to his dispose and service If custom bid thee curse and swear and Christ forbid thee which dost thou obey If thy Appetite bid thee take thy cups and fare deliciously every day If thy company bid thee play the good-fellow or scorn the Godly If thy covetousness bid thee love the world and Christ forbid thee which dost thou obey If Christ bid thee be Holy and walk precisely and be violent for Heaven and strive to enter in and the world and the flesh be enemies to all this and cry it down as tedious folly which dost thou obey Dost thou daily and spiritually worship him in private and in thy Family and teach thy Children and Servants to fear the Lord I intreat you Sirs deal truly in answering these Questions never man was saved by the bare title of a Christian If you are not subject to Christ you are not Christians no more then a Picture or a Carcase is a man and your salvation will be such as your Christianity is subjection is an essential part of thy Faith and obedience is its fruit In short then dost thou make him thy fear and tremble at his word Darest thou run upon fire or water sword or canon rather then wilfully run upon his displeasure wouldst thou rather displease thy dearest friend the greatest Prince or thine own flesh then wittingly provoke him When Christ speaks against thy sweetest sin thy nature or custom or credit or life against thy rooted opinions or thy corrupt traditions Art thou willing to submit to all that he revealeth Dost thou say Speak Lord for thy Servant heareth Lord what wouldst thou have me to do I am ready to do thy will O God Beloved Hearers This is the frame of every Servant of Christ and this is the acknowledging and accepting him for your Lord. I beseech you cozen not your souls with shews and formalities if ever you be saved without this subjection it must be without Christs merits or mercy It must be in a way that Scripture revealeth not â—nay it must be in despite of God his truth must be falsified his power must be mastered before the disobedient can be saved from his wrath 2 Examine also your Dependence on Christ whether you kiss his Hands as well as his Feet Do you understand that you are all by nature Condemned men and lyable to the everlasting wrath of God that Christ hath interposed and paid this Debt and bought us as his own by the satisfaction of that justice that all things are now delivered into his hands John 1â— â— and he is made Head over all things to his Church Ephes 1. 21 22. Dost thou take him for thy onely Saviour and believe the History of his Life and Passion the truth of his divine and humane nature his Resurrection his Office and his approaching Judgement Dost thou see that all thy supposed Righteousness is but vanity and sin and that thy self art unable to make the least satisfaction to the Law by thy Works or Sufferings and if his blood do not wash thee and his righteousness justifie thee thou must certainly be damned yet and perish for ever Dost thou therefore cast thy self into his arms and venture thy everlasting state upon him and trust him with thy soul and fetch all thy help and healing from him When sin is remembred and thy Conscience troubled and the fore-thoughts of judgement do amaze thy soul dost thou then fetch thy comfort from the view of his blood and the thoughts of the Freeness and Fulness of his Satisfaction his Love and Gospel-offers and promises Dost thou so build upon his promise of a Happiness hereafter that thou canst let goe all thy happiness here and drink of his Cup and be baptized with his Baptism and lose thy life upon his promise that thou shalt save it Canst thou part with goods and friends and all that thou hast in hope of a promised Glory which thou never sawest If thou canst drink with him of the Brook in the way thou shalt also with him lift up the head Psal 110 v. last Dost thou perceive a Mediator as well as a God in all thy mercies both special and common and tast his blood in all that thou receivest and wait upon his hand for thy future supplies Why this is kissing the hand of Christ and depending upon him O how contrary is the Case of the World whose confidence is like the Samaritans worship they trust God and their Wits and Labours Christ and their supposed Merits I would I might not say Christ and deceit and wicked contrivances Oh blasphemous joyning of heaven and hell to make up one foundation of their trust 3. Examine a little also your love to Christ Do you thus kiss the Son do your souls cleave to him and embrace him with the strongest of your affections Sirs though there is nothing that the blind world is more confident in then this that they love Christ with all their hearts yet is there nothing wherein they are more false and faulty I beseech you therefore deal truly in answering here Are your hearts set upon the Lord Jesus do you love him above all things in this World do you stick at your answer do you not know sure then at best you love him but little or else you could not choose but know it Love is a stirring and sensible Affection you know what it is to love a Friend Feel by this Pulse whether you live or dye Doth it beat more strongly toward Christ then to any thing else Never question man the necessity of this he hath concluded If thou love any thing more then him thou art unworthy of him nor canst be his Disciple Are thy thoughts of Christ thy freest and thy sweetest thoughts are thy speeches of him thy sweetest speeches when thou awakest art thou still with him and is he next thy heart when thou walkest abroad dost thou take him in thy thoughts canst thou say and lye not that thou wert ever deeply in love with him that thou dost love him but as heartily as thou lovest thy friend and art as loth to displease him and as glad of his presence and art as much troubled at his strangeness or absence Hath thy Minister or godly Acquaintance ever heard thee bemoaning thy soul for want of Christ or inquiring what thou shouldst do to attain him or thy Family heard thee commending his excellency and labouring to kindle their affections towards him why love will not be hid when it hath its desire it will be rejoycing and when it wants it will be Complaining Or at least Can thy Conscience witness thy longings thy groans thy prayers for a Christ Wilt thou stand to the Testimony of these Witnesses Do you love his weak his poor despised Members Do you visit them cloath them feed them to your power not only in a Common Natural Compassion to them as they are your Neighbors but do you love or relieve a Prophet in the name of a
