otherwise you never shall you never can receive grace and yet notwithstanding what is that which carryeth away men in the world they are naught and wicked reprove them for it they heale all and make up all presently they beleeve in Christ and they repent them of their sinnes and shall not they bee saved They say indeede that they doe beleeve and they doe repent but the text saith they doe not so and the Lord in his word saith it is not talke it is not wishes but it is the willing of Christ and grace that will obtaine grace In the 15 of Mathew Mat. 15.8 9. and the 8 and 9 verses there saith the text In vaine doe these men worshippe mee for they draw nigh unto mee with their mouth and honour mee with their lippes but their heart is farre from me they draw neere Christ with their lippes that is they speake as good words as can bee they say they are sinners and that the Lord came to save sinners and they are humbled for their sinnes and attend their Church diligently and hurt no body But their hearts are from me saith the text why because that hearts are still upon their sinnes they are as proud as ever as ignorant as ever as vaine as ever their hearts still runne after sinfull courses and wicked practises and therefore away with this talke and such vaine pretences as men make in this case unlesse your hearts goe together with your words all is worth nothing what a fond imagination is this that a man should thinke his words should doe him good when his heart goeth against them when their mouthes professe Christ and their hearts oppose Christ Thou sayest thou prizest Christ above all things and yet thou wilt not lose a base sinne for Christ thou wilt not forsake any wicked lust or corruption for Christ you will say you prize Christ above all and yet many of your prophane drunkards will not lose a cup for Christ nay you will not lose any base custome for Christ you were prophane and you will be so still you were proud and you will bee so still thy heart and thy words doe not goe together and therefore never thinke that thy words will save thee Thou sayest thou beleevest but thy heart saith the contrary thou professest thou hast grace but thy heart denieth it and therefore it is a very sottish conceit to thinke thy words will doe thee any good when thy 〈◊〉 denieth what thy tongue professeth goe home therefore and examine your owne hearts and thinke thus with your selves I have talked much and I have said that I had faith and grace but oh wretch that I am my heart saith the contrary What a wretch am I doe I thinke that God will have mercy on mee because I say and professe that I am a sinner and because I say that I pray unto God for the forgivenesse of my sinnes no no those very words will condemne me because my heart goes not with my words it had beene farre better for these men that they never had spoke these things for these very words will rise up in judgement against them nay these words will keep them from the true willing of grace for they thinke they have it already because they say they have it this is a very dangerous conceit and therefore know that words will not carry all away to say we repent and beleeve and have grace these doe us no good at all wee must will grace before wee shall have grace but this is not a willing but onely a talking of grace The second use is a word of terror to shake the hearts of all wretched sinfull creatures under heaven those whom wee may condemne out of their owne mouthes they professe they will not have grace and therefore wee may conclude they never shall have grace their owne words will witnesse against them for when the Ministers list up their voyces like a Trumpet and cry night and day and cal upon them this is the good and ancient way walke in this way in the way of faith and repentance what answer doe men give they openly professe they will not doe this they will not walke in this way The Lord tendereth grace happinesse and salvation unto us and yet many do professe they will not come they will not attend upon God in his ordinances they will not embrace nor they will not entertaine Christ and grace and salvation they will not come to the meanes of grace and therefore they shall never have grace they never shall bee made partakers of it A man must will grace before he can have grace but you will it not you desire it not and therefore as sure as the Lord liveth you cannot have it Another generation there is that come to the house of God and sit as Gods people do and heare as Gods people doe but their hearts runneth after their covetousnesse when in your soules you can say our bodies are here indeed but our hearts are after our lusts and corruptions after our profits and pleasures if it be thus with you then still you resolve that your hearts shall not will the grace of God and therefore it is cleare and evident that you have not yet received grace Men resolve to doe as they did in the 18 of the Prophecy of Ieremie verse Ier. 18.12 12. They said there is no hope but wee will walke every one after our owne devices and doe the imaginations of our evill heart When the Lord called upon them to walke in the good way oh they would none of that but they would walke after the imaginations of their hearts And did these spirits thinke yee dye in those times are not some such now among us in these times wherein men say wee will not reforme our families nor wee will not pray with them wee will not keepe the Sabbaths nor wee will not leave our swearing and our swaggering our pride and our covetousnesse no all the Ministers under heaven shall not perswade us wee will take up our owne lewd and wicked courses we will bee prophane still and wee will sweare still wee will not amend our lives nor reforme our families in what a miserable accursed damnable estate are those men they will not leave and forsake their lewd practises and therefore they cannot will grace and if they cannot will it then we may certainely conclude they shall never obtaine it But you will say you would leave your wicked courses and reforme your families if you could doe it but you cannot I answer is it nor in your power to plucke your children and your servants into the Lords house on the Sabbath day is it not in your power to use the meanes whereby you may reforme your lives you can doe it but you will not doe it you will take up your owne wayes and your owne practises and therefore the case is plaine you will not take Christ and therefore you shall never have him
the Will of God in the Gospell maketh this season Know therefore thus much that to make up the season for any thing there is not onely required a continuance of time but also a supply of all those helpes that may be usefull and needefull for the accomplishment of any worke in that season As for example imagine the dayes and the nights were of an equal longth so many houres in the one so many houres in the other yet this continuance of time doth not make an opportunitie barely for a man to walke in the night though there be as many houres in the night as in the day because the houres doe not make on opportunitie for a man to walke in but the meanes that are needefull for this action for when the Sunne shines so that a man may see his way and avoid dangers and inconveniences this is the time wherein a man hath a fit opportunitie to walke in so saith our Saviour If a man walkes in the night he stumbleth but if he walke in the day then he stumblâ—s not because hee seeth where he goeth so that the continuance of time doth no make up an opportunitie but a supply also of all helpes and sufficiencie needefull for the performance of any action in this time Looke as it is with men when they goe to faile when there is winde and tide for their purpose this is the fittest opportunitie for them to take shippe in now in a calme day there may be as many houres as much continuance of time as in a day when there is winde and tide serving for their turne but this cannot be said to be a season for them to goe to sea in but when they have winde and weather to carry them and tide to convey them this is a sit opportunitie for them to take ship in so when the Gospell is revealed when the meanes of grace is offered to any people then there is a powerfull concurrence of all sufficiencie and helpe every way to procure that good which is wanting to the soule and which is necessary for the soule for the attaining of happinesse here and hereafter and therefore this is the season wherein men shall be converted and receive salvation if ever they shall be made partakers of it and therefore it is said of the Word that it is able to save the soules of men though a man were never so weak yet this Word of the Gospell is able to make him strong though he were never so proud never so sturdie yet this word is able to humble him though he were never so full of unbeliefe yet this Word is able to worke faith in him though hee were a damned man yet thus is the onely meanes to bring him to salvation Now then this I reason out of the former arguments they that enjoy that continuance of time wherein they have all meanes