passeth knowledge Quest. WHerein doth the Love of Christ appear to be a surpassing love This appears in his putting himself into our Nature His putting himself into our room Putting our lives into his purchase putting his name into our bond Putting our names into his will Putting his spirit into our hearts Putting his glory into our hands First It appears in putting himself into our nature What admirable love and condescention was this as we were Creatures there was an infinite distance between us and Christ much more as we are sinners but this infinite condescention was nothing to the love of Christ. He stept from the Court of his angels to the reproaches of men at one step O what a step was this for Christ to take our nature upon him is more than for an Emperour to become a beggar Yea there is no comparison that can express it This was love indeed surpassing love that the Lord Jesus Christ should have such a love to man that he should become of 〈◊〉 to sinners flesh of our flesh and bone of our bone here is matchless unparallel'd love Secondly It appears in putting himself in our room Christ did not onely become man with us he doth not onely take the rags of our Nature upon him but our condition upon him the pain shame curse that was due to us upon him He was content to be in our stead to suâ—…er dy for us herein is love Christ knew before hand what it would cost him if he would become surety for us he knew the death we had deserved the wrath that was our portion and yet he was content to put himself into our room that we might be exempted and excused Christ hath put in himself for us not to be bound for us for a time but did engage himself resolving to pay for us that we might be excused It was much that Christ did become man for us but now that he should not onely take our nature upon him but our curse upon him too and become sin for us and a curse sor us this makes it more wonderful It is strange that Christ should take our nature upon him but if you consider the end why he did it this would be more wonderful it was that he might be miserable and become capable to be accursed for us that he might be cursed and killed by the wrath of God! He had not become man had it not been for this end Now that he should become man for this end how great was this and yet this was his end When Justice must have blood that he would take his blood and give it for us and that he might he would take himself a humane body and soul. Thirdly It appears in putting our lives into his purchase This is another strange expression of the love of Christ. O if Christ had dyed for others and not for us if he had put in others names and not ours then we might have passed our days with sorrow and gone into the Mountains and pined away in sadness But now that he should leave out any others names and put in ours O here is distinguishing love did you ever hear of a man that took in a beggar from the door to be his heir but suppose such a thing might be done did you ever hear of a man that took in his enemy to be his heir and made over all that he hath to him thus hath Christ done for us Ah Brethren how may we stand astonished at this love and say as he John 14. Lord whence is it that thou dost manifest thy self to us and not to the world That thou hast put in our names and not others surely here is great grace O the free grace of God to us though Christ hath dyed yet you know the greatest part of the world shall be never the better for his death Though he hath dyed for man yet the most of men through the obstinacy and hardnesse of their hearts do resist him but he hath overcom the obstinacy of our hearts and hath made us partakers of his death Fourthly It appears in putting his name into our bonds Herein is the love of Christ manifested in that he should become surety and bound for us You know that the surety is to set his name to the bond Now a man will be very wary sor whom he is bound the man is not a man that is insufficient Did you ever hear of a man that bound himself for one that he knew that he should pay it himself thus hath Christ done for us he knew that all our debts would come upon him and yet notwithstanding he did engage himself for us Beloved the debt of sin is a very formidable debt it is such a debt as if so be the debt of the least sin had been laid upon all the Saints and Angels in glory to give satisfaction for it they had bin drowned in everlasting perdition But now Christ undertook to pay for all out of his own stock though he knew what it would cost him if he did become bound for us O what love is 〈◊〉 Fifthly It appears in putting our names into his will Brethren herein is the love of Christ seen towards his people in that he hath distinguished between them and others When he made his last VVill and Testament he put in believers names and left out the rest Rev. 21. 27. There shall in no wise enter any thing that 〈◊〉 c. But they which are written in the â—…mbs book of Life This is a priviledge indeed to have your names written in his book upon his will Our Saviour bid his disclples rejoyce in this that their names were written in heaven in Christs book and upon his will this is matter of joy But how shall we know whether our names are written in heaven who shall ascend up into heaven to fetch it down from thence I answer we have the copy of his will here upon earth This word is the copy of his will that is in heaven If our names be in this book our names are in his heart Now let us go to the Law and Testimony what saith that that saith if thou believe thou shalt be saved If thou repent and be converted thy sins shall be blotted out Act. 3. 19 Sixthly It appears in putting his spirit into our hearts Ezek. 36. 27. And I will put my spirit within you Brethren herein is the infinite goodness and love of Christ seen that he should bestow so great a gift upon so unworthy a receiver O what love is this that those hearts that have been the stables of unclean 〈◊〉 that Christ should take up his abode there here is strange love indeed Is it true indeed will God dwell on earth 1 Kings 8. 27. And if it were matter of wonder to Solomon that God should shew some Token of his presence in so excellent a fabrick as that was what matter of wonder is it that he should come and make shew of
