to be given out certainly if God do perswade the heart to wait for that mercy that mercy shall be given out see David in Psal 27. 4. One thing have I desired of the Lord that will I seek after that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the daies of my life to behold the beauty of the Lord and to enquire in his holy Temple There he had a desire to come back again to Jerusalem to see the Lord in his Temple and his heart was carried out strongly to believe it he was banished by Saul a mighty King and he durst not come into the Land and how then could he come to the Temple yet he would not fear for that one thing that God had put in his heart to seek after for that his heart was upheld in it And thus God may deal with some of his servants when he doth raise up his peoples hearts to believe some special mercy that mercy shall be given out according to their faith That 's a second mercy why Enoch was thus translated he was one that had a special remarkable saith that something God should do for him in or about Death There 's a third Question follows Wherefore Enoch was thus translated The Answer is That so his translation might preach unto the men of that Generation yea to all succeeding Generations that there shall be a Resurrection of the Body I say therefore did God thus translate Enoch that his translation in body to heaven might witness to them and so to all other Generations that there is a time when that the bodies of the Saints shall be co-partners with their souls in Glory Here God Preached the Doctrin of the Resurrection of the Body by Enoch's translation in all Ages God hath not left himself without witness concerning this great truth the Resurrection of the Body and certainly the Lord saw that there was need that he should bear witness of this truth there was need then and there is need now even in this Generation that we should be informed perswaded and rooted in this Doctrine of the Resurrection of the Body there 's great need that Christians should be confirmed in it in the knowledge and in the full perswasion of it For 1. First of all It is the Doctrine that the Devil hath alwaies sought to over-throw the powers of Hell have bandyed against it and how hath the Devil by his Instruments by Atheistical men opposed this Doctrin in every Age It hath been opposed and it is still opposed I shall shew you what opposition is made against it that so you may be confirmed in it It 's sad to think that some that have formerly made a profession should fall so far as to deny a Resurrection and yet such a seducing spirit is gone forth in the world I shall shew you what the Atheist hath against it that your hearts may be confirmed in this Doctrin Quest Why First Say they it 's against reason How is it possible that the bodies of men should be raised up again whenas their bodies are devoured consumed in the heart of the earth they are turned into the very elements again into their first principles and how is it possible that the same bodies should be raised up again Answ To this I 'le answer in the words of our Saviour Christ O saies he you erre not knowing the Scripture nor the power of God for that was the answer that Christ gave unto the Sadducees that denyed the Resurrection in Matth. 22. 29. Ye erre not knowing the Scriptures he tells them they were not acquainted with that which God had spoken in his Word he brings one Scripture that they did not know and therefore they erred because they did not know it Have not you read saies he that which was spoken unto you by God saying I am the God of Abraham the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob they said there was no Resurrection saies Christ Poor creatures you say so because you don't know the Scriptures ye err therefore because you know not the Scriptures God saies I am the God of Abraham God saies this after Abraham Isaac and Jacob are dead and gone that he is the God of Abraham therefore there is something of Abraham yet remains and Abraham shall live again for God saies he owns them and saies ye know not the power of God Ye err not knowing the Scriptures and the power of God you measure God by the arm of flesh because it 's impossible to you you think it 's impossible to God whenas God is infinite and can do whatsoever he please if you did but consider the power of God saies he you would not err on this manner even to deny the Resurrection as a thing impossible Why who made the world Who made all things out of nothing Who brought light out of darkness Certainly to raise up the dead is not a greater matter than to make the World of nothing certainly if you had known the Scriptures you would not have denied the power of God in raising from the dead But the Devil is subtil and therefore when reason won't do he flees to Scripture he 'll bring you Scripture to deny the Resurrection that Scripture is urged by some Atheistical spirits 1 Cor. 15. 50. Now this I say Brethren that flesh and blood cannot inherit the Kingdom of God therefore say they the Scripture is against the Resurrection there shall be no resurrection because flesh and blood cannot inherit the Kingdom of God To this I answer 1. First That sinful flesh and blood cannot inherit the Kingdom of God corrupt man cannot inherit the Kingdom of God but the bodies of the Saints shall be raised without sin there shall be no defilement when they come out of the Grave they shall be purified sufficiently and therefore then they may inherit the Kingdom of God And 2. Secondly It 's true that weak frail corruptible flesh and blood cannot inherit the Kingdom of God but when the bodies of the Saints be raised up they shall not be weak frail and corruptible as their bodies are now no they shall leave all their weaknesses all their frailties shall be left behind them all these shall be left in the Grave therefore the Apostle answers sufficiently in the 53 verse of that Chapter For this corruptible must put on incorruption and this mortal must put on Immortality frail corruptible flesh and blood cannot inherit the Kingdom of God but it shall not be so at the Resurrection but this corruptible shall put on incorruption and this poor mortal body shall put on Immortality it shall no more be cloathed with frail flesh and blood but it shall put on new robes new robes that shall not be changed and that are not subject to change that shall not wear away but shall abide for ever in the Heavens and therefore there is nothing in this against the Resurrection of the body but it shall be partner with
many falls there 's so much crookedness in the way of the heart in the way of the conversation even in the best of Saints that if the Lord should judge them according to their walkings they were undone those Hypocrites plead a great deal when they cried Lord Lord have we not Prophesied in thy Name and in thy Name have cast out Devils and done many wonders and yet Christ bids them depart for he knew them not there is no pleading of works there is no pleading of worthiness and of the creatures righteousness when the creature comes to stand before Christ if you could walk with God as many years as Enoch did yet at the end of your walk at the end of your course you must lay down all and be willing to enter in as sinners that is at the door of free-grace not through any door of your own works or righteousness And again How does this call upon the people of God to be exceeding careful to receive Christ Oh! receive him freely he receives you freely here and he will receive you freely hereafter how are you engaged to receive him freely to close fully with him and with the tenders of life and grace of righteousness and holiness which are held forth in and through him Receive Christ freely and receive the Word of Christ freely though it be never so contrary to flesh and blood though it crosses your beloved lusts though it cross your profits though it cross your delights though it be the Word and Truth for which you must suffer yet oh why should not you receive Christ and his Word freely seeing he will receive you so freely another day He won't be ashamed to take his people and to own them before all the world these are mine my Jewels and if Christ won't be ashamed of you oh what a shame is it that you should either be ashamed or afraid to receive him and his Word and his Truth and to hold it forth in a time of opposition and suffering The free-grace of God in receiving his people at last is a mighty engagement unto them now to receive Christ and every word of Christ whilst they are in this Pilgrimage where God hath set them to bear up his name in the world But Further God took Enoch When was Enoch taken When he had lived three hundred sixty and five years that you find in the Chapter to be the term of his life three hundred sixty and five years if you compare the years of Enoch with the years of others of the holy men that lived in that Generation you shall find his life exceeding short his father lived above nine hundred and sixty years and his son Mathusalem lived longer yea all the time of all the Patriarchs there in this Chapter even amongst them all Enoch was the shortest liver a holy man a gracious man and one that was most eminent in his Generation and none there was that walked with God in his Generation as Enoch did and yet Enoch's daies are shortened I say sometimes the Lord shortens the daies of his Children that have walked and lived with him in an abundance of love and mercy You will say What time is that and when is it a mercy When does God shorten the daies of his servants in love 1. First of all God hath some of his servants that lie under great pressures their combatings are extraordinary and sometimes he shortens the term of their life in mercy and love We shall consider those particular combats which some of the Lords people are in an extraordinary manner exercised with and sometimes in pity mercy and love the Lord shortens their daies on earth As 1. First There is some of Gods servants that have extraordinary warrings with corruptions within them I say with corruptions within them and this proves a most heavy burden to them and makes their very lives uncomfortable a continual burden to them Oh these daughters of Heth were a continual vexation unto Rebecca the Apostle Paul was a man able to bear much and he bore a great deal of affliction which he met withal in his Pilgrimâ—ge that he could rejoice in afflictions and glory in tribulations they were nothing to him but when he comes to combate with sin lust and corruption that was within him he was forc'd to cry out to cry out for help he could rejoice in other affliction but herein he could not rejoice O miserable man that I am who shall deliver me from this body of death I say some have extraordinary combatings with corruption more than others Oh these Monsters as soon as one head is cut off another springs up in the room never at peace the war is never at an end the Lord shortens their warfare in that 2. Again Secondly God hath some of his servants that are extraordinarily imployed with temptation oh they are hunted up and down and continually baited baited with Satans most horrible temptations winds and storms are ever beating fiery darts are ever thrown in before one wound is healed another is given Well the Lord looks out from Heaven he looks down he sees the combate and many times he makes this the way of deliverance he puts out his hand he takes his poor servants to himself and so delivers them from the baitings of Satans temptations 3. Again Thirdly Some of Gods servants are in extraordinary afflictions all their daies above all the men in the world they are most afflicted I say the way that God leads some of his servants to heaven is a very dark and narrow lane and they see more affliction than all their Neighbours in â—am 3 1. well saies the Prophet there I am the man that have seen affliction I am the man that have seen affliction that 's no great matter who hath not seen affliction Is that such a matter for the Prophet to complain of that he had seen affliction Ay but his portion was extraordinary he had seen more than all others in his time and therefore complains as if he alone had been the man that had seen affliction Well when afflictions are very great and of long continuance God hath trained up some of his servants in this way in this School yea he many times shortens their journey in love But you will say Object Could not God deliver them some other way Could not God rescue them out of the hands of affliction and deliver them from temptation and make them conquerours over their lusts and corruptions But must he shorten their lives by it and no other way Answ Why Beloved we must know this the Lord sees it best and he knows it is needful for them to come to him in this narrow way and they could not be without those afflictions and warrings of lusts and without those temptations and it 's the best way infinite wisdom sees it the best way to lead them to himself and to glory And therefore when the case is thus that the Lord sees it so
needful that so long as they are in the body they should be in these conflicts afflictions and temptations then the Lord sometimes sees it best to shorten some of their daies to bring them unto himself But you must take this caution Take heed you don't limit the Lord to this way for though God doth take many of his servants this way by death yet I say they ought not to limit the holy one of Israel Let not them say as Job Wherefore is life given to a man that is in affliction Wherefore is life given to a man whose way is hid For if God continues life in afflicted conditions he sees good reason for it and therefore I say you may not absolutely desire death because of your affliction because of your temptations because of your buffettings not absolutely to limit God in this way of deliverance for though God doth use this way many times yet he will not be confined to it And though the Lord doth keep you in affliction he sees it is for his honour it is for his own glory that he may shew his power and goodness his wisdom in directing you his power in supporting you in strengthening you in delivering you and in making you able to hold out in such difficult afflicted conditions the Lord can find many waies of deliverance therefore don't say you Lord take away my life my affliction is great I see no way how I shall come out of it this is sinful for God hath many waies I say God chooses this way sometimes to free his people from all their corruption and temptations he shortens their lives and that in abundance of love 2. Again Secondly God sometimes doth shorten the daies of his servants in love when they live in evil times times in which iniquity doth abound then God fetches home many of his servants in love It was a very corrupt time that Enoch lived in The world was corrupt and filled with violence and therefore it was in love to Enoch that God shortened his course the Lord knows how afflictive it is for his servants to live in an evil world Wo is me saies the Psalmist that I am constrained to sojourn in Mesech and to dwell in the Tents of Kedar Psal 120. 5. That righteous soul was vexed Wo is me c. Nay the Lord considers that possibly his own people may be carried down the stream through the strength and violence of the corruption of the times that they may be drawn aside from their stedfastness it 's possible that even they may be corrupted even Gods own people may be corrupted in a corrupt Generation the Lord considers this and therefore many times he takes them away in an abundance of love and mercy When the Thistles and Nettles do so inclose the Lilies that they hinder their growth and communicate of their ill favour unto them then the Lord sees it's high time to remove to transplant his Lilies into a better soil And that 's a second Particular why the Lord doth shorten the daies of his servants it is when they live in a very corrupt and sinful Generation that doth both afflict them and endanger them 3. Again Thirdly Sometimes God shortens the daies of his servants in love that they may not see when great desolations are coming either upon their friends their relations their families or upon the Kingdom they live in the Lord in mercy calls home those that do walk faithfully with him and thus it was with Jeroboam's child in 1 Kings 14. 13. Jeroboam's child was taken away you have the reason given there because great desolation is coming upon the Family God threatens there by the Prophet that he would not leave one person alive and this child shall go to his Grave in peace Because some good thing was found in him towards the Lord God of Israel some good thing was found in him when the family was corrupt and therefore God would not have him to see what desolation he would bring upon the family And so when God brings desolation upon Kingdoms and Nations he sometimes calls home his own people Good King Josiah a gracious man was cut off betimes because the Lord was about to bring desolation upon Judah a great and fearful Captivity which came presently after when he was gone but he feared the Lord and was fearful when the Word of the Lord came to him and therefore God took him that he might not see that desolation with his eyes that sad desolation that God would bring upon Judah And so saies the Prophet Isa 57. 1. he gives this as a reason why God takes away some of his servants betimes The righteous perisheth and no man layeth it to heart and the merciful man is taken away none considering that the righteous are taken away from the evil to come When evil and desolation is about to come upon a place or a Kingdom why then God takes away many righteous and merciful men The Husbandman when he sees a storm is a coming he makes haste to gather in his Corn especially that which is most ready to shake that which is most like to take harm by the wet that he 'll in withall And thus the Lord doth with his when he sees great desolation that may even shake those that are his own 4. Fourthly God takes way some of his servants that he may prevent their uneven walking and their declining and turning aside from him the Lord loves to take his servants when they are at the best he pulls the Rose when it 's most sweet sometimes the Lord sees many of his servants that if they should stand longer they would decline and grow worse sad experience doth teach it now therefore it is that the Lord takes them at the fit time that he may prevent that dishonour that otherwise might be brought to his name if he should suffer them to stand longer in the world they might happily blurr their profession they might dishonour God they might harden their own hearts and therefore the Lord loves to take them when they are fully ripe and when he sees such a one ready to decline and grow worse and to lose of his sweetness and of his savour it may blurr the name of God dishonour him in the world why the Lord to prevent all this takes away sometimes such a servant of his in abundance of love and mercy and so he took away Asa and so Jehosaphat they were good men but they began to decline in their old daies Asa was a good man his heart was perfect it is the Testimony that God gives of him all his daies but he went and declined he went and relied on the arm of flesh when the Prophet tells him of it he was angry with the Prophet he imprisons the Prophet and he began to smite the people and God smites Asa with a disease in his feet and so took him away and it was best for Asa that he was taken away before a
further declining and so Jehosapbat did take part with a wicked King and the Lord did shorten his daies in abundance of love 5. Again Fifthly God will shorten the daies of his servants when they are enabled to do much in a little time when he hath caused them to run amain after himself to follow him hard and so through his grace have done the work of their Generation in a little time then the Lord shortens the daies of their dwelling in the body in abundance of love when their work is done the sooner their work is done the sooner they are at rest the Lord will not keep his people longer from their rest than needs must he knows that their daies are as the daies of an Hireling as Job speaks full of labour full of toyl and full of trouble full of disquietness and hurryings no rest therefore so soon as ever they have done their work God takes them he loves to have his children bettered he won't put them to School longer than needs must when he hath trained them up for heaven he presently sends for them home he hath longing desires to see them Christ would have all his children round about him and therefore when he hath caused them to do his work in a little time he will then send for them That where I am you may be also I am gone to prepare a place for you and I will come again and receive you to glory It shews how the Lord Christ doth hasten he hath longing desires to see them I am gone away and I come again as soon as ever the work is done he will not stay a minute when he hath fitted glory for them and fitted them for glory I will come I 'le come again and take you to my self he longs for them and causes their hearts also to be breathing mightily after him and therefore they shall not be absent from the Lord longer than needs must but when he hath caused them to do the work of their Generation he will take them away in abundance of love and mercy There are some Objections to Answer as concerning long life as a blessing but so much for this time SERMON XI GEN. 5. 24. And Enoch walked with God and he was not for God took him HE was not for God took him I opened the phrase to you the last day God took him to Communion with himself to near Communion the Saints whilst in the body are at a distance from God Whilst we are present in the body we are absent from the Lord saith the Apostle though God do now and then visit them yet for the most part they are absent from God they are put out to School and here God will have his people trained up for Heaven but when that change comes which is spoken of why then God is said to take them he takes them home he takes them into nighest fellowship and communion with himself For God took him the phrase holds forth that fulness of glory which the Saints are translated out of this world into God dwells here in them but they dwell in God they here are depressed in their spirits through the weight of corruption it't but a little they are able to hold of God Ay but in Heaven there God takes them he takes them in to himself Well done good and faithful servant enter into the joy of thy Master enter into it they shall be as so many vessels that are cast into fulness of love life and glory they shall be filled full to the brim God took him It holds forth also the freeness of grace in receiving in any even the best must enter in at this door of free-grace and no otherwise though Enoch had walked with God so many years three hundred sixty and five yet it 's free-grace if God will receive Enoch at last there are so many slips so many failings there are so many declinings so many turnings aside there is so much crookedness in the walks of the best of the Saints that if God should deal with them in the rigour of his Justice he might refuse them and therefore it 's grace it 's free-grace that they are received there 's no other door they are to enter in at I also considered the last time when it was that Enoch was taken when did God take him After he had lived three hundred sixty and five years which was a short time a very short time in that Age when the Patriarchs lived seven hundred eight hundred nine hundred almost a thousand years Enoch a gracious man one that walked with God and yet he lived not half the years of those Generations and of his son that came after him God many times shortens the daies of his servants in love I told you what are those times in which he shortens the daies of his servants in love and mercy 1. First When their lives are full of extraordinary warrings when more than ordinary burdens are laid upon them some have fiercer combatings with Satans temptations than others and some have heavier burdens both of corruptions and of afflictions than others I am a man that have seen affliction saies Jeremiah as if none besides him had seen affliction now many times God shortens the daies of his servants in love when their combatings have been extraordinary with corruptions and temptations and the burden of their affliction heavy it 's true the Lord could deliver them some other way open some other way besides the door of the Grave he could make them conquerours but the Lord in wisdom sees it best for some of his servants so long as they are in the body in this condition it 's needful for them so long as they are in the body to be grappling with their corruptions and temptations fightings and buffetings and therefore you ought not to call for death because of your afflictions and because of your temptations for the Lord is pleased many times in wisdom to take this way to bring in full deliverance to his servants And 2. Secondly When his servants live in a very evil time in a corrupt Generation then the Lord is pleased to shorten the daies of his servants in love It was a corrupt time that Enoch lived in before the Flood the earth was degenerated and violence covered the face of the earth before the Flood came and then it was mercy for Enoch to be taken away betimes the Lord knows what a burden it is for his servants to live at such a time when wickedness abounds and so the Lord delivers many of his servants by shortening of their course Again 3. Thirdly When great Judgements are coming upon them either upon their Families or upon the Kingdom and place that they live in God hath then sometimes shortened the daies of his servants as God when he intended to bring destruction upon Jeroboam's Family then cut short the daies of one of his Children Because some good thing was found in him towards the