choose the fear of the Lord They would none of my counsels they despised all my Reproof therefore shall they eat of the fruit of their own way and be filled with their own devices for the Turning away of the simple shall slay them and the prosperity of fools shall destroy them But who so harkneth to me shall dwel safely and shall be quiet from fear of evil I have recited all these words that you may see and consider whether I have spoke any other thing than God himself hath plainly told you of Having said this much of the Certainty of the Execution I should next have spoke somewhat of the manner and the Instruments and have shewed how God will be for ever the Principal Cause and Satan and 〈◊〉 own Conseiences the Instruments in part and in what manner Conscience will do its part and how impossible it will be to quiet or resist it But having spoke so much of all this already elsewhere as is said before I will forbear here to repeat it leaving the Reader that desireth it there to peruse it The Vses Vse 1. BEloved hearers it was not to fill your fancies with news that God sent me hither this day not to tell you of matters that nothing concern you nor by some terrible words to bring you to an hours amazement and no more But it is to tell you of things that your eyes shall see and to foretell you of your danger while it may be prevented that your precious souls may be saved at the last and you may stand before God with comfor at â—thas day But because this will not be every mans caseâ— no nor the case of most I must in the name of Christ desire you to make this day an enquiry into your own souls and as in the presence of God let your hearts make answer to these few Questions which I shall propound and debate with you Qu. 1. Do you soundly Believe this Doctrine which I have preached to you What say you Sirs do you verily Believe it as a most certain Truth that you and I and all the world must stand at Gods barr and be Judged to Everlasting Joy or Torment I hope you do all in some sort Believe this but blame me not if I be jealous whether you soundly believe it while we see in the world so little of the effect of such a Belief I confess I am forced to think that there is more infidelity then faith among us when I see moâ—â— ungodlyness then godlyness among us And I can hardly believe that man that will say or swear that he believeth these things and yet liveth as carelesly and carnally as an Infidel I know that no man can love to be damned yea I know that every man that hath a reasonable soul hath naturally some love to him self and a fear of a danger which he verily apprehendeth he therefore that liveth without all fear I must think liveth without all apprehension of his danger Custom hath taught men to hold these things as the Opinion of the Country but if men soundly believed them surely we should see stranger effects of such a faith then in the most we do see Doth the sleepy soul that liveth in security and followeth this world as eagerly as if he had no greater matters to mind that never once trembled at the thoughts of this great day nor once asked his own soul in good sadnesâ— My soul How dost thou think then to escape I say doth this man Believe that he is going to this Judgement Well Sirs whether you beleve it or not you will find it true and believe it you must before you can be safe For if you do not Believe it you will never make ready Let me therefore perswade you in the fear of God to consider that it is a matter of undoubted Truth 1. Consider that it is the express word of the God of Truth revealed in Sripâ—ure as plainly as you can desire So that yon cannot be unbelieving without denying Gods Word or giving him the lye Mat 13 38 39. 40 41 42 43 49 50. Mat. 25. throughout Rom. 2. 5. 6 7 8 9 10 16. and 1. 32. John 5. 28 29. The hour is coming in which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice and shall come forth they that have done good unto the resurrection of life and they that have done evil unto the Resurrection of damnation Heb. 9. 27. It is appointed to all men once to dye and after this the Judgement Rom. 14. 9. l2 So then every one of us shall give Account of himself to God Rev. 20. 12. And I saw the dead smal and great stand before God and the Books were opened and another book was opened which is the Book of life and the dead were Judged out of those things which were written in the Bookâ— according to their works Mat. 12. 36. 37. But I say unto you that every idle word that men shall speak they shall give account thereof at the day of Judgement For by thy words thou shalt be Justified and by thy Words thou shalt be condemned Many more most express Texts of Scripture do put the Truth of this Iudgement out of all question to all that believe the Scripture and will understand it There is no place left for a Controversie in the point It is made as â—ure to us as the Word of the living God can make it And he that will question that what will he Believe What say you Sirs Dare you doubt of this which the God of Heaven hath so positively affirmed I hope you dare not 2. Consider it is a master part of your faith if you are Christians and a fundamental Article of your Creed that Christ shall come again to Iudge the quick and the dead So that you must Believe it or renounce your Christianity and then you renounce Christ and all the hopes of mercy that you have in him It s impossible that you should soundly Believe in Christ and not believe his Iudgement and Life Everlasting because as he came to bring Life and immortality to light in the Gospel 2 Tim. 1. 10. so it was the end of his Incarnation Death and Resurrection to bring you thither and its part of his honour and office which he purchased with his blood to be the Lord and Iudge of all the world Rom. 14. 9. Joh. 5. 22. If therefore you believe not heartily this Iudgement deal plainly and openly and say you are Infidels and cast away the hypocritical vizor of Christianity and let us know you and take you as you are 3. Consider that it is a Truth that is known by the very light of nature that there shall be a happiness for the Righteous and a misery for the wicked after this life which is evident 1. In that we have undenyable natural reason for it 1. God is the Righteous governor of the world and therefore must make a difference among his Subjects according