necessary to procure life and salvation they have the 〈◊〉 wherein life and salvation is to be obtained 〈◊〉 they that have life continued and the meanes of the Gospell revealed and vouch safed unto them 〈◊〉 have all meanes and helpes whereby grace and â—â—â—vation may be procured unto them and 〈◊〉 they enjoy the fittest season wherein God doth meane tâ— do good unto their soules The life of the Doctrine is behind that lieth in the application of the Point The uses of the Point are three If it be so that while life is continued and the Gospell preached this is the time wherein God meanes if ever to shew mercy to the soule of a poore sinner then in the first place it is a ground of instruction to every soule here present to teach us how thankefull wee ought to be unto the Lord that enjoy yet these liberties in the land of the living to acknowledge Gods goodnesse towards us and take notice of his mercifull dealing with us that yet we live thorough him and that yet wee may receive grace and mercie from him by the meanes of salvation that hee hath appointed it is a mervellous high and happy priviledge that wee may enjoy the light of the Gospell that a man was borne in such a time in the last age of the world in such a place in this kingdome wherein the way of life and salvation is so fully so plainely nay so powerfully made knowne to the soules of men as the whole world enjoyes not the like that we have the day of salvation to trade in for the good and comfort of our soules that wee have the day before us wherein wee may walke in those wayes whereby comfort may be derived unto us that the Sunne of the Gospell shines full in our faces and is not yet set and that as wee live in the earth so we injoy the meanes of a better life that so wee may be with God when wee shall goe hence and be no more seene The antient people of God did observe Gods goodnesse herein the Scripture saith that Abraham saw this day a farre of and rejoyced he saw the day wherein Christ should come into the world and when the meanes of salvation should be offered and revealed those things were laced up in types figures in Abrahams time but when God revealed the day of Christ Iesus unto Abraham hee by faith beleeved it hee saw it afarre of and rejoyced nay good old Simeon when hee saw this accomplished when he saw Christ was borne and had him in his armes then he desired to live no longer but blessed God and said Now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace according to thy Word for mine eyes have seene thy salvation which thou hast prepared before the face of all people to be a light to lighten the Gentiles and the glory of thy people Israel when he saw the meanes of salvation discovered and declared his heart was so ravished with the delight he tooke therein that he did desire to depart out of this life that he might be with Christ in a better life it is true that while we live in this world we shall have many troubles while we continue in this vale of misery wee shall have many vexations but this is the comfort of a man that hee hath the voice of the Gospell sounding in the eares of him and the Spirit behind him crying after him This is the good and ancient way walke in it if a man that were to travell by night had but the Moone or the light of the Starres to direct him in his journey this would be very comfortable unto him but if hee had a lampe or a torch carried before him hee would thinke this a marvellous comfort but if a man that hath a journey to take hath the Sunne shining cleare above him this will greatly cheare the heart of a poore travellour though his journey be tedious and the way be foule why yet hee will say it is faire above head and I have day enough before mee and therefore I care not So it ought to be with
the text let the wicked for sake his way and the unrighteous man his thoughts and let him returne unto the Lord and hee will have mercy upon him and to our God for he will abundantly pardon The word in the original is this the Lord multiplyeth pardons the Lord hath not uttered all his pardons the Popes pardons indeed may bee all sold but Gods pardons are not at the bottome no no hee hath a multitude of pardons The Lord is ready to give thee pardon for all thy transgressions what ever thy corruptions bee whatsoever thy abominations be the Lord standeth to multiply mercy and pardon and forgivenesse that so thou mayest have mercy for all and forgivenesse to all thy sinnes and distempers hast thou multiplyed rebellion why the Lord doth also multiply pardons the bowels of compassion are still open and the armes of mercy are still spread abroad and when the soule seeth the attributes of God in Scripture that hee pardons all poore sinners that come unto him stubborne Manasses he was humbled and resolute Paul hee was converted when the soule seeth this then the soule thinketh why not I Lord why not I pardoned also why yes thou mayst bee received to mercy and pardoned also for the Lord doth still multiply pardons Manasses had some mercy and Paul had some and yet there is mercy for thee also and for a thousand thousand more the Lord is ready to pardon poore sinners and willing to entertaine them Secondly Second Cord. the Lord is not onely ready to forgive when men will come unto him but hee doth also call and command them for to come for the poore sinner when he heares this that God is mercifull and ready to forgive he may bee amazed and at a stand and thinkes with himselfe oh but may I shall I dare I goe unto the Lord for mercy may I be so bold to presse in for favour at the hands of the Lord it is the Lord indeed that sheweth mercy but may I come unto the Lord I have beene a gievous sinner and have heaped abomination upon abomination and therefore I am affraid to approach neere unto the presence of the Lord why I â—â—ll thee thou mayest come and the Lord willeth and commandeth thee to come upon the penalty of his everlasting wrath hee chargeth thee to come unto him and entertayne that favour hee hath provided for thee in the 3. of Ier. 22. there sayth the Lord come unto me yee rebellious people and I will heale your rebellions you that never prayed nor never came to heare all rebells come unto me and I will heale your rebellions and then the people answer behold we come unto thee for thou art our God be not to full of nicenesse in this case do not stagger and say I have dispised Gods goodnesse and slighted Gods mercies and therefore may I bee bold to come why I tell you you may goe to God for mercy come to me yea rebellious people and I will heale your rebellions mercy will answer all your sinnes they shall bee no impediment unto you in the 3. of Ier. 1. it is a fine passage there saith the text They say that if a man put away his wife and shee goe from him and shee become another mans will he receive her againe but thou hast played the harlot with many lovers yet returne againe to me saith the Lord if a man should put away his wife for an adultresse would hee take her againe no certainely all the world will say an adultresse whore away with her after so many injuries wrongs done unto her husband there is no expectation of mercy or kindnesse from him but the Lord saith thou hast played the harlot with many lovers yet returne unto me whatsoever we delight in more or love more than God they are our lovers now the Lord saith though thou hast had pride and covetousnesse and malice drunkennesse and adultery for thy lovers yet returne unto me notwithstanding all thy base doings and wicked practises yet come unto me saith the Lord this is great incouragement to a poore sinner that all his sinfull abominations should not hinder him from receiving mercy this workes wonderfully upon the soule of a sinner and he begings to wonder and say Lord shall all my sinnes bee pardoned shall all those oathes and all that prophanenesse of mine be forgiven after so many mercies slighted and so many abominations committed yet forgiven why aye saith the Lord come unto me and you shall be forgiven thou hast played the harlot yet come unto me thou proud heart and bee humbled come unto me thou stout stubborne sturdy heart and be softened come unto me yet for all this thou covetous heart and be sanctified and this is the second cord of this cable of mercy the Lord doth not only reveale unto the soule of a sinfull creature that if he doth come unto him he shall be accepted but hee commands him to come and receive mercy from him Thirdly Third Cord. the Lord doth not only command a poore sinner to come unto him but to go further it is marvellous strange to consider when a sinner in the sight of his unworthinesse is hardly brought to goe to the Lord for mercy but sayes it is true there is a great deale of mercy with God but not for me when a sinner thus goeth away from God and flyeth from mercy the Lord followeth him still and fendeth another cord after him and pursueth him with mercy and kindnesse that so if it were possible he might winne him and wooe him to receive mercy and forgivenesse It is almost impossible to conceive the wonderfull goodnesse of the Lord in this kind he doth not only command poore sinners to come unto him but hee entreates and beseeches them to come and receive mercy and this one would think should move the heardest heart under heaven 2 Cor. 5.20 there saith the Apostle Now then we are ambassadours for Christ as though God did beseech you by us we pray you in Christs stead be you reconciled unto God the matter here wee see is past all question the Lord doth not only command you to come but rather then you shall goe away hee will beseech you to come and take the mercy that the Lord offereth to you and you have so much need of mercy will come and kneele down before you and beseech you and intreat you for the Lord Iesus sake to pittie your poore soules and receive pardon for your sinnes to receive sanctification and justification here that you may be blessed and glorified for ever hereafter this is that which a sinner is not able to comprehend but he begins to be at a stand and at amazement It is a great matter that God should command a sinner for to come unto him and that he should be accepted when he doth come but that God should beseech and intreat a poore sinner to receive mercy herein is discovered the incomprehensible depth of
