abundant in mercy and goodness but it is only for a few A. To this the Lord answers in the next words That he hath mercy for thousands yea he keeps it by him for all that will but come in and partake thereof for so it is expressed keeping mercy for thousands Where a finite number thousands is put for an indefinite multitudes innumerable multitudes Therefore if thou with thousands wilt come in truth unfeignedly hating thy former lewd courses and resolve for the time to come upon new courses company and conversation know that God hath mercy in store for thee yea as large a portion as ever any found or were made partakers of Obj. 7. Wilt thou say Thy sins are both many and hainous more for number than thou canst possibly reckon up and more hainous than thou canst sufficiently aggravate A. To this the Lord answers in the next words That he is a God forgiving iniquity transgression and sin that is sins of all sorts from the least to the greatest As if he had said That he would pardon as all sinners who truly turn from their sins unto him and close with Jesus Christ So all their sins of what kind or degree soever For the learned generally conceive that under these three terms iniquity transgression and sin all manner of sins are comprehended Thus much for the opening and applying the fore-mentioned description of God which sets forth his willingness to save poor lost sinners 2. Gods willingness appeareth from his commands to the worst of sinners to repent and believe For the former that God commands them to repent and turn from their sins unto him we have abundant proof in Scripture As Isai. 1. we read that they who are stiled Rulers of Sodom and pâ—ople of Gomorrah v. 10. being like them for all manner of abominable wickednesses even as bad as they or rather worse and whose sins arâ— called scarlet and crimson sins v. 18. yet in v. 16. are they called upon to repent Wash ye make ye clean put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes cease to do evil learn to do well Which are exhortations to repentance And Ier. 3.1 We read that they who had committed spiritual Adultery having forsaken the true God and worshipped Idols even stocks and stones yet are they called upon to repent and turn unto God Though thou hast played the Harlot with many Lovers yet return again to me saith the Lord and I will be reconciled to thee again and receive thee into my grace and favour And for the latter that God commands poor sinners to believe in Jesus Christ we have a clear proof 1 Joh. 3.23 This is his commandment that we should believe on the name of his Son Iesus Christ. Now Gods commanding all poor sinners even the worst of them to repent and believe is a clear demonstration of his willingness to have them saved by putting them upon the use of those means he hath appointed and sanctified thereunto Ah sinner how should this prevail with thee to abandon thy sins and to adventure on Jesus Christ as thy Lord and Saviour The command of God to repent and believe should me-thinks out-weigh all the suggestions of Satan and carnal reasonings of thine own heart it should swallow up all scruples fears and doubts Abraham we read upon the command of God was willing to offer up his own Son his beloved Son Isaac us a Sacrifice And wilt thou refuse to Sacrifice thy beloved Lust and to embrace the beloved Son of God with the arms of thy faith when thou hast the command of God for both Oh therefore resolve as to cast away thy sins so to cast thy self into the arms of Jesus Christ and to give up thy self unto him and his Laws to be ruled and governed thereby and thou shalt live 3. Gods willingness to save poor penitent sinners appeareth from his many gracious promises to receive the very worst of sinners upon their repentance Let the wicked foâ—sake his way and the unrighteous man his thoughts and lâ—t him return unto the Lord and he will have mercy upon him and to our God for he will abundantly pardon Or as the Original word signifieth he will multiply pardon and forgiveness Though the wicked multiply their sins yet if they turn from them unto God by true and unfaigned repentance he will multiply pardon and forgiveness And saith the Prophet Ezekiel If the wicked will turn from all his sins that he hath committed and keep all my Statutes and do that which is lawfull and right he shall surely live he shall not dye All his transgressions that he hath committed they shall not be mentioned unto him in his righteousness that he hath done he shall live These and such like gracious promises of God in his Word for the encouragement of poor sinners to turn from their sins unto him cannot but strongly argue his willingness to have them saved 4. As if this were not enough to set forth Gods willingness to his promises he hath added his â—ath As I live saith the Lord God I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked but that the wicked turn from his way and live Here the Lord sweareth by himself there being no greater to swear by As if he had said As sure as I am the true and living God so certainly I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked but that he should turn from his wicked wayes and embrace my mercy in Jesus Christ. Because wicked men are so hardly perswaded of Gods willingness to save them therefore to convince them thereof and to encourage them to turn from their sins unto him he takes his oath on it that he is infinitely more willing that wicked men should repent and be saved than that they should perish in their sins and be damned 5. The Lord to shew his willingness to save poor sinners pleads with them in the words following Turn ye turn ye from your evil wayes for why will ye dye O house of Israel Here the Lord condescends to reason the case with poor sinners Why they will dye and perish and not rather turn from their sins unto him that they may live in bliss and happiness to all Eternity And then exhorts them with all earnestness to repentance saying turn ye turn ye which ingemination denoteth the vehement affection and desire of God to have sinners turn from their sins unto him that they may not perish but have everlasting life 6. Gods willingness appeareth from his free offer and tender of Christ to all who will but receive him by the hand of faith as none are named so none are excluded The Angel that brought from Heaven the tydings of Christs birth saith that it was for all people Behold saith he I bring you tydings of great joy which shall be to all people And saith our Saviour God so loved the World that he gave his only begotten Son that whosoever
believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life Where by the World is meant indefinitely mankind of what Nation or Condition Sex or State Age or other Difference soever they be And therefore the offer of Christ is indefinitely to all without exception of any there being no state or condition of men which God hath excluded from Salvation by Christ which doth clearly evidence his willingness to save poor sinners Oh sinner seeing God doth freely offer Christ to all without exception of any do not thou except thy self limit not where God hath not limited say not I am unworthy or my sins are many and heinous cloathed with many aggravating circumstances but stir up thy self to adventure thy soul on Christ upon the general offer of him in the Gospel The first work of faith in many hath been to adventure their souls on Christ upon the free offer of him to all indefinitely Do thou in like manner adventure to cast thy self upon the free grace of God in Christ with resolution to abandon thy lusts for the time to come and to take Christ for thy Lord and Husband as well as for thy Priest and Saviour This is that which God requireth and if he hath perswaded thine heart to this it is a good sign that mercy is intended for thee 7. Gods willingness appeareth from his beseeching poor sinners to be reconciled to him as the Apostle expresseth We are Ambassadours for Christ as though he did beseech you by us we pray you in Christs stead be reconciled to God Ah sinner rather than thou shouldst perish in thy sins God himself who is the God of mercy doth as it were kneel down before thee and beseecheth thee for the Lord Jesus Christ his sake to pitty thy poor soul and to accept of the reconcilâ—ation which Christ hath purchased by his bloody death and passion Oh the depth of the incomprehensible love of God to poor sinners that he should not only command and invite but likewise beseech and intreat them to turn from their sins unto him and accept of the reconciliation purchased by the blood of his Son Jesus Christ. Surely this must needs evidence his great willingness to save poor sinners 8. His willingness further appeareth by his sending Ministers as his Ambassadours unto poor sinners upon terms of peace and reconciliation as the Apostle expresseth in the forementioned place We are Ambassadours to beseech you to be reconciled to God As if he had said We are commanded by the Lord our Master to offer you terms of peace and reconciliation to profer you peace and pardon if you will heartily turn from your sins unto God We are sent as Ambassadours to acquaint you what Christ hath done and suffered for your redemption how he hath fulfilled the Law for you and offered up his life as a Sacrifice and satisfaction to Gods justice for your sins and how you may be happy for ever if you will rest upon Christs perfect righteousness and all-sufficient Sacrifice for life and salvation and give up your selves unto him to serve and obey his laws and commandments I do here therefore as Gods Ambassadour in his name proclaim to the worst of you to the greatest and oldest sinner that you may have mercy and Salvation if you will abandon your lusts and close with Jesus Christ upon the terms of the Gospel receiving him for your King Priest and Prophet Oh how can we but stand amazed at the riches of Gods mercy and goodness that when we upon the knees of our souls should have sought unto him for peace and reconciliation yet that he being the great Lord of Heaven and of Earth should condescend so far as to send Ambassadours unto us sinfull dust and ashes to intreat us to be reconciled to him to accept his grace and favour Oh how doth this evidence his great willingness that poor sinners should not perish but have everlasting life Certainly if God had taken more pleasure in your damnation than in your salvation he would never have sent his Ministers as Ambassadours to shew you the way and means of salvation by receiving Christ as your Lord and Saviour and giving up your selves unto him he would never have perswaded you by so many arguments and beseeched you to turn from your sins unto him that your souls might live in glory to all Eternity 9. Gods willingness doth likewise appear from the greatness of his patience in bearing with sinners For the Lord having used all means for the conversion of poor sinners he waits with much patience and long-suffering for their repentance to see whether they will turn from their sins unto him or no. He waits upon the Swearer the Drunkard the Whore-Master the covetous Worldling day after day week after week year after year crying after them as he did after Ierusalem Oh will ye not be made clean Oh when will it once be When wilt thou leave thy Swearing thy Drinking thy Whoring thy Covetousness and the like And when will thy prophane heart be sanctified thine unclean heart be purified and thy carnal heart spiritualized oh when will it once be oh sinner who art now grown old in sin how long hath the Lord waited on thee for shame let him wait no longer but turn thee turn thee from thy wicked wayes and courses that thou maist receive mercies from him This patience of God towards sinners must needs evidence his willingness to have them saved For if he had not been willing he would have cut them off long agoe and have dealt with them as he did with the Devils who had no sooner sinned but he clapt his chains upon them and still reserves them to the great day in chains of darkness 10. Gods willingness appeareth in that he hath made the way of salvation as easie as can stand with his honour For the way of salvation now is only believing in Iesus Christ for so runs the covenant of grace believe and ye shall be saved Whereas the Covenant of works ran thus Do this and live So that now whosoever believeth in Iesus Christ shall be saved that is whosoever receiveth Jesus Christ as his Lord and Saviour giving himself up to be ruled by him and resteth upon his perfect righteousness and all-sufficient Sacrifice for the pardon of his sins here and for eternal salvation hereafter Shall not perish but have everlasting life The covenant of works required perfect obedience in every mans own person But the Covenant of grace requireth only our sincere endeavour to keep the Commandements of the Lord and accepteth the obedience performed by our surety Jesus Christ for us For we being disenabled by the fall of Adam for performing obedience to the law Jesus Christ the only begotten Son of God came down from Heaven took our nature upon him and therein became our surety and as our surety in our steed for us subjected himself to the Law perfectly fulfilled the same and his obedience is by God
and righteous conversation That they may say unto them as Gideon did to his followers look on me and do likewise This we find practised by Abraham of whom God himself giveth this Testimony I know Abraham that he will command his Children and his houshold after him to keep the way of the Lord. Whereby is implyed that Abraham would go before his houshold in keeping the way of the Lord and they would follow after him And Ioshua testifieth as much of himself As for me and my house we will serve the Lord He would be a pattern of piety and Godliness unto his houshold and they should follow his good example And David likewise resolveth as much for himself for saith he I will walk within my house with a perfect heart intending to become a pattern of piety and Godliness to his houshold by an holy and righteous conversation The better to quicken up Parents and Masters of Families hereunto I shall hint a few Arguments and Motives 1. Your lives are looked upon as Presidents your examples as rules by your Children and Servants and therefore you ought to be exemplarily holy and religious What the Wise man saith of one sin in a Ruler If a Ruler hearken to lyes all his servants are wicked is true in other sins If a ruler or master of a Family be a swearer a drunkard a Sabbath-breaker or the like his servants are so too or will quickly become such For patterns are very prevalent both to Vice and Vertue especially the patterns of Superiours Inferiours are very apt to follow the example of Superiours and to tread in their steps How ordinary is it for wicked Parents to have bad Children and prophane Masters to have wicked Servants And no marvel seeing Children and Servants are apt to follow the evil example of their Parents and Masters and to write after their copy How carefull then should Parents and Masters of Families be of their lives and conversation that they be holy and righteous and not loose and scandalous lest their Children and Servants should follow after them to Hell 2. Your holy and righteous lives will draw honour and reverence from your Children and Servants For the Image of God which consisteth in true holiness and righteousness carryeth such a Majesty in it that it commandeth honour and reverence from others If therefore you who are Parents and Masters will with David walk within your houses with perfect