Lord and I know not where they have laid him Grace is not Peace is no more to me a good Conscience where is it become I can neither Believe nor Love nor Pray nor Hope nor any thing else but Fear and Lament O had I feared alway this Fear had never come upon me Christians Are there no such Instances no such Cases in the World And is there no fear that this may be any of your cases Do not you also travel with Charge have you not a Treasure within you What have you been Professors so long Believers so long have you been Hearing and Praying and Fasting and Labouring all this while and have not gotten something you would be loth to lose And is not the World still as very a Thief as ever Does not the Devil lye in wait for you as well as for others Is not his Eye upon that Chain about thy Neck that Jewel in thy Bosom and those Bracelets upon thy Hands the Graces that appear upon thee and hath he not a mind to beguile thee of them all Are his Temptations so weak or art thou so strong that thou needest not fear them As I told thee once heretofore so I now tell thee again He that is so weak as not to fear Temptations is certainly not so strong as to resist them Look to thy self they are all standing at the catch for thee thy Companions are catching thine Estate is catching thy Businese is catching thy Pleasures are all catching at thee to spoil thee of all that ever thou hast Objection But he that hath nothing hath no need to fear the Thief As for me saith the Sinner I have nothing to lose neither Grace nor Peace it 's for the Rich to fear but I am so poor that I cannot be poorer my Estate is so bad that the Devil can hardly make it worse than it is I need not fear whither or among whom I go I cannot come amongst those that are worse than my self why then should such an one as I Fear Answer 1. Hast thou nothing to lose thou hast the more to get Art thou content to be thus poor for ever Hitherto thou hast no Grace thou hast no part in Christ nor the Salvation of God but what if thou shouldst never have That which hath kept thee from Christ hitherto and so wholly void and empty of the Grace of God hitherto is like to keep thee so for ever and O what if it should do so If the Devil and this evil World should serve thee all thy days as they have serv'd thee to this day What if thou shouldst continue thus blind and thus hard and in such a poor and wretched state of Soul to thy dying day Darest thou go down thus to thy Grave Darest thou stand thus in the Judgment When it shall be then demanded of thee What good hast thou done or what good hast thou gotten wouldst thou stand speechless Consider in time the less thou hast the more thou hast to get 2. Thou hast yet much to lose As poor as thou art thou mayest be poorer thy case is not so bad but it may be much worse than ' t is For 1. Thou hast a day of Grace to lose Though thou hast no Grace yet thou hast a day of Grace thou art yet under the means thou art yet in a possibility of Grace as wretched as thy state is it is not desperate The Word is nigh thee the Door of Mercy is yet open Behold the Lord stands at the Door and knocks behold he calleth thee Come unto me and be saved what is thy time for Doth not the Lord say as Rev. 2.21 I give this Sinner space to repent What are Sabbaths Ordinances Ministry for Is not the Acceptable Day yet proclaimed Is not the Word of Reconciliation yet preached unto thee and do all these give thee no hope no opportunity of obtaining Mercy What if these were all lost and gone if it were said unto thee Time is past What if thou shouldst never hear a Sermon more never keep a Sabbath more never see the face of a Minister of Christ more if thou shouldst never again be instructed or invited to Christ but shouldst be irrevocably given up to a Reprobate Mind and an Heart that cannot repent Is it nothing to thee that Repentance is yet preached to thee in the Name of the Lord Jesus that the Ambassadours are still before thy Door beseeching thee from the Lord and praying thee in Christ's stead Be thou reconciled to God How would such a Day be prized in Hell If the Ministers that are now sent to thee were sent down amongst those damned Souls that are bound in Chains of Darkness to carry down the Gospel to them O if those miserable Souls might have one Sabbath more one hour of Grace more one Sermon more of Repentance and Reconciliation preached unto them how would their shrieks and howlings be turned into shouts and acclamations of joy Why Sinner thou hast yet the Blessed Day before thee when 't is past and gone then thou wilt know too late of what price it was 2. Thou hast a Soul to lose As poor as thou art thou hast yet that which is more worth than all the World Matth. 16.26 Thou dost not know the price of a Soul who sayest Thou hast nothing to lose Sinners value their Souls at a low rate 't is the cheapest pennyworth that the Devil can buy in the World Men sell them as cheap as Esau sold his Birth-right for a Mess of Pottage as the Rich Men sold the Poor for a piece of Silver or a pair of Shooes a Soul for a Lust a Soul for a Whore a Soul for a Name the lowest price the Devil bids will hardly be refused But as low as Men rate it a Soul is worth a Kingdom all the Kingdoms in the World will not buy it from his hands who knows it's worth All the Crowns and Scepters and Thrones and Dominions of all the Earth put all together one poor Soul will weigh them all down And this is it O Sinner that thou hast to lose and yet dost thou say thou hast nothing to lose How canst thou also but live in Fear Yea who in the World hath greater reason to fear than thou Is thy Soul so precious Is thy Soul in danger of being lost Is it so near gone almost past recovery every day every hour ready to drop down into that Pit from which is no Redemption How is it that such a thought shakes not thy Soul IV. What you should Fear 'T is too long to tell you of every thing that is to be feared Fear especially these Things following Fear 1. Your Delilahs or your beloved Sins 2. Your Jezebells or your painted Sins 3. Your Isaacs or any beloved Creature 4. The Cross or Affliction 5. The Curse or Damnation 1. Fear your Delilahs or your beloved Sins You have reason to fear every Sin greater Sins smaller Sins common and ordinary