his presence in our hearts Seventhly In putting his glory into our hands This is the greatest trust that can possibly be 〈◊〉 into our hands this is more worth than all the world for all the world was made for this end to promote Gods glory Yea it is better than the blood of Christ for the end is better than the means Now the blood of Christ was shed to this end for the glory of God Now then what a great trust is this that is intrusted with you in your hands surely he loves you well that trusts his glory with you Your unworthy walking will more dishonor Christ than any thing in the world beside None can honour Christ as you and none can dishonor him as you let me put in that by the way They that have such a Jewel put into their hands had need be careful I hope by this time you are fully convinced that the love of Christ is a surpassing love Use There are two things that I shall hence presse you to 1. To Remember 2. Answer and imitate this love of Christ. First To Remember this Love O Christians be sure that you never forget such love as this Cant. 1. 4. We will remember thy love more than Wine this is the duty that I am pressing you to thus to remember Christs love Brethren methinks it should be impossible for you to forget such love as this Methinks it should be needlesse to bid you remember this love Let my right hand forget her cunning rather than I should forget the love of Christ. Let my tongue forget to speak rather than not to speak of this love We should sooner forget to eat than for get Christ. And yet how apt are we notwithstanding though we have toâ—… much reason to remember him to have the memory of Christ and his love out of our minds the memory of Christ should be written upon us in Marble and Brasse never to be blotted out Consider this love is a mindful and a memorable love First A mindful love Never had persons so mindful a friend aâ—… we have in Christ our names are ever before him they are engraven upon the palms of his hands He can as soon forget himself as forget us he can as soon forget his heart as forget us Exod. 28. 29. And Aaron shall bear the names of the Children in the breast-place of Judgement upon his heart when he goeth in unto the holy place for a memorial before the Lord continually Here you may see what a mindful friend Christ is for these things were typical of Christ. Observeâ—… 1. The place where the names were to be written upon the breast-place of judgement upon his heart 2. The 〈◊〉 why they were written there For a memorial before the Lord. He hath your names there that he might never forget you 3. Observe the â—…petuity of this for a memorial before the Lord continually And observe these were to be carryed by the high priest before God when he went into the high place Christ hath not forgotten our names now he is gone into the high place You know how it was with the Butler when he was gone into Pharoahs presence he forgot Joseph and all his afflictions But Christ he remembers Joseph and his afflictions all the while though he be in heaven Secondly It is a memorable Love As Moses spake of the night of Israels deliverance it is a night much to be remembered so say I of this love of Christ it is a love never to be forgotten If Christ do bear your names upon his heart methinks that you should ever bear his name upon you hearts The love of Christ is worthy to be for a perpetual memorial upon our hearts And therefore I may say to you of Christ as they of him he is worthy for whom thou shouldest do this Quest. But what kind of remembrance should we have of this love Answ. It must be a feeling and a lasting remembrance First A feeling remembrance it should not be a bare Historical remembrance of Christ but all your affections should be drawn out after Christ. He did not onely remember you his remembrance of you was an affectionate remembrance he hath made it to appear with a witnesse Such should our remembrance of Christ be Secondly A lasting remembrance it should not be at the quickning of a Sermon or the like but an abiding remembrance of him Brethren our remembrance of Christ should be a living remembrance It should be with us as with a loving husband that hath lost his wife it seems that where ever he is she should be with him thus it should be with us we should have Christ ever with us VVhat Solomon speaks of the Law of Christ we should say of the remembrance of Christ. When we go it should lead us when we awake it should talk with us Prov. 26. 22. So Cant. 1. 13. A bundle of Myrrhe is my well-beloved unto me he shall lye all night betwixt my breasts That is say the Dutch Divines the love of my beloved especially of his death and sufferings shall continucially be upon my heart and I will keep it close with me to be my Nose-gay and the like He shall lye between my breasts that is I will keep the remembrance of his love upon my heart to comfort me Secondly As you should remember so you should be careful to imitate and answer his love Beloved as the Apostle says of Gods love to you what manner of love is this c. So it should be said of your love to Christ what manner of love is this that you bear to Christ It should be such a love as that people may be forced to say what manner of love is this that they bear to Christ Labor to have such a love to Christ so great a love as that all other things may be nothing to you in comparison of the love of Christ. And when you have loved Christ as much as you can weep that you can love him no more A SACRAMENTAL Speech grounded on Eph. V. 2. But walk in love as Christ also hath loved us and given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice unto God MY beloved this subject of the love of Christ to sinners is indeed an inconceivable Subject I have been backward to medle with it for how shall I speak of that which I do not know For the love of Christ passeth all knowledge Yet I shall a little open it to you and shall make it appear that the love of Christ is great to his people though I cannot comprehend it in the length and breadth and height and depth of it yet this we may know that he hath a very tender love to us Rev. 1. 5. To him that loved us and washed us from our sins in his own blood Christ hath loved us and would you have a proof of his love to us he hath loved us and washed us He found us in our sins as swine in the mire
difficult And hast thou a careless spirit the more need there is that thou shouldst set upon this work that thou mightest bring it into a better government Secondly Wouldst thou neglect this duty because it is painful upon the same account thou mayst cast of other duties Thou can't not pray nor hear as thou shouldest without pain Give way to this objection and for ought I know in a little time thou mayst bid farwel to all thy Religion thou mayst cast off every duty Thou canst not imagine what a plague it may be to thee if thou shouldest give way to this objection Give Satan an inch and he will take an ell forbear one duty because of difficulty and he will easily perswade men to forbear others Thirdly Consider who it is that buzzes this in thine ear Certainly it is the devil the grand enemy of thy soul. God says Commune with thy own heart Satan says no it is too painful VVhy who wilt thou be ruled by God or Satan thy best friend or thy worst enemy Christian in these outward concernments thou wilt not advise with thy mortal enemy in things that concern thy life And why wilt thou be such a fool in the matters of thy soul Fourthly What dost thou cry out of pain It is thy very calling and profession to tâ—…ke pain What mean those expressions in Scripture else whereby the life of a Christian is set forth by striving wrestling fighting pressing toward the mark To take pain is essential to Christianity and without this thou canst not be a Christian. To leave any duty because it is painful is a contradiction to thy profession thou dost herein deny thy self to be a Christian â—…ifthly The more difficult the work is the more profitable thou wilt find it That duty that cost's us nothing will yeild us nothing and that duty that cost's us much