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
over thine eyes and ears and steps Is it thy care to please and in all things to walk worthy the Lord Look to thy self that thou be not deceived Cast off the works of darkness and put on the armour of light Cast off the old man and put on the new man which as it is created after the image So will it carry thee on according to the will of God in righteousness and true holiness Having shewed the Nature of Regeneration and the parts thereof I come now to shew what Causes concurr to the work of Regeneration 1. The efficient Cause or primary Author is God For in this respect we are born of God God hath begotten us Jam. 1.18 Even God the Father of our Lord Iesus Christ. 2. The procuring causes are Gods will and Gods mercy There could be nothing out of God to move him It must needs therefore arise from his own meer will So faith the Apostle Iames Of his own will begat he us And there could be nothing in man to move God hereunto for man by nature is most miserable It must needs therefore arise from Gods meer mercy For misery is the proper object of mercy On this ground it is justly said that God according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again 3. The immediate worker of Regeneration is Gods Spirit In this respect we are said to be born of the spirit and regeneration is stiled the renewing of the holy Ghost For it is a divine work above humane ability 4. The ordinary instrumental cause is Gods Word Of his own will begat he us by the word of truth whereby is meant the Gospel In this respect the Word is stiled incorruptible seed The Gospel is that part of Gods Word which is most effectual hereunto and it is thereupon stiled the Gospel of salvation And the power of God unto salvation 5. Ministers and preachers of the Gospel are Ministerial causes of Regeneration who are in relation to their Ministery said to beget us and stiled Fathers All these are comprised under the Efficient cause and are so far from thwarting one another as they sweetly concurr to produce this divine work of Regeneration being subordinate one to another and may in this order be placed together It being the will of God to shew mercy to man he ordained Ministers to cast the seed of his Word into mens souls which being quickned by the Spirit men are thereby born again II. The material cause of Regeneration is the parts whereof it doth consist which are two I. Mortification 2. Vivification of both which I have spoken in the fore-going Chapter III. The formal cause of Regeneration is Gods Image planted in us which consists in holiness and righteousness After this Image we are said to be renewed This makes an essential difference betwixt a natural and a regenerate man IV. The final causes next and subordinate to the glory of Gods free-grace and rich mercy are especially two 1. To make men able to do good namely such good as may be acceptable and honourable to God profitable to other men and truly advantageable to themselves The Apostle therefore speaking of Regeneration which we have shewed to be a kind of Creation thus expresseth this end we are created in Christ Iesus unto good works 2. To make men fit for glory For corrupt flesh cannot partake of Coelestial glory Whereupon faith Christ Except a man be born again he cannot see the Kingdom of God So far shall he be from being admitted into it as he shall not come so near as to see it God will not take a sinner reeking in his lusts and presently invest him with a Crown of glory And therefore that we may be fitted for Heaven the Lord is pleased by his spirit to regenerate us making us new-creatures and thereby making us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the Saints in light Behold the Riches of Gods mercy and goodness that he not only created us at first in a most happy estate even after his own image and likeness But when we wittingly and willfully fell from the same and plunged ourselves into misery wherein he might justly have left us as he did the evil Angels Yet he hath not only restored us again to that former estate by renewing his image in us but thereby fitted us for a more glorious and excellent estate wherein his goodness appeareth to be as his greatness infinite incomprehensible Who can sufficiently set it forth For as the Heaven is high above the earth so great is his mercy towards them that fear him CHAP. V. Sheweth the Reasons why Regeneration is necessary to Salvation HAving spoken of the point by way of explication I come now to speak of it by way of confirmation To this end I shall shew you the reasons of the point why Regeneration is necessary to Salvation Reas. 1. From the immutability of Gods purpose God who hath chosen us to life hath chosen us also to holiness as our way to it We are bound to give thanks to God for you brethren beloved of the Lord because God hath from the beginning chosen you to Salvation through the Sanctification of the Spirit Whoever will pass into glory must take grace in his way You ask why may I not be saved unless I be regenerated Why because God is resolved on the contrary This is the will of God your sanctification first and then your salvation Now the purposes of God shall stand With him is no variableness nor shadow of turning All the world shall sooner be damned then the purpose of God shall be made void The Lord God must cease to be the unchangeable God if thou ever be saved who wilt not be sanctified Reas. 2. From the stability of Gods Word God hath said Except a man be born again he cannot enter into the Kingdom of God Is the word of God yea and nay doth he say and unsay Heaven and Earth shall pass away but his word shall not pass away Count upon it sinner as sure as God is true thou shalt never see the salvation of God unless thou be first made partaker of the renewing of the holy Ghost Reas. 3. From the respect that Regeneration hath to Salvation Regeneration is a degree and part of Salvation Grace is glory begun holiness is the beginning of blessedness the perfection whereof will be in Heaven hereafter where the image of God which consisteth in knowledge holiness and righteousness will be perfected in our souls where we shall perfectly love God and delight in him and be ever praising him with the Heavenly host Now how canst thou expect the participation and enjoyment of this blessed estate without regeneration and renovation here Unless the image of God be renewed upon thee in holiness and thou dost truly love God and delight in communion with him here Canst thou expect the consummation without
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
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
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
pains and endeavours I beseech thee to help me to labour in the work of the Lord and to crown my pains and endeavours with a blessing from Heaven Make me more spiritual in Worldly businesses and less wordly in spiritual businesses Be pleased to put good meditations into my mind and holy desires into my heart Let no corrupt communication proceed out of my mouth but such as may administer grace to the hearers Help me to redeem time let me not lose one day more set me presently to work out my salvation with fear and trembling let me choose the good part and make sure for eternity let me never venture my soul on false and deceitfull hopes but let me make sure Good Lord let me not be deceived and found an hypocrite at last but let me be sound in the faith that I may have rejoycing before thee in the great day Neither pray I for my self alone but for thy whole Church wheresoever dispersed or howsoever distressed upon the face of the whole earth In special I pray thee to bless this Land and Nation with all blessings both temporal and spiritual And herein our Soveraign Lord and King make him an instrument of bringing much glory to thy namâ— and much good to thy Church and people Bless him in his Relations Counsels and Forces Bless the Magistrates and Ministers with the whole people of this Land the afflicted members of Jesus Christ let thy mercies be suitable to their several needs and necessities Vouchsafe to every one of us grace to live in thy fear to dye in thy favour and to raign with thee Eternally in Heaven And now O Lord in the name of Jesus Christ I bless and