Prophet or a Disciple in the name of a Disciple Mat 10. 40 41 43. shall all these decide the Question Beloved Hearers I profess to you all in the Name of our Lord that it is not your bold and confident affirming that you love Christ which will serve your turn when Christ shall judge he will search deep and judge according to the truth in the inward parts How many thousands will then perish as his utter Enemies that verily thought themselves his friends How easily now might they finde their mistake if they would but be at the pains to examine themselves Oh try try Sirs before God try you judge your selves before Christ judge you It would grieve a mans heart that knows what it is to love Christ to believe to be subject to him to see how rare these are in the world and yet how confident and careless most men are It may be that you may think much that I so question your love yet Christ that knew all things questioned Peters love to him and that three times till it grieved Pâ—tâ—r I am a stranger to the most of you and therefore know not your conditions or inclinations yet judge me not censorious if I fear the worst and if I measure you by the rest of the world and then I may confidently and sadly conclude that Christ hath few loving Subjects among you If we could hear your Oaths and vain speeches turned to heavenly soul-edifying discourse and your covetousness to conscionableneâ—s and see that the word of Christ were your Law and that you laid out your endeavours for heaven in good earnest then we should say These People are the loving Subjects of Christ But when men are enemies to Christs Doctrine and ways and worship and had rather live after the flesh and the world and the traditions of their Fathers and are notorious for profaness superstition and enmity to Reformation who can chuse but condole your case and if your obstinacy will not endure us to help you yet you shall give us leave whether you will or no to lament you Vse 2. But its time that I turn my speech to Exhortation And oh that you would encourage me with your resolution to obey My business here to day is as his Herauld and Embassadour to proclaim the Lord Jesus your King and Saviour and to know whether you will heartily acknowledg and take him so to be or not and to perswade you to take so fair an offer while you may have it and to kiss the Son lest his wrath be kindled This is my business here in which if I had not some hope to speed the Lord knows I would not have been here to day You will say This is a common Errand do you think we never heard of hrist before I confess it is common blessed be God for it and long may it so continue and encrease and let it be as constant and durable to us as the Sun in the Firmament and the Lord grant that Englandâ— sins or Enemies may never bereave them of the blessing of the Gospel and then it will be a 〈◊〉 Land then yet ever was on the face of the Earth but is it as common to receive Christ in love obedience I would it were I know the name of Christ is common the Swearer doth swear by it the Beggar begs by it the Charmer puts it into his charms and the Jester into his jests and every Papist and ignorant Protestant doth mutter it oft-times over his Prayers But who trembleth at it or triumpheth in it who maketh it his Fear and his Joy and give up their souls and lives to be governed by Christ I do here solemnly proclaim to you that the Lord Jesus will not be put off with your complements he cares not for your meer name of Christianity nor your Cap nor your knee If thy heart be not set upon him thou art none of his His word must be your Law and you must depend on him alone for soul and body or never look for mercy at his hands He is the Author of eternal salvation to them only that obey him Heb. 5. 9. What say you then Sirs in answer to my message and what course do you resolve upon shall Christ be your love and your Lord or not Will you kiss the Son or will you sleight him stil methinks you should easily be resolved and say Away with pleasure and credit and worldly gain away with these bewitching delights and companions Christ hath bought my heart and he shall have it he is my Lord and I will be ruled by him Hearers I hope God hath kept your alive till now to show you mercy and brought some sinners hither to day to prevail with their hearts And my hope is somewhat strengthened by Gods disposal of my own Spirit I was strongly tempted to have preached this Sermon in the enticing words of humane wisdom tending to a proud ostentation of parts But Christ hath assisted me to conquer the temptation and commanded me to preach him in plainness and evidence of the Spirit I come not to perswade you to opinions or factions to be for this side or for that but to be with all your hearts for Christ as ever you look that Christ should be for you to love him as he that hath bought you from eternal wrath and dyed to save you from the everlasting burnings to lay hold on him with most earnest affectionate apprehension as a man that is ready to drown would do upon a bough or upon the hand of his friend that would pull him to the shore to wait for the Law of thy direction from him and do nothing till thou hast asked counsel at his word and know his mind whether thou shouldst do it or no till thou feel thy Conscience bound by his Law that thou canst not stirr till he give thee leave that the commands of parents and Princes may stoop to his much more the commands of custome and company of credit or pleasure of the world or flesh These are the things that I exhort you to and I must tell you that Christ doth flatly expect them at your hands I will here back these Exhortations with some perswading Considerations Think of what I say and weigh it as we go If I speak not truth and reason then reject it with disdain and spare not but if it be and thy Conscience tell thee so take heed then how thou dost neglect or reject it lest thou be found a fighter against the Spirit and lest the curse of God do seize upon that heart that would not yield to truth and reason And I will draw these Considerations only from my Text. 1. Thou art else a Rebel against thy Soveraign Lord. This I gather from the command in my Text and indeed the scope of the whole Psalm God hath given thee into the hands of his on and made him Lord and King of all commanded all men to accept him and submit
