word of God and looks whatsoever it seeth joyned together by that it joynes together of it self as the Promises and Commandements are bound together by an inviolable knot so faith joynes them together it cannot take the promises of God but it must take the commandements of God also faith looks upon God and as it seeth him to be gracious whereby it comes to have faith to rely upon him so also it seeth him to be holy a God that is severe against sin and hateth unrighteousness so that it is necessary that works be together with faith for the commandement and nature of God require it Fifthly They are necessary also by necessity of end for God hath ordained his people to this end that they should bring forth good works Eph. 2. 10. We are his workmanship created in Christ to good works which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them We are created in Christ Jesus not onely that we should be saved but that we should bring forth good works Now good works are necessary by necessity of end in divers respects First to this end To glorifie God in the world Let your light so shine before men c. Matth. 5. 16. So 1 Pet. 2. 12. the Apostle saith Having our conversation honest amongst the Gentiles that whereas they speak against you as evil doers c. For when a Christian that professeth he believes in God and Jesus Christ is plentiful in all manner of good works this stops the mouth of all gainsayers You know Piety and Religion is hated in the world the Gospel finds opposition among men Now when those that are Professors are loose and licentious in their lives this opens their mouths against the truth but when our lives and conversations hold forth Jesus Christ as we take up the profession of his holy name so they are agreeable to his will they are just and holy and righteous and good this makes men think in their conscience this is of God this stops their mouths that they cannot rail at the Gospel Secondly They are necessary to doe good to others and convert others as the Apostle instanceth in women that believe if they be zealous of good works if they be chast and humble and meek and discreet by this means they may be instruments to convert their husbands that believe not 1 Pet. 3. The Lord looks that his people all that believe in him should be fruitful in good works that they may winne and gaine others to the faith Thirdly Another end is to purifie our selves for it is vertue that must throw out vice we are all borne by nature filthy and unclean and full of noysome lusts and the way to expel these is by the contrary vertues 1 Pet. 1. 22. Seeing you have purified your soules by obeying the truth Fourthly Another end is to qualifie us for Heaven we cannot be qualified for the Kingdome of heaven unless we be holy and godly in Christ Jesus except we have our conversations honest as becometh Saints for though it be faith that entitles a man to the Kingdome of Heaven and gives a man right to the Kingdome of God yet holinesse and conformity to the minde of God and the image of God is that which doth fit and qualifie a man for to enter into the Kindome of God as Christ saith Except your righteousness exceed the righteousness of the Scribes and Pharisees you can in no wise enter into the Kingdome of Heaven Though it be true we are saved by grace and so good works have no causality no proper efficiency in our salvation yet notwithstanding they are a cause sine qua non without them there can be no salvation we cannot enter into Gods Kingdome except we be humble and meek and lowly except we fear God and be according to his minde in all things in some measure we cannot enter into his Kingdom Mat. 5. 8. Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God A man cannot be admitted to the Beatifical Vision of God except he be pure in heart and he cannot enjoy the Kingdome of grace neither here unless he be pure in heart Rev. 21. 27. Without holiness aâ— man shall see the Lord Heb. 13. It is impossible we should enter into Gods Kingdome by having actual possession of it except we be holy and fitted for it as the Apostle saith Col. 1. 12. It is impossible that drunkards and unclean persons should have society with the blessed Trinity with the eternal God with the Spirit of holinesse to dwell with them for evermore we must be made meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the Saints in light Fifthly To proportion our Reward for though we are saved only by grace yet God doth proportion our reward according to the multitude and zeal and fervency of our good works for Gods Covenant is a remunerating Covenant for mercy doth not consist only in the pardoning of a man but also in the sanctifying of a man and the inclining of a mans heart to new obedience that there may be remuneration for though God doth not reward people for their works yet according to their works he doth 2 Cor. 9. 6. He that soweth sparingly shall reap sparingly c. Though a man be a Believer and a godly man if he be sparing in his godliness he shall fare accordingly and if he be abundant in the work of the Lord he shall reap abundantly for as there are differences and degrees of torments to the wicked so there be degrees in the Kingdom of God and in glory and the Lord doth reward his people according to their works Lastly Good works are necessary by necessity of thankfulness it is necessary that we having received the forgiveness of our sins and God being pleased to be our God and to deliver us from the wrath to come and the power of Satan that we should be thankful for these mercies as David saith Psal 118. 19. Let the peace of God rule in your hearts and be thankeful Col. 1. 15. When David had considered what the Lord had done for his soul saith he what shall I render unto the Lord for all his benefits as soon as ever God hath been good to a man to open his eyes to let him see his damned estate and condition and to let him have hope and comfort and encouragement in him concerning deliverance from it and bestowing upon him his heavenly Kingdom and glory it cannot be but the soul must be thankful what shall I do unto the Lord for all his benefits you know there is nothing that we can do back again for these benefits except we will praise and glorifie him by living unto him and not unto our selves therefore when the Psalmist had reckoned up the benefits of God to Israel Psal 105. 46. he concludes that they may keep his statutes and observe his Laws First Here we see how horribly the Papists wrong us when they say we Vse 1 do not teach people
good works and therefore nickname us and call us Solifidiaâ—s whereas we maintain a necessity of them and as great a necessity of them as they only we beat down the merit of them that no man may think to be saved by works as a reverend Divine Mr. Carter said we teach people holiness and righteousness and good works as if there were no way to be saved but by good works and again we teach that there must be as much hanging upon the grace of God as if we could shew no more to be saved then the vilest drunkard or adulterer all our righteousness is as a menstruous cloth and it is Gods mercy that any of us have an heart to do good you see how the world runs after their hearts lusts and every man is of this disposition and it is Gods grace and mercy to incline any mans heart to walk in that way that tends to his heavenly Kingdom and if God should not be infinitely gracious to pardon us for our best doings they would rise up in judgement against us God might condemn us for all our prayert and performances Secondly This teacheth Ministers how to preach to people to call upon Vse 2 them that they have an operative faith not only to believe but to have a faith that may be fruitful and make their lives nâ—t to barren in obedience and to be abundant in the works of the Lord and to serve him and fear him and glorifie him in the world as the Apostle having shewed how Christ gave himself for us to purchase to himself a people zealous of good works saith he these things speak Tit. 2. 14 15. We must speak these things and rebuke our hearers with all authority rebuke evil workers and tell them they turn the grace of Christ into wantonness they trample the blood of the Covenant under their feet and kick at the spirit of grace and misconstrue the meaning of the Covenant of God in Christ and rend themselves off that they cannot enter into life for no man without holiness shall see God Ministers should tell people plainly and affirm constantly that unless they bring forth good fruit they shall be cast into the fire and that without holiness they cannot have license and dispensation to enter into the Kingdom of Heaven for God is an holy God and our faith is an holy faith and the promises are made to none but those that lead an holy and a godly life we must preach these things and reprove with all Authority and let people know that are loose Christians and Hell-hounds that if they do not depart from iniquity they shall see God as a Judge to condemn them for evermore Thirdly This confutes all the graceless conceits of men that think to be Vse 3 saved by Christ and yet walk not after Christ they cast not away from them the works of darkness nor renounce their wicked â—ayes and yet hope to be saved by Christ this is a cursed and blasphemous hope whereby a man blasphemes God 1 Joh. 3. 6. whosoever sinneâ—h but 〈…〉 en him neither knâ—wn him if a man live in his sins still that is the meaning of it and walks not after the spirit but after the flesh that man hath not seen him neither ever known him he doth not know Jesus Christ otherwise then the Divels know him otherwise then Hell-hounds and reprobates may know him for the second Covenant is as holy as the first and rather more holy and before God hath done it shall bring a man to a nearer communion with God and a nearer likeness it will raise the powers and faculties of the soul so as I believe Aâ—am in innocency never attained unto so much participation of God as God by degrees will bring a man unto by the Covenant of grace therefore no man can look to â—e saved by Christ except he mean to be ruled by Christ and to have him for his Lord and Master and to obey him in all things if a man should lie sick in his bed of a burning feaver and should say he were well would you believe him so if we see a man that is burning in lust wallowing in sinful courses that hath a carnal and a worldly heart unmortified and unsubdued to God if he should say that he were in Christ and hoped to be saved by him believe him not all the world cannot save this man for the Lord Jesus Christ hath this very name Jesus not only because he shall save his people from hell but also from their sins and make them fruitful in all the works of God Fourthly To exhort that we would consider of this the Gospel doth Vse 4 call for works as well and as strongly yea and more strongly then the Law and there be necessary uses of holiness and obedience and all manner of pious works under the Gospel as the Apostle saith Tit. 3. 4. let us maintain good works for necessary uses c. We are barren trees whatsoever we are we are barren and dead Christians and have no life of God in us if we bring not forth good works for good works are necessary for many uses First They are for signs to shew us what estate and condition we are Motive 1. in we may know what estate and condition we are in by our carriage and conversation whither it be earthly or heavenly holy or prophane so is our condition either happy or damned First They are signs of a mans election 2 Tim. 1. 20. this is a sign and a badge and a token whereby we may know that we are vessels of honour if we be sanctified and made meet for our masters use and furnished and prepared for every good work if we do not deny all ungodly lusts and live righteously and soberly in this present world we have rather badges and tokens of reprobation then election we cannot say that God hath appointed us to attain salvation by Jesus Christ but have rather marks of hell and destruction upon us and what is the reason that men that profess Christ do so much question their election no wonder when we are so scanty in our holiness and obedience to God and so backward to do good there is no nickling of Gods everlasting favour breaking out whereas if we were plentiful in good works it would break forth as the Sun out of a cloud Secondly They are signs of effectual calling Jude 1. if a man be called of God he is sanctified also and kept in an holy course preserved in Christ 2 Pet. 1. 3. you are an holy Nation a peculiar people to shew forth the vertues of him that hath called you 1 Pet. 2. 9. so that we may be sure that we yet abide in darkness and are under the power of sin and Satan if we have not given over our sinful courses and conformed our selves to the Gospel of God we were never called according to Gods purpose but lie under the wrath of Heaven to this day it
speak he knows not what and he saith he doth not do those things he doth when as those that stand by can see the contrary this humour blinds a mans eyes and presents he knows not what to a mans minde as when David was in that passion he cryed out I am cast off what is the matter Psal 31. 10. he was in a melancholy fit grief hath even wasted me he was even wasted and pined with grief sorrow deading his heart and mouldring and pining and wasting of him this made him speak words that he would never have spoken at another time the Apostle shews that when a man is overmuch sad and grieved and dejected and cast down and lyeth moaping and the devil hath a great deal of advantage by this therefore he speaks to the Corinths to have a care of that poore man that had committed an horrible sinne and it pleased God to humble him he was excommunicated and delivered over to Satan now the Câ—rinths were something harsh to this poore man and were ready to trample upon him and tread upon him as if he were not humbled enough 2 Cor. 2. 7. O saith he forgive him and comfort him least he be swallowed up of evermuch sorrow wherefore I beseech you confirme your love towards him least Satan should get an advantage of us ver 11. that was the reason why he would have him careful of this least Satan should circumvent us the meaning is least the devil should make us guilty of overwhelming a poor man and others by that example might do the like and so the devil might have advantage in aftertimes In the next place it may be hindred by the unskilfulness of a Minister many Grace may be hindred by the unskilfulness of a Minister times those that are effectually called may chance to lye a long time ignorant of Gods mercy unacquainted with the work of grace which God hath begun in their souls by the unskilfulness of the Minister the Minister that should bind up those that God hath broken may be like those that efflict him whâ—m God hath smitten Psal 109. he doth not feed the lambs of Christ and hold forth the grace of Jesus Christ perhaps he may preach good truths admirable excellent passages and yet make those sad whom God would not have made sad and make those grieved whom God would not have grieved as the Lord complains Ezek. 34. 4. The diseased have ye not strengthned neither have ye healed that which was sick neither have ye bound up that which was broken neither have ye brought againe that which was driven away c. A Minister though he preach the wayes of God and Jesus Christ and the promises of the Gospeâ— and eternal life yet if he preach it not in a right maner A Minister ought to preach the word of God in a right manner if he carry it not as he ought to do rightly dividing the word of life he may do a world of mischief if a man preach hell and damnation indeed if a man be going on in his sinnes and be hardened in his wicked courses we are to preach hell and damnation to him but if a man preach hell and damnation to a man that is sencible of his sins and is of a tender conscience and ready to think too hardly of his sinnes it is as if a man should take a beetle to kill a fly upon a mans forehead to lay a heavy load upon those that are not able to beare it Ministers may do a great deal of hurt by preaching the law without distinguishing and all exceptions being shewed when he hath not a tender heart towards those whom God hath wounded and doth not alwayes put in that that may do them good when a Minister knows what it is and hath gone through the pikes himself he can the better stay up the souls of those that are dejected and yet belong to Christ therefore David prayeth give me the way of thy salvation and then I shall teach sinners the way unto thee Psal 51. 12 13. as who should say if I do not know what belongs to the comforts of the Spirit if I have not waded through â—â—ese things and know not how they are given and how they are taken I shall never teach sinners the way unto thee I shall never carry my self aright in that way he that is a Surgeon had not need to have a hard hand so those that have a tender heart and those that are truely broken for their sins and are of a contrite spirit a man had need deale gently with them according to the estate and condition wherein they are Ministers many times are too blame in not preaching Christ aright as they ought to do and so may 〈◊〉 hinderance to the comfort of their people What a woeful thing is it when a man is not able to say thus what laborinths and meanders is such a soul in and what heart aches and terrible fears and terrours and afrightments and quakings and misgivings are they subject unto they must needs be in a miserable and pitiful case for whether can they go what can they hang upon to get comfort and this is the case and condition of most of those that are amongst â—â— even of the best sort though many of them have some good things in them yet who almost comes to know that he is effectually called of God these are declining times and languishing dayes and people are marvelously scattered for want of care and diligence and watchfulness and paines-taking in the wayes of God there is a woeful deale of unsetling and want of groundedness in a good estate people are very much off and all to pieces and that you may see what a woeful thing this is do but consider these particulars First Your consciences cannot but accuse you you cannot say Christ bare First conscience doth accuse your sins you know not whether you are in him or no you know Christ bare the sins of his people but whether he bare your sins or no that you cannot tell all your sins and iniquities lie upon your consciences still though you have been bewailing your sins and confessing of them and craving forgiveness of them yet all your actual sins they still ly upon your consciences what your consciences could accuse you of formerly they accuse you of still such by-thoughts such wandring prayers such unprofitable hearing Paul could say 1 Tim. 1. 15. This is a good saying that Christ came into the world to save sinners whereof I am chief you cannot say so though you can say that of sinners you are the chief yet that you have obtained mercy your conscience will not let you say it you question whether you ever had any mercy or any hold of the mercy of God therefore you must be like a dry leafe driven to and fro or a reed shaken with the wind and as weak as water you are altogether unstable what a miserable thing is
for the main but in every particular passage Secondly It is plain that cannot be the meaning of it that grace is indifferent because that if grace be truly in any man it doth set up a watch in the soul to preserve it that the man shall be eager not to sin in any particular and desirous in some measure and careful in some degree to doe all manner of good if a man give way to the lusts of the flesh his care may be brought to a low ebb but grace sets up a watch in the soule and breeds care and desire and purposes and resolutions and revenge upon his own lusts and abundance of things as you may see 2 Cor. 7. 11. So that grace will not let a man be indifferent therefore when we say for particulars God doth not undertake this or that the meaning is not as if grace would only convert a man and keep him from falling totally and finally away but for particulars it is indifferent this is to blaspheme the grace of God but the meaning is though a man be the childe of God and never so much mortified if this man should grow carelesse and remiss and secure and give way to sin grace doth not undertake to keep a man from the fearfullest falls that can be nor from the fearfullest distempers Indeed when a man hath play'd the beast God may preserve him but a man cannot look for this at the hands of God who knows how God will deal with him if he be unthankful to God for his grace and goodness and mercy vouchsafed unto him The second Use Is is so that a child of God may be left to himselfe to Vse 2 fall fouly then let every one that hopes he hath any grace learn the words of Saint Paul Work out your salvation with fear and trembling Phil. 2 12. Hath any man gotten quickening goe on with fear and trembling hath any got softness of heart in the fear of God goe on with a trembling heart and consider how brittle your hearts are they are like glass you had need goe charily and tenderly up and down grace is a fine delicate thing if it be cherished and preserved and stirred up what a deal of good may a man attain unto if God hath been good to any of us to give us any saving grace we are very fooles if we look not to it it is a dainty and delicate thing it cannot enter indeed into a mans heart to conceive what a great mercy God hath vouchsafed unto him if he hath bestowed any grace upon him therefore be chary of it and remember Lots Wife remember those fearful examples remember how David brake his bones remember the miserable distressed uncomfortable condition thou mayst bring thy soul into if thou dost not take heed to thy selfe and if thou beest in such a condition consider what gracious promises there are to help thee up again and what gracious examples to make thee think with thy selfe there is yet grace and mercy and quickening for me and if I seek God he will assuredly be found of me The third Use Is it so that a childe of God may fall so foulely Then Vse 3 let not any man stumble at this Doctrine let not any think a childe of God cannot fall to be so dead I say doe not stumble at it but rather see if it be not thy case if thou art not fallen down into this depth of misery for what have I said did not I say that a childe of God might lose his zeal Look abroad what zeal is up and down what yearnings when the Church is in misery nay what need we look abroad who hath zeal against his own sins and corruptions Again did I not say that a childe of God may lose his affections what affections are now a dayes we heare Sermons but what affections are stirred up either in hearing or speaking the Word of God So for prayer what affections are there in prayer So for sin what griefe is there for our sins There is no affection or sorrow at all in us Where is that same anguish of heart that should be in us for our corruptions they are even lost I speak not of wicked men only but even of good people though they be sensible of their deadnesse and hardnesse of heart though they see it yet they are not able to relent at it Then for desires where are they Did I say a childe of God may have hardly any desire almost not be able to wrestle with God for grace and tug for it and is not this our case What frozen prayers what cold devotions are sent up from day to day So did I say a childe of God may be senselesse of sin How far hath this distemper grown upon us now a dayes our hearts might even ake to be privy to that backwardnesse and untowardnesse and unfruitfulnesse I say it might make us to be at our wits end until we were delivered and yet no man complaines there is complaining in a dull manner but no mans heart bursts almost Again did I say a childe of God may grow palpably vain and proud and worldly that a man that hath but halfe an eye may see it and take notice of it is not it thus among us how do we discover our shame wheresoever we come those that have but half an eye see how worldly we are and how we have no mind to God and the things of eternal life is not this our conversation from day to day nay the very world sees it they see how heartless good people are grown The last use may be to rap all mens fingers off that think to comfort Vse 4 themselves with this that hath been said there are these things will answer these conceits first all this is nothing to thee unless thou wert once a godly holy zealous man for all these examples are of men that were once zealous and forward for God and goodness they were once changed from the estate of nature to the estate of grace And again when they were fallen they gat up again and were the more wary and watchful afterwards but it is not so with thee Now we come in the next place to shew what are the causes of this deadness Causes of deadness 1. Gener. of mens hearts in these times wherein God hath revealed himself more fully and clearly the general reason of this is the giving way to sin and not looking to themselves to abstain from sin and have a care of the commandments of God and walking before him as they ought to do which thing is an horrible deader of the heart as Solomon speaks concerning the adulterer he knows not that the dead are there when a man gives way to Prov. 9. 18. sin to worldliness or passion or any other corruption he doth even go where the dead are and there where the guests of hell are if a man gives way to pleasure to be carried away with sinful