praise thy glorious Majesty for all those manifold favours thou hast in a plentiful manner conferred on my soul and body for my preservation as from manifold dangers whereunto I was subject so from many sins wherinto the corruption of my flesh and the perswasion of the Devâ—l would have thrown me headlong Blessed be thy name for thy good providence over me through the whole course of my life thou hast been my God from my Mothers womb supplyed me with all needfull good things But above all blessed be thy name for that foundation of all other mercies thy dearly beloved Son for those great things he hath done and suffered for me and those many good things whereof in and through him I have hope or am made partaker Lord pardon the manifold weaknesses and imperfections which have accompanied this holy service in and through thy beloved Jesus Christ. To whom with thee and thy blessed Spirit I do from my heart render all praise and glory both now and evermore Amen FINIS THE PRINCIPLES OF Christian Religion Explained to the Capacity of the Meanest By T.G. Minister of the Gospel John 17.3 This is life Eternal to know thee the only true God and Iesus Christ whom thou hast sent LONDON Printed for Iohn Wright at the Globe in Little-Brittain 1668. THE PRINCIPLES OF Christian Religion EXPLAINED Quest. WHo is the Maker of all things Answ. God Gen. 1. 1. Col. 1.16 By him were all things Created that are in Heaven and that are in Earth Q. What is God A. God is a Spirit of infinite perfection God is said to be a Spirit 1. Negatively to intimate that he is not a body or material substance 2. Analogically Spirits being the most perfect and excellent of all created beings are the fittest to represent the incomprehensible God to our narrow conceptions God is said to be a Spirit of perfection or perfect spirit thereby to exclude all manner of imperfections and including all manner of perfections and excellencies In that he is a Spirit of infinite perfection thereby is implyed that there is no measure or bounds set to his perfection Whereby he is distinguished from the glorious Angels and the souls of the Saints in Heaven which though they are perfect spirits yet their perfection is limited Whereas Gods perfection is beyond all measure being infinite Q. How many Gods are there A. There is one only God 1 Cor. 8.4 There is none other God but one Q. How many Persons are there in the God-head A. Three the Father the Son and the holy-Ghost Though there be but one God in substance and essence yet there be three distinct Persons subsisting in that one God-head This appeareth from Christs own testimony in Matth. 28.19 Where he gives commission to his Apostles to teach all Nations and Baptize them in the name of the Father of the Son and of the holy Ghost See likewise 1 Ioh. 5.7 That God should be one in essence and three in persons is a Mysterie not to be comprehended yet ought to be believed being so plainly revealed in the Word Q. How is God farther set forth unto us in his Word A. 1. By his Properties 2. By his Works The Properties of God are certain excellencies attributed to him as when he is said to be Eternal Almighty Merciful just c. Q. What are the kinds of Gods Properties A. 1. Incommunicable 2. Communicable Incommunicable properties are such excellencies which are so proper to God alone as in no respect they can be attributed or communicated to any other As Eternity without beginning Immutability not subject to any change All-sufficient not only for himself but for all others Omnipotency able to do all things Ubiquity to be everywhere present These and such like are excellencies proper only to God and cannot be communicated to the Creature Communicable Properties are certain excellencies in God communicated also to creatures as Power Wisdom Holiness Iustice c. Thus Sampson was a strong man Solomon a wise man Noah a just man c. But yet there is a great difference between these communicable properties as they are in God and as they are in the creature 1. They are in God Originally he is the primary fountain of them all who hath what he hath in and from himself Thus all these Properties in God are his very Essence 2. They are all in God infinitely without any limits or bounds He is infinite in power wisdom holiness justice c. But in the Creature they are 1. By participation they receive all their excellencies from God What hast thou that thou didst not receive 1 Cor. 4.7 2. By Measure The Creature that hath the most and best excellencies hath but a stinted measure Eph. 4.7 Q. To what heads may the works of God be brought A. Creation and Providence Q. What is meant by Gods creating things A. A making them out of nothing To create is to give a being to things that never were and that out of nothing In this respect it is said Gen. 1.1 In the beginning God created the Heaven and the Earth that is when there was nothing at all no not any matter out of which things might be made then God Created all things Which kind of making things out of nothing is proper to God
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
of the Lord. Oh therefore let us here often keep a day of judgement in our own souls and consciences by a serious examining of our selves concerning our sins and judging and condemning our selves for the same and then let us in all humility prostrate our selves at the Throne of grace pleading the mercy of God and merits of Christ for the pardon and forgiveness of them all giving no rest to our souls till we have some comfortable evidence and assurance thereof which will cause us to lift up our heads with joy at the great day of account VI. After conviction and manifestation of all their sinfull actions follows the sentence of condemnation and what it is our Saviour himself hath shewed Matth 25.41 Depart from me ye cursed into everlasting fire prepared for the Devil and his Angels O dreadful sentence every word whereof carryeth much terrour in it and breatheth nothing but woe and misery yea fire and brimstone So terrible is this sentence that the first hearing thereof will make all ears to glow and tingle Depart from me that is from Iesus Christ the fountain of bliss and happiness This the wicked make light of at present for taking more delight in their sinful lusts and pleasures than in Christs presence they are willing to depart from him Whereas in truth it is a most grievous misery for as the Psalmist speaketh in his presence there is fulness of joy and pleasures for evermore So to be cast out of his presence is to be cast away from the fountain of all joy and pleasure yea from glory and Salvation for if from Christ then from all that is his even his glory and salvation Ah sinner What a terrour what a torment will this be unto thee at that great day This will be a great part of thy torment that thou shalt be excluded and that from Christ and his glory when others shall be admitted as our Saviour speaketh There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth when ye shall see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the Prophets in the Kingdom of God and you your selves thrust out Oh the fears and distractions the horrour and confusion the tearing of hair and gnashing of teeth the wringing of hands and dashing of knees that these words will produce Depart from me Oh that sinners would lay this to heart You that now bid God depart from you you will have none of his knowledge none of his commands God will requite you in your own kind he will then command you to depart from him Ye cursed To depart from Christ were hell enough but thou must also go with a curse even a curse that comprehends all woes and miseries under it This curse will be a thousand times more grievous than the cursed and bitter water was to the defiled woman which caused her belly to swell her thigh to rot and made her accursed among her people For upon the pronouncing of this curse not only the belly and thigh but likewise head and heart yea body and soul of the wicked shall be filled with rottenness and bitterness and become accursed before God men and Angels Now thou cursest every one that stands in the way of thy lusts and that crosseth thee in thy designs But at the great and last day all the curses of Heaven and Hell shall meet in thee so that thou shalt be cursed with a witness And truly