Gods love that the Lord should beseech us oh that you would receive pardon for your sinnes and bee blessed for ever why this is wonderfull mercy and admirable goodnesse if this Cord will not draw a man what will do it this makes a poore soule to stand agast and amazed and say good Lord is this possible that the great King of Heaven should come and beseech such a traytor such a rebell as I am to take pardon if the King of England should proclaime a pardon to some notorious Traytor that had plotted some dangerous treason against his person this were much but that the King should lay downe his Crowne and come creeping to him and beseech him upon his knees to take mercy and not to be punished why this is a thing beyond all expectation no man will do this no man should doe this but when the soule shall thinke what a King intreat a Traytor a Rebell a Conquerer intreat a slave to take mercy what shall heaven stoop to earth shall majesty stoope to misery shall the great God of heaven and earth that might have condemned my soule that is a God holy and just and if I had perished and beene damned might have tooke glory by my destruction is it possible is it credible that this God should not only entertayne me when I come and command me for to come but intreat and beseech me to come and receive mercy from him oh the depth of the incomprehensible love of God! imagine you saw God the Father intreating you and God the Sunne beseeching you as he doth this day come now and forsake your sinnes and take mercy which is prepared for you and shall bee bestowed upon you would not this make a soule think thus with it selfe what for a rebell not only to have mercy offered but to bee intreated to receive mercy and pardon why then if I will not take it it were pitty but I should goe to hell and be damned for ever nay I tell you this mercy one day if you refuse it will plunge you into the bottomlesse pit of hell I tell you you were better heare ten Sermons of judgement than one of mercy if you do not take the same when it is offered The Lord hee complaineth why will ye die as I live saith the Lord I desire not the death of a sinner the Lord takes an oath upon it that he desires not the death of a sinner and calls after sinners turne ye turne ye why will ye die ye sinfull sonnes of men Mercy is offered you the Lord Iesus reacheth out his hand to you to pluck the drunkard out of the alehouse and the adulterer out of the company of his whore I tell you you had beene better have beene at the East-Indies where you might never have heard of mercy than slight it when it is offered if you do break this cord I know not what to say unto you this is able to breake a mountaine in peeces shake O mountaines saith the Psalmist why because God hath redeemed Iacob the redemption of Iacob was enough to shake a mountaine when thou hast been a great sinner and heaped up transgression upon transgression and drunk in iniquity like water why yet after all this the Lord offereth mercy unto thee and beseecheth thee to receive it I tell thee if thou wilt not have mercy now it is pitty but thou shouldest goe to the Devill and if thou dost goe to hell then thank thy selfe it was thy owne fault thou mightest have had mercy and wouldest not and this is the third cord of Gods mercy he intreats a poore sinner to come unto him and receive mercy from him but if the soule bee yet awke and untoward and will not come but say if mercy be so free then we will let it alone a while and take it hereafter if God bee so carefull of us then wee will bee a little carelesse our selves why then there remaines but one cord more and if thou breakest this thou art in a miserable condition and that is this The Lord doth wait and stay in long patience suffering Fourth Cord. to see if at any time a sinner will turne unto him our Saviour followes poore sinners from Alehouse to Alehouse and sayes I beseech you you drunkards take mercy and have your sinnes pardoned the Lord tyres himselfe so and wearieth himselfe with waiting one day after another and one weeke after another it may bee this day this weeke this Sabbath this Sermon a sinner will turne unto me what will it never be why are you not ashamed that the Lord Iesus should thus wayt your leisure and follow you from house to house and into the field nay that Christ should every morning appeare unto your understanding and every night come to your bed-side and say let this bee the last night of sinning and the next day the first day of your repenting oh when will you be humbled when will you receive mercy that it may goe well with you and yours for ever why for shame if none of all the other will move you yet let this cord draw you unto the Lord this is the last cord of Gods mercy he stayeth our leisure the Lord will not wait alwaies but hee waiteth a long time for our amendment hee stayed above a hundred yeares for the old world Ier. 13.27 there God taketh upon him the person of a travelling woman oh Ierusalem wilt thou not bee made cleane oh when will it once bee a woman that is in travell and oppressed with paine oh how she expects and longs for her delivery when the throâ— comes then she cryes when will deliverance come and then the throb comes the second time and then she cryes would death would come so deliverance would come and thus her heart breaks almost with waiting in this kind for the birth of the child which is to be delivered God the father doth take upon him the person of a travelling woman he is travelling even unto death untill he can bring forth his first borne untill some soule be converted and brought home unto him oh Ierusalem wilt thou not be cleane oh when will it once be I have wayted one yeare ten yeare twenty yeare forty yeare why when will it once be if a woman should be in travell forty yeares she would be accounted the wonder of the world nay it were impossible she should endure so long but the Lord hath travelled twenty yeares yea forty for the birth of poore sinners and how many throbs think wee hath the Lord endured in this time saying oh yee men of England will you never be cleane when will it once be the Lord thus travels in patience looking when we will receive mercy oh when will it once be will it never be that those proud hearts will be humbled will it never be that those stubborne hearts will be softned will it never be that those unregenerate hearts will be sanctified will it never be that
those prophane hearts will be pure and holy why when will it once be thus Christ wayteth still and expecteth still if not this day then the next week if not the next week then the next moneth if not the next moneth then the next quarter if not the next quarter then the next yeare if not the next yeare then the next score of yeares you old sinners that are grayheaded in wickednesse how long hath the Lord waited upon you for shame let him wayt no longer but turn unto him that you may receive mercy from him and have your sinnes pardoned by him This is the last cord of Gods mercy first the Lord will entertaine poore sinners if they come secondly he doth command them to come thirdly he doth intreat and beseech them to come and lastly if all this will not do then he wayts in parience for their amendment and thus the Lord makes up his great cable roap of mercy and this one would think should melt the hardest heart under the Sunne but if this will not do if God by these cords of mercy cannot draw a sinner then he takes himselfe unto another course and as he justly may he lets in other cords in the heart you will not come with mercy will you very well I tell you the Lord will lay hooks upon you that shall bring you with a witnesse if these bonds of love will not prevayle with you the Lord hath iron cords that will pluck you in peeces and therefore the third meanes whereby God draweth a sinner from corruption to himselfe is the cord of conscience which God lets down