unto him Who can shew such title to the Soveraignty such right to rule thee as Christ can do He is thy maker and so is not Satan he dearly bought thee and so did not the world Thou wast not Redeemed with silver and Gold and corruptible things 1 Pet. 1. 18. I make this challenge here in the behalf of Christ let any thing in the world step forth and shew a better title to thee to thy heart and to thy life then Christ doth shew and let them take thy heart and take thy rule But why do I speak thus I know thou wilt confess it and yet wilt thou not yield him thy chiefest love and obedience out of thy own mouth then art thou condemned and thou proclaimest thy self a knowing and wilful Rebel 2. To deny thy affections and subjection to Christ is the most barbarous unkindness that a sinner can be guilty of Did he pitty thee in thy lost estate and take thee up when thou laist wounded in the way and make thee a plaister of the blood of his heart And is this thy requital Did he come down from heaven to earth to seek thee when thou wast lost and take upon him all thy dept and put himself into the prison of the world and flesh hath he paid for thy folly and born that wrath of God which thou must have suffered for ever and doth he not now deserve to be entertained with most affectionate respect but with a few cold thoughts instead of hearty love and with a few formal words instead of worship What hurt had it been to him if thou hadst perished what would he have lost by it if thou hadst lain in Hell would not Justice have been glorified upon a disobedient wretch Might not he have said to his Father What are these worms and sinners to me must I smart for their folly must I suffer when they have sineed must I debase my self to become man because they would have exalted themseves to become as God if they will needs undo themselves what is it to me if they will cast themselves into the flames of Hell must I go thither to fetch them out Thus Christ might have put off the suffering and the shame aud let it fall and lie where it was due but he did not His compassion would not suffer him to see us suffer Justice must be satisfied the threat must be fulfilled Christ seeth that we cannot overcome it but he can therefore hee comes down into flesh he lives on earth he fasteth he weepeth he is weary he is tempted he hath not a place to put his head he is haâ—ed he is spit upon he is cloathed as a fool and made a scorn he sweateth blood he is Crucified with Theeves he bares the burden that would have sunk all us to Hell and must he after all this be neglected and forgotten and his Laws that should rule us be laid aside and be accounted too strict and precise for us to live by O let the Heavens blush and the Earth be ashamed at this barbarous ingratitude How can such a people shew their faces at his comming or look him in the face when he shall judge them for this would you use a friend thus No nor an enemy Me thinks you should rather wonder with your selves that ever Christ should give you leave to love him and say Will the Lord endure such a wretch to kiss him will he suffer himself to be embraced by those arms which have been defiled so oft by the embracements of sin will he so highly honour me as to be his subject and his servant and to be guided by such a blessed and perfect Law and doth he require no harder conditions then these for my salvation Take then my heart Lord it is only thine and oh that it were better worth thy having or take it and make it better the Spear hath opened me a passage to thy heart let the Spirit open thee a passage into mine deservedly may those Gates be fuel for Hell that would not open to let in the King of Glory 3. To deny thine affection and subjection to the Son is the greatest folly and madness in the world Why doth he require this so earnestly at thy hands is it for thy hurt or for thy good would he make a prey of thee for his own advantage is it for any need hat he hath of thee or of thy service or because thou hast need of him for thy direction or salvation would he steal away thy heart as the world doth to delude it would he draw thee as Satan doth to serve him that he may torment thee if so it were no wonder that thou art so hardly drawn to him but thou knowest sure that Christ hath none of these ends The truth is this His dying on the Cross is but part of the work that is necessary to thy Salvation this was but the paying of the debt he must give thee moreover a peculiar interest and make that to be absolutely thine which was thine but conditionally he must take off thy rags and wash thy sores and qualify thy soul for the prepared Glory and bring thee out of the prison of sin and death and present thee to his Father blameless and undefiled and estate thee in greater dignity then thou fellest from and all this must he do drawing thee to himself and laying himself upon thee as the Prophet upon the Child and closing thy heart with his heart and thy will with his will and thy thoughts and waies with the Rule of his Word And is this against thee or for thee is there any hurt to thee in all this I dare challenge Earth and Hell and all the Enemies of Christ in both to shew the least hurt that ever he caused to the soul of a believer or the least wrong to the soul of any And must he then have such a stir to do thee good must he so beseech thee to be happy and follow thee with entreaties and yet art thou like a stock that neither heare's nor feeâ—'s Nay dost thou not murmur and strive against him as if he were about to do thee mischief and would rather cut thy throat then cure thee and were going to destroy thee and not to save thee I appeal to any that hath not renounced his Reason whether this be not notorious bruitish unreasonableness and whether thou be not liker a beast that must be cast or held while you dress his sores then to a man that should help on his own recovery Foolish Sinner It is thy sin that hurts thee and not thy Saviour why dost thou not rather strive against that It is the Devil that would destroy thee and yet thou dost not grudge at they obedience to him Be judge thy self whether this be wise or equal dealing Sinner I beseech thee in the behalf of thy poor soul if thou have such a mind to renounce thy Saviour do it not till thou hast found a