to be under Gods curse is the quintessence of misery Into everlasting fire What! into fire and into everlasting fire Ah wretches cursed indeed For as the Prophet Isaiah speaketh who can dwell with devouring fire who can dwell with everlasting burnings which shall not be quenched night nor day but fed continually with Rivers of brimstone and kept still in flame and fierceness by the unquencheable wrath of the just God to all Eternity The torment of the wicked in hell will be as without any intermission so without any end After they have there been tormented hundreds thousands millions of dayes years and ages their torments will be as far from ending as if they were then beginning And is not this misery enough to lye in fire in everlasting burnings this is even beyond the expression of men or Angels If a man knew he must lye in a flaming fire but one day or hour Oh what fear and horror would possess his soul But what is a day or an hour or an age to eternity Oh then what stupidity and senselesness hath possessed the hearts of sinful men who by all this are not frighted from their sins The fear of Nebuchadnezzar's fiery Furnace made men do any thing to avoid it And shall not the fear of everlasting fire in hell make men do any thing to escape it this methinks should awaken them and cause them not only to humble themselves for their sins and to beg the pardon of them but also to cast away their transgressions to strive against them watch against them pray against them begging power and strength from Christ to keep down the power of their lusts that hurry them on in their sinfull wayes It is one of the wonders of the world how men who do believe the word of Christ to be true that the wicked shall go into everlasting fire can wittingly and wilfully adventure upon sinfull wayes the end whereof they know will be so dreadful and astonishing Prepared for the Devil and his Angels That is you shall not only be cast into a lake of fire and brimstone but you shall there dwell with those hellish Fiends the Devil and his Angels who are the best company you are like to have Sad company for distressed souls and yet in that dismal dungeon you shall have no better company or comforters who will be continually insulting over you with hellish exprobrations for neglecting so great salvation offered unto you time after time and being so foolish as to loose the joys and pleasures of Heaven which last to all Eternity for the enjoyment of some base lust which lasted but for a season It was a dreadful punishment which was executed upon Nebuchadnezzar when he was cast out of the society of men and turned a grasing with the beasts of the field But what was that in comparison of this to be cast out of the presence of Christ and society of Saints and to have only the company of the Devils and damned in hell We read in the Gospel of a Woman who came unto Christ and said unto him Have mercy on me O Lord for my daughter is grievously vexed with a Devil Now if it were such a grievous misery to be vexed with one Devil what is it to be vexed and tormented with all the Legions of Devils in Hell Oh what terrour and trembling what horrour and amazement will seize on their souls that have received this dreadful sentence When King Belshazzar saw his sentence written upon the wall though he could not read it it is said
resolve for Christ resolve for holiness and henceforth bid adieu to all thy vain and sensual wayes which are hastily carrying thee down to that place of darkness from whence there is no redemption CHAP. XI Shewing the miserable and dreadfull condition of the Vnregenereate after the day of Iudgement HAving shewed you the miserable estate of the unregenerate at the day of Judgement I shall proceed to shew you their dreadfull estate after the day of Iudgement Which in general is most cursed and therefore saith our Saviour unto them Depart from me ye cursed That cursed estate is manifest 1. By privation of all felicity 2. By subjection to all misery Which misery is set out 1. By sundry resemblances 2. By the place where they abide 3. By the perpetuity thereof Of these in their order I. The miserable and cursed estate of the unregenerate consists in their privation of all that happiness which believers do enjoy in the presence of God in whose presence there is fulness of joy and at whose right hand there are pleasures for evermore Were there no positive sensible misery this privation of Gods presence were enough if they understood it to make the damneds future estate most accursed to make Hell to be Hell without any other fire For as fulness of joy and pleasure is had by the enjoying of Gods presence so fulness of grief and sorrow doth possess the hearts of all those who are deprived thereof Couldst thou but for one moment be wrapt up into Heaven and see a glimpse of that infinite glory which God hath prepared for all that love and fear him thou wouldst soon acknowledge as much Now I know thou art little affected with the apprehension of loosing Gods presence and all the happiness the godly do enjoy in Heaven But then thine understanding will be more cleared and thine apprehension more enlarged to conceive so much of the glory of that happiness which thou hast lost as will exceedingly increase and aggravate thy misery and torment especially when thou shalt call to mind the fair opportunity which once thou hadst of obtaining that heavenly happiness and on what easie terms it was tendred to thee only upon the abandoning thy lusts and the accepting of Christ for thy Lord and Saviour and thy submitting to his gracious government walking in the wayes of holiness and righteousness It is said of Enoch that he walked with God and it is immediately added that he was no more seen for God took him into his presence If thou in like manner wilt walk before God in the wayes of holiness and righteousness thou shalt be taken up into Heaven with Enoch there to enjoy fulness of happiness in the presence of God with the blessed Saints and Angels to all eternity It is the judgement of many Divines both ancient Fathers and modern Writers that this privation of happiness is the greatest of Hells misery that the pain of loss is greater than the pain of sense I mean the loss of happiness is greater than the positive torments Sure I am that the loss of all that this World affords is not comparable to the loss of the least degree of the future bliss Oh what a foolish and mad bargain art thou now making who art selling such blessedness for bubbles of vanity II. Besides this privation of felicity there is a subjection to all misery Besides the pain of loss there is a pain of sense which the damned endure which is in it self intolerable unutterable and unconceivable It were misery enough to be tormented with the gout collick stone tooth-ache or the like but should all these together with the most exquisite tortures that the wit of man could invent meet together in one man at one instant yet would they come infinitely short of these All pains and torments all racks and tortures whatsoever which men are capable of suffering here are but sparks in comparison of the flames of Gods wrath and flea-bits to the stings and scorpions beneath where there is torment without ease sorrow without solace darkness without light horrour without comfort justice without mercy wrath without pitty misery without end There are no sorrows like to the sorrows of the damned wherewith the Lord afflicteth them in the day of his fierce wrath when he will pour out all the Vials of his fury upon them and will make them at once to pay for all the wrongs they have done to his name for the contempt of his mercy their affronts to his justice for the abuse of his patience and long-suffering for their mispent time for their swearing and cursing for theâ—â— whoring and drinking for their prophaning his Sabbaths for their hating and persecuting his people Oh! What weeping and wailing what sighing and groaning what cursing and banning will there then be heard The extremity of the torments of hell further appeareth in this that they are universal Not only this or that part of thy body shall be tortured and tormented but every part and member thereof As all have joyned in sin so must they all partake of the torment Thy wanton eyes which were wont to please