pain will yeild us much peace and comfort Sixthly Consider is not grace worth the taking pains for What wilt thou take pain for if not for grace Look about in the world see how the men of the world run and ride sweat and tire themselves for toyes and trisles What pains then shouldst thou take for grace one dram of which is more worth than a world By this means thou mayst grow in grace more in one moneth than in some years before And let me tell thee I have not Charity enough to think thee a Christian indeed if thou dost not think grace worth any labor or pain that thou canst possible be at in the getting of it Seventhly Consider Christian what pain Christ did take and what misery he did undergo for thee Thy soul was dearer to him than his own glory and thy salvation than his own life and blood And shall not his glory his commands be dearer to thee Christian than a little carnal ease Think upon it if thou hast any spark of ingenuity this consideration will prevail upon thee to set about this work I come now to propound some motives to stir up those that have not begun this work to set about it And those that have begun to go on in this work First Consider it is the command of God It is not the voyce of man but of God It is God that speaks to thee Commune with thy own hearts Examine thy self Christian I urge the command of God upon thy Conscience wilt thou obey or wâ—…lt thou not darest thou to set thy self against God! and set thy will above the will of God! O think upon it Secondly Consider the time when and the manner how you consented to set to the performance of this duty It was in a time of love at a feast of love and after a Song of love Consider what a rich mercy God hath bestowed upon you in giving you liberty to draw nigh to him in such an ordinance as you lately sate under It was but a little while ago beloved that you thought that you should drink no more of the fruit of the vine till you drank it in your fathers kingdome And behold contrary to your expectations the King hath sent to you saying come and sup with me come and sit at my table Hath God dealt so with any people He hath feasted you in a time of famine and spread a table for you in a howling wildâ—…rness Doth not this extraordinary providence think you call upon you for some extraordinary duty And do not you think in your consciences that it is this duty Why else hath God propounded it to you and urged it upon you in such a time as this is If you neglect it it may cause God to take away the Corâ—… and wine from you and to break the stasf of 〈◊〉 Thirdly What do you know but God put it into the heart of his servant to press this duty at that time to try whether you were real in that love and loyalty which you did then prosess to him I suppose you all understand the transactions that passed there between God and you that God did put his seal to the Covenant that he would make good all the mercy promised and that you did put your seal thereby binding your selves to the performance of all the duties required Fourthly Consider when another such opportunity is offered to you how will you be able to look God in the face Methinks that man should not dare to come to the Sacrament and again put his seal to the Covenant that hath knowingly and willingly broken his last engagement Fifthly Doth not your own looseness and the enemies profaneness and the present dispensations that you are under call upon you for more than ordinary strictness in your lives and conversations The Lord have mercy upon us what prejudice have we brought to the Gospel by our carnal careless conversations VVhat pitch of profaneness are the enemies of God risen to They are not afraid to bid him defiance at his face In what a doleful case are many of our brethren abroad in the world and how sad is it like to be with us The glory of God is gone from the publick to your houses and are you not afraid I am sure there is reason enough to think that it will take its flight from thence too And doth not all this call upon us aloud in the language of the prophet Lam. 3. 40. Let us search and try our ways and turn unto the Lord. If we look behind us and see what we have been If about us and see how devilish men are And above us to see the black clouds that hang over our heads we cannot but see that it is time to take another course to live more like Christians And what course so likely to effect this as daily self-examination serious consideration is the best way to sound and thorough reformation Sixthly Consider the excellent advantages that will come to thee by taking this course Christian wouldst thou have peace of conscience The sence of Gods love shed abroad upon thy
whether they be going forward or going backward all this is from want of care to examine and enquire into their duties For want of this men do not know whether they be sound or unsound for how doth a man know the tree but by the fruit When all is done 't is mens actual obedience that is the great evidence that their estates must be tryed by Whatsoever seeming principles of grace and life and love may seem to be within and good resolutions yet if all this be not strong enough to bring forth the fruits of obedience in a holy self-denying and flesh displeasing godliness all is unsound But then we mâ—… not look onely to the outside of our obedience we must not take the Carkass without the soul. Now when persons do not look into their duties but rest in the work done how can they make any judgment into their estate by them So many that are sound Christians do not know whether they are decaying or increasing for want of this because they do not look into their duties how they perform them Christians how do you perform your duties Do you more look into them how sweet they are to you whether it is better than it was Christians you must look to this are you more extensive and intensive in your duties Are you more extensive Heretofore you looked onely at home to do your selves good do you do good now to others Heretofore Religion was consined to your knees but now do you bring it forth into your Shops and Callings Hereâ—…osore you were for personal godliness but are you now for Relative godliness Heretofore you were for duties of the first Table onely but now do you put both Tables together this would be a good sign but for want of mens searching into this they are at a loss they do not know whether they are better or worse declining or increasing Fifthly This is the cause of so much 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in duty When a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 know that there will be a strict 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 into him his preparation will be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but when he fears not that he 〈◊〉 the more remisse So 't is here If we 〈◊〉 a strict examination into our hearts then they will be the more careful to ply the work the more when they know they shall be looked after But when they know they shall not be looked into they will do the work thereafter Beloved if we would do the work of Religion to purpose we must deal by our hearts as we would by trewantly servants