Lord God of Israel God cut them off every man but he went to his grave in peace that he might not see that desolation and so good Josiah when he was young the Lord was pleased to take away him because of that Captivity which presently came upon the Jews after his being taken away And 4. Again Fourthly The Lord doth shorten the daies of his servants not because the seed of Faith should perish that doth abide for ever I have prayed for thee that thy Faith fail not Ay but the actings of their Faith may decline and Christians may grow dead and lose their first love may fall off and they may fall into Scandals and a blurr to their Conscience and profession now many times the Lord to prevent this doth shorten the daies of some of his servants As I gave Instances of King Jehosaphat and Asa began to imprison and to oppose and he might have done a great deal of evil but God smites him with a disease in his feet and he died and it was in love to his soul But again 5. Fifthly God loves his servants and therefore when they have done much in a little time and long for his appearance O! when shall I come and appear before thee So he calls alike for them he hath longing desires to see them when they have done the work of their Generation he will take them to himself in abundance of love and mercy Object But you will say Is not long life a blessing Hath not God promised to give long life to his servants in Prov. 10. 27. The fear of the Lord prolongeth daies and so see what Job saies Job 5. 27. Thou shalt come to thy Grave in a full age like to a Shock of Corn brought in in good season Now how is this promise made good that God takes away some of his servants in the midst of their daies How then do they come to the fulness of their daies as in age as a Shock of Corn in its full season To this I may answer in divers things which you may lay up for your satisfaction 1. First of all This may seem to be an Old Testament Promise the Promise of the Old Testament or Old Covenant for before the coming of Jesus Christ God walked more in this way of temporal promises and temporal blessings and happily though there may come a time again when God shall walk in this way and give out both temporal and spiritual yet now Gods present dispensation since the coming of Jesus Christ in the flesh it 's more spiritual he gives out more spirituals and less of temporals he gives out more of his own glory which he hath pleased to reveal in and through Jesus Christ and that which he gives out now unto his servants in spirituals may abundantly recompence the absence of all temporal mercies whatsoever But 2. Again Secondly That these Promises are conditional all outward promises promises of riches and honour of health and children and promises of long life these are all conditional God hath not promised them absolutely but with this limitation so far as he in infinite wisdom and fatherly love and care shall see to be good for them so far the Lord will fulfill any yea all those temporal promises which are given out so far as the Lord shall see to be good for them and therefore if the Lord doth take away his servants any of his servants betimes in the midst of their daies and don 't give out these blessings of long life it 's because the Lords sees it's best for them they are strangers here and it 's not good for them that they should be long from home he sees it in his wisdom I say to be best for them because their daies are evil it 's mercy that their daies are few God in wisdom put both these together few and evil saies old Jacob in Gen. 47. 9. Few and evil have the daies of the years of my life been and I have not attained unto the daies of the years of the life of my Fathers in the daies of their Pilgrimage few and evil the Lord sees it's good that they should be few because they are evil In Job 14. 1. Man that is born of a woman is of few daies and full of trouble what a mercy is it that God hath put these together few daies and full of trouble he is full of trouble trouble from within and trouble from without he is troubled with corruption temptation affliction with the sin of others with the dishonour that is brought to God in the world now when he is full of trouble it 's mercy that his daies are few That 's a second Answer 3. But again Thirdly I must say to that Objection concerning the promise of long life to the Saints that this promise is made good to a gracious man or woman when God takes them away they are full of daies he shall die in a full age saies Job Full of daies why a gracious man is full of daies because he is full of grace he is full of holiness and goodness and therefore he hath filled up his daies A wicked man when God cuts him off he is never full of daies in this respect his daies are empty his daies are full of vanity full of sin they are spent as a shadow but a gracious man is full of goodness he is fully ripe he is ripe for heaven he is ripe for the grave at that time when God cuts him down for he is Gods Husbandry God won't cut down his Corn before it be ripe if he cut off betimes he ripens betimes he will cause them to fulfill their daies God will fill their daies full of grace and holiness 4. Again Fourthly We may see that this promise is made good for a gracious man hath enough of life when God calls him to die he hath enough of life so that he is not taken away before his time why because he hath enough of life It is enough saies the Prophet Lord it is enough therefore take me away I am no better than my Fathers even so God causeth his people to say though he takes them away betimes yet they shall say Lord it is enough I have enough of life I have enough of the world I see nothing desirable here nothing that may provoke me to live longer here and therefore if the Lord say It is enough he 'll say it 's enough too But this won't the wicked man he will never say he hath enough let him live an hundred years twice thrice told yet he 'll never have enough the righteous come to the Grave but the wicked is dragg'd and haled to his Grave he is not a Volunteer to his Grave And therefore here is the promise made good if God satisfie the hearts of his people and enable them to say Lord I have enough enough of the world here and if thou pleasest to expire my daies I can say I have enough I
you might have life and that you might have it more abundantly See that promise and make much of it Psalm 92. it 's a gracious promise and may tend through the blessing of God to quicken dead unfruitful hearts v. 12 13. the righteous shall flourish like a Palm tree he shall grow like a Cedar in Lebanon those that be planted in the house of the Lord shall flourish in the Courts of our God they shall bring forth fruit in old age they shall be fat and flourishing it 's a large promise they shall be fat and flourishing and they shall bring forth fruit in old age therefore you that complain of the deadness and unfruitfulness of your hearts look to the promise and say Oh Lord I have a dead heart my branches are withered I even despair of bringing forth fruit to God why don't look to thy own deadness look to the promise of God It 's said of Abraham he had a dead body or as good as dead in respect of begetting Children Rom. 4. yet he lookt to the promise v. 19 20. And being not weak in faith he considered not his own body now dead when he was about an hundred years old neither the deadness of Sarahs womb he staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief but was strong in Faith giving glory to God he had a dead body and yet his faith was revived when he lookt to the promise of God he was confident that God who had promised was able to perform and thou that complainest of the deadness of thy heart don't look upon thine own heart but upon the promise God will declare his faithfulness and whatsoever he hath promised he will fulfill it Object But you will say how should we believe it we see the contrary how is this promise made good that the righteous shall bring forth fruit in old age don 't we see many times how the best Christians decay in old age which makes us even afraid to live to old age Answ Certainly the promise of God is made good they do flourish and bring forth fruit in old age an old Christian though he may not bring forth so much of some fruit yet he brings forth more of other fruit than young Christians do it may be there is not so much Zeal nor so much activitie for God ay but there may be more rootedness more stedfastness more establishment of heart the heart may be more rooted more grounded upon him this makes the fruit the more savoury the less of Self and the more of Christ is in him the more well pleasing is it to Gods taste Now I say that old Christians it 's true may decay in parts and gifts in utterance and expression and the like and yet may not decay in grace the inward man the hidden man in the heart that may wax strong and be more fresh green and fruitful 2. Secondly Again I say to this that young Christians may have more activitie but old Christians may have more Skill and therefore though they may not act as formerly yet there may be abundance of Skill in holy things as the wise man sayes remember thy creatour before old age comes before the daughters of musick fall low before the voice is gone he was able it may be to sing clear before yet now he may have as much skill and it may be more than ever though old and so of an old Christian this may be said that young Christians may bring forth more fruit but old Christians may bring forth sweeter fruit it 's so of older trees they bring forth sweeter fruit though not so much indeed as young trees why so old Christians that hold fast in their Integritie if they don't bring forth so much as the young tree yet they bring forth sweeter and pleasanter fruit and still the Lord is faithful in his promise the righteous bring forth fruit in old age and therefore look to the promise of the Lord and let this promise strengthen your faith 3. Thirdly Again Labour to grow up in grace the Lord loves to walk in his Orchard when there are fruitful trees he loves to bestow his pains upon them he will hedge them he will prune them he will spare no cost on his fruitful trees nay the Lord will not cut down his fruitful trees here 's great encouragement for Christians to bring forth much fruit in their Generation God doth spare those who bring forth much fruit God gave command in the book of Deuteronomie when as they went out to war Deut. 20. 19 When thou shalt besiege a City a long time in making war against it to take it thou shalt not destroy the trees thereof by forcing an ax against them for thou mayest eat of them For the trees of the Field might be imployed in the siege the trees that brought forth no fruit those trees should be cut down but those that bear fruit shall not by Gods command be cut down you that are fruit-bearing trees the Lord takes special care of you the Lord will not cut down those trees the husbandman he comes and looks on a branch and sees no fruit he is ready to cut it down ay but if there comes one and spies a cluster on it if it be but one cluster don't cut it down surely it is not dead here is a cluster on it Oh the grace and goodness of God towards his people there is something of Christ found in such and therefore Lord cut them not down thus mercy pleads Well then you that belong to Christ bring forth much fruit If you ask me how I answer look to God the great husbandman he is such a husbandman as he knows how to make you fruitful Paul plants and Apollo waters but God gives the encrease look to the Lord be willing to submit unto God in whatsoever way God shall deal with you be willing that the Husbandman should prune you launce you that he should cut off your unsound branches Submit unto Gods wayes of affliction though they be never so hard the Lord he can by them make you fruitful The rain it makes wayes dirtie but in time it makes grounds fruitful The Lord he can make thy trees fruitful and the herbs that he hath sowen and planted in thy heart fruitful therefore submit unto Gods wayes and get nigher to Christ as ever thou desirest to be fruitful the branches that are nearest the root those branches bring forth most fruit Christ is the root and you that are in Christ cleave more to him and let your dependance be on him The nigher you are to him the more fruit you shall bring forth 4. Fourthly The fourth and last thing and I have done Let Christians be like unto Christ in this that they be Apple-trees in the midst of the wood Christ he was an Apple-tree among bryars and thorns in the world Oh that Christians would be like unto Christ in this It was the great commendation of Lot Enoch Moses
Lord Jesus took in sitting under these shadows which were most uncomfortable to him for your sakes lo I come to do thy will O my God in the 40. Psalm 8. I delight to do thy will O my God yea thy Law is within my heart It was hard work to Christ and yet he delighted in it because it was his fathers work and because your souls were concerned in it it was the work of your redemption and though it was a bitter cup yet the Lord Jesus took delight in it If Christ delighted in these uncomfortable shadows in the shadow of Death for your sakes Oh why should not you express the comfort and Joy of your hearts in taking delight in being under his shadow Again Christ he is the delight of God the Father in Isa 42. 1. It 's the father that speaks of his son he speaks of Christ Behold my Servant whom I uphold mine Elect in whom my soul delights he would have you not only behold him as a servant but as his Elect in whom he delights now if he be the delight of his father what cause have you then to make him the delight of your Souls Nay further It 's the way to have all the desires of your hearts to be satisfied to be filled there 's an express place for that in Psa 37. 4. Delight thy self also in the Lord and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart He was speaking before that he should not fret because of the wicked yea think that they have all that heart can wish but you are mistaken their desires are not satisfied the more they drink the more they thirst they are not satisfied in the enjoyment of any creature comfort but I will shew you the way of satisfaction delight in the Lord and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart it 's the way to more grace and more strength it 's the way to be more able to do for God and more able to suffer for God and abundance comes in in this way in delighting in Christ when the Lord hath brought the soul into this frame once to take delight in Christ under some shadows of Christ Christ he is not far off from that Soul but will satisfie and reveal himself to that Soul in a most glorious manner see Mal. 3. 1. Behold I will send my messenger and he shall prepare the way before me and the Lord whom ye seek shall suddenly come to his temple even the messenger of the Covenant whom ye delight in and he shall come suddenly he is not far off and this is an evidence of this his coming that he stirs you up to seek him and to delight in himself to sit under the shadow of Christ with delight Oh then Christ he will come and will come suddenly and to manifest himself in a more glorious manner to that Soul that doth thus delight in him Well then to conclude I beseech you Brethren that you would look up to the Lord to have this frame of Spirit wrought in your hearts Do not think it enough to have these shadows but delight your souls under these shadows Christ calls for a great deal of delight from you to himself he is a most comfortable shadow a most pleasant shadow he is as the shadow of a tree and as the shadow of a great rock in a weary Land and as he is of great benefit to you so he calls for much delight from you Behold I bring you tidings of great joy says the Angel to the shepherds where Christ is there 's tidings of great joy and so when Christ draws nigh to your souls in his shadows he expects there should be great joy and delight in him that you should solace your selves under these shadow of Christ sit down and meditate under these shadows whilst you look under the Sufferings of Christ and ordinances of Christ see what a glorious prospect the Lord hath set before your eyes that you may take great delight delight in every shadow of Christ delight in his ordinances set your selves under these shadows It 's said those that were sick and diseased they laid them in the high way that the shadow of Peter might go over them shall the shadow of Peter heal diseased bodies why it 's Christ under whose shadow who ever comes will heal diseased Souls and he is greatly to be delighted in he is a sweet refreshing shadow SERMON VI. CANT 2. 3. I sat down under His Shadow with great delight and His Fruit was sweet to my Taste I Shewed you what is this shadow of Christ and what it is for a soul to sit under this shadow I made Application the last day But I shall proceed to the last clause of the verse and his fruit was swee to my taste I have considered the shadow now for the tree it self and his fruit was sweet to my taste Here is another benefit comes in by Christ It 's a mercie to sit under a shadow a Poor weary man in a wilderness rejoyces that he finds the shadow of a fruitful tree to sit under where he may not only sit and rest him but sit and eat with delight he 'l account this a double mercie and truly thus beneficial is Christ to his servants he is willing they should sit under his shadow and he is willing they should eat of his fruit and it 's the sweetest and the most delectable and delightful fruit that ever poor creature tasted The taste is one of the external senses the Object of it is meat and drink here it 's applyed to the inward man to that taste the soul hath of Christ by faith because the soul it doth taste Christ and it doth taste the sweet fruit of Christ and it finds pleasure in them in feeding upon Christ even as the palate doth find delight in savorie meats and delightful drinks I shewed Christ yields both shadow and fruit you see the mercies that Christ gives to his people they are compleat mercies for he is a compleat and a perfect saviour he is not only a shadow he is not only a defence unto them he doth not only keep off evil he doth not only keep off the scorching beams of the sun he doth not only keep off the wrath and displeasure of the Father but he is a pleasant shadow and yields pleasant fruit under whom they may sit and eat with delight and pleasure So he is a perfect saviour he is not only a privative but a positive Salvation this is that which the Lord holds forth to Abraham says he I am thy buckler and thy exceeding great reward I am thy buckler there 's the shadow and I am thy exceeding great reward there 's the fruit which the Lord gives him to feed upon Christ doth not only deliver from wrath but he brings in Life glory and salvation in Dan. 9. 24. Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy City to finish the transgression and to make