themselves in beholding beautiful objects shall then see nothing but what is dreadful and terrible If thou look above thee what canst thou behold but an angry judge and Saints and Angels whose bright beauty will make thy deformity more ugly and loathsome If thou look beneath thee what canst thou behold but the bottomless pit into which thou art fallen and still falling lower If thou look round about thee what canst thou behold but Devils and hellish furies vexing and tormenting thee Thine ears which took great delight in pleasant songs and melodious sounds shall then hear nothing but cursing and banning howling and blaspheming Thy nostrils which were wont to be filled with sweet perfumes shall then be filled with the noysome stench of fire and brimstone Thy throat which was too much delighted with strong drink even to excess or was an open Sepulchre to give vent to the filth of thine heart shall then be parched with unquenchable thirst so that with Dives thou wouldst give a World if thou hadst it for one drop of water to asswage thy thirst and canst not obtain it The pain which men here endure is for the most part particular some pained in their head some in their back and some in their feet And some of these pains are oft-times so extream as thou wouldst not willingly undergo them to gain a World But for a man to be tortured and tormented in every part and member of his body at once must needs be very grievous which is the condition of all the damned in Hell By this you may a little conceive the extremity of their torments But if I had the tongue of Men and Angels I could not express it to the full For as in Heaven there is such a fulness of joy as the heart of man is not able to conceive much less the
in the fire So shall the wicked live for ever in the fire of hell Though they seek for death yet they shall not find it though they be alwayes burning yet they shall not be consumed though they be alwayes gnawed upon by the Worm of Conscience yet they shall never be devoured Which makes the misery of the damned in hell most exquisitely miserable Men in misery comfort themselves with hope of an end The Prisoner with hope of Goal-delivery the Apprentice with hope of a freedom and liberty the Gally-slave with hope of a ransome only the poor wretches in hell have no hope of freedom and liberty at all they are as far from an end of their torments as at their first beginning and entrance thereinto If there might be any end of their torments though it should be after so many millions of years as there are Sands on the Sea-shore or Stars in the Firmament it would be some comfort to those who endure them But Eternity is the very hell of hells and that which most of all breaks the very hearts of the damned The present sense of pain being not so grievous to the damned as it is to think that after thousands yea thousand thousands of years they shall be as far either from end or from ease as they were the first hour of their falling into it Surely if to a man tormented with the gout stone or collick one night seemeth exceeding long Oh how long do you think eternity that night which shall never know morning will seem to those who shall lye tormented and roaring in a bed of flame with wicked fiends and Devils about them daily and hourly adding to their torment If one short nights pain be so tedious and grievous what will that eternal night be Ah sinner thou art not now able to endure the sudden scorch of a fire nor to hold one of thy fingers over the flame of a Candle for a quarter of an hour How wilt thou then endure to lye in a fiery flaming Furnace not only an hour or a day but years yea millions of years Some have thus represented the eternity of hell-torments Suppose say they that all the vast space which is between Heaven and Earth were filled with Sands and God should command an Angel once in every thousand years to fetch away one small grain what an innumerable number of years would be spent before all those sands would be fetcht away yet shalt thou abide thus long in hell-fire and when they are expired continue as long again and again and a thousand times told for Eternity knows no beginning no middle no end but after a thousand thousand millions of years there are still as many more to come and when these many more are come and gone thy torments are as far from the last as they were at the first What heart can think of these things without horrour and amazement Suppose that for some high-treason against the Kings-person thou wert condemned to be cast into a fiery flaming Furnace or Caldron of boyling lead and there to continue a thousand years how sad would thy condition be yet this were a mercy to hell-torments For after thou hast layn ten thousand thousand years in a Furnace of fire kept up in the highest flame by the breath of Gods wrath there is full as much behind as there was on thy first-day Thou sinnedst in thine eternity and therefore must suffer in Gods eternity Thou sinnedst against an infinite God despising his infinite grace and mercy and the infinite merits of Christ and wouldst have drawn out thy sin to the length of eternity and therefore must suffer an infinite eternal punishment Thou never heartily repentedst of thy sins and therefore God will never repent him of thy sufferings This is the day of Gods-long-suffering and that will be the day of thy long-suffering when thou shalt suffer long for thine abusing the long-suffering of God Ah sinner sinner what stupidity hath seised on thee that thou shoulst be lyable to eternal torments in hell and yet live as carelesly and prophanely as if it did no way at all concern thee Know for certain that though thou dost not as yet feel these torments yet thou art every moment subject and hasting thereunto A cloud of fire and brimstone hangeth over thine head and the Lord knoweth how suddenly it may fall upon thee It is certainly decreed in Heaven that if thou turn not here from thy sins unto God by true and unfaigned repentance and turn over a new leaf leading a new course of life thou shalt lye in a lake of brimstone to all eternity and thou knowest not how soon God may seal the warrant for thine execution Oh sinner that I could prevail with thee once a day to steep thy thoughts in a serious meditation of the Eternity of hell-torments Certainly it would abate the heat of thy lusts and take off the edge of thy love to thy most pleasing vanities and stop thee in the eager pursuit of thy carnal pleasures For wouldst thou be content to run the hazard of such torments for thy present ease of such plagues for thy present pleasures of such thick darkness for the light of thine own sparks of such an Eternity for a few jocund hours Oh when wilt thou awake from this folly Thou who now givest thy self up to the gratifying of thy sinfull lusts to the satisfying of thy brurish pleasures who art sowing daily to the flesh sowing oaths and curses and lyes and adulteries c. without considering what a bitter harvest thou shalt have after such a black seed-time should I but ask thee how much pleasure thou wouldst take to lye but one day in such a burning Furnace as Nebuchadnezzars was after it was heated seven times more for the three Children I dare boldly say thou wouldst not lye therein one quarter of an hour for all the pleasures and riches in the World How is it then that for a little pleasure which endureth but for a moment thou dost so little regard the lying in the Furnace of hell-fire to all eternity In the fear of God therefore often think as of the extremity so of the eternity of hell-torments Me-thinks the very thought thereof should forthwith call off the drunkard from following the Ale-house with his vain companions and the swearer from taking the name of God so often in vain and the voluptuous person from his sensual delights and wanton dalliances and the worldling from his immoderate seeking after earthly riches and treasures and cause every of them out of hand to set upon another and a wiser course to mind the good of their immortal souls and bethink themselves in earnest how they might escape the wrath to come to cast away sin to cry after mercy to run over to Jesus Christ with their tongues with their eyes with their hearts full of prayers Lord save me or I perish Lord teach me what I must do to be saved Lord pardon me