if you would have any thing done you must keep your eye upon them If you keep your selves to this course constantly to enquire into your duties how they were done then your hearts will be careful to make thorough work of it And indeed this enquiring into your duties is not onely a means to make your hearts sincere in duty but it is a great part of sincerity That man that makes no enquiry into his heart that man is an hypoerite there is no soundness in that man And the lesse care thou hast in looking into thy heart the less there is of Christianity in thee Sixthly This is that that puts Christ so much out of use O Brethren would you know the Reason why Christ is so little set by Why it is because we are not thorowly acquainted with our defects Were we much searching into our duties then we should fly to our Advocate and make use of him And after the performing of our duties fly to him for a covering of our nakedness and shame Second Use of exhortation Let us do likewise if Christ take such notice of our duties O be much in observing your own duties How your hearts carry it in your duties If I could but perswade my self and my hearers to the observing of these two Directions we should make another manner of progress in Religion O That you would be but perswaded First In the entrance of your duties set before you your rule foâ—…â—…hat duty as the Schollar doth his coppy and do your work by rule You know the Mason will lay the line before he will lay the stone in the foundation or else he may commit many errors and the building may come to nothing So when you come to perform your duties set your rule before you Suppose you come to pray have some thoughts of it what be the rules you are to pray by Consider you are not to come in your own names but in Christs Take heed that you come not in your own Rignteousness but Christs And go out to Christ for strength Remember that God calls for faith and life induty And so when you come to hear consider what rules have I to hear by And so in giving your Alms. And then your work is like to be done to purpose Secondly Reflect upon your rule in the close of your duty and examine whether your work hath been done by rule or no. Observe what graces have been acting in your duty and thankfully take notice of the influences of your graces Take notice what corruptions have been working in your duty and take the shame of it before God that you should thus miscarâ—…y If these two rules were but observed by us we should come to another manner of proficiency in Religion than we do But more particularly let me give you three directions for your duties First Take special notice of the ends of your duties O How many do miscarry for want of a Right understanding in this Come see my zeal for the Lord of hosts said John And all this while he was â—…t Acting for himself And because he did Gods work for such carnal ends God accounts the blood that he had shed to be so much murder and requires it afterwards at his hands Hos. 1. 4. The Pharisees were a very strict generation in the performance of their duties Much in Alms and much and long in prayer and yet all rejected because they did it for carnal ends Math. 23. 5. Therefore I beseech you as you Love your souls look to your ends in praying When you come to prayer Consider what end do I propound in this duty Is not this done out of custome because 't is the custome of my family to pray morning and evening When you go to visit the sick is it onely a civil custom that I am going about or am I going to visit Jesus Christ in a sick servant of his And so of our Alms. If a man set out with never so much diligence in the morning and it be to a wrong point he is all the while out of his way Although a man cannot in every motion of the day mind his end yet in every solemn action as I have shewed you formerly with care and pains taking with your hearts you may come to mind your end and the rule for that particular action As for example When you go to your callings or to pray or to eat and the like in these solemn
have caused to be printed on purpose for that end I do not doubt but you would find it a happy means for the letting in the light into their souls Psalm 74. 1. O God why hast thou cast us off for ever why doth thine anger smoak against the sheep of thy pasture THis Psalm and particularly these words do contain the Churches sad lamentation over her deep affliction together with her earnest expostulation with God about the cause Two things there are that the Church in these words doth plead with God First The greatness of her Affliction Secondly The nearness of her Relation First The greatness of her Affliction And there were three things in her asfliction that did make it lye very heavy upon her First The root of this affliction and that was Gods anger why doth thine ANGER smoak c. Secondly The height of this affliction God was not only angry but he did smoak in his anger Thirdly The length of this affliction It was so long that God did seem to cast them off for ever Secondly The neâ—…rness of her Relation Against the sheep of thy pasture as if they should have said Lord if thou hadst done this against thine enemies it had been no wonder If thou hadst poured out thy wrath against the vessels of wrath it had not been so much But what wilt thou draw out thy sword against the sheep of thy pasture It were no wonder that thou shouldst take the fat and the strong and pour out thy judgements upon them but wilt thou do it to thy sheep There be several doctrines that I may raise from the words as First Doct. That Gods people are his sheep Second Doct. That God may be sorely angry with his own people With his own sheep Third Doct. That when God is angry with his people it becomes them carefully to enquire into the Cause Fourth Doct. That when Gods people are under affliction they ought to take notice of and be much affected with his anger from which they do proceed Fifth Doct. That Gods people under affliction are or should be more affected with his anger than with their smart This is that the Church doth complain of Not that the Church did so smart but that God was so displeased and angry That did most affect her Six Doct. That Gods people are apt to have misgiving thoughts of God when they are under sore afflictions God was angry with his people and their hearts did misgive them as if God did cast of his people Seventh Doct. That God may be angry with with his people so sore and so long that in the judgement of sence it may seem that they are for ever cast off Eight Doct. That though the people of God may not murmure against his proceedings yet they may humbly expostulate with him about the cause Why doth thine anger smoak against the sheep of thy pasture I have spoken heretofore to the first of these doctrines I shall speak now to the second To wit Doct. That God may be angry and sorely angry with his own people I have already in the audience of some proved this point And answered several questions As first How anger may be ascribed to God secondly How far he may be angry with his own people Thirdly What is the difference between Gods being Angry with his own people with the wicked I shall not