and upright hearts shewing your selves patterns of piety and Godliness your Children and Servants cannot but honour and respect you For them that honour me saith God I will honour that is I will make them to be held in honourable esteem by others I grant indeed some are therefore despised because they walk holily and unblameably Yet such as they are truly honourable in themselves so are they honourable in the eyes and esteem of many others For there is more true worth in the least grace than in all earthly glory Since thou wast precious in my sight thou hast been honourable saith God of his despised people Such Parents therefore and Masters as by their Godly lives and conversations are precious in the sight of God they shall be honoured by their Children and Servants But on the other side such Parents and Masters of Families as by their wicked liâ—es and ungodly conversations are vile in the sight of God they shall be despised and lightly esteemed by their Children and Servants For if Children and Servants perceive their Parents and Masters to be Lyars Swearers Drunkards Sabbath-breakers and the like How can they honour and respect them That which is said of Ierusalem All that honoured her despised her because they have seen her nakedness may be applyed to wicked and prophane Parents and Masters of Families Their Children and their Servants who should most have honoured them cannot but despise them because they have seen their nakedness And this questionless is one special reason why most Parents and Masters have so little reverence and honour from their Children and Servants 3. Such is the infectious property of sin that if a Parent or Master of a Family be a Swearer Drunkard Scoffer at Religion c. he is like by a contagious insinuation and evil example to infâ—ct his whole Family even his own Children and Servants And therefore sin is not unfitly resembled to the Leprosie which quickly over-spreadeth the whole house And it is observable that the more publick the persons are the more dangerous are their sins Private mens sins are but like the errours of a Pocket-watch which usually misleads only the keeper of it But the sins of a Master of a Family are like the errours of an house-clock which is apt to mislead the whole Family Oh how carefull then ought Parents and Masters of Families to be of their lives and conversations lest by their evil example they corrupt and poison their own Children and Servants 4. What will it avail Parents and Masters of Families to teach their Children and Servants the fear of God to walk in his wayes when they themselves manifest little fear of God in their lives and conversations but contrariwise are loose and wanton wicked and prophane For certainly as good examples are the life of instruction to make it profitable and effectual so evil examples are the death and bane of good instruction to make it unprofitable and ineffectual That Parent therefore or Master who reproveth sin in his Child or Servant must be free from that sin himself otherwise it will be said Thou Hypocrite first cast the beam out of thine own eye and then thou shalt see clearly to cast out the moat out of thy brothers eye Yea and he must be free from all other scandalous sins otherwise the Child may say My Father reproveth me for lying but he himself will Swear And the Servant may say my Master reproveth me for Drunkenness and he himself is Covetous That therefore thy Family-reproof and admonition may be profitable thou must be sure to be at least unblameable in thy life and conversation that thou maist not be guilty of that sin which thou condemnest in thy Child or Servant For thereby thou wilt pass a sentence of death and condemnation upon thine own soul. FINIS A Morning Prayer for a Family BLessed Lord God who art great and glorious in thy self good and gracious in and through thy beloved Jesus Christ. A God glorious in thy justice to execute vengeance upon the wilfull and impenitent but gracious in thy mercy to pass by the offences of poor penitent sinners Lord hadst not thou been exceeding good and gracious unto us we might this night have slept the sleep of death and from the darkness of the night been sent away into outer darkness But such hath been thy mercy and goodness unto us as to add another day unto our lives most meet therefore it is that we should consecrate the same unto thee by
Christ as the Word Prayer and Sacraments which whilest thou enjoyedst thou hadst hope But death puts an end to these and thy hopes must give up their Ghost Now Christ calls upon thee Sabbath after Sabbath by his Ministers and Ambassadours woing and beseeching thee to abandon thy lusts to cast away thy sins and to cast thy self into his arms to accept of the reconciliation purchased by his blood But ere long thou shalt hear no more of these things not a Sabbath more not a Sermon more not a promise not one word more of grace of mercy of hope for ever When thou wouldst give if thou hadst them ten thousand Worlds for one moment of that mercifull time of grace which thou hast so long abused for a drop of that precious blood which thou hast so long trampled under thy feet yea for one Sabbath more to have Christ once more tendred to thee in the Ministry of the Gospel but alas it will not be granted Ah sinner Then wilt thou cry out of thy sins and cry for mercy mercy mercy Lord to a dying soul that am just sinking perishing under the load of mine iniquities Then wilt thou begin to wish when it is too late that thou hadst spent thy precious time to better purpose that thou hadst minded more the things of Eternity that thou hadst closed with the tenders and offers of Jesus Christ and that thou hadst better improved the means and opportunities of grace which thou didst once enjoy Thou wilt then say Oh if the Lord would be pleased to add a few years more to my life How would I contemn the World and the vanities thereof How exactly would I order my conversation How carefull would I be of duty how watchfull against sin How would I bestir my self to work out mine own salvation But ah sinner the time of thy departure is at hand and there is no hope of a reprieve for one day longer and therefore all these good wishes and purposes come too late There are two things especially which will aggravate a sinners misery at his death 1. To think what possibility of making his peace with God he hath had all his life time to remember how often he hath been invited to accept of Jesus Christ and yet would not 2. To think that now there is no hope of mercy having by his sins shut Heaven-gate and hardened Gods heart against him Ah sinner then wilt thou in the bitterness of thy soul cry out and say The God of mercy hath utterly forsaken me and the Devil who knows no mercy waites for to take me Ah! then which way soever thou lookest thou wilt find nothing but matter of bitter weeping and lamentation If thou look backward what canst thou behold but all the filthy and abominable lusts of thy youth unrepented of yea multitudes of horrid sins which thou hast committed in the whole course of thy life for which thou never hast been humbled nor shed one penitential tear the guilt of the least of them is enough to sink thee body and soul into everlasting burnings If thou look forward what canst thou behold but sudden destruction ready to seize upon thee Yea Gods strict Tribunal before which thou art just making thy appearance there immediately to be sentenced to endless torments and miseries of the other world the sting and terrours of which thou shalt never be able either to avoid or abide If thou look within thee what canst thou behold but thy conscience polluted and defiled yea accusing and condemning thee If without thee what canst thou behold but the wicked World which thou hast too much loved and thy relations which stand weeping about thee a company of miserable comforters that cannot delay the separating stroak of death one day or hour neither can they afford thee the least dram of true comfort If thou look downward what canst thou behold but hell deserved with her mouth open ready to swallow thee up quick and the Devils ready to receive thy soul and carry it to that dungeon of darkness If upward what canst thou behold but a provoked enraged God whom because thou refusedst to hear in the day of his merciful visitation he will now laugh at thy calamity and mock when thy fear cometh upon thee as himself threatneth Prov. 1.24 26. and in verse 28. saith the Lord Then shalt thou call upon me but I will not answer thou shalt seek me but thou shalt not find me for that thou hatedst knowledge and didst not choose the fear of the Lord. And verse 30. Thou wouldst none of my counsell but despisedst all my reproofs Therâ—fore shalt thou eat the fruit of thine own way and be filled with thine own desires that is the wickedness which thou hast sown shalt thou reap with all fullness Thus thou wilt look every where for help yet findest thy self every way helpless and hopeless Haply thou wilt then look unto Jesus Christ in hope that he will appear for thee and his blood make thy Attonement But sinner know that though his blood be a fountain opened to all poor penitent believers to wash away the filthy spots and stains of their sins Yet to thee who hast all thy life long suffered Christ to stand knocking at the door of thine heart by the Ministery of his Word by the motions of his Spirit and by the checks of thine own conscience and wouldst not open unto him to thee his blood will be then a fountain sealed so that thou shalt not partake of the least benefit thereof because in thy life time thou hast so often slighted it yea and crucified him afresh by thy bloody sins Ah sinner sinner whither wilt thou flee for comfort in the midst of thy distress It will then be too late to cry out Oh that the time I have spent in Taverns and Ale-houses in sports and pastimes in carnal pleasures and sensual delights I had spent in Prayer and fasting in humbling and repenting It will then be too late to cry with Balaam Oh that I might dye the death of the righteous when thou hast neglected to live the life of the righteous For look as the life is so commonly is the death and as death leaves a man so the last judgement shall find him And now sinner thy last sand being run out thy day past and the Devills long looked for day being come who waits for thy soul so soon as it goeth out of thy body Oh what a direfull screech will thy soul give when it passeth out of thy body into the Devils clutches to be carryed by him into the bottomless burning lake Oh how should the consideration of these unspeakable miseries which are the portion of natural and unregenerate men at their deaths startle and waken all such worldlings and sensualists who so they may encrease their wealth and satiate themselves with worldly pleasures and delights take no thought now nor make any provision against this dreadfull day of reckoning I mean the
Lord turn me Lord sanctifie me Lord help me that I come not into this place of torment But when will the folly of fools depart from them Oh the stupendious brutishness of this mad and sensual World though they know these things and have been forewarned of them yet they have not the heart to fly from the wrath to come Thus much for the clearing and setting forth of the first truth to be embraced towards the working of regeneration in mens souls namely That every man in his state of unregeneracy is in a miserable and dreadful condition Wherein I have the longer insisted that thereby I might startle and awaken unregenerate men out of their carnal security unto a lively sense and apprehension of the dreadful danger they are in so long as they live and lye in their unregenerate estate and so countermine the great design of the Devil against their souls which is to keep them blindfold and ignorant of their wretched miserable state by perswading them that their condition is as good and safe as the best For certainly were they but sensible of their present condition how they were lost and undone for ever if they should dye in their natural and unregenerate estate the Devil with all his skill and cuning would be hard put to it to perswade them to live another day therein left they should suddenly be snatcht away to hell would they then turn such a deaf ear to the Voice of the Gospel would they then make such excuses and make such delayes when Christ calls them to repentance I cannot be at the pains I cannot bear the labour and the sorrow of a penitent life I cannot part with mine ease my pleasures my friends and companions at least not yet awhile Oh the sense of an hell would silence all such excuses and shake off all such delayes To day to day O my soul hearken to thy Lord left it be too late by to morrow Now stand sinner stand and pause awhile on what hath been hitherto spoken Look back and consider Is this thy state Is this thy portion which hath hitherto been described Art thou a sinner a willfull and impenitent sinner and doth not all this belong to thee search the Scriptures believe the Scriptures and then say if this be not the place of them that know not God and obey not the Gospel of Christ. But what saift thou is it good for thee to be here Is this a state to acquiesce in to be at ease and secure to be so merry and jolly in Is this the state thou art so loth to be delivered from Dost thou hang over the burning furnace by the small thread of thy life which as soon as it is snapt off thou tumblest headlong into this bottomless gulf and dost thou scoff and scorn at the poor Ministers and Ambassadours of Christ that come to thee only to snatch thy soul out of this amazing danger But hearken sinner wilt thou escape wilt thou the redeemed wilt thou be delivered from all this would he be a messenger of good tydings wouldst thou bid him welcome that should bring thee news of redemption from all this why is there any hope of that hope of deliverance hope of salvation what for such a sinner what from so great destruction what is there any hope for such a great sinner such an hardened sinner such an old sinner that hath even one foot already in hell why wilt thou hearken consider consider what shall further be spoken and thou shalt see that there is yet hope for thee even for thee concerning this thing As great as thy sins are as great as thy danger is if thou wilt yet hearken there is hope that thou maist be saved CHAP. XII Sheweth that there is hope of Mercy for the worst of Sinners II. ANother truth to be embraced in order to thy Regeneration is this That there is hope of mercy for the greatest sinners Though the condition of men in their state of unregeneracy be very deplorable yet it is not desperate there is hope of mercy for the worst of them which will appear from a due consideration 1. Of Gods powers and willingness to save the worst of sinners 2. Of the all-sufficiency of Christs Sacrifice 3. Of Christs readiness to embrace all poor sinners who will but come unto him and receive him upon the terms of the Gospel I. For the Power of God to save the worst of sinners it doth appear 1. From the infiniteness of his mercy which is compared to the depth of the Sea Thou wilt cast all their sins into the depth of the Sea saith the Prophet Micah The Sea is of such a vast capacity that it can swallow up the highest mountain as well as cover the lowest mole-hill In like manner the mercy of God is of such a boundless extent that it can pardon the greatest and grossest sins as well as the least In which respect he is said to be plenteous in mercy and rich in mercy admire it we may but no man is able to express how great the mercy of the Lord is being as himself infinite without any limits or bounds Ah sinner far be it from thee either to straighten the mercy of God or so to aggravate thy sins as to conclude that thy sins are greater than can be forgiven do not so aggravate thy mighty sins as thereby to derogate from infinite mercy Is not the mercy of God infinite Is it not the mercy of a God thy greatest sins are but finite as being the sins of a creature but his mercy is infinite being the mercy of a God As there is no proportion between that which is finite and that which is infinite So neither is there any proportion between the greatest of thy sins and the mercy of God 2. The power of God to save the worst of sinners appeareth from the unlimited extent of his promises What ever God promiseth sure he hath power to perform Now the promises of God exclude no sinner nor any sin except the sin against the Holy Ghost nor any time of coming unto him for in all these respects are the promises of God wondrous large and of great extent 1. They exclude no sinner For they run for the most part in the generality promising mercy and forgiveness to all who turn unto him in truth and sincerity as Isa. 55.7 Let the wicked forsake his way and the unrighteous man his thoughts and let him return unto the Lord and he will have mercy on him and to our God and he will abundatly pardon Here the Prophet speaks to the wicked and unrighteous indefinitely even to all and every one of them and assures them that upon their repentance they shall be received to mercy 2. They exclude no sins no not scarlet and crimson sins as Isa. 1.18 Though your sins be as scarlet they shall be as white as snow though they be red like crimson they shall be as wool that is