that his Service was making more adoe then needs and didst grudge at those that were more diligent then thy self but for the World how heartily and how constantly didst thou seek and serve it and yet wouldst thou now perswade the Judge that thou didst love God above all He will shew thee thy naked heat and the course of thy former life which shail convince thee of the contrary The Second Excuse I lived not in any gross sin but only in small Infirmities I was no Murderer or Adulterer or Fornicator or Thief nor did I deceive or wrong any or take any thing by violence Answ Was it not a gross sin to love the world above God and to neglect Christ that dyed for thee and never to do him one hours hearty service but meerly to seek thy carnal self and to live to thy flesh God will open thine eyes then and shew thee a thousand gross sins which thou now forgettest or makest light of and it is not only Gross sins but All sin great or small that deserveth the wrath of God and will certainly bring thee under it for ever if thou have not part in Christ to relieve thee Wo to the man that ever he was born that must answer in his own name for his smallest offences The Third Excuse I did it ignorantly I knew not that there was so much required to my Salvation I thought less adoe might have served the turn and that if I lookt to my body God would take caâ—e of my soul and that it was better to trust him what would become of me hereafter then to trouble my mind so much about it Had I known better I would have done better Answ If you knew not better who was it long of but your self Did God hide these things from you Did he not tell them you in his Word as plainly as the tongue of man can speak That except you were regenerate and born again you should not enter into the Kingdom of God John 3. 3â— 5. That without holiness none should see God Heb. 12. 14. That you mist strive to enter in at the strait gate for many shall seek to enter and shall not be able Luke 13. 24. That if you lived after the flesh you should dye and if by the Spirit you mortified the deeds of the body you should live Rom 8. 13 That if any man have not the Spirit of Christ the same is none of his Rom. 8. 9. And to be carnally minded is death but to be spiritually minded is life and peace Rom. 8. 9. That you must not lay up for your selves a treasure on earth where rust and moths do corrupt and thieves break through and steal but must lay up for your selves a treasure in heaven where rust and moths do not corrupt and thieves break through and steal Mat. 6. 19 20. That you must seek first the Kingdom of God and the righteousness thereof Mat. 6. 23. and not Labour for the food that perisheth but for the food that endureth to everlasting life which Christ would have given you John 6. 27. That if you be risen with Christ you must seek those things which are above where Christ sitteth at the right hand of God and not the things that are on earth Col. 3. 1 2 3. Yea Your very Conversation should be in Heaven Phil. 3. 19. 20. 21. What say you Did not God tell you all this and much more aud plainly tell it you Turn to your Bibles and see the words and let them witness against you 2. And could you think with any Reason that your souls being so much move precious then your bodies you should yet do so much more for your bodies then your souls could you think all the labour of your lives little enough for a frail body that must lie shortly in the dirt and that your Immortal souls should be no more reâ—arded Could you think with any Reason that your souls should do so much for a life of a few years continuance and do no more for a life that shall have no end 3. And whereas you talk of trusting God with your souls you did not trust him You did but on that pretence carelesly disregard them If you trust God shew any word of Promise that ever he gave you to trust upon that ever an Impenitent Carnal Careless person shall be saved No he hath told yon enough to the contrary And could you think that it was the will of God that you should mind your bodies more then your souls and this life more then that to come Why he hath bid you strive and run and sight and labour and care and seek and use violence and all diligence for the safety of your souls and for the life to come But where hath he bid you do so for your bodies No he knew that you were prone to do too much for them and therefore he hath bid you Care not and Labour not that is Do it as if you did it not and let your care and Labour for earthly things be none in comparision of that for heavenly things You know God can as well maintain your lives without your care and labour as save your souls without it And yet you see he will not he doth not You must plough and sow and reap and thresh for all Gods Love and Care of you and not say I will let all alone and trust God And must you not much more use diligence in much greater things If you will trust God you must trust him in his own way and in the use of his own means The fourth Excuse I was never brought up to learning I cannot so much as read Nor did my Parents ever teach me any of these things but only set me about my worldly business and provide food and rayment for me but never once told me that I had a soul to save or lose and and an everlasting life to provide and prepare for And therefore I could not come to the knowledge of them Answ The greater is their sin who thus neglected you But this is no sufficient Excuse for you Heaven is not prepared for the Learned only nor will Christ ask you at Judgement whether you are good Scholars or not no nor so much as whether you could write or read But consider well was not Gods word so plainly written that the unlearned might understand it Did he not put it into the most familiar stile though he knew it would be offensive to the proud Scholars of the world of purpose that he might fit it to the capacities of the ignorant And if you could not read yet tell me Could not you have learned to read at 20 or 30 years of age if you had been but willing to bestow now and then an hour to that end Or at least did you not live near some that could Read and could you not have procured them to read to you or to help you And did you not hear these things read to