shall and will know God in Jesus Christ it puts in divine things into the soul whereby the soul must needs know him and come to him and be reconciled to him 1 Joh. 3. 9. he puts his own seed into him he that is borne of God sinneth not for the seed of God remaineth in him the Lord puts an holy kinde of ointment upon his eyes and makes him see and that abides in him 1 Joh. 2. 27. The holy anoynting which ye have received abideth in you Thirdly It is a continual call it is not a call and so away a call for a year Gods call is an effectual caâ—l and so an end but it is a continual call he never leaves calling of him till he comes home to him as 1 Thes 5. 24. Faithful is he that hath called you who will also do it as who should say he hath called you and doth call you and he is faithful and will do it he hath called you heretofore and made you come to him in truth and sincerity and he will still continue his call he will still do it more and more the Lord draws his people nearer and nearer to himself Now I will prove the Doctrine by divers particulars First Because a man then may be able to look back upon all his life even from Then a man may reflect on his life past his cradle to this day even before his call and see Gods love to him as Paul though he could not see it before yet when God had effectually called him he is able to look back upon all his former time and space he had lived even from his mothers womb Gal. 1. 15. Who hath seperated me saith he from my mothers wombe and called me by his grace and so it was with David I have been cast upon thee saith he even from my mothers belly Psal 22. 9 10. it is not likely that David was converted then but when God had effectually called him then he was able to go back all along even to his very infancy and trace Gods goodness towards him in this and that even to his very bringing him into the world Secondly This interests a man in all the promises of God 2 Pet. 1. 3. Who This interest a man in the promises hath given unto us all things pertaining to life and godliness through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and vertue if we know that God hath called us to glory and vertue then we know that God hath given us all things that pertaine to life and godliness to this life and the life to come we know it when God hath effectually called us we know that all the promises belong unto us as the Apostle speaks Acts 2. 39. For the promise is to you and to your children and to yours that are afar of even as many as the Lord our God shall call look how many God calls so many do the promises belong unto all the promises of mercy and grace and comfort of strength and direction and eternal redemption the compleat working of it all these promises from the first to the last they all belong to a man when God hath called him when the Lord effectually calls a man he takes him out of the world to have fellowship with the Lord Jesus Christ and in whatsoever he hath done or suffered or purchased for his people Thirdly It doth sweeten all Gods promises to a man what is the reason we can hear such admirable things out of the Word and yet they affect people It sweetens the promises to a man generally for the most part no more then a dry chip though they hear of the promises of God what promises he hath made to his people to their Prayers to their hearing of the Word to their receiving of the Sacrament what promises he hath made in adversity and prosperity in sickness and in health in life and death when they sin through frailty what promises they have to help them up againe when they are to do any thing what promises to assist them and go along with them when they are called to any employment what promises to sustaine them and bear them out I say though all these things be delivered to people things that were sweeter to David then the hony and the hony combe Psal 119. 103. Yet generally people are not affected with these things the reason is because they are not able to say that God hath effectually called them therefore when they heare such things the heart cannot lay hold upon them they think with Francis Spera I have no part in these things they think 't is true they are so to Gods people but they think there is little comfort little sweetness in them because they cannot say that they are effectually called of God Fourthly If a man be effectually called this helps a man to pray Psal 119. 94. I am thine save me when David was able to say thou hast called me to be one of thine then he was able to pray to God Lord save me Lord help me It helps him to pray I am thine thou art my God when he was able to say that he had interest and propriety in God this did exceedingly help him and encourage him with boldness in prayer but when a man questions his effectual calling every petition a man puts up it is choaked a man cannot pray to God but he is beaten off there is no strength in such a prayer as soon as ever Paul was converted saith God to Ananias behold now he prayes Act. 9. 11. Paul had prayed a thousand times before no man in Judea prayed more then he but God took no notice of his prayers but when God had effectually called him by his grace now the Lord took notice of his prayers and observed them and heard them and regarded them and inclined his ear to them behold now he prayes Fifthly This is a great encouragement to all goodness in outward things Knowledge of our effectual calling a help to good actions it is a great encouragement to a man to take them in hand when he seeth he hath a calling thereunto Gideon was very earnest with the Angel that he might see he had a calling to that he was to go about Judg. 6. 11. So it is in this divine calling it is a great encouragement when a man can see that he is called true it is that every man is called but I speak not of the general calling but of the effectual call when a man can see that he is effectually called of God this helps a man in all good actions then a man may go to God as to â— Father he may go to the Sacrament as the seale of his righteousness and saith then a man may take Gods name into his mouth God challengeth the wicked for doing of it without his call Psal 50. 16. What hast thou to dâ— to take my name into thy mouth seeing thou hatest to be
so leave it when they have no hope to go on they grow remiss and loose and carelesse in this kinde it makes a man desperate when this hope is gone therefore when the Lord hath a minde to do good to a man and encourage him to go on in the wayes of holinesse he puts some hope into the soul and when a man sees some hope then he will pray and fast and humble himself the Lord lets in this hope and so prepares a man for himself Thirdly because he will not do all at once but work upon a man by degrees 3. Because God will not do all at once the Lord could put faith into the soul at first but the Lord will first make a man a probationer of faith the Lord will first have the seed sowen and then quicken in the ground and then have a blade and then an eare and then harvest Again the Lord will so do it that he may be sought to for every mercy 4. That he may be sought to for every mercy and therefore first the Lord gives a man natural parts that he may come to Church and hear the Word and then the Lord knocks him down that he may be abased and then he shatters him all to pieces that he may look out for hope and then when he hath gotten hope the Lord makes him seek out for faith and when he hath gotten faith to seek out for other graces and when he hath them to seek for the accomplishment of them the Lord will be sought to for every thing and it is fit we should seek to him though the parent doth not engender the reasonable soul in the babe but God doth create it immediately yet none of us do count marriage superstuous so though God doth give this grace of faith only yet we are not to account the using of means in vain the Lord doth not power in humane wit into stocks and stones but into a body sitted and ordered for a reasonable soul so it is in respect of faith and grace the creature shall be first ordered and sitted for grace there must be preparation and a foregoing work it is his manner of working he will so work as he will still be sought unto of all his people though they have not faith if they have hope they shall seek to him for faith as it is with a Scholar if he will be a Scholar or Fellow of a Colledge he must sit for it so the Lord will have a man sit for it he will have a man sit at the pool of grace and seek to him for it before he shall have it This shews us the graciousness of our good God that when he takes us to Use 1. To shew the graciousnes of God do for our sins He remembers us when we are in our low estate for his mercy endures for ever Psal 136. 53. when we are at the brink of hell at the very bottome of destruction and in the belly of damnation when we know not which way to turne our selves then he remembers us for his mercy endures for ever thus the Lord deals with his people for their good as he opens the casement that his justice may look out upon us so he sets his mercy in the window that we may see it through the glasse that we may not be overwhelmed this is the goodness of God and were it not for this no man should be able to abide his look nor bear his displeasure when he breakes out upon a man this is the infinite goodness of our gracious God to deal thus favourably with his people therefore you that have gotten this hope know that the Lord night have held you down to this day and he had justly served you if he had done so therefore whosoever of you are in the briars do not repine and grumble because you are not refreshed as others are if you have but the least cranny of hope to hang upon make much of it it is more then God owes you how easily might the Lord teare the soul all in pieces when he comes to deal with a man when he shews a man his sins and abominations he might make them as heavy as rocks and mountaines unto him and break him all to powder it were just if he did so now when the Lord puts in this hope what a wonderful mercy is this When God told Hezekiah Behold thou shalt die he presently bade him take a lump of Figgs and healed the disease so what a mercy is this that God saith Thâ—â— shalt die thou art a damned creature and bids him presently take a plaisteâ— and so recovers him For comfort to all those that are the Lords though it be a poor faith a poor Use 2. Comfort for believers hope that flowes from possibility only yet I tell you that even believers may have need sometimes to have resort unto it for how often hath the Devil been let loose upon poor souls even those that are of God as sometimes he doth tempt them to presumption that so they may neglect their watch over themselves so it is his practice to drive us from one extreame to another and hurry us to despair and urge upon us that we have no faith we have no grace and are as sure to be damned as if we were in hell already David Psal 31. 22. seems to be out of all hope to be saved as if he were utterly undone the servants of light many of them have found this too too true how fearfully they have been perplexed and galled in minde seeking release but could finde none and pronouncing against themselves bitter things as if they had nothing of God in them the devil dazling their eyes that they cannot see and putting out of their minds all the sweet passages of the Gospel and preaching nothing but the terrible passages of the Law he that doubts is damned and he that wavers is like a wave of the sea and he urgeth them with every vain thought with every omission with every failing and every sin they have committed it is strange to see how some of Gods own people have reasoned against themselves as if all the devils logick were in them and all mercy were gone thus the devil sometimes deals with Gods people that they cannot tell where to hold they can see nothing to give any comfort or stay they are ready to let go all and give over all hope now what an excellent thing is this if a man have this hope that he may be never driven from God that there is eternal life and forgivenesse in him and all these things are attainable I tell you it is a great help to a man when he can say with the Church Joel 2. 13. Who can tell whether thâ— Lord will turn and leave a blessing behind him a man that hath but this hope in him it will never let him go off from God and be quite overcome by Satan so that though it
is Gods prerogative to teach us 2 God will have hypocrites discovered 127 3 It is for Gods glory to search men out 4 It is for Gods truth 5 For his justice Use 1 To reprove those that consider not that God will search 128 2 Take heed of hiding our sins from others and our selves 129 Use 3 For comfort to people 1 Against others that judge them 2 Against their judging themselves 130 4 To stir us up to be able to stand when God searcheth 1 When offences come 2 When afflictions and persecutions come 3 In time of difficult commandments 4 At judgement 131 5 Let us search our selves Mot. 1. Otherwise we can never repent of what is amisse in our selves or our works 2 'T is a mark of a child of God to search himself 3 If we do not it will be the worse for us DOctr It is an excellent thing for a man to be able to say that God hath effectually called him p. 1. 1 Because then a man may reflectâ—on all his life and see Gods love to him in all p. 3. 2 This interests a man in all the promises 3 Sweetens all the promises 4 Helps a man to pray 5. Encourageth to all good undertakings p. 4. 6 It is a foundation for a godly life 7 It is an help to rise after a fall Reas 1. Because it is an argument of election 2 Sure pledge of all Gods acts of mercy p. 5. Use 1. Then a man may know his effectual calling Proved 1 Because it is the office of the Spirit to make known the things of God p. 6. 2 Because we are commanded to make our calling sure p. 7. 3 Because we are required to be thankful for it 4 Because the making known our calling is one of the ends of the Word of God p. 8. 5 Because the soul hath a power of reflecting and knowing its own state Obj. Why then are those who are called so doubtful Ans 1 Because this knowledge is gradual 2 Experimental p. 9. 3 Spiritual p. 10. 4 Because it may be hindred for a time 1 By a lothness of heart to leave some lust p. 11. 2 By ignorance 1 Of the voice of the spirit p. 12. 2 Of the work of grace 3 Of his Christian liberty 4 Of the tenderness of Christ p. 13. 3 By melancholy 4 By the unskilfulness of a Minister The evil of wanting this knowledge p. 14. 1 Conscience must needs charge sin on you 2 You can have no joy in Christ or his promises 15. 3 You cannot tell what to make of Gods mercies 4 Thou knowest not what to do in time of affliction 5 Thou canst not pray with courage 16 6 Thou canst not go on sweetly in the wayes of God 7 Thou seest no dâ—fference between thy self and a very unbelieving wretch 17. 8 Thou art of all men most miserable 9 If thou be totally ignorant it is a sign thou art not yet effectually called Qu. What difference between the uncertainty of believers and unbâ—lieveris 18 Ans 1 As a believer cannot say it so he cannot deny it 2 Believers question their calling only in their haste 3 They will let others question their grace 4 They most love them that urge th 〈…〉 to seek this knowledge 5 Their uncertainty breaks that hearts p. 19. 6 Though at present uncertain yet they believe they shall be certain 7. Their faith is of a contraâ—y nature to their doubting 8. Christ is to them the power of God p. 20. Doct. Effectual calling is the first gathering of men unto Christ Reas 1 Before effectual calling the soul is without Christ p. 21 2 Before this all was within God 23. 3 All other works follow this calling 4 From the names given to effectual calling p. 24 5 Because it is the first extract of election p. 25. Use 1 Then very dangerous to erre about this p. 26. Reas 1 Because this is the foundation 2 Because a believer must often hate recourse to it 3 Because it is the beginning of Gods works on the soul Use 2. See the reason why Scripture so urgeth the making this sure p. 27. 1 Because it is a work but once done 2 Because all the promises meet here p. 28 3 Because this is the first of all obedience 4 This is the only way to go forward p. 29 5 Because this is the main ground to keep from falling away Matth. 11. 28. Doct. There is a preparatory work unto effectual calling p. 30 Proof 1 From Texts full of terror p. 31 2 From the spirits office 3 Because the Gospel follows the Law 4 From Christs design in coming to save that which wâ—s lost 5 From Gods working with believers after grosse sins p. 32 6 From Scripture examples Reas 1 To declare Gods justice p. 33 2 To sweeten mercy p. 34 3 That God may bring men home to Christ p. 35 4 To wean men from sin 5 To knock men off from every thing else p. 36 Use 1 To reprove daubers 2 Be content to hear the curses of the Law preached p. 37 3 To comfort those that have had this worke p. 38 2 Thes 2. 14. Doct. The Gospel or general tender of grace is that by which God calls men home p. 40 Reas 1 Because this is the sweet ground of faith p. 41 2 Because this is the best answer to Satan p. 42 3 Because this is true before all acts in man 4 This is the only thing which every man is bound to believe p. 43 Obj. Christ is given only to the elect Ans Yet the Gospel must be preached without restraint to election Reas 1 Otherwise the elect would have no ground for faith 2 Because in reference to men calling is before election p. 44 3 Because there is a difference between men and Divels Use 1 To comfort and encourage believers p. 46 2 To confute those that define faith by assurance p. 47 3 To encourage all that are without p. 49 4 To terrifie the obstinate Col. 1. 23. Doct. God in the general tender of mercy works some hopes in the soul p. 51 1. What is this hope Ans It ariseth from the faith of possibility p. 52 2 How doth this hope agree with that which follows justifying faith Ans 1 Both are of God 2 Both are wrought by the Gospel 3 Both set the soul on work 4 Both are the anchor of the soul 5 Neither of them shall make a man ashamed p. 54 3 How differs this hope from that which follows justification Ans 1. This ariseth out of the seeds of grace the other out of grace it self 2 They come from several apprehensions p. 54 Reas 1 To prevent despair 55 2 That a man may not be disabled looking after heaven 3 Because God will not do all at once 4 That he may be sought to for every mercy p. 56 Use 1 To shew the graciousnesse of God 2 To comfort believers 3 To enform how God works this hope p. 57 1 By rooting out
4 Stir up Sympathy 69 Qu. 5 How shall we sympathize with Christs members Ans 1 By informing our selves concerning one another 2 By visiting fellow-members 3 By laying to heart their afflictions Of the Sabbath Exod. 20. 19. Prop. 1. There must be some set time for the worship and immediate service of God 70 Reas 1 All actions cannot be done at once 2 Because of our dulness Prop. 2. There must be some set time every day Reas 1. Else we live like beasts 71. 2 Every morning God reneweth mercies 3 God is the beginning and ending of all things Prop. 3. Every day is in some sort a Sabbath Reas 1. Gods covenant with us requires it 2 Not to do so is a brand of hypocrisie 3 Blessednesse consists in it 72 4 This is the sum of the law of righteousnesse Prop. 4. There must be a particular special day Reas 1. That in this life we may have an Emblem of Heaven 2 Gods honour requires it 73 3 God sometimes calls for extraordinary dayes 1 Of rejoycing 2 Of fasting 1 When judgements are feared 74 2 Mercies wanting 3 Souls tempted 4 Some notable work undertaken 4 It is most equitable 75 1 That God should have one day 2 That our souls should have one day Prop. 5. One day in seven is to be set a part for Gods worship Reas 1. Gods positive command 76 2 It is Gods day 3 That servants cattel c. may have rest 4 God hath sanctified it 5 Because we are apt to be worldly c. Prop. 6. That day of seven is to be kept holy on which God rested 76 Prop. 7. All that is in the fourth Commandement is not essential to it Prop. 8. The fourth commandement continually to abide in force 78 Reas 1. Because the Sabbath was instituted before there was room for ceremonies 2 The Sabbath was kept before the Law given 3 It was written by the finger of God 79 4 God often urgeth this Commandement as well as any other 5 Else we have not ten Commandements 6 Christ plainly tells us so 7 The Heathens have ever kept a Sabbath day 80 Prop. 9. The first day of the week is now the Lords day 81 Reas 1. From Psal 118. 24. 2 From Rev. 1. 10. 3 Christ calls himself Lord of the Sabbath 82 4 Christ commanded the Apostles to keep this day 5 Christs wisdom would not leave such things uncertain 6 Who should institute this day but be that is the head 7 All Christians have kept this day since the Apostle time 8 Gods judgements on the prophaners of this day do evince it 83 Use 1. Then we are to keep an whole day 84 Reas 1. We have six whole daies for our selves 2 God rested an whole day 3 From Levit. 23. 32. 4 God never instituted halfe holy daies 85 5 It is the judgement of Divines in all ages Use 2. Then sports are unlawful on this day Reas 1. Because working is otherwise commanded sporting only permitted 2 Working doth less distract the mind The Second Part of CRISTS Alarm to DROUSIE SAINTS REVEL 3. 1. Thou hast a name that thou livest and art dead I Have spoken of the life of the affections and now I should come to the next thing namely to shew how far a child of God may be said to be dead but before I handle this there 1. Point why a child of God may think he is dead or deader then ever when there is no such matter Seven cases of false liveliness 1. Novelty of Religion and grace is another point that would be spoken to in a word or two and that is this Why a child of God may think himself to be dead when he is not and think he is grown deader then ever he was and there is no such matter and others may think he is grown cold and negligent and yet the truth is he is more affected and more alive towards God then formerly this is a very needful point and there be several causes of false liveliness which a child of God may have and when they go away he may seem to be deader then he was whereas indeed he is not so The first is novelty of Religion and grace when grace is yet new and the word comes fresh to a man and the promises of eternal life look freshly into a mans heart they will affect him much and not only raise his sanctified affections but his unsanctified too for the unsanctified affections will stir at a novelty a man that hath no grace at all nor any life will be stirred at a new thing as when the Apostle preached new doctrine to the Athenians Acts 17. 32. we will hear thee again of this matter say they they cared not how often they heard this because it was news to them so when Christ preached up and down O what new doctrine is this say they never man spake as this man Joh. 7. 46. it was a new kind of preaching new gifts this stirred them mightily so it may be with a true Christian when the word of God comes first to him and grace comes first to him the novelty of grace may affect him when God first opens his eyes how strangely will he be moved in prayer how strangely will he carry himself at a Sermon his very bowels yearn at a Sermon and he will cry out Oh the infinite mercy of God to my soul what a beast was I before I was an hell-hound a child of the Divel and now the Lord hath made me a child of God I went on in the high way to perdition and now God hath brought me into the right way this is admirable but do you think these are all good affections there is a great deal of corruption in these as new Beer when it is first tunned it hath a great deal of working then but when it is staler it doth not work so much yet then is the Beer more powerfull and hath more life as it is with a mans first entrance into an hot bath it doth so stir him as if it did seald him but after he hath been in a while he is sensible of little or no heat the heart is as much as it was at the first and works upon him as much but he feels it not so much so a good Christian doth not seem to be so much affected afterwards as formerly are his true affections therefore down no but his unsanctified ones are down may be a man hath not lost a jot of his true and sound and sanctified affections but only his unsanctified ones for when grace comes first into the soul of a new convert there is a greater Army raised up for God then is likely to continue there are a company of mercenary Souldiers steping and seem to go out and to fight for God as well as the 〈…〉 t you shall have more fears in that man then are true and more deâ—â—res after grace then are true carnal desires and joys and delights these