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
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
prophane men to be uncomfortable because all the causes of uncomfortableness are found on them as guilt of sin death in sin enmity against God alienation from Christ and therefore lyableness to all judgements and plagues here and to eternal death and condemnation hereafter Surely if carnal men understood themselves throughly they would find all both within and without them like Ezekiels roul nothing but lamentation mourning and woe CHAP. XVII The second branch of the Vse of Exhortation unto the Regenerate HAving done with the first branch of the Use of Exhortation unto the Unregenerate Come we now unto the second which concerneth the Regenerate and consisteth of divers heads 1. Admire and adore Gods special mercy and goodness in thy Regeneration Let thine heart be ravished with the consideration of his love to thee in Christ Jesus the bottom whereof cannot be fathomed by any Angel in Heaven And therefore well maist thou cry out Oh the heighth and the depth the length and the breadth of the love of God unto thy soul If David upon the consideration of the goodness of God to man in his Creation cryed out so affectionately Lord what is man that thou art mindfull of him and the son of man that thou visitest him Surely upon the consideration of Gods mercy unto thy soul in this work of new Creation hast not thou cause to say the like Lord what is man that thou art mindfull of him and the son of man that thou visitest him Lord what am I among the Sons of men that thou shouldest have respect to me That the Lord should pluck thee as a brand out of the fire that he should take thee into his special grace and favour when he left many millions of Men and Women to perish in their sins that he should make thee an heir of Heaven when he left so many to be fire-brands of hell that thy nature should be renewed and sanctified when others are left in their filth and pollution hast not thou unspeakable cause to sit down and admire the freeness of Gods grace and riches of his mercy towards thee Surely nothing but free Grace hath put this honour upon thee and put such a difference between thee and others For what did God see more in thee than in others to move him to set his special love on thee Oh cast thine eyes round about thee look upon thy neighbours who live under the same Ministery partake of the same Ordinances as thou dost and yet never felt the power and sweetness of them in their souls Let the abominable wickedness which thou daily seest in others fill thee with wonder at the loving kindness of the Lord to thee That the dew of his free Grace should fall upon thy soul when the hearts of so many about thee should be dry not having one drop of that dew upon them is not this a mercy to be admired Oh consider it and adore it and say Lord how is it that thou shouldst bestow thy grace on me and deny it to so many who in many respects are better than I That thy heart may be the more raised up in admiration of the mercy and goodness of God unto thee herein take notice of the manifold priviledges which do follow and accompany such as are Regenerated 1. The love and favour of God wherewith they are embraced Love is weighty and falleth downward from Father to Child Yea love in God is as a Fountain and spring-head and the channel or pipe in and through which it runneth is Christ now that spring continually floweth forth through that pipe to every Regenerate person Observe the love of earthly Parents to their Children how great how constant it is withall consider how far God exceeds them in his love even as far as he doth in greatness which is infinitely So as every Regenerate person may with assurance rest on the love of God his Father which cannot be but most sweet to the soul and exceeding comfortable For in Gods fatherly favour consisteth our happiness II. Union with Christ. For Christ is the head and by Regeneration we are his members The Apostle writing to the Corinthians who were born again by the Spirit saith Now are ye the body of Christ and members in particular meaning of the mystical body of Christ. This Union of the Regenerate with Christ is one of the great mysteries of our Christian faith and it is a Mysterie of an unspeakable comfort and consolation For by vertue of our Union with Christ God is our Father Christ is our Brother and our Husband and Head Heaven is our inheritance Angels are our attendants and guardians who are sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of Salvation These Angels are those Horses and Chariots of fire which were round about Elisha and which are also round about every member of Christ in all their dangers though they see them not If the eyes of the Regenerate were but opened to see their glorious attendants how would their hearts be comforted and cheered in all their distresses III. Adoption Such as are Regenerated are thereby the adopted Sons of God Whereas by natural propagation they were the children of wrath by this Regeneration they are the Children of grace being translated out of the Family of Satan into Gods own Family and in and through Christ they are made the adopted Sons of God Oh that the Lord would open our eyes to see this priviledge Behold saith St. Iohn what manner of Love the Father hath bestowed on us that we should be called the Sons of God The Apostle not being able to express the greatness of Gods love to us therein he breaks forth into an admiration thereof And truly well might he say Behold what manner of love the Father hath bestowed on us For here is not only love but love to admiration that we vile wretched sinfull creatures who were dead in sins and trespasses enemies to God by wicked works yea and children of wrath as well as others that we should be thus advanced in and by Christ as to be accounted not only servants which is much nor only friends which is more but also Sons and consequently heirs and co-heirs with Christ which is most of all IV. Christian freedom As it is the great unhappiness of the unregenerate that they are in a state of vasalage so it is the great happiness of the regenerate that they are in a state of freedom being freed 1. From Satan Though not from the assaults and temptations of Satan yet from the power of Satan For our Saviour Christ by his death hath destroyed him that had the power of death that is the Devil He hath now broken the Serpents head so that though he may hiss against us yet he cannot sting us though he may assault us yet he cannot overcome us and though he goeth about like a roaring Lion sâ—â—king whom he may devour yet Christ hath him in a
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
depriveth a man of the comfort of what he hath and possesseth For the having of all is as nothing to him that hath an immoderate desire after more Ahabs Crown and Kingdom yielded him no comfort after he had set his heart upon poor Naboths Vineyard The want of this did more molest and vex him than the enjoyment of his whole Kingdom did solace and comfort him For this he came heavy and displeased to his house laid him down upon his bed turned away his face and would eat no bread V. Covetousness exposeth men to manifold temptations making them ready to yield to Satans wicked suggestions They that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare and into many foolish and hurtfull lusts which draw meâ— into perdition As if he had said They who set their hearts upon their riches whose hearts run after their covetousness are fit for any temptation ready to yield to any of Satans wicked suggestions for the satisfying their covetous humour Iudas as Tertullian thinks was pretty honest till he carryed the bag and that gave him occasion to discover the rottenness that was in his heart CHAP. XXIII Of living by faith in Gods promises ANother singular duty incumbent upon the regenerate is To live by faith casting themselves upon God in Christ and upon his gracious promises in all their straights and dangers for such needfull and usefull things as they stand in need of To live by faith is not only to believe in Christ for salvation but also firmly to rest and rely upon God and his gracious promises expressed in his Word for support under all our tryalls for succour in all