be so precious why do I not seek it if I have a little grace if I have a little peace why do I not press for more when shall I increase and grow rich towards God if I do not decrease towards this earth Be thinking thus on heaven and heavenly things and if you will be thinking of earth too think of the dark places of the earth and the dark side of its brightness think of the precipices the marishes the quagmires the barren Mountains and desolate Wildernesses the bryars and thorns and wild beasts of the earth my meaning is if you will study the world study its vanity and vexations the danger you are in of being lost or torn in pieces or swallow'd up of them How uncertain are these riches how vanishing is this mirth how unconstant are these friends what a blast are these honors what a flash are these pleasures what a bubble are these buildings how long will they lust what will be left of them a few years hence But O the thorns and the bryars the vexations the cares the fears the disappointments the crosses the sweat and the sorrows that are mingled with these pleasures and possessions But yet farther O the darts and the arrows and the stings that come after O the stabs and the wounds that they give to the soul the darkness and death and damnation that they are dragging it into If you will be thinking on the world let it be with such thoughts as these and then see if it would be so hard to make an exchange of earth for heaven Brethren the reason why it is so hard a work for the Ministry to perswade in souls to Christ is because we cannot get them to entertain any serious thoughts of Christ and of the blessedness that comes in with him the reason why we cannot fetch them off from the world is because we cannot perswade them to think as they should of it of the vanity of it of the bondage it holds them in and the misery it subjects them to If we could but set you a thinking once what harm would it be to me to hearken to Christ what will become of me if I do not hearken to him when shall I come to Christ if I still cleave to this present world what if I should never come but should stand at this distance from him to my dying day Can I ever hope for mercy from Christ if for the love of the world I now refuse him will he regard my cryes when hereafter I shall call Lord open to me Lord answer for me Lord save me if I reject him when he calls Soul open to me Soul submit to me How shall I stand in the Judgment if I have no Christ to stand with me will my estate will my pleasures will my friends be good Advocates for me in that day will this be a good Plea Lord Jesus appear for me let thy wounds plead let thy bloud plead for me let me stand as one of thine for I am he that would none of thee I set at nought thy counsels and despised thy Covenant and trampled upon thy bloud and preferr'd my house and my money and my pleasures and my lusts before
in the joy of the Lord or in the terrours of the Lord What shall be your sentence Come or depart come ye blessed or depart ye cursed inherit the kingdom or away into the fire what say you consider and speak will you be damned or are you for the saving of your Souls If you say you are for salvation then let me farther ask you 2. Is not the world an enemy to your salvation Is salvation possible without a victory over it Is it not against the declared will and purpose of God Rom. 8. 30. Whom he did predestinate them he also called whom he called them he also justified whom he justified them he also glorified who are the justified and glorified is it not onely the called is there ever another man of the number And who are the called of God is it all those that are bid to come is he of them that makes light of it that saies I cannot come that saies no Lord I pray thee call some other guests and let me alone as I am to follow my oxen and my farm and my wife I pray thee have me excused is this one of the called of God If not what hope of his salvation will God change his purpose and baulk his way to gratify thy carnal mind and reconcile lust and eternal life Is there not an inconsistency in the nature of the things to be saved and left under the power of the world is to be saved and yet left under the power of the Devil to be saved and yet left unsanctified to be made free and yet left in bonds Doth it not enervate and resist all the means of salvation Doth not the world hinder the word that that cannot prosper with you is not this it the lusts and love and cares of this life that choke the word that it becomes unfruitful Math. 13. 22. Hath not the world hitherto dealt by you as in the beginning of this discourse I told you it would darkned your eye that you could not see deadned your sense that you could not fear hung upon your hearts and about your necks that you could not come to Christ Have you seen have you feard are you come to Christ or are you not yet in your sins why what is it that hath hindred you and kept you back from Christ hitherto but either the cares of this life or the deceitfulness of riches or the pleasures and lusts of this present world Doth not the world hinder prayer hold you back from going to God to seek your lives at his hands while you should be with God to seek your lives the world calls you abroad to seek your livings a little praying must suffice a worldly heart when the tribes go up to pray before the Lord how often is the worldlings place empty If I were to go in search for a worldlings heart I would seek all the places of the earth first ere I would seek him before the throne of grace he is so seldom there that you may as well seek an idle shepherd in the pulpit as a worldly heart in the closet O if worldly men did no more diligently seek the world then they use to seek God what poor men would they be Get you asunder worldlings let your Souls and this harlot part that Satan tempt you not for your incontinence that your prayers be not hindred