very thought of it dulls him it is like a stone upon his heart now let a man sin against grace and the goodness of God and Gods gracious dealing let a man sin against these it doth put a man to a most hard task to go through to go and humble himself before Almighty God and the soul shall find a world of conflicts that he is loth to come to it loth to deal about this bitter business to go about to renew his repentance with bitter remorse for his sins it is like a desperate debtor that hath run himself over head and ears in debt the very thought of coming to a reckoning is death to him he cannot abide to think of it it is like a boy that hath made false Latine if his Master should call him to construe and pearse it and give a rule for every word he knows it is not according to rule he hath not looked after rule and every thing is false now he cannot abide to come to construe and pearse it so when a man hath provoked God by his sins and hath broken his covenant and slighted his ordinances when God calls him to construe and pearse what do you make of such an action and such a word and such a thought the heart is even afraid of these things as a dog is of a whip it is an hard task to be brought to this as David when he had yielded to his security and idleness and unwatchfulness and so had given way to Satan you may see what an hard task he brought upon his soul and how his soul was ever afraid to go about humiliation how many frowning looks doth a man cast upon the pykes he must go through if he mean to obtain mercy it even deads him as a dagger at his heart David was loth to come to this to come to a reckoning to come to be humbled when Bathsheba sent him word that she was with child then God called him to a reckoning to be humbled God told him to his face it is high time to be humbled and ashamed God hath been laying rods in brine for thee and to bring thee upon the stage and to make thee odious and vile in the sight of the world yet he was loth to come to a reckoning he shun'd it and shut his eyes from seeing it he devised tricks to send Vriah home to his Wife and when this would not be but Vriah carried himself constantly with feeling of the case of the Church that then lay in the field against their enemies this could not but call for humbling yet he shunned it still and instead of humbling himself he went further into the briars and made Vriah drunk thinking then he would go home it is impossible but he should see the hand of God in all this that he gave him a warning to down on his knees but he shunned it again and instead of humbling himself he devised the death of Vriah and when nâ—â—s câ—me Vriah is dead which one would think should have been as an ha 〈…〉 r to have knockt him down he puts this off the sword kills one as well as another and till the Lord was pleased to set it on he could not be brought to humble himself thus it is sin puts an hard task upon a man a man may easily slip into sin it is a merry way unto it but when a man is once in he cannot get out again without tearing and rending and abasing and casting himself down before God this is an hard task and the soul shall find abundance of reluctancies and the very thought of it deads the soul unless the Lord be the more merciful A fourth reason why sin deads a man is because sin defiles the conscience for sin is a dead work and it goes into the conscience and defiles it until it be purged by the blood of Christ Heb. 9. 14. sin is a dead work and the winding sheet of it is the conscience presently as soon as a man doth iniquity this dead work runs into the conscience and catcheth hold and this defiles the conscience and puts guilt into it and nothing in the world more deads a man then a guilty conscience why because it knocks a mans fingers off from that which should enliven and quicken him it makes him see that he doth defile Gods promises if he medle with them Isa 38. 16. the promises of God are the things by which men live now when the conscience is guilty it doth even knock a mans fingers off from the promises it tells him this guilt must out first before he can apply the promises nay the very hearing of the promises deads his heart and this is the reason why good people as long as they have not clear consciences rather call for Sermons of judgement then of mercy and their consciences say the promises doe not belong to me I know God is an holy God and his promises holy and it is no meddling with them without holinesse therefore when a man gives way to sin he must needs dead his heart because he defiles his own conscience and therefore no wonder that there is so much deadnesse up and downe when there is hardly a clear conscience in the Country nay good people how slightly doe they deal in this case and hinder their own life and quickning because they have not a care to come before God with a cleare conscience The fifth Reason is Because sin doth either utterly destroy or mightily weaken all assurance of welcome with God and therefore no marvel if it dead the heart for if a man cannot look for comfort and entertainment with God when he goeth to him it takes man off from that willingness to come into Gods presence it makes a man shie of God and of Jesus Christ and his Ordinances it makes a man that he hath no desire to pray almost nay sometimes he hath no heart at all nay sometimes he totally omits the duty he is so afraid he cannot goe to God without carnal feares and mis-givings and horrours and this takes the heart quite off for a time that he cannot pray at all it is like a childe when he hath committed some villany that he knows his father knowes he is shy of coming into his fathers presence he is afraid to come where his father is he knowes be shall be chid and hear of his doings so it is in this case it is not thus with wicked and ungodly men for they can look God in the face but Gods own people when they sin against God it must needs take off that cheerful willingness to goe before God that delight to be in his presence that comfort in prayer sinne makes it an irksome thing sinne makes a man to have little heart to deal with God for the heart doth not love to be caught by God in Satans company or of any lust as a servant cannot abide that his Master should take him in any villany or unfaithfulnesse
37. Turn away mine eâ—es from beholding vanity and quicken me O Lord. Again We must take heed of covetousness for we shall never have any gracious work upon us if we give way to it Again We should take heed of slacking and abating private duties we should carefully call upon God every day in secret when there is no body by but God and our own souls if we finde backwardness to this duty know it comes from the Devil that would drown us in perdition if he could therefore we must resist him and goe about it for certatnly otherwise we cannot be quickned Again We should take heed of slighting inward duties the holy ordinances of God in our bosoms holy meditations gracious strivings against corruptions when they arise setting the Lord before us seeking Gods presence in all places we must have a care we have gracious purposes and endeavours and strivings inwardly in our bosomes Lastly Let us take heed of contenting our selves with any pitch we have attained but still labour to grow in grace lest we fall short and never enter into Gods rest The next meanes is to be earnest with God to quicken our hearts to pray The fourth meanes to God for his grace that God would be pleased to put life into us we should make Elijahs prayer that prayed to heaven for fire to come downe upon the sacrifice so pray earnestly to God to send down his celestial fire into thy heart to warm thee and heat thee and stir thee up to that which is good as the Church doth Psal 80. 18. Quicken us and we will call c. Of all Petitions under heaven we should pray most of all for life next unto the glory of God and the salvation of our souls nay indeed as the very means for both we should pray that God would quicken us into all our prayers let us put in this Petition that God would quicken us evermore to have it as the standing desire of our souls and the daily request and suit we have at the throne of grace that God would quicken us there is no grace we have more need of then this and indeed it is that which sets all other Graces awork if we did know how ready God would be to welcome such a suit we would be more ready to pray to God for it there is no man so tenderly welcome to God as he that prayes for quickning the more he is weary of deadness and common professing of God the more welcome to God he would fain fear God indeed and please God indeed when a man is possessed with deep studies how to attain to this this man is a welcome man to the throne of grace therefore let us stir up our selves to this there is no mercy better then this that God should quicken us Psalm 119. 156. Great are thy tender mercies quicken me O Lord He takes here quickning for all Gods gracious mercies and tender compassions he takes the quickning of his heart as a gracious effect of Gods infinite mercy to his soul if we had but this how welcome would good duties and opportunities of doing and receiving good be unto us The fifth meanes is to be diligent and to take earnest and effectual pains 5. Meanes in this work and in all Christian duties in all the worship of God there is a secret blessing of God upon those that take pains even in the meanest calling you shall have poor Widows that have four or five small children to keep yet being painful it is a wonderful thing what a blessing of God is upon them that they make a shift to live and never come to trouble the Parish such a blessing of God there is upon the diligent as Solomon saith The hand of the diligent maketh rich Prov. 10. 4. So it is in regard of spiritual life there is a secret blessing of God upon the men and women that labour and are diligent about the meanes of grace and are careful to take paines to have them made profitable to their souls upon those that are diligent in prayer and striving against sin diligent in hearing of the Word diligent in partaking of the Sacrament when it comes and diligent about the Sabbath that they may not lose the benefit of it it is a wonderful blessing that shall accompany such men they shall thrive in grace when as others shall be like Pharaohs lean kine that devoured all their fellows and yet were lean and ill-favoured still it is not the greatness of a mans comings in that makes a man rich but the well-managing of it there is many a rich Heir comes to poverty when as another that was never born to a foot of Land yet with pains and labour and industry is well able to live and give more to any good use then twenty base idle fellows let a man hold but a little ground twenty acres he may grow more rich upon it being a good husband then another man that holds twenty times as much and is a spendthrift and lazy and careless and never looks how business goes forward there is a blessing of God upon labour and industry as Solomon saith Prov. 13. 11. He that gathers by labour shall increase So it is here it is not he that lives under the best Ministery that is most quickned but he that lives under a poor Ministery and is diligent he is better then hundreds that live under the powerfull Preaching of the Word and never are carefull to improve it It is noted of Johns hearers that many of them had more life then they that sate under Christs Ministery It is noted of Job though he dwelt in Midian where was no meanes of grace yet he had more grace and life in his heart then almost all the Church of God that dwelt in Zion there was hardly a man in all Israel like Job Paul though he came into the Vineyard after all the Apostles yet by his labour and diligence he gat before most of them all so a man that sits under the Ministery and takes pains with his heart that the Sermons he heares may do him good that he may be the better for them if a man labours to get good by the Sacrament to get good by conference if he labour to have every Ordinance of God made profitable to him this man with a little grace shall grow more then thousands that goe on idly and yet have more helps then he therefore if we desire to be quickned let us be diligent and take pains and not go with our hands in our bosomes like Solomons sluggard Sixthly Another means is to exercise that grace we have there is never 6. Means a man in this Congregation hath so little grace but if he did exercise it so far as it would goe who knows how much quickning he might quickly have which of you do not know that there is a God and that there is a Heaven and an Hell and the Principles of Religion
if you would but make conscience to make use of all the checks of conscience and the knowledge you have if you would but make use of the relentings you have now and then and the motions you have now and then if you would but make use of them and exercise them this is the way to quicken you let a man have but a little knowledge and let him exercise it and improve it and frame his life anâ— conversation accordingly knowledge shall be multiplied to this man and so again let a man have any relentings any meltings now and then at a Sermon and exercise these strike while the iron â—s hot and put them to the utmost this is the way to be quickned as it is the saying of one Every thing is increased with the exercise of its own kind as it was with the bread in the Dâ—sciples hands while they were distributing of it it increased so it is with the graces of Gods spirit peculiar and saving graces and common graces let a man exercise the graces of Gods spirit this is the way to abound in them and to have them quickned and strengthned and made more and more operative in a man therefore let us exercise all the graces of Gods spirit and improve them all grace is like a snow-ball the more it is rouled up and down the bigger it grows so let a man but go and improve all the graces of Gods spirit that he hath bestowed upon him there will be addition to every one of them by repenting a man may learn to repent and by relenting a man may learn to relent and by striving against sin he may learn to strive against sin more and more The last means is to consider the examples of the worthies in all ages 7. Meant and such as are even in our dayes we should consider these and these will quicken us up to be more forward when St. James would quicken up the James 5. Christians to whom he writes to waite with patience the coming of the Lord he quickens them by the example of Job and the Prophets so when he would quicken them up to prayer he presseth them by the example of Elias he w 〈…〉 man as well as we saith he and had the like passions yet he prayed when the heavens had been shut three years and six months c. Consider this the zeal of others may provoke us specially if we set it before our eyes we should think with our selves What he so believing and I so full of doubting he so lively and I so dull and blockish he so affected and I so untoward this should shame us and provoke us to stir up our selves by looking upon such especially upon those that have taken up the profession since we did and yet have gone beyond us it should awaken us this is an excellent means to quicken us as our Saviour Christ when he would exhort his Disciples to suffer persecution saith he consider the Prophets that were persecuted before you so if we would be quickned up we should look upon Matth. 6. the Saints that have been quickned before us that we may have their grace and comfort We come now to the last thing and that is to perswade you by some Motives 5 Motives to shake off this deadness Motives are special things to quicken up a man the Apostle when he would quicken up the Corinthians to love he useth divers Motives unto them the first is taken from the collation of love with all the extraordinary gifts of Gods spirit he shews without love they are all nothing though a man had all knowledge and all faith so that he could remove mountains and had not love it were nothing so that you see love is an excellent grace 1 Cor. 13. 1 2 3. Another Motive he takes from the effects and adjuncts of love love suffereth long c. from the fourth to the seventh verse Thirdly He useth another Motive to shew how love doth generally surpass most graces in the endurance of it Prophesies they shall cease knowledge that shall cease and be done away but love that shall never be done away love never faileth Lastly He compares it with the cardinal vertues with the principal graces namely faith and hope and shews how love is beyond them hope edifies a mans self but love edifies the whole Church of God faith and hope must vanish and will not go into the Kingdom of heaven with us but love it doth alwayes accompany us so that you see the Apostle is careful to use motives to quicken up people to that which he exhorts them unto the Scripture as it doth bid us do a duty so it useth motives to quicken us up to the doing of it And again When it forbids any sin it useth motives to take off our hearts from that sin as when the Apostle would diswade from the unworthy receiving of the Sacrament what abundance of motives doth he heap one upon another to terrifie us from it 1 Cor. 11. 23. c. the first is from the institution of the Lord Jesus Christ I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you that the Lord Jesus c. as who should say what will you prophane his institution Secondly From the time when he instituted it the same night he was betrayed in his agony and in the midst of his sorrows he thought of your good will you prophane such a mercy blessing Thirdly From the nature of the Sacrament it is the Sacrament of the body and blood of the Lord Jesus Christ and will you not reverence that Another is from the end of the Sacrament it is to shew forth the Lords death till he comes therefore how should we have a care of this that we may come to the Sacrament in a gracious and reverent manner duly meditating what it is having a lively apprehension of the Lord Jesus Christ and to keep a constant memory of what he hath done for us Another is from the greatness of the sin of unworthy receiving he shall he guilty of the body and blood of Christ again from the danger of it whosoever eats and drinks unworthily eats and drinks damnation to himself again from the particular judgements that God had inflicted upon that town for this cause many are sick among you and many sleep and questionless it is for this cause for your unworthy receiving of the Sacrament you see what abundance of motives he brings for this now I say if Motives be good in any point look whatsoever we exhort people unto if it be good to use Motives to stir them up to it then much more in this point in the point of deadness to shake it off in the point of quickning that they would labour to get it and indeed when a man useth Motives to faith and repentance it is not only to get that but to quicken them up to faith and repentance when a man spurs a horse
it is not only to make him go but to quicken him up to go we are all dull and careless and blockish now Motives serve to stir us up Eccles 12. the words of the wise are as goâ—ds to provoke and stir up people Well then The first motive shall be this to consider the woful ingredients 1. Motive of this sin of deadness the horrible sins that are contained in it what a compound of spiritual diseases are in this sin First There is a dulnesse and blockishnesse of mind dull and heavy to learn any thing that is good as it is said of the Jews Acts 28. 27. when a man hath an unteachable mind though he be never so long under the word of God it cannot strike into his heart and enter into his understanding his mind cannot â—eel the weight of divine truths take outward truths of profit and pleasure a man may lead him up and down with these truths he feels weight in these but for the word of God he hath no understanding in that may be he can tell what the Ministers say and talk of it but for the weight of divine reason the mind is blockish to this men are like to a blockish scholler that hath gone seven years to school and yet is not beyond the primmer so when a man shall sit so long under the Ministry of the word and yet be a stranger to it as if he had never heard of it he hears discourses of faith and can speak of it and talk of it of the letter of it as well as the best believer and yet is as blockish to go about it as can be what an horrible thing is this that the truth should come to a mans mind and a man should be dull to conceive it Secondly Another evil is awkness and averseness of heart listleseness to the wayes of Jesus Christ as Christ saith of the Jews Mat. 15. 8. their hearts cannot be pulled to that which is good their hearts are untoward and have no list or disposition that way even as if a man should go about a thing that he hath no heart to so people go about prayer and the hearing of the word as if they had no heart to it they have no heart to prayer they have no heart to think soundly of God and of their latter end they come to duties but their hearts are a thousand miles off Thirdly There is senselesness of conscience it is not tender of little sins it feels them not at all and as for great sins it feels them but a little may be peoples consciences find fault with them from day to day for doing what they do and tells them they ought not to do it but yet they will not leave their sins it tells them thus and thus they ought to do but it hath no power to make them do it may be it accuseth them but they are never the better peoples consciences are dull and blunt and have no force at all Fourthly For coldness and lukewarmness of affections the affections of a man are not set upon God they pray without affections and hear without affections the doctrine of eternal life doth not affect their hearts hatred of evil is cold and love of God and goodness is cold as Christ saith the love of many shall waxe cold and so their desires are cold and Matth. 24. languish and come to nothing we can find tears for other matters but not for our sins we can have our affections soon stirred when our selves and our own wills are crossed but God may be dishonoured a thousand wayes and we never grieved or moved at it so when we hear a fine story and carnal news this delights but when we hear the word of God the truth of God that concerns our eternal well doing we are not moved or affected at all with that Fifthly Another ingredient of this sin is the weakness and faintness of endeavours if people have any endeavours any kinde of putting themselves forth to that which is good it is with faintness as if they cared not whither they went about it yea or no as Solomon saith Prov. 13. 4. people desire mercy and pardon and would have hope and salvation and the Kingdom of God but will not be at the cost and charges they ought to be at for these things this is nothing but the deadnesse of our hearts Lastly That same dulness and drowsiness of the whole man though men be careful enough of outward things yet how careless are they of their souls were our hearts broken and contrite under these things we should be soon quickned as the Lord saith Isa 57. 15. I revâ—ve the spirit of the contrite one so God would revive us if we were sensible of these distempers of ours if we would humble our selves before God and plead to him for help he would help us but when we do not lay these distempers to heart and seek out to God for redress no marvel though we are dead and dull still well then is it so that there are so many horrible ingredients in this sin of deadness then how should we labour to fling it away and use all means to be quickned the Apostle being to disswade from following the will of the Gentiles he useth this very argument the abundance of the vile ingredients that is in the will of the Gentiles 1 Pet. 43. so you may see how the wise man disswades Prov. 26. 25. when he speaketh fair believe him not for there are seven abominations in his heart so let us think there is seven abominations yea seventy times seven abominations in this sin of deadness therefore let us look out that God may help us and quicken us and revive us in all our wayes The second motive is to consider that as long as we are dead we cannot 2. Motive pray Psal 80. 18. Lord quicken us and we will call upon thy name as who should say Lord we are not fit to pray and call upon thy name except thou quicken us therefore quicken us that we may call upon thee So Ministers cannot preach unless they be quickned as Dr. Ames tells a story of a godly man of France there was such cold preaching that he was fain to go out of the Town to sâ—t under a powerful Ministry therefore we cannot preach if we be dead the Scribes and Pharisees preached without Authority and life they were dead and therefore had no authority in their preaching but Christ preached with Authority if we were quickned we should be the better able to preach So again you are not able to hear unless you be quickned a dead heart may hear a thousand Sermons but what doth it work upon them even as good as nothing if Paul or Apollos or an Angel from heaven should preach to us unless God quicken us all is nothing nay Christ tells us that his own Ministry and Johns Ministry there were not two such in all the world again yet