our distresses for assistance against all assaults for deliverance out of all our dangers and for supply of all our wants whether temporal or spiritual Thus did those ancient Worthies mentioned Heb. 11. Where we read that into whatsoever trouble or straight they were brought they so lived by faith in Gods promises that nothing could dismay them much less overthrow them And if thou in like manner couldst but quietly rest upon God and his gracious promises thou wouldst in thy greatest tryals and troubles be more than Conquerour as the Apostle speaketh When therefore thou art troubled for thy sins groaning under the weight and burden of them then throw thy self upon the merits and righteousness of Jesus Christ and there let thy soul rest it self in hope of the pardon of thy sins here and of eternal life and salvation hereafter venturing upon that comfortable promise Come unto me all ye who are weary and heavy laden and I will give you rest When thou art assaulted with the temptations of Satan and fearest left thou shouldst be overcome by them then look up unto God trusting in him for deliverance in due time and for support in the mean time relying upon that gracious promise God is faithfull who will not suffer you to be tempted above that you are able but will with the temptation make a way to escape that ye may be able to bear it When thou art under any spiritual desertion sitting in darkness without any spark of comfort thâ—n look up unto God with the eye of faith for the light of his countenance and the assurance of his loving favour resting and refreshing thy drooping soul with that comfortable promise In a little wrath have I hid my face from thee but with everlasting kindness will I have mercy on thee saith the Lord thy Redeemer When thou apprehendest thy self weak and insufficient for the performance of duties then look up unto God who hath promised to help the weaknesses and infirmities of his Servants and trust upon the power of Jesus Christ then wilt thou be able to say with the Apostle I can do all things through Christ which strengthneth me When thou feelest thy corruptions strongly working and stirring in thee then look up unto God who is able and hath promised to subdue thine iniquities and to keep down the power of thy lusts laying hold on that good word Sin shall not have dominion over you for ye are not under the Law but under grace When thou art reviled and persecuted by wicked and ungodly men then look up unto God with the eye of faith trusting in him for help and strength comforting thy self with that gracious saying of our Saviour Blâ—sse are ye when mâ—n shall revils you and persecute you and shall say all manner of evill against you falsely for my sake Rejoice and be exceeding glad for great is your reward in Heaven When thou art streightned in these outward things and thereupon art full of Worldly fears and cares what to eat and what to drink and what to provide for Wife and Children then look up unto God and by faith cast all thy care upon him who careth for thee resting upon that comfortable promise The young Lyons do lack and suffer hunger but they that seek the Lord shall not want any good thing Though thou maist not have that abundance and affluency which some others do enjoy yet thou shalt not want that which God seeth good for thee who will supply all thy need according to his riches Thus in all thy streights and distresses thou maist by the Soveraign power of faith working upon the gracious promises of God exceedingly revive and refresh thy troubled Spirit For all the promises of God set down in his Word for thy comfort and support being sealed with the blood of Christ are all yea and Amen as true as truth it self and therefore shall assuredly in their due time be accomplished For thy better encouragement to this Christian duty of living by faith seriously weigh these few things I. The Properties of God more especially 1. His Almighty power whereby he is able to strengthen thee in all thy weaknesses to support thee under all thy tryals and temptations in a word to perform whatsoever he hath promised This made Abraham with strong confidence to rest upon the promise of God which the Apostle thus setteth forth He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief but was strong in faith being fully perswaded that what he had promised he was able to perform Abrahams eying the power of God was it that made him so confidently to rest upon his promise The power of God is often in Scripture mentioned to move Saints to live by faith in Gods promises and to rest upon them When Sarah made some doubt of Gods promise concerning Abrahams having a Child by her this question was by way of exprobration propounded to her Is there any thing too hard for the Lord To like purpose said God to his Prophet Ieremy for the strengthening his faith Behold I am the Lord of all flesh is there any thing too hard for me implying there is nothing too hard for God 2. His truth and faithfulness in performing what he hath promised For faith the Apostle to the Hebrews
faithfull is he that promiseth We read how under the Law God commanded by Moses concerning him that voweth or promiseth any thing to the Lord that he shall not break his word but shall do according to all that proceedeth out of his mouth And shall the Lord say and not do it Shall he promise and not perform it Surely it is as possible for him not to be as not to keep his word and not to perform what he hath promised Indeed the Lord many times maketh his Children wait long for the accomplishment of his promises Yet he never faileth to be as good as his Word Which duly considered cannot but strengthen our faith in the firm expectation of all good things promised and enable us quietly and contentedly to rest and repose our selves in God for the accomplishment of what he hath promised and not to doubt thereof though he seem long to deferr the performance of them 3. His infinite Wisdom whereby he dispenseth the good things contained in his promises in their fitest time and season whenas they shall make most for his own glory and his Childrens good Farr be it therefore from us to prescribe unto God the time and season for the performance of his promises But let us rather resolve with patience to wait his appointed time and season who is infinite in Wisdom and so knoweth what is best and convenient for us even better than we our selves Thus did the Church Our eyes wait upon the Lord our God untill he have mercy upon us Therefore as the Lord speaketh by the Prophet Isay He that believeth shall not make haste because he is assured by faith that though he have not the thing he desireth at his own time yet he shall have it in that time which God in his Wisdom knoweth to be best for him whenas it shall make most for his good II. Consider the good success believers have found upon their living by faith how things have fallen out according to their hope and expectation It is recorded of Abraham that he lived by faith in Gods promise to him of a Son being fully perswaded that what he had promised he was able to perform And God accordingly did perform the same unto him Look into the Histories of the Kings of Iudah and Israel and you shall find that according to their trust in God and faith in his promises was their success and deliverance Our Fathers trusted in thee they trusted and thou didst deliver them they trusted in thee and were not confounded And saith David of himself The Lord is my strength and my Shield my heart trusted in him and I was helped What an encouragement must this needs be unto us to trust in God and live by faith in his promises Seeing he never failed such Faith in the promises being like the bow of Ionathan and Sword of Saul which never returned empty but allwayes finds what it seeks and enjoyes what it desires III. Take notice of the particular fruits of living by faith recorded in Scripture some whereof are these 1. Protection from things hurtfull Though Daniel was cast into a Den of Lyons yet it is said that no manner of hurt was found in him And this reason is rendred thereof Because he believed in Gods Word by faith relying on his power whom he knew was able to deliver him 2. Provision of needfull good things Therefore the Apostle exhorteth to trust in the living God and that on this ground