into the soule and this same yron cord this yron chayne of conscience hath three hookes at the end of it which are able to rend the heart of a sinner and pluck it in peeces and draw the soule unto God if the cords of Gods mercy will not draw you then these yron hookes of conscience will pull you to the Lord for this same cord of conscience hath three maine hookes that is there are three great works of conscience which God useth to work upon men to draw them from sinne to himselfe First conscience is a warner of the soule and admonisheth the sinner of his waies this conscience gives a sinner an uncontrouleable command to come from sinne conscience gives him a peremptory charge upon paine of the heaviest judgement that can bee inflicted upon him not to meddle with corruption it is conscience that doth this the Lord stirreth up conscience and armes him with authority as a Vicegerent under him that he may stifle those sinfull lusts and over-power those sinfull distempers that harbour in the soule and overcome the soule it is true that wicked men by reason that they live in sinne have their consciences either blinded or asleep their consciences oftentimes come to be seared and hardened wicked men have their consciences some times under them they stifle their conscience and stop the mouth of conscience if conscience offer to reproove them they presently take him on the mouth and make him quiet they bind the hands of conscience in this kind but if a wicked man belong to God then hee will awaken conscience in this life but if they do not belong unto him then they may be sure when they are in hell to have their consciences awakened they carry a black dogge in their bosome that will teare them with a witnesse but if God purpose good unto a man then he will awaken his conscience in this life hee will arme conscience with authority and put a new commission into the hand of conscience insomuch that now conscience stands upon termes and conscience will not put it up as he hath done howsoever it hath heretofore beene stifled yet now it gives men a peremptory command upon paine of their everlasting torment as they love their own soules to take heed that they meddle not with sin for if they do it will cost them everlasting life now when conscience hath such a commanding power then the command is marvellous awfull terrible and fearefull and it maks a sinner start aside and withdraw himselfe from his former courses it makes him hang downe his head and he dares not looke out of doores he dares not runne with that courage into wicked practises as he did before it is with conscience in this case as it is with a Lievetenant or a Shreife of a countrey happily in the Kings absence a company of rebels joyne together in a conspiracy and rend the commission out of the Lievetenants hand and beset the Shreifes house the officers because the rebels are more in number dare doe little or nothing unto them they may say as David did to the sonnes of Serviah ye are too strong for me ye sonnes of Serviah and therefore he would not meddle with them and so in some unruly towne wee shall see a company of ryotous fellowes because they are more in number than the officers they set the Constable in stockes when as they are more worthy to goe to the gallowes than he to the stocks just so it is with conscience haply wicked men in former times have stifled conscience and tooke the comission out of the hands of conscience but when the King comes into the countrey and the officers shall complaine unto the King of this conspiracy then he gives them a larger command and gives them more power hee puts a new commission into their hands and furnisheth them with greater ayd and commandeth upon paine of death that there be no more such uproares made and when this is proclaymed upon the Market-post then this makes those resolute fellowes to pull in their heads and they dare not shew themselves So it is with conscience sometimes the Lord letts wicked men blind conscience and feare it wicked men oftentimes make a mock at conscience if a man reprooves them for some sin and admonisheth them for conscience sake not to cōmit wicked practises then they flout at the person that speakes unto them and say what your conscience will not suffer you to do as we do you will not drink will you why oh your conscience will not suffer you you will not commit adultery will you your conscience will not suffer you what you are a man of conscience are you and you will suffer your conscience to make a foole of you what care we for your conscience or you either thus many sinners keep conscience under but howsoever conscience be thus slighted and dispised the time will come when God will awaken conscience and put a new commission into his hands and sends him help from heaven and sayes goe to such a man and tell him you have blasphemed and you have spoken against Gods Saints you have broken Gods Sabbaths and slighted Gods word and contemned Gods ordinances and neglected the meanes of salvation be it known therefore unto thee that I have a command from heaven and from God I charge you as you will
hee will bee made fit for mercy Vse 2 The next use is a word of terrour it discovers the fearefull estate and wofull condition that those men are in which purpose to set themselves against that work of preparation which God meaneth for to work upon the soules of men Is this the work of the Lord that hee doth by an holy kind of violence draw a sinner from corruption to himselfe out of the bowells of his compassion what then shall we think and judge of those men that use all meanes and all slights that employ their wits to draw sinners from God to sinne is it Gods great work his Master-piece the greatest good that hee intends for his people to pluck them from their corruptions and draw them to himselfe what then wil become of those men that go professedly against God and oppose the work of God in this kind if there be any such persons here as I doubt there are many such in the congregation I tell you if God be an holy God then thou art an unholy man if God bee mercifull to poore sinners to save them then thou art cruell to damne them if God bee a gracious God and would draw poore sinners from sinne unto himselfe then thou art a gracelesse man and in a miserable condition that wouldst draw poore soules from God to hell and yet do no our townes swarme with such wretches and are not our villages pestered with such ungracious miscreants such as the wise man in the Proverbs speaketh of that eat the bread of wickednesse and drink the bloud of violence and they cannot sleep unlesse they cause some to fall the God of heaven open these mens eyes and awaken their consciences that they may see their wretched estate such as eat the bread of wickednesse and drink the wine of violence unlesse they can get such a man to bee drunk with them and such a woman to play the whore with them and such a fellow to couzen and cheat their hearts cannot be at quiet they are not at rest in this case their sleep departeth from their eyes unlesse they cause some to fall if the Lord let in a light into the soule of a sinner and discover unto him that he is in a wrong way and that hee must take up a better course if the Lord by the cords of mercy seeke to prevaile with a sinner nay if he lay the hooks of conscience upon a sinner to pluck him from sinne to himselfe there are a company that are mad the contrary way and they labour to cut the cords of mercy and breaketh the hookes of conscience and labour to hale a poore sinner downe to hell and destruction nay wicked men have invented cord against cord and hook against hook in this kind the devill hath his factors and his brokers under him which lay cords upon poore sinners to withdraw them from the Lord to sinne as God plucks heaven-ward so they pluck to hell-ward nay they have a cord for a cord God hath not so many cords to pluck from sinne to himselfe but they have as many to pluck men from God to sinne and into the paths of ungodlinesse that they may perish for ever the Lord hath mercies to allure and they have profits and pleasures to perswade and entice the Lord hath the hooks of conscience to awaken and they have base shifts this way also I will therefore discover these two things first the cunning of men in this course secondly the miserable condition that they are in which continue in this course I take it they are in the most wofull and wretched estate of any men under heaven First to see the cunning of sinners in this kind they will work upon the heart and draw the soule and cut Gods cords and break Gods bonds that God may not draw a poore sinner from sinne to himselfe they have a cord for a cord and a hook for a hook in this kind First if God let in the light of knowledge into the understanding of a poore sinner a young man perhaps receiveth direction by the word that hee is not in the right way the spirit that calls after him and tells him he is wrong and saies this is the good ancient way walk in it when the Lord lets in the light thus into the soule of a sinner and reveales the good way to