to your estates and conditions Thirdly Because thy works are not perfect they are nothing else almost but hypocriticall and unsound I have not found thy works perfect before God The third Remedy is Remember how thou hast received and heard c. Verse 3. as who should say consider how thou hast been formerly consider how the Word hath been delivered and how thou hast received it The fourth Remedy is Hold fast as who should say labour to get up again and hold fast that the Devil and the world and the temptations to sin may not get away the good things that are in thee that they may not spoil thee of the good things of God and of the hope of eternal life The fifth Remedy is Repent that is bewail thy selfe and lament thy unfruitfulnesse and unwatchfulnesse and carelesnesse this way and humble thy selfe before Almighty God thou mayst yet have mercy when a man doth confes 〈…〉 s sins God is just to forgive them and is ready to vouchsafe mercy 1 John 1. 9. and quickning and comfort therefore repent saith he Well then the first remedy is to be watchful to watch is to be attentive to be considerative to look what may doe a man good and what may doe a man hurt that he may thereafter carry himselfe it is for a man to have his eyes in his head to have his wits about him for spiritual things This is the subject of it it is properly in the minde and in the heart it is a Metaphor taken from the body for the body when it is asleep the senses are lockt up the eye cannot see the eare cannot hear they are all wrapt up they are not lively and operative but when the body is awake the senses are all open the eye can see and the eare hear and the senses are ready for every Object from hence it is derived to the soules of men they may be said to sleep or watch for when the soul is careless and negligent towards a thing may be dangers are towards a man and he doth not fear them nor study to prevent them may be there is a great deal of good coming towards the soule and he goes drowsily about it the soule now is said to be asleep but when the soule loâ—ks seriously and consideratively about things then it is said to watch so that there is a sleep of the soule and a watch of the soule as the Apostle speaks 1 Thâ—s 5 6. So that this watchfulnesse is nothing else but the active prudence of the soule whereby it stirs up all the faculties to look about that if any good be towards it it may get it if any danger be towards it it may abhor it this is the watchfulness here spoken of for this drowsinesse and sleepinesse is a part of the corruption of our natures whereby we are marvellous careless of God and eternal life that though we be in the gall of bitterness and by nature the children of wrath yet this is the corruption of our nature to look sleepily upon this that danger may be upon us and we never observe it and though there be eternal life to be had yet we are as it were asleep we doe not study how to attain it though there be misery insupportable and unspeakable and sure and certain to fall upon us unlesse we be delivered yet we doe not think of these things we have no fear at all or else our hearts are drowsie and are content to make any thing serve the turn Now when the soule is rowzed up and made to have a due consideration of these things now is is awakened now it is watchful The Point we observe from hence it this That it is an excellent soveraign Observation thing for a Christian to watch and therefore Christ commends it to his disciples and commends it to all people to the end of the world Mark 13. 37. â—at which I say unto you I say unto all watch Now it is good to watch in five respects First In regard of our selves for our own selves are false unto our selves 1. Reason if we be godly men and women we are two selves we have a bad selfe whereby we are apt to be proud and carnal and ungodly in all our wayes and to forget God and we have a good selfe that is better minded Now it is an excellent thing when this good selfe shall watch over this bad selâ—e and have an eye to it as if a man had a pilfering servant in his family would he not watch him and eye him would he not watch him what money he had in his house and observe what is in his house from day to day So we having such a deceitful selfe about us we had need to watch continually as the Apostle speaks 2 John 8. Look to these that we lose not those things c. As who should say you will lose the benefit of all the good things that are in you if you doe not look to them there is a thief in thy bosome a deceiver that will steale and cosen thee of all if thou look not to it And here first we should watch our own hearts for our own hearts are deceitful as the Prophet speaks The heart is deceitful above all things Jerem. 17. 9. It is very sly and how easily doth it deceive us and carry us aside therefore we had need watch over it as the wise man saith Prov. 4. 23. Keep thy heart with all diligence If a man were to ride upon a wilde horse would he not have a care to keep the bridle would he let the bridle goe then he would run away and he should hardly catch him again his business will be hindered and his time spent so it is here a mans heart is like a wild Colt like an untamed Heiâ—er if a man let it go a man had need alwayes to have the bridle in his hand if a man do not watch it and observe it and hold it in it will râ—n away and a man cannot catch it again as a man that is ringing a bell if he let the rope go he cannot readily get hold of it again so a mans heart is slippery therefore a man had need ever to be watching of it Secondly We had need watch our thoughts what slippery things are our thoughts if they be upon that which is good will they be long there they are now there now gone again therefore how careful should we be to hold our thoughts to that which is good the thoughts are so loose and fickle and unconstant and uncertain that though they be on good things for a minute of an hour they will be ten times as long upon vain things there is no trusting of our thoughts we need not say as David of the men of Keilah will they deliver me to Saul will the lusts of my heart 1 Sam. 23. 11 deliver me to Satan nay they will deliver us if we watch not
should sâ—â—rch us oâ—t is it good for us to leave all this wâ—â—â— to him to neglâ—â—t 〈◊〉 soules to lay aside our lives and consciences and bosâ—mâ—s and never to â—ansick thâ—m from â—ay to day never to enquire into our owne bosomes that we may reforâ—â— our selves but leave all to God to search us doe you think this â—ill doe will saith Job Then when afflictions and death and judgement shall come that then God should search you and lay before you your works therefore as you desire when God shall search you you may be found upright be careful to search your selves FINIS 2 TIM 1. 9. Who hath saved us and called us with an holy calling not according to our works but according to his own purpose and grace which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began IN this verse the Apostle declares what God hath done for him and for Timothy he hath saved us that is he hath redeemed us with the blood of his Son and freed us from sin and from Satan and from hell and hath given us title to eternal life he hath saved us 2. He hath called us that is he hath given us a pledge of this that we shall be saved that we shall The reasons of Gods mercies to Paul and Timothy certainly have salvation compleatly and fully for he hath called us Now he illustrates this two wayes first by shewing what kinde of calling it is which he here means and that is an holy calling he hath called us with an holy calling and then 2ly By shewing the reason why God would do these things for him and for Timothy these are great things what to save them and make them heirs of his Kingdome and to call them to the fellowship of Jesus Christ and give them interest in all Gods goodness and mercy what should be the reason that should move God to do so much for Paul and for Timothy he doth here expresse this three wayes First by removing all false causes not according to our works as who The removing of false causes should say it is not for any thing in us there was nothing in us that moved God to do this 2ly He layes down the true cause of it in the next words but according to The true cause of it his own purpose and grace that is he hath done it freely out of his own mercy and love and according to his own purpose Lastly He proves this and that by three arguments that this must be the Proved by three arguments cause and no other the first is this it was a gift that was given us therefore it must needs be free 2ly It was given in Jesus Christ as who should say he did not look at any thing in us there was nothing in us that was in his eyes no it was meerly for the merits of the Lord Jesus Christ Lastly Another argument is taken from the time when and that is from all eternity before the world began The point that I will handle out of these words is this that it is an excellent Doctrine thing for a man to be able to say that God hath effectually called him the Apostle here speaks it as a great comfort to his soul and the soul of Timothy and as a pledge of Gods everlasting love and salvation to them both that the Lord had called them and had been pleased to take them out of the world and to make them partakers of his Kingdome and glory Now for the opening of the point I will here first shew you what kinde of For the opening of the point calling it is that is here spoken of and it is not that calling whereby God doth call people to an office as of a Magistrate or a Minister but he speaks of a general calling of a calling out of the Kingdome of sinne and Satan into the Kingdome of his dear Son to be made partakers of eternal communion with himself 2ly It is not an outward call whereby wicked men that go on in their sins are called for so a reprobate may be called he may be called out of his own sinful courses and wretched estate and condition to the participation of Jesus Christ thus every man is called all men are called by Gods Ministers as Mat. 22. 9. the King sent out his servants to bid all that they found to the marriage Secondly A reprobate may be called inwardly by Gods Spirit I mean the How a reprobate may be called Spirit of God may go along with Gods Ministers to strive and wrestle with the soul and conscience of a man that remains in his sins Prov. 1. 24. because I called and ye refused therefore will I laugh at your destruction and mâ—â—ke when your fear cometh Thirdly A wicked man may be called not only with an outward call of How a wicked man may be called the Minister and with an inward call of the Spirit but with some efficacy it may go a great way so far forth as to make a man come in some kindâ— as it was with the man Mat. 22. 12. He was called together with the râ—sâ—â—â— come to the wedding and he came but he came without a wedding garment nâ—w one of these callings are meant here for in this sence many are called but 〈…〉 sâ—n Mat. 22. 14. But the calling here meant is a different calling from them and that in three things First It is a call according to Gods own purpose when God calls a man and hath a purpose to make a man come in deed and to come home this is A calling to Gods purposes the calling here spoken of Rom. 8. 28. We know that all things worke together for the best to Gods children that are called according to his purpose as God calls them so he doth purpose to make them come to himself and make them partakers of everlasting mercy God hath no such purpose when he calls the reprobate he hath a purpose indeed to do them good if it be not through their own default but yet notwithstanding he hath no such purpose and absolute intention to do them good he hath no such purpose to bring them to his Kingdome and carry them quite through in the business Secondly This is a secret in Gods own bosome and that is another difference How one calling differs from another wherein this calling differs from the other it is such a calling wherein God puts forth his power and the greatness of his power too God called the light and it came God called the Heavens and they came when as they were not God calling of them they were made to come so when God doth call a man by his Spirit he calls a man powerfully he doth powre in divine instincts of grace and faith and all other holy vertues whereby the soul is made able to come to God the Lord gives the heart a kinde of touch that being touched by his Spirit it must and
reformed now a man may take up the profession of religion and hold forth the name of the Lord Jesus Christ as Paul saith to Timothy fight the good fight of faith lay hold on eternal life now marke the encouragement whereunto thou art also called 1 Tim. 6. 12. Sixthly It is an excellent ground of a godly life when a man can say he is effectually called of God that man hath laid a good foundation to be a godly A foundation of godlinesse man he hath laid it low he hath built it upon such a ground that can never be shaken nor removed he that builds upon this foundation shall never be removed What is the reason why so many thousands undertake to be godly and are never able to carry it through others go about it and through the mercy of God are carried through stitch with it the reason is because those that are effectually called of God they have a good foundation they go upon the right ground as the Apostle Peter exhorting Christians to holiness and sanctity and righteousness of conversation be ye holy in all manner of conversation he doth presently lay down the ground whereupon he exhorts them whereunto you are called saith he 1 Pet. 1 15. so 1 Pet. 2. 9. saith he ye are a chosen generation a royal Priesthood an holy nation c. that you should shew forth the prayses of him that hath called you out of the darkness into his marvellous light In the last place this is the best means to help a man up againe suppose a A help against falling man have fallen as the best of all Gods Saints and Children may fall and fall fowlly but when a man is effectually called of God this doth help a man up againe as it was with David Psal 51. 14. Deliver me from blood-guiltiness O God of my salvation c he being able to say that the Lord was the God of his Salvation this made him to get up againe as who should say Lord I have committed murther I am guilty of innocent blood yet Lord thou hast called me by thy grace to be a God unto me thou art the God of my salvation I beseech thee purge me from my filthiness and cleanse me from my sins whereas there be thousands when they have committed murther it breaks their necks they never get up againe they are never able to finde repentance and a broken heart and to obtaine favour of the Lord that the sin be not laid to their charge but David though he had such a heavy fall and though it burst his bones and put him to much grief yet he got up againe because God had effectually called him The first reason of the point is this because effectual calling is an evident Reas 1 argument of a mans election unto life it is that which flows from election to It is an argument of his election life as Rom. 8. 30. Whom he hath predestinated those hath he called c. as who should say them and none but them this is the lowest linke of that golden chaine if a man can but once finde that he is effectually called of God he hath a part of that chaine whereof one end is eternal predestination to life and the other is eternal glory now he knows that all the whole chaine of mercy from first to last from eternity to eternity all belongs to him when he finds himself to be effectually called Secondly This effectual calling is a sure and certaine pledge that a man It 's a suâ—e 〈◊〉 shall have all Gods acts of mercy when God effectually calls a man he doth this for him not only as that particular mercy but as a pledge of all after mercies as it was with the delivering of the people of Israel out of Egypt he did not this onely as a particular mercy but as a pledge of future mercies for time to come therefore whensoever the Lord would assure the people that be would shew them mercy and do them good many times this is set down I have brought thee out of the Land of Egypt open thy mouth wide and I will fill iâ— Psal 81. 10. Nay when they pleaded for mercy they pleaded this as a pledge that God would shew them mercy Neh. 1. 10 11. Now these are thy servants which thou hast redeemed by thy great power we beseech thee let thine ear be attentive to our supplication So it is with effectual calling it is an evident pledge and sure token that God will shew a man all his other mercies when a man is once effectually called though he hath all yet to do all the whole business yet to wade through it may be he hath abundance of estates and conditions to fall into before he dye why now he hath the whole compasse of Gods mercy to carry him along in it God hath given him a pledge of it and he may say to God Lord thou hast effectually called me by thy grace I beseech thee to justifie me I beseech thee to sanctifie me and help me by thy grace to pray and to go on through the several passages of this life to bear afflictions to humble me in prosperity and to stand upon my guard in sickness Lord sustaine me and in troubles and afflictions Lord give me patience thou hast called me and I have the pledge therefore I beseech thee do this for me as Paul saith 1 Cor. 1. 9. God is faithful who hath called you to the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ as who should say when God called you to the fellowship of Jesus Christ he did not this as a particular mercy to you onely but as a sure pledge that he would shew you all other mercies and assure your selves he will be faithful and make good all these mercies to you go on with faith and affiance and courage for God will be faithful as the Apostle Peter saith 1 Pet. 5. 10. marke how he pleads that God would be pleased to give them grace the God of all grace that hath called you he make you perfect establish and settle you he that hath called you settle you he that hath given you a pledge he that hath vouchsafed you a pawne he will make it good he will strengthen you and enable you and carry you through from the beginning to the end Vse 1. Then certainly the thing is a possible thing a man may be able to Vse 1 say so it is a thing may be known effectual calling whosoever is partaker of it that man may know he hath it though it be such a great jewel such an admirable thing and happy is that man that ever he was borne when he seeth it yet it is such a thing you may come to see and know every man may know what estate he is in whether he be good or bad the conscience doth not onely excuse in good actions but also in a good estate preserve my soul for I am holy saith David Psal
this that all a mans corruptions and miseries should lie upon a man notwithstanding all his prayers and asking forgiveness and many tears and sighs that they should yet lie upon him as they do until a man knows that he is effectually called of God all the guiltiness lieth upon his soul he cannot say he hath obtained mercy of God he is without God and without Christ and is yet in his sins for ought he knows Secondly As your consciences must needs accuse you so likewise you can N 〈…〉 y in Jesus Christ without knowledge of ouâ— interest in him c. have no joy in Jesus Christ nor any of his promises nor any of the gracious things in his Covenant because you know not wâ—ether they belong to you or no when a man knows not a thing he cannot have any joy in any thing as Prov 27. 1. Boast not thy self of to morrow for thou knowâ—st not what a day may bring fâ—rth a man cannot boast of that he knows not can a man boast of to morrow O I shall have a fine day to morrow when he knows not whether he shall have a morrow or no he may be dead by to morrow or his house may be burnt over his head to morrow he cannot rejoyee in it So when a man knows not whether he be effectually called of God or no what joy can he have what joy can he have in Christ or his ordinances when his conscience knocks him off and his soul stands in doubt whether these things belong to him or no he may catch at these as Josephs Mistres catcht hold on him but he left his garment and fled away so they catch at the promises and these things but they fly away from them and leave them as a shadow and they are as much to seek as before and it will be thus as long as a man doth not go on to make his effectual calling sure Thirdly Thou canst not tell what to make of Gods mercies and blessings to We cannot tell what to make of Gods mercies without this knowledge thee God hath given thee many blessings life and health and means and maintenance and sweetly provided for thee from thy cradle to this day and hath recovered thee out of many sicknesses and afflictions and hath given thee the means of grace and thou hast heard Sermon upon Sermon and hast had the acquaintance of his children and hast dwelt in the land of uprightness and seen the Saints of God and the examples of Gods Saints and thou hast had the motions of Gods Spirit from day to day and many good things God hath vouchsafed but while a man is questioning and doubting whether he be effectually called or no he cannot tell what to make of these things whether he should call them mercies or no whether they be in wrath or no to fat him up against the day of wrath to whom much is given of him much is required It is said of the Virgin Mary when the Angel saluted her graciously and comfortably the text saith she was much troubled wondring what manner of salutation this should be Luk. 1. 29. So when the Lord sends abundance of sweet mercies the soul is troubled what mercies these should be are these mercies that come from Christ and flow from Gods goodness as pledges of his grace and favour or no he is troubled and cannot tell what to make of them what are these mercies and he is afraid he had been better to have been without them and better he had never known them it is a miserable thing when a man is uncertaine of his effectual calling for uncertaine of that uncertaine of all Fourthly Thou dost not know what to do in time of affliction when affliction We know not hâ—w to beare our selves in afflictions without this knowledge comes as thou canst not but expect it every day yet when it comes how wilt thou bear it how wilt thou be able to suffer for Christ and to go to prison for Christs sake when thou dost question whether the truth ever made thee free if thou wert able to speak of God as thy Father and a Kingdom prepared for thee this would cast out fears feare not little flock it is your Fathers pleasure to give you a Kingdom Luk. 12. 37. but when a man questions whether God be his Father or no questions whether he hath given him a Kingdom or no yea whether any such thing belongs to him nay he thinks he is a wretch and he should wrong God if he should lay hold oâ— such things this exposeth a man to fears what is the reason that many â—all away in time of persecution it is because they want hold of God as D 〈…〉 as what is the reason he could not beare Pauls afflictions but fell away and 〈◊〉 the world it was because he wanted Pauls hold a man must have hold some where if not on God some where else this is the reason why many break their necks and when persecution comes they are troubled and put by and make shipwrack of a good conscience and forbear to go on in that way which they ought to go on in and to yield to those things which they knâ—w they ought not to yield to When a man knows he is effectually c 〈…〉 of God this will make a man suffer for God as the Apostle Peter sp 〈…〉 g of the sufferings of the Saints hereunto saith he were you called knowing thâ—â— Christ suffered for you when a man is able to say Christ suffered for 〈◊〉 God hath effectually called me to his heavenly Kingdom to pertake oâ— C 〈…〉 st it and his benefits and sufferings now this will beare a man out this 〈◊〉 able to endure the losse of liberty of means maintenance or any th 〈…〉 t the Gospels sake but before what shall a man do in afflictions as long as a man doth not know that he is effectually called he doth expose himself to lazards and breaknecks and who knows what may be Fifthly Thou canst not pray with any courage thy prayers are but 〈◊〉 and lanke and weak as water thou canst not come boldly to the throne of We cannot pray without this knowledge grace thou art afraid thou art none of Gods and none of Christs afraid â—â—t thou hast not received the Spirit of God that thou mayst be the child of God and art afraid that thy prayers are not accepted of God but he turnes them into sin thou canst never have boldness unless it be the boldness of impudeâ—ce but never the boldness of confidence how shall a man call upon him 〈◊〉 â—e hath not believed a man without faith cannot please God he cannot pray to God O my Lord saith Manoah c. Judg 13. 8. if he had not prayed with faith knowing that God was his God his prayer had not had successe but this made him pray with the more boldness and strength when the Priests of Baal had done praying
gathered you under her wings and made you safe so againe it is called the drawing of a man unto Christ Joh. 6. 44. No man cometh to me except the Father draweth him that is except the Father effectually call him he cannot come unto me now this bare and naked calling cannot do it without drawing therefore it is here called drawing of a man before which a man was altogether out of Christ therefore this is the first act God performes upon a man to draw him to Christ the man is as unwilling to come to Christ naturally as any else his lusts draw him another way and he is as heavy as a milstone and his heart is lumpish to the things of God till the father draws him and pulls his affections and thoughts and minde to come home unto Christ this is the first act God doth and againe it is called the bringing of a man to Christ Joh. 10. 16. other sheep also have I saith Christ which I must bring unto this fold he speaks here how that he means to call the Gentiles all the elect of God among them now because they cannot come they have no strength of their own to come therefore he saith he must bring them unto him Againe there must be application of Christ unto a man now effectual calling is the first step to the application of the Lord Jesus Christ to a man There must be applying of Christ to a man we know the Lord Jesus is the Redeemer of the world he hath taken away the sinnes of the world satisfied the wrath of God wrought righteousness for Gods elect he hath overcome death and sinne and Satan and hath expiated for us and wrought an everlasting salvation by his own death and passion in the daies of his flesh Christ hath done this now except this be applied to a man what is a man the nearer now the first step of the application of the redemption of Christ is wrought by this effectual calling of a man unto him then the Lord begins to make a man have union with Jesus Christ before a man was like a branch out of the vine a dead branch that could do nothing he could not repent or serve God or please God or do any thing he was estranged in minde and heart and will but when God doth effectually call a man he doth first work this application of Christ that a man may have union with him and effectual calling is the first putting of a man into the estate of grace the first estating of a man into eternal life it is the first ingraffing of a man into the Son of God it is the putting on of Christ the Saints of God after they are called weare Christ and walke in Christ but at a mans first effectual calling there is the putting of him on it is the first notice that a man hath of salvation the first tydings that comes to the soul of eternal redemption by Jesus Christ people heare it with their outward ears before but never do they come to heare this in their souls and spirits till now this is the first notice and inkling of it when God doth effectually call them then he begins this work as Col. 1. 6. which Word is come unto you speaking of the Gospel it is come unto you and bringeth forth fruit since the day you heard of it and knew the grace of God in truth that is since the day you were effectually called then was the first time of hearing this blessed Gospel your ears were deaf till then your hearts were dead in sins and trespasses till then but when you were effectually called then was the first knowing of the grace of God in truth therefore it is called in Scripture the first beginning of God to do a man good it is the first beginning of all the goodness of God towards a man as Phil. 1. 6. being confident in this that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it till the day of Jesus Christ that is he that did effectually call you as he did begin a good work in you and did begin to put forth his eternal good will and pleasure in you and powred forth the beginning of his mercy and grace and favour into your souls now he that hath done this will never leave it till he hath brought it to perfection So againe it is called the first building of a man for heaven this is done in effectual calling Acts 15. 14. Simâ—on hath declared how God at the first did visit the Gentiles saith the text to take out of them a people for his name that is the Word had effectually called the Gentiles and this ver 16. is called the first building of the Gentiles and the first plucking of them out of the other people of the world to be a people of God This is the first day of a child of Gods consecration it is called the forming of Christ in a mans heart when a man comes to be formed in the womb of the Church before he was a non ens he had no being in the world he was but a natural man but this new workmanship never came into the world till now when a man is effectually called So againe it is called a mans first entring into Christ enter in at the straight-gate as who should say obey the call of God come in a mans effectual calling is a mans first entring into the estate of grace I speak the more largely of it because I would have you understand the Scripture that speaks of it in these phrases I say effectual calling is the first step to the application of Jesus Christ the first step of putting a man into the estate of grace the first bringing of a man to Christ The first reason of this is because before effectual calling a man was without Before effectual calling no interest in Christ out Christ and had no interest in Christ no communion or fellowship with Christ he was altogether dead in trespasses and sinnes a cursed creature a damned creature in the estate of sinne and condemnation whatever parts or gifts he had all were no better then may be in a reprobate Eph. 2. 12. before that time you were without Christ aliens and strangers from the commonwealth of Israel may be you were civil but you had no union with Christ though you were constant hearers of the Word which is a laudable thing yet you had no union with Christ may be you were decked with admirable qualities and jewels as the Prophet shews a man may be decked with golden vertues and afterwards turne to drosse a man may have admirable things in him before he hath this but there was nothing of God in a man nothing of Christ in a man no saving operation of Gods Spirit at all in a man no union with Christ this is the first passage of a man from death to life from nature to grace from the devil to God we are