he giveth us richly all things to enjoy namely all such things as he in his Wisdom seeth to be needfull for us And to set out Gods bounty in providing for such as live by faith in his promises the Wise man faith He that putteth his trust in the Lord shall be made fat that is he shall not only have such a competency as is absolutely necessary to preserve life or to keep body and soul together but also such plenty and abundance as will make him fat and well-liking 3. Comfort in every condition is another fruit of living by faith in Gods promises The promises of God in his Word are the Christians Cordials to cheer up his fainting spirits when he is ready to sink They are his aqua-vitae to revive him when he is ready to swound They are breasts of consolation full of sweet nourishment for the faint and weak They are Sacred and sure Anchors in the tempestuous seasons of trouble and affliction to stay and six believers amidst all tossings whatsoever They are roses that blow in the Winter which with their fragrancy revive drooping and dejected souls in the sad Winter of their desertion when the verdure of all other comforts wither and drop like leaves that are bitten with the frost This David found in his own experience for faith he thy promises are my comfort in my affliction for thy Word hath quickned me Whereas the best of the Worlds comforts are only applicable to some particular condition the comforts of the promises are universal such as agree with every estate and suit every malady and therefore apt to relieve the soul of a believer in every condition though never so sad and disconsolate So that the Christian who lives by faith in Gods promises many times walks more cheerfully under sore fiery troubles than others in the Sun-shine of Worldly prosperity The three Children walked to and fro with more joy in the fiery Furnace than Nebuchadaezzar in his stately Pallace 4. Contentment in our present state and condition is another Fruit of living by faith A Believer is like a dye that hath four squares throw it which way you will it falls upon a bottome Let God cast a Believer into what condition he pleaseth he still falleth upon his bottom of contentment he will be contented with his present state believing it to be ordered by God as in Wisdom so in much mercy and goodness unto him CHAP. XXIV Of Heavenly-mindedness ANother singular duty incumbent upon the Regenerate is to be spiritually minded by a frequent contemplation of spiritual and Heavenly things It is not some few slitting transient thoughts on God or Heaven wherein this duty consists but thoughts resting and fixing on some spiritual subject The truth is the thoughts of all men fly up and down like birds in the aire or chaff in the wind and some of these may light sometimes on God or Heaven but they are soon off and fixed on some worldly matter or some impertinencies or other and therefore cannot denominate a man to be spiritually-minded which is another manner of business than many are aware of It 's a thinking with thought upon thought a reiteration and multiplication of the thoughts of the mind upon God and the things of God and this in order to the affecting the heart deeply with them It is not sufficient to think and think oft of the love and goodness of God but we must labour to get our hearts inflamed
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
offering up a Morning Sacrifice of Prayer and thanksgiving Lord we acknowledge our great unworthiness to come into thy presence to present our Prayers and supplications unto thee But though we are unworthy yet Christ is worthy We beseech thee therefore for his sake to look graciously upon us to pass by our unworthiness and to strengthen our weakness To this end as we draw near unto thee so be thou pleased to draw near unto us enabling us to pray as with humility and sincerity so with zeal and fervency of spirit and with faith in Jesus Christ looking for audience and acceptance in and thorow him Blessed Lord God we cannot but acknowledge thou didst at first create us in a blessed and happy estate even after thine own image endowing us with true knowledge holiness and righteousness But we soon fell from that state of innocency and blessedness in the loynes of our first Father Adam and implunged our selves with him into a dreadfull gulf of sin and misery For O Lord besides the guilt of Adams sin we have contracted from him a Mass of corruption which hath poysoned our very natures polluted and defiled all the faculties of our souls with all the parts and members of our bodies So that we may more truly in regard of our spiritual uncleanness cry out Vnclean Vnclean than the Leper under the Law in regard of his bodily uncleanness And O Lord to this corruption of our natures we have added many many actual sins of our own which as they have been hainous in their quality so in their number and multitude have far exceeded the hairs of our heads and the sands on the Sea-shore which cannot be numbred The which we have committed through the whole course of our lives from our infancy to this present time So that we are now grown old in sin and overgrown with corruption Though the time thou hast allotted us here to live is very little even as a moment to Eternity yet alas how little of this little have we lived to thee our God or to the good of our own souls having mis-spent the greatest part of our dayes in vanity and pleasure We have continued ignorant of thee how much means of knowledge have we had and yet how little knowledge have we gotten oh how little have we done for our souls or the other World We have not considered what is like to become of us hereafter How little care and pains have we taken to make sure for Eternity we have taken the course to undo our selves for ever We have broken every one of thy most holy and righteous Laws ten thousand thousand times Yea we have sinned against thy Gospel in slighting the offers of grace Though thou hast sent unto us Ambassadour after Ambassadour to wooe and beseech us to abandon our sins and to receive Jesus Christ yet alas how have we slighted thy messengers and turned a deaf ear to all thy gracious invitations Though we are willing to take Christ for our Saviour to preserve us from hell and damnation yet alas how unwilling are we to take him for our Lord and King to yield obedience and subjection unto him Lord we cannot but acknowledge our great unthankfulness under those manifold favours and mercies thou hast in a plentiful measure conferred on us as also our unprofitableness under thy Fatherly chastisâ—ments laid upon us in love and for our good our discontentedness at our present state and condition And oh how careless and negligent have we been in the discharge of the duties of our places callings and relations Oh the multitude of worldly and covetous thoughts of proud and ambitious thoughts of wicked and prophane thoughts of wanton and unclean thoughts yea and of blasphemous and atheistical thoughts that lodge in the hearts of most of us and there revel it day and night And O Lord we cannot but acknowledge the deadness of our hearts the distractions of our minds in the performing holy duties We are active and lively about our worldly businesses but oh how dull and flat are we in our religious exercises praying as if we prayed not and hearing as if we heard not Lord make us truly apprehensive of our sins and misery that we may humble our selves under a sense of them and turn unto thee by true and unfained repentance Turn us O God and we shall be turned draw us and we will run after thee And O Lord whilest we are returning unto thee meet us we pray thee in the way and like a tender Father embrace us with the arms of thy mercy Our sins we confess are many and hainous yet we know and believe thy mercies are far more and the merits of Jesus Christ are far greater and therefore we are resolved to adventure our souls as upon the mercies of theâ— our God so upon the merits of Jesus Christ into whose arms we here cast our selves Oh be pleased to make us partakers both of the merit of Christs death in freeing us from the guilt of sin and of the virtue of Christs death in freeing us from the power and dominion of sin that it may not rule and raign in us as formerly Lord work in us a loathing and a true hatred of every