him when the Lord thus turneth a man out of the mouth of the Lyon and paw of the Beare then happily he goes into a corner and mournes for his sinnes and resolves to forsake them hee will not keep company with his old companions but seeks God alwayes and prayes to God continually Now mark what hooks they apply to pull him off from this good course they use a company of carnall reasons to perswade him to the contrary when the master father or husband seeth that God is drawing his wife or his servant or his child unto himselfe why then the towne is in an uproare as if there were some fire in the towne mark what the husband saies my wife was wont to be carefull to go about her businesse but now shee leaves all at six and seven and is so precise that she is alwayes praying or poring upon a booke The child hee thinks his father distracted his father perhaps gives him a strict charge not to prophane the Sabbath any more no more gaming now sirra no more sporting now the child wonders at this and stands amazed he admires what is become of his father hee was wont to suffer him to do these things without any controulment and because now he commands him the contrary he thinks his father is out of the right way And as the child is to the father so is the father to the child if the understanding of the child be enlightned and he be creeping to salvation if hee will not do as he did in former times if hee will not runne on in those wicked practises which hee did before then the father thinks his sonne is undone his sonne was wont to yeeld obedience to him and hee was wont to have service from him but now hee is growne so curious and exact that he expects no goodnesse from him hee can look for nothing to be done by him I now give him over for lost and as their hearts are thus troubled so they pluck with a kind of violence from God as God plucks to himselfe so they labour to pluck a poore soule from God and they begin to chide taunt and chafe and brawle what say they will you alwayes be reading and will you alwayes be praying I warrant you think your mother and I are not in the right way because we doe not as you doe you thought heretofore such a man to be an honest man and your friend also and yet hee doth not do thus as you do nor you your selfe were not wont to do thus in former times neither Thus mark what cords they lay upon a man that hath
beene enlightned the child happily replyeth alas father when I knew no other I must confesse I did no better but when the Lord hath once given us the truth let us walke in it I must follow the example of no man in this kind the Minister told me that there was no expectation of mercy unlesse I turned from my sinnes the text was plaine and the Minister said that we must walk in Gods Commandements here if ever we meane to reigne with him in glory hereafter Oh then saith the father I would the Minister had beene farre enough off when hee put this into your head and if hee see that this will not prevaile with the child then hee sets another upon him hee sends his carnall friends after him he sets a carnall gospeller one that hath beene twice dead and pluckt up by the roots as Saint Iude speakes upon him Iude 12. and he bids him see what he can do in this case and then he comes and closeth with him with all the carnall counsell and wicked devices that can bee invented and marke how he sets upon him Friend saith he I heare you attend upon the Ministery of the Gospell I am very glad to heare it but yet be wary and wise though too much is too much in this case your head is not yet gray if you had had the experience that I have you would then perhaps know as much as I know be wise I say in this kind but I pray understand me aright I do not speak against holinesse all this while I beseech you do not mistake me so for I am glad with all my heart that there is such a change wrought in you and that you take up such a good course but this is that I say Be religious and wise both together blessed be God my friend we have a glorious Church many wise men and yet they require not so much and they performe not so much they will drink and bee merry and why should you exact more than these wise men aye but replyeth the child I cannot tell what wise men say and what they do I must not do as they do but as God commands the Text saith Be yee holy as I am holy and bee yee pure as Christ is pure 1. Ioh. 3.3 can a man be more holy than Christ can a man be more pure than Christ in this case I know not what men do but I am sure the word gives no such allowance and now they think the matter is past hope when carnall counsell cannot prevaile nor cursed devices take place then they think the matter is past cure and therefore they pursue him with deadly indignation they put such taunts upon him and follow him with such scoffes that the heart of the poore creature is even wearied and tyred and so departs from his God and all good courses and so hee falls into wicked courses againe and runnes downe headlong into hell And this is one cord which the wicked the devills factors lay upon a poore sinner to pluck him from God you that are guilty of this you must see into these things and be humbled for this or else you must look to suffer that judgement which is due to the commission of this sinne you must know you go professely against the Lord and therefore you must needs bee in a miserable condition Secondly if this cord be broken then the Lord hath another cord the Lord makes a sinner apprehend the mercy of God hee heares the Minister how he speaks of Gods wonderfull love and goodnesse in that he will not only accept poore sinners and entertaine them when they come but command them to come and not only so but intreates and beseeches them to come and receive mercy from him nay hee waites for our amendment and cryes out oh when will it once bee and when a poore sinner heares this this even melts his heart and he resolves never to follow his sinnes more and then he comes home and tells his father or his master what wonderfull goodnesse God hath beene pleased to make knowne unto him I saith hee could not have thought so much I could not have conceived so much what that God should stoope to man and majesty to misery that God should not only offer grace and give a sinner leave to take grace but that God should follow such a wretch as I am with mercy and intreat mee to bee saved what admirable and wonderfull goodnesse is this Father or master shall I be so unnaturall as to neglect this mercy and kindnesse oh let it never bee for the Lord Iesus sake Thus the father or the master seeth his child or his servant going away from his evill courses which he had formerly taken up the father feeles which way the child is going and he followes after him amaine and labours to pluck away this cord with another and therefore thus he answereth It is true indeed there is a great deale of mercy endlesse boundlesse mercy with the Lord therefore let us make use of this mercy sonne and let us take this goodnesse servant in this case the Lord will not onely provide for the good of our soules but for the good of our bodies also as the Lord requireth that wee should performe service to him so hee requireth also that we should have a care of our owne estates and therefore take heed of growing into too nice a course bee not too extreame this way for the Lord doth not require such exactnesse of you that thereby you should impoverish your estate beware therefore of too much precisenesse I say lest you bring thereby disgrace to your selfe and dammage to your estate and hazzard to your life the Lord promiseth to prosper whatsoever wee take in hand and therefore this nice course is not that which God requireth and by this means the poore child or servant is daunted and deluded and so falls off from his good purposes and resolutions Thus those two cords are broken the Lord hath yet a third cord and that is the cord of conscience which hee layes upon a man and that commands him to take heed of his corruptions and tells him he was wont to be gibing at Gods servants but take heed of these things all at the last day must bee brought to light now this makes the soule at a stand and then the man saith the word of God came home to my conscience for I have beene a drunkard and an adulterer and a swearer oh I saw the fearefull estate of those men the Minister came effectually home to my conscience and told mee what a miserable wretched condition I should be in if I continued in my former wicked courses Now marke the cord that they lay to draw this away they lay a disgrace and contempt upon conscience when say they did you take notice of your conscience will you be one of our tender conscienced people what your conscience troubled you did it what will you be