respeak any thing of what I have spoken but proceed to a fourthquestion Fourth Question By what signs and evidences may we come to know whether God be angry and here I shall first premise four Propositions then answer the question in six Conclusions First I shall premise these 4 propositions First Proposition That a person or people may verily think themselves to be in Gods favor when they are indeed under his anger and displeasure Second Prop. That neither Gods favor nor his anger can be known meerly by his outward dispensations Third Prop. That Gods anger or favor must be judged of rather by our carriage toward him than by his carriage towards us Fourth Prop. That for the discovering of Gods favor or anger we must consult rather the book of Conscience and of Scripture than the book of providence First Proposition That a person or people may verily think themselves to be in Gods favor when they are indeed under his anger and displeasure This is an awakening consideration and therefore should be duly laid to heart A Church may think her self in a very good and safe condition and yet Jesus Christ may loath it and be ready to spue her out of his mouth As of the Church of the Laodiceans Men may cry to themselves peace and safety when sudden destruction may come upon them And may say Is not the Lord among us No evil can come unto us and yet be upon the very brink of destruction Men may have great hopes of the presence of God with them and yet evidences of Gods departing from them And may cry the temple of the Lord when God is even casting them out of his sight We read of som that had a great deal of confidence of Gods favor they would still lean on the Lord and were consident that he had favor for them and yet the Lord was ready to break out upon them to their destruction Micah 3. 11 12. They build up Zion with blood and Jerusalem with iniquity c. Yet will they lean upon the Lord and say is not the Lord among us None evil can come upon us Therefore shall Zion for your sakes be ploughed as a field They may think that because the ordinances of God are among them that God is among them when God may be turning them up as a field that is ploughed This ought to startle and awaken men Sirs it is not your Confidence but your evidence that will carry it Many times there are none so confident of Gods favor as those that are marked out for the objects of his eternal wrath and displeasure The carnal Jews they would not be beaten out of their carnal confidence And though the prophet told them of the wrath of God that was coming against them yet they would not hear him till wrath came upon them and there was no remedy Second Prop. That neither Gods favor nor his anger can be known meerly by his outward dispensations No man knoweth either Love or hatred by the things that are before him Men have very shrewdly erred by judging of Gods favor or wrath by his outward dispensations When the Psalmist took his mark by this how sorely was his faith shaken and his feet almost gone When he beheld the Godly in affliction and under suppression and the wicked prospering in their wickedness The 73 Psalm gives you a true account what a sad bout he had by this He observed they had no bonds in their death and they were not plagued like other men Their eyes stand out with fatness they have more than heart could wish They
were very wicked and yet very prosperous Full of sin and yet full of pleasure and riches and all outward accommodation Whereas on the other side he observed that he was â—…fflicted and other of the Godly with him And was tempted from this that God did regard the wicked so much or more than he did the Godly And therefore 't is a very dangerous mistake among the multitude Many think on the one side that because God doth prosper them and bless them as he doth that therefore they are in the favor of God for if they were not he would never deliver them and carry them through so many troubles as he doth if he did not love them This is a dangerous mistake And so some on the other hand because God doth afflict them here that therefore he hath mercy for them hereafter They have their hell here and therefore they shall not go to hell hereafter Alass man thou mayst have thy hell begun here and lengthened out hereafter to all eternity Thou canst not say from this that thou shalt escape the torments of hell but notwithstanding all this thou mayst hear God say to thee at last as to Dives Son remember that thou in thy Life-time receivedst thy good things but now thou art tormented Third Prop. Gods favor or anger must be judged of rather from our carriage towards him than from his carriage towards us If our walk be according to Gods rule we may be sure that peace shall be upon us Gal. 6. 16. If we are such as fear God and work Righteousness then we may be certain that we are accepted with God Acts. 10. 35. If we do well we shall be accepted They that by patient contimâ—…nce in well-doing seek for glory honor and immortality shall have eternal life They are under promise Rom. 2. 6 7. But on the contrary tribulation and anguish upon every soul that doth evil Those that walk disorderly and in disobedience to the will of God however God may prosper them in their ways as they may seem yet they must know that Gods anger is against them They may know that his anger is against them because they walk against him against the flat command of his word For these things cometh the wrath of God upon the Children of disobedience Eph. 5. 6. The wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unright cousness of men Rom. 1. 18. So they that walk in ways of unrighteousness and ungodliness they may know by this that they are under the wrath of God however God may seem to carry it towards them Men may not conclude that because God doth not presently smite that therefore he is not angry with them God may speak never a word neither strike a blow and yet may treasure up wrath against them at the last and they never think of it Many a poor wretch thinks that God because he is silent that he approves of them Psal. 50. 21. These things hast thou done and I kept silence Thou thoughtest that I was altogether such a one as thy self but I will reprove thee and set them in order before thine eyes God would make them know that though for the present he spake nothing and did not shew his anger yet he would make it known against them If our carriage be dutiful and humble toward God what ever his carriage be towards us we may be sure that his love is towards us God doth many times carry it as if he were angry for the tryal of his people to see whether they will trust him and walk by faith and not by sence Whether they will believe though it be against their own feeling He will many times put his Children upon this exercise not in anger but in Love As the tender Nurse doth the Child So on the other hand God may let men alone and let them prosper in the world though he be dreadfully angry with them Fourth Prop That the favor or anger of God is rather to be gathered from the book of Scripture and of conscience than from the book of providence Many times the book of providence is very dark and seems to speak that God favors those men whereas if we look into the Scripture we shall see that they are the vessels of his wrath And the book of providence may seem to tell us that such a people are the objects of his wrath which if we look into Scripture we shall find that they are the people of his love Therefore the Psalmist when he could not know by the book of providence he went to the Scripture to the Sanctuary to the oracles and had those things opened there This book was a key to open those riddles that he could not understand before He sees that those men that did prosper thus were the objects of his wrath And on the other hand that the poor and afflicted were the onely beloved of God Though this was against his mind before Psal. 77. 