though your sins be never so great and hainous yet upon your repentance through the mercy of God in Christ they shall be so abolished as if they had never been committed 3. They exclude no time for the sinners coming unto God but whensoever sooner or later first or last so that he come in truth he shall find mercy and forgiveness Ezck. 33.12 The promise lyeth in the day that the sinner turneth Seeing therefore oh sinner God hath not excepted thy person nor thy sins no thy time of coming do not thou except thy self saying thy sins are greater than can be pardoned and thy day of grace is past Oh do not so great an injury to God as to set any bounds or limits either to his mercy or to his promises 3. The power of God to save the worst of sinners appeareth from his actual receiving the most heinous sinners to mercy The greatest sinners that we read of in Scripture have obtained mercy Who greater than Mannasseh who was a Sorcerer an Idolater a Murtherer and what not and yet was received to mercy And who greater in the New Testament than Paul who was a Blasphemer and a Persecutor of the Saints and People of God and yet was received to mercy Now what God hath done formerly he is still able to do he is still the same God his power is no whit lessened nor diminished Oh sinner what ground hast thou then to question the mercy of God to thy soul if thou dost in truth turn from thy sins unto him and earnestly beg the pardon and forgiveness of them I know indeed that before God giveth a sight and a sense of our sins we are too too apt to presume but our understandings are no sooner inlightned to see our sins and our consciences awakened to feel the burden of them but we are very apt to despair it being the great design of our adversary the Devil either to make us dye in a senseless calm or else to perish in a desperate storm Oh saith the awakened sinner my sins are many for number and heinous in their quality having aggravated them by many amplifying circumstances Certainly there is no hope of mercy for such a wretched sinfull creature as I am whose sins are greater than can be forgiven But take notice I beseech thee of these two things 1. Though in thy self there is nothing but ground and matter of despair yet in the mercy of God through the merits of Jesus Christ there is ground enough of comfort and encouragement 2. How many and heinous soever thy sins have been yet if thou canst find an heart to turn from them unto God and in good earnest set upon the practice of an holy life and so become a new creature God will receive thee to mercy But still beware thou abuse not mercy by making it thy encouragement to sin turn not this cup of Salvation into a cup of deadly poyson let not the doctrine of infinite mercy be thy damnation abuse not mercy as thy encouragement to sin but improve mercy as thy encouragement to repentance 2. For the Willingness of God to save poor sinners even the worst of them it doth appear 1. From Gods description of himself Exod. 34.6 7. The Lord God merciful and gracious long-suffering and abundant in goodness and truth keeping mercy for thousands forgiving iniquity transgression and sin Why should the Lord proclaim himself merciful and gracious to forgive all manner of sins but for the encouragement of poor penitent sinners to come unto him with hope of acceptance There is not a letter in this name of God not a word in this description of him but fully and adequately answers all the objections which may be made by poor sinners against their own souls Obj. 1. Wilt thou say that thy condition is as bad as the worst having been as great and hainous a sinner as ever lived upon the face of the earth A. To answer this God here declareth himself to be the Lord merciful The Lord therefore able to save thee to the utmost Though thy sins be never so many and hainous yet he is able to save thee from them all And he is merciful therefore willing to save thee for in him there are bowels of mercy pitty and compassion and he delights in mercy Obj. 2. Wilt thou say thou art in thy self most unworthy to partake of any mercy from God having nothing in thee to commend thee to him or to move him to extend his mercy unto thee A. To this the Lord answers in the next place that he is gracious and therefore what he doth he will do freely without any respect of works or worthiness in us for grace is to shew mercy freely The mercy God ever shewed to any of his people was originally founded in himself alone in his own goodness and loving-kindness The Apostle therefore calleth it the good pleasure of his goodness Whereupon saith the Lord himself I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious and will shew mercy on whom I will shew mercy Obj. 3. Wilt thou further object and say thou hast mispent the flower of thy youth and the strength of thy age in vanity and pleasure thy whole life hath been a continued course of sinning against God so that thou hast cause to fear that God hath given over looking after thee and that his patience towards thee is expired and thy day of grace past A. To this the Lord answers in the following words that he is long-suffering Not only merciful and gracious but likewise long-suffering to thee-ward not willing that thou shouldst perish but that thou even thou shouldst come to repentance He still waiteth for thy repentance and reformation that he may be gracious unto thee Obj. 4. Wilt thou say that though the Lord hath shewed himself merciful gracious and long-suffering unto others yet thou art so destitute of all grace and goodness that thou hast little hope of partaking thereof A. To this the Lord answers in the next words that he is abundant in goodness as he hath extended his grace mercy and patience unto others so he hath enough and enough for thee his store is no whit diminished by what he hath given out but as he is an ever-flowing so an over-flowing Fountain of all grace mercy and goodness for the supply of his people he is abundant in goodness Obj. 5. Wilt thou say that though the Lord be abundant in goodness yet thou art fearfull whether he will extend his goodness unto thee A. To this the Lord answers that he is abundant as in goodness so in truth God having in his word promised to receive all poor penitent sinners unto mercy who will in truth turn from their sins unto him his truth and faithfulness ingageth him to shew mercy unto thee and to receive thee into the arms of his free grace upon thy true and unfeigned repentance Obj. 6. Wilt thou say God is indeed
accepted for us and imputed unto us as if we our selves in our own persons had kept the whole Law of God and perfectly fulfilled the same Indeed personal obedience is required under the Gospel of believers but not as the matter of our justification but as an evidence and fruit of our justification I say as an evidence of our justification that we may make it manifest both to our selves and to the World that we are justified and made righteous by Jesus Christ. And also as a fruit of our justification that by our good works we might glorifie God for God is much glorified by the good works of his people Now in that God hath made the way of salvation so easie to poor sinners accepting of their sincere endeavour to keep his Commandements for perfect obedience And of the obedience and righteousness of Jesus Christ their surety for personal obedience it must needs evidence his willingness to have poor sinners saved 11. Gods willingness to save the very worst of sinners is most lively represented in the Parable of the Prodigal as it is recorded Luke 15.20 c. where we read how the Prodigal no sooner resolved to go to his Father and acknowledge his offences but his Father prevented him for when he was yet a great way off his Father saw him and had compassion and ran and fell on his neck and kiss'd him Where there are several passages very observable in the Father of the Prodigal 1. His quick observation For when he was yet a great way off his Father saw him Before he espyed his Father his Father saw him Though God is many times unwilling to see the sinner yet is he at all times very willing to espy the penitent Yea no sooner doth a sinner resolve to turn from his sins unto God but he spyes him and pittyes him 2. His present commiseration His Father saw him and had compassion on him Though God looks on obstinate sinners with indignation yet he looks on the penitent with commiseration When the heart of a sinner is penitentially touched then the bowels of Gods mercy are moved within him When Ephraim repented and turned the Lord saith My bowells are troubled for him I will surely have mercy on him 3. His spâ—edy readiness to embrace him It is said the Son went to his Father but the Father ran to meet his penitent Son shewing how ready and swift the Lord is to shew mercy to a penitent returning sinner There is a great difference betwixt Gods coming to punish a sinner and his coming to shew mercy to a penitent He is said to be slow to wrath but he is fâ—ist to shew mercy As soon as ever Ephraim said I repented instantly it follows I will surely have mercy upon him saith the Lord. David had no sooner said I have sinned but Nathan had commission presently to reply the Lord hath done away thy sin A sinner no sooner turnes from his sins unto God by repentance but God turns unto him in mercy 4. His wonderful tenderness The Father fell on his neck To have taken him by the hand had been much but to fall on his neck and embrace him and that as he was in his loathsome stinking rags was a greater favour than could be expected How open are the arms of mercy to embrace a penitent returning sinner 5. His strong affection expressed by kissing his penitent Son for as it follows He kissed him He did not only embrace him but he likewise kissed him And as St. Austin observeth Before the Son had spoken one word unto his Father the Father falleth upon his neck and kissed his ragged and deformed Son which sheweth Gods willingness to receive and embrace all poor penitent sinners that have but a thought of turning from their sins unto him Yea the Fathers kissing of his returning Son was to make him know that he was truly reconciled to him notwithstanding his former wicked and lâ—â—d courses and to shew that he rejoyced as much at his penitential return as he had grieved at his sinfull departure Oh sinner What an encouragement should this be unto thee to turn from thy sins unto God who hath as an eye of mercy to espye a returning sinner so an heart full of mercy and compassion to pitty a returning sinner and feet of mercy to meet a returning sinner and arms of mercy to embrace a returning sinner and lips of mercy to kiss a returning sinner in token that he is reconciled to him Oh therefore let me prevail with thee whosoever thou art how many and hainous soever thy sins are to turn from them unto God by true and unfained repentance and that with hope of mercy and acceptance in and through the merits and intercession of Jesus Christ. CHAP. XIII Of the all-sufficiency of Christs Sacrifice III. THat there is hope of mercy for the worst of sinners appeareth froâ— the all-sufficiency of Christs Sacrifice offered upon the Cross and the fulness of satisfaction that was therâ—by made to the justice of God for the sins of the whole World So much the Apostle expresseth where he saith He is able to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him The word translated able doth impâ—y power to do a thing And the word translated uttermost is of a very large extent it extends so far that we cannot look beyond it no not in our â—houghts for let a mâ—n imagine his case to be never so desperate his sins to be never so many and hainous yet Christ by his death is able to save him from them all And therefore this we must lay as a foundation-truth that Christs Sacrifice was a full saâ—isfaction to the justice of his Father for the sins of the World it being the Sacrifice of the Son of God even of him who was God as well as man For this is that which added an infinite value to what Christ did and suffered for our redemption that it was the obedience and the sufferings of the Son of God of him who was God equal with the Father whereupon the blood of Christ whereby we are redeemed is called precious blood being of infinite price and merit able to countervail and answer for all our sins and to free us from the punishment due unto us for the same Bâ—sides Christs resurrection from the deaâ— is an eviâ—â—nt demonstration that his death was an all-sufficient Sacrifice and full satisfaction to Gods justice for our sins For God having seized on Christ as our Surety and cast him into the prison of the grave for the debt of our sins he could not have come forth till he had payed the uttermost farthing But by his rising out of the prison of the grave we are assured that Gods justice is abundantly satisfied by the death of Jesus Christ. Labour therefore to get thine heart truly satisfied in the all-sufficiency of Christs Sacrifice that his death was a full satisfaction to