an end of sins and to make reconciliation for iniquitie and to bring in everlasting righteousness c. he shall carry out sin and bring in righteousness to take off sin that 's not enough but to brings in righteousness an everlasting righteousness far more glorious and excellent than the righteousness of men or Angels he shall deliver his people from the fear of death this is a mercie but that 's not all Christ he brings in a glorious hope hope of life hope of glory who hath begotten us again unto a lively hope says the Apostle He doth not think it enough to deliver his people from the Slavery of sin but he translates them into the freedom and liberty of the Sons of God he delivers them from the power of sin and he puts them under the power of grace he brings them out of the Kingdom of darkness and he brings them into the Kingdom of his own glorious light it was not enough to free them from wrath to save them from hell but he will put them into the possession of glory and therefore he prayes his Father in John 17. that he would let them be where he is he hath been a shadow to them but that 's not enough they shall eat of his fruit let them be with me where I am that they may behold the glory thou hast given me which is and which was before the foundations of the world were laid And 1. First therefore brethren let your expectations and faith be according to the largeness of the heart of Christ don't think it enough that you sit under his shadow that the Lord Christ is one that can free you from wrath don't think that enough but look further to taste of his fruit look up for those joyes and consolations of his Spirit which he is willing to pour into your souls as well as to free your souls from the apprehension of wrath and so don't think it enough that you are delivered from the slavery and bondage of sin that sin hath not dominion over you don't think that enough but look out further for the life of Christ to be revealed in you to be manifested unto you for life and righteousness to raign gloriously in your hearts let your expectations be according to the largeness of the heart of Christ And then 2. Secondly you should deal with the Lord Christ as he deals with you He did not think privative salvation enough it was not enough to make a shadow for you but he prepares fruit for you and therefore don't think it enough that you have bare negative holiness that what you do is not against Christ but that you do what you do for Christ for he that is not with me says Christ is against me Don't think it enough that you pass your time and spend your dayes without being conscious of any wilful Sinning but what you do from day to day deal with Christ as he deals with you that you may lift up his name and honour him who will in due time honour and lift up you That 's the first particular Again 2. Secondly Christ brings you first unto the shadow and then he gives of his fruit to eat and then he causes you to taste of his fruit Because she was brought under his shadow therefore she shall eat of his fruit see how the Lord doth make one mercy to be the beginning of another mercie unto his people it 's Gods ordinary way of dealing with his Servants because he hath shown them mercy therefore he will shew them mercy because he hath brought them under his shadow he will have them to eat of his fruit See Gen. 18. 17 18. Shall I hide from Abraham that thing which I do says God seeing Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him in his seed in the Messiah that shall come out of his loins yea and because I have given out this mercy I won't hide what I will do God makes one mercy to be the beginning of another And so when he promised to bring his people unto the mount a in in Isa 56. 7. it was a mercy to be brought to the mountain of God yea but God does not leave his people there but that mercy shall be a step to many a mercy which he intends to give out when I have brought them thither when I have got them thither then will I make them joyful in my house of prayer I will make a feast to them a feast of fat things I 'le chear hearts their and accept of their sacrifices and services and thus God makes one mercy the beginning of another And therefore Brethren do but see what a large testimony this gives unto the infinite goodness and riches of free grace which is in our God well might the Apostle say God who is rich in mercy for the great love wherewith he hath loved us what riches of mercy is here what fulness of grace and mercy in Christ is here that he should make mercy the way to mercy and mercy the beginning of mercy Oh what fulness of grace and mercy is there in Christ he is never well but when he is giving out we see the glory the glory of the only begotten son of God full of grace and truth there 's a fulness indeed all infinite fulness and this fulness doth delight to empty it self and to communicate it self unto poor empty creatures the riches of grace is mightily held forth in this And then what encouragement is here to poor souls that are conscious of their own unworthiness They want such and such mercies and such and such graces and strength and I have received more mercy than ever I can be thankful for and how can I or dare I be so bold with God to ask more mercy than I am able to express thankfulness unto him for what I have received Why if thou hast no argument to plead with God he will make this an Argument because he hath done thee good already this is not the manner of men but it 's the way of God it 's no argument with men you shewed me such and such kindness and therefore do me another such kindness but the Lord he doth thus he will make this an argument his doing of thee good from thence he will do thee good again But then again 3. Here is a third particular observable First the shadow and then the fruit See how the Lord doth proceed gradually in a way of mercy in doing good to poor creatures the longer they are with him and the more they know him the greater mercy he gives out it 's a greater mercy to eat of the fruit than to sit under the shadow well after Christ hath caused thee to sit under his shadow then he will give thee to eat of the fruit the Lord deals with his servants as you deal with your servants it may be you are not
1. 31. Therefore shall they eat of the fruit of their own way and be filled with their own devices They shall eat the fruit of their own doings when they will not listen to Wisdoms call oh my friends it will be very sowr fruit for a man to eat the fruit of his own waies the fruit that grows in the High-way side it 's but sowr fruit take heed that you despise not the Tree of Life lest the Lord say you shall not eat thereof That 's the first Use of Conviction 2. Again Secondly Here is a word of Invitation and I shall propound it in the words of the Psalmist in Psal 31. 8. a gracious Invitation O taste and see that the Lord is good blessed is the man that trusteth in him You have heard of the fruit that grows upon Christ and now oh my friends come taste and see how good the Lord is the Psalmist speaks as a man that had found a good morsel found some dainty food he was eating of it alone he found a great deal of sweetness in it and he calls his friends Oh friends come and taste and see how good it is if you did but taste of this meat you would say Oh taste and see how good the Lord is there is pleasure and sweetness there 's enough to take up all your affections and all your senses here you may see and taste you may see beauty and taste sweetness the Tree of Life is not only beautiful good to look upon beautiful to the eye but it 's good for food let me tell you it 's not enough to see the beauty of the Tree of Life it 's not enough to look upon it it 's not enough to see but your souls must taste you will never be the better for the fruit that grows upon Christ unless you taste it unless you come and feed experimentally upon Christ it 's not enough to hear that the Lord is good it 's not enough that you have heard that there is so much pleasant fruit grows upon Christ but as ever you desire to be nourished comforted revived strengthened and quickened why then come here and taste and see how good the Lord is it 's mercy that you have an Invitation it was a direful threatening in Luk. 14. 24. For I say unto you that none of these men which were bidden shall taste of my Supper That they which were bidden as Guests should never taste of my fruit the Lord doth not speak this to you this day he doth not say You shall never taste of his fruit but he gives you an Invitation Oh then come and taste and see the goodness of God Let me tell you by way of motive That there is nothing in the world will do away the cursed and bitter taste of sin but only the taste of the fruit of this Tree Poor sinners you know not what the taste of the fruit of sin is oh what bitterness many times doth sin leave behind It 's sweet in the commission whilst men are committing sin whilst men are in the midst of their lusts in the midst of their vanities in the midst of their cups sin is sweet but oh the bitterness the poyson of Asps that sin leaves behind in the Conscience you have tried it may be to put out the taste of sin to do away the bitterness that sin hath left behind and you swallow many a good Ordinance after it many a good duty as you have supposed you have washed with your own tears and yet the taste of sin is left behind and truly Brethren no wonder there is nothing in the world will do away the taste the bitter taste of sin but only the taste of the fruit of Christ O come and taste of this fruit it will leave a sweet relish behind it will leave a taste in your souls and consciences that shall alwaies be above and prevail against the bitter taste of sin Nay further let me tell you there is nothing else can sweeten your affliction there is nothing else can sweeten your temptations and your trials but only a taste of the fruit of Christ this will take away all the bitterness and therefore I beseech you make good provision for your selves against you take those bitter Pills you will have something that is sweet by you to sweeten your mouths against you take bitter Pills Oh that men would make such provision in and against evil daies death is bitter in it self and life is sweet Oh that the Lord would revive you in giving to you a taste of the Tree of Life and this will sweeten all afflictions and it will take away the bitterness of the taste of death the Martyrs they felt not the heat of the flames for they had the juice of the Tree of Life in their mouths and souls and the fruit of the Tree of Life preserved them Quest But how may you know that you have tasted of this fruit of the Tree of Life Answ You may know it by your desires after Christ when the soul hath tasted of the fruit of Christ it desires to taste more of that fruit and it will see an averseness to sin so did the Spouse of Christ she sat down and desired to eat as I told you it was rendred she sat down and desired to eat and still to eat her desires were carried out still after further and further enjoyments and tasts of Christ when the woman of Samaria had tasted of the sweetness of the water of Life in John 14. 15. Give me to drink of this water that I thirst not Give me evermore to drink of this water she tasted but a drop and this gave her to cry out O Lord give me evermore to drink of this water so the soul having once tasted but a taste of this fruit of the Tree of Life Lord give me evermore to eat of this Tree of this fruit Again It 's known by the contentment delight and satisfaction that the soul doth find in Christ by the tasting of him it hath satisfaction in Christ a high esteem and honourable esteem such an esteem as David had he desired to be a door-keeper in the Courts and House of the Lord And so the soul that hath tasted of Christ Oh Lord let me eat of thy fruit though my condition be never so low let me sit under thy Tree though I sit like Job on the Dunghil let me sit down and eat of thy fruit and it 's enough it satisfies when it hath Christ whatever it hath it 's satisfied if it be but the fruit of Christ's love it 's satisfied if it be but a piece of bread if it hath the love of Christ with it I shall say Lord my lot is fallen on a goodly ground and thus saith our Saviour Noman that hath drank old Wine and tastes of new desires the old again because it 's bitter to him so no man that is once in Christ desires to taste of the fruit
of sin because this fruit is better Oh that many might be convinced of sin such as wallow in their lusts and take more delight in their lusts than in Christ that have not yet tasted of the fruit of this Tree of Life the Invitation is even to them unto such that they might come in and taste and see how good the Lord is So much for the first Use 2. Vse Secondly A word of Exhortation to those that have interest in Christ O that you would come and sit under this Tree and eat That Christians would sit more under Christ and eat more of his fruit It 's not enough to give a pluck and away a snatch and away but the Spouse she sat and pluckt and eat Christ doth not love a hasting gesture he doth not love souls hast in plucking of his fruit he doth not love they should post over Communion with him but that they should sit down and eat Oh chew well upon the Tree of Life that you may find that sweetness that infinite sweetness that is in it Oh that you would pluck much of the fruit of this Tree you that have interest in Christ pluck much of this fruit and eat much of this fruit let me tell you there is more fruit grows upon one bough than you can pluck all your daies and make no spare there is more fruit grows upon one bough than you can pluck throughout all Eternity Oh that you would every day be plucking a little continually plucking and eating some of the fruit that grows upon this Tree of Life it 's but a taste that you can have and therefore you had need be often and alwaies tasting of that fruit which is in him Besides you can have but a taste of this sweetness yet this taste is exceeding comfortable reviving and strengthening I say that very taste it's exceeding comfortable and reviving there is no fruit so full of spirit as this fruit that grows upon the Lord Jesus and it 's full of strength it will strengthen your souls abundantly you may know it 's very nourishing by the sweetness of it Physicians say That which tastes well it nourishes well and if so I am sure this fruit is nourishing fruit for it hath the sweetest taste it hath the most delightful taste O the sudden strength that the taste of this fruit hath conveyed unto poor weak and weary souls to such as have been spent almost in their combates and ready to faint and give up the Ghost their spirits have been ready to fail within them and the Lord hath given but one taste of this fruit some fruit or other the fruit of his death or the fruit of his Resurrection Ascension or Mediation and it hath given new strength and new Life to the poor soul and it hath made it stand up and leap for joy it crept upon the earth before and now it mounts up like the Eagle Oh this excellent fruit that is in Christ it 's worth the plucking and it 's worth the eating Besides you may well pluck much of this fruit you that have interest in Christ you have all the advantage that can be you have the shadow over you whilst you pluck it and whilst you eat it you need not labour much and toil much for the Lord with this Tree will be a shadow to you you may pluck with delight and eat with delight under his shadow he will keep off his fathers displeasure you may eat and pluck and eat with delight and need not fear surfeit all the fruit is fully ripe here Christ hath bidden you eat without fear It 's the sin of some as the Apostle speaks that they eat without fear but here 's the commendation of this fruit you may eat without fear Men may eat too much of the fruit of this world and get a surfeit it may cost many a Life and Soul but here Gods people may still pluck and eat and eat and pluck and eat abundantly 3. Vse Thirdly This Doctrine calls the Saints to thankfulness Oh bless the Lord that he hath made such provision for you that he hath provided such a Tree as this that you may eat here and eat in heaven and for ever feed upon it and be comforted and satisfied What do you owe to the Lord you that are the people of the Lord What do you owe to the Lord for his mercy I say what shall you render unto the Lord for all his loving kindness when you pluck and when you eat look upward I say eat and look upward Do not eat as the Swine eat under the Tree and never look up from whence it comes it 's a sin to receive any mercy so to take them as not to look up but when you eat of the fruit of this Tree Oh lift up your hearts and look up unto Christ and be thankful do but consider what poor creatures you are what need you have of this fruit you had starved your souls had starved and famished for ever if Christ had not been a fruitful Tree all the creatures could not have given you fruit for your souls to feed on I tell you the fruit that is upon the creature is vanity it 's perishing they could not have nourished you up to eternal life Oh you had famished you had fainted you had perished and when you were in this fainting perishing condition he sprang up as a Tree in the Wilderness as a Tree in the Forest he sprang up in your fainting and wildred conditions he sprang up and became a fruitful Tree unto your nourishment And do you but consider what unfruitful Trees you were to Christ when Christ became a fruitful Tree unto you Oh the cursed fruit that you brought forth to him you brought forth nothing but sin and death there 's all the fruit that you brought to him you brought forth sin to him and brought forth death to your selves Oh that ever the Lord Christ should be a Tree of Life unto you you that were Trees of death unto your selves and Trees of Death unto him your sins put him to death That ever he should be a Tree of Life unto you and be a Tree to bring forth such fruit such peace such pardon such joy such strength oh the infinite love of Christ to you Why certainly Christ deserves a great rent for his fruit it 's said in Cant. 8. 11 12. That Solomon had a Vineyard and he let it out for a thousand pieces of Silver if Solomon had so much for his fruit what deserves Christ for his fruit Oh the thousand pieces of Silver the thousand Hosannahs the thousand Halleluja's and thousand praises that are due to Christ for his fruit Well I beseech you give Christ of his own fruit I say give him of his own fruit he requires nothing from you but what you may pluck from his own Tree give him his own fruit as it 's said of Cain as wicked as he was when the Lord blessed the
ground he brought of the fruit of the ground and presented it as an offering unto the Lord and now if Cain brought the fruit of the ground should not you bring the fruit of the Tree The Lord hath given you all the fruit of the Tree to eat of Oh bring of the fruit of the Tree as a Sacrifice that the Lord hath given you so freely to eat of know that all your mercies come from this Tree and therefore look that all your mercies liberties and comforts grow upon this Tree Oh then acknowledge Christ in all and say with David O Lord all things come of thee and of thine own have I given thee So go and return all these mercies to Christ if thou hast any thing that is good say Lord this grew upon thy Tree and I am beholding to Christ for it if thou hast any grace any strength any ability any opportunity to do for God to serve thy Generation say Blessed be Christ for it it 's none of my fruit but it 's Christs fruit this strength and that grace it grew upon that Tree I bless the Lord for it Oh be taken up with admiration with holy admiration there is a world of precious fruit that grows upon Christ you have heard but a little of it oh be taken up with admiration continually be taken up with thanksgiving and acknowledgement give all back again to Christ and by that little that little sight of the goodness and the little taste of the sweetness that the Lord now gives you of the Tree of life rise higher do not rest here but be rising higher and higher and say Oh Lord if the fruit be so sweet what 's the Tree it self How excellent and glorious is the Lord Jesus Christ the Tree of life from whence such precious fruit doth grow Rest not upon any thing but Christ and be still ascending higher and higher and say Lord if this fruit the fruit that I now taste be so sweet what is the fruit that I shall taste of in heaven If I taste of the fruit of the lowest boughs and they be so sweet what is the fruit that grows upon the top branches which is reserved for the Saints to pluck and to eat of when they shall come unto heaven And thus I have given you in part to see the meaning of these words and how usefully they may be enlarged in your own Meditation and remember the Text it 's worthy you should spend many thoughts upon it As the Apple-tree among the Trees of the Wood so is my beloved among the sons I sat down under his shadow with great delight and his fruit was sweet to my taste SERMON I. MATT. 18. 21 22. Then Peter came to him and said Lord how oft shall my Brother sin against me and I forgive him till seven times Jesus saith unto him I say not unto thee until seven times but until seventy times seven HEre is Peter's Question unto Christ about the Forgiving of Offences and Christs Answer unto Peter's Question you must know that the Question and so the Answer relates unto particular offences personal offences such wrongs and injuries as are done by one man unto another As for those which are more immediately against God and more publick Christ doth give another rule in this Chapter but this I say is concerning personal offences or wrongs which are done by one man unto another How often shall my Brother sin against me and I forgive It is true every such offence is a sin against God and so far as it is a sin against God there is no man can forgive the Lord only can forgive sin he against whom the sin is committed but now there is an offence or wrong which is done against man and so far as the offence is against man man may forgive man cannot forgive Gods part but so far as the offence is against man man may forgive it nay Christians ought to forgive it so far to forgive it as not to seek any revenge for the wrong done How often shall my Brother sin or offend against me By Brother here we are to understand any relation any friend any neighbour any man that we have to do with if that he hath done any wrong or any offence he 's comprehended under this relation of a Brother any man for we are all Brethren How often shall my Brother sin against me and I forgive him till seven times there is Peter's Limitation he seems to give an answer to himself for it comes short of the answer of Christ Shall I forgive him so often saies Peter Lord what shall I forgive him seven times It seems to be hard to forgive a brother seven times but see how Christs answer doth exceed Peter's Christ will have no such bounds set as seven times I say not unto thee till seven times but until seventy times seven As if Christ should say Wherefore dost thou say seven times to set the bounds of thy forgiveness seven times to thy brother I 'le have no such bounds given you think it a great matter to forgive seven times I say unto you That it is the Will of my Father that you forgive until seventy times seven a certain number for an uncertain seventy times seven that is I will have you to multiply forgiveness not that Christ himself doth set bounds to seventy times seven that they should proceed so far and no further but I will have you to forgive very often nay as often as thy brother doth offend not seven times but I say seventy times seven That which I shall observe at this time is this Doct. How far the thoughts of the Lord and the waies of the Lord are beyond our waies and our thoughts in this matter of forgiveness Peter thought seven times for a man to forgive an offending brother was a great matter but seventy times seven was not enough and know that what the Lord Christ doth here give in as a duty unto Peter and to all the Disciples that the Lord Jesus himself doth assert as his prerogative in the matters of forgiveness in the matter of forgiving offences and transgressions The Lords thoughts and the Lords waies are infinitely above ours This truth I shall handle at this time to make way for that main Doctrine of the Text which is the Doctrine of Forgiveness forgiving Offences Now that the Lords thoughts and the Lords waies are so far above ours it is clear from Scripture Isa 55. 7 8 9. see it was in the matter of forgiveness this is spoken Let the wicked forsake his way and the unrighteous man his thoughts and let him return unto the Lord and he will have mercy and to our God for he will abundantly pardon For my thoughts are not your thoughts neither are your waies my waies saith the Lord for as the Heavens are higher than the Earth so are my waies higher than your waies and my thoughts than your thoughts Though you cannot think that