the next words Depart fromme in to Everlasting fire prepared for the Devil and his Angels 1. Depart From whom from the God thâ— made them in his Image From the Redeem that bought them by the price of his blood anâ— offered to save them freely for all their unworthyness and many a time intreated them to Accept his offer that their souls might live From the Holy Ghost the Sanctifier and comforter of the faithful who strove with their hearts till they quenched and expelled him O sad Departing who would not then choose rather to Depart from all the friends he had in the world and from any thing Imaginable from his life from himself if it were possible then from Christ Depart from what why from the presence of the Judge from all further Hopes of salvation for ever from all possibility of ever being saved and living in the joyful inheritance of the Righteous Depart Not from Gods Essential presence for that will be with them to their evelasting misery but from the presence of his Grace in that measure as they enjoyed it Depart Not from your fleshly pleasures and honours and profits of the world These were all gone and past already and there was no further need to bid them Depart from these Houses and Lands were gone Mirth and Recreations were gone Their sweet morsels and cups were gone All the Honour that men could give them was gone before they were set at Christs barr to be Iudged But from all expectations of ever enjoying these again or ever tasting their former delights from these they must Depart No from their sin for that will go with them But the Liberty of commiting that part of it which was sweet to them as Gluttony Drunkenness Whoredom Idleness and all Voluptuousness from these they must Depart But this is consequential It is Christ and the Possibility of salivation that they are Sentenced to Depart from But Whither must they Depart 1. Into fire 2. Into that fire which was prepared for the Devil and his Angels 3. Into everlasting fire 1. Not into a Purifying but a Tormenting fire Whether Elementary or not Whether properly or Metaphorically called fire let us not vainly trouble or selves to enquire It is enough to know that as fire is one of the most grievous Tormentors of the flesh so grievous will be those infernal Torments to the whole man soul and body Such as is most fitly represented to us under the notion of fire and of burning It s easie for a secure unbelieving soul to read and hear of it but woe and ten thousand woes to them that must endure it In this life they had their good things when it went harder as to the flesh with better men but now they are tormented when the godly are comforted as Luke 16. 25. 2. But why is it called a fire prerared for the Devil and his Angels 1. What is this Divel That hath Angels 2. Who are his Angels 3. When was it prepared for them 4. Was it not also prepared for wicked men To these in order 1. It seems by many passages in Scripture that there is an Order among Spirits both Good and Bad and that there is one Devil that is the Prince over the rest 2. It seem therefore that it 's the rest of the evil spirits that are called his Angels And some think that the wicked who served him in this life shall be numbered with his Angels in the life to come Indeed the Apostle calls him The God of this world 2 Cor 4. 4. as is ordinarily Iudged by Expositors and the Prince of the power of the Aire the Spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience Eph. 2. 2. And he Calleth false seducing Teachers the Ministers of Satan 2 Cor. â—1 15 But that wicked men are Here meant as part of his Angels is not clear 3. If it be the preparation of Gods purpose that is here meant then it was from Eternity but if it be any Commination of God as Ruler of the Angels then was this fire prepared for them Conditionally from the beginning of that Commination and was Due to them at their fall 4. It seems that the Reason why here is no mention of preparing Hell-fire for the wicked but only for the Devils is not be cause indeed it was not prepared also for the wicked but to note that it is the Torment which was first prepared for or assigned to the Devils thereby shewing the greatness of the misery of the wicked that the Devil and his Angels must be their Companions Though some think as is said before that the reason why wicked men are not Mentioned here is because they are part of the Angels of the Devil and so included And some think it is purposely to manifest Gods General Love to mankind that prepared not Hell for them but they cast themselves into the Hell prepared for the Devils But the first seems to be the true sense And how apparently Righteous are the Judgements of the Lord that those men who would here entertain the Devil into their hearts and daily familiarity should be then entertained by him into his place of Torments and there remain for ever in his society Though few entertained him into Visible familiarity with their bodies as Witches do who so make him their Familiar yet all wicked men do entettain him into more full c â—nstant familiarity with their so uls then these withces do with their bodies how famliariar is he in their thoughts to fill them with vanity lust or revenge How familiar is he in their hearts to fill them with covetousness malice pride or the like evils and to banish all thoughts of returning to God and to quench every motion that tendeth to their recovery How familiar is he with them even when they seem to be worshipping God in the publike Assembles stealing the word out of their hearts filling them with vain and wandring thoughts blinding their minds that they cannot understand the plainest words that we are able to speak to them and filling them with a proud rebellion against the Direction of their Teachers and an obstinate refusal to be ruled by them be the matter never so necessary to their own salvation How familiar are these evil Spirits in their houses filling them with ignorance worldliness and ungodliness and turning out Gods service so that they do not pray together once in a day or perhaps at all How familiarly doth Satan use their tongues in cursing swearing lying ribaldry backbiting or slandring and is it not just with God to make these fiends their familiars in Torment with whom they entertained such familiarity in sin As Christ with all the Blessed Angels and Saints will make but one Kingdom or family and shall live altogether in perpetual Delights so the Devil and all his Hellish Angels and wicked men shall make but one house-hold and shall live altogether in perpetual misery O poor sinners I you are not troubled now