Gods justice for thy sins for otherwise when either thy conscience or the Devil begin to aggravate thy sins and to set before thee the number and the hainousness of them thou wilt be at a loss and even ready to sit down in despair whereas if thou didst cleerly apprehend what a full satisfaction the death of Christ was to Gods justice for all thy sins thou wouldst not fear what either thy conscience or the Devil could object against thee In Rom. 8.33 We read how the Apostle from the consideration of Christs all-sufficient Sacrifice and full satisfaction to Gods justice by his death did triumph over sin and Satan For having treated thereof in the former part of the Chapter In the latter part thereof ver 33 34. he speaks as one ravished with abundance of comfort yea challengeth the Devil and all the World to object what they could against the pardon of his sins Who saith he shall lay any thing to the charge of Gods elect It is God that justifieth Who is he that condemneth it is Christ that dyed As if he had said let Conscience and carnal Reason let Law and Sin let Hell and Devil object what they can let them object the number and hainousness of my sins what is that seeing Christ hath dyed even Christ the Son of God hath offered up his own life as an all-sufficient Sacrifice and thereby abundantly satisfied Gods justice for my sins Beloved the case between God and us and our Saviour Jesus Christ is not much unlike the case of a Creditor a Debtor and a Surety Though the debtor be altogether unable to satisfie his debt or to contribute any thing thereunto yet if his surety have fully discharged the debt and cancelled the bond the debtor is safe enough from imprisonment or danger of arrest In lâ—ke manner though we were much indebted unto God and were no way able to make the least satisfaction for our sins yet seeing our surety Jesus Christ hath taken upon him the debt of our sins and fully satisfied Gods justice for the same by offering up his own life as an all-sufficient Sacrifice upon the Cross we shall not need to fear the accusations of Conscience or of carnal reason or of all the Devils in Hell if we do apply the merits of Christs death unto our own souls comfort IV. That there is hope of mercy for the worst of sinners appeareth from Christs Willingness to receive and embrace all poor sinners who will but come unto him and receive him upon the terms of the Gospel 1. Christs Willingness appeareth from his frequent personal invitations of all sorts of sinners even the worst to come unto him for life and salvation as Matth. 11.28 Come unto me all ye that labour and are heavy laden and I will give you rest In which we find no exception either of persons or sins but whosoever thou art rich or poor male or female how many and hainous soever thy sins are if thou art but sensible of them thou art invited to go unto Jesus Christ and to cast thy self and the burden of thy sins upon him And Rev. 22.17 Let him that is a thirst come And whoever will let him take the Water of life freely That is in whomsoever there is but an earnest will and longing desire to partake of Christ and of the benefits of his death and passion they are invited to come unto him Now these gracious invitations of Jesus Christ unto poor thirsty sinners to come unto him that their souls might live must needs argue his incomparable willingness to have them saved 2. Christ knowing our backwardness to come unto him to the forementioned invitations adds his awakening excitation or proclamation crying out Ho every one that thirsteth come ye to the Waters c. And because many poor souls are apt to say Alas there is nothing in me to commend me unto Christ I have no goodness no righteousness of mine own therefore Christ adds He that hath no money that is he who hath no goodness no righteousness of his own which is there meant by money let him come And indeed they are the fittest to go unto Jesus Christ for it is the empty soul that is most capable of Christ the soul emptied of all self-righteousness and self-goodness Whereas that soul which with the Church of Laodicea is rich and full with a conceit of its own righteousness hath no room for Christ. 3. Christs Willingness appeareth by the many sweet and gracious promises which he hath made in his Word unto all those who by faith come unto him As that known promise Come unto me all ye who labour and are heavy laden and I will give you rest that is I will ease you and refresh you I will comfort you with the assurance of the pardon of your sins I will give you peace of Conscience here and eternal peace and rest with me for ever in my Kingdom And questionless one special reason why many find so little peace and comfort in their souls is because they go not unto Jesus Christ they cast not themselves and the burden of their sins upon him who is the fountain of peace and comfort and from whom alone it is to be had And Mark 16.15 16. saith our Saviour He that believeth shall be saved but he that believeth not shall be damned that is He who goeth out of himself unto Christ for life shall be saved from the wrath of God from the curse of the Law from the guilt and power of sin yea from eternal death and condemnation and shall inherit eternal life and salvation But he that believeth not shall be damned that is He who refuseth to go unto Jesus Christ preferring his lusts and corruptions before him shall be cast into that burning lake where is nothing but weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth Oh how earnestly doth Christ press sinners to come unto him that they might have life promising Heaven and salvation upon their coming and threatning hell and damnation upon their refusing And what more prevailing argument could he use to perswade sinners to come unto him Which must needs evidence his exceeding great willingness to embrace them with the arms of his mercy upon their coming 4. Christs Willingness appeareth from his eâ—d of coming into the World which was to save poor lâ—st sinners He left his Crown and Throne his Royal Court and glorious Robes and cloathed himself with the rags of our humanity for no other end but to seek and to save that which was lost as the Apostle expresseth This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptation that Iesus Christ came into the World to save sinners So that the Salvation of poor lost sinners was his great design in coming into the World He came from Heaven to Earth for this very end that he might send us from Earth to Heaven The Son of God became the Son of man that we the sons of men might become
the Sons of God Certainly that Christ should come out of Heaven to keep us out of hell that he should uncrown himself to Crown us must needs argue a wonderful willingness in him to have poor sinners saved 5. Christs Willingness appeareth by his rejecting of none who sincerely go unto him though never so weak and worthless in themselves Never did any sinner go to him but he accepted of him as himself expresseth All that the Father giveth me shall come to me and him that â—ometh unto me I will in no wise cast out but receive him to mercy Hath Christ promised this and will he not be as good as his Word Did he ever break his word with any poor soul though never so unworthy Did he ever cast away any who came unto him And is he not the same yesterday to day and for ever Go sinner fear not go upon the credit of this word which he hath spoken I will in no wise cast them out Though the Devil say go not though thy misgiving heart say go not he will not regard thee he will never look on such a vile wretch he will cast thee out yet since he hath said He will not go and thou shalt find mercy Thus have I by several demonstrations proved as God the Fathers willingness to save the worst of sinners So Christs readiness to embrace all poor sinners who will but come unto him for life and salvation Wherein I have the longer insisted because I know no better argument to prevail with sinners to turn from their sins unto God by true and unfeigned repentance and to close with Jesus Christ by a true and lively faith than a serious consideration as of Gods readiness to save the worst of sinners upon their turning unto him so of Christs Willingness to embrace all poor sinners who will come unto him and receive him as their Lord and Saviour I have read a story of a Gentle-woman who was condemned to dye for killing her own child whereupon divers Ministers came to visit her and perceiving her little affected with her sin and sad condition they laboured to set before her the hainousness of her sin and the dreadfulness of her condition without hearty and deep repentance All which little moved her seeming rather the more hardened in her sin But at last another Reverend Divine hearing of her obdurate hardness notwithstanding all that was said unto her went and preached to her the abundant riches of Gods mercy in Christ how ready he was to embrace with the arms of his free-grace every penitent sinner and how willing Christ was to receive all poor sinners who would go unto him and cast themselves into his arms how many and hainous soever their sins were and thereupon told her there was hope of mercy for her if she were heartily sorry for her sins and would adventure her soul upon Christ notwithstanding the greatness and hainousness of her sin What! mercy for me said she that is impossible c. Whereupon the Minister proceeded further to set forth the freeness of Gods grace and riches of his mercy to all penitent and believing sinners declaring unto her how God delighted in mercy and that where sin had abounded there his grace and mercy would much more abound or to that purpose And thereupon she presently fell a weeping wringing her hands and cryiâ—g for mercy and dyed very comfortably as it is related having had the mercy of God abundantly revealed to her before her death And truly sinner as it was my design so my hearts desire in sâ—tting forth Gods willingness to save the very worst of sinners upon their repentance and Christs readiness to embrace them with the arms of his mercy that it might have the same effect in thee as it had in the forementioned Gentle-woman And oh that the consideration thereof would melt thine heart into tears of unfeigned sorrow for thy sins past and stir thee up to turn from them unto God by hearty repentance and to close with Jesus Christ upon the terms of the Gospel Oh that I could prevail with thee as to give a bill of divorce to thy lusts and corruptions so to give up thy self unto Christ and to adventure thy soul upon him resting upon his perfect righteousness and all-sufficient Sacrifice for the pardon of thy sins here and for eternal life and salvation hereafter If Christ be so willing to receive thee why shouldst not thou be willing to go unto him and that with confidence of acceptance Salvation is this day offered unto thee the golden Scepter is held out unto thee Oh stretch forth the hand of faith to lay hold and embrace the Lord Jesus Christ so shalt thou be happy to all Eternity For whosoever believeth in Iesus Christ shall not perish but have everlasting life Thus much of the truths to be embraced in order to your Regeneration CHAP. XIV Sheweth the Duties to be Practised in order to your Regeneration HAving shewed you the truths to be embraced in order to your Regeneration I come now to the Duties on your part to be practised and performed I. From the consideration of the dreadfulness of thy condition so long as thou continuest in thine unregenerate estate and of the hope thou hast of a blessed change stir up in thy self an earnest longing restless desire after the new birth that thou maist in truth say O that I were Regenerate and born anew Oh that the Image of the Devil might be razed out and the Image of God imprinted in me O that a blessed change were wrought in my soul a change from nature to grace from darkness to light from the Kingdom of Satan to the Kingdom of the Lord Jesus Oh that I might become a new creature renewed throughout in all the faculties of my soul and all the parts of my body As Rachel cryed Give me Children or else I dye So do thou cry out and say Give me this new birth let me be born again by the spirit or else I shall dye not only the first but likewise the second death and be undone for ever And know for thy comfort if thou canst find any such longing desire in thy soul thou art not far from this new birth from the work of Regeneration in thy soul. For this longing desire after this new birth will put thee upon the use of all ordinances and means God hath sanctified for the attaining thereof II. Labour to get thine heart deeply and throughly affected with a sense of thy miserable condition by nature It is not sufficient to know thy condition to be sad and deplorable so long as thou continuest in thine unregenerate estate but thy care and endeavour must be to get thine heart throughly affected therewith If you look into the Scriptures you shall find this qualification required in the persons whom Christ came to save and whom he invites to come unto him Our blessed Saviour speaking to Zacheus saith The Son
for the spiritual and eternal good of our poor souls Help us to keep alwayes upon our hearts a deep sense as of the certainty of our death so of the uncertainty of the time thereof that we may live as those who believe we must shortly dye Lord take us into thy keeping and protection this night Grant we may lodge in the arms of Jesus that we may rest in his bosome Give unto us such sweet and comfortable rest and sleep that our bodies may be refreshed and we the better enabled to serve thee the next day in our several places and callings In mercy remember thine all the World over And in special we pray thee for this sinfull Land and Nation Pardon our sins be reconciled to us in Jesus Christ. Let thy Gospel have a free passage therein Pour the choicest of thy blessings upon the head of our King that he may be a blessing unto us Bless all our Magistrates with the Ministers of thy Word and Sacraments Pâ—tty the afflicted members of Jesus Christ. Bless all Christian Families this in particular giving unto every member thereof all needfull saving sanctifying graces And now accept our Sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving which we offer unto thee for thy manifold favours and mercies conferred on our souls and bodies especially and above all for that great gift of thine the Lord Jesus Christ and for all those great things he hath done and suffered for our redemption We bless thy name as for the enjoyment of the Gospel so for any spiritual good we have received thereby that any of us have fiducially and cordially closed with the tenders and offers of Jesus Christ. We bless thy name that thou hast withheld us from the company and wayes of those who live without God in the World giving themselves up to work all wickedness with greediness and hast set our hearts to seek the Lord and wait for thy Salvation For every other good thing whether temporal or spiritual concerning this life or a better blessed and praised be thy great and glorious name And now O Lord we beseech thee in mercy to overlook all the weaknesses and infirmities which have accompanied this holy duty Sprinkle both our Persons and our Services with the blood of that immaculate Lamb Christ Jesus To whom with thee O Father and the holy Spirit be rendred as is most due all honour and praise and glory both now and for evermore Amen A Prayer for a single Person O Eternal and ever-living Lord God the fountain of all blessing the Father of Mercy and God of all Consolation I thy poor creature altogether unworthy to appear in thy sight to present my Prayer and supplication unto thee do yet in the name and mediation of thy beloved Son Jesus Christ prostrate my self at the footstool of thy grace looking for acceptance and assistance in and through him For his sake look graciously upon me pardon my sins which are many and hainous Lord I cannot but acknowledge that besides the guilt of Adam's sin there is in me a fountain of corruption which I brought with me into the World from whence hath plentifully flowed many poisonous streams of actual transgressions and that in evil thoughts evil words and evil actions which I have committed through the whole course of my life from my tender infancy to this present time I have been alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in me I have walked after the course of this World fulfilling the desires of my flesh and of my mind minding earthly things I have broken thy Law neglected thy Gospel refused the offers of Christ and am in great doubt that to this day there hath been no good work wrought upon me but that I continue in the gall of bitterness and the bond of iniquity Lord I cannot but acknowledge I have shamefully abused the ricâ—es of thy goodness forbearance and long-suffering which should have led me to repentance as also thy Fatherly corrections and chastiâ—ements laid upon me in love and for my good oh how little have I been bettered thereby How do I spend my time and strength for the getting of earthly riches and satisfying my self with sensual pleasures and in the mean time am careless of my precious and immortal soul Lord I have often for my profit and pleasure sake omitted and put off the holy exercises of Religion which ought to have been performed by me and have been exceeding dead and dull lifeless and heartless in performing those good duties I have taken in hand I have been unfruitfull under a plentiful dispensation of the means of grace unthankfull under those favours and mercies thou hast conferred on me unfaithfull to those manifold vows and promises I have made unto thee my God Truth Lord my sins are many and hainous but this is my comfort that Jesus Christ came into the World to save sinners and why not me why not me I acknowledge my self to be a great sinner but yet again thy Word testifieth That Jesus Christ came to save the chief of sinners Therefore will I not despair of mercy but am resolved to cast my self and the burden of my sins into the arms and upon the shoulders of Jesus Christ. Be pleased to accept of what Christ hath done and suffered for me and to accept of me in him Turn me O Lord unto thee and through him let me be reconciled unto thee Slay the enmity and subdue the rebellion of mine heart against thee Wash my polluted soul with his most precious blood cloath my nakedness with the long white robe of his righteousness fill my emptiness out of that fulness which is in Jesus Christ. Enrich my soul with all needfull saving sanctifying graces Let the faith of Gods Elect let the love and fear of thy name be shed abroad in my heart Oh that every grace may more and more flourish in me and my lusts more and more wither and decay in me Let my covetousness dye let my pride and envy and passion and sensuality dye let the whole body of death be destroyed that I may no longer serve sin Oh give me grace in this my day to know the things that belong to my peace to make a right use of this time of my visitation As Christ is now frequently tendred in the Ministry of the Gospel as a Saviour to poor sinners So Lord give me grace fiducially to close with the offers and tenders of him that Christ may be mine and I his And as thou hast been pleased to afford unto me the means of grace so I pray thee help me to carry my self in some measure suitable and answerable thereunto that I may not be a shame but rather a credit to Religion and my profession thereof To this end teach me to deny all ungodliness and Worldly lusts and to live soberly righteously and godly in this present World Blessed Lord seeing without thy blessing it will be in vain to put forth my own
A WORD to SINNERS And a WORD to SAINTS The Former tending to the awakening the Consciences of secure Sinners unto a lively sense and apprehension of the dreadfull condition they are in so long as they live in their Natural and Unregenerate Estate The Latter tending to the directing and perswading of the Godly and Regenerate unto several singular Duties As also a Word to Housholders stirring them up to the good old way of serving God in and with their Families from Ioshuah's resolution Josh. 24.15 As for me and my house we will serve the Lord. Set forth especially for the Use and Benefit of the Inhabitants of St. Sepulchres Parish London By Tho. Gouge Late Pastor thereof LONDON Printed for George Sawbridge living on Clerkenwell-Green 1668. To my dearly beloved Friends the Inhabitants of St. Sepulchres Parish London Beloved Friends TO further the salvation of mens souls as it is a most excellent work so it ought to be the study and endeavour both of every Christian in his place and calling and especially of the Ministers of the Gospel whose office and function calls upon them more importunately to labour therein Now since Regeneration is absolutely necessary to Salvation and that there can be no entrance into the new Ierusalem without a new birth I have according to that ability which the Lord hath given me set forth in this small Treatise the nature and necessity of Regeneration together with the Means on your part to be performed for the better attaining thereunto Most of these truths have been Preached in your hearing and now they are presented to your sight that thereby you may be put in remembrance of them and more thorowly affected with them Though I cease to be your Minister yet I shall not cease to do what in me lyeth to further your eternal happiness It was my hearty desire of your everlasting welfare that first put me upon Preaching on this Subject and the like desire hath ingaged me to present the same to your view Herein have I set before you Heaven and Hell Happiness and Misery Oh that you would be so wise as to choose Heaven rather than Hell Happiness rather than Misery That I should adventure these Notes into the World is not out of any conceit that there is any thing extraordinary in them being Conscious to my self of much Weakness but meerly out of that strong affection I bear to your souls welfare For my hearts desire for you is that you may be saved And will the Lord but bless this small Treatise to the Regeneration or Edification of any of your Souls I have the end of all my pains and cost Avoiding all affectation of Words I have used plainness of speech it being alwayes my chief design in the whole course of my Ministry to affect the Hearts and Consciences of my Hearers rather than to tickle their Ears and please their Phansie That I may not detain you longer I shall close this Epistle with three requests unto you 1. That you kindly accept of this small Book which treats on a subject so necessary to your everlasting happiness 2. That you would be pleased as to peruse it your selves so to take some time to read it to your Families If you cannot find leisure on the week dayes than to read some part thereof on each Lords day till you have read it through 3. That you would not lock it up in your closets but suffer it to lye in your houses where your Children and Servants may peruse it as they find opportunity Who knoweth how successfull and fruitful this plain Treatise may prove if the Lord shall be pleased to accompany it with his blessing That the Lord therefore would so bless these my poor and weak endeavours that such as are yet in their natural state may be converted that Converts may be improved and built up in that grace wherein they stand is the unfeigned desire and hearty Prayer of Your Servant in the Work of the Gospel who hath been and still is desirous of your Spiritual welfare Tho. Gouge THE CONTENTS THE Exposition of the first verse Page 1. The Observation thence raised The greatest of sinners are oftentimes received to mercy 3. The Exposition of the second verse 4. The Observation thence raised True faith may be exceeding weak ibid. The Exposition of the third verse wherein Christ declareth to Nicodemus the Necessity of Regeneration 7. The Observations thence raised 1. Christ is ready to entertain those that in truth and uprightness seek unto him though their weakness and infirmities be many 8. 2. Regeneration is necessary to Salvation 15. For the Explication of which point is shewed 1. The Nature of Regeneration what it is 16. 2. The Parts of Regeneration 19. 1. Mortification ib. 2. Vivification 20. 3. The causes which concurr to the work of Regeneration which are four 21. 1. The Efficient 2. The Material 3. The Formal 4. The Final 22. The Reasons proving Regeneration necessary to Salvation 23. Vse of Exhortation 1. To the Vnregenerate 2. To the Regenerate 28. 1. To the Vnregenerate that they earnestly desire and industriously labour after a saving change in the use of all means God hath sanctified thereunto ib. Quickning Motives thereunto drawn 1. From the Excellency of Regeneration 29. 2. From the Vtility of Regeneration 30. 3. From the Necessity of Regeneration 31. The Means to be performed for the better attaining thereunto brought to two heads 1. The Embracing some truths 2. The Practising some duties The Truths to be Embraced are these 1. That every man in his state of unregeneracy is in a miserable estate and dreadfull condition 33. 2. That there is hope of mercy for the greatest sinners ib. The miseries of the Unregenerate in this life 34. 1. They are Servants to their Lusts. ib. 2. They are slaves to the Devil 35. 3. They are under the curse of God which continually hangeth over their heads 36. 4. They are under the guilt of all their sins 37. 5. They are lyable to all sorts of Iudgements viz. Temporal Spiritual and Eternal 38. The miserable condition of the Vnregenerate at their deaths in several particulars 39. The dreadful estate of the Vnregenerate after their deaths in several particulars 47. Of the particular Iudgement that immediately followeth after death 48. Of the General Iudgement at the end of the World 49. The Person who shall be the Iudge 51. The Manner of Christs coming to Iudgement which will be As in great Glory and Majesty 53. So in great terrour to the wicked and impenitent 54. The Order of Christs proceeding in Iudgement 56. The dolefull condition of the Vngenerate after the Day of Iudgement which in general is most cursed 72. That Cursed estate is manifest 1. By privation of all felicity ib. 2. By subjection to all misery 73. Which misery is set out I. By sundry resemblances as 1. Darkness yea outer Darkness 76. 2. Torment which is the extremity of pain 77. 3. Fire
which is the fiercest kind of torment that is and most intollerable 78. 4. A Worm which setteth out the sting or torment of an evil Conscience which shall lye eternally gnawing and griping the hearts of the damned 80. II. By the place where the Damned abide which is Hell 81. III. By the Perpetuity and Eternity of their torment there which is the very Hell of Hells that which most of all breaks the hearts of the damned 82. II. Another truth to be embraced in order to the work of Regeneration is That there is hope of mercy for the greatest Sinners 88. Which appeareth from a due consideration 1. Of Gods Power to save the worst of Sinners 90. 2. Of Gods willingness to save them 91. 3. Of the all-sufficiency of Christs Sacrifice 103. 4. Of Christs readiness to embrace all Sinners who will come unto him and receive him upon the terms of the Gospel 105. The Duties to be practised in order to Regeneration 110. Several Objections of carnal and unregenerate men against the use of the formentioned Means answered 132. The second branch of the use of Exhortation unto the Regenerate which consisteth of divers heads 1. To admire and adore Gods special mercy and goodness in the work of Regeneration 146. 2. To be thank full unto God for the same with Arguments thereunto 156. 3. To walk worthy of that dignity by living singular and exemplary lives 158. The singular duties incumbent upon the Regenerate 1. To make Conscience of their precious time and to improve it to the best advantage 162. 2. To embrace every opportunity of doing and receiving good 164. 3. To be carefull of the manner of performing good duties 167. 4. To walk circumspectly and exactly which consisteth 1. In walking by rule 173 2. In having respect to the inward and spiritual part of the Law as well as to the outward and external ib. 3. In a careful avoiding all occasions of evil and temptations thereunto 174. 4. In abstaining from appearances of evil as well as from apparent and direct evil 175. 5. In a moderate use of lawfull things 177. 5. To beware of Covetousness and over-loving the World as being the root of all evil 180. 6. To live by faith 186. 7. To be spiritually minded by a frequent contemplation of Spiritual and Heavenly things 193. 8. To labour in the use of all good Means for the mortification of the whole body of sin with all its affections and lusts especially those which are most praedominant John 3.1 2 3. 1. There was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus a ruler of the Iews 2. The same came to Iesus by night and said unto him Rabbi we know that thou art a teacher come from God for no man can do these miracles that thou doest except God be with him 3. Iesus answered and said unto him Verily Verily I say unto thee except a man be born again he cannot see the Kingdom of God CHAP. 1. The Exposition and Observations arising out of the first and second verses FRom the beginning of this third Chapter to the 22. verse is set forth the conference between our blessed Saviour and Nicodemus In which are three things observable 1. A description of Nicodemus verse 1. 2. The occasion of the conference which was Nicodemus his coming unto Christ expressed verse 2. 3. The conference it self from verse 3. to 22. I. Nicodemus is thus described verse 1. There was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus a ruler of the Iews He is here set forth 1. By his name Nicodemus which is distinctly set down as for the truth of the history so for the honour of the man It is observable that in the holy Scriptures there is most care of setting ' down the names of good men that have in their life time some way or other set forth Gods glory and made themselves examples worthy of imitation For God will honour such as honour him he will have their memorial blessed As therefore we desire to have our memorial blessed let us now labour to honour God in our several places callings conditions and relations by a conscionable discharge of the duties belonging to them and then we may rest assured God will some way or other honour us 2. By his Sect He is expresly said to be a man of the Pharisees who were a select Sect among the Iews of highest account for their seeming sanctity and strict profession Whereas in truth they were very hypocrites for they did all to be seen of men Which because Christ discovered and made known to the people they proved his greatest enemies and persecutors 3. By his Office It 's in general said that he was a ruler of the Iews Which is not to be taken as if he were the only or chief governour of the Jews but to shew that he was none of the common sort but one of those who had authority and government amongst the Iews It is observable that few of the Pharisees and Rulers received Christs Doctrine and believed on him as appears by their own expression Have any of the Rulers or of the Pharisees believed on him which interrogation importeth a strong negation implying that none or few of the Rulers or Pharisees believed on Christ. They were so puffed up with the pride of their high-places so swoln with conceitedness of their strict profession and seeming sanctity and so possest with prejudice against the spiritual and heavenly doctrine of Christ that their hearts boyled with much envy and indignaâ—ion against him and thereupon sought many wayes to entrap and ensnare him Yea out of very malice they thirsted after his blood and never ceased till they took away his life Yet here we find one who was both a Pharisee and a Ruler become a Disciple of Iesus Christ whom Christ instructeth as in the doctrine of regeneration so in other main principles of Religion and thereupon became a true believer whence we may observe Observ. That the dew of Gods grace often falleth on the most graceless That the greatest of sinners are ofttimes received to mercy and embraced in the arms of free grace This God doth as for the magnifying the riches of his grace so for the encouraging great and notorious sinners to return from their sins and to look up unto him for mercy For are the greatest sinners ofttimes received to mercy then there is hope of mercy for thee how many and heinous soever thy sins are St. Paul speaking of Gods mercy to him who was not only an heinous sinner but the chief of sinners declareth how God shewed mercy to him that he might be a ground of hope and encouragement unto other great and heinous sinners For this cause saith he I obtained mercy that in me first Iesus Christ might shew forth all long-suffering for a pattern to them which should hereafter believe on him to life everlasting Intimating that one special end Christ aimed at in shewing mercy to such a