the Battel without fear or wit O the witless mad-headed multitude of Sinners in the World how do they rush on upon their wickedness they will neither ask Counsel nor take Counsel but on they will at a venture come of it what will Stand Sinner and fear fear and consider what is it thou art doing whither is it thou art running thou wilt on thy Way thou wilt after thy Lusts and after thy Companions thou wilt after these Riches and these Pleasures there 's no stopping thee nor putting thee to pause upon it thou art all in haste and impatient to be advised But yet for all thy haste take heed of what comes after thy Bargain is not like to be so good as to require such haste hasty Bargains seldom want woe What-ever is done rashly seldom comes to any other issue but either Repentance or Ruine Qui ante non cavet c. If thou wilt not Fear thou wilt shortly find what 't is to be thus head-strong and precipitant 2. Audacity or fool-hardiness or mad venturousness upon known dangers This is of kin to rashness but is not the same It is the other extream to Cowardise the mean betwixt both is Fortitude The Fear we are now treating of is not opposite to Fortitude as Cowardise is 't is not from pusillanimity but from magnanimity that we thus fear The most Heroick Spirits most fear to be base Exod. 1.17 Those worthy Midwives feared God and feared to sin against God and therefore feared not the Wrath of the King And as this Holy Fear doth not argue faint-heartedness so neither doth that audacity argue fortitude Is it valour or madness for a naked Man to run upon an Army of Enemies Such Desperadoes as kick against the pricks and run upon the Pikes of Divine Vengeance who knowing the Judgment of God against them that do such things will yet run their course of In quity not fearing of Judgments laughing at Reproofs Threatnings and Warnings and deriding those trembling Hearts that dare not run on with them to the same excess of riot What gallantry of Spirit do they count themselves to have arrived unto Gallantry of Spirit what to dare the Almighty to his Face to challenge Death and Hell to meet you in the Field for the Briars and Thorns to gather themselves to Battel against the devouring Fire Sure if ever you come to your wits you will understand how mad you have been Sinner darest thou continue in thine unbelief and impenitency when thou knowest that he that believeth not shall be damned he that repenteth not shall perish for ever Darest thou to walk after thy Lusts fulfilling the desires of the Flesh and of the Mind when thou knowest that they that live after the flesh shall die Thou knowest what the place and the portion of the Proud of the Covetous of the Liars of the Hypocrites is and yet darest thou continue in the number and the way of these Men Dost thou dare to go down quick into the Pit to take up thy dwelling in everlasting Darkness and thy lodging in the Eternal Fire Awaken from this Folly put away this madness from thee Awake and tremble to think what a desperate adventure thou hast hitherto run If you should see your Children in sport jumping over a boyling Furnace dancing on the Battlements of a Tower or in a frolick standing on tip-toe on the Weather-cock of a Steeple how would your Bowels turn your Bones tremble and all within you shake and shiver And will you yet be more venturous and fool-hardy your selves If ever you come to your selves you will be your own Wonder and Fear 3. Security Carnal Security Security is often taken for Safety To have our Estates or our Peace or our Souls secured is the same as to have them all in safety Job 11.14 15. If iniquity be in thine hand put it far away then shalt thou be secure because there is hope and thou shalt take thy rest in safety This Carnal Security is a retchlesness or carelesness of Heart to be without sense of our danger and without sollicitude for our safety The cares of this Life and the Pleasures of the Flesh do stupifie the Sinners of the Earth do lay their Souls a-sleep and bind up their senses so that they neither fear nor mind what 's like to come upon them This was the case of the old World in the dayes of Noah Luke 17.27 They did eat they drank they married and were given in marriage till the day came that Noah entred into the Ark. Their sensuality laid them all a-sleep and they never dream't of that Flood that came and destroyed them all It is said of the Men of Laish Judges 18.7 They dwelt careless after the manner of the Zidonians they were quiet and secure They neither feared Enemies nor made any provision against them but left themselves open to the mercy of any Invader Secure Sinners lay themselves open to all manner of mischiefs the Tempter may come the Avenger may come upon them before they are aware and he that may come will come The Lord of that Servant will come in a day when he looketh not for him and in an hour when he is not aware and will cut him in sunder and appoint him