I should multiply pardon you think seven times hard but the Lord can multiply unto seventy times seven the Lords waies are not as your waies nor his thoughts as yours for his thoughts are above your thoughts as the heavens are above the earth now this shews us how far short we do imitate the Lord in forgiving others For 1. First of all The Lord when he forgives he forgives those that are enemies this will advance the exceeding riches of the Lords grace I say the Lord when he forgives he forgives enemies for so is every man by nature neither can any man lay down that enmity that is in the heart till such time as the Lord Christ brings home a pardon that is the first work and the ground of all that the Lord doth for a soul and of what it doth for him I will be merciful to their unrighteousnesses and their sins and iniquities will I remember no more Now how far are the thoughts and waies of the Lord above our thoughts and waies in this matter of forgiveness Christ he forgives enemies he brings home forgiving mercy unto enemies and reconciles the enmity that is in their hearts But oh how far come we short we are so far from forgiving enemies as we can scarce forgive friends hard to forgive a brother a dear and near relation Oh how far do we come short of Christ in that Secondly The Lord when he forgives offences and transgressions to a poor soul he forgives freely and the freeness of the Lords forgiveness will appear in these particulars 1. First In that the Lord is alwaies ready to forgive there is a propensity in the heart of the Lord to pardon poor sinners that come in to him he is ready to it God is never unready it discovers the freeness of the Lord in this work the Psalmist speaks of the Lord in Psal 86. 5. For thou Lord art good and ready to forgive and plenteous in mercy to all them that call upon him Of tender mercies God is never unready for this work alwaies ready ready to forgive the heart of God is never out of tune never out of frame for this work never unready for this work alwaies ready to forgive but oh how far are the waies of the Lord above our waies for this and his thoughts above our thoughts Where is the man or where is the woman whose heart is ready to forgive whose heart is never out of tune never out of frame for this work of forgiving wrongs injuries and offences unto them that they do commit them The Lord he is ready to forgive It may be at last a man may be drawn off to forgive a man when friends have dealt with him when he hath been urging it on his own heart to be his duty when he hath taken pains with his own soul and brought the Word home to his soul and hath smarted for this unreadiness to forgive but oh where is the man or woman that looks unto God whose heart is never out of tune but alway ready to forgive 2. Secondly The freeness of the Lords forgiveness appears thus In that he is not only ready to forgive but he forgives at the desire of the poor creature no sooner doth a poor creature express his desire but the Lord is ready to express his willingness set forth in the Parable of the wicked Servant in Mat. 18. 32. I forgave thee because thou desiredst me not that this his desire was the cause of forgiveness but it exprest the readiness of the Lord at his desire to come in and to manifest pardon unto him Now I pray let us consider how far the thoughts of the Lord and the waies of the Lord in this particular are above ours for the Lord forgives that which is desired but oh where is the man almost that can so easily forgive at the desire of him that offends hardly brought off although the party offending doth desire it although friends have desired him and relations have desired him and God hath desired him and Christ hath desired him yet how hardly are they brought off to this work 3. Again Thirdly The Lord forgives freely it appears thus He doth forgive upon the confession of his people he is ready to manifest his pardoning and forgiving love 1 Joh. 1. 9. If we confess our sins he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins And hereby I say it appears that he forgives freely in that he forgives upon the very confession of his people though not for confession and not for desire as I said before but yet in this way the Lord is pleased to manifest forgiveness no sooner doth the poor soul confess but he presently forgives I have sinned saies David The Lord hath done away thy sin saies the Prophet presently that is the next word Now how far is the way of the Lord above ours Where is the man that is ready to forgive upon a confession Yea although there be an acknowledgement of the wrong done yet how hard a matter is it for a poor creature to pass by that wrong Thus how much are we unlike to God 4. Fourthly Nay further the freeness of Gods forgiving mercy appears in this He doth forgive presently as soon as his people look towards him he doth not make long delay about the business he doth not stand to consider whether he shall forgive such offences or no but presently gives out pardon I have sinned saies David and in the next words The Lord hath done away thine iniquity Now how far is the way of the Lord above us in this Where is the man or woman that can find in their heart to forgive presently the wrong or injury done Oh there must be a great deal of do to bring off the heart to this work to forgive It may be in length of time mens hearts may be perswaded through a long time they may forgive and forget but oh where is the working of grace to bring off the hearts of men to forgive presently truly in this we come far short of God and the way and thoughts of God 5. Fifthly Nay further The freeness of God in forgiving a poor sinner appears in this He doth prevent poor sinful creatures with pardoning mercy Even before they do desire he prevents their desire their supplication for mercy he brings in a pardon to a poor soul before it hath made any real acknowledgement of its offence I said I will confess my sin unto the Lord Psal 32. 5. And thou forgavest me the iniquity of my sin David did but say it in his heart he had but such a thought such a purpose in his soul well I will return unto the Lord and I will confess And before David could do it the Lord he prevents him he prevents him with mercy And so another Instance you have of the Prodigal in Luk. 15. He said he would go to his Father and make his confession at the 18 Verse I will arise and
go to my Father and say Father I have sinned against Heaven and before thee c. and then at the 20 Verse it is said He arose and came to his Father But when he was yet a great way off his Father saw him and had compassion and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him Mark how the compassion of the Father did prevent the confession of the Son I will go to my Father and say Father I have sinned so and so but before he could utter one word the Father falls upon his neck and kisseth him and forgives his many and great transgressions and then indeed afterward he doth make an humble acknowledgement And thus the Lord doth deal with poor sinners he doth prevent them with pardon before they can acknowledge their transgression and how far is the way of the Lord above the way of man in this Where is the man or woman that will deal thus with an offending brother with one that hath done him wrong and injury that will prevent their desire and prevent their confession but men will rather stand upon it and think they have rather warrant so to do If my brother confess and acknowledge his offence then it may be we think it our duty to forgive though hardly to bring off our hearts to that but where there is no confession and acknowledgement where is the man like the Prodigals Father to run and meet his son and seal up forgiveness before confession or an acknowledgement This shews that the way of the Lord in matters of forgiveness is far above man the Lord forgives enemies and the Lord forgives freely But 3. Thirdly The Lords waies are above ours it appears in that the Lord forgives fully He doth not only forgive freely those whom he doth forgive but the Lord forgives poor sinners fully I shall make it out in these particulars As 1. First The Lord he doth forgive all the debts When God doth forgive a soul he doth forgive all offences all transgressions and sins whatsoever I forgave thee all the debt he doth not forgive one sin to the soul and leave the other to reckon with him for and to condemn him for but where the Lord forgives one he forgives all else the forgiveness of the Lord were not full There are some that think indeed that God may forgive a soul one sin and yet reckon with him for other sins as the Arminians say That God forgives Original sin to all the World and yet condemns for actual sin but this is contrary unto the fullness of that grace of forgiveness As Jesus Christ died for sins against the Law so he died for the sin of Unbelief and when God forgives the sin of the Law he forgives Unbelief and overcomes Unbelief else it were in vain for God to forgive transgression though God could forgive all transgressions against the Law yet if God did not forgive transgression against the Gospel we had been shut up eternally for that sin but when God forgives one sin he forgives all sins and herein is the fulness of his pardon But oh how short is our way of Gods way in this particular A man can find in his heart to forgive some wrong but to forgive all the wrong that a man hath done this is a hard work how hardly is the heart of man brought off to this work 2. Secondly Nay again The fulness of Gods forgiving mercy it appears in this He doth not only forgive all the offences where the offences are few but he forgives them all where they are many If the soul be brought home to Christ the great Mediator the great Sacrifice the Lord forgives for all sins though never so many Luk. 7. 47. She loved much because much was forgiven her though her sins were very many yet they were forgiven her fully we can forgive a brother a Neighbour or a friend if they have done us but a few wrongs but now when offences come to be multiplied suppose they were many Oh how hard a matter is it to us to forgive them though easie with a Almighty God But 3. Thirdly Again The fulness of Gods forgiving mercy doth appear in that he doth forgive the greatest wrong He doth not only forgive many when they are small but he forgives many when they are great and herein I say is the greatness of the grace and of the love of God towards poor sinners that although offences be never so great he pardons and forgives them all Though your sins be as scarlet yet they shall be made as white as snow Isa 1. 18. This is it that aggravates the offences of his people in Isa 43. 24. Thou hast made me to serve with thy sins thou hast wearied me with thine inquities yet this follows at the 25 Verse I even I am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for my Name sake and will not remember thy sins this was it that did aggravate the offences of his people thou hast made me to serve with thy sins God he forgives their sins though they were so great that God was oppressed under them as a servant under a heavy burden and yet saith the Lord I even I am he that blotteth them out Oh how short is our way of the way of God It may be a man may forgive offences when they be small but when they come to apprehend them great they are great wrongs done unto him and never was any wronged as I am by such a one and such a friend Oh how hard a matter then is it to imitate God in forgiving such great wrongs 4. Fourthly But again further The fulness of Gods forgiving mercy appears in this He so forgives his people as He retains no grudge in his heart against his people nothing but clearness in the heart of God toward his people Joseph was one that forgave his Brethren so freely as he never retained any grudge he takes off their aggravation it was not you but God that sent me hither therefore be not offended Joseph herein was a Type of Christ he forgave his Brethren so fully as he bore no grudge against them we never read that he upbraided his brethren so much as once for all the wrong they had done to him there was no grudge in the heart of Joseph against his brethren there was nothing but clearness in his heart and so nothing but clearness in the heart of God But oh how do we fall short of God Men may profess forgiveness O they forgive their Neighbour such a wrong but oh is there not still some old grudge at the bottom that is ready to break out upon all occasions How short do we come of God in this respect Nay 5. Fifthly Further The fulness of Gods forgiveness doth appear in this That he doth not bear any grudge he will not only not upbraid but He doth receive those whom he forgives into nearest friendship and fellowship with himself Though man did greatly sin against God in
Adam and brake his first Covenant the Lord he enters into another Covenant a second Covenant and in that Covenant he gives his people a nearer admittance unto himself than formerly in his first Covenant nearer in Christ in the second Adam than in the first and truly when ever the Lord doth forgive a poor soul and pass by the failings and infirmities of his people the wrongs and injuries which they do commit against him daily yet he carries it as fairly and as friendly with them as if they had never broke Covenant with him so did Christ to Peter though he did wrong and injury to Christ yet the Lord Jesus he doth admit him as near as formerly he doth not only not upbraid him but look upon him as his dear friend Now how far is this way of God above our waies and thoughts It may be you will forgive a man that hath done you wrong yea but you will not trust him he was once your friend but you will never trust him with your secrets again you will have an eye upon him and watch over him as long as ever he lives Oh! how far short are we in our forgiveness of the forgiveness of God But Again The Lord he doth not only forgive freely and fully but he forgives sincerely with all his heart I will do you good with all my heart and soul so the Lord doth not only profess with his lips he doth not only speak it in word but the heart of God goes along with it with every word of pardon I know my thoughts towards you in Jer. 29. 11. they are thoughts of peace and not of evil to give you an expected end he doth not only speak peace but his heart is full of peace Oh how sincerely doth God forgive there is no hypocrisie no dissimulation no deceit in Gods forgiveness but oh how unlike are we in our thoughts and waies to God in this There is many a man professes ay he doth forgive he doth forgive another that hath done him wrong but his heart doth not go along with his word though he cannot but for shame profess yet a mans heart doth check him and tell him he doth not really forgive even as God forgives Psal 55. 21. Their words are smoother than Oyl peaceable words but war is in their heart when a man is put upon it by being urged to it to forgive it 's a shame not to confess forgiveness but it is not from the heart But Again When God forgives he forgives unchangeably When God pardons he doth not pardon to day and call it in tomorrow again he doth not pardon to day and recall it tomorrow I will be merciful to their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more I will blot them out as a Cloud as a thick Cloud A Cloud that is blown away and scattered that it never come again so doth the Lord give out pardon he forgives unchangeably Indeed the Papists and some that follow them in that way God he may forgive say they and yet visit for transgressions and afterward such may fall away and God may call to account and visit for all sins but this is contrary to sound Doctrin That which is urged by them for the proof of this their Assertion is that Parable in Matth. 18. that was spoken upon this occasion of forgiving some plead upon this Parable that God may forgive a man all his sins and yet afterwards calling him to account may reckon with him for those very sins It speaks of a certain man who ought his Lord ten thousand Talents but his Lord forgave him all the debt and immediately he went forth and fell upon his fellow servant which ought him an hundred pence and took him by the throat and cast him into prison till he should pay all the debt whereupon it is said When his Lord heard thereof he was wroth and delivered him to the Tormentors till he should pay all that was due unto him Now from this Parable some plead That a man may be pardoned and afterwards God may reckon with him for those very sins But by way of Answer 1. First Know it is dangerous to strain every Parable we are in Parables to look to that which is the main scope it is not that God forgives sins and then calls to account afterward for them again the scope of the Parable is That no man can know he is pardoned of God but that man that is ready to forgive wrongs and injuries done unto him But yet they will urge particularly this Parable that the debt was forgiven and yet he called to an account 2. Secondly I answer to that That the Lord may forgive some temporal punishment when God removes a man or a people from temporal punishment then God is said to deliver from sin and so far this servant was forgiven and any a person may be forgiven so far God may give out a promise of the removal of some temporal punishment as he did upon Ahab his outward confession a man may be so far forgiven that temporal punishment for a while may be repealed and held back and a man by his own folly may pull down some greater wrath And then 3. Thirdly Again He was never made partaker of that pardoning mercy which the Covenant holds forth which appears by the frame of his Spirit after he was pardoned Verse 26. Lord have patience with me and I will pay thee all it was no more than the forgiving of some temporal punishment he knew not what did belong to the Covenant of Grace he was ignorant of Gods way in forgiving sin he was a Legalist certainly this man was never acquainted with the Covenant of Grace he did not know that he was a poor weak man and altogether unable to make satisfaction to his Lord. And then Again He was never made partaker of that pardoning mercy which the Covenant of Grace holds forth as appears by the frame of his Spirit after he was pardoned It was no more than the forgiving of some temporal punishment his sin was not pardoned by the Covenant of Grace for if it had he would have acted more mildly and not so irregularly and dealt so harshly with his fellow servant And it appears in that other word in the 32 Verse O thou wicked servant so that he was never made righteous with the righteousness of Christ for there he is called the wicked servant so that you see notwithstanding what was objected that the Lord whenever he doth forgive a soul he doth forgive unchangeably he doth not cross the score to day and then call to an account for the same another day but whom he pardons he pardons for ever how far short is our way of forgiveness unto Gods How hard a matter is it to forgive unchangeably David did forgive for a time when Shimei cursed him then he made an humble acknowledgement but upon another occasion he commands his son Solomon to fall upon him that