hereafter then it will go marvellous heavily with you you have hindred the worke of conversion for being wrought in them and you have drawne them into wicked courses they shall go to hell they shall perish poore soules but I tell you their blood will God require at your hands at that day they will appeare before the Lord of glory and call for vengeance against you when the heavens shall melt with fire and when the Lord shall have tenne thousand thousand of Angels ministring unto him when all flesh at the dreadfull day of judgement shall appeare before the judgement seat of God and render an account of that they have done here upon earth then here you shall see a cursed drunkard there a wretched adulterer and there a prophane swearer and they shall come and accuse those that have drawne them into the commission of these sinnes and they shall say I confesse Lord I was inlightned my eyes were opened and my heart was touched and my conscience was awakened and I was resolved to walke in a good course but Lord here is the man behold here is the woman that by wicked devises and cursed perswasions never left untill I fell off from this good resolution and turned to my former wicked wayes this is the man Lord that did this and therfore I beseech thee though I perish yet let not my bloud go unrevenged at this mans hands that hath beene the cause of my destruction and then this will lie heavy upon your score at the day of death or the day of judgement when these poore soules shall appeare before God I will tell you what complaints they will make to his Majesty they will say Lord I was in a good way my eyes were opened and my heart was humbled my heart did earne towards Gods truth and holy men I would have turned over a new leafe and led a new life but it was this Land-lord of mine that feared bernard and terrified mee and pluckt mee aside from this good course good Lord revenge my bloud at my Land-lords hand the servant he will say Lord there was a gracious fellow servant lived in the house with me and did me much good I loved to heare thy word and pray and read and performe good duties but good Lord it was the sharp reproofes and bitter taunts of my master that discouraged me and made me forsake my former course and therfore now I must go to hell but Lord though I perish yet I beseech thee revenge my bloud at my masters hands Many of you have wives that lie in your bosomes in whose hearts the word of God hath begun to take place and they have resolved to walk uprightly before God they have gone and mourned in secret and sighed to heaven but it is you that are their husbands which have hindered this gracious disposition and you thought your selves undone because your wives took this course and therefore you never left brawling and bayting and rayling untill your poore wives left all left praying and left reading and left all goodnesse I tell you those wives that now lie in your bosomes though they love you now the time will come when they will curse the day that ever they saw or knew you what a wofull case will it be at the day of judgement when the wife shall come before the Lord and say I confesse Lord I enjoyed thy word and it was brought home to my soule and it wrought upon my conscience and I had a full purpose to become a new creature and take a new course I was comming Lord I was comming but it was this husband of mine that drew mee from my selfe and thy service from a good course and from a good way and therefore require my bloud at his hands though I perish yet good Lord let not my damnation be unrevenged at my husbands hands and many of you wives if your husbands have beene inlightned and wrought upon by the word insomuch that they come home and say wife wee must reforme our families and we must pray with them and wee must bee carefull that both wee and they keep Gods Commandements then you wives are untoward and unreasonable and the house is not able to hold you and your husbands live in a miserable condition untill they have altered their former purpose why these husbands of yours will go downe to hell but their bloud will lie heavie upon your heads and will bee required at your hands they will say Lord I was once in the right way I was comming I was almost perswaded to be a Christian I do think verily if I had had another wife I should have led a good life upon the earth and have beene saved hereafter but this wife of mine Lord never left bayting and hayning at me untill I turned out of the right way they will curse the day that ever they saw you or that ever you met together and they will entreat God not to suffer them to goe to hell without revenging of their bloud upon your heads you that are such I beseech you think of these things you that have heard these things the Lord of heaven perswade your hearts to take heed of drawing away poore sinners from God if it were in my power I would not only perswade you but overcome you in this kind if it were in my power to save you I would give salvation unto you but alas it is not in my power and indeed it is pitty it should it is the Lord that must do it you that have heard this word I beseech you let it not fall to the ground but all you scorners and mockers at Gods Saints you that have drawne men out of the right way and out of a good course for the Lords sake and for mercies sake and for your owne poore soules sake be resolved never againe to draw away poore sinners from that course wherein they walke but when you see them going on well why then goe you along with them and if you see any lay cords upon them to draw them away helpe them you in this kind and labour to draw them backe againe The fourth use is an use of comfort and consolation to all poore soules marke it for the Lord Iesus sake it is a ground of unspeakable comfort to all poore creatures partly unconverted and partly converted all from the former truth they may observe marvellous refreshment of heart if they will but attend thereunto and be ruled thereby you that are in the gall of bitternesse and in a carnall condition you that live in base grosse courses you who are knowne to all the world that you live in common ordinarie sinnes you that are locked up under infidelity under a proud stubborne heart here is a ground of admirable joy and consolation to sustaine the hearts of all such poore creatures in the expectation of mercy and comfort when the flouds of iniquity beset a man on every side when the weight of his
hee could not help himselfe but must needs perish if he should glory in this case and say I am here in this pitt and if I get not out I shall perish yet this is my comfort no body lookes after me no body will vouchsafe to helpe me this is thy condition thou art funke downe into thy sinnes and let downe into the bottom of hell thou stickest there and art like to perish there and yet for all this thou gloriest and boastest and sayst the Lord will not open my eyes the Lord will not draw the Lord will not perswade me and work upon me and therefore thou art like to continue there and bee confounded there is this thy glory it is the greatest curse that ever befell any man and therefore if there bee any whose eyes God hath opened hath the Lord let in the cord of conscience into thy soule and let in the flashes of hell fire and brought thee almost to dispaire then blessed be the name of God thou art drawing goe home be comforted thou goest in the right way be not disquieted in this condition the Lord is now drawing of thee hee will anon bring thee to himselfe Second Vse Secondly it is a word of direction if there must bee drawing before there can bee comming then what are we to be advised of but this to blesse God for his worke when wee see it in our selves or others wheresoever your see this worke wrought in your selves or those that belong unto you blesse God for that mercy it is a good ground that God intendeth good to a man when hee beginneth the right way and observe this to check that conceit and overthrow that cursed opinion it is the ordinary practise of carnâ—ll men in the world if any that belong to them bee awakened and humbled they count it the heaviest curse that ever befell them the greatest crosse that ever came to their houses the wife the childe is undone they complaine the wife is so holy and the servants so devout that if there be any spare time they then goe to reading and praying I wonder whither they will go next I trow I tell thee whither they will goe next they are going now to Christ and the next journey they take they will goe to heaven this is the worst newes and art not thou ashamed to complaine of this if there be any soule present that is guilty of this crime take notice of it art thou content thy wife should take up her loose adulterous courses and go to the devill and not take up a good course and goe to the Lord Iesus Christ when God is working upon men hee is drawing of them to himselfe that they may go to the Lord Iesus and receive mercy from the Lord Iesus and therefore I beseech the Lord to shew men this sottish conceit and reforme the same when thou seest God worke upon a poore soule then blesse God for the same is thy wife that was an Adulteresse before now humbled doth she now see her sinnes then goe into a corner and blesse God for the same and say I have had an untoward wife but now the Lord blessed bee his Name hath humbled her I had a loose servant that was given to drunkennesse prophannesse but now