his portion with Vnbelievers Luke 12.46 O how sick is this World of this Lethargick Distemper We cannot say as once 't was said Isa 33.14 The Sinners in Zion are afraid fearfulness hath surprized the Hypocrites Behold the Sinners all asleep and who is there among the Hypocrites that fears But how is it with you Sinners are you in no danger Is there no Devil in the World or is there no fear that he intends to hurt you Is that Lion that us'd to walk up and down seeking whom to devour is he now confin'd to his Den so that he cannot hurt the Earth any more Are your Lusts those Lion's Whelps grown tame Do they no longer war in your Members Doth the World cease to be a temptation and a snare and are you out of danger of that Perdition and Destruction in which it draws its Lovers Is there no danger of your becoming Proud or Covetous or Sensualists lovers of Riches lovers of Pleasures more than lovers of God or is it no harm if you be so Nay what woful Work hath been made upon you already What inrodes and invasions have been made and are not your Souls already taken Captives Behold that ignorance and folly that impotence and weakness that enmity and perversness that malice and envy wherewith your hearts are already filled and that stupidity and senslesness under all these evils that appear upon you What doth all this portend Doth it speak good concerning you Doth it say thus concerning you these Men are in an happy state there 's no fear to Men in such a case no fear of the Covetous no fear of the Drunkards and the Lyars and the Scoffers they are all happy Men. Consider Man whither
have attained it before you have Be sure before you be confident whilst the case is doubtful suspect your selves whilst you hope the best fear the worst Put it out of doubt by searching more narrowly and a more diligent improving True Grace where 't is weak is hardly discernable the narrowest search will not do it What-ever Arguments there may be for there will be so many Objections against it that will darken the evidence of them The Confidence of a truly gracious Soul that is but weak may be a kind of Presumption though he doth not presume he hath what he hath not though he hath it indeed yet his Confidence that he hath it may be a kind of Presumption because the Evidence is not so clear that he can rationally bottom a peremptory conclusion upon it To conclude this matter Art thou perswaded that thou hast Faith and that there is a gracious saving change wrought upon thee Fear that thou mayest be mistaken and in this Fear search whether thou art mistaken or no lest thou also at last should be found and have thy portion with the Presumptuous and self-deceiving Souls But of this more in its place 2. There is a Presumption on future Mercy how bad soever Mens present condition be There are some self-condemned Persons the Die of whose Sins is so deep that it cannot be varnished over nor hid from their own eyes their Consciences pass Sentence upon them for Hypocrites and Ungodly and yet though they see they be stark naught abominable Branches reprobate Silver at present they are still without Fears but it shall be well with them hereafter Though their Consciences condemn them yet they hope God will justifie them Conscience charges them as God did those ungodly ones Psal 50.17 Thou batest Instruction and casteth the Word of the Lord behind thee when thou sawest a Thief thou consentedst to him and hast been partaker with the Adulterer Thou hast been a Thief an Adulterer a Lyar a Scoffer a Slanderer these things thou hast done Canst thou deny it Or as Jer. 2.23 How canst thou say I am not polluted How canst thou say I am not a Transgressor See thy way in the Valley trace thy Foot-steps consider the course of thy Life and see if all thy wayes do not speak thee a wicked Man But though Conscience charges them thus and they cannot deny the Charge but are forc'd to acknowledg all is true and to confess if there be ever a wicked Man in the World I am one if there be ever a vile Person in the Earth I am one if there be ever a graceless one under Heaven I am the Man yet though they know that they are wicked Ones and have no Grace at present they still presume they shall have Mercy at last God is a God of Pardons if he should be extream to mark Iniquities who then shall stand God is a merciful God for whom did Christ die but for Sinners Wo be to the World if God were no more merciful if Christ were no more gracious than Men speak This was the Confidence of those pointed at before Deut. 29.19 Who bless themselves in their Hearts saying I shall have peace though I walk in the imagination of mine own heart and add drunkenness unto thirst Mich. 3.11 The heads of the People judg for Reward the Priests thereof teach for Hire the Prophets thereof divine for Money they build up Zion with Blood and build up Jerusalem with Iniquity Here were a wicked Generation Perverters of Judgment Covetous Oppressors Bloody Men. What could these Men think of themselves Could they be ignorant that they were abominable in the sight of God What hope can they have of themselves Yes they have hope yet they will lean upon the Lord yet they trust in God no evil shall come upon them This is a more common case than is imagined Men could not be so hardy nor so venturous upon a course of known Iniquity as we see them to be did they not maintain in their hearts a secret hope of Mercy yet I shall have Pardon yet I shall have Peace the Lord I trust will spare me notwithstanding all that I have done But let such Men consider that by this their hope of obtaining Mercy in a state