Shimei's head might not go in peace to the Grave You see then that the point is made good that the thoughts of the Lord and the waies of the Lord in the matter of forgiveness are far above the thoughts and the waies of man Peter thinks seven times to be a great matter but Christ saies not seven times but seventy times seven A word for Application in brief to shut up all 1. Vse Here is incouragement for poor sinners to come in to Christ there is mercy and forgiveness with him that he may be feared and the thoughts and waies of the Lord in this particular they are as far above your thoughts and waies as the heavens are above the earth and oh what a wide open door is here That the Lord would perswade some poor guilty soul to come in to Christ by this door of mercy forgiveness and plenteous redemption though you have been enemies and though your hearts be still filled with enmity against God yet know that the Lord is able to forgive enemies and though you have nothing in the world to procure your acceptance you can do nothing that should commend you to God yet know that the Lord he forgives freely and though your transgressions have been multiplied though very many though very great though you have made the Lord to serve with your sins and wearied him with your iniquities yet he is able to blot them out freely for his own name sake Oh then that the Lord would perswade your hearts to come and to submit to Christ and not to go on in the way of rebellion and take hold of that great propitiatory sacrifice and then you shall know that the Lord forgives for he forgives you cordially and sincerely he doth so forgive your transgressions as he will never remember them more 2. Vse And it speaks a word of comfort and refreshment unto such poor souls as are in dark and sad conditions some poor souls that have look'd to Christ for righteousness and yet are found sitting in darkness and oppressed with the weight of sin and becaus it may be when you look into your own hearts you find they are very narrow when you are put upon this work of forgiving another you are hardly brought off to it and certainly the Lord may for this withdraw himself Oh know you have sinned after profession and you have sinned much yea you have sinned much against light and that is that which cuts and makes great gashes but yet know that the Lord gave Commandment to Peter and his Disciples to forgive seventy times seven certainly that command which the Lord gave to man to forgive seventy times seven he will certainly forgive poor creatures though their sins be numberless This is not to spur on to sin this is no word to invite to sin but this word of forgiveness is to the end the Lord may be feared and admired for his great grace and take heed poor creatures you wrong not God of that which is his greatest glory It is the glory of a man to forgive seventy times seven and the oftner the more like unto God now do not rob God of his glory that infinite mercy which put him upon it to forgive seventy times seven say therefore as the Church did in Mic. 7. 18 19. Who is a God like unto thee that pardoneth iniquity and passeth by the transgression of the remnant of his heritage he retaineth not his anger for ever because he delighteth in mercy he will turn again he will have compassion upon us he will subdue our iniquities and thou wilt cast all our sins into the depth of the Sea You may look upon your transgressions nay you ought to look upon your sins nay and to lye low because of your provocations and abhorr your selves in dust and ashes you can never lye too low in the consideration of your own vileness none have sinned against so many aggravations and sinned against so much light and conviction when you have thus aggravated your sin do not rob God of his glory but say with the Prophet Who is a God like unto thee that pardoneth iniquity that forgiveth great iniquities and many iniquities who forgives seventy times seven 3. Vse Lastly This should be matter of great humiliation that our thoughts and our waies are so beneath the thoughts and waies of God in the matter of forgiveness Peter thought it a great matter What to forgive seven times Peter's number is very short of Christs number Yet where is the man or woman that is come to Peter's number and yet Peter's number was short of Christs number Oh what cause have we to be humbled One of the Evangelists hath it If thy brother offend thee seven times in a day and say I repent thou shalt forgive him Oh how far are we from forgiving seven times in a day We are so far from forgiving seven offences in one day as we many times remember one offence seven daies nay seven years together Oh how unlike is this to Christ Oh let us therefore labour to walk up to the rule or else never profess our selves to be Christs Disciples And so much for this time SERMON II. MATT. 18. 21 22. Then Peter came to him and said Lord how oft shall my Brother sin against me and I forgive him till seven times Jesus saith unto him I say not unto thee until seven times but until seventy times seven I Made entrance before into these words Here is Peter's Question and Christs Answer concerning the forgiving of offences particular wrongs and personal injuries which are done to any man or woman Peter propounds the Question and seems to forestall Christs Answer by giving an Answer to it himself which Christ did not approve of But I proceed to the main Doctrin which is this Doct. That the often forgiving of wrongs and injuries is a duty which Christ commends unto and commands all his Disciples to follow I say until seventy times seven 1. First I shall clear this Point to you from Scripture and shew you from the word of the Lord That this is a duty that is incumbent upon all that profess themselves to be Christs Disciples 2. Secondly I shall hold forth unto you divers Examples of worthy and gracious men who have practised this Duty 3. Thirdly And then shew you upon what ground Christ doth commend and command this Duty 1. First Look into the Proverbs of Solomon where Wisdom speaks which is Christ Prov. 24. 29. Say not I will do so to him as he hath done unto me I will render unto a man according unto his works Mark here is the Counsel Wisdom gives unto all her Children Say not I will do so to him as he hath done unto me Do not say I will be revenged of him for the wrong he hath done to me do not say I will give to him as good as he brings I will recompence him according to his work say not so no Christ will tell
him Thus you have seen the Examples of holy men and of Christ himself for a pattern of passing by of wrongs and injuries But now for the grounds of the Point Upon what ground doth Jesus Christ Commend and Command his Disciples to this work and duty of forgiveness Why first 1. Reason The first ground is Because he hath forgiven them much and therefore he requires that we should forgive others that so they that are forgiven of Christ may testifie their love and also their likeness unto Christ and that is held forth in the Parable that follows the Text the Lord there had forgiven the Servant that ought him ten thousand Talents and therefore he expected that he should have forgiven his fellow Servant a few pence I say all that are Christs Disciples all that are Believers that do believe in the name of Christ they have very much forgiven them of the Lord. There is no man but the Lord doth forgive a great deal of that temporal punishment which he might inflict upon them now there is no Believer but the Lord doth forgive not only temporal but eternal punishment and therefore there is an ingagement to us unto forgiveness Alas what are the debts and trespasses done to us or owing unto us in comparison of what we have done or what we owe unto the Lord Our sins are set forth by Talents the offences and wrongs done unto us are set forth by pence our sins are set forth to be ten thousand Talents and the offences that are done unto us are but a hundred pence when the Lord doth forgive so many transgressions so freely fully so sincerely so unchangeably the Lord doth expect that there should be a readiness in them to forgive others from a sense of that forgiveness unto them of his that so they may testifie themselves to be the Children of their Father which is in Heaven But the second ground is this 2. Reas Because those that we are called upon to forgive are our Brethren How oft shall my brother sin against me and I forgive him Christ Answers Till seventy times seven Now there is a great deal in the very name of Brother that may challenge forgiveness and call us upon this duty though many though never so many yet still often and ever called a brother for still in one sense or other every man is a brother some nearer than other though not born of the same Parents though not of Kindred yet he may be a Brother in the same faith though not a Brother in the family yet a Brother in the same Town City Country or Nation however in the same common nature of Adam in respect of the poor dark frail nature every man and woman is a Brother but some relations more near than others This spiritual relation the same Profession the same Faith the same God the same Inheritance this is a great engagement to pass by and to forgive wrongs whilst he is a Brother The Lord when he forgives he forgives inferiours there is an infinite distance between God and the creature when the Lord forgives a poor creature there is an infinite distance betwixt God and man but not betwixt man and man and therefore upon this account Christ requires it But then 3. Reas Thirdly Another ground is this If there be neglect of this Duty unto any of their Brethren it will be a grief unto their fellow-servants and they will make their complaint unto their Lord. It cannot but be a great grief of heart unto those that are fellow-servants when any that do profess the name of God shall be so far from performing this Duty that they shall express a spirit of Revenge and a spirit of Enmity it will sadden the hearts of many Saints when they shall see one that is called a Brother a Professour when they shall see him so unready to forgive as he shall study wrongs and injuries and study revenge it will grieve them and cause them many times to go to the Lord and make their complaint There is such a man that makes profession of thy Name and yet walks very unworthy of that profession very unsutable But 4. Reas Fourthly Again Neglect of this Duty will hinder and keep back a great deal of good and pull down a great deal of evil Christ knew this very well and therefore he did command this Duty Christ knew that the neglect of this Duty would hinder men of a great deal of good It may deprive a man of many temporal mercies of many temporal salvations the Lord may call in the grant of temporal mercies whenas he shall see such a spirit in any that profess his Name as to retain the sense of wrongs and injuries and not to pass them by it puts the Lord upon it many times to recall the grant of temporal mercies as in the Parable following Nay not only so but it may deprive the soul of many special spiritual choice mercies It may hinder the soul from beholding the light of Gods countenance It is true the soul being once pardoned by Faith in Christ God will never recall that pardon Ay but if that man or woman that is pardoned and they have the pardon sealed and witnessed yet shall walk unworthy of pardoning love and shall not come up to this Duty of forgiving pardoning and passing by wrongs and injuries the Lord will recall the manifestation of his pardoning Love and the sense of it though not the pardon it self It doth not only deprive the soul of much good but it also pulls down much evil and not only outward evils but sometimes the Lord manifests a great deal of wrath and displeasure upon such a one as is of an implacable spirit to retain wrongs and injuries as it was with that servant that would not forgive his fellow-servant the Lord commands that he should be delivered up unto the Tormentor and cast into prison until he had paid the uttermost Farthing Why a man though he hath but a profession the Lord lets him alone with that formal profession till such time as he comes forth with such a waspish peevish spirit against Gods people and seeks to wrong and injure them Why then the Lord he takes the advantage upon him and gives him up unto the Tormentor because of such a waspish spirit whenas he will not forgive a Brother a wrong or injury but retain anger he cannot find in his heart to forgive the Lord sometimes comes upon such a man though a Christian the Lord comes and takes him and delivers him up to the Tormentor delivers him up to his own Conscience though not to deliver him up out of his hand but the Lord will deliver him up unto his own Conscience unto the manifestation of wrath till he shall have made satisfaction till he shall have cried out unto Christ for more strength to carry it more like unto him 5. Reason But lastly Christ Commands and Commends the forgiving of wrongs and injuries that
Lord how oft shall my Brother sin against me and I forgive him till seven times Jesus saith unto him I say not unto thee until seven times but until seventy times seven YOu may remember the Doctrin which we are insisting upon is That the often forgiving of offences and injuries is a duty which Christ commends unto and commands all his Disciples to follow Not till seven times but until seventy times seven I proved the Doctrin by Scripture and held forth unto you the examples of godly men who had much of the Spirit of the Lord and the more of Gods Spirit was in them the more ready were they to pass by wrongs and injuries which were done unto them by their Brethren I gave you the grounds of the Point the last day I came to answer some Objections and Cases of Conscience But I come now to the Application and Uses of the Point 1. Vse It is a word of reproof in the first place Oh what a sad complaint may we take up that this duty which Jesus Christ commands is so little practised in our Generation that there is such an unreadiness in the spirits of most men if not in all men to come up to this duty a Gospel duty a hard duty and oh what unreadiness is there in mens spirits to come up unto the practice of it Oh! how many are there in the World that do not only come short of walking up unto this Rule but do walk quite contrary unto it And I shall shew you who they are and oh that God would speak convincingly unto mens hearts 1. First They walk contrary unto this Rule of Christ Who are easily provoked unto wrath who are soon displeased who are soon put out of the way take up every small wrong every petty offence nay are many times provoked unto wrath upon a conceited injury for a poor trivial business that will make a man an offender for a word Nay it may be displeased for want of a look or for want of a Complement Oh how contrary is this unto the Rule of Christ Oh! how far are such spirits from that forbearance and that long-suffering that the Gospel calls unto Where is the grace of long-suffering Nay such spirits they are far from the exercise of the grace of Love Love believeth all things and hopeth all things makes the best interpretation of all things Such spirits as are easily provoked with every petty wrong and offence they are far from the duty of the exercise of this grace of Long-suffering and come far short of walking up to this Rule that Jesus Christ hath left for his Disciples to walk in But 2. Secondly They walk contrary unto this Rule of Christ Who are retentive of those wrongs and injuries that are hardly appeased when once provoked that will remember one wrong seven daies nay seventy times seven when Christ saies Let not the Sun go down upon your wrath let it not once go down upon your wrath there are many that let the Sun set seven times nay seventy times seven on their wrath Let me say to such I must needs say that such actings are beneath the actings of a man there is a heavy Judgement upon such a man or such a woman a heavy Judgement is upon them and they know not of it I say such as can retain wrongs or injuries think of them seventy times seven daies speak of them seventy times seven a Judgement will belong unto them such a Judgement as was upon Nebuchadnezar Dan. 4 32. Truly I may say of such men and women this Judgement is upon them in a spiritual sense He was turned out from among men to dwell with the Beasts his reason was taken from him and he was cast out seven times yea seven years among the beasts I say it of such men and women that have this spirit reigning upon them whenas anger lodgeth in their hearts they are turned out as among the beasts what a Judgement is it to be turned out among the Beasts daies and years together and so is every one judged of God till they shall come to know that the most high ruleth over all and that he hath taught them this lesson To forget and to forgive But let me say again of such Whilst passion so reigns they give entertainment unto Satan that foul and unclean spirit when ever anger and wrath lodgeth in any mans heart the Devil lodgeth there too see it in Ephes 4. 26 27. Be angry and sin not let not the Sun go down in your wrath neither give place to the Devil That man that lets anger lodge in his bosom all night gives entertainment that night to the Devil There is many a man and many a woman in the world in word will bid defiance to the Devil or Satan and yet they open their bosom their breast and their doors and give entertainment unto Satan for where anger and wrath lodgeth in any mans bosom the Devil will certainly creep in they cannot be parted these two will go together If there be anger one night that night the Devil will be there too And oh that we may not be found to give entertainment unto such a Guest as Satan is But they do give entertainment unto him that are retentive of wrongs and injuries But 3. Thirdly How contrary do they walk unto the Rule of Christ That do aggravate all offences which are done unto them aggravate all wrongs and all injuries and do improve them to the uttermost and make the worst of them So did Laban whenas he pursued after Jacob when he returned to his own Country Gen. 31. Laban pursues after him 26 27 30 Verses What hast thou done that thou hast stolen away unawares to me and carried away my daughters as Captives taken with the Sword Wherefore didst thou flee away secretly and steal away from me and didst not tell me c. Yea thou hast stolen away my Gods See here 's a man that aggravates all to the utmost twice thrice Thou hast stolen away and stolen away and carried away my Daughters as Captives and thou hast stolen away my Gods Oh such a Spirit is far unlike unto the Spirit of God The Lord Jesus calls offences against men Trespasses and so Christ would have us to look upon them as Trespasses as errors and not to aggravate them nor to look upon them as sins of presumption Oh! that such hearts were but as ready to aggravate their own offences against God! We aggravate all wrongs and all injuries which are done against us but we are but little in aggravating our sins and our transgressions against the Lord Oh that men could but aggravate both their own sins and the Lords mercies as they are ready to aggravate the offences of their Brother We commit many sins against the Lord and do not aggravate them we receive many mercies from the Lord and do not aggravate them we do not compass our mercies and tell the Towers of them
that you would not be discouraged through the apprehension of the straitness of this passage you know not how easie God can make it why should you distrust him do not fear the greatness of the pains God can make them easie God can allay them God can take away the sense of them God can give in that which can sweeten them remember who went before you hath not the Lord Jesus gone before you He set himself in the fore-front of the Battel the passage was a great deal straiter when Christ went through it he hath widened it and made it far more easie Believers you have seen the worst that death can do to you you have seen it in Christ if it had overcome Christ you might have fear'd it but Christ would try the experiment first upon himself and you have seen the worst that it can do Jesus Christ is engaged with you if you should perish Christ himself had as good have perished it 's all one whether he be overcome in his person or in his members Oh therefore I say be not discouraged at the apprehension of the straitness of the passage and darkness of the entry but look to Christ that hath gone before you and only let it be your care whilst you live to live by Faith and to live in constant communion with God God will take care of the rest And Vse 2. Again How should you bless the Lord Christ What cause have you to bless the Lord and to admire the riches of wisdom and the riches of power and the riches of goodness that hath made death to be thus easie I tell you it is not so in it self Christians you are beholding to Christ for this death is not easie in it self it is most terrible in it self it hath brought down mighty spirits of wicked men Oh! whither shall I go said Nero when death was at hand It was not so easie with Christ oh it was exceeding strait when he ventured to pass through it was for your sakes that he entred the passage first Oh! admire his wisdom goodness and power and bless his name for this both in life and death That 's a second thing we considered Enoch was not God took him his translation is spoken of him as a very easie thing he walked a step further and returned no more and God took him There is one Particular more which I shall give but a hint on and that is He was not found So saies the Apostle to the Hebrews Heb. 11. 5. He was not found for God had translated him He was not found and that implies he was sought for when God had took him They sought for him but he was not found saies the Apostle And so it was with Elijah in 2 Kings 2. latter end of the Chapter the Prophet sends out fifty men to seek after him and it 's very like they did so for Enoch but he was not found for God took him Observe It is usual to undervalue mercies whilst we have them which are prized dearly when once they are gone I say it is usual with the sons of men to undervalue mercies whilst they have them which they would seek for when once they are gone thus we deal with persons and thus we deal with other mercies With Persons you know how Samuel was undervalued by Saul whilst he lived and the Word of the Lord that he brought to Saul was rejected but when Samuel was gone then Saul seeks for him nay he was so violent that he seeks him in an unlawful way even to raise him up from the dead that he might acquaint him with the Will of the Lord. And so John Baptist was persecuted and banished and Herod cut off his head but when he was gone then Herod prized him and so when Herod heard of the fame of Jesus that he did great things Surely it is John Baptist that is risen up again here 's mighty works indeed And thus we deal not only with Persons But thus we deal with other Mercies whilst we have them we undervalue them that God is forced to take them away to let us know what the worth of them is Israel did not prize her mercies outward Mercies Corn Wine and Oyl Flax and Wool and therefore God was forced to take them away to let them know the worth of them I will take away my Corn my Wine and my Oyl my Flax and my Wool Hos 4. Yea thus we deal with God himself thus we deal with God and Christ and with the great and precious things of God how did Esau despise his birth-right how contemptibly did he speak of it whilst he had it What will my birth-right do me good saies he seeing I am ready to die And yet afterward when it was gone he sought it with tears when Jacob had got the blessing he sought it with tears and he could not obtain it Yea this is not only in the hearts of the wicked if it were only in the wicked it were the less but it is in the hearts of Gods own people to undervalue the things of God whilst they enjoy them and so give the Lord cause to strip them of them Israel had the presence of God amongst them but they did not prize God and therefore saies God I will go and return to my first place in their affliction they will seek me early Thus we deal with other of Gods precious ones many times they are undervalued and we know not the worth of them till such time as they are removed till God takes them away As it is said concerning the Jews in Matth. 23. that Christ was amongst them and Preached the everlasting Gospel to them and they received it not But when the Gospel was removed from them then they prized it Behold your house is left unto you desolate Why in Matth. 21. there you have the same words when the Children cried saying Hosanna Hosanna to the Highest the Jews were offended when the people said of Christ Hosanna and blessed is he that comes in the Name of the Lord they were offended in the 15 Verse and Christ doth rebuke them for this Well saies he when they cried Hosanna blessed is he that cometh in the Name of the Lord you are displeased the time is a coming that you would give all that you enjoy to see such a man as you have seen but I will teach you by the absence of this mercy of which you shall say Welcom indeed and blessed is he that cometh in the Name of the Lord I say what base hearts and spirits are within us that we should put God unto this labour that we should cause God to walk in this way towards us to take away our mercies that we may know how to prize them Oh it is an unworthy heart there is a great deal of the spirit of Esau to despise the blessing whilst we had it and then afterwards weep for it and sought it with tears but found it not And