the Lord hath opened his eyes and awakened his conscience and humbled his soule and is drawing of him to himselfe why blesse God for this his glorious comfort bee comforted herein and incouraged hereby and blesse God for the same FINIS The Table IOHN 6.44 No man can come unto me except the Father which hath sent me draw him Doctrine I. THat every man in his naturall condition is fastened and setled in the state of sinne and corruption Page 3. This appeareth in the dominion that sinne and Sathan hath over the soule p. 4. And secondly in the amity that the soule hath to sinne p. 6 Vse I. Instruction to inâ—orme our mindes of the woefull servitude and daily slavery that all men are in by nature p. 7 Vse II. It is a word of Exhortation to all the Saints of God to pittie poore naturall creatures p. 11 Doctrine II. The Lord by a holy kinde of violence doth plucke the hearts of sinners from sinne unto himselfe p. 18 What is meant here by drawing vid. p. 20 The meanes whereby God drawes the heart of a poore sinner unto himselfe are foure Meanes I. The Lord letteth in a light into the minde of a poore sinner and discovereth unto him that he is in a wrong way p. 26 Meanes II. The Lord doth draw poore sinners unto himselfe with the cord of his mercy p. 30 This cable rope of Gods mercy is made up of foure Cords The first Cord is this The Lord reveales himselfe to be ready to receive poore sinners p. 31 The second Cord is this The Lord doth call and command sinners for to come p. 32 The third Cord is this The Lord intreates and beseecheth poore sinners to come to receive mercy p. 34 The fourth Cord is this The Lord doth wait and stay in long patience and suffring to see if at any time a sinner will turne unto him p. 38 Meanes III. The Lord draweth poore sinners unto himselfe by the iron cords of conscience p. 40 These iron cords of conscience have three maine hâ—â—kes to pull sinners to the Lord that is there are three great workes of conscience which God useth to worke upon men to draw them from sinne to himselfe p. 41. The first Hooke of conscience is this Conscience is a warner to the soule and admonisheth it of sinne and to come from sinne upon paine of damnation p. 41 The second Hooke is this Conscience accuseth the creature before God and witnesseth against him p. 47 The third Hooke is this Conscience at the last condemnes the soule p. 13 Meanes IV. The Lord draweth poore sinners unto himselfe by the Cord of his Spirit p. 61 The Reasons why the Lord doth thus draw a sinner from sinne to himselfe are three p. 62. Reason I. Because the strong man must first be cast out p. 63 Reason II. Because of that naturall union betweene the soule and corruption p. 64 Reason III. Becaus of that soveraigne kinde of power that sinne hath over the soule and prevaileth within the soule p. 67. Vse I. It is a ground of Instruction to teach all people to admire the inconceiveable goodnesse of the Lord to poore miserable damned creatures p. 70 Vse II. It is a word of terrour to discover the woefull estate of all those that doe set themselves against the worke of preparation p. 74 Vse III. It is a use of comfort and consâ—lation to all poore soules that are oppressed with their sinnes p. 95 Vse IV. It is a use of Exhortation to all Gods people to endeavour to pluche others from sinne this is the course God takes p. 103 Vse V. Of Examination to trie your selves how you have beene drawne to God p. 114 FINIS
Spirit comes it is a lively grace and a quickning Spirit it begets life in the soule of a man In the 47 of Ezech. vers 9. the Prophet there discovering the time of the Gospell and the offer of salvation therein he saith there Every thing shall live whithersoever this river commeth The rivers there are nothing else but the rivers of grace and salvation when Christ shall come abundance of grace shall be offered and wrought in the soules of Gods people and wheresoever this grace commeth those that be dead shall be quickned Secondly they are said to bee waters of life in regard of the continuance of them for wheresoever this grace is truly wrought it never ceaseth so saith our Saviour Ioh. 4.14 Whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst This water is not like a pit or standing poole that in the heate of summer is dryed up but it runneth amaine continually So that the frame of the words runne thus Whosoever will let him come and take living water living and quickning grace from Iesus Christ freely whereby a soule may be quickned and saved here is a proclamation Whoever will let him come and take the Lord Christ and grace and salvation by him freely he will not repine at the favour he vouchsafes unto us take more hope more faith more sanctification come and come freely and the more oftener ye come the more welcome shal you be This is the substance of the words in the text wherein wee have these three points formerly spoken of First here wee have the freenesse of Gods mercy Whoever will let him take of the water of life freely as who should say shall any man bring money with him and buy grace no no let him take the Spirit freely Secondly A man must will Christ before he can receive Christ and grace from him and this is the second thing in the text The third is That every man that doth truly will Christ and grace shall have Christ and grace from him Men thinke that they would be saved every man will be ready to say I would have Christ rule in me but this same willing of Christ is a hard matter whosoever doth will heartily to receive Christ shall have him and salvation by him but wee shall finde it a hard matter to bring our hearts to this willing of Christ as wee shall here hereafter and thus wee see the three points that arise out of the text and by this time we are entred into our worke let us proceede with the pursuite of the first point which is this The offer of grace from God is altogether free There is nothing but onely Gods will that moves him nothing but his owne good pleasure that perswades him to shew mercy to a poore soule there is nothing out of God that can move him or purchase this favour from him but it is from out of the goodnesse of his nature and the freenesse of his will he will have it so In the 21 of the Revel 6. there is a marvelous pregnant place for this purpose there saith the text I will give unto him that is a thirst of the fountaine of the water of life freely There are three things or phrases considerable First God will give him to drinke and what is freer than gift nay that we may know that he will not give it us upon any consideration he will give it freely nay marke further hee will give it to every one that thirsteth though a man desireth it earnestly even as a man that is a thirst desireth drinke though he doe what he can to obtaine it though hee use all meanes for the procuring of it yet God will give it him and that freely and this cuts the throates of merit-mongers the Papists that stand so much upon their merits and therefore it is observeable in the 4. of Zach. 7.9 in the building of the materiall Temple the text saith That Zerubbabels hands which had layd the foundation thereof should finish it The same hand which layd the first stone so the same hand should lay the last the meaning of the place is this when the poore people of Israel were to build the Temple in time of persecution they had no ability of themselves to do it yet the Lord bids them go on cheerefully for I will dispose of all things for the gold and silver is mine and hereby the Lord doth quippe at a secret â—onceite of theirs they might thinke with themselves alasse wee have no gold wee have no silver how shall we bring this worke to passe the Lord he answers this secret objection of theirs and tels them the gold is mine the silver is mine the hands of Zeruâ—babell that hath layd the first stone shall bring forth the headstone thereof and what is the ground of all this the reason is rendered in the 7. vers All the people shall cry grace grace as if they had said Grace hath sent meanes grace hath continued means grace hath given us hearts to use the means all is grace nothing but grace and mercy hath done it thus the people admired at Gods great goodnesse that did so helpe them and shouted crying grace grace And as it was thus in the materiall Temple so it is here in the building of the soule a Temple for the Lord. The beginning of grace the receiving of grace the continuing of grace all is grace grace from the beginning of election to the end of glorification from the beginning of conversion to the end of salvation all is grace and mercy nothing but grace that doth all workes all prepares all for the good of Gods people Gods grace and mercy is altogether free and the freedome of it appeareth in these three particulars It is free First â—nregard of the preparation of the meanes of grace that God hath invented the meanes of salvation which God hath invented for his people being fallen in Adam was altogether free for when Adam had forsaken God and hearkned to the enemy had left the way of holinesse and went into the way of confusion it was free with God whither he would helpe him or no when Adam had spent the patrimony which God had given him it was free whether God would set him up againe or no free it was in God the Father which appointed the Sonne as the meanes free it was in Christ Iesus that tooke the taske upon him and free in the holy Spirit that wrought grace and salvation in the hearts of Gods people God out of his free will gave his Sonne to redeeme mankinde and Christ gave himselfe freely and the holy Ghost doth freely worke comfort in the hearts of Gods chosen it was free with God to appoint Christ for the meanes free with Christ to be the meanes free with the Spirit to worke the meanes Secondly as it is free in regard of the appointing the meanes so likewise in regard of the Revelation of the meanes to any soule it was