of Sin 1. They make the Scriptures a lye 2. They make Christ to do the Work of the Devil 1. They make the Sciptures a lye Thou doubtest not but that thou shalt be saved But what art thou It may be thou art an ignorant Soul all this while one that knowest not God nor his Gospel But what sayes the Scriptures of such Look into Job 18.21 Surely such are the Dwellings of the Wicked this is the Place of him that knoweth not God Where is his Dwelling what is his Place Look back into the former verses vers 14 c. His Confidence shall be rooted out it shall bring him to the King of Terrors Brimstone shall be scattered upon his Habitation he shall be driven from Light to Darkness and chased out of the World This is the place of him that knoweth not God Thou sayest no this is not my place my Confidence shall never be rooted out it shall bring me to the King of Glory I shall go out of Darkness into Light I shall see the Salvation of God What dost thou herein say but Scripture thou lyest this is not my place this dark and dismal Habitation shall be none of my Dwelling I shall dwell with God in the Land of the Living It may be thou art one that walkest after the Flesh a Person of a carnal worldly Life a Drunkard an Epicure an Earth-worm given to thy pleasure and ease and mirth a vain Person yea and one of the most vile of the Earth and what saith the Scriptures of such Why look into Rom. 8.13 If ye live after the Flesh ye shall die Colos 3.5 6. Mortifie therefore your Members which are upon the Earth Fornication Vncleanness inordinate Affections evil Concupiscence and Covetousness for which things sake the Wrath of God cometh upon the Children of Disobedience Rom. 2.8.9 Indignation and Wrath Tribulation and Anguish upon every Soul of Man that doth evil Psal 9.17 The Wicked shall be turned into Hell with all the Nations that forget God Thou art a wicked Man thou canst not say but thou art and yet thou art perswaded thou shalt to Heaven when thou diest What then dost thou make of the Scriptures dost thou not herein say 't is a lying Word there is no heed to be given to what it speaks Whilst the Saints build their hopes on the Truth what are thy hopes built upon but on a supposition of the falshood of the Scriptures And so this Word must prove the Word of that God that cannot lye must prove a false Word or thou wilt be damned for ever 2. They make Christ to do the Work of the Devil to help to fill the World with wickedness Whilst God sent Christ
case that have stood it out to the last and died in their Sins to here and there one that have been Converted and Saved Sure thou art in a fearful case that Curse that hangs over thee there 's but little hope but it will light upon thee and abide upon thee for ever O fear this Curse fear it in time that if it be possible thou mayest take warning and fly from the Wrath to come V. Lastly How should we improve this Holy Fear And now I am fallen upon that which I chiefly intended in the choice of this Subject This Fear will be of general use and of great advantage for the engaging us in and the more succesful managing of the whole business of Religion and Christianity in all the parts and duties of it I have a large Field before me but I shall insist only upon these three general Directions 1. Fear and Search 2. Fear and Beware 3. Fear and Follow after Direction 1. Fear and Search It will much help us to the understanding of our Work if we could once get to an understanding of our state to the understanding of our state a search is necessary and no such narrow search is like to be made as when we search with Fear therefore let the first Direction be Fear and Search Let Fear set you on searching and let it assist you in your search let it follow you into every Corner both of your Heart and Life Fear is suspicious and Suspicion will be inquisitive it will not take up with Reports or Appearances but wil inquire diligently whether Matters be so or no. Christians know that they must pass under the search of God and their fear how they shall abide his tryal will put them upon the more narrow tryal of themselves Besides the great tryal that will be in the last and general Judgment which we use to have a special eye unto in all our tryals of our selves there is a search which God makes into us even in this life And he searcheth us 1. By his Eye 2. By his Hand 1. By his Eye Psal 11.4 His Eye behold his Eye-lids try the Children of Men. Jer. 17.10 I the Lord search the Heart I try the Reins God searcheth not as Man searcheth by enquiring into that which before was hid from him his searching is no more but his beholding he seeth the Heart he beholdeth the Reins God's very sight is searching Heb. 4.13 All things are naked and open to his Eyes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 dissected or anatomized He hath at once as exact a view of the most hidden Things the very Entrails of the Soul as if they had been with never so great curiosity anatomized before him 2. By his Hand that is by his Judgments and Chastisements which he sends forth to try them that dwell upon the Earth Rev. 3.10 Zeph. 1.12 I will search Jerusalem with Candles Every Arrow which God shoots is a Candle to search out Mens Iniquities When God sends a Sword or Famine or Pestilence upon the Earth these are the Lord's Searchers which he hath sent forth to try the Children of Men. A fearing Christian will search himself that he may approve himself to the search of God's Eye and that he may prevent the search of his Hand God's Eye is upon me every day proving mine Heart and my Reins I doubt he may see what