sin especially of such we have been most addicted to and have most delighted in To this end convince us what a folly yea madness it is for the short fruition of a momentany pleasure here to implunge our selves into everlasting burnings Oh convert every unconverted soul among us bring us to Christ make us adventurers for the other World let us be resolved henceforth for an holy and righteous life instruct us in thy wayes and teach us thy Sâ—atutes Break the power of our sins subdue our rebellion and make us willing to be the Lord's Change our evil natures and give us another Spirit Help us sincerâ—ly to choose thee as our portion to love and fear and trust in thee and to walk humbly with thee all the dayes of our life Help us to set our affections on things abovâ— and no longer on this earth let us dye daily to sin and this World let us exercise our selvâ—s in keeping a good Consâ—iâ—nce towards God and men let us work out our Salvation with fear and trembling and give all diligence to make our calling and election sure and let not our labour herein be in vain Keep us O Lord from our iniquities keep us from the way of lying from all unrighteous and unjust dealing from wrath and evil speaking let us be true temperate peaceable and mercifull as the children of our heavenly Father Help us to be serious and savoury and tender and watchfull and hold us on constantly in our holy course to the end of our dayes Lord take us into thy keeping and protection this day keep us from all danger especially from sinning against thee To this end make us watchfull both against the occasions of sins and temptations thereunto Keep us we pray thee
from â—dleness as knowing that our idle time is the Devils working timâ— who is most busie with us when we are most at leisure And bless all our undertakings So spâ—ritualize our hearts and affections that we may have heavenly hearts in earthly imployments and so may serve thee our God whilest we are serving our own necessities Together with us bless we beseech thee thy whole Church Call thine ancient people the Jews and bring in the fulness of the Gentiles And particularly we pray thee for our own Nation the Land of our Nativity pardon the crying sins thereof Showre down thy blessings upon it both temporal and spiritual In special we pray thee so to bless our royal Soveraign that under him we may live a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty Bless likewise all our Magistrates and Ministers of thy holy Word Thou the Lord of the harvest send plenty of Labourers into thy harvest And O Father of mercy look down with the eye of pitty and compassion upon all thine afflicted ones let thy mercies be suitable to their several needs and necessities Bless all Christian families this in particular enrich every soul with all needfull saving graces Blessed Lord God according to our bounden duty we offer up our Sacrifice of Praise and Thanksgiving unto thy blessed Majesty in the name and mediation of thy beloved Son Jesus Christ. Blessing and praising thee for our health wealth food and rayment for our preservation from our first being to this present time We bless thy name above all for that gift of gifts the Lord Jesus And for the Gospel wherein thou hast freely offered Christ with all his benefits to us We bless thee for whatever grace hath been wrought in any of us by the Gospel and for that good hope thou hast given us through grace We bless thy name for the last nights quiet rest this dayes protection hitherto Add we Pray thee this mercy give us grace to live as in thy sight who seeth all our wayes and art privy to every secret thing which we do And now O Lord accept our persons though sinfull and our service though full of weaknesses in thy beloved Son with whom thou art well pleased In whose name and words we further call upon thee saying Our Father which art in Heaven c. An Evening Prayer for a Family O Most great and glorious Lord God and in Jesus Christ a loving and a gracious Father We thy poor and unworthy Servants being by thy good providence brought to the end of this day desire to conclude the same with an Evening spiritual Sacrifice of Prayer and Thanksgiving Lord we do here profess we come not in our own names nor in our own strength we are unable of our selves to perform any spiritual duty after an acceptable manner But we come in the alone name and strength of thy beloved Son Jesus Christ beseeching thee for his sake to pass by our unworthiness to quicken our dead hearts and to carry us forth with life and vigour in the duty we are now going about Blessed Lord God we do acknowledge our selves to be vile wretched sinners Sinners by nature sinners by birth sinners in the whole course of our lives having sinned as if we had come into the World for no other end but to sin against thee Though thou hast been pleased to restrain us from many hainous scandalous sins yet Lord thou knowest what evil thoughts do lodge in our hearts and what Lusts bear rule and sway there Blessed Lord God though we are in some measure convinced of the need and necessity that we have of Jesus Christ that we are undone for ever without an interest in him yet how have we slighted and rejected the tenders and offers of him in the Ministry of the Gospel and preferred our lusts and the pleasures of this World before him We have indeed outwardly made profession of the Gospel yet have we disgraced the profâ—ssion thereof by our carnal and sinfull conversation Lord we cannot but acknowledge our desires cares and endeavours have run out more after the things of this life than after the things of a better life We have slighted thy judgements abused thy mercies prophaned thy Sabbaths and polluted all thy holy Ordinances When we have drawn near unto thee with our bodies and honoured thee with our lips then have our hearts been far removed from thee when we have had communion with thine Ordinances we have oftentimes had little communion with thee our God therein Blessed Lord our sins are many and hainous yea there seemeth a kind of infiniteness in our sins but we know and believe there is indeed an infiniteness in the mercies of thee our God and in the merits of Jesus Christ and therefore with an utter disclaiming of all righteousness of our own as filthy rags we place our whole confidence for life and salvation upon thy mercies in Christ. As thou hast laid our help upon him so on him will we lay our hope for the pardon of our sins here and for eternal salvation hereafter Lord be pleased to accept of his all sufficient Sacrifice and perfect satisfaction thereby made to thy justice for all our sins Pardon us we pray thee and free us as from the guilt and punishment so from the power and dominion of all our sins that we be no longer the servants of sin but may be henceforth the servants of God Lay hold on all our souls and bring us in effectually to Jesus Christ. Subduâ— our rebâ—llion take away our unwâ—llingness answer all our objections and excuses and work our hearts to a resolved adventuring upon him an hearty acceptance of him and a total resignation of our selves for ever to him to his goverâ—â—ent and dominion Lord we beseech thee not only to jâ—stifie us by thy grace but likewise to sanctifie us by thy Spirit that we may be an holy people serving thee in holiness and righteousness all the dayes of our lives Mortifie our flesh with the affections and lusts let us be proud no longer nor covetous nor envious nor froward nor mâ—litious Let thy grace be sufficient for us both for the killing of our dearest lusts and strongest corruptions and for the quickning of us on in a conscionable discharge of the Duties of our places callings and relations by which grace let us be carryed on throughout our whole course in an holy humble and sincere conversation Lord let it suffice us that we have spent so much of our precious time in seeking after earthly things help us now in earnest to seek after spiritual and heavenly things after spiritual grace and heavenly glory We pray thee convince us thorowly that upon the little inch of time in this life depends the length and breadth of all Eternity and that as we live here we shall fare everlastingly hereafter And O let the consideration thereof stir us up to a fruitfull improvement of our short time to the best advantage