therefore I shall conclude with this word of Exhortation Vse 3. Let us learn to prize our mercies I say whilst we enjoy our mercies let us learn to prize them because the time is coming when they shall not be to us they shall not be found we shall seek them and shall not find them God hath given you friends and relations Oh my Brethren prize them use them for Gods glory do all the good you can to them whilst you have them receive all the good that may be from them whilst you have them for the time is a coming when they shall not be to you It was Job's argument with God you shall see in Job 7. the last Verse and it is a very strong argument and Why dost thou not pardon my transgression and take away my iniquity and pardon it quickly Speak a good word quickly to thy Servant I cannot hold out long Lord saies he I cannot hold out long now I shall sleep in the dust and thou shalt seek me in the morning and I shall not be Lord pardon pardon thy servant Job whilst thou hast a Job to pardon Lord do good to me whilst thou hast an occasion to do good to me e're I sleep in the dust you shall seek me then and I shall not be that you shall say oh that I had such a friend to do good to or that I had such a friend to receive good from Oh take the present opportunity therefore of doing and receiving good and this is spoken not only of all Persons but of all Things prize them whilst you have them prize them whilst you enjoy them for time is coming when they shall not be And Consider this Let me say this to you The Lord is this day tendering grace to you he stands he knocks he invites you he beseeches you he desires you to open he is willing to pardon multitudes of transgressions to wash away thousands and ten thousands of transgressions and sins and to subdue them also Oh that the Lord would give you hearts to seek after this present mercy you 'l seek them hereafter when they shall not be Oh take heed lest Christ speak to you as he spake to the Jews which was a fearful sentence because of their mistaking their time and neglecting their opportunity Joh. 7. 34. You shall seek me saies Christ and shall not find me and where I am you cannot come he had said a little before And I am with you and am coming to them that seek me and afterward You shall seek me and shall not find me Christ was with them a little while preaching and holding forth and urging mercy and grace beseeching of them to come in they refuse and reject life Well saies Christ I have sought you and you would not be found you would not follow me the time is coming when you shall seek me and shall not find me and where I am you cannot come and you that fear the Lord I beseech you be you warned also take heed you don't slight your mercies your present enjoyments of God lest the Lord also teach you to know the worth by the want I say take heed that you do not abuse your mercies take heed that you do not grow cold and dead and loose and formal under the enjoyment of the means of getting nigher God which you enjoy more than formerly for what pity is it that we should grow worse when God is better That we should be further off from drawing nigh to God when God is drawing nigh to us What pity is it that the Sun-shine and fair weather should do harm Doth not sad experience teach us that many Christians are further off from God now than when the means were lesser in their getting near to God take heed God don't let you know by sad experience what the loss of his presence is and that he don't let you know by sad experience what the loss of Ordinances are what the want of mercies are it shews abundance of corruption that is in the heart but it is mercy if God will teach his people any way it is the saddest way of teaching that God will make use of to recount what once we had and what once we enjoyed and now are stript of for want of improvement we had the Sabbaths the teachings of God we had the Ordinances but now stript of all and therefore may as they sit down by the waters of Babylon and weep most bitterly it is a sad way of teaching yet it is mercy if God will choose any way of teaching and drawing these sad and drowsie hearts of ours more to himself Thus you have had some hints of what Enoch was He was not found for God had translated him God took him the main Point is yet behind viz. to consider whither Enoch was translated and wherefore he was translated and the year in which he was translated which was three hundred sixty five years and was the shortest life of all the Patriarchs But so much shall serve for this time SERMON X. GEN. 5. 24. And Enoch walked with God and he was not for God took him WE have done with Enoch's walk we are come to Enoch's Rest He was not for God took him I have opened the phrase to you the last time I spake But I shall proceed to what is still behind in the Text. He was not for God took him And God took him there is a great dispute amongst many to what place Enoch was taken There are many both of the Papists and others that place Enoch in earthly Paradise they say Enoch was not taken into Heaven but into Paradise and that this Enoch and Elijah are those two Witnesses that shall come again at the end of the world to discover and destroy Antichrist there is such a Tradition generally amongst them and others have received it from them but there is not the least ground for it in the Word of God that Enoch and Elijah should be those Witnesses spoken of in Rev. 11. for certainly those Witnesses are no other but the servants of God spoken of that have stood up in all Ages since Christ to bear witness to the name and truth of Jesus and therefore I see nothing why we may not assert that Enoch was taken up into Heaven that he ascended in body into Heaven You shall see in 2 Kings 2. 11. it is spoken there of Elijah who was translated even as Enoch And it came to pass as they still went on and talked that behold there appeared a Chariot of fire and Horses of fire and parted them both asunder and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into Heaven if Elijah went into Heaven why not Enoch Object But it may be Objected Is not Jesus Christ the first-fruits of them that ascend Did not Christ open the door by his blood How then could Enoch or Elijah ascend into Heaven before Christ came and opened the door Answ To which I Answer It is true that
have enough 5. Fifthly Again The time of the full accomplishment of this promise of long life to be given out is not yet come there 's a day when it shall be given out when it shall be mercy to live long when God shall give out long life there seems to be such a thing spoken of it is Prophesied by the Prophet Isaiah Isa 65. 22. this Prophecie relates to the end of the world the latter daies when there shall be a great restauration of the world and of all things they shall not be cut off in the midst of their daies as formerly saies God They shall not build and another inhabit they shall not build houses and be cut off before they can build they shall not plant and another eat for as the daies of a tree are the daies of my people and mine elect shall long enjoy the works of their hands they shall be as the long-liv'd Oaks this promise God will fulfil before the end and it shall be a mercy then to live long when the new Jerusalem shall come down from heaven and when the Lamb shall be the light of the new Jerusalem when Satan shall be bound and shall not seduce the Nations and tempt them and when all enemies shall be put under the soals of their feet when Jerusalem shall be a peaceable habitation and a quiet resting place when there shall be peace upon Israel then long life shall be a blessing 6. Sixthly and lastly When God will fulfil this it shall be a time of the accomplishment of the promises in that God gives life and length of daies even for ever and ever there is the accomplishment of the promise and therefore God is not behind-hand concerning this promise if he promise long life on earth and give an eternity of life in heaven the creature is no loser if a man shall promise you a shilling and when he comes to pay he shall give you a thousand pounds will not you say this man is as good as his word The Lord hath promised a long time on earth and an eternity in heaven you may well say it of him who is truth it self that he will fulfil and make good his word and therefore notwithstanding what may be objected yet still it 's true it 's not against the promise but God may in love and mercy shorten the daies of his people What shall we learn from this God shortens the daies of his servâ—nts in love It will be useful to us divers waies Why Vse 1. First of all It lets us see that life and death is in the hand of God God shortens God took him I say life and death is in the hand of God it 's not in the hand of any creature whatsoever My times are in thy hand saies David and He that is our God is the God of Salvation and to him belong the issues of Death Enemies think that it is in their power to harm or to cut off Laban thought it in his power to cut off Jacob but he was deceived it 's in the hand of no creature to cut off the time of Gods servants but at the appointment of the Lord and God doth it in love when he cuts short the time of his servants it 's in love if any wicked man shall attempt any thing against the lives of his servants that 's from the malice of Hell which God will avenge and if any man shall attempt against his own life that is not without horrible sin for though God can cut short in love yet if thou dost cut short thine own life it 's not without horrible sin though indeed when God shortens it 's alwaies in love for what 's the creature Ah poor creature a worm that he should step up in the seat of God and should pluck the issues of life and death out of the hand of God which God doth challenge in a peculiar manner as his right That 's the first Vse 2. Secondly It may teach us that though God cut short the time of his servants in love yet he may cut short the time of many in wrath in abundance of wrath when his own people are ripe for heaven he reaps them and when wicked men are ripe for destruction the Lord also cuts them down In Psal 55. 23. it 's said there of wicked men That blood-thirsty and deceitful men shall not live out half their daies God will cut them off in wrath they shall live out those daies that God hath determined yet they shall not live out half their daies in the course of nature that they might have done and therefore see what Solomon saies in Eccles 7. 17. Be not thou over-much wicked neither be thou foolish why shouldst thou die before thy time wickedness brings men to end their time before the course of nature be extinct Oh that wicked men would think of this it would be very sad if their own hands should be upon themselves to bring them down though it is mercy to the Saints at some times to be taken away early yet when wicked men are cut off in the midst of their daies it is not without a great deal of displeasure and wrath of God That 's a second Vse 3. Thirdly This may teach us this Instruction If God deal thus with his own people what shall be the portion of the wicked If this be done to the green tree what shall become of the dry If God cut off young Saints what shall become of old sinners Oh! that the hear-say of this dispensation might convince some and move them to awake and say Come let us eat and drink and to morrow shall be as this day and more abundant Why do you put off the thoughts of God and Eternity to old age and speak of returning to God another time when thou knowest not what a day may bring forth thou knowest not what may lie in the womb of to morrow God cuts off sometimes some of his people in the midst of their daies and what shall become of you I shall speak only to you in the words of the Apostle James Jam. 4. 13. and the Lord set them home to your hearts Go to now ye that say To day or to morrow we will go into such a City and continue there a year and buy and sell and get gain whereas you know not what shall be on the morrow for what is your life He shews the vanity of the cares of this life and of wicked worldly men they dream of a long time of a continuance and we will stay there a year A year saies he thou knowest not what to morrow may bring forth thou saiest Stay we will heap goods up and what knowest thou O fool but this night thy soul may be taken away Oh! that men wicked men and worldly men would look to themselves and not promise to themselves time for hereafter and if this be done to the green tree what will be done to the dry
But again Vse 4. Fourthly This may be a ground of patience unto the servants of God in the midst of all their affliction in the midst of all temptations and afflictions whatsoever possess your souls in patience Why because the time is short and if it be good for you the Lord will make your daies few because they are evil therefore possess your souls in patience you complain of your afflictions Why they are not for an Eternity a few daies those daies are shortened if you should live as long as they did before the Flood seven eight or nine hundred years and all the time be tempted and afflicted but now for the Elects sake those daies are shortened your burden is but for a little time your rest is long therefore possess your souls with patience O the wisdom and goodness of God in walking in this way to and with his people if your afflictions had been heavy and long too that had been sad It is the misery of Hell heavy burdens to Eternity is the misery of Hell Ay but Gods dispensation to you is quite contrary and otherwise when your daies are evil they shall be few and but for a little while but when joy comes that shall be for Eternity O the goodness of Gods dispensation few daies when they are evil and an Eternity of daies when entering into the possession of Joy possess your souls with patience 5. Fifthly Again Will God cut off the times of his best servants See and take that Counsel in Isa 2. 22. Cease ye from man whose breath is in his nostrils for wherein is he to be accounted of Cease ye from man from the best of men for their breath is in their nostrils Cease from affecting them over much do not let the stream of your affections be any way inordinate for wherein are they to be accounted Remember what the Apostle saies The time is short the fashion of this world passeth away when he goes about to other things concerning this world The time is short saies he cease ye from man and cease from trusting in him his breath is in his nostrils don't lay too much weight upon any man the Lord cuts short the daies of the best of his servants therefore trust not in don't lay too much weight upon them don't say the comfort of your lives is bound up in them and you can't live comfortably without them oh cease ye from trusting in man it 's much better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man by laying weight upon the creature you may break the creature therefore take heed though God may take away them that you trust in in love and mercy he may shorten their daies in love yet cease ye from trusting in man That 's a fifth Again Vse 6. Sixthly This may teach you to take heed of murmuring and repining when God takes away any of your relations in the midst of their years and daies Oh how full of carnal reasonings are they Oh you conceive it much better if they had lived longer if they had lived to mans age what an honour might they have been to God and a comfort to you if they had lived longer These are carnal reasonings that arise from the flesh know assuredly that if God shortened their daies it was in love it was best for them that they were so taken away taken away at that time why will you teach God Will you teach God to gather in his Corn in what season he shall do it Know assuredly he will take them at the best he will crop them at the best season he loves his servants well and he will put them off at the best advantage both in life and death and therefore know assuredly that whatsoever carnal reason may say on the contrary it was according to the dispensation of Gods love though he takes them away in the midst of their daies That 's a sixth Vse 7. Seventhly It may be a word of conviction to such as have lived long and have lost of their former forwardness and zeal for God such as have lived to grow worse lived to be scandalous to the name of God and to a holy profession Oh my friends what shall we say But that God orders things in infinite wisdom you might say poor creature how much better had it been if God had taken you away before Oh! to live to be a dishonour to God to live to lose thy first love and thy first zeal and forwardness for God to be a scandal to profession oh better that you had been taken away at the first better that you had been hid in the Grave many years ago that now your corruption should be discovered to the dishonour of your profession and yet don 't you say there is no hope and therefore we will wait no longer the Lord invites you to return return oh that you would seek after your first love and first zeal strengthen the feeble hands and knees if the Lord should come and take you away whilst you are in this condition oh how uncomfortable will it be unto you very uncomfortable you lose your Crown though I know if you have interest in Christ the Crown of glory is safe yet there is a Crown which you will lose if you return not speedily to the Lord the Crown of a Christian is to flourish green and be fruitful in old age fat and flourishing in the Courts of the Lord to be fresh and sweet and to send forth an excellent savour this is the Crown of a Christian and this Crown you may lose if death comes upon you whilst you are in that declining condion Oh therefore make hast to the Lord pour out your cry continually that the Lord would be pleased to restore you again and to establish you with his free spirit that you may be fresh fruitful and sweet and may not be withered in time of gathering when God shall come to pull and gather you if you be dead and withered you lose all your sweet scent Oh beg of the Lord that you may not be in that condition at that time when he shall come to gather you into his Barn That 's a seventh Vse 8. Eightly Let us pray and wait for that time which before was spoken of when there shall be no danger in long life when long life shall be a mercy unto all the Saints when the daies of the Lords people shall be as the daies of a tree and the Elect shall long enjoy the works of their hands Oh pray for the accomplishment of that promise it will be very sweet how much shall the Saints gain at that time how much knowledge yea how much shall they do for God Alas we are of yesterday and know nothing oh get large experience renewed experience they shall grow in that day like an Oak tree or a Cedar there shall be no hindrances of growth pray and wait for the accomplishment of that Vse 9. Ninthly This may support
against the extream of a short life and a long uncomfortable Oh saies the soul I am pressing after the Lord and breathing after him and this is my fear I shall be cut off before his work be done in me Fear it not the Lord will not cut off the daies of his servants but in love if it be not for thy good it shall not come unto thee Old Simeon waited for the consolations of Israel he might have many discouragements what hopes had he to see Christ when he had one foot in the Grave And yet at last he saw Christ the hope of his Salvation But they may think if they should live they should live to decay in profession and to go backward Oh fear not I am perswaded neither things present nor things to come even old age shall separate you from the love of God in Christ Jesus Though God do send for some of his servants it 's no argument that he don't love you though you live long Mathusalem lived nine hundred years the rest of the Patriarchs were holy men as well as others That 's a Ninth Vse 10. Tenthly This may teach to covet to desire to live much rather than to live long Oh labour to do much for God while ye live to do much for God in the service of your Generation What ever your hand finds to do do it with all your might labour to redeem time and take all seasons and all opportunities of getting nigher God Oh lose no opportunity lose no part of precious time A Heathen could say There 's no time past but there 's something is worth the writing let no part of your precious time be waste and nothing done time is short and therefore you had need live every part of time live every hour and live every moment rather covet to live much than long Oh labour for an eternal life this life is short in a moment God shortens the time of the best of his servants and therefore if this time be short oh labour for an eternal life and do what you do for God with all your might and with all your strength He is an unwise man that will protract time that will do that in a year which he might do in a day Oh covet much you have a pattern of the Lord Jesus Christ he lived not long on earth but he did much in a little time he wrought whilst it was day he knew the night was coming Christ did so and Satan doth so he knows his time is short and he bestirs himself he knows it must be now or never if Satan be thus wise for his Kingdom shall not we that profess our selves to be Christs be thus wise in the matters of his Kingdom Here is all the time you have to work in oh you have no more working daies work apace for God for in the end of the six daies of this life there 's a rest a coming there 's no work beyond the Grave either in heaven or in hell you that are Christs you shall not work after this life is at an end your rest comes then yea that 's the time of your sitting down this is the time of your walking not the time of your rest and seeing you have no more time to eternity to work in there 's no more working daies be content to work now be earnestly desirous to do all you can to lift up God and Christ and his Kingdom whilst you are on earth for what know you your time is short and what know you but that you may live even as Enoch whose life was but half the daies of the rest of the Patriarchs Thus I have shewn you at what time Enoch was taken at three hundred sixty and five years It remains further to enquire Wherefore did God take Enoch away and why he did take him away at that time and wherefore Enoch was taken in that extraordinary way both soul and body to Heaven SERMON XII GEN. 5. the latter end of the 24 Verse And he was not for God took him I Shewed you the last day at what time God took Enoch it was when he had not attained to half the years of the rest of that Generation God sometimes shortens the daies of his own servants in Love I answered an Objection the last day Object Is not long life promised as a blessing to the Saints Thou shalt come to thy Grave in a full age as a Shock of Corn in its season How is this promise made good when God takes away some of his people before they have attained to half their daies that they might have lived unto in the course of nature I answered in many things Answ 1. First That this is an Old Testament promise God walked then in a way of temporal promises more than now in this dispensation under the Gospel in which he gives out less temporals and more spirituals Besides I told you it was a conditional promise as in all the promises of outward good things that are made to Gods people the promises of health strength riches and honour and of long life they must be taken with this limitation so far as God in infinite wisdom shall see to be best for them so far shall he give out to them and therefore if God do take away any of his people at any time it is because God sees it best for them to be taken home to himself it is best for them to have a short time because that their daies are evil Man that is born of a woman saies Job is one of few daies and full of trouble and there is a mercy that both these go together few of daies and full of trouble Besides I answered That the promise is made good though God do take away some of his people whilst young yet the promise is made good they come to the Grave in full age because they come to the Grave full of grace he is not cut down before he is ripe they are not like the Corn on the house top that is burnt up before it is ripe but God can make them full of grace which is a full age and herein his promise is made good Besides his promise is made good because God makes them willing to leave the world when he calls for them the righteous man when God calls for him he saies as Elias said Lord it is enough if thou saiest it is enough that I have lived so long upon earth I will say so too Lord I have enough of living here I have enough of this world here 's nothing that is desirable or that may draw forth my affection to live longer if this be the determined time of God A wicked man hath never life enough though he liveth a hundred years twice told yet he is as greedy to live longer as at first but God satisfies the hearts of his servants in that they have lived long enough and their time is come and that satisfies them and thus