he will not like in me Search O my Soul what there is that may offend and whether there be not something in thee also which the Lord loveth God's Searchers are coming abroad and who may abide the day of their coming Is not Poverty to be feared Is not Sickness to be feared Is not Sword or Famine or Fire to be feared O what sharp work may these Searchers make upon me Since 't is so hard to endure let me do what may be done to prevent this kind of tryal of the Lord by trying my self But especially this Fear will put us upon a search of our selves with respect to the severest Tryal in the final Judgment of God But what must we search for Why what is it that thou dost Fear tell me that and that will tell thee for what thou must search There are two things especially which thou hast to fear 1. Lest there should not be found in thee that good thing which may evidence thee to be approved of God 2. What-ever Evils there be in thee at which the Lord will be offended Fear this Fear and it will set you a searching accordingly 1. Fear lest there should not be and search whether there be Truth and Vprightness in thine Heart towards God whether the Seed of God his special Grace hath taken root in thee The Ploughers have been ploughing the Sowers have gone forth to sow but what Seed hath there fallen upon mine Heart and what Root hath it taken there Such a search should not be made without fear The Apostle 2 Cor. 13.5 exhorting to this Work Examine your selves whether ye be in the Faith prove your own selves doth in the next words fright them to it Know you not your own selves how that Jesus Christ is in you except you be Reprobates Why should we examine What if we be not in the Faith Why you know what sayes he then you are Reprobates You are Reprobates if ye be not Believers Do ye know what 't is to be under a Divine Anathema to be in a state of Reprobation from God is there not a doubt that this may be found to be your case O how can you but search whether it be or no And how can you but fear while you are making such a search Are you not afraid to let your selves go unsearch'd Do you not tremble till you know how 't is with you And how can you set upon so great a Work without a trembling Heart Beloved It is a strange thing and it is a lamentable thing to observe what stupendious Security there is upon the Hearts of Men concerning the state of their Souls There 's no need of searching with the most they are already satisfied 'T is well with my Soul sayes one I shall have peace sayes another I do not doubt of Mercy through the Grace of God sayes a third and so go on through a whole crowd of Sinners and you may have the same account every one at peace every one already satisfied But how came you to be satisfied in so great a Case Have you ever search'd whether Matters be so well with you or else how can you but fear that you may be mistaken And what if you should be mistaken How strongly soever you are conceited of your uprightness how impregnable soever your confidence is at present notwithstanding all your boastings of your integrity yet God will not take you upon your words trust your selves if you will yet he will not trust you you must be tryed what you are Rom. 14.12 Every one of us to must give an account of
overcome Flee all sin but especially your beloved and accustomed sins remember what I have said of these already Be not the men you have been us'd to be do not the evils you have lov'd to do I do not yet mean that you should only change your sins forbear covetousness and turn prodigals give off your drudgery for this world and give your selves to idleness forbear prophaneness and turn hypocrites but put away all iniquity especially your accustomed and beloved sins Friends whenever you see your old sins that have gotten your hearts coming upon you and assaulting you as suppose pride suppose covetousness or sinful anger or the like which you have been us'd to be overcome by whenever you find your selves tempted to any of these again let your hearts startle at it Here comes my deadly enemy I know you of old what a snare you have been to me what a meer slave you have made of me I remember how it hath been with me all the time that I have been governed by this covetousness led by these companions commanded by these passions or this fleshly appetite these are they that kept me back from Christ that thrust out every good thought quench'd every good motion resisted every good word that was spoken to me When the Word of God the Ministers of Christ and mine own Conscience call'd upon me Go foolish Soul joyn thy self to Christ make thy peace with God accept of Grace submit to Mercy turn at his reproofs such was their power over me and I was so bewitched to them that I could not bring mine heart to hearken to the Lord. And are you come to me again tempting me and enticeing me again after you what shall I be a Drunkard again an Earth-worm an Epicure and flesh-pleaser again Away away I have done with all iniquity but especially I must have an eye to you I dare not touch with you for my life and therefore come my soul put on thine armour stand upon thy guard and resist them And in special call up fear to thine help and set that for thy Sentinel against them Fear will quickly espy and will give the alarm to the Soul Rise Sampson the Philistines are upon thee Rise Soul the Devil is at thy back sin lyes at the door Fear will espy and will not slight the danger we are in The flesh counts sin a friend that comes to do it a kindness or if it be apprehended as an enemy that 's like to do the Soul a mischief presumption