and therefore I was bold to hold you the longer FINIS A SERMON Of Iudgement Preached at Pauls before the Honourable Lord Maior and Aldermen of the City of London Decemb. 17. 1654. And now enlarged By RICH. BAXTER Rom. 14. 12. Every one of you shall give account of himself to God John 5. 28 29. The hour is coming in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice aud shall come forth they that have done good to the Resurrection of life and they that have done evil to the Resurrection of Damnation LONDON Printed by R. W. for Nevill Simmons Bookseller in Kidderminster 1656. TO The Right Honorable Christopher Pack Lord Maior of London with the Right worshipful Aldermen Right Honorable BEing desired to Preach before you at Pauls I was fain to preach a Sermon which I had preached once before to a poor ignorant Congregation in the Country having little leisure for study in London I was glad to see that the more curious stomachs of the Citizens did not nauseate our plain Country Doctrine which I seemed to discern in the diligent attention of the greatest Congregation that ever I saw met for such a work But I little expected that you should have so far esteemed that discourse as to have thought it meet for the view of the world as I understood by a Message from you desiring it may be Printed I readily obey your wâ—ll when it gives me the least intimation of the will of God It s possible some others may afford it the like favourable Acceptance and entertainment I am sure the subject is as necessary as common and the Plainness makes it the fitter for the ignorant who are the far greatest number and have the greatest need I have added the 9 10 11 and 12. Heads or Common places which I did not deliver to you for want of time and because the rest are too briefly touched as contrived for an hours work I have enlarged these though making them somewhat unsuitable to the rest yet suitable to the use of those that they are now intended for The Directions also in the end are added Blessed be the Father of Lights who hath set up so many burning and shining lights in your City and hath watered you so plenteously with the Rivers of his Sanctuary that you have frequent opportunities for the refreshment of your souls to the joy of your friends the grief of your enemies and the glory of that Providence which hath hitherto maintained them in despite of Persecution Heresies and Hell It was not alwaies so in London It is not so in all other places or famous Cities in the world Nor are you sure that it will be alway so with you It doth me good to remember what blessed Lights have shined among you that new are more gloriously shining in a higher sphere Preston Sibbes Stoughton Taylor Stock Randal Gouge Gataker with multitudes more that are now with Christ It did me good to read in the Preface to Mr. Gatakers funeral Sermon by one of your reverend and faithful Guides what a number of sound and unanimous Labourers are yet close at work in that part of Christs Vineyard And it did me good in that short experience and observation while I was there to hear and see so much of their Prudence Unity and Fidelity Believe it it is the Gospel of Christ that is your Glory and if London be more honorable then other great and famous Cities of the earth it is the light of Gods face and the plenty and power of his Ordinances and Spirit that doth advance and honour it 0 know then the day of your visitation Three things I shall take leave to propound to your Consideration which I am certain God requireth at your hands The first is that you grow in knowledge humility heavenliness and Unity according to the blessed means that you enjoy In my eyes it is the greatest shame to a people in the world and a sign of Barbarousness or blockishness when we can hear and read what a famous learned powerful Minister such a place or such a place had and yet see as much ignorance ungodliness unruliness and sensuality as if the Gospel had scarce ever been there I hope it is not thus with you but I have found it so in too many places of England We that never saw the faces of their Ministers but have only read their holy Labours have been ready to think Sure there are few ignorant or ungodly ones in such a Congregation Sure they are a people rich in Grace and eminently qualified above their brethren who have lived under such Teaching as this At least sure there can be none left that have an enmity to the fear of God! But when we have come to the Towns where such men spent their lives and laid out their labours we have found ignorant sottish worldlings unprofitable or giddy unstable Professors and some haters of godliness among them O what a shame is this to them to the eyes of wise men and what a confounding aggravation of their sin before God! Thrive therefore and be fruitful in the Vineyard of the Lord that it may not repent him that he hath planted and watered you The second is this Improve your interest to the utmost for the continuance of a faithful Ministry among you and when any places are void do what you can to get a supply of the most Able men Your City is the Heart of the Nation you cannot be sick but we shall all feel it If you be infected with false Doctrines the Countreys will ere long receive the Contagion You have a very great influence on all the Land for good or evil And do you think the undermining enemies of the Church have not a special Design upon you in this point and will not promote it as far as is in their power Could they but get in Popish or Dividing Teachers among you they know how many advantages they should gain at once They would have some to grieve and trouble your faithful Guides hinder them in the work and lessen that estimation which by their Unity they would obtain And every Deceiver will hope to catch some fish that casteth his Net among such store We beseech you if there be Learned Holy Judicious men in England that can be had for supply on such occasions let them be yours that you may be fed with the Best and Guided by the Wisest and we may have all recourse to you for advice and where there are most Opposers Seducers there may be the most Powerful Convincing helps at hand Let us in the Country have the honest raw young Preachers and see that you have the chief Fathers and Pillars in the Church I speak it not for your sakes alone but because we have all Dependance on you The third thing which I humbly crave is that you will Know them which Labour among you and are over you in the Lord and admonish