is no living in his sight no entring into his Kingdom without righteousness I must be a new creature else I shall be consumed he chargeth these things upon the soul and that soundly too because now he will lay down the foundation of a godly life the soul shall have need of this point as long as he lives to remember that God is a righteous God he hath found him to be a juâ—â— God against sinne though he be a gracious and merciful God to them that truly repent and set themselves to obey his Name yet the soul seeth there is no living in sinne no following after a mans own lusts and the soul never loseth this for though the soul many times through temptations may â—e carried away yet he shall never be under that former blindness he was in never so ignorant of God never think so meanly and ignominiously of God â—s he did in his unregeneracy he still knows that God is a severe God and thereâ— no expecting of mercy at his hands without holinesse and righteousnes if God should smother up the work all at first justice would not be seen as we see it is among men suppose a base fellow hath wronged a noble man may be the noble man means to pardon him but yet he will have him smart for it and feele and know what it is to displease and wrong and impeach such a great man as he So if the Lord should smother up the business presently as soon as ever he sends the word to a man presently convert a man aâ—d pardon him and give him true and saving faith justice would not be s 〈…〉 and therefore the Lord first tramples upon a mans neck and shews â—m his silâ—hiness and casts him out of the Camp as the Lord said concerning Mâ—rian she is unclean carry her out of the Camp so the Lord flings a person â—orth like a cursed damned creature as if he would take him by the heeles and flâ—â—g him down to hell and never look upon him and then he takes him in thus the Lord tells his people Isa 45. 21. There is none but me a just God and a Saviour first he makes them see that he is a just God and then he makes them see that he is their Saviour and Redeemer and notwithstanding his justice and severity against sinne and iniquity yet he â—ill give his grace and mercy to them that repent and humble themselves under his hand Secondly The Lord doth this because he would sweeten his mercy to the I. To sweeten mercy soul as you may see how he dealt with the Prophets widow he let her creditors arrest her first and seize upon her two sons for bondmen and then he wrought a wonder for her 2 King 4. 1. now this mercy was sweet and came in due season I was in misery and the Lord helped me saith David as who should say it came in a time when I had need of it The Lord deales as it is reported King James did at the beginning of his reign when some of his Nobles had been offenders he let the law proceed against them till they were brought to the scaffold and their heads laid upon the block and then sent a pardon and now a pardon was acceptable indeed So the Lord deales with his people he lets the law loose upon the soul yea and the devil too many times and he rends them and teares them as a Lyon and lets them look when they shall perish and layes their heads upon the block and then sends hope of a pardon and forgiveness of sinnes what a sweet staying of Abrahams hand was that when the knife was just ready to be stuck in Isaacks throat so when the knife of Justice is ready to be stuck into a mans throat and he is ready to perish for ever now mercy will be sweet mercy now it will be mercy indeed This is the time of love saith God Ezek. 16. 8. When God had laid his people a bleeding in their goare blood now he passeth by and saith This is a time of love he laid them in their blood and silthinesse he laid them vile and miserable in themselves and now saith he is the time of love Now the mountaines drop with sweet wine as the Prophet speaks what is the reason that people do not taste any sweetnesse in the Gospel and Sacraments and Ordinances of Christ Alas they were never sensible of their sinnes therefore the Lord doth thus to make his mercy sweet to his people that they may prize it and esteeme it and make good account of it from day to day Thirdly the Lord doth this that he may fetch his people home to the Lord 3. That he may bring men home to Christ Jesus Christ for before they will not come to God they will not come at him as the Prophet speaks but when they are in the Margent of Hell ready to perish and have no hope to hold to nothing to trust to they are quite and cleane at a loss and know not whither to go now this makes them come home as it is said of Absâ—lom he sent once to Joab but he would not come to him yea twice and he would not come but when he set his Barley field on fire then he came So the Lord sets his peoples hearts on fire he fires their consciences and their very bowels and makes their soules ake within them for want of mercy and grace and favour for want of power against their sinnes for want of Gods helping and assisting of them from day to day and this makes them glad to come home to him You know how long it was before the woman in the Gospel would come to Christ she was sick twelve years and had spent all her living upon the Physicians and could have no help now she came to Christ when she was quite spent and her patience was come to the utmost she was a dead woman if she came not to Christ all the Physicians could not help her now she comes home to Christ As it was with Agur when he saw his brutishnesse this drave him to Ithiel and Vâ—al Prov. 30. 1 2. that is to the Lord Jesus Christ as it is with a Coney when she is persued by a Dogge then she runnes to her burrough When Naomi was bereft of Husband Children Meanes and Maintenance and heares there is plenty in Israel she returns presently she might have gone long before but she wanted a scourge and whip to send her home but when she had lost all and was ready to sink and heard good tidings from Bethlehem now she makes speed thither presently as the Lord speaks Hâ—s 2. 6. I will hedge her wayes with thornes how doth the Lord make the poore Church here come home to him that was her husband and beloved from whom she was gone a whoring God takes this course he hedgeth her wayes with thornes she would have rests and friends and comforts and something to
and his blindness and nakedness and captivity if the Lord do mean any mercy to a man here comes in his effectual calling 2 THES 2. 14. Whereunto he called you by our Gospel to the obtaining of the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ I Have spoken already of the prepatory work that goes before Effectual Calling the next thing I am to speake of is the parts of Effectual Calling and they are Two parts of effectual calling 1. Offering of Christ two First the offering of Christ and his merits the objective propounding of Christ and his benefits when Christ comes and offers himself to a man in the Gospel he came to his own John 1. 11. but his own received him not he came and offered himself to them I am the way the truth and the light I am the Messias and the Saviour of the world and I have eternal life and here I am take me and all with me this is the first thing in Effectual Calling the objective propounding of Christ to a man The second thing is the receiving of Christ not only the offering of Christ 2. The receiving of Christ to a man for so he offers himself to those that are not of God even to all but in Effectual Calling as there is an offer on Gods side so there is a reflection on Gods side as many as received him c. John 1. 12. they received him these two now make up Effectual Calling the offering of Christ and the receiving of him when Christ calls a man to him and he answers to his call thus you see the parts of Effectual Calling First to speak of the first the objective propounding of Christ and all the things of Christ to a man and this hath two degrees like the morning light that hath two parts the dawning of the day and the Sunnes arising so there Two parts oâ— degrees of offering Christ 1. General are two parts in this objective propounding of Christ to the soul the first is that general propounding of him to every creature now the soul thinks what to every creature then it is propounded to me as well as to any body else but the effectualness of this call is that it breeds the seeds of grace in a man it breeds saving desires and saving longings and saving and kindly mournings for the want of this sweet good when it sees such an excellent good and a possibility of it and that it is propounded to every creature then the soule thinks I may be one as well as any body else and so the soul longs after it The second thing is the personal propounding of this to those that have these 2. Personal seeds of Grace the first was general to one as well as to another but now this is to this mans person rather then to any body else and now the soul begins to think seriously this proposition is to me this tender is to me I hunger and thirst and long and therefore this belongs to me and the effectualnesse of this call is to make the soul come to Christ and cast himselfe upon him by faith these are the parts of propounding of Christ and both these are twofold 2. Both 1. External 2. Internal the first is the external part of it by the Word the other the internal part of it by the Spirit Now we are to speak of the first of these how the Word works this general call and for this I have chosen this text Whereunto he hath called you by our Gospel c. For the coherence of these words in the former verses the Apostle had told the Thessalonians of a woful falling away that should he among all visible Churches in the whole world almost that there should be a general defection unlesse of Gods Elect and they should have fearful declinings and he sheweth that the power of the Devil and â—â—s instruments should be the cause of this falling away he should come with strong delusions and then the just cause why God doth suffer the Devil and his imps to bring this about that all they might be damned that had phas 〈…〉 in unrighteousnesse the Lord would have them damned and this made the Lord suffer the Devil to work Apostacy and declining to them Now this is a fearful thing and therefore in the next place he comes to comfort the Thâ—sâ—â—lonians for they for their part the godly amongst them need not to be dismayed for fear of falling away as if they should not hold out but he would have them encouraged that they shall stand out for ever and he comforts them by two Arguments First by Gods predestination of them to life from all eternity God hath chosen you to Salvation from the beginning and then â—e laies down the meanes God had appointed for the attaining this salvation and that was through Sanctification in the Spirit as who should say 't is true there shall be such a falling away but you that are godly need not be dejected for God hath chosen you from all eternity and therefore will sanctifie you and keep you through his mighty power unto salvation that you shall not fall away The second Argument is their Effectual Calling that is in the text Whereunto he hath called you by our Gospel c. as who should say the Lord hath given you a pledge that you shall never fall away finally for it is plaine that God hath chosen you and he hath given a pledge of hiâ— Election for he hath called you therefore be of good cheare Well then in the words of the text you may consider these four things First Effectual Calling he called you Secondly the meanes whereby he hath wrought this in you namely the Gospel Thirdly the tearme whereunto he called them noted in this word hereunto which if you look into the former verse was unto 〈…〉 tion Fourthly what this salvation is it is a most admirable incomparable thing no tongue is able to speak it Oh saith he It is to the attaining of the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ the very same glory that the Lord Jesus Christ was advanced to you have part and communion therein Now three of these points I lay aside the point that serves our turn is the second he called you by our Gospell That the thing that calls Gods people home it is the General tender of Doct. The Gospel or general tender of grace is that by which God calls men home grace indifferently to any man without exception whosoever will have it that is the Gospel When Christ should call Nicodemus after he had convinced him of his blindnesse and cursed estate and made him see he was a fool in all the things of God now he gives him a call and how doth he call him it was even this general tender John 3. 14 15. As Moses lifted up the Serpent iâ— the Wildernesse so must the Son of man be lifted up that whosoever believeth in him should not perish
there is a possibility for him to finde mercy or any hope of pardon it cannot be attained to without the work of God a weak shelfe is able to hold when a man lays but a book upon it but if a man lay a great weight upon a weak shelf it will break under it so it is with the faith of men when there is no weight laid upon it the burthen of the Lord is not laid upon them then they may think it is an easie matter to have salvation and their sinnes pardoned but if this weight should be laid upon them their faith would burst unlesse the Lord should be pleased to put in a better faith then this it is not in a mans power to look beyond the power of justice for a man to beleeve that there is mercy in God contrary to the sentence of his own Law and contrary to the sense and feeling of a mans own soul and therefore when the Lord is pleased effectually to call a man though he lay a bleeding bleeding before in the sight and sense of his misery he opens a door of hope to the soul he lets in a light of possibility that he may yet come to be quickened and be a new creature and obtaine mercy at the hands of the Lord as the Lord dealt with his people Hos 2. 14. there saith the text I will give them the valley of Achor for the door of hope so when the Lord doth cast a man into the valley of Achor of stoning and astonishment then he opens a door of hope that he may look in and see at a crevis some hope for him to speed though yet I have an hard heart yet such a thing may be if I come to Christ I see God may afford mercy to whom he will and hath propounded it to every man that will have it therefore I may have mercy the Lord begins to stir and move the heart and now the soul begins to have a door of hope you see then what this hope is it is such a thing as flowes from the faith of possibility I do not say that it is a justifying faith but it is the forerunner of it to make way for it The second thing is how this hope agrees with that which proceeds 2. How it agrees with that which followes justifying faith 1. Both are of God from a justifying faith I answer it agrees in five things First both are of God all the hope a creature hath if it be a true hope it is of God therefore the Apostle saith the God of all hope c. Rom. 15. 13. God is the God of all hope I do not say that all hope absolutely is of God for the vaine hope of wicked men is of the Devil and is not of God but I speak of a true hope and courage that the soul gets to seek God in his wayes and fear him Secondly they are both wrought by the Gospel Rom. 15. 4. All things 2. Both are wrought by the Gospel were written for our learning saith the Apostle that we through patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope Thus it is with a believer though he hath nothing in present possession though he be persecuted and afflicted and forsaken in the world though he hath never so many miseries here below yet when he looks into the Scriptures and sees what promises God hath made he comes to have some hope it is thus with a man that is not yet a believer but is in the way to be a believer the Lord works with him this way though he see himself a miserable and wretched sinner and undone man cast off and there is no hope in himself yet when he looks into the Scriptures and sees what a gracious tender of mercy there is to any man that will have mercy it is not the wretchednesse of a mans heart that casts him off but the not coming to Christ and receiving of him that damnes him for the fountaine of mercy is open for every one that will receive Christ thus the Scripture gives hope Thirdly both set a man on work as suppose a man hath an hope that proceeds 3. Both set a man on work from justifying faith as he believes in Christ so this sets him a work 1 John 3. 3. He that hath this hope purifies himself as Christ is pure it makes him labour to be humble and meek and to be made partaker of the Spirit of Grace it makes him labour after the things that are above and to be sitted and disposed to every good work and to purge himself and cleanse his conscience more and more and so a man that hath not this justifying faith but hath only this branch of effectual calling begun in him he that hath this hope I now speak of it sets him a work to seek after Christ and to labour hard for the enjoying of him and to seek him in all his Ordinances in his manner though he cannot pray and performe duties as others do yet he will do it in that manner he is able Fourthly both are the anchor of the soul as it is with a believer though he 4. Both are the anchor of the soul Heb. 6. 19. be a godly believer and hath interest in Christ yet what with temptations from hell and his own heart he will be tossed to and fro were it not for this hope which is as an anchor to the soul so it is with a man that is not come thus far but is only under the same first branch though his tossings be fierce and his temptations be violent and his case be doubtful and full of hazard yet notwithstanding when this hope comes into the soul it doth marvelously stay the heart though it see nothing but hell and damnation and misery and his conscience is not purged and his life renewed and his soul sanctified and wrought upon in Jesus Christ though he sees there is no way but hell and damnation yet when this hope comes into the soul though he can see neither star-light nor Moon-light nor nothing it doth stay him much and prop him up much and doth encourage him to go on without dismay Neither of these two hopes shall make a man ashamed if a man hath 5. Neither of them shall make a man ashamed this true hope he shall never be ashamed Rom. 5. 4. Hope maketh not ashamed so it is with a man that is truly wrought upon the Lord never deceives him there is a working of grace for grace before grace it self comes into the soul which carries a man beyond a reprobate and this hope the soul hath will never let him be in this case that he shall need to be ashamed The third thing is this how this hope differs from that hope which proceeds 3. How this hope differs from that which followes justification 1 This ariseth out of the seeds of grace the other out of grace it self from justifying faith and
men shall rise againe as John 5. 28. Marvel not for the houre shall come that all flesh that is in the grâ—vâ— shall come forth if all that are dead shall rise again then every man shall rise again though his name be not named in Scripture so it is hear we read in Scripture that Christ saith John 7. 37. If any man thirst let him come unto me and drink now the Lord includes a particular in it and brings it to the soul thou thirstest thou wouldest faine have Christ here are the promises here is all mercy in my Sonne believe in him come and receive him take him and thou shalt have them so if Christ saith whosoever believes shall be saved then Saint Paul might safely conclude a particular word to the Jaylor belâ—eve in the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved Acts 16. 31. so that you see here is a particular word though not particular directly yet equivalent to a particular namely a particular in the general and the Spirit of God doth speak this to the soul and makes the soul hear it Every man therefore that hath heard it c. When God calls the soul home he makes the soul hear his voice here a Doct. When God calls the soul he makes it hear a particular voice particular voice and word to him believe in the Lord come unto me for salvation relie upon me for eternal life the sinnes that trouble thy soule cast thy self upon me for the forgiving of them the diseases miseries distempers thou art subject unto lay hold upon me and rest upon me for the delivering thee from them the Lord when he calls a man effectually he speaks it not onely the Minister and the Word speaks it but the Lord speaks it and so the soul hearing of the Father comes to Christ thus you may see the Lord holds the free promises of the Gospel before the soul and bids a man relie upon them as Peter dealt with his contrite hearers the Spirit of the Lord going along with his word Acts 2. 39. believe saith he for the promise belongs to you and to your children c. as who should say when God calls a man effectually he holds forth his promises and propounds them to the soul beleeve this promise and rest upon me for it thus the Lord doth call a man home he sends his promise before him he sets up hope before him he sends the gracious invitation of the Gospel before him and bids him relie upon it thus God dealt with his Elect Câ—rinths 1 Cor. 1. 9. God is faithful saith the Apostle by whom ye are called to the followship of his Sonne Jesus Christ as who should say when God called you he spake to every one of you in particular come and be fellow heirs with my Son come and have every good thing with my Sonne come and be a sonne with him come and be an heir of grace with him and have title to eternal life and salvation God calls you saith he to beleeve that he is faithful So I might instance in many more though there be never so many in the Congregation yet the Lord doth not speak to them all they do not all hear his voice they all hear the Minister but that makes them not to come that doth not the deed but when the Lord calls a man he comes he joyns with the Word and speaks to this or that man and takes him alone and whispers him in the ear and tells him where mercy is and bids him rely upon him and though sense and seeling be against him though all fears and objections be against him he bids him believe and be of good cheere he shall have all these mercies it he will believe in him as he saith Esay 51. 20. Look unto Abraham your father for I called him alone and blessed him mark it the Lord took him alone and spake to his heart between him and himself so when the Lord speaks to a soul and calls him by his grace he calls him alone and takes him alone though all the Congregation hears the same Sermon yet he takes him alone and speaks to his heart and bids him beleeve in him for I will never faile thee it is a sure foundation he may build upon it for ever and ever Because no man could come unto Christ else for we see daily though Reas 1. Elâ—e no man could come to Christ Ministers call all the Congregation and assembly yet people do not stir they are dead in their sins they cannot hear the Minister no it must be a louder voice and one that is more powerful and effectual unlesse the Lord come and bid a man beleeve he can never do it therefore John 5. 26. See what Christ saith Verily I say unto you that the hour shall come when the dead shall heare the voice of the Sonne of God here comes an Almighty voice that speaks to the raising of a man out of the death of sinne to the life of righteousnesse and faith and he shews that there is a voice of Christ that speaks to the soul that though the soul be dead yet it shall heare and live so Ephesians 5. 14. and were it not for this call no man could beleeve That so they may have a ground for their faith the soul cannot first beleeve â— That we may have a ground for out faith and then come to the promise but the Lord brings the promise first and then makes the soul to beleeve he lets in the promise first and then causeth the soul to lay hold upon it the soul doth not first come and then look to the promise but the soul first looks upon the promise and then beleeves as you may see Psal 119. 49. it is the speech of the Prophet David Remember thy Word O Lord wherein thou hast caused thy servant to trust the Lord lets in a word of promise into Davids heart then caused him to hope in it and made him look upon it as a thing tendred and propounded to him and so made him relic upon it if it were not for this call of God who were able to beleeve for without this call the soul when it seeth its dulnesse and deadnesse and untowardnesse and unworthinesse it would go away it would say I cannot look to the promise I cannot do this and that and I have no faith and what have I to do with the promise therefore the Lord when he effectually calls a man he lets in the sight of his promises he holds forth his free and gracious promises so that now the soul can say the Lord calls me by his grace and though I be never so wretched and my heart be stark naught though I be as reprobate to every good word and work as the vilest in the world yet here is a free offer and I will relie upon it it is tendred unto me otherwise why should God propound it so freely why should he hold it forth