will tell you the mischief may not be great if it make a breach upon thy peace 't is but repenting afterwards and that will make it up whatever wound it makes upon thy heart it may soon be healed the best that is may be drawn aside and yet do well enough Or if Conscience say it is not to be made light of it is a dangerous and deadly enemy yet security will tell you the enemy is yet afar off take thine ease and trouble not thy self before the time When the tempter is come 't will be time enough to look about thee But now fear will hold sin in constant suspition and it will ever suspect the worst look to thy self he is at hand that betrayes thee sin lyes at the door watching for entrance and if it get in once God knows what mischief it may do thee e're ever thou get clear of it Whatever mischief sin hath done to any person in the world thy fear will suspect it may do as bad by thee How many Souls has this pride made to fall into the condemnation of the Devil How many Souls hath this covetousness drown'd in perdition and destruction How many Souls has this evil company led down into the deep What did Nebuchadnezzar's pride do by him why it drove him from men amongst the beasts of the field How did lust and luxurie serve the prodigal It fetch'd him out from his fathers house and left him at the Pigs trough Whether did the rich man's gluttony carry him from the pleasures of his Table to the torments of Hell What kindness did Gehazi's bribes do for him they smote him a leper What advantage did Achan's Gold Judas his Silver Ananias his lye bring to them was not death all their wages yea it will put it to be consider'd what sin hath done not only to particular persons but to Kingdoms and Nations to Countreys and Cities what brought it on the whole world A flood of waters to destroy them What on Sodom It burnt it to ashes What on Shiloh Destruction and Devastation Look to thy self Soul this same enemy that hath made such woful work every where in the world this very enemy stands watching at thy door every little sin that comes thou knowest not who or what may be at its heels Dost thou not see Sword and Famine and Pestilence following after it behold the Devil leading on the Van and Death and Hell bringing up the Rear O what easie admission and entertainment notwithstanding all this mischief sin hath done do fearless Souls ordinarily give unto it It 's suffered to come upon them as it will to lodge with them and dwell with them and walk with them It meets them at every turn at their Tables their Beds in their Shops in their Fields and yet it is with them as if there were no enemy near If your houses were haunted with the Devil you would flee out of them if you saw Death in every cup of excess if you saw a toad in every gluttonous dish would you not be startled at it if you saw Robbers and Murtherers at your heels would you not run for it How is it that you are not running for your lives Fear and you will run How is it that you are no more carefully enquiring which way may I take to escape there 's such a sin or such a sin that is upon me every day how may I get rid of it Fear and that will both put you upon asking and help you to find out your way to escape But oh how is it that there should be yet any pleading for or excusing sin in the world such fools there are every where found who are only afraid of their friends who are watching and fighting against their Remedy who fall foul with a friendly admonisher with a faithfull reprover so far from taking heed of sin that they can hardly take it well to be bid to take heed of it Let any one come and say to them Friend dost thou well to be angry dost thou well to be idle and vain to be thus heady and wilfull in thy way And it may be instead of an I thank you for your friendly warning this shall be all What 's that to you look to your self and meddle not with me Shame upon this folly and madness Fear Sin as you ought and you will never fly in the face of a faithfull reprover To conclude this direction if you wil but hearken to
3. That you may not fear the severities of Religion fear the severity of Christ against Irreligion Thou canst not bear the work of Righteousness but how wilt thou bear the wages of Unrighteousness if thou canst not be tied up so strait by the cords of his Discipline how wilt thou endure the chains of his indignation If the severities of his service be to thee a stumbling-stone the wrath of the Lamb will be a mill-stone if this stone fall upon thee it will grind thee to powder Matth. 21.44 Sinners let their tongues run at a wild rate I must have my ease I must have my liberty I was never in bondage and cannot now endure it to come under such a severe restraint But thou that professest thy self to be one of his Disciples wilt thou say as these say I cannot bear it I cannot endure it Canst thou burn what thinkest thou of the everlasting severity Consider what thou dost either submit to Christs Pastoral Rod or fall for ever under his Iron Rod wherewith he will crush thee to pieces like a Potters Vessel Why is this the case must I bow or burn must I come under his Government or be ground under his Milstones O I have done no more reasoning with flesh and blood no more picking quarrels with Religion whatever there be in it I dare not but submit to it all for fear a worse thing come unto me Well but wilt thou submit then wilt thou set thine heart to all his words wilt thou set thy Neck to all his works This is the third thing now I exhort you to follow after Severity and strictness in the wayes of the Lord which because it hath something more