you and to esteem them very highly in love for their work sake and be at peace among your selves 1 Thes 5. 12 13. And that you will instead of grieving or rejecting your Guides Obey them that have the Rule over you and submit your selves for they watch for your souls as they that must give account that they may do it with joy and not with grief for that is unprofitable for you Heb. 13. 17. 7. Encourage your Teachers for their work is great their spirits are weak they are but frail men the enemy is more industrious against them then any men and their discouragements are very many and the difficulties which they must encounter are very great Especially Obey submit and encourage them in the work of Government and Exercise of Christs Discipline and managing the Keyes of the Kingdom which he hath put into their hand Do you not perceive what a strait your Teachers are in The Lord Iesus requireth them to exercise his Discipline faithfully and impartially He giveth them not empty Titles of Rule but layes upon them the burden of Ruling It is his work more then their honour that he intends and if they will have the Honor it must be by the work The work is as to Teach the ignorant and convince the unbelieving and gainsaying so to admonish the disorderly and scandalous and to reject and cast out of the Communion of the Church the Obstinate and Impenitent and to set by the Leprous that they infect not the rest and to seperate thus the precious from the vile by Christs Dâ—scipline that dividing separation and soul destroying Transgressions may be prevented or cured This work Christ hath charged upon them and will have it done who ever is against it If they obey him and do it what a tumult what clamours discontents will they raise How many will be ready to rise up against them with hatred and scorn though it be the undoubted work of Christ which even under persecution was performed by the Church-Guides When they do but keep a scandalous untractable Sinner from the Communion of the Church in the Lords Supper what repinings doth it raise But alas this is a small part of the Discipline If all the apparently obstinate and impenitent were cast out what a stir would they make And if Christ be not obeyed what a stir will conscience make And it is not only between Christ and men but between men and men that your Guides are put upon streights The Separatists reproach them for suffering the Impenitent to continue members of their Churches and make it the pretence of their separation from them having little to say of any moment against the authorized way of Government but only against our slackness in the Execution And if we should set to the close Exercise of it as is meet how would City and Country ring of it and what Indignation should we raise in the multitude against us O what need have your Guides of your Encouragement and best Assistance in this streight God hath set them on a work so ungrateful and displeasing to flesh and blood that they cannot be faithful in it but twenty to one they will draw a world of Hatred upon themselves if not mens fists about their ears Festred sores will not be lancht and searcht with ease Corrupted members are unwilling to be cut off and cast aside Especially if any of the great ones fall under the censure who are big in the eyes of the world and in their own And yet our Soveraign Lord must be obeyed and his house must be swept and the filth cast out by what names or Titles soever it be dignified with men He must be pleased if all be displeased by it Withdraw not your help then from this needfull work It is by the Word Spirit and Ministery that Christ the King of his Church doth Govern it Not separatedly but joyntly by all three To disobey these is to disobey Christ and subjection to Christ is Essential to our Christianity This well thought on might do much to recover the Unruly that are Recoverable You may conjecture by the strange opposition that Church-Government meets with from all sorts of carnal and corrupted minds that there is somewhat in it that is eminently of God I shall say no more but this that It is an Able Judicious Godly Faithful Ministery not barely heard and applauded but humbly and piously submitted to and obeyed in the Lord that must be your truest present glory and the means of your everlasting Peace and Joy So testifieth from the Lord Your servant in â—he faith of Christ Rich. Baxter To the Ignorant or Careless Reader SEeing the Providence of God hath commanded forth this plain Discourse I shall hope upon experience of his dealing in the like cases with me That he hath some work for it to do in the world Who knows but it was intended for the saving of thy soul by opening thine eyes and awaking thee from thy sin who are now in Reading of it Be it known to thee it is the certain Truth of God and of high concernment to thy soul that it treateth of and therefore requireth thy most sober Consideration Thou hast in it how weakly soever it is managed by me an advantage put into thy hand from God to help thee in the greatest work in the world even to prepare for the great approaching Judgement In the name of God I require thee cast not away this advantage Turn not away thine ears or heart from this warning that is sent to theâ— from the living God! Seeing all the world cannot keep thee from judgement nor save thee in Judgement let not all the world be able to keep thee from a speedy and serious preparation for it Do it presently lest God come before thou art ready Do it seriously lest the Tempter over-reach thee and thou shouldst be found among the foolish self-deceivers when it is too late to do it better I intreat this of thee on the behalf of thy soul and as thou tenderest thy everlasting Peace with God that thou wouldest afford these matters thy deepest Consideration Think on them whether they are not True aud weighty Think of them lying down and rising up And seeing this small Book is faln into thy hands all that I would beg of thee concerning it is that thou wouldst bestow now and then an hour to read it and read it to thy family or friends as well at to thy self and as you go Consider what you read and Pray the Lord to help it to thy heart and to assist thee in the Practice that it may not rise up in Judgement agaiâ—st thee If thou have not leisure at other take now and then an hour on the Lords dayes or at night to that purpose and if any passage through brevity specially neer the beginning seem dark to thee Read it again and again and ask the help of an Instructer that thou mayest understand it May it