they have length of daies continued And besides God doth promise to his people a great restauration that is to be before the end of the world as the daies of a tree so shall the daies of my servants be and mine Elect they shall long enjoy the work of their hands it shall then be a mercy to live long when the new Jerusalem shall come down from heaven and when the Lamb shall be the light of it when Satan shall be bound and the Accuser of the Brethren cast out and wicked men put under when corruption shall be subdued then long life shall be a mercy But however I answer That if God do shorten our daies here and give us an Eternity in heaven we are no losers but God is as good as his word If a man promise you a Shilling and shall at that day give you a hundred or a thousand pounds he is not unfaithful but he is as good as his word and thus the Lord promised long life which is an eternity better than life here and wherein he fulfils his word It should and ought to be the desire of all to live much rather than to live long to live much in a little time thus did Christ he lived much he glorified the name of his Father in the time he lived he did much in a little time and thus it should be our care to do much for God in a little time and to lay hold of eternal life betimes because this life is momentany and vanishing the Devil takes his opportunity he works much knowing he hath but a little time because he knows his time is short therefore he works with all his might and plyes his work to deceive the Nations If he be so subtile for his Kingdom how wise ought we to be to promote the Kingdom of Christ Oh! whatsoever we find to do for God let us do it with all our might and with all our strength for thus hath Christ given us his Example I shall proceed to that which remains God took him I shewed you before Whither Enoch was taken He was taken up into Heaven he was not dissolved he died not as other men I proved it from the Epistle to the Hebrews that he was translated that he should not see death Quest But you will say Wherefore was Enoch thus translated Why was he not dissolved Why died he not as others Why translated that he should not see death Answ I answer First Because he was a remarkable Type of Jesus Christ I say he was a remarkable Type of Christ For 1. First He was matchless in his Generation There was none like him above all the men in the world Enoch walk'd most close with God in his time he was matchless and none like him and herein he waâ— a Type of Jesus Christ who was matchless in the world whilst he was in the world he was as the Apple-tree in the midst of the Trees in the Forest there was no guile found in his mouth he walked exactly with God when he was here upon earth there was no stumbling blocks no slips in the whole course of Jesus Christ But 2. Secondly Enoch was a Type of Christ in that God was so exceedingly well pleased with him He received this Testimony saies the Apostle in Heb. 11. 5. that he pleased God God was pleased with him and herein he was a notable Type of Christ the Father is pleased only in him Behold my servant whom I uphold saies he in Isa 42. 1. mine Elect in whom my soul delighteth he was infinitely well pleased with Christ the good pleasure of God towards Enoch it was but a drop of that love and that good pleasure which was poured out upon the head of Jesus Christ the Father was pleased with his Person infinitely pleased in his righteousness pleased in all that he did and pleased in his sufferings Isa 53. 10. It pleased the Father to bruise him he was pleased with all those that Christ represented he is pleased with the whole Family of Christ even with all that belong unto him in Heaven and Earth and that only for his sake it is said of him in Matth. 3. the latter end This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased So then my Brethren is there ever a soul that is seeking after the good pleasure of God the manifestation of the love of God unto it that is looking and waiting for some token of acceptance from heaven Would you be in the ready way unto it Then look unto the Lord even Jesus Christ of whom Enoch was a Type look unto him in his love all the love and all the good pleasure that is in the heart of God runs down through Jesus Christ unto poor creatures Oh run to Christ make hast to Christ throw down your selves at the Foot-stool of Christ and clasp about him by Faith and know that there is a plentiful Box of good pleasure and love broken upon the head of Christ by the Father that will run down unto every soul that sits under the skirt and shadow of Christ That 's a Second thing wherein Enoch was a Type of Christ 3. Thirdly Enoch was a Type of Christ as Christ was a Conqueror over Death and this was held forth in Enoch's translation He did not see Death Enoch did not see corruption as the bodies of others do and he was in this a Type of Jesus Christ that was the holy One of God that he should not see corruption he did not see corruption Enoch's conquest was but a Type of this conquest and victory of Jesus Christ that he got for his people over Death and the Grave and therefore you that desire not to be dismayed when Death comes when this enemy shall set upon you Oh that you would before-hand look unto the conquest and victory of Christ There is a time when this your enemy will meet you all in the Field Would you not be dismayed Would you be able to look Death in the face Then I beseech you before-hand live upon Faith in Christ upon the conquest of Christ upon the victory of Christ he hath broken the force of death taken away the sting of it he hath dismayed it Oh live upon the conquest that Christ hath made over death that so your hearts may not fail when you come to grapple with this last enemy which is Death Christ hath overcome Death gloriously and Enoch was but a Type of Christ and a shadow of it in his translation That 's the first wherefore Enoch was translated in an extraordinary way because he was an extraordinary Type of Christ 2. But Secondly Enoch was thus translated because Enoch whilst he lived exercised a special faith I say Enoch had a special Faith a most remarkable faith in some good and great deliverance that God would work for him either in Death or from Death He trusted God whilst he lived in victory over Death that Death should be conquered for him and
out a spirit of burning and breaths upon the same Word with command that sparks be blown up to a mighty flame so that the Lord speaks and when he speaks his words are not in vain when he speaks that he would have you to live do not you make objections against the life of Christ do not say we are dead creatures how should we live Consider what Abraham did it is said He considered not his own body when it was dead neither the deadness of Sarahs womb he did not look upon it in Rom. 4. 19. Not being weak in Faith it is said he considered not his own body now dead dead as to generation nor the deadness of Sarahs womb but he eyed the Word of the Lord the faithfulness and truth of God in his Word he lookt to the all-sufficiency of that God which had promised he knew that he was able to perform what he had spoken though it seemed never so unlikely unto sense therefore he staggered not at the promise through unbelief but he was strong in faith giving glory to God and so also you poor creatures do not look so much upon your own deadness but know that God can out of very stones raise up children unto Abraham he can quicken thee by the Word of his mouth and the breath of his nostrils though thou liest before him as Adam did who was as a lump of clay liveless and useless but the Lord made a body thereof and made it to become a living body though thou art dead the Lord can breath life in thee by the Word of his Spirit and so it shall burn unto Eternity all the life and breathings and motions of the Spirit after the Lord these are kindled by the Spirit of the Lord therefore look not so much after thine own deadness but look to the faithfulness of him that hath promised that thou maist not stagger at the Promise through unbelief Object But I am not only without the life of Christ saith some poor guilty sinner but I have been an enemy to the life of Christ I have opposed the life of Christ both in my own soul and others I have smothered those motions of the Spirit that he hath often cast in I have persecuted the appearances of the life of Christ in others and the Lord cause me to lie under the apprehension of the guilt of it and now I am ready to think and conclude that I am cast out of sight the time of life is past and the Lord hath for ever excluded me and shut me under death darkness and horror I shall not see the life of Christ Answ Why even to thee let me say that eternal life is the free gift of God I say this life is the free gift of God there is no gift more free than this life which God doth impart unto poor sinners It was said when Christ ascended up on high he led Captivity Captive and he received gifts for men even for the rebellious also that God might dwell amongst them Christ received life for Rebels he received gifts for Rebels and this was not the least of gifts this was the greatest of gifts that Christ received for Rebels this gift of life and therefore you shall see how Christ gave life unto that evil generation that did so persecute him even to the very death though they cut him off from the Land of the living as not being worthy to live among them yet to many of those that were the chief actors the chief instruments of the Crucifying of the Lord of life there was life given them as we may see by those that were converted at Peter's Sermon and made partakers of the death of Christ and life of Christ the Apostle tells them in Acts 2. 23. He was delivered by the determinate counsel and fore-knowledge of God him ye have taken and by wicked hands have Crucified and slain And afterwards in that Chapter you shall read that even those he speaks to here at Verse 37. were converted life was dispensed to them pardon to them mercy to them grace to them even to them that had with wicked and cruel hands slain and crucified the Lord of life and glory and therefore also Christ saies in John 6. That he came to give his life for the World he gave his flesh for the life of the world the world that lay in wickedness that was in darkness that was filled with enmity against Christ and against his people whilst they were here in the world Christ gave his flesh to be life unto the world therefore see that eternal life is the gift of God he gives it so freely to Rebels to such who had their hands embrewed in his blood that had with wicked hands crucified and slain him See what a door of Hope is set open for poor guilty sinners that they may come in and be made partakers of this life of Christ Object But it may be that soul will further Object and say I have not only been an enemy to the life of Christ but I have continued so long dead in sins and trespasses that when I look upon my condition it seems unto me like unto the state of dead and dry bones and I am ready to say Is it possible that such dead and dry bones should live that have lain so long in the Grave of sin so long rotting and stinking in their lusts is it possible that such should live Answ Let me tell you That the Lord carries on his work though under great disadvantages that Parable or Vision that was represented to the Prophet Ezekiel concerning the Jews is very remarkable in Ezek. 37. 3. And he said unto me Son of man can these bones live And I answered O Lord thou knowest Go Prophesie upon them and the Lord saies then he would give life unto them I know no way how they shall live it is beyond the reach of the creature to know thou art infinite in wisdom and power O Lord thou knowest the way how to give life and being to them Well saies God they shall live the Lord often gives life to such poor creatures in such a condition when they are like unto dead and dry bones when furthest from life the skin was not only broken and the flesh consumed and the bones loosned and disjointed but they were scattered abroad broken and dry and so they were in such an estate as was farthest off from life but even then the Lord delights to communicate life When Lazarus had lain four daies in the Grave then the Lord Christ raised him up he could have raised him as soon as his breath had gone out but the Lord Christ let him go four daies when he seemed to be farthest off from life when his sister had said Lord by this time he sti keth saies Christ unto her Did not I tell thee if thou wouldest believe thou shouldst see the glory of God What saies Christ to the poor soul when the soul saith
Flower in the Field that withers in a moment and David puts up the like Petition in Psal 39. 4. Lord make me to know my end and the measure of my daies what it is that I may know how frail I am Teach me to know my end that I may know how frail I am He doth not desire to know how many daies he shall live or when his end shall be but to know how frail a creature he was that it may take impression on his heart And truly these teachings are such as none but God can teach to teach a man to know how frail he is and every day to look upon himself as a Spire of Grass or as a Flower in the Field that is in a withering and decaying condition every moment The Apostle Paul also tells what his practice was in 1 Cor. 15. 31. I protest by your rejoicing which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord I die daily He died in affection to the World I fit loose to the World I die to it in affection but I also die daily I put my self into a dying condition I know that I walk in the midst of Jeopardies and therefore I fit loose from all yea from life it self I protest I die daily The Prophet speaks of some that put the evil day far from them it is a sign that the day of Death is an evil day when men put it far from them it is a good day to the soul that hath interest in Christ it is the best day that ever came to him Eccles 7. 1. you shall see what the wise man says there A good name is better than a precious Oyntment and the day of death than the day of ones birth It is not so to every one but to the righteous it is to him that hath a good name a name that is better than precious oyntment to him that hath the new name better than that of sons and daughters to him the day of death is better than the day of his birth therefore saith the Apostle For to me to die is gain and therefore it is good for Christians to look upon death at a distance for death in it self is an enemy The last enemy that shall be destroyed said the Apostle is Death it is an enemy such an enemy as hath a terrible visage and therefore let 's look death in the face often that so we may be acquainted with the visage of death that the terror of this enemy may be taken away it is an enemy and such an enemy as is armed such an enemy as hath a sting with him The sting of death is sin and therefore it is a great deal of wisdom to combate with this enemy at a distance to disarm him to take away the sting before he comes upon you that you may be the better able to grapple with him when he draws nigh it is good therefore for men to consider whether they be able to grapple with and meet this enemy or no whether they be able to look him in the face to put themselves in a posture of combating and how you may meet with him without fear how you may overcome him by the blood of the Lamb to exercise faith and to eye the conquest that Christ hath gotten over death to see how he hath taken away the sting and horror and to sanctifie the Grave this is a great mercy 1. First And therefore let me speak to you one word you whose life is thus to die do it daily with the Apostle it is exceeding beneficial to the Saints this kind of exercise the Lord himself doth commend it as a point of high wisdom by Moses O how doth he wish his people that all his people were thus wise in Deut. 32. 29. O that they were wise that they understood this that they would consider their latter-end it is a point of high wisdom for men to consider their latter end and through grace it proves a great help even unto the people of God it proves a spur to them I say it is a spur to the works and services of their Generation when they consider their latter end I must work the work of him that sent me saies Christ the night comes when no man can work and so again saies Solomon Whatsoever thy hand finds to do do it with all thy might for there is no work nor device nor counsel nor knowledge in the Grave whither thou art going If therefore it lieth before thee neglect not the work of thy Generation if he say This is the way walk in it if he say By this or by that thou shalt be for my Glory in the World take heed you neglect it not no not a minute for how soon maist thou go to thy home thy long-home and there is no work in the Grave this through grace I say proves a spur to God's people the consideration of their latter end I have but a little time in which I can gain glory to God's name O take it O soul improve it for God's glory this I say puts a man to consider his latter end 2. Secondly Again It is that which will make the soul truly Magnanimous truly valiant for God it will beget a mighty Heroick spirit this conversing with death at a distance this considering of a mans latter end see what God saies in that pathetical wish I before spake of in Deut. 32. 29 30. If they did but consider their latter end how should one chase a thousand and two put ten thousand to flight the consideration of this would make a man Magnanimous for God it would make a man to carry his life in his hand and venture it freely if God should call him forth such a righteous man hath conversed with death at a distance and hath seen and knows that it will be gain he fears not a thousand he is truly Magnanimous he only looks at the cause and goes forth willingly for though there be a thousand to one he fears not for he hath considered his latter end Whereas on the contrary the neglect of this the neglect of conversing with death daily makes men liable to the snares and temptations of the world I say the neglect of this doth expose men to a thousand snares in the world how doth this world keep many from seeking after the life of Christ House Land Friends Riches Honours and Pleasure what snares are these to thousands What 's the cause of this It is because men do not consider their latter end it is because that men have a kind of phancy or dream that they shall alwaies possess these things below men dream of an Eternity here and they are not indeed perswaded of parting that they are a parting from them and so prove woeful snares they are neglecting the great things of God and the great things of Eternity because they do not look upon all as Grass as withering Grass themselves also as fading Flowers therefore they are exposed to