of asperity and roughness in it than those that follow there will be so much the more need of Fear to bring us to it 4. Simplicity Severity may be in Hypocrisie the Scribes and Pharisees were severe severe in their Fasts disfiguring their faces looking with sad and dejected countenances severe in the observation of the Rites Customs and Traditions of their Fathers yea and of the Letter of the Law of God there were very strict sects of them Act. 26.5 and yet they were Hypocrites Simplicity notes The Heart in our work Singleness of heart 1. Simplicity notes Heartiness in our Work nothing is plain and honest but that which is hearty doing the Will of God from the heart Ephes 6.6 Ye have obeyed from the heart Rom. 6.17 My Son give me thy heart Prov. 23.26 What is it to give God the heart This is one thing comprehended in it to give him the heart for a servant or to serve him with the heart He that gives God the heart gives him the best he hath and gives him all he hath the heart will command the tongue and the hands and the time and the Estate to be all at his service which way the heart goes all goes Serving the Lord with the heart is serving him in good earnest we do but play with duty we do but mock God where the heart is not 't is only serving him in spirit that is serving him in truth Friends be real and in good earnest in what you doe let all your Religion come deep let your Prayers and your Prayses and all the exercising your selves to Godliness of life be the streamings and issuings forth of your hearts to the Lord. Whatever you doe do it heartily as unto the Lord. Serve the Lord as you have been used to serve your flesh in good earnest What you have done for your Estates what you have done for your Names or for your safety you have done it heartily and shall that only which we do for God and for our Souls be done without an heart what is God what are our Souls and the concernments of them that they should be thus put off Is this heartless service all that God is worthy of will he accept it at our hands or is it no matter whether he accept it or no Is this spiritless service answerable to the worth of our Souls and the weight of Eternity will you venture all upon shadowes and lyes Are we but in Jest when we talk of a God or a Christ or a World to come Are our hopes and fears about hereafter but delusions and dreams Do you believe from the heart and dare you not obey from the heart How can you say you believe there is a God indeed that of a very truth there is such an Heaven and such an Hell in one of which your immortal Souls must dwell for ever how can you believe such things and not feel your very inwards even all the Powers of your Souls engaged about them Am I speaking to those that believe not is it not to you that believe that I now direct my words Consider friends The God in whom you believe is a Spirit and will be served in Spirit and in Truth God is a great God and infinitely worthy of the best and of all you have your Souls are precious eternal Life and eternal Death are serious things and which of these two will be your lott is a serious question and sure these most serious things do call for your most serious and hearty attendance upon them Away with all guile and hypocrisie provoke not the jealous God fool not away your Souls by trusting to lyes Worship God in the Spirit lift up your Souls in your Prayers chasten your Souls in your Fastings And as your Souls must be in your Lips in your Eyes in your Ears while you are solemnly worshipping of God so let your Hearts be in you Hands too in all that you have to doe Let your heart have an hand in all the actions of your lives Eccles 9.10 Whatever thine hand findeth to doe do it with thy might that is do it with all your heart the heart is the might of the man God is the strength of the heart and the heart is the strength of the man Sinners when they go forth upon service for the Devil they carry their heart in their hands Micah 7.3 They do evil with both hands earnestly Earnestly there 's the heart in their hands They do their worst that God will suffer them Thou hast done iniquity as thou couldest Jer. 3.5 as much as ever thou wert able As Sinners do their worst so let Christians do the best they can Whatever thou hast to do for thine own Soul by gathering in and treasuring up against the time to come do the most and the best thou canst be as hearty in laying up treasure in Heaven as ever thou hast been in laying up treasure on Earth Whatever service thou hast to do for God in thy generation by doing good to others do it with all thine heart In your instructing admonishing counselling reproving in your working righteousness in your shewing mercy in your promoting and encouraging any good work or preventing evil in your propagating serious Religion in your pulling poor sinners as