so indifferently why should he confirm it with the blood of his own Son why should there be the Sac 〈…〉 s and so many Seal to establish the truth of it and why doth he propound it so freely to me when he looks upon the promise the promise makes him believe the freenesse of it the universality of it the indifferentâ—y of it to as many as will have it the Lord puts power into the promise to affect the heart fire the heart there is so much truth and goodness in the promise as is able to make the soul beleeve when God speaks it to the heart it is such a good promise and such a free promise and so Yea and Amen in Christ Jesus to all that do but rest upon it the Lord holds the promise before a maâ—s eyes and saith here is a promise for thee beleeve here is mercy here is favour here is pardon here is peace here is Christ here is strength here is wis 〈…〉 thou art a fool here is wisdome for thee to direct thee thou art weak 〈◊〉 strength for thee to enable thee do but rely upon me and thou s 〈…〉 have it the soul doth not first believe the promise and then take it but the Lord first propounds the promise to the soul and makes the soul look up to God in his promise I am a vile sinner but with the Lord there is mercy and I have a cursed spirit within me but with the Lord there is power to subdue it the truth of the promise and the power of God going with it makes the soul beleeve it and this is the reason when God would renew the saith of his people he gives them as it were a new call and holds the promise afresh before them as Gen. 17. 1. I am God alsufficient walk b 〈…〉 me and be upright as who should say Abraham go not away from me 〈◊〉 not any where else thou mayest have any thing in me I am God Almâ—gâ—ty beleeve in me keep by me go not from me but walk before me all the dayes of thy life and I will be a God unto thee and in blessing I will blesse thee therefore Rom. 9. 8. the people of God are called the children 〈…〉 I se because the promise breeds them and converts them and is the ground of all unto them they are the very children of the promise now here be three things I would shew unto you First why this act is attributed to the â—â—theâ— the Father speaks to the soul the soul hears it and so comes Secondly what speech this is which the soul hears and so comes to God by faith Thirdly how a man may know whither he hath heard this voice or no. First why this act is attributed to the Father Every man that hath heard and Quest 1. Why is this act attributed to the Father 1. Not as though Christ did not speak learned of the Father c. the Father speaks and the soul hears from the Father I answer First not as though Christ did not speak but he came to send them to to the Father go to him and hear him that is not the meaning of it no Christ cuts off all such thoughts in the next verse Every man that hath heard and learned of the Father c. not that any man hath seen the Father c. as who should say I do not mean that you should runne to the Father as though I were not able to teach you no man can go to the Father he dwells in light that is unaproachable no man can come to the Father but by me Mat. 11. 27. All things are delivered to me of my Father c. you see here that is not the meaning of it Christ is a sufficient Doctor he is the great Prophet of his Church and is able to instruct his people therefore that is not the meaning of it Secondly not as though we should set up a conceited distinction of works 2. Notes â—hough we should set up a conceited distinction of woâ—ks in the Trinity in the Trinity as though a man should say now a man is under the work of the Father and then under the work of the Sonne and then under the work of the holy Ghost as some imagine sometimes the soul is under the work of the Father as when the soul doth not beleeve the Father draws it and pulls it and when it beleeves then it is under the work of the Sonne and he works upon the conscience and justifies it and afterwards it is under the work of the holy Ghost when it is sealed with the Spirit of promise these things are true yet this is not the meaning neither doth our Saviour Christ intend any such construction neither have we any warrant for any such distinction of works for as this act of drawing is here given to the Father so John 11. it is given to the Sonne When I am listed up I will draw all men unto me and as we say the soul hears the Father so it heares the Son also John 5. 25. so that these are but conceits and as the seal is given to the Spirit so it is given to the Father and the Son sometimes therefore to say that the soul is now under the work of the Father and now under the work of the Sonne and now under the work of the holy Ghost these things are not warrantable in Scripture but the meaning is this our Saviour meeting with the stubbornnesse of the Jews that would not believe but murmured and repined at his doctrine he puts in this no man cometh unto me except the Father draweth him he means their utter inability of coming to him by nature unlesse it be given them from above if he had spoken of it againe may be would have said no man cometh unto me except the Spirit draweth him you must know that all the acts of the blessed Trinity are indevidable 't is true the Father as he is first in order of subsistance so he is first in order of operation and working but look what one works all work one act flows from them all as it is said you are washed in the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ and the Spirit had a hand in the same work they all do the same work for any further meaning of this I know not any warrant The second thing is what this voice is that the Father doth speak to the 2. What is this voice Not distinct from the word preâ—ched soul and so the soul is made to come to Christ I answer you must not conceive that here is any voice distinct from the Word it is but imaginary and notional when men dream of any other Relations besides the Word it is not a proper but a metaphorical speech and it consists in two things First in opening a mans senses Secondly in removing a mans lamenesse and inability Consists 1. In the opening a a mans senses First in opening a
the excellency and incomparable worth of these things having the power of God in them woeth the heart and enticeth it and draws it and hales it to come to God and weaneth it from the world and he lets them go more and more not seeing such worth in them to draw his minde away more and more hence the Gospell is call'd the power of God to salvation Rom. 16. 6. when God calls a man by the Gospel he puts a power into all the promises to draw a man home to pull a man effectually and powerfully unto him he is enamoured of them and must have them and will have them and casts himself upon God for the having of them when any soul obeyeth the call of God what is the reason that it obeyeth it it feels a power in the Word in the promises of God when he hears it preached as 1 Thes 1. 5. Our Gospel came not unto you in Word onely but in power the Lord calling of these good Thes By his grace there was a power went along with the Word and made them receive the Word and that drew their hearts to take it though by nature they were averse from it though by nature they were stubborn and rebellious and would not submit to the Gospel yet when the Lord puts this power into the promise to overwoe the soul more then lusts and sinnes and things of the world could do more then the inclinations of the soul could do it came with a stronger power then all these to the soul and this made the soul hear this voice Secondly he that hears this voice hears more then a man or any creature 2. This voice makes one hear more then any creature can speak say unto him beleeve saying unto him come unto Christ cast thy selfe upon God here is mercy here is a promise here is peace that thou needest when he doth not onely hear the Minister say it all the Congregation hears him speak it and no man stirs but when a man hears more then a Minister say so he feels such a coming of the Word to him that all the created powers in heaven and earth could never move him in that manner then he heares the voice of the Spirit of God for when God calls a man effectually he makes the Gospel a glasse for a man to see the glory of God thorow as you may see 2 Cor. 3. 18. he means by the glasse there the Gospel the Lord when he calls a man he makes the Gospel a glasse to him that he may behold the glory of God the infinite graciousnesse and lovelinesse of God the infinite goodness happinesse and blessednesse of God and what an infinite fountaine of all goodnesse he is in his own Son Jesus Christ he lets him see not only the Gospel every man seeth the Gospel but every man hath not this glasse it is not this glasse to him to let him see the glory of God when God turns a man he comes with this glorious light thorow the Gospel to his soul there is a great light shines from heaven about a man as there did about Saint Paul the Gospel it self a light and every man seeth this light but there is darkness upon the minde still for all that but when God calls a man there is a great light comes into the soul you are a chosen generation c. 1 Pet. 2 9. mark there is a marvellous deal of light the Lord lets into the soul that the soul can now see how the devil and sin and the world deluded him and how the world and all profits and pleasures are a meer painted thing and are meerly vexations of Spirit now he sees how to distinguish between things and things there is a glorious and a marvellous light come in he sees the wiles of his own heart and how he was beguiled before and betwitched by the devil before he seeth all the folly and the Popery of his own heart such a deal of light comes in that it discovers all so far forth as is necessary to bring him to God now he sees that his moaping and blundering upon his sins and condemning of himself it had a form of humility but it was nothing but pride and stubbornnesse of heart and he would rather have him be without mercy then have it upon Gods termes he beholding the glory of God seeth the wyles and deceits of his own soul this light sheweth him the glory of God and propounds to him these things and makes him beleeve them Thirdly this same voice of the Father when the Father speaks to a man 3. It is the irrefragable propounding of the promise it is the irrefragable propounding of the promise to him when the promises of the Gospel are delivered in an irrefragable manner contrary to all the objections of the heart of man all the pleas that can be brought against it it comes in an irrefragable manner and holds itself before him that he may believe not that he may not be tempted to the contrary but he sees thaâ— they are but temptations O saith the soul I see I am unwilling to do good duties what of that if thou wouldest be willing the promise is free may he saith the soul I am full of stubbornnesse and rebellion and unprofitableness what of that that is nothing saith the promise if thou come to me I can heal thee of this stubbornnesse beleeve in me this is the way to be rid of thy stubbornnesse and to have a better heart and more abilities as long as it is a burthen to thee beleeve in me it comes in an irrefragable manner so that the soul can say I refused comfort all this while as David saith Ps 77. comfort was propounded to me but I would not have it I was fullen and peevish and put it off and withstood my own comforts now the soul seeth its putting off of Gods mercie and the forsaking its own mercies and the gracious proffers tendred to it I say when the Spirit speaks this voice to the soul it speaks in a marvellous great and convincing manner it speaks in a prevailing manner it speaks over and above all it speaks in a ravishing manner it makes the soule see a cornucopia of all good an abundant treasury of all mercy in the ways of God and in the promises of the Gospel it makes a man see that whatsoever the heart can wish and desire that is good it is there to be had and no where else to be attained it speaks in an uncontroulable manner to the soul that the soul can stand out no longer but must come off JOHN 6. 35. He that cometh unto me shall never hunger and he that believeth in me shall never thirst WE have finished the first part of Effectual Calling and now we come to the second Namely the answer to this Call for this is the difference between effectual calling and that which is not effectual the one makes a man come and the
Christ hath eternal life he that believes in Christ hath a present possession of that he believes in Christ for eternal Confidence in Christ for life and salvation is true justifying faith Arg. 1. From the several expressions of faith in Scripture â— Trusting life is his for the present he hath present justification and acceptance with God and hath a title to all good and all the mercies of the Covenant of grace Now we come to prove this that this confidence is a true justifying faith and the Arguments to prove it are these and the first is taken from the several expressions of faith in Scripture Psal 78. 22. it is called a trusting they believed not in God Why They trusted not in his salvation so that faith is a trusting in God when a man hath confidence in God and can fiducially leane upon God for all good things As Alexander trusted his Physician when his Physician gave him a Potion before he took it a friend of his wrote unto him do not take the Potion the man is set to poyson you if you take it you are a dead man he read the letter and then took the Potion and then gave the letter to the Physician and said I have trusted to your faithfulness and cast my self upon you if you have given me poyson you have killed me you see by the letter I have witness of it but I trust you and suppose you have not done it So faith is a trusting upon God when the soul resolves to follow God in all wayes and when the world and the flesh come in and object if you be so strict and follow these courses you will undo your self and be laughed at and loose your friends your very living depends upon such a course and you will be a begger and will never have any delight you are given to pleasure and laughter but all these must be gone farewell all carnal pleasure Well but the soul now believes in God God bids him come to him for comfort for friends for delight for pleasure for the satisfaction of all his desires and he shall want no manner of good he trusts upon this and he will never leave God never leave his wayes this is rooted in him and now he can go to God and say the Devil told me I should loose my friends and I should never have comfort never be able to live my flesh and my own heart said so but I have trusted thee and if friends go so farewell friends if means go so farewell them I am told so flesh and blood say so but I believe in thee is eternal life and in thee is all peace and happinesse and comfort and this is that which drawes me to thee and keeps me to thee and I rest upon thee for all good thus you see that faith must be an affiance in God because it is a trusting in God Secondly it is called a relying upon God as Asa when the Aethiopians and 2. Relying on God Lubims came against him the Scriptures shewes that he believed in God now mark how the Scripture expresseth his faith 2 Chro. 16. 8. Because thou didst relie upon the Lord therefore he delivered them into their hands May be the world might tell him what do you think to overcome these enemies with strictness and fasting and praying You had more need make a league with the King of Syria and take some other course but he relied upon God and if he failed him he failed him he would relie upon him and therefore faith must needs be an affiance in God Thirdly faith is called a staying upon God when a man stayes himself upon God Isa 50. 10. there faith is expressed by staying a mans self upon 3. Staying upon God God He that sitteth in darkness and seeth no light let him trust in the Lord and stay himself upon his God It is a similitude taken from a staffe and old man that dares not trust to his own legs but thinks I shall fall and get some mischiefe he takes a staffe and stayes himself upon it now is this all that he looks upon that he conceives the staffe is able to bear him so a man that hath no staffe knows that such a staffe is able to beare him that is not the thing but this man doth not only believe the staffe is able to beare him but he commits himself unto it and leanes upon it and if he falls he is content he laies the bulk of his body upon the staffe and dares leane upon it so it is with faith it is not only an assent to this that God is wise and omnipotent and gracious and an hearer of prayers and that he comforts them that mourne for sinne and satisfies them that hunger for righteousnesse he not only believes there is a Christ and salvation in him he not only assents to these things but he staies upon them and commits himself to them Fourthly it is expressed by a mans rolling himself upon God Psal 37. 5. 4. Rolling ones â—elâ— on God We translate the words Commit thy way unto the Lord but in the Originall it signifieth to roll a mans way upon God so Psal 22. 8. He trusted God would deliver him it is the same word is used here he rolled himself upon God this is a similitude taken from a Cart-wheele that rolls it self about the Axeltree and staies it self upon it and helps it self in its motion it could not move but for that and by vertue of that it moves to and fro So this is true faith not only when a man assents to the promises of God but rolls himself upon God moves his soul upon Christ and commits himself unto Christ in all his wayes Fifthly faith is expressed by adherence and sticking unto God Psal 119. 31. I have stuck unto thy Commandements Lord put me not unto confusion as who 5. Adhering unto God should say Lord here I hang here I hold here I will stick fast I will ever fear thee I will ever obey thee here I hang and hold and will keep my hold Lord put me not to confusion that is Lord I hope thou wilt do as thou hast spoken Lord let me not be confounded let me not be scoffed at in the world if I be put to shame I am confounded doth this man now only believe the promises in general No but he relieth upon these promises he dares go and take this Bear by the tooth and dares venter upon those harsh duties that are crosse to a mans will and seeme to have no good in them What because he assents to the promises that they are true No but because he is confident that the promises shall be performed So Deut. 4. 4. there saith Moses to the Israelites You that did cleave to the Lord your God you are all alive at this day as who should say though your brethren went away from God some to satisfie their lusts as in the matter of quailes
upon my friend that he will get me a pardon now if my friend send me a letter and send me a pardon under the Kings Seal now I know I have a pardon but my trusting my friend was nothing but my casting my self upon him and setling my self upon him I was confident in him Now when he sends down a token and a Seal under the Kings Majesties hand now I know the event that I have gotten a pardon So it is with a poore creature that is under condemnation and the wrath of God is gone out against him and the justice of God is threatned against him which way soever he looks he can see nothing but hell and damnation and the Gospel hath told him of a friend the Lord Jesus Christ he can help him to a pardon and he trusts to him the Law may be proceeds against him and fears and terrours and may be he is upon the ladder ready to be turned off yet he hangs upon Christ a pardon will come he trusts upon Christ he will not go to the world and to carnal company to pacifie his conscience a pardon will come he casts himself upon this and yet he is not certaine it will come he hath affiance in Christ that it will come now if it be so that whereas he believes in Christ for forgivenesse so Christ sends him a token there is peace of conscience for thee and joy in the Holy Ghost for thee and as he depends upon him for meanes and maintenance so Christ saith there is something for thee to live upon or patience to bear poverty as he believes he shall be accepted of God so here is a token thy prayers are heard Now he hath a token now he may know it Psal 22. 4. They trusted in God and they were delivered that is they trusted in thee and thou diddest send them a token now they knew they were delivered 't is true a man might know this though God should send him no token he might know that he is justified and pardoned and hath title to all the mercy in Christ he might know it without this but that for his own weaknesse and that by two things First by looking into the Word there he might find that he which trusts in Christ and commits himself to God shall be saved Another thing is to reflect upon himself there he shall find that he truly goeth out of himself and casts himself upon God then here he may know it he that believes in Christ shall be saved but I find that I believe in Christ therefore I shall be saved but this is not the act of faith but the knowing of it Fifthly it is not the truth of faith but the strength of faith that apprehends the event let a man believe in Christ and cast himself upon him in all his ways Arg. 5 Not the truth but strength of saith aprehends the event and follow him in all his Commandments this is faith be it never so weak and this doth intitle to justification and sanctification and salvation though it be never so weak yet while it is weak it cannot apprehend the event it will be much afraid in regard of that as suppose a man were learning to swimme he beleeves that if he could but spread his armes and legges the water would beare him up now when he begins to learne he commits himself to the water and spreads his armes and leggs but this is with much feare and misgiving and he sometimes sets one leg on the ground and he hath but little sense and feeling of the waters bearing him because he commits not himself to the water but the more and more he commits himself to the water the more he finds the water bears him and now he can fling away his bladders and swimme over the river he did believe before that the water would beare him but when he did commit himself to the water he had a great deal of feare and could not swim to any purpose but when he had learned the art then he committed himselfe to the water and then he could spread his armes and leggs and swimme So when a man comes first to believe in Christ he thinks I should be the happiest man in the world I should be in a better estate then Kings and Princes â—f I could believe and withal it makes him to believe in Christ and to deny himself and cast himself upon Christ plucks up both his feet and commits himself to the water and fling out himself upon Christ sink or swim yet at the first this is very weak and sometimes he doth it and sometimes he doth it not and sometimes he is feelling for this sometimes for that and somtimes he doth not pray well enough and is not humble enough this is nothing but trusting to himself may be a pleasure comes he cannot deny it he cannot commit himself to Christ the weakness of this is the reason why he cannot apprehend the event for a strong confidence in Christ carries all along with it it will reflect upon it self and gather all these things and be assured he will not only have confidence in Christ but also be confident for the having of those good things he believes in him for HEB. 11. 8 By faith Abraham being called to go out into a place which he should afterwards receive for an inheritance obeyed and he went out not knowing whither he went WE have spoken of Effectual Calling what a great mercy it is that God should vouchsafe this unto us and the abundance of benefits it brings to a man we have shewed how it is differenced from in-effectual Calling How a man may know whether he be effectually called yea or no and so we came to shew you how a man answers this call and he answers it only by faith and so we made a digresse to speak of faith what it is that it is an affiance in Christ not every affiance but a rooted affiance in Christ and now we come to take up the point again that it is only faith whereby a mans calling is made effectual when a man is first called out of darknesse into marvelous light out of the Kingdome of sinne into the Kingdome of God it is only faith that answers that call and so it is ever after whatsoever God cals a Christian to do or to leave undone it is faith that makes a man obey this call The Apostle in this Chapter doth set out many commendations of faith to exhort the Hebrewes and all Beleevers and all persons to the getting of it and to labour to have it grow in them and to make much of it as being a most excellent Grace of God and he commends faith two wayes First by the description of it in the first verse Faith is the substance of things hoped for the evidence of things not seen a Believer hopes for great matters though he seeth not any of them may be he is yet a poore miserable contemptible