how uncertain thou art of being out of Hell till the next morning Surely this consideration is enough to amaze any poor Christian who is indeed Regenerate but maketh some question thereof in himself How much more should it amaze and startle thee who art yet in thy carnal and sinfull estate and stir thee up without any farther delay to escape for thy life and make out in hast after thy Redemption from this dreadful condition I would ask thee this question Whether if thou shouldst put off thy seeking after the great work of Regeneration and conversion till another year week or day thou art sure to be then on this side the grave or on this side hell Certain it is thou hast no assurance of thy life for one day longer Nay I dare boldly say thou thy self knowest and believest as much Ah sinner what folly yea what madness is it then for thee wilfully to live one day longer in such an estate in which if thou shouldst dye thou art without hope of recovery undone for ever Obj. Haply thou wilt say though I am not sure to live another day yet I am likely being in good health and strength of body Answ. How many as strong and healthfull as thy self have suddenly by death been snatched away And why maist not thou be as soon taken away having no Lease of thy Life who then but a fool or a mad-man would adventure his eternal happiness upon such an hazard Oh therefore as thou tenderest the everlasting good of thy precious soul put not off this great and weighty work a day longer for who knoweth what a day may bring forth Hadst thou been taken away in the state thou art in how sad had thy case been where hadst thou been at this hour Certainly thou art not able to conceive the dreadfulness of that misery thou shouldst now have been in And hast thou lived all this while in so great danger and wilt thou live in it still God forbid Hath a miracle of mercy kept thee out of hell so long and wilt thou yet continue securely in such danger of it Oh ungratefull wretch Questionless if thou hadst any ingenuity in thee thou wouldst be ashamed thus to abuse the patience and long-suffering of God towards thee which should have led thee to repentance Thou shouldst rather take up a resolution and say though I have hitherto abused the patience and long-suffering of God I will abuse it no more Though I have often slighted and rejected the gracious invitations of Jesus Christ yet through the grace of God I will reject them no more but close with them and give up my self unto Christ from henceforth to be ruled and governed by him God hath allotted to every man who lives in the bosome of the Church a certain day of grace and time of repentance which whosoever neglects can never be saved Ah sinner as therefore thou wouldst not neglect thine own Salvation neglect not the day of grace neither let slip the season of mercy but as the Apostle exhorteth To day if you will hear his voice harden not your hearts Behold now is the accepted time now is the day of Salvation if that be once past there is no recovering it CHAP. VII Sheweth the miserable and dreadfull condition of the Vnregenerate in their life-time HAving given you some Motives to quicken up your desires and endeavours after the work of Regeneration I come now to shew you the Means on your part to be performed for the better attaining thereunto which may be brought to these two general heads 1. The Embracing some truths 2. The Practising some duties The Truths to be embraced are these 1. That every man in his state of unregeneracy is in a miserable state and dreadfull condition 2. That there is hope of mercy for the greatest sinners That you may the better understand the miserable condition of men in their state of Unregeneracy I shall shew you their miseries 1. In this life 2. At death 3. After death Their miseries in this life are briefly these I. They are Servants to sin and slaves to their lusts making it their main work and design to serve their sinfull flesh with its affections The baseness of this slavery under sin will appear the more if we shall consider 1. What it is we do inthrall thereby even our precious souls which at first were created after the Image of God and fitted for his noble service and communion with himself Now for this immortal Being to be a drudge to base pleasures and profits to the vain and vile things of this World is a most sad degeneration 2. What are the fruits of this spiritual bondage and slavery 1. At the best a little seeming pleasure or profit that lasts but for a moment which the Apostle calls the pleasures of sin for a season they are but of little worth and but of short continuance And sure it must needs be a point of folly eagerly to pursue these sinfull lusts and pleasures which are but light and temporary which do but appear and vanish to the hazard of those durable riches and eternal pleasures which are at Gods right hand 2. Another fruit which usually follows upon our slavish subjection to our lusts is death eternal according to that of the Apostle the wages of sin is death and that eternal as appeareth by the opposition of eternal life for saith the Apostle The wages of sin is death but the gift of God is eternal life So that as eternal life followeth an holy life so eternal death followeth a sinfull life This is the reward sinner that thy God whom thou servest will pay thee at last thou must dye the death Oh the folly and madness of this sensual enslaved World Surely were there nothing in sin but the present slavery it were enough to disswade any ingenuous spirit Who would be a slave a slave to a lust at the command of every unclean motion at the beck of every brutish affection But if the vileness of the work will not deterr thee will not the dreadfulness of the wages neither which is eternal death and condemnation Oh consider this you who make so light a matter of sin and take such pleasure in obeying the lusts thereof II. All men in the state of unregeneracy are servants and slavos to the Devil Which necessarily followeth upon the former for such as are in subjection to their lusts must needs be under the bondage and slavery of Satan in that the chief power he hath over us is by lust to allure us unto sin I know all men are apt to say that they hate and defie the Devil and abhor to be his slave or servant but yet in the mean time they obey his sinfull commands and thereby declare themselves to be his servants for as the Apostle speaketh Know ye not that to whom ye yield your selves servants to obey his servants ye are to whom ye obey And saith the
his countenance was changed his thoughts troubled him so that the joynts of his Loyns were loosed and his knees smote one against another How much more shall the wicked tremble and quake and their knees smite one against another for fear at the great day when they shall hear the sentence of condemnation pronounced by Jesus Christ How will they then run like men distracted to the Mountains and Hills for covert and shelter How will they then beg and yell again for mercy to a judge that is justly inexorable I say justly inexorable to them having scornfully rejected his many loving invitations and earnest beseechings by his Ministers to accept of that peace and reconciliation which he hath purchased by his blood Oh that men would consider that one tear or sigh of a penitent heart will now more prevail for attainment of mercy than all their bitter and importunate yellings in that day of Gods wrath VII After the promulgation of the sentence followeth the execution and sending of the persons judged to their everlasting estate as it is written And these shall go away into everlasting punishment So that now comes the eternal separation from Christ and possession of those torments which are easeless and endless For then shall they be hurried by the Devils as their Iaylors out of Christs presence and dragged into the bottomless lake of outer-darkness that perpetually burneth with fire and brimstone Oh the hellish cryes and horrible shrieks that then will be heard no heart can conceive or imagine what an hideous cry it will be When the inhabitants of Sodom and Gomorrah felt the fire and brimstone falling from Heaven upon their heads And when the earth opened her mouth to swallow up Corah and his company and they saw themselves going down quick into the pit Oh the cryes which were then heard Oh the shrieks which then filled the air But alas what were these to the outcryes which will be made and to the scrieches which will be heard when the Devils and reprobate men and women shall be violently driven into Hell never never to return again For though they houl and cry to the judge for mercy and redemption pitty and compassion yet will they find no answer but too late too late Mercy and pardon and peace have been preached to thee but thou wouldst not hearken thou wouldst not accept Thy day is over the things of thy peace are hid from thine eyes henceforth no more for ever Ah sinner hadst thou now an heart to turn from thy sins unto God by true and unfaigned repentance and to pray unto him for mercy in and through the merits of Jesus Christ there were hope of mercy But at the day of judgement thy repentance and thy prayers will nothing avail The judge will not then be intreated by thee and no marvel seeing thou wouldst not hearken to him in the day of his merciful visitation But though he sent unto thee messenger after Messenger Ambassadour after Ambassadour to woe and beseech thee to abandon thy sins and to accept of him for thy Lord and Saviour yet wouldst thou not leave one beloved sin nor deny one fleshly lust for all his intreaties And therefore on that day will he not be intreated by thee notwithstanding thy manifold cryes and prayers If thou wilt not believe me hear Christs own words to this purpose Because I have called and ye refused I have stretched out my hand and no man regarded But y e have set at nought all my counsel and would none of my reproof I will also laugh at your calamity I will mock when your fear cometh as desolation and your destruction as a whirlwind when distress and anguish cometh upon you then shall they call upon me but I will not answer they shall seek me early but they shall not find me Ah sinner time was when he called to thee turn from thy sins cast away thy transgressions accept of grace submit to mercy be wise be happy thou maist if thou wilt but thou wouldst not but hast sold thy mercy and thy peace and thy Saviour and thy soul for thy lusts and the pleasures of sin And therefore though in thy greatest extremity thou cry unto him for mercy he will tell thee that thy day of mercy is past and gone and the day of vengeance is come wherein he will no longer entreat nor no more be entreated Ah sinner how will it then wound thy very soul to remember thy folly in neglecting thy season and refusing so great salvation How will it make thee with anguish of heart to cry out Ah silly wretch where was thine understanding to sleight such gracious invitations to preferr every base lust before the Lord of life to turn aside from him that spake unto thee from Heaven and to turn after thy companions and the pleasures of this earth to put off the turning from thy sins and making thy peace with God till it was too late Oh now would I give a World if I had it for one offer of Christ more for one Sabbath more to make my peace with God and to make sure of Christ but alas it is now too late Oh the fears and distractions the tearing of the hair and wringing of the hands the gnashing of teeth and dashing of knees the weeping and wailing the crying and roaring that this will produce especially when thou shalt consider how God every Sabbath called upon thee by his Ministers to turn from thy sins unto him but thine ear and thine heart were shut against him And how Jesus Christ was offered and tendred to thee only upon these terms that thou wouldst cast away thy sins and cast thy self into his arms and yet thou wouldst not go unto him but refusedst and rejectedst him and his grace This sad reflection of thy soul upon its own wilful folly in neglecting and outstanding thy day will be the everlasting worm that will gnaw on thy heart World without end Oh the folly and madness of all wicked men who go on securely and impenitently in their sins till they drop into hell-fire Is this thy Wisdom to sin awhile and burn for ever to laugh a while and howle for ever for a little momentary pleasure here to suffer the vengeance of eternal fire Ah sinner that thou wouldst now forethink of this dreadful time and woful misery which hangs over thine head that when thou art alone thou wouldst seriously consider with thy self as the certainty and dreadfulness of this day so what thy condition is like to be that thou mightest thereby be stirred up to make out after Christ by whom thou maist escape the wrath to come Now whilest Christ is Preached to thee in the Ministry of the Gospel mercy and salvation is offered and now if ever is the time to accept it Oh therefore that now even now in this thy time and day of grace thou wouldst know the things that belong to thy peace that thou wouldst now