what praying whilst the world is still with you and what hope of salvation whilest no praying 3. Is this enemy invincible Is not victory over it possible is it not possible for thee to become an enemy to this world if thou art an enemy thou art a conquerour It 's true thou hast an hard field to fight and there 's great hazard thou mayst be eternally lost by it It hath slain so many Souls and laid them up in everlasting chains there have been so very few have escaped with their lives that it 's a great question whether thy life may not also go Thou hast been so long a captive that it is much to be doubted whether ever thou mayst be set at liberty Thou bearest such a love to the world thou wilt so hardly be perswaded that 't is thine enemy and art so apt to take it to be a better friend then God is to thee thou art so hardly perswaded that he is a friend to thee that doth but tell thee the world is an enemy and art so angry at any that offers to assist thee against it or but perswades thee to take heed of it thou art so apt to take all the counsels warnings reproofs that are given thee to put thee upon thy watch against it to be injuries unkindnesses that it 's much to be feared how it may go with thee There have been so many charges made against it without success the axe hath been so often layd at the root of this tree God hath been hewing at it conscience hath been hewing at it may be all thy life long the word hath been fighting against it prayer hath been wrestling with it meditation hath been considering about it Thou hast been so often warned Take heed and beware of covetousness Love not the world nor the things of the world mortify thy members which are upon the earth Flee youthful lusts Get thee up from the tents of these men set not thine affections on the earth Thou hast been so often told That the fashion of this world passeth away those that will be rich fall into a snare the friendship of the world is enmity against God and after all this there is so little done thy heart is so much upon it still it holds to this day so strong an hand over thee thou art still siding with it and taking its part against God and thine own Soul thou art so loath to hear that 't is a sin to be worldly minded or to be convinced that thou art a worldling that I must tell thee 't will be hard work for thee to obtain the victory and to escape with thy Soul Look to it such a disease which hath been so long rooted in thy nature such an enemy that hath so long lien in thy bosome that thou wilt not be perswaded that 't is thy disease that 't is thine enemy such a disease will hardly be cured such an enemy will hardly be conquered But yet is not a victory possible Is this disease unto death and is there no remedy Is there no balm in Gilead is there no Physitian there Is the field lost and is there no recovery who is it that hath bid thee fight against this enemy Is it one that had a mind to mock thee Look upon the Captain of thy Salvation hath not he overcome the world Hath not he said Be of good comfort look unto me and be saved come unto me and ye shall have rest Doth he not call to thee Wilt thou not be made clean wilt thou not be made free If thou wilt thou mayst there lies all the
rejoycing Are there any such things Is there any thing in them then let these suffice you will you have your conversation and take your portion with those who are strangers to Christ and the comforts of his Spirit I beseech you by the mercies of God that you do not Do you hope for mercy have you received mercy do you live upon mercy hath mercy pitied you spared you pardoned you doth mercy feed you cloath you and comfort you and will you not hearken to its beseechings Why what doth mercy speak is this it's word Continue in sin for grace hath abounded now follow thy pleasures and thy liberties God is reconciled thy sins are forgiven thy Soul is secure now thou mayst slight the Lord now thou mayst trample upon mercy now thou hast obtained it is this the lesson that mercy teaches or what doth it speak is not this the voice of all the kindnesses and compassions of the Lord come back from your vanities come away from following Idols he sacrifices to God and prostitute not your selves any longer to the lusts of your flesh come away for our sakes come as you love mercy come as you have received mercy come as you hope for mercy come Is not this the voice of mercy and shall it not prevail how shall mercy be heard when it pleads for you if it cannot be heard when it pleads thus with you Is this the rate and price you put upon the grace of God that you will deny it in those little things it demands of you not a carnal pleasure to be abated not a vain companion to be displeased not a few handfuls of earth to be troden under foot for its sake Doth all the interest that Christ and his grace hath in you come to no more then this Brethren where is ingenuity is not goodness obliging will you shew what power mercy hath with you how much you can do how much you can leave for love you at least that have obteined mercy methinks your hearts should be at your mouth ready to take their flight from this wilderness to the mountains of spices Hath God given himself hath God given me his Son and granted me mercy unto life now let him take all farmes and oxen silver and gold honours and pleasures let all go and thou O my Soul become a sacrifice to the most high my love where art thou my desires whither run you come back from these vanities and get you up to your God mercy hath descended let me ascend with it and no longer dwell in the dust 2. Do not the severities of God call you off what mean the Judgments of God which he executes on the earth but to drive us up from our cisterns to the fountain what mean the wormwood and the gall but to wean us from these dugs wherefore are our disappointments vexations distresses but to tell us this is not your rest what