God therefore seeing they went on in their sinnes it is certaine they did not believe for faith only makes a man obey God and wheresoever it is a man obeyeth God Reas 1. Because faith seeth an indissolvable couple of attributes in God Reas 1 Because faith seeth Gods purity and mercy to be inâ—eparable attributes that cannot be separated and severed as it seeth his grace and mercy to draw him forward so it seeth his purity and justice and holinesse and righteousnesse that it dares not but obey God as it doth discerne his grace and mercy to make him perfectly to trust in God so it seeth another thing in God that God is of that nature that he must be served and worshipped and obeyed Therefore you shall see Noah though the building of the Ark were an endlesse work and a costly and chargeable work in the eyes of men it would cost him many yeares to build and he could not look after his calling and after the world but it would take him up for an hundred and twenty yeares and set all the world a talking of him and mocking at him for it yet when God commanded him to do it faith made him do it and how did faith make him do it Heb. 11. 7. By faith Noah being forewarned of God of things not seen as yet moved by feare prepared an Ark fear moved him faith made him do it but how did faith make him do it It moved him with feare and so made him do it it made him see God was an holy and righteous God that would not be dallied withal and this moved him with feare and he durst not but do it whatsoever it put him to he durst not omit it faith makes a man that he dares not be bold with God it takes away the impudency of the heart and the venterousnesse of the soul as long as a man doth not believe he dares make bold with such Commandements of God as he likes not he will omit them for all him but when faith comes it reveales God to the soul and shewes who he is and what nature he is of and that he is such a one as will not be dallied with but his Commandements must be done and his will must be obeyed or else woe to that man it shewes to a man the infinite Majestie of God and sets it before a mans face that he dares not go on in any thing contrary to Gods will but obey God in whatsoever he commands him and abstaine from whatsoever God forbids as Paul saith We dare not make our selves of the number or compare our selves with some that commend themselves 2 Cor. 10. 12. He knew God had forbidden it and he durst not but obey So 1 Cor. 6. 1. Dare any of you having a matter go to Law before unbeleevers As who should say you are not beleevers if you do it faith would shew you what God is and what an inglorious and what a bitter thing it is for you to do it how dare you do it Secondly Faith doth not onely look upon Christ as a Saviour and a Redeemer but also as a Lord and King when Christ comes to a man 2. Because â—aith looks on Christ not only as a Saviour but as a Lord when faith comes into the soul Christ is called our Lord Jesus Christ as he is a Jesus so he is a Lord and faith doth not only receive him as a Jesus but submits to him as to a Sovereigne Faith takes them both together faith will not let a man live Lordlesse it knowes he must take Christ as a Lord as well as a Redeemer as faith takes off the guilt of sinne so it puts the yoake of Christ on Is Christ divided saith the Apostle 1 Corinthians 1. 13. So I may say is Christ divided Can he be disjoynted himselfe from himselfe Can people mangle Christ in pieces and divide him asunder May be thou wilt have him as a Jesus but thou wilt not have him as a Lord then thou canst not have him at all as Peter saith Acts 2. 36. Be it known to all that God hath made the same Jesus whom ye have crucified both Lord and Christ As he hath made him a Christ by anointing him to be a Saviour to bring men from sinne and to bring them to Gods Kingdome and save them from wrath so he hath made him a Lord he hath set him up as a King upon his Holy Hill of Zion look as it was with Jephtah when the Gileadites would have him to save them from the Ammonites shall I be your head then saith he and he made them to sweare before the Lord that they would make him their Head or else he would not deliver them so if thou wilt have Christ to deliver thee out of the hands of thine enemies sinne is an enemy and the Law is an enemy and the Devill is an enemy and the world and thine own flesh is an enemy if thou wilt have Christ to deliver thee from these enemies shall he be thy Head He hath sworne an Oath That we being delivered from the hands of our enemies should serve him in holinesse and righteousnesse all the dayes of our lives Luke 1. 73. He hath sworne with an Oath that that man whom he delivers from his enemies shall serve him in holinesse and righteousnesse and shall not live as he list he shall not live Lawlesse he shall take Christs Lawes as well as his Merits as well Christs Government as the imputation of his truth and righteousnesse he shall take the one as well as the other Now it is an easie thing for a man to believe by a presumptuous faith that Christ is a Jesus but here is the difficulty to take him as a Lord No man can call Christ a Lord but by the Holy Ghost saith the Apostle 1 Cor. 12. 3. He doth not say no man can say Christ is a Jesus the Devill and presumption can make a man say so and every man hopes and beares himself upon this that Christ is a Jesus but no man can truly confesse him to be a Lord but by the Holy Ghost unlesse the Holy Ghost enable him as our Saviour saith David by the Spirit called him Lord he speakes of himselfe Matth. 22. 43. It is a great matter to submit to Christ as a Sovereigne as well as to take Christ for a Saviour now faith seeth both must be done it must take Christ under both relations as he must take him under the relation of a Redeemer so under the relation of a Lord as to be saved by him so to be guided and swayed by him in all his wayes and to be at his disposing in all his courses thus faith seeth Christ is propounded in the Gospell and thus Christ embraceth him it cannot have him in one respect but it must also have him in the other and so faith brings in obedience Thirdly Faith seeth another couple that cannot be disjoynted and severed one from
to deaths door before he quickens him it is the Gospel that truly humbles him and works these Privations and now he is within the compasse of the Promise now he hath a Promise that he shall be quickned and have supply in regard of all these Privations but so long as these Privations are only legal he hath no Promise that he shall be quickned for many are humbled and made dead as it were by the Law and yet shake it off again and go to their proâ—its and pleasures and delights and hardnesse of heart again many a man hath been gastered by the Law and cryed out of his damned estate and condition and yet hath got up again and recovered himself by the world and the things of the world and it was ever so of old as we may see in Cain the Law had discovered him to himself to be a dead man and a damned man I see my sins are greater then can be forgiven or are forgiven or shall be forgiven he saw his punishment was intolerable his condemnation was more then he was able to bear From thy presence am I cast out and a Vagabond shall I be upon the facâ— of the earth Gen. 4. 14. Yet he was not the formal Object of Mercy the Gospel did not quicken him nor convert him he was not the formal Object of Mercy for he shook off these terrours again as we may see in the very same Chapter and went to building of Cities and inventing of Musick and other Arts and Sciences and this quickned and revived him again but he never came to true Life So it is with many men though they be terrified and gastered and humbled and cast down by the Law yet they get up again and run after the world and after security and hardnesse of heart again so that such a man is not the formal Object of Mercy 2. Again We see many though they be wrought upon thus by the Law and their Eyes be enlightned and their Consciences awaked and they see that they are in a wretched and damned estate yet they scrape together a company of vain hopes and so heal themselves again VVhen they have been terrified by the Law they seek presently for Promises and how they may get up again and they would fain get up and they lye at catch at every Sermon and at every Chapter and at every Word which a good man speaks and if they can get any hold they catch at it and so get up again and go on And when they have got a little comfort and think they shall do well they are as carelesse and as stubborn and as secure as ever they were they may go on in the profession of Religion but yet their latter end is worse than their beginning The unclean Divel may be cast out but the Devil transforms himself into an angel of light and enters into them and they go on in doing good duties but they never have the power of Religion Again Thirdly Many that are humbled by the Law they run away and never come to Christ as Judas when he saw he was condemned he went and hanged himself Matth. 27. 3 5. Some expound it of Christ when he saw Christ was condemned but others expound it of himself when Judas saw himself was condemned and that seems to be the meaning of the place for Christ was not condemned nor so much as accused there came not any witnesse against him till Judas had hanged himself as we may see if we read that Chapter But whether that be the meaning or no this is true and certain he saw he was a dead man he saw he lay under the guilt of his sins and he despaired of Mercy and went and hanged himself Again Lastly If such a man were the Object of Mercy then all the damned in Hell were the formal Objects of Mercy for there is never a man in Hell but the Law hath its work to the uttermost upon him it can work a man no lower it can sink a man no deeper it can make a man no more miserable then those that are in Hell Now if a dead man by the Law should be the formal Object of mercy then the damned in Hell should be the formal Object of mercy which cannot be for from thence there is no Redemption Go ye cursed into everlasting fire prepared for the Divel and his angels Matth. 25. there is no quenching of that fire So that we see the legal killing of the Law doth not make a man the formal Object of mercy But yet such a man hath a great deal of advantage he is before a world of other men that live secure if men were in this estate they were in a thousand times more likelyhood to be saved If I could hear of people that were gastered and cast down by the Law that saw themselves without Christ and without Mercy in the power of Satan and in the bond of iniquity if they cryed out I am a dead man and a damned man if I dye now at this present I shall go to Hell if People were in this estate and condition there were more hopes of them a thousand times there is no hope of people that do live secure in their sins so long as the Trumpet of the Law hath not sounded in their ears so long as the Hammer of the Law hath not sounded upon their hearts there is no hope of mercy for them Therefore now for the clearing of this a little more let me shew you First What it is to be dead according as the Gospel makes a man to be a dead man Secondly What is the difference between Legal Privation and Evangelical and when these Privations are Evangelical and put a man under the actual title to Mercy under an actual interest in the Promises Thirdly VVhat Use we are to make of it For the First VVhat it is to be Evangelically dead To be Legally dead is not to be half a quarter so much dead as to be Evangelically dead so as the Gospel makes a man dead before it quickens him VVhen a man is Evangelically dead it makes him more dead by a thousand degrees then all the Law in the world can make him it makes him more dead by odds when a man is Legally dead and sees himself to be a damned creature and whereas he hoped to have mercy he seeth now he hath none and whereas he hoped to go to Heaven he now seeth the Gates are shut against him and whereas he hoped he had some good in him now he sees he hath nothing in him a man would think this were a dead man but his livelinesse is only in a swound the Law lying upon him will not let his livelinesse appear and if the Law should lye upon him for ever it would never let his livelinesse actually appear but yet he is not throughly dead all this while as for example 1. Self-conceitednesse it is not deaded when a man is killed by the
Law you would think his conceitednesse were gone he was conceited he was a good Christian but now he sees no such matter he was conceited before that he would repent and God would be merciful to him but now he seeth he is utterly deprived of mercy and lies under the wrath of God you would think now that all his conceitedness was gone but it is but only in a swound all this while he lies for dead as it were but he is not dead So take a man that is in Hell all his good conceits of mercy and of himself and his profits and pleasures and vanities and delights they are all gone now What doth Pride profit me What good do Riches do me What have all my Pleasures and Delights done me good All my labour is vanity and all my delights folly one would think all his conceits were clean gone but they are only in a swound If a damned man were out of Hell if the Lord should take off the lash of his Law from him he would have as good a conceit of his Profits and Pleasures and Riches again as ever he had and he would have his carnal Reasons against the strictnesse of Religion again as rise as ever he had they are only laid in a swound indeed there they shall lie a man can never get up again because the Law lies continually upon him he is continually under the lash of the Law and the Law holds this picture before his eyes and shews him his damned estate anâ— condition but upon such a supposition that he might come out of Hell his conceits would rise up again Prov. 5. 12 13. Solomon there brings in a man wrought upon by the Law the Law discovered him to be a dead man How have I hated instruction and despised correction and have not obeyed the voice of them that taught me nor inclined my eare to them that instructed me His carnal Reasons are now all gone they are in a swound they were true Instructions that I have hated they were true Reports that I have despised and they were base and damned Courses which I have followed How have I lived One would think all his foolish conceits now were gone they are in a swound indeed and cannot get up But the Gospel will give a man his deaths wound a man can never have that good conceit of himself he had before nor of his lusts and vanities and profits and delights his self-conceitednesse hath now got his deaths wound Secondly For self-confidence when the Law hath humbled-a man his self-confidence is only in a swound when he lyeth in Hell under the lash of the Law he seemeth to have no power in himself no life or activity to any duty He sees that he is poor and weak and rotten and wretched A poor creature he is he seeth it plainly and all his self-confidence seems to he gone but yet there is a great deal of self-confidence actually in Hell for though they are in Hell yet they think if they were alive again what they would do I would hear the Word and call upon God I would repent and not live in sin and not do as I have done they think they would do thus and thus as it was with Dives Luke 16. 30. I have five brethren saith he if one should come to them from the dead they would repent and not come where I am If they knew but as much as I know they would repent I am sure if they were in my case they would if they were in hell where I am if they knew how certain it is that they shall come to hell where I am when they die unlesse they do repent at the preaching of the Prophets and hearken to the voice of Gods Ministers and yield and submit to God they would do it I would if it were my case This is self-confidence for self-confidence is only laid asleep in Hell and it cannot rise again It is true the Law may dead a man and give him three deaths wounds There are Three Wounds that the Law gives a man First It makes it appear that a man is worthy of death the Law makes him see his guiltinesse Secondly The Law pronounceth upon a sinner the sentence of death as Paul saith of a natural death I received the sentence of death 2 Cor. 1. 9. that is I was a dead man I took my self to be a dead man So the Law doth make a man to be a dead man it pronounceth the sentence of death upon him it doth not only make it appear that he is worthy of death for so it may do and yet he may have hope of mercy but it makes a man receive the sentence of death and to be a dead man If a man be once condemned if the sentence of death be passed upon him then he is without hope that the Judge will save him because the sentence of condemnation is passed upon him A man may see himself worthy of death and yet hope for mercy Rom. 1. 31. Therefore the Law doth pronounce the sentence of death upon him and makes a man in a second degree dead Nay Thirdly The law makes a man see there is no hope of return as it is with a dead man when a man is truly dead there is no return from death there is no rising again as the Wise-man speaks of the strange women Prov. 2. 18 19. Surely her house tendeth to death and her paths unto the dead they that go unto her return not again neither take they hold of the wayes of life Here the Wise-man sets forth the infinite misery and damnable estate of such a creature and the irrecoverableness of such a person without the extraordinary mercy of God Ordinarily such persons are seldom or never brought to repentance ordinarily they are irrecoverable So the Law makes a man see he is guilty of death and it passeth the sentence of condemnation upon him and it makes him see there is no repeal of that sentence thus the law leaves him Now a man would think Can a man be more dead then thus How can a man be more dead Yet he may be a thousand times more dead for the livelynesse of a man is but in a swound all this while a man cannot be brisk and peark and self-conceited he is now laid in a swound but is not stark dead But when a man comes to be Evangelically dead he is more dead a great deale And I will shew you it in these three things 1. First He is most dead that is hardest to recover Now when a man is legally dead it is easie to recover that man let but the lash of the law be taken off let but God let him alone and the profits and pleasures of the world will make him alive again his friends and vanities and delights will put life into him again it is an easie matter to recover this man but let a man be evangelically dead when the Gospel hath deaded a
bursts forth and so he hath no evidence of comfort to his soul be knows not how to meet God in the field But when the wrath of God breaks out in any kind upon his Goods or Wife or Children or Body or Friends or any thing he is at a losse and knows not what to do he is fain to sink under the hand of God and hath no refuge to flie unto therefore we should watch against the day of Gods anger Thirdly We should watch over the times of Grace for there be gracious Time of Grace and acceptable times as the Apostle calls them 2 Cor. 6. 21. Many times good motions come in Now if we do not watch to keep them and nourish them in our hearts the Lord will passe us by at another time and we shall not be moved Sometimes God affects thy heart at a Sermon and puts in a good resolution to forsake sin and lead a new life now have a care to keep these resolutions and let them not perish in thee and go out like lightning The Lord hath given many a blessed season and oportunity of mercy the water was moved if he would have but stepped in if he would but have taken hold of the mercy he might have had it but afterwards he may go mourning and thirsting and longing and never have the mercy offered more and it is well if he can be humbled for missing of that mercy by his neglect and watch for the future the times of Grace Again we should watch the times of Death we are all mortal men Death must die and Blessed is that servant whom his Lord when he cometh shall find him so doing Mat. 24. 5. If any of us should dye before we are converted and brought home to God we perish for ever Whosoever thou art if thou die in thy sins with thy dead hard unsanctified unregenerate heart thou art damned thou goest to Hell Therefore watch for the coming of death that so when it comes it may not be the King of Terrours and an amazement to thy heart Againe We must watch for the day of Judgment as Death leaves us so Judgment will find us Therefore we should consider with our selves seriously Judgment the strictnesse of the account we are to give at the dreadful day of the Son of man when all works shall be brought to a Touch-stone and all secrets shall be Preached on the House top It is an excellent thing when a man doth consider these things before hand when a man hath looked upon his thoughts for they shall be Judged and upon his speeches and upon all his wayes for they shall all be brought before the Judgment Seat of God and according as a man hath done such reward he shall receive for evermore The next thing is the Reasons why we are to Watch. Reasons Our proneness to be drowzy And the First Reason is Because we are marvellous prone to be Drowzy in Spiritual things In temporal things we are watchful enough for Covetousnesse and Pride and the like we are very watchful but in Spiritual things how subject are we to Drowzyness Paul himself was fain to complain I know that in me that is in my flesh dwelleth no good thing Rom. 7. 18. Is thy heart better then Saint Pauls If he were left to himself he should be as miserable and proud and untoward as another and have as vile an heart as another and therefore that made him watch Therefore we had need to watch for how loath are we to be brought to watch And how unwilling to take such an hard piece of service to do we are marvellous apt to be secure If Jonah had watched if he had had a watch over his heart he would have gone to Nineveh but for want of watchfulnesse he ran away Cant. 5. 2. I sleep saith the Church it was not like the sleep of she wicked and ungodly for her heart waked but she was asleep she was proud and marvellous secure there was a great deal of untowardnesse of spirit grew upon her And as we are untoward to that which is good so we are prone to that which is evil we are glued naturally to the world and the things of this life it is an easie thing to draw us away into evill therefore we had need to watch As it is said of the Disciples of Christ in regard of temporal drowziness so it is with us in regard of Spiritual drowziness Matth. 26. 43. He came and found them asleep again for their eyes were heavy Though Christ had awakened them and jogged them yet they were asleep again for their eyes were heavy So though the Lord hath awakened us even now we were awakened by a Crosse by Sicknesse by a Sermon by a Reproof something or other God hath been pleased to waken us by but all on the suddain we fall asleep again for our hearts are very heavy as it is with an heavy brain what a doe he hath to keep himself awake though he pinch himself and rowze up himself yet he hath much adoe to keep his eyes open so the heart of man is so drowzy that he hath much adoâ— to keep any Grace alive in himself we are so apt to be so secure that we had need to watch Zech. 4. 1. the Prophet complains of the drowziness of his heart The Angel that talked with me came again and waked me as a man is wakened out of his sleep when God was talking with him he fell into a sleep So when we are in Prayer we have much adoe to hold out in the duty we have such vile natures and cursed dispositions How ought we then to watch over our selves Secondly Another reason why we should be watchful is because our life is a Warfare and we do not lie like two Armies in a field removed Christians life is a Warfare one from the other but we lie in the midst of our enemies round about us and so they are ready to surprize us The greatest means of doing us mischief are most commonly those things we have need of as our meat and drink and affaires and callings The world an Eenemy we cannot go to prayer but worldly thoughts are ready to intangle us we cannot go to the House of God but a man is in danger to be intrapped There is danger in every thing we go about by reason of the worlds powerful enticements therefore we had need to stand upon our guard and be careful for else how can we avoid to be suprized and led away This is the reason why so many sink into Perdition Many that have given good hopes many that have promised excellent things have come to nothing but have fallen away as the fall of a leafe Whence comes this but because they have not been careful and watchful The Divel is watchful to insnare and intrap us therefore we should watch The Divel to avoid his snares As the Apostle saith 1 Pet.