brands out of the burning and rescuing them out of the power of the Devil in compelling the stragling and wandring Sheep into the Fold of the Lord or whatever else you have before you do it heartily as unto the Lord. What a world of good might a generation of hearty Christians do in the World how many Souls might be the better for them how many Families might bless God for them The blessing of Souls ready to perish might come upon them they may be the blessings of a whole Countrey they may be Lights to the World and Life to the dead Eyes to the blind Tongues to the dumb Feet to the lame and strength to them that have no might the Kingdom of God the Gospel of Christ would be advanced and adorned by them and the Synagogues of Sathan even depopulated and destroyed And how greatly would this both abound to their own account and tend to their own improvement in the Grace of God But wo to many of us yea and to the poor world also because an excuse must serve us instead of an heart we want time we want parts either opportunity or ability we have not thus we talk when 't is an heart only that 's wanting Hence 't is we stand so many of us like cyphers a company of useless and insignificant Souls which the Gospel and the Interest of Christ might spare and find little miss of in the world Friends do but find an heart and that will find you time and ability for other manner of service than hitherto you have done Well this is one thing implyed in Simplicity Heartiness 2. Singleness of heart Singleness of heart notes both plainness of heart without juggles and cheats or pretensions of what is not intended and oneness of heart as I may so speak that does not divide it self betwixt more Lords than one more Ends than one but runs out one way that has but one to serve and but one thing to do But of this having spoken largely elsewhere I shall say no more here 5. Ingenuity with good will doing Service Ephes 6.7 this good will notes that good nature which by grace we are wrought to inclining and disposing us to a more noble and free to a more chearful and ready serving the Lord. An ingenuous Christian doth not only serve the Lord really and without guile but readily and cheerfully it 's sweet to him to do good he bears good will to God for himself he feels the infinite goodness and worthiness of the Lord to melt and draw forth his Soul towards him the name and honour of God is in his heart and is so dear and precious to him that he feels something within him prompting him to all manner of expressions of love and duty to him He is become good natur'd and so not only in point of gratefulness he returns love for love good will for good will duty for kindness which he hath received but it is a pleasure to him to return good will for goodness love for his worthiness to be beloved The name of God he would have to be above every name it is his delight and therefore his desire that as the Lord is infinitely honourable so he should be abundantly honoured the very thing the magnifying and exalting the Lord is the great thing that sits upon his heart it is a pleasure to him that God is pleased and this he loves that God should be loved and served and hence is his care hence are his labours this is the spring-head of all his duties and God is the Ocean into which his streams do run He speaks for God and works for God and lives for God he studies to be holy and righteous he is busie and industrious he is watchful and painful and fruitful in good works that he may thereby shew forth the vertues of him that hath called him and glorifie his Father which is in Heaven He understands and feels that what he thus does for God is to himself also and will abound to his own account and everlasting blessedness and the good will he bears to his own Soul and the hopes he has of his own reward are as oyl to his wheels but his good will to his God is the main spring that sets them all a going O follow after this blessed frame get you such an ingenuous Spirit and then how sweet and easie will the very severities of Religion be The nearer you come up to this by so much the less need will you have of that fear which is so necessary to bring you hitherto Fear will now resign up to love to do its work more immediately by it self Not but that there may be still some use of it more or less so long as there is sin before us and any danger of our falling into it so long will love cause us to fear but as we are more grown up above the power of sin and are not so greatly in danger of it so fear abates By how much the more perfect love by so much the more hatred of sin and so much the less fear of it Love will now make as effectual a resistance against sin by Hatred as it did before by fear and for our course of duty we shall now run not with patience only but with chearfulness the race that 's set before us a chearful willing horse will the less need the rod or spur 6. Spirituality This and the former are twins and grows up together How fit is the spiritual man and how free will he be for spiritual work The new man is a spiritual man he is such from his birth Joh. 3.6 that which is born of the Spirit is Spirit but whil'st he is a child there is so little of spirit appearing in him that the Apostle sticks not to call him carnal 1 Cor. 3.1 I could not speak to you as to spiritual but as unto carnal even as to babes in Christ but as this Child grows up towards a perfect stature so he becomes more spiritual from day to day and accordingly he prospers in his work O Christians get you to be of a more elevated raised spirit through the more abundant diffusion of the spirit of Grace upon your hearts Live more in the contemplation of God Behold his face in righteousness and you shall be satisfied with his likeness Psal 17.15 2 Cor. 3.18 Beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord we are changed from glory to glory into the same Image Hereafter we shall be perfectly like him because we shall see him as he is 1 Joh. 3.2 and by how much the more we see him here by so much the more like him Acquaint your selves with God divine converses beget intimacy in Heaven and none so Heavenly as God's intimates we are too great Strangers in Heaven to have much of Heaven upon our hearts distance breeds difference by being such strangers we become more alienated from the life of God There is nothing more ordinary