13. Thy way O God is in the Sanctuary That is in the place where thy word is preached and explained there is thy way the meaning and sence of thy providence is discovered Those that have the Scripture against them these are they that bear the marks of Gods anger upon them And those that have the Scripture for them what ever others judgements be these be the men of his delight Therefore let the word of God be your judge And with the book of Scripture compare the book of Conscience For saith the Apostle if our hearts condemn us not than have we confidence towards God But if our hearts condemn us God is greater then our hearts and knoweth all things Let conscience be consulted with when thou art trying thy case whether thou art in the favor or under the anger of God And that will be able comparing thy state with the Scripture to give a great guess to this whether God have favor for thee or be against thee Now I must adde six Conclusions in which the question shall be resolved How it may be known that God is angry with any people First Conclusion The Raign and dominion of sin is a most certain evidence that any person or people are under Gods anger Where sin is raigning and abounding gross and hainous sins abounding in any nation or place you need not any other evidence that God is angry with that people Especially when those Iniquities are tolerated by Magistrates or found in persons that are in a publick place then they are fearful signs of Gods anger then you may know there is great misery for such people though he may seem at present to prosper them And so for any particular person whether the sin be gross or close if thou art under the power of any one unmortified sin thou mayst be sure thou art under the anger and wrath of God Eph. 6. 5. For these things cometh the wrath of God upon the Children of disobedience Rom. 2. 8 9. But to
bridegroom Secondly as redeemed Captives do their deliverer Thirdly as dutiful subjects do their King First As a Bride doth her Bridegroom This I shall open to you in three particulars First Put off the rayment of your captivity Secondly put on the wedding Garment Thirdly trim up all your Lamps First Put off the rayment of your Captivity If the poor Captive woman were to shave her head and pair ber nails and put off the rayment of her captivity c. Deut. 21. 13. before she was to be married to any one of the Tribes of Israel how much more should you put off the old man and your sinful deeds that are to be married to Christ If so be the Children of Israel were to wash and sanctifie themselves and wash their cloaths when the Lord was to come down upon Mount Sinai Exod. 19. how much more should you when the Lord 〈◊〉 comes down to you you know that Children may not come at their fathers Table with unwashed hands neither must you to eat of the dainties spread in the Gospel Secondly You must put on the wedding garment You will say what is this it is a conjugal love to Jesus Christ. And this is compared to a garment for we are bid to put on charity or love And it s set forth as the best part of the Christian rayment and above all things put on Charity for what more fits a marriage than a conjugal affection you should bring forth your most strong and ardent affections and love to him you should meet him with songs and what songs such as the Psalmist doth Ps. 45. title A song of Loves let your eyes be fixed upon Christ in the Gospel till your eyes affect your heart and while your heart is musing the fire will be kindling where will you bestow your love but where the bridgroom is so lovely Thirdly You should trim up all your Lamps you should snuâ—…f all your lights and trim up all your lamps to go forth to meet him And receive him and feed upon him when he is offered he is held out to you on purpose in the Gospel for you to take and receive him Gal. 3. 1. Foolish Galatians who hath bewitched you that you should not obey the truth before whose eyes Jesus Christ hath been ardently set forth crucified among you But you will say was Christ 〈◊〉 in Galatia he was in the preaching of the word he was crucified among them Secondly You must meet him as redeemed captives do their deliverer would you know how this is it is with palms of victory in your hands with garments of salvation with songs of deliverance These are the three things wherein this stands you have all together in Rev. 7 9 10. They were in white robes the garments of Salvation and palms of victory and they had the songs of salvation too ver 10. Oh Brethren if you have any sence of your spiritual bondage and captivity to be the servants of sin under the fear of death under the King of terrors then be glad in your redeemer meet him with songs of praise O how should the high praises of God be heard in your mouths you should meet him as the virgins did David at his return from his victory 1 Sam. 18. 6. with singing and dancing with joy c. Thus should you meet your deliverer you should compass him with songs of praise O my Brethren you that are the redeemed of the Lord look down into the horrible pit and then look up and sing songs to the Lord. O it is a glorious salvation that Christ hath wrought for us How welcome was he to good old Simeon how sweetly doth he hug Christ in his arms and much more you must think in his heart now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace for mine eyes have seen thy salvation This we have seen we have seen Christ coming to us in the Gospel We have seen him like Sampson pulling down the house about our enemies and carrying away the posts and setting them up as Trophies of his victory It was he that was condemned that you might be freed O let your lips praise him and the souls which he hath redeemed let me call upon with the Psalmist Psalm 98. A psalm on purpose to Jews and Gentiles to sing to the Lord for their deliverance versâ—… 3. He hath remembred his mercy and truth toward the house of Israel all the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God And what use doth the Psalmist make of this vers 4. make a joyful noise unto the Lord all the earth c. He goes on calling upon all the Creatures to praise God for this If the Sea must roar and the floods clap their â—…nds how much more should you do it that are the redeemed of the Lord. Thirdly Meet him as dutiful subjects do their King This is the news sent to Zion behold thy King cometh Then meet him as a King receive him with acclamation and praise as they did when Solomon was proclaimed King 1 Kings 1. 