XVI Several Objections of Carnal and Vnregenerate men against the use of the forementioned Means Answered HAving shewed the Means I come now to answer the Objections which many carnal men pretend against the use of them in order to a new birth Obj. 1. Some are ready to object and say These are indeed likely means but they find neither strength nor ability to set upon the practice of them A. 1. I would ask thee whether thou canst in truth say thou hast not been wanting to thy self in such things as were within thy power and strength Hast thou not as much power to go into the house of God as into an Ale-house to read the holy Scriptures as Play-books and Pamphlets to associate thy self with the Godly as with the Wicked and Prophane canst not thou take up a resolution to abandon thine old sinfull lusts and to set upon a new course of life Certainly if thou hast been wanting to thy self in these and such like things this objection taken from thine own inability is but an idle excuse and argues rather thine unwillingness than disability and know that in the last and great day thou wilt be damned not so much for thy want of power as for thy want of will 2. If thou wilt but put thy self upon the use of Means thou dost not know what strength thou maist receive from God and what may be the issue thereof While Peter was Preaching the holy Ghost fell on all them that heard the Word And for ought thou knowest whilest thou art attending upon the Ministry of the Word or praying unto God the Holy Ghost may fall on thee and make that Ordinance effectual for thy Regeneration and Salvation And therefore put thy self upon the use of Means wait at the Pool thou knowest not how soon the Spirit may come and move upon thy soul. For God doth usually meet with those who seek him Obj. 2. I fear I am not elected and therefore conceive it altogether fruitless for me to labour in the use of any means for this new birth Oh could I be assured of my election then should I with comfort and confidence labour after it A. 1. Election is a secret thing and belongeth unto God according to that of Moses Secret things belong unto the Lord our God but things which are revealed belong unto us And therefore trouble not thy selfâ— with Gods secret will but follow his revealed will Apply thy self seriously and cordially to the use of the means God hath sanctified for thy Regeneration and from thence thou maist gain some comfortable evidence of thine election 2. Consider though it be the duty of every Christian to give all diligence to make his calling and election sure yet no man can know and be assured of his election till he be Regenerated by the Spirit of God therefore the not knowing thine election should be so far from keeping thee off from applying thy self to the means of Regeneration as it should rather be an argument to press thee thereunto for by thy Regeneration thou maist know thine election The eternal decrees of God are only made known à posteriori from their effects oâ—e whereof is Regeneration find this and thou needest not doubt of thine election 3. Wilt thou not plow nor Sow because thou knowest not whether God hath determined thee an Harvest Thou wilt say I am sure I shall not reap if I sow not there 's hope of an Harvest if there be a Seed-time and therefore I will adventure to sow what ever the issue may be And wilt thou not be as wise for thy soul as for thy body Because thou art not sure of thine election wilt thou make thy damnation sure Obj. 3. Ah! I am too unworthy to partake of so great a mercy there is nothing in me to move God to work grace in me and therefore why should I trouble my self about it A. 1. Consider Gods grace is every way so free that the mercy which he vouchsafeth to any of his Creatures is altogether of himself and from himself He respecteth his own goodness not our worthiness in the mercies which he conferreth If none shall obtain grace but the worthy who then can be saved 2. Consider that no man before his Regeneration could ever find any worthiness in himself why he should partake of that mercy What was there in Manassâ—h Or in Zacheus Or in Mary Magdalen Or in Paul before their conversion Surely none at all Nay there is never a child of God on Earth or in Heaven but had as much personall unworthiness before his Regeneration as thou now hast Why then doth the sight and apprehension of thine unworthiness put thee out of all hope of obtaining the same 3. Consider that the sense of thine unworthiness is some degree of worthiness yea it is the greatest worthiness thou canst attain unto And none ever found greater mercy from God than they who have been most sensible of their unworthiness Instance the Centurion who speaking unto Christ said I am not worthy that thou shouldst come under the roof of my house And yet Christ granted his desire in healing his servant So likewise the Woman of Canaan who acknowledged her self to be no better than a Dog yet received this answer from Christ Oh Woman great is thy faith be it unto thee even as thou wilt So likewise the Publican who was conscious to himself of so much unworthiness that he stood afar off and durst not lift up his eyes unto Heaven but smote upon his breast saying God be merciful to me a sinner Yet as the text noteth ver 14. He went away justified rather than the Pharisee who was puffed up with a conceit of his own righteousness 4. It is to be feared that this objection of thine unworthiness ariseth not so much from true humility as from the pride of thine own heart who art loth to be beholding unto God for any mercy but wouldst rather discern something in thy self which may deserve it at his hands But we are to root out of our hearts this spiritual pride and be humble and then we may rest confident that though we are most unworthy in our selves yet God will accept of us in and for the worthiness of Jesus Christ. Obj. 4. Some object the number and the heinousness of their sins Oh they are such vile and wretched sinners having mispent the best of their time the strength of their youth in the service of sin and Satan and in gratifying their own carnal luâ—ts and affections and as they have grown in years so they have grown in sin and wickedness and therefore cannot expect so great a mercy from God as of a Son of Belial to be made a Son of God by the work of Regeneration A. 1. Know for thy comfort that God hath embraced with the arms of his free grace as great and heinous sinners as thy self For hast thou been an Idolater or Murderer so was Maâ—asseh
yet was he received to mercy Hast thou been a Blasphemer or a Persecutor of the Saints and servants of God So was Paul and yet he obtained mercy Hast thou been a Filthy unclean person wallowing and delighting like a Sow in the filth of sin and mire of sinfull filthiness So did Mary Magdalea and many of the Corinthians yet were they washed with the blood of Iesus Christ justified and sanctified Hast thou been an Oppressor and Extortioner who hast got thine estate by over-reaching thy neighbours and grinding the faces of the poor So did Matthew and Zacheus who yet found mercy Why then is there not hope of mercy for thee when grace hath embraced such great and heinous sinners Q. Wilt thou say thou art a greater sinner than any of these forementioned A. 1. This is scarce credible But suppose thy sins do exceed the proportion of any one thou canst find pardoned in Scripture yet this were no just ground of despair because the depth of Gods mercy was never yet fathomed God never acted his mercy so far but he is able to act it farther Greater sinners than ever yet were pardoned may be pardoned And therefore though thy sins were more and greater than the sins of others yet there is hope of mercy for thee unless by thine infidelity thou dost exclude thy self from the same 2. Consider that there was no more in Manasseh Mary Magdalen Paul nor any of the Saints now in Heaven to move God to have compassion on them than there is in thee The Apostle saith that there is no difference for all have sinned The true cause of any mans Regeneration is the free grace and love of God For saith the Apostle we were all by nature the Children of wrath even as others But God who is rich in mercy for his great love wherewith he loved us even when we were dead in sins hath quickned us And immediatly addeth By grace ye are saved Now seeing the free grace and love of God is the true cause of mans Regeneration and Salvation why shouldst thou imagine there is less love in God for thee than there was for them Obj. 5. Others object they fear their time and day of grace is past and gone having long stood out and rejected many offers of grace and that it is now too late to seek after the grace of God A. To this I answer that the slighting and rejecting the many offers of grace is very sad yea an heinous sin which calls for thy deepest sorrow and humiliation This made our Saviour to weep over Ierusalem because they neglected the day of their visitation But yet know 1. Though thou hast often refused and rejected the offers of grace yet is not thy condition hopeless in that it is not the sin against the Holy Ghost which alone cannot be pardoned but it is a sin though heinous yet pardonable Many have obtained mercy even for this and so mayest thou upon thy true humiliation and repentance For such is the mercy of God as he both can and will pardon even sins against mercy 2. It 's a question whether there be any Saint on Earth or in Heaven who before their closing with Christ by faith did not stand out against and reject many of his gracious invitations excepting such as were sanctified from the Womb. 'T is the Devil that puts it into thy mouth to say I have slighted many offers of grace therefore my day of grace is past and gone Do we not see by daily experience how Christ brings home some to himself in their old age who questionless in their youth and riper years turned many a deaf ear to his gracious invitations And that Christ is still willing and ready so to do appeareth by this that he continues his offers of grace though formerly neglected How oft would I have gathered thee saith Christ of Ierusalem 3. Christ hath several seasons of Conversion and Regeneration all come not in at the first hour of the day nor at the sixth hour Christ brings home some to himself in the latter end of their lives who have all the former part slighted and rejected his gracious invitations And therefore he will have them often renewed and tendred to poor sinners because though the time of some be to come in at the first offer yet the time of others is to come in upon renewed and multiplyed offers so that often renewing thy refusals is not an eternal prejudice 4. If thou art heartily sorry for thy former refusals and dost now unfeinedly desire to close with Christ I may with confidence say thy day of grace is not past For those affections wrought in thee by the Spirit of God are gracious hints that he intends thee good if yet thou wilt accept Such who have outstood their day are usually given up to a feared Conscience and reprobate mind and are hurried by the Devil to the committing of all manner of sin and wickedness and that with greediness and delight 5. Thou who fearest thy day of grace is past know this that if thou now findest in thy self a willingness to abandon thy former lusts and corruptions and to become a new creature to cast off the Devils service and to become the servant of the Lord Jesus thy day of grace is not past 6. It is evident thy day of grace is not past because the Lord hath not yet given over to strive with thee Is he not yet woing and beseeching thee by the Ministry of his Word by the motions of his Spirit to accept of the reconciliation purchased by the blood of his Son And doth not Christ himself stand knocking at the door of thine heart telling thee that if thou wilt open to him he will come in and sup with thee and thou with him It is yet the acceptable time and day of Salvation if thou wilt accept thou maist be accepted Say not foolishly my day is past but prove it is not so by coming in this day Harden not thine heart this day and thou shalt find God will not harden his ear against thy cry 7. Though thou hast long stood out yet know that God will not presently take the forfeiture of thee neither will Christ suddenly take his advantage against thee If the Lord were as hasty to punish sinners as they are forward to commit sin there would suddenly be an end of all And if Christ should be as forward to reject sinners as they are to reject him what hope of mercy were there But Christ is not so severe he is of great goodness and of great patience he makes tenders of grace and peace over and over again and waits our acceptance In which respect he is said to stand at their door and knock As knocking is usually a repetition of strokes so standing at the door and knocking implyeth his waiting for our opening Ah sinner doth Christ continue to renew his offers of grace and mercy unto thee and wilt
thou thereupon continue to refuse them know assuredly that though renewed offers are doubled mercies yet renewed refusals are trâ—bled sins which will exceedingly aggravate thy condemnation I speak not these things to encourage any to deferr and put off their turning from their sins to farther day upon a presumption they shall have mercy at last Beware of that madness Thou that wilt not to day thy soul may be in Hell before to morrow But I speak this to encourage old sinners to a speedy turning Old sinner it is the last time with thee for ought thou knowest thou art just come to thy Now or Never And two things I would speak to thee 1. It 's a great doubt whether thou who hast stood it out so long wilt come in now fear and tremble few very few of those that stand it out to the last hour do come in at the last hour yet 2. If thou wilt thou maist if in this thy day thy last day thou wilt come in thou shalt be saved Obj. 6. If once I be Regenerate and become a new creature I shall never live one merry day more then farewell all delights and pleasures for the life of a godly man is full of uncomfortableness and sadness A. 1. True it is every Regenerate man ought to renounce all sinfull delights to bid adiew to all unlawfull pleasures which in truth is no bondage but rather a spiritual liberty The bondage of a Christian is in being a servant to his sinfull lusts and his liberty in being delivered from them The Apostle bewails the time when himself and other Saints were foolish serving divers lusts and pleasures And reckons it amongst the prime benefits they received by the grace of the Gospel to be delivered from that slavery and bondage 2. Though every Regenerate man ought to renounce all sinfull pleasures and delights yet he may in some measure enjoy any lawfull pleasures which the Creature affords Yea none doth or can enjoy the sweetness of the Creature more than the new creature For he hath not only a fleshly palate like other men whereby he relisheth the carnal pleasure which the Creature affordeth but he hath likewise a spiritual palate whereby he tasteth the sweetness and goodness of God in the Creature So that this Objection is a meer slander which the Devil and his Agents have raised to fright men from looking after grace 3. The work of Regeneration is so far from depriving a man of all delights and pleasures that there are unspeakable delights peculiar to the Regenerate they have dainties which their spirits feed upon that the World knows not of a stranger doth not intermeddle with their joy As they have higher and more noble principles than other men so they feed upon higher and more noble comforts Their comforts are spiritual administred unto their souls by a special work of the Holy Ghost who is designed by the Father and the Son to be the Comforter to cheer and revive the spirits of his servants And certainly the comforts and delights which he conveyes into the souls of the Regenerate must needs be soul-satisfying and soul-ravishing consolations What Blasphemy is it to affirm that the joyes of the World are better than the joyes of God Oh how sweet and delightfull must it needs be to know that we are brought out of the state of nature into the state of grace that we are the Children of God beloved of him the members of Christ and dear to him that our sins are pardoned in and through the merits of his bitter death and passion and that so soon as our earthly Tabernacles are dissolved we shall have a building of God an house not made with hands eternal in the Heavens and there raign with him in everlasting bliss and happiness Oh what a comfort must it needs be seriously to fix our thoughts on those joyes and pleasures which hereafter we shall enjoy at Gods right hand to all Eternity Ah sinners What folly then hath bewitched you to think it greater pleasure to live in foolish sports and fleshly delights than in the sense of Gods love and in the believing thoughts