boldness The Lord hath delivered and he doth deliver and he will deliver he gained abundance of submission to the Will of God by contemplation on his condition and by this he knew how to want as well as how to abound and he could do all things through Christ that strengthened him and it was his obedience to the Will of Christ which strengthened him and I believe there is none of Gods people that will bring in their experiences if they will truly and impartially cast up their accounts but they will and shall find that God hath made them gainers by their losses and by their several afflictions that God hath laid upon them they have gained at least this to know that they are nothing they see themselves what fruitless unprofitable creatures they are and they have known what the creature is when God is at a distance they have seen something of themselves and something of God and if there be no more than this this is a great deal of gain and that it is true of all these Deaths the Lord makes his people gainers by them and he leads them through these conditions because he intends to make them gainers by them every affliction that he sends is a servant of Christ every afflicted condition is a servant of Christ and is sent with a good message is sent to communicate some good thing to the soul of every Believer God stands up and saies as in another case Who will go and perswade Ahab And the Spirit answers I God saies Who will go and carry tidings of love from Heaven to such a soul something of himself something of the Divine nature God hath store of Messengers That will I saies one mercy and that will I saies another afflictions are all ready to communicate some good thing to those that love the Lord Christ and indeed they are narrow Pipes all these conditions that the Saints are brought into they are narrow Pipes they can convey but a little a very little of God by them now God is an infinite fountain and he can convey much of himself one condition is too little too narrow for God to work in too narrow a Pipe for God to pour in all that good which he intends for his servants therefore he chooseth variety of works great mercies and variety of afflictions they are all the servants of God and they have commission to go and work for such a man to work for such a mans good the promise is given to the Believer That all shall work together for good so that all are his servants all deaths afflictions persecutions whatsoever distresses his people shall meet withal shall work together for good they must needs gain a man that hath a multitude of servants that work for him it 's all for their good as well as his why Believers have a multitude of servants all is yours all Christ is yours every condition that God hath brought you into shall work for your good for they are Christs servants and you must needs be gainers and truly God knows that their gain is his gain he will gain by their gain and therefore will make their deaths to be gain to them for it comes back again to his Treasury he knows that his people will not purse his glory will not put up that which is Gods if God doth come in and make them gainers by their afflictions if God doth inlarge their hearts and set them free they won't say By my own hand have I made my self rich by my own industry I have gotten this wealth this strength this peace this liberty for what are we that we should be able to walk answerably to any measure that God gives out unto us But Again God will make Death it self gain unto us not only lesser deaths but the greater death it shall be gain even that separation of soul from body which to the wicked man is the worst of deaths Christ becomes gain to that soul whose life Christ is I will tell you in one particular and leave the rest wherein death is gain to that soul whose life Christ is and that is this He shall gain Rest Blessed are those that die in the Lord in Rev. 14. 13. Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth yea saith the Spirit that they may rest from their labours and their works do follow them that 's their nature he speaks in a time of persecution when the Beast came out of the bottomless pit to make war against the Saints the Lord gives encouragement from hence they are blessed though Anti-Christ curse them as Hereticks but from henceforth they are blessed that die in the Lord especially that die in the Lord as these did but wherein are they blessed In this That they rest from their labours there 's a part of their blessedness see what the Prophet Isaiah saies of the righteous man he speaks of this blessedness they shall gain rest in Isa 57. 1 2. He shall enter into peace they shall rest in their Beds each one walking in his uprightness they shall rest as a man rests in his bed so shall the righteous man rest in his Grave the Grave shall be as a bed to them upon which they that die in the Lord shall rest sweetly from these their labours this World is a troublesome World a very turmoiling World full of troubles and labours both to flesh and spirit and they that die in the Lord rest from their labours This World is a place to work in When the Sun arises man goes forth to his labour till the evening comes But you will say This is no great matter what gain is here The gain of Rest rest to the flesh is this any great gain Job saies in Job 3. 13. For now should I have lien still and been quiet I should have slept then had I been at rest Wicked men rest in their Graves they that could never rest well but in wickedness they rest in their Graves but what then where is the gain that the righteous man rests in For they both rest in their Graves 1. First There is a difference in their rest the wicked mans rest is partial it is but the rest of the body the flesh only it is not the rest of the spirit It is an imperfect rest they do not lie down to rest sweetly on their beds with those peaceful thoughts that the righteous man hath in his going to bed to the Grave O their rest is a troublesome rest It is said in Psal 16. there in the person of Christ My flesh rests in hope and shall not see corruption his very flesh should rest in hope the very flesh of the righteous man when it is in the Grave rests in hope his very bones when dry and scattered still they rest in hope hope of a Resurrection But now we may say on the contrary that the very flesh of the wicked man rests in fear his very flesh rests in fear
comfort that God hath given or helps to prolong life if a mans hand be found against his own life it proceeds from a sinful and wicked desire of death There 's great evil in this let me shew you the evil For 1. First It doth pluck that out of Gods hand which God hath challenged as his right the issues of life and death they belong to the Lord my times are in thy hand saies David now it is wicked boldness for a man to pluck times out of Gods hand when a man will have them in his own hand and not that God should have the disposal of them 2. Secondly Besides There is this evil in it A man casts away the most precious Jewel when he acts against his own life he casts away the most precious Jewel in nature Life is the preciousest of all natural gifts Life is a Talent a great Talent it is a Talent given thee for to improve it for God not to waste it away God gives thee this Talent that it may be laid out for him that thy life may be laid out for his name and glory and not to cast it away at thy own pleasure or displeasure know therefore that if any man shall at any time act any thing against his own life God will call him to account for it if the wicked servant was condemned because he did not improve his Talent what shall become of him that threw away his Talent Life is precious when a man shall act any thing against his own life it proceeds from sinful desires of death 3. Thirdly Again Desires of death are sinful When a man shall desire to die before he knows what it is to live or to die when a man desires to die before he hath begun to live or before he knows what it is to die There is many a poor creature will be speaking against his life O that my life were at an end O that God would take me out of the World But hast thou begun to live yet to God Many a poor creature will speak against his own life before he knows what God hath done for him hast thou done the work God hath sent thee into the World for Hast thou glorified his name on earth Hast thou finished thy course Hast thou considered these things before thou desirest to die Dost thou know what it is to die Hast thou considered that death is a door that opens to Eternity It opens to an Eternal condition to a place whence there is no return Hast thou considered what door death will open to thee whether to the inheritance of the Saints in light or to an inheritance with the wicked in utter darkness If thou hast not well considered of these things before thou desirest to die then these desires of death are sinful desires No rather go first to God and desire him to teach thee to live It may be thou hast been twenty thirty forty fifty years in the flesh hast thou begun to live hast thou made him the end of all thy services dost thou bring forth fruit to him and not to thy self is it he that strengthens thee and carries thee out to all thy duties and services is Christ thy life Thou hadst need know what it is to live desire that God would teach thee what is the end he sent thee into the World for the cause of thy coming rather that thou maist know how to live and when to die that when death comes it may be gain for if thou dost desire death before thy desires are sinful 4. Again Fourthly Desires of death are sinful When a man desires death in a passion It is a failing that is incident unto Gods own people and therefore you had need take heed of it It was Jonah's fault and also Elias failing in Jonah 4. 3. saies he Take away my life it is better for me to die than to live and when Jonah spake this he was in a great passion saies God in Verse 9. Dost thou well to be angry I do well to be angry even unto the death Was Jonah fit to die now to die in an anger to die in a passion Certainly if at any time Jonah was now unfit to die It was a strange passion he was now in and at this time he was angry with God himself and yet this man will needs die did he know what he said O passion passion is blind and unreasonable he will go to God he will go to the Throne of God to dwell with God for ever when he is angry with him he is angry with the grace and mercy of God in Jonah 4. 2 3. For I know that thou art a gracious God and merciful slow to anger and of great kindness and repentest thee of the evil Therefore now O Lord take I beseech thee my life from me for it is better for me to die than to live Certainly Jonah was now unfit to die to go to God whenas there were such contrary distempers prevailed in his spirit such a distemper as was most contrary to God God was full of love full of bowels and pity full of meekness patience compassion calmness and quietness of mind contrary to all this Jonah must and would needs die here 's a passion which is a sinful desire of death and so Elijah in 1 Kings 19. 4. But he himself went a daies Journey in the Wilderness and came and sat down under a Juniper tree and he requested for himself that he might die and said It is enough now O Lord take away my life for I am no better than my Fathers Jonah will die in a passion of anger Elijah would die in a passion of fear he was afraid of Jezebel afraid that she should cut him off but it was his failing what was Elijah loth to be made a Martyr would he die and is he loth to die in Gods cause to die for the truth why would Elijah die yet afraid that God won't support him and uphold him in his way This is his infirmity like unto those of Moses's therefore Brethren take heed of Elijah's fears and Jonah's passion It is common if they meet with any discontent O then that God would take away my life O that I were out of the world thus to desire to die when in passion thou art least fit to die and therefore it is a sinful desire That 's a Third Again 4. Fourthly Desires of death are sinful when a man shall desire to die only to gain ease to the Flesh to be rid of some troubles or afflictions that lay upon him When a man saies O I lye under a heavy burden and I know not how to get rid of it O that God would make an end of my daies for I see if such or such affliction comes upon me I know not how to bear it when it comes O that God would take away my life before-hand this is a desire of the flesh which is a sinful desire I will shew you the
and behold the goodness of the Lord in them and yet oh how ready are we to aggravate our wrongs and compass them round again and again and aggravate them to the uttermost Oh! how far do such come short of walking up to the rule of Christ And let it be considered what should become of poor creatures If the Lord should aggravate thy offences as thou dost thy Brothers and set them before thee withall the aggravation of them how sad would it be unto thee Oh! that we might not improve and aggravate all to the height for that spirit is very unlike unto Jesus Christ Again 4. Fourthly They are far from this rule That are hardly brought off unto reconciliation that although there be confession and although there be acknowledgement sometimes though they that have offended be ready to acknowledge the offence and do seek reconciliation nay although friends intercede and friends plead that they would be reconciled nay although God steps in and Christ pleads and Christ beseeches and Christ commands and God sets a mans Conscience upon him and that speaks unto him and lets him know he is out of the way yet how hard is it for a man to bring off his heart into a reconciliation with his Brother after some wrongs and injuries which are done unto him and oh how unlike is this to God and how contrary is this unto the rule which Christ here commends unto and commands his Disciples to follow But 5. Fifthly Again They are far from this Lesson that instead of being reconciled or satisfied Will not be pacified till they do avenge the wrong which is done unto them with their own hand they will render one evil word for another reviling for reviling and one evil turn for another an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth Nay are there not some men that are not ashamed to profess this before all the World that they will put up no wrongs no injuries but they will give as good as they bring and if you provoke me I can be as hot as you is not this the language of the World Oh Sirs this is cursed speaking and cursed acting altogether contrary to Christs rule for a man to avenge with his own tongue and his own hand Oh cursed be the wrath of Simeon and Levi whenas they would avenge that wrong that was done unto their Sister with their own hands Nay let such men and women consider that they do but profess before all the World their likeness unto the Devil while they do speak and while they do act I can be as hot as you and I can give as good as you can bring what is that but in plain English to say I can be as like the Devil as you How far is this from a gracious heart I can put up as many wrongs as you and can commit my Cause unto the Lord This makes you like to God and the other like to the Devil himself Nay let such men and women consider He that gets the best of it in such contests when mens wrath is stirred up why truly alwaies he that gets the best of it hath the worst of it that man that got the victory he is overcome It may be he gains his lust he may gain his will and satisfie his lust but he may lose his peace he may not satisfie his own heart nor his conscience but alwaies he that hath the best of it goes with the worst of it Now such as will pass by wrongs and injuries till they do requite them word for word and wrong for wrong they do walk contrary unto this rule which Jesus Christ hath given unto his Disciples Again 6. Sixthly and lastly They come short of Christs rule That cannot come up to Christs number We are willing to forgive one or two wrongs it may be but oh how hard it is to come up to Christs number to forgive seventy times seven four hundred fourscore and ten wrongs unto one man Oh where is the heart that can come up to this number of Christs Nay there is such an averseness unto the practice of this duty which Christ doth command as it is a very hard matter for Christs people to believe it is their duty see what the Disciple said when Christ had told him his duty in Luk. 17. 4 5. And if he trespass against thee seven times in a day and seven times in a day turn again unto thee saying I repent thou shalt forgive him And the Apostles said unto the Lord Increase our Faith When he said Forgive seven times in a day it 's a hard matter to bethink it a duty now Lord increase our Faith Now if it be so hard to believe it a duty oh how hard is it to come up to the practice of it Surely if the best men in the World had been put upon it to have given Answer to Peter's Question they would never have answered as Jesus Christ hath answered there is never a man upon earth would have said Thou must forgive seventy times seven But the thoughts of the Lord and the waies of the Lord are infinitely above our thoughts and our waies it is a hard matter for us to forgive seven times and if hard to forgive seven times then how hard to forgive seventy times seven Oh that the Lord would make us sensible of our great coming short of this duty and that the Lord would humble us lay us low that we have come so far short of this rule which our Lord Jesus hath left us and all his Disciples to follow and practise in passing by wrongs and injuries 2. Vse But the next Use is an Use of Exhortation First I shall speak to those that have done wrong unto their brother And Secondly To them that have received wrongs from their brother 1. First To them that have done wrong unto others that have injured their brother or brethren either by word or action done them wrong in their Name or Estate or any other way Know that it lies upon you and is your duty to go and seek reconciliation It lies upon you that have done wrong to go and tender satisfaction for the wrong which you have done unto your brother at least to make acknowledgement of the wrong and injury which you have done And to press you unto this duty which is hard 1. First Consider you that have done wrong to others It may be thou hast put the spirit of thy brother or Neighbour out of frame and thou hast unfitted him for all duty either unto God or man thou by thy injury hast stirred up his passion and his passion hath opened a door unto the Devil and the poor soul is exposed unto manifold temptations and snares and oh how is he filled with hard thoughts with hard thoughts it may be not only of thee but of the way of God and of the truth of God filled with hard thoughts against Christ himself And although it will be
Death if it came should do him no harm I say he had a special faith in this respect It appears by two Demonstrations 1. First In respect of that bold that holy bold profession that Enoch makes of God in his Generation which was a most corrupt time and dangerous to make any profession of God in righteous Abel was killed for his profession for his walking with God his Brother arose up and slew him and yet Enoch is not dismayed he will not turn aside from God he will not balk his profession for fear of death for fear of the sons of violence the posterity of Cain was multiplied and the earth was filled with violence at that time and there was enmity in that seed of Cain against the seed of Seth which God raised up instead of Abel so that it was dangerous for Enoch to make any profession of God in his Generation and yet Enoch was not dismayed he feared not the hand of violence what it could do to him but he trusted that God would deliver him either from Death or in Death And 2. Secondly It appears that Enoch had such a remarkable faith if we consider what was the name that he gave unto his Son as in this Chapter He begat a Son and called his name Methuselah that is Mortis gladium the sword of Death or the dart of Death he believed there was one a coming that should be the death of Death one that should overcome death for him and for all the people of God and therefore called his son after that name The Sword of Death He knew there was a Messiah a coming that should send a challenge to death as in Hos 13. 14. O death I will be thy Plague O Grave I will be thy destruction Christ sent a challenge and perform'd this Enoch saw this by faith and all his daies he lived in the contemplation of it and sucked sweetness in the thoughts of it and when e're death came he believed it should do him no harm This will teach us three or four Lessons 1. First There is nothing lost by making a bold profession of Christ in evil times in the midst of dangers Abel was slain because he walked with God and yet Enoch will not go back and Enoch lost nothing in conclusion Oh how often doth our Saviour call upon Christians his Disciples and others Fear not them that can kill the body and can do no more the fear of man brings a snare how many poor creatures are insnared through this fear the fear of man That when God convinces of the truth and of the way of God the soul submits unto it and yet dares not hold it forth because of the fear of man because it 's a way that may be persecuted that the Powers of the world will persecute it and oppose it O this fear of man brings a snare what saies our Saviour in Matth. 10. 39. He that will save his life shall lose it but he that will lose his life shall find it it is made good many times in this world He that will save his life shall lose it when a man will turn aside from God when he will balk any way of God to save his life or to save some comforts of his life Oh it will befall that poor creature as with the Prophet Some Lion comes in the way he meets him and slays him But he that will lose his life shall save it he remembers the three Children spoken of in Daniel they lost nothing by their bold profession they were willing to lose their lives and so they saved their lives and thus did they and so did Enoch 2. Secondly It doth teach us how much God is delighted with the faith of his people Enoch lived by Faith in a special manner and how was the heart of God taken with Enoch He was well pleasing unto God so well pleasing that God could not long be without him puts forth his hand and takes him up to himself Oh how greatly is the heart of God and Christ taken with Faith We never read that Jesus Christ wondred at any thing but at Faith twice he wondred at the Faith that was given out to some of his servants as in Matth. 8. Christ wondred at it O saies he at the 10 Verse when Jesus Christ heard it he marvelled and said to them that followed him Verily I say unto you I have not found so great a Faith no not in Israel When Jesus Christ heard it he marvelled and so the heart of Christ was taken with the Faith that was given out to the woman of Canaan in Matth. 15. O woman great is thy Faith be it unto thee even as thou wilt Faith gains the will of Christ what a great deal hath God done to encourage his people to believe Faith finds not what it expecteth but it finds more than ever it expected certainly Methuselah believed death should do him no harm and therefore he feared not death and thought not of such a way as this is but God was better to him than his Faith You have a strong God what encouragement is here You have a strong Saviour O let not your faith be weak especially seeing the Lord is so delighted with it he gives faith whatsoever it expects nay even beyond it's expectation Again 3. Thirdly This teaches us That to live much by faith is the way to make our translation easie thus it was with Enoch he lived all his daies by faith and see how easie his translation was to him there 's nothing honours God in the world so much as faith doth now therefore God delights to honour Faith because it honours him it hath the promise They that honour me I will honour I beseech you then you that would have an easie change and who would not have an easie change an easie translation when death comes who would not have a large door set open to them and go with full sails for heaven If this be the desire of your hearts then labour to live much by faith it is faith that will set the door wide open it will minister abundance of entrance into the everlasting Kingdom of our Lord the spirit of faith will fill the soul with full sails it shall go to Heaven with full sails thus it was with Enoch who lived by faith 4. But again Fourthly A fourth thing that we may learn is this that when God doth give out a special faith he doth give out some special mercy when God gives out a special faith a particular faith he that perswades the heart to believe it it shall be easie to him Enoch was perswaded in a special faith to believe something concerning death that God would do for Enoch and he did believe it is rare and extraordinary this special faith that doth concern such and such as a special mercy that God doth put the soul to seek after it if the heart be perswaded by God to believe such a particular mercy