39 40. They blew the Trumpet and all the pâ—…oplt said God save the King And the people piped with pipes and returned with great joy so that the earth rent with the sound of them O if they met King Solomon with such joy how should you meet Christ It is another manner of King that comes to you than Solomon was you should say to Christ as they did to Gideon Judg 8. 22. Rule thou over us for thou hast delivered us from the hand of Midian Thus should you say to Christ rule thou over us for he hath delivered you not from the hand of Midian but from Satan But how should we meet our King prepare the way bow the knee First Prepare the way Math. 3. 3. Christ had his fore-runner going before him that was John saying prepare you the way of the Lord make his paths straight How must the way of the Lord be prepared every Mountain must be brought low c. every Mountain of pride and opposition that are in our hearts must be laid low O if there be such preparing for the King where he is to lodge and go how much more should you for the King of glory where he is to lodge Secondly Bow the knee we read of Joseph and you know he was a type of Christ. that when Pharaoh had exalted him from the prison to such dignity he prepares some to go before him and cry bow the knee So God hath set up Christ and exalted him and given him a name above every name now let me call upon you and my self with you that you bow the knee to him I speak not of the bodily knee it is more than your cap and knee that he requireth He will have you to bow before him O then see that you bow before him see that you do him homage Now your King is set up in another manner than he was upon the Crosse behold your King That is
not I am a liar and where then is the honor of my truth but mercy pleaded if he dye where is the honor of my Grace and mercy Why now wisdome puts in a surety and that â—…oes for the principal Righteousness and peace have kissed each other How can this be Gods justice and righteousness did require that man should give satisfaction but this is all reconciled in Christ he reconciled God and man together Fourthly The greatest good coming out of the womb of the greatest evil Sin is the mother of all evil You will say can any good come out of such a womb as this It is true it cannot naturally come but God did so order it that it should be the occasion of it Were it not a wonder to see grapes come of thorns and Olives of thistles such a wonder you may see in Christ. You may see out of the sin of man comes great glory to God and good to man First Great glory to God for had not man sinned neither Gods justice nor mercy had been so magnified His justice had not been seen at all in a manner in punishing the offenders but 't is eminently seen in punishing of Christ who dyed for sinners This is a louder demon stration of the Justice of God than if God had turned all heaven and earth into confusion upon the sin of man Again hereby is way made for magnifying Gods mercy The sin of man as God hath ordered it hath given way to God in the demonstration of his mercy in forgiving and his justice in punishing It could not have bin thought that God had been of so gracious a nature able to put up such great affronts as man had given him had not sin given him occasion to magniâ—… his mercy Secondly Again as the sin of man hath given occasion to the advancing of Gods glory so for the promoting of mans good By this man is raised to a higher state of happiness and felicity than ever he should have been Now there is a nearer conjunction between God and man than ever was before the fall or ever should have been had it not been for the sin and fall of man Before it was said that man was made a little lower than the angels but now it may be truely said that he is so much higher than the Angels more nearly joyned to God Had man continued in innocence he had had onely a lengthening out of his temporal life in paradise but now by his sin Christ hath opened the door of heaven to him O then wonder at the power of Christ Fifthly Perfect justice raging against perfect innocence You know that God is perfect in his Righteousness and justice A God of truth and without iniquity just and right is he And yet notwithstanding his perfect Justice was set against his own son in whom there was nothing but perfect innocence He was the Lamb of God a lamb without spot and blemish full of grace and truth No guile was sound in his mouth and yet you know how the wrath of God brake out upon him It brake out upon him to the very uttermost that if he would but put himself into the room of man he must dye for it tho Justice it self said I find no fault in him yet he must dy all could not save him but if he will stand between God offending man and take our sins upon himself though he had none of his own yet justice takes hold of him Let me say as the Apostle behold the goodness severity of God Goodness to thee but severity unto Christ. O what had come upon you if you had been to bear the blow you see how Justice runs upon the Son of God and fals upon him and tears him to the ground and le ts out his blood and would not spare him though he were the only belovedSon of God O consider how fearful a thing it is to fall into the hands of the living God! You read how when Daniels enemies were cast into the Lions den that they brake all their bones before they came to the bottome of the den O how wouldst thou have been torn had the Justice of God taken hold of thee Sixthly Insinite wisdome at cost upon meer worthlessenesse God expects the blood of his own Son which was of insinite value to redeem worthless man Would you not wonder to see a wise man to be changing Pearls for pebbles yet here it is a greater wonder the wise God redeeming by the death of his own Son sinful man out of the hands of his own justice Why what is man are not all the nations of the world as nothing before him and yet upon this nothing this vanity is Gods insinite wisdome at this cost that he might save us from eternal death Seventhly The Son of the Blessing made to be a curse Gal. 3. 13. Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the Law being made a curse for us Observe it 't is not said he was ACCURSED for us but a CURSE for us Christ hath delivered us from the curse but how by taking the curse upon himself You know the curses of the Law that were denounced against sinners all these curses met together upon one Jesus Christ. How is the book of Gods word full from one end to the other with Curses against sinners what a load then was there upon the back of Christ when all these curses met together upon him what a wonder is it that God should be cursing of his own Son to hear God say all my curses shall meet upon thee cursed shalt thou be in thy body and cursed shalt thou be in thy soul. To hear the great God speaking thus to his own Son go thou Cursed I will engage my Justice and wrath against thee to torment thee and put thee to death O what a sight was this yet thus it was with Jesus Christ. He had as many torments as members and all the torments that he endured had the curse of God in them Eighthly The Father of mercy forgetting his Bowels to his own Son VVe read of a very strange thing that was done by the King of Moab 2 Kings 3. 27. When he saw that the Battel was too sore for him c. he took his own Son that should have reigned in his stead and osfered him for a burnt offering what a strange sight was this yet there is a greater wonder than this to be seen in Christ to see God sacrificing his own Son and offering him up for a burnt-offering to appease his wrath against sinful man O shall not your hearts stand a wondering at this to see he that was a God of mercy to have no mercy for his own son he that had bowels of pity for you to have no pity for his Son O behold and wonder By this time I hope you are convinced that Christ is wonderful A SACRAMENTAL Speech grounded on Eph. 3. 19. And to know the love of Christ which