of glory Did you but know the peace and the comfort the pleasure and the joy which springeth from the apprehension of Gods love and walking in the wayes of holiness you would soon be of another mind and take another course than you do Much good may do you with your crackling thorns walk in the light of your fires and the sparks which you have kindled make the best of your present pleasures till that vanity and vexation which is all you are like to reap from them bring you to a better mind The new birth is the very beginning of a life of peace and comfort and the greatest pleasantness is to be found in the wayes of holiness Would you but make enquiry of those who have tryed both stares both that of sin and that of grace they will tell you that their first state was a state of trouble and misery and that they never found any true peace and comfort in their souls till they were brought home to God and came to be acquainted with an holy life Yea that they have enjoyed more sweetness and delight in one hours communion with God than ever their flesh brought them in in all their lives Solomon who had experience of all other pleasures yet saith of the wayes of godliness Her wayes are wayes of pleasantness even soul-satisfying pleasantness If you will not believe the reports of the people of God yet hearken to what God himself speaketh in his word Being justified by faith we have peace with God thorow our Lord Iesus Christ and not only so but we glory in tribulation And saith St. Peter Believing ye rejoyce with joy unspeakable and full of glory And the Psalmist often calleth upon the righteous to rejoice Rejoice in the Lord ye righteous and shout for joy all ye that are upright in heart And saith the Apostle Rejoice in the Lord alwaies and again I say rejoice Will you believe God this you see is his testimony that true joy is proper to the Regenerate the Children of God are the only heirs of joy and glory Obj. 1. But some are ready to object and say how can the state of the Regenerate be so comfortable and joyful when as none are more afflicted and persecuted than they In the World saith our Saviour speaking to his Disciples ye shall have tribulation And saith the Apostle All that will live godly in Christ Iesus shall suffer persecution which made Luther to say a Christian is a Cross-bearer A. 1. True it is none are more afflicted and persecuted than they but their afflictions and persecutions do not alwayes deprive them of true spiritual joy and comfort For saith the Apostle Being justified by faith we have peace with God and we rejoice in tribulation And saith our Saviour When men shall
to praise and magnifie the name of God for thy deliverance from a greater than Aegyptian bondage It being a deliverance from Satan the worst of all Tyrants from hell of all prisons the most loathsome yea from sin death and the curse of the Law The more to stirr up thy self to this duty of thanksgiving for this mercy 1. Consider the specialty of Gods love and goodness unto thee therein in singling thee out from the multitudes that perish and setting thee apart for life Hath he dealt by all as he hath dealt by thee Oh how many millions of Men and Women hath he suffered to live and dy in their sins when thy soul liveth How many for birth more noble for policy more wise for riches more wealthy are let run in their sins till they fall into wrath when thou art escaped when thou considerest that he should pass by them and set his special love upon thee if this do not fill thee with love and with praises the very stones may cry out against thee The Psalmist speaketh of it as a great mercy to a godly man that in a time of Plague and Pestilence a thousand should fall on his right hand and on his left and yet it should not come nigh him But what is that to this mercy that many thousands should fall into hell on thy right hand and on thy left and yet thou preserved 2. Consider how sad thy condition was before thy Regeneration being a Child of wrath a bondslave of Satan and an heir to hell And then compare it with thy present state Behold of a child of wrath thou art made a Son of God of a slave of Satan thou art become Christs freeman of an heir of hell and damnation an heir to Heaven and salvation And doth not this call for thankfulness 3. Consider that this mercy is unspeakably greater than all other mercies in the World This new birth makes a man an hoâ—ourable person one of the royal seed a King and Priest to God This makes him a rich man the least degree of this grace is better than all the wealth in the World this is the true riches the durable riches a treasure that faileth not nor can it be valued This makes him a joyfull man there 's joy in Heaven at thy conversion and a foundation of everlasting joy laid in thine own soul thou maist rejoyce its meet that thou make merry for this thy soul was dead and is alive was lost and is found Theodosius gave God greater thanks that he had made him a member of the Church than head of the Empire So bless God more for this mercy that he hath made thee a member of Christ than if he had made thee an heir of all the Earth What though God hath not abounded to thee in outward honours and estate yet if he hath abounded to thee in grace this alone will be matter of eternal praises Luther hath a notable story which may be useful to this purpose In the time of the Council of Constance he tells us there were two Cardinals riding to the Council and in their journey they saw a Shepheard in the field weeping One of them pittying him could not but ask him why he wept At first he seemed loth to tell him but being urged he told him that upon the beholding that Toad which was before him he considered that he had never praised God as he ought for making him such an excellent Creature as a man that he had not made him such a deformed Creature as that Toad Upon hearing whereof the Cardinal was much affected considering how he had received greater mercies than this poor man and yet had not returned unto God that praise which was due unto him And will not this poor man rise up in judgement against many of us yea have not the best of us cause to be greatly humbled before the Lord who do not so affectionately remember the grace of God in making us Christians as that poor Shepherd did in making him a man O friend prove thy self to be born again and then go thy way rejoycing leaping and praising God III. Hath God by his Spirit Regenerated and made thee his Child then walk worthy of this special mercy and dignity This worthy walking is much pressed in Scripture as Col. 1.10 walk worthy of the Lord. And Eph. 4.1 walk worthy of the Vocation wherewith yâ— are called In these and other-like places the word worthy importeth no matter of mâ—rit or condignity but only a meer meetness and congruity or answerableness The Greek word translated worthy is in other places turned meet or as becometh as Rom. 16.2 Phil. 1.27 And where Iohn Baptist saith Bring forth fruits worthy of repentance our new Translations turn it meet for repentance So that the meaning of the foresaid duty is that ye carry your selves in some measure suitable and answerable to your new birth and high dignity To which agreeth that of the Apostle Peter Ye are a chosen generation a peculiar people that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvâ—ilous light As the Regenerate are more excellent in their state and relation than the carnal and unregenerate so â—ought they to be singular and exemplary in their lives and conversations This Christ requireth of every true Christian for saith he speaking to his Disciples What do ye more than others As if he had said you who will approve your selves to be sincere Christians and the true Disciples of Jesus Christ must be of a more holy and heavenly frame of an higher strain than the rest of men you must be singular and shine as lights in the midst of a sinfull and crooked generation by living exemplary and convincing lives that it may be said of you what God said of Iob There was none like him in all the earth as for wealth so for piety he being by many degrees the highest for grace in his age Hath God shined upon your souls by his grace let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorifie your Father which is in Heaven The more to quicken you up to a singular and exemplary life to a life above the rate of carnal and unregenerate men I. Consider thy high birth and noble parentage For being born of the Spirit thou art thereby made partaker of the divine nature and art become a Child of God a member of Christ and hast blood royal running in thy veins Thy life ought to be suitable to thy birth and breeding aspiring after higher things than worldly men do or can do and avoiding those base and filthy actions wherein carnal men take their chief delight For know that thy sins go nearer the heart of God and provoke him more than the sins of other men And thou my Son Brutus art thou one of them said Iulius Caesar to his Son when he
sinner as himself was to stir up and encourage other great and heinous sinners to go unto Christ and that with hope of acceptance casting themselves and the burden of their sins upon him Yea questionless the conversion of so many notorious sinners is recorded in Scripture not only as a memorial of what God hath done for others but also as a sign and token what he is now ready and willing to do for the greatest sinners upon their turning from their sins unto him by unfeigned repentance and closing with Jesus Christ by a true and lively faith Oh therefore let those admirable and sâ—upendious patterns of mercy held forth in Scripture be encouragements unto thee to abandon thy sins to turn over a new leaf and to close with Jesus Christ upon the terms of the Gospel II. The Occasion of the conference betwixt Christ and Nicodemus followeth in verse 2. and that was his coming unto Christ which is farther amplified by the time when he came and that was by night The same came to Iesus by night Nicodemus his going unto Christ for farther instruction in the way and means of salvation did evidence the truth of his faith but his going by night did evidence the weakness of his faith He believed upon the hearing Christ Preach and seeing the miracles which he wrought that he was a Teacher sent from God Yet because he was a Pharisee and a Ruler thought it a disgrace to go openly unto Christ to be instructed by him but went by night and thereby discovered the weakness of his faith whence we may observe Observ. True Faith may be exceeding weak This title O ye of little faith wherewith Christ often upbraideth his Disciples is an evident proof thereof So likewise that expression of the poor man who cryed out unto Christ Lord I believe help thou my unbelief The former word I believe sheweth the truth of his faith but the latter word unbelief sheweth the weakness of his faith which was so weak that he calls it unbelief Art thou conscious to thy self of the weakness of thy Faith 1. Be thankfull unto God for that measure and degree which thou hast though it be but as a grain of mustard-seed for quantity for the least dram of true faith is of greater value than Mountains of Gold and Silver 2. Content not thy self with a small measure of faith for contentedness with a weak faith is an argument of no faith and besides the greater and stronger thy faith is the greater and stronger will be thy comfort and consolation For the stronger thy faith is the clearer will thy apprehension be of thine interest in Christ and of the pardon of thy sins in and through the merits of his death and passion The more vertue and strength wilt thou draw from Christ for the mortifying thy lusts and for the quickning thy graces yea with the greater cheerfulness wilt thou go on in thy Christian course 3. Labour and strive after a greater measure and degree of faith to grow from faith to faith from one degree of faith unto another till thou attain unto the highest degree thereof even to a full assurance To this end be earnest with God in prayer for the increase of thy faith For every grace depends upon him not only for birth but also for growth and increase but of this grace of faith he is in a special manner stiled as the author so the finisher thereof Though thy faith at present be weak yet know for thy comfort That the weakest faith if true and sincere is sufficient to salvation For though God giveth not to all believers a like measure and degree of faith but to some more to others less yet he giveth to none of his less than may suffice to their salvation So that the least faith hath this in it that it is sufficient to salvation in that it doth interest us in Christ and in all the promises of the Gospel III. The Conference it self follows which is a Dialogue between Nicodemus and our blessed Saviour wherein Nicodemus begins saying Rabbi we know that thou art a Teacher sent from God for no man can do these miracles that thou doest except God be with him Wherein we may Observe I. The Title be giveth to our Saviour Rabbi which signifieth Master and so our Evangelist expoundeth it Ioh. 1.38 It is a compound word and signifieth my Master For RAB implyeth a man of excellency one that excelleth others in knowledge and learning and therefore may well be accounted a Master or Teacher This being a title of great esteem and renown the Pharisees did exceedingly affect it whereupon their flattering followers to please them would double the word and call them Rabbi Rabbi Hence it is that Christ upbraids to them thâ—s their ambitious affectation and reckons it amongst the badges of their pride Matth. 23.7 where speaking of the Pharisees he saith they loved to be called of men Rabbi Rabbi The truth is that this title rightly taken in its proper sense is due only to Christ who is the great Prophet and Teacher that came from God as Nicodemus here acknowledgeth Whence we may observe Observ. That Iesus Christ is the great Prophet and Teacher of his Church being alone able to declare his Fathers will and to open the mysteries of the Gospel And indeed all other Prophets were but types of this great Prophet He lay in the bosome of his Father and so understood the mind and will of God and was thereby enabled to make known the Oracles of God and the mysteries of Salvation Yea as the Apostle expresseth In Christ are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge Not only wisdom and knowledge are hid in him but treasures of wisdom and knowledge yea all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are hid in him And all these graces he hath in the highest degree in which respect he may well be termed the great Prophet and Teacher of his Church To him let us give ear and hearken preaching unto us both in his Gospel and by his Ministers who make known unto us the mysteries of the Gospel II. The next thing that followeth in the conference is the profession which Nicodemus maketh of Christ we know saith he that thou art a teacher come from God for no man can do these miracles that thou doest except God be with him In which we may observe 1. The Profession it self we know that thou art a Teacher come from God 2. The reason thereof in the next words For no man can do these miracles that thou doest except God be with him As if he had said whosoever worketh Miracles cometh from God but thou workest miracles therefore thou comest from God This clause these miracles that thou doest carryeth a great Emphasis and sheweth that they were very great miracles which Christ did and so confirm the argument the more This reason is sound and affordeth this point of doctrine