free with God whether he would enlighten any mans eyes and bring Salvation unto him why doth God raine upon one Citty and not upon another that is why doth the dew of the Gospell raine upon one place and not upon another it is for nothing but because it is Gods will it should be so in the 4 of Luke the 25. the place is very pregnant for this purpose There saith the text many widdowes were in Israel in the dayes of Elias when the heavens were shut up three yeares and sixe moneths but to none of them was Elias sent save unto Sarepta a City of Sidon unto a woman which was a widdow and this was onely out of Gods free grace he may take the meanes from one man and give it to another he may send his Gospell and the meanes of Salvation to one poore soule to one poore towne in a Shire or County and not to another according to his owne good pleasure for his mercy is free looke into the 17 of the Acts the 30. together with the 6 of the Acts the 1. for those two places interpret one another in the 17 of Acts the 30. the text saith And the times of this ignorance God winked at now the word winked as is the saâ—e with the word neglected Act. 6.1 there saith the text There arose a murmuring of the Grecians against the Hebrewes because their widdowes were neglected in the dayly ministration the word in the Originall signifies not to regard a thing and the same doth the word winked at â—ignifie in Acts 17.30 The Lord winked at this ignorance as if he should say the Lord over-looked and regarded it not the heathen they never had the knowlede of his lawes he neglected the heathen and had an eye onely upon the lewes he vouchsafed his grace and ordinary meanes of Salvation to them onely and why was this it was of his free mercy of his owne good pleasure and for the others the abuse of their knowledge and as the freedome of Gods grace and mercy appeareth in the appointing of the meanes and in Revelation of the meanes so Thirdly it appeares in the blessing of the meanes it is in the free mercy of God that any meanes of Grace and Salvation are blessed unto men and that they worke upon the soules of men 1 Cor. 1.21 there saith the text after that in the wisdome of God the world by wisedome knew not God it pleased God by the foolishnesse of Preaching to save them that beleeve how comes it to passe that men beleeve and are saved why it is because it pleaseth God it is not because men could procure this but it is of Gods meere good will of his free goodnesse and mercy and this was the cause of our Saviour Christs great thankes-giving Math. 11.25 26. many poore soules were converted by the Preaching of his Apostles and therefore saith Christ I thanke thee O Father Lord of heaven and earth because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent and hast reveal'd them unto babes even so father for it seemed good in thy sight the reason why God did this was because it was his good pleasure so then the point standeth faire in regard of explication Namely that the offer of grace is free free in regard of the meanes that God hath appointed free in regard of the Revelation of the means appointed free in regard of the blessing of the meanes revealed But you will say what is the reason of this by what argument can you proove that the offer of grace is thus free The reasons briefely are three First this offer of grace musts needes be free because there is nothing in man that can purchase this in the 8 of the Acts 19.20 when Simon Magus saw that the Apostles by laying on of hands conveyed the grace of the Spirit into mens soules he thought to have gotten a booty and have done so also and offered money that he might receive that gift but marke how Saint Peter tooke him up with indignation Thy money perish with thee because thou hast thought that the gift of God may be purchased with money thou hast neither part nor lot in this matter It was a marvelous fearefull sin and therefore the Apostle Peter bad him pray that if it were possible the thought of his heart might bee forgiven him It is a vaine thing to conceive and a great sinne to thinke or imagine that grace can be purchased from God by any thing that we have received for there must be some proportion betweene the price and the thing that is bought in common reason but in the 3. of the Prov. 14 15. Salomon saith That the Merchandize of Wisedome that is of the wisedome of God wrought by the Spirit of God is better than the Merchandize of silver and the gaine thereof than fine gold shee is more pretious than Rubies and all the things thou canst desire are not to bee compared unto her There is no proportion between any thing and this wisedome no no they that thinke that God loves them any whit the better because they are rich and learned and honourable let them know that all those things are dung in regard of the graces of Gods Spirit If any thinke to buy grace they shall perish and their money with them for the offer of grace is free And secondly as there is nothing that can purchase grace so wee can do nothing that can merit grace for some man may say however I have no money to purchase it yet I can worke it out as poore men use to say to those for whom they worke when they would have any commodity of them they tell them they have no money to pay them for it but they will worke it out by their handy labour But alasse there is nothing that can bee done of the sinfull sonne of man that can procure any thing from God this way as we may see Rom. 9.16 It is not in him that willeth nor in him that runneth but in God that sheweth mercy It is not our willing our working our running what ever wee have or can doe is nothing for the procuring of grace in this kinde it is God alone that sheweth mercy Thus he will have mercy on whom hee will have mercy and compassion on whom hee will have compassion and whom he will he hardneth Rom. 9.18 If thou shouldest marke what is done amisse saith the Prophet David who could abide it If God should enter into judgement with any poore soule upon the earth there were no living for him hee could expect nothing but death and the fierce anger of God continually to pursue him and therefore farre it is from man to have any thing that can procure grace at the hand of God Thirdly a man naturally hath no ground whereby he can challenge this by way of promise from the Lord no naturall man hath any promise in this kind The promises are Yea and Amen to them that
these earthly things here below that they have no roome for any spirituall grace but you that are Saints of God that have received any grace thinke of this let your soules blesse God even extraordinarily and say I thanke thee Father that that thou hast hid these things from the wise and from the rich and from the noble and hast revealed them unto babes that thou hast taught me a poore silly creature that thou hast wrought upon my heart and shewed me Christ Iesus when as most in the world have not seene him nor salvation many great ones and mighty ones thou hast sent packing to hell but me a blind creature out of a poore cottage out of a corner of hell thou hast plucked and given me salvation Father I blesse thee for this for it was of thy free mercy I beseech thee to give me a free hearâ— to blesse thee for this thy wonderfull mercy vouchsafed unto me and to walke worthy of thee What shalt thou give thy selfe freely for my poore souleâ— and shall not I give thee a good action freely thus stirre up your owne hearts to blesse God for this his great mercy the greater the grace is which he vouchsafeth unto you the greater your thankfulnesse ought to be and so much for this use it should stirre up every poore soule that hath received any grace to go into a comer and looke up to heaven and be amazed at Gods great mercy and say Father I have received grace and why Iâ— there is no reason Lord for it but because thy mercy pleased thee The second use is to the wicked themselves those that yet want this mercy to those that are yet in the gall of bitternesse is it so that Gods grace and mercy is altogether free then this may bee a ground of incouragement unto them to seeke after this mercy they may thinke with themselves thus why the offer of grace is free and therefore why may not I come to have some of this mercy as well as another though they are yet in the snare of