God doth go to deceive thee far be it from thy thoughts Believer 't is so of a truth Christ is thine thy husband and thou mayst boldly lay claim to him Consider what a husband Christ is is not he the King of the Kings of the earth This is he unto whom Angels and authorities and powers are made subject This is he whom all the Angels of God do worship Heaven and earth are at his beck he is exalted above all heavens and hath a name above every name that is named this is thy beloved and friend O should not thy faith triumph in him Fourthly By way of resignation in giving up your selves to Jesus Christ. Faith as it takes Christ so it delivers up the soul to Christ. Faith makes a happy exchange for us giving away the man to Christ and receiving Christ for us Thus between Christ and a believer there is a mutual delivery of themselves over to one another As faith receives Christ so it gives up the soul to Christ and all that it hath Lord saith faith I here resign to thee I quit all claim to my self I am not my own and will own it henceforth that I have no right to my self I give up soul and body to thee I will hold back no part of the price And as faith takes first the person of Christ and then the benefits of Christ so it gives away the person of the man to Christ and then with the person it gives all the rest the estate interest and all to Jesus Christ thus you should be exercising your faith Fifthly By way of Adoration thus saith should put forth its self upon Christ casting our Crowns before him setting up the Lord Jesus Christ in the throne of his own excellency and we should admire nothing but him breaking in pieces all our Idols and pulling them down that Christ alone may be exalted Sixthly By way of Appreciation prizing and esteeming of Christ debasing self and all other excellencies in comparison of Christ accounting all things but dung for Christ such was Pauls faith Seventhly By way of Appropriation so your faith should put forth it self It should not only put forth it self in a way of Affiance onely leaning upon Christ but in a way of assurance You should labor to come up to this not only to believe that Christ dyed for his people in general but to believe his death was intended for you in particular to appropriate him to your self Thus faith acts upon Christ. This was Thomas his faith when once it was stirred up My Lord and my God Applying Christ to himself as his Lord saith faith I am weak but thou art my strength I am a sinner but thou art my righteousnesse I am unclean but thou art my sanctisication I am miserable but thou art my redemption A SACRAMENTAL Speech grounded on Mark 1. 15. Repent ye and beleive the Gospel MY dearly beloved brethren you have often heard our Savior preaching to you by his Ambassadors but now he is come to preach to you as it were in his own person What was said of Abel is true of Christ he being dead yet speaketh Christ being dead yet preacheth to you But what doth Christ preach to you now he is dead Why he preacheth no other thing to you now he is dead than he did in his life Repent and believe the Gospel That Christ preacheth to you faith and repentance repentance towards God and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. First Repentance towards God see here Christian what thy sins hath done Now is a time to have your hearts filled with sorrow and your faces with shame to see what you â—…ave brought upon Jesus Christ. Look upon him every wound in his body and thorn in his head calls upon the to repent The wounds in his side and the blood that flowed from thence calls upon thee to repent Now let thy repentance by stirring seeing he calls thee to repentance what shall stir thee up to repent if this shall not here you may see the Lords severe wrath against sin See it here in the beloved Son of God who is slain before your eyes for your sins Ah Christian if thou hadst stood with Abraham and seen the fire of Sodom Or with Adam and seen God commanding and then thrusting them out of the garden If thou hadst been in heaven and seen what the wrath of God did there what work it made when the Angels sinned Or if thou hadst been in hell and seen and heard the damned there how wouldst thou look upon thy sin O see here more than all this Gods wrath burning against his own Son for thy sin O see here the love of Christ in vain were all thy tears and sorrow had not Christ made way for thee O see him and hear him speaking from the crosse my wounds shall heal thy soul if thou wilt but repent These hands shall work out thy salvation if thou wilt but return and repent Ah sinner what is not thy soul melted yet methinks I should hear thee making thy submission and return to the Lord as one that melteth at the word of his Lord. Lord is thy mind thus shall I have all this if I will but repent behold I cover my head with sackcloth I am the offender as for this lamb what hath he done O Lord it repenteth me of my rebellions I lay down my w pons I swear I will be a resolved enemy against sin as long as I live Secondly Another thing that Christ in his costly death preacheth to you is faith Faith in our Lord Jesus Christ he calls upon you to believe now he is upon his crosse Methin 〈◊〉 hear him calling upon you from the crosse Believe the reality and greatness of my love Believe the infiniteness of my power The full expiation of all thy sins The truth of all Gods threatnings The certainty of all my promises Thy unquestionable right and title to the Kingdom of glory First Believe the reality and greatness of my love Methinks he speaks thus to thee O man what should I have done more to testisic my love to thee than I have done read all the Antiquities and see whether there was any love like mine thou canst not believe but that thy parents love thee when they take eare of thee but whose love is like mine did these ever suffer for thee or do for thee what I have done what are all these sufferings that I have suffered for thee did I despise my fathers glory and leave it for thâ—… did not love 〈◊〉 O slow of heart to believe all that I have done and suffered for thee if I did not love thee what should move me to dye for thee did any thing in thee no did any profit from thee move me no I knew that man is not profitable to God Was it any returns from thee no I knew how thou wouldst be how unkind thou wouldst be to me O Christian doubt not of my love