watch over our souls we had need be our own Porters Matth. 13. 34. our Saviour Christ doth compare every Christian to a Porter The Lord of the house takes a great journey and commands the Porter to watch We should all be Porters and keep the gates of our Souls for we are alwayes in danger Thirdly Consider that God hath awakened many of in already and therefore We are already awakened it is a miserable thing for us to sleep again wicked and ungodly men that were never converted and healed and awakened and wrought upon they go to Hell and damnation in a sleepy security but when a man hath been once awakened and hath shaken off sleep and God hath made him look about him to see how he might be saved if this man fall asleep again it is a most miserable thing the latter end of that man will be worse then his beginning Fourthly Consider the badnesse of the Times and Places and Families Badness of the times and carelessness of the most we â—â—ve in they are all secure and therefore we had need be so much the more vvatchful and you knovv it is a very hard thing for a man not to do as others do therefore the Apostle 1 Thess 5. 6. vvould not have them sleep as others do as vvho should say Others do so and therefore you have so much the more need to look to your selves that you may not do as others do THE NEVV BIRTH Joh. 3. 6. That vvhich is born of the Flesh is Flesh but that vvhich is born of the Spirit is Spirit MY Purpose is to speak of the several VVorks of Gods holy Spirit in the hearts and minds of his chosen they are Gods peculiar people and therefore he vvill vvork greater Mercies for them then for any else Novv the First grand distinguishing vvork of the Holy Ghost in the Elect is Regeneration he is the Author of Spiritual life in them they are born of him though by nature they are born of the flesh and so are flesh and in that estate can never enter into the kingdom of God yet vvhen the Spirit of God comes to regenerate them they come to be Spirit they come to have a nevv life and the Spirit of God gives it them it is true that Christ is the Author of this life he procured it by his death he quickens whom he will as he told his Disciples Joh. 14. 19. Because I live ye shall live also Life is derived by Christ to all the Members of Christ for as all in Adam died Adam is the general root of all in his loins and by him they come to be dead in sin so Christ is the Second Adam and all that are in his loins all that are in him he is a quickning Spirit to them 1 Cor. 15. 45. The first man Adam was made a living Soul the second Adam was made a quickning Spirit Christ is the second Adam and is a quickning Spirit to all that are in him God the Father hath appointed him to be the Prince of Life as Peter tells his Hearers Act. 3. 15. The Lord Jesus Christ he is the Prince of life to all the people of God and therefore Saint John saith He that hath the Son hath life and he that hath not the Son hath not life 1 Joh. 5. 12. He is the Father of this new Birth and he is the daily and continual Father of it He is not a Father for one or two or divers years but Isa 9. 6. he is called An everlasting Father to regenerate a people to God and he doth it by his Resurrection 1 Pet. 1. 3. This must needs be granted That Christ must be the Author of this new Life Now you will say Then why is it attributed to the Spirit The Text gives it to the Spirit of God the Holy Ghost now if Christ be the Author of this new Birth and the giver of this new Life and God the Father hath appointed him to be so Why is it then here said That the Spirit doth it Regeneration attributed to the spirit I Answer It is given to the Spirit for Three Reasons First Because Christ doth it by the Spirit Whatsoever Christ doth without he doth it by the Spirit when he cast out Divels here upon Because Christ doth it by the spirit Earth he did it by his Spirit all the outward VVorks that he wrought he wrought them by his Spirit and therefore the Spirit is called the Finger of God Luk. 11. 20. Now if Christ do this VVork by his Spirit if he do Regenerate all his people by his own Spirit there is Reason why they should be said to be born of the Spirit Secondly Another Reason is Because though this life be all from Christ Spirit is the bond of union between us and Christ it is he that begets it it is he that is the soul of every Believer as I may so speak yet it is the Spirit that is the Bond of Vnion it is the Spirit that joyns Christ and them together it is the Spirit that tyeth the knot it is the Spirit that unites and puts them together into one though Christ be life and eternal life yet notwithstanding they are all Aliens from Christ they are all out of Christ that the Spirit doth not joyn together with Christ they that have not the Spirit of Christ they are none of his they are all out of Christ they are like dead branches out of the Vine it is the Spirit that is the bond of Vnion between Christ and those that are Christs Thirdly Another Reason is Because the Spirit quickens the Word whereby Because the spirit quickens the word whereby we are born again this is done The people of God the thing that they are born of again it is the immortal seed of the VVord 1 Pet. 1. 23. You are born again not of corruptible seed but of incorruptible Now this seed is sowen in all mens hearts scattered among all the Congregation but yet it doth not Regenerate all the Congregation The Reason is where the Spirit comes that makes it fruitful and that makes it to quicken the heart and thus you see the meaning of the words That which is born of the Spirit is Spirit Now here are Two Points First That the Spirit of God or the Holy Ghost Regenerates all the people of God whosoever is born again is born of the Spirit The Second Point is this That all that are Regenerate all that are born of the Spirit they are Spirit that is they are spiritual they are like the Spirit The First is That it is the Spirit of God the Holy Ghost that doth Regenerate That the spirit of God doth regenerate all the Saints all the people of God this is that which makes them to be new Creatures to be new men to be altogether different from that they were before this is that which doth distinguish them from themselves even as much
is all that are born of God they are brought forth in the day of Gods power in the day wherein God is pleased to put forth his power in them therefore they are called the seed of Christ Isa 53. 10. They are his seed but unless he begets them by his Spirit they can never be so Therefore if we consider the greatness of the work it sheweth plainly it must needs be the effect of the Will of God and his good Pleasure towards man and therefore must be wrought by the Spirit Secondly Another Reason is Because it is not a work of this world It No other agent can do it is a work of another world it is none of the creatures of this life it is beyond the sphere of the activity of any natural agent they cannot reach it Joh. 1. 13. Which were born not of the will of the flesh nor of bloud c. It is not of mans Will he cannot so much as Will it or Desire it effectually he cannot wish it truly nay his heart had rather have the world nay saith he It is not of the Will of the Flesh that is a man may go and beget another Child in the world because it is of the Will of the Flesh it is in the power of the Will of the Flesh Gods power going along with him but this is not so whatsoever a man be though he hath never so many excellent parts it is not in the Will of the Flesh to do it Then again it is not of Bloud it is no terrene or earthly thing this new creature is otherwise made than any new creature in the world besides therefore he concludes it is only born of God it is God only that is the great Author of this great work it descends down meerly from above Thirdly Because it is so far from being wrought by any power Man is totally against it of himself in man or any counsel in man or any endeavours in man it is so far from that as that a man is totally against it A man is an enemy unto it a man hath reluctancy and repugnancy against it he would not be regenerate when a man doth think he desires heaven and to be regenerated of God he doth apprehend Regeneration in a wrong way and heaven in a wrong way so as he apprehends it he doth Will it he thinks of heaven as of a fine place and a place full of pleasure and therefore desires it but that he should alwayes be with God that he should alwayes be praysing and thinking of God and minding of God and have his heart weaned from all other things and set it on God this is heaven but he hates these things and so hates heaven so he Wills that which he apprehends to be Regeneration but Regeneration is when a man hath a new heart and when he is a new-man he was wordly before but he is now brought to be spiritual he was proud before but he is now come to be humble but the heart cannot abide this therefore let the Lord fling in abundance of throws into a natural mans heart to begin some preparatory work this way to make a man begin to look out towards heaven he flings all away he is weary of them quickly as a man at a Sermon perhaps may have throws concerning the new Birth but the corruption of his heart will throw all way he cannot endure them they are contrary to the corruption of a mans nature nay when God comes to work upon his own people what a deal of pleading is there with the world the flesh and the Divel that they may not be cast out Therefore when Peter saw that through the grace and power of God this work was wrought in those he wrote unto 1 Pet. 1. 3. Mark how he speaks Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again to a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead He lifts up his hands to heaven and blesseth God that ever this work was wrought he saw so much adoe and such a stir and such a deal of opposition this is a plain sign that it is not of man it is not of him that willeth nor of him that runneth but of God which sheweth mercy Rom. 9. 16. Neither can man Will neither can he run neither go nor stir towards it nay though God make him go how apt is â—e to laggar in the way and draw back again So you see the Fourth Thing Why it must needs be the Spirits Work The Fifth Thing is How the Spirit of God works this Work It is after How the Spirit worketh Regeneration an unspeakable manner Who can declare the noble acts of the Lord The works of God in Nature are marvellous David himself when he looked upon his natural Birth the Conception of him in the Womb of his Mother he wondered at it Psal 139. 14. That was a wonderful work how much more is this unspeakable and unutterable As it is said of our Saviour Christ Who can declare his generations So may I say in a lower sense of this Work Who can declare this Regeneration of his people But yet thus far the Scripture doth authorize and warrant us to go First That he doth it by the word of Life By the Gospel of Salvation by the Preaching of it or otherwise according as he pleaseth that is the By the Word of Life immortal seed 1 Pet. 1. 23. Being born again not of corruptible seed but of incorruptible by the word of God c. And as Paul saith to the Coriâ—thians Though you have ten thousand and instructers yet you have not many Fathers for in Christ Jesus I have begotten you through the Gospel 1 Cor. 4. 15. As who should say You are begotten and born again and you are born again by the Word and I was an instrument under God of your new Birth by the Word which I have Preached among you and therefore 1 Tim. 1. 2. he calls Timothy His own Son So Tit. 1. 4. he calls him His Son in the Faith that is he was an instrumental Father under God by the Doctrine of Faith to bring him to be a Child of God So that I say it is done by the Word Of his own Will hath he begotten 〈◊〉 by the Word of truth Jam. 1. 18. The Spirit of the Lord sanctifies the Word when he is pleased to convert a man the Word shall shew him what a miserable creature he is by nature it sheweth him that flesh and bloud cannot enter into the kingdom of God it sheweth him that he is utterly forlorn in himself and past all recovery and shews him where life is to be had namely in Jesus Christ discovering his worth and excellency and necessity and that all Grace and good is in him and shews him the freedom of this gracious offer Thus the Spirit of God when he
on the Sabbath day as who should say If it be in the Winter that will do hurt and be troublesome to your bodies and so if you fly upon the Sabbath day that will trouble your consciences if you regard Gods commandment and the good of your own consciences if you regard or fear Gods name it will grieve you to fly on the Sabbath day whereby you shall be deprived of the Congregation of Gods Saints therefore pray that your flight be not upon that day Intimating that it was Morall for if it had been Ceremoniall he would not have wished them to pray that it might not be upon that day Now whereas our Saviour doth so often condemn the Pharisees in regard of their strictnesse of the Sabbath it is not as if he did disallow the keeping of it but they were foolishly precise they strained at a gnat and swallowed a camel they crowded out and regarded nor Mercy and Judgment they would not pull a poor beast out of a pit or relieve a poor man upon the Sabbath day they found fault that a man should be helped from deaths door by our Saviour upon the Sabbath this was their folly Now our Saviour did not condemn strict keeping of the Sabbath but he did condemn their Superstition for ever since Adams time it was lawful to do works of Mercy on the Sabbath it was Lawful to pull a beast out of the pit and do works of Mercy and Necessity upon the Sabbath day And whereas the Law saith The Jewes might not kindle a fire on the Sabbath Exod. 35. 3 day if we were in their case we might not neither for they were in the Wildernesse in an hot Countrey where they needed no Fire and having their Food provided to their hands And being in an hot Countrey if they kindled a Fire it was out of wantonnesse but if it had been a cold Countrey in Adams time and Abrahams time and in all times it was lawful to kindle a Fire Againe another Argument is this The very Heathen themselves have Reas 7 ever kept a Sabbath day though they could not tell which the day was some kept the Eighth day and some the Ninth yet they ever kept a Sabbath day Yea it is certain many of the Heathen themselves kept the Sabbath after their manner Alexandrinus a godly Father that lived but a little after Christ saith That the Heathen did count the â—eventh day an Holy day And it is related of Alexander Severus Emperour of Rome though he were a Pagan and Infidel yet every Sabbath day he retired from his Warlike affaires and went up into the Capitol to worship his gods And it is reported againe in Heathen Histories our boyes go not to School upon the Sabbath day neither are Humane Arts taught on that day but we have a Rest upon that day Nay some of the Heathens tell us That they keep it from the Creation therefore Philo tells us That the Sabbath day is the Creation day and divers other poor people that never had Scripture or Prophet or Minister among them but went meerly by the light of Nature and what they had learned from their Ancestors and Fathers they did keep the Sabbath day Nay one of them saith That on the Seventh day all the Host of Heaven and Earth was finished Therefore seeing the very Heathen have learned to keep this day Holy it is an Evident Argument that this is a Moral Commandement I conclude the Proof of this Point with the saying of our Saviour Christ Mat. 5. 18. Heaven and Earth shall passe away but not one jot or title of the Law shall passe away Marke our Saviour saith there that there shall not one jot or title of the Decalogue passe away As for the Ceremonial and Judicial law they stand not still but the whole compasse of them is removed the Ceremonial Law is quite and clean abolished and the Judicial Law in many particulars therefore our Saviour meant it not of those two Laws but he speaks of the Decalogue and he saith Heaven and Earth shall passe away before one jot of it shall passe away much lesse an whole branch be rooted out And Gal. 3. 10. the Apostle saith Cursed is every one that continues not in all things that are written in this Law to do them not only he that continueth not in the fourth and fifth and all the rest And Jam. 2. 10. the Apostle there saith If a man should keep the whole Law of God and be guilty only in one point he is guilty of all Suppose thou didst keep the Three first Commandments and all the Six last if thou keepest not the Fourth Commandment thou art guilty of the breach of all the Commandments I let this passe and come now to the last Proposition which is this That Propos 9. The first day of the week was the Lords day and so to continue to the end of the world though the last day of the week were kept for the Sabbath till the coming of Christ yet the first day of the week that seventh day is now the Lords Day and is so to continue to the end of the World I frame it thus The change of the seventh day to the first day of the week is not by Ecclesiastical Law or by the Law of man or Apostolical Tradition but it is by the Institution and express Commandment of God The first Argument to prove it is taken out of Psal 118. 24. It is an Argument Reas 1 used by the Church of God in all Ages ever since twelve hundred years agoe Saint Austin did use it in his time the Psalmist Prophecieth of the Resurrection of Christ the Stone which the builders refused is become the Head-stone of the Corner this is the Lords doing and it is marvellous in ver 22 23 our eyes Our Saviour Christ Mat. 21. doth expound it of his Crucifying and Resurrection This is the day that the Lord hath made we will be glad and rejoyce in it The Psalmist speaks here of the Resurrection of Christ now speaking of this very day saith he This is The day that the Lord hath made And we for our part that are godly and desire to be built upon this Corner Stone we will be glad and rejoyce in it we will keep it as a glorious day a day of Thanksgiving and Rejoycing in God The thing is plain see Isa 56. 1 2. the Prophet Prophecyeth of the Day of Christ and saith They are blessed that keep the Sabbath thus saith the Lord Keep Judgement and Justice for my Salvation is at hand to come and my Righteousness is to be revealed Blessed is the man that doth this and keepeth my Sabbaths This is a Prophecie of the day of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ and he pronounceth a blessing upon those that keep the Sabbath in those dayes Again Isa 11. 10. it was Prophecied of old that the first day of the week should be the Sabbath day the
for Gods Kingdome but when a man is made poor in spirit when he hath a Privation of those things wherewith his soule was filled now there is room for the Kingdom of God the reason is because a man can never be brought to Christ till he is pinched with these Privations before he can never come to Christ his heart can never be brought to bid so much and stake down so much for Christ as he must do if ever he come to attain him unlesse his heart be pinched with poverty unlesse his heart be void of all these high imaginations he had of himself he will never come to Christ It is plenty that brings down the market and scarcity that makes it rise plentiful years will make Corn of no price almost but if there be famine and scarcity and no bread almost to be had but men are ready to dye for hunger then they wil give any thing they will give ten shillings a bushel twenty nay fourty shillings hath been given for a bushel of Corn as I have read in Chronicles it is poverty that makes men come to a price So must the heart be pinched with Spiritual poverty else it will not come to Christ men will give nothing for the Kingdom of God they will not part with a single groat for Christ the prophane Gallant will not part with a look for Christ the proud vain fool will not part with a foolish lace a foolish fashion for Christ the drunkard will not foregoe a pot for Christ men will not part with any thing for Christ they will not part with a paultry lust or base affection for Christ People will not stir they will not open their purses they will not open their hearts to give any thing for Christ the reason is their hearts are full already People count their profits and pleasures and lusts and vanities and delights their Jewels a man must be poor before he will part with his Jewels but if a man be throughly pinched with poverty he will part with his old Gold and Rings and Jewels and all but he will never part with his Jewels till he be forced to it by extremity So all the lusts of the heart all the things of the world that the mind and affections run upon men account them their Jewels and they will not part with them till they be pinched with poverty Thus it was with the Jaylor Acts 16. 30. when he was pinched with this poverty he cryes out Men and brethren what shall I do to be saved when his heart was pinched with this poverty he was content to part with any thing he was willing to do any thing to hearken to any terms that he might have mercy So that it is necessary for a man to have all these Privations wrought in his heart and be made poor else he will never take Christ upon those terms whereupon he is offered Secondly Suppose a man should conceive worth to be in Christ suppose he should put a great price upon him yet if a man be not under these Privations if he be not pinched with poverty with Spiritual need and want he will never use all means for the attaining of the Kingdom of God He will never betake himself to all those courses that God hath commanded himselfe to be sought in It was need that made Ahab send up and down all Countries and Soiles for water it was need that made the rich Women of Shunem to hazard her life and her family and houshold in a forraign Country she would not have gone a mile of that Journey but for her poverty as Divines use to speak Let two men go to the market the one hath need the other hath not he that hath need will go whatsoever the weather be though the weather be never so foul he will go bread he wants and bread he must have and bread he will have and if he cannot have it at an easie rate he will part with any thing he will pawn his very cloaths from his back for it Why Because he and his Wife and his Children want it But the other he will go according as he likes the weather if the weather be answerable to his mind it may be he will go and it may be not and when he is there it may be he will buy and it may be not according as the price goeth because he hath no need of it So it is in Grace let two men be called upon to seek out for Grace one doth not feel any great need he is not pinched with the want of Faith and Repentance and Pardon and Peace of Conscience though he want these yet he is not pinched with the want his heart is yet full he is not yet come to this Spiritual poverty It may be he will come to a Sermon it may be not it may be he will part with a Lust and it may be not it is according as the bargain pleaseth him he will never use all means nor take up all courses that are prescribed But a man that is ready to starve for want of Christ as Sisera said Give me drink or else I perish so give me Christ or else I perish This man will take any course use any means he must have Christ and will have him when he comes to the Word Christ he wants and Christ he will have and must have all Sermons and all hearing are but as Oile to the fire they do but pinch his Soul so much the more till Christ comes he must have Christ in his Ordinances because he is sensible of his Spiritual poverty So that it is he which is lost that will be found it is he which is a captive that will be freed it is he that is blind that must have his sight and it is he that is naked that must be cloathed he that lies under these woful Privations he must have the form he looks after it he cannot be without it Thus we see that Privation is necessary for Religion the true life of Religion can never come into a man till he be layed under all these woful Privations we read of in Scripture But now here is a Question which will arise which those that are godly Quest would be glad to have resolved and that is this Whether these Privations that the Apostle here speaks of makes a man the formal Object of mercy Saint Paul was alive once before the Law came but when the Law came and was charged upon his Conscience it deprived him of his livelynesse and made him a dead man I dyed saith he Now the Question is this Whether is such a man the formal Object of mercy When the Law hath deprived a man of his conceited riches and made him a poor man and hath proclaimed him a bank-rupt and a begger and made him a captive that he is not able to stir one foot he is not able so much as to think a good thought but he lyeth under wrath and is
not able to get out Whether is such a man the formal Object of mercy I mean whether is he such a one as the Gospel hath promised deliverance unto When a man by the Law is made a dead Creature and is altogether deprived of life and health he hath no life actually and there is no life actually to be had for him for so the law leaves him without any hope of getting any life Whether is this man the formal Object of mercy whether is he such a one as the Gospel doth make promise to of quickning and enriching and gathering and finding and saving and comforting and the like whether is this man the formal Object of mercy Every man is the Object of mercy but whether hath this man got those properties that belong to the actual Object of mercy The reason why I propound this Question is this Because the Scripture seems to make such a one the formal Object of mercy such a one as mercy is promised to such a one as the Gospel looks upon as the proper and actual Object of mercy for the Gospel is said to quicken the dead and to give them life it is the Letter that killeth and the Spirit that giveth life 2 Cor. 3. 6. It giveth life to him that was before a dead man to him that was killed by the letter So for poverty Luk. 4. 18. To the poor the Gospel is preached the Spirit of the Lord is upon me because he hath annointed me to preach the Gospel to the poor he hath sent me that I should heal the broken hearted and preach deliverance to the Captives and recovering of sight to the blind So that when the Law hath made a man a poor man and hath stripped him of all his conceited riches and hath made him a begger it seems that Christ is anointed to preach mercy to such a one it seems that such a one is the formal Object of the Gospel See Psal 147. 2. He gathers the out-casts of Israel when the Law hath made a man an out-cast it seems he is the formal Object of mercy The Gospel undertakes to gather such people so far lost The Son of man is come to save that which is lost Mat. 18. 11. he is come for that purpose it is his Commission he is sent to save that which is lost when the Law hath made a man to be a lost man that he seeth he is utterly undone without mercy Christ is come to save such people and to look upon them as the formal Object of mercy So for death it self when a man is made dead by the Law The houre shall come saith our Saviour and now is that the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God and they that do hear it shall live Joh. 5. 25. It seems that the Scripture makes such as are made dead by the Law and poor and blind and naked and wretched and miserable by reason of the Law being pressed upon them and pulling them down with terrour and conviction it seems such a one is the formal Object of mercy such a one to whom mercy is promised I do not mean that he is the formal Object of the invitations of the Gospel that is most certain there is no question of that Come unto me all ye that are weary and heavy ladâ—n and you shall find rest to your souls Come unto me all you that are poor and blind and naked and dead and I will give you life have you a hard heart that you cannot free your selves from come unto me and I will free you from it have you no power to repent and believe come unto me and take mercy upon my terms and believe in me whatsoever weaknesse is in you I will strengthen you whatever discomforts and wants lye upon you I will relieve and chear you This is certain the more a man seeth himself a dead man the more he is the formal Object of the invitation of the Gospel But the Question is Whether he is the formal Object of the promises of the Gospel I Answer No There is a great deal of difference between legal Privations and these Privations as they are Evangelical as the Gospel makes Answ them before it quickens a man there is a great deal of difference between a man that is dead and poor and blind and naked and miserable by reason of the Law and a man that hath these privations wrought in him by the power of the Gospel when a man is made dead by the Law and sees himself a lost creature by reason that the Law plainly shews him his estate and condition this man may be a Reprobate for all this and go to hell there is no promise in the Word that God will quicken him and raise him up Christ is free from any promise in this kind he may quicken him if he will and not quicken him if he please I may say in this sense as Christ himself saith Joh. 5. The Son of man quickens whâ—m he will He is free to quicken whom he will though a man be made a dead man by the Law and cry out he is a dead man and a damned man though he hath the works of the Law and be terrified and gastered and humbled by the Law yet Christ is free from any promise he hath made to these people there is never a Promise in all the Word that Christ hath bound himself by to these people to quicken them they cannot say there is such a Promise in the Word that Christ shall quicken them There are plain places in the Scripture wherein the Lord invites such people upon condition they will come and believe and submit to the Gospel there is a conditional invitation upon these terms But that these People shall be quickned and shall have eternal Life given them there in no such Promise the Lord is free the Lord hath not bound himself to it but when a man is dead according as the Gospel makes a man dead before it quickens him and when a man is poor according as the Gospel makes him poor and when a man is blind according as the Gospel makes him blind now a man is within the compasse of Gods Promises he is one that is the formal Object of Mercy he is one that shall have Mercy and shall have Salvation and Redemption by Jesus Christ these dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God and shall live the tongue of these stammerers shall speak plain the eyes of these blind shall see these out-casts shall be gathered these naked shall be cloathed these lost shall be found these poor shall be enriched when a man is dead so as the Gospel deads a man before it quickens a man for the Lord damns a man before he saves a man and kills a man before he quickens him like a good Surgeon that cuts before he cures or like a good Physician that kills a man almost with Physick so the Lord doth bring a man