speak the winds and the storms the flouds and the fires the sword and the famine the thief and the moth but get you up get you up out of this place of what use is the cross but to crucifie to crucifie us to the world and to crucify the world unto us Brethren have we not sufficiently smarted for our folly what is it that makes us so many rods and makes the lashes of them to cut so deep but our unmortifiedness to this earth how easy would our crosses lye were we dead to the world That 's the voice of the cross Be mortified be crucified prevent the greater severities of God Be crucified or God will crucifie you Be crucified to the world or look to be crucified by the world Friends would you have but one cross in all your lives choose you whether you will have one or many get your earthly minds nayld to the cross of Christ and there 's an end of all your crosses every other cross that comes will thenceforth be so easy that it will even loose its nature 2. What is there in your denyal to hearken to these calls of God Is there any thing less in it then this I will not be reconciled to God! I choose rather that God be mine enemy then that the world be not my friend I had rather have the wormwood and the gall then not the milk and the honey God saies give me thine heart no he shall never have it I have bestowed it on the world and there let it go God saies Take me for thy portion no I will not let me have my portion in this life God saies take me for thy Lord no I will not I will not that God shall reign over me God saies as thou hopest for mercy hearken as thou hopest for mercy submit to me refuse at thy peril be a worldling at thy peril be a sensualist at thy peril well at my peril be it I will run the hazard of that mercy or no mercy I cannot hearken to that word which is so contrary to me Is not all this comprehended in your denyal to come off from the world O tremble and now at length come and give in your answer Are there any of you that will yet say to me as those Jews Jer. 44. 16. The word which thou hast spoken to us in the name of the Lord we will not do or as those Jer. 2. 25. there is no hope as good hold thy peace speak no more to us about it for we will not hearken we have loved strangers and after them we will go we have loved our companions and after them we will go There is no hope but we will walk after our own devices we will walk after the imagination of our own evil heart Jer. 18. 12. Is there no hope indeed would you henceforth be given over as hopeless would you that the Ambassadours of the Lord keep silence and for ever give you over as lost men shall there be no more treaty with you about this thing would you that we should preach no more to you nor pray no more for you that you may be brought to a better mind May there not be yet hope concerning you may you not yet be convinced may you not yet be perswaded This once let me prevail with you Oh might we hear such a word from you We have done with all our Idols to the Moles and to the Batts with them all we have done with this vain earthly life no more such madness to venture eternity for minutes to stake the everlasting kingdom for pictures and shadows Come we will hearken to the Lord this day hitherto we have been written in the earth henceforth for the invisible world hitherto we have lived in pleasures we have been sowing to the flesh we have been labouring for the wind we have been laying up our treasure on earth we have been gathering in dirt and throwing away Manna we have fed upon ashes and trod upon pearls our life hath been either a meer play or a labour for bubles Henceforth for substance for the durable riches for the everlasting pleasures for the bags that wax not old the treasure in Heaven that faileth not What say you brethren shall this be your voice will you hearken to the Lord at length give in your answer will you now become enemies to the world will you indeed shall your Souls and it now be parted Then go and draw up a writing of divorcement carry it before the Lord and acknowledg it as your act and deed and giving your selves to him go presently and take your leave of all things under the Sun Bid farewell to those that are with you in the house farwel Father farewel Child farewel Husband farewel Wife Bid farewel to all within doors and without farewel Goods farewel Mony farewel Sheep and Oxen Lands and Livings farewel my pleasant habitation farewel my merry dayes and easy nights farewel my friends and dear acquaintance farewel love friendship credit in the world farewel liberty and life Go take your leave of all the world to day stay not till to morrow lest it again intangle you and bewitch you into another mind And this is the leave I would advise you to take of all you have Be able to say to them all I am none of yours you are none of mine I am none of yours I have given my self to the Lord you are none of mine with my self I have given away you all the Lord hath given you me and to him I return you and shall not henceforth count you any thing to me but what you are to him I have given him the right of you and when he calls for it I will give him possession I can enjoy you and I can want you I can be thankful for fruition and I can bear your loss with what I have I am content if I have not I will be patient whether I have or no I am still the same and henceforth I will seek you as if I sought you not I will use you as if I used you not while you are with me I will rejoyce as if I rejoyced not that I may weep as if I wept not when we must part and I must know you no more Go thus and take your leave to day or if you find it more then one dayes work as 't is like you may set to it every day let not your hearts be quiet till they and this world be thus parted And then arise put on thy sandals and after thy crucified Lord Deny thy self take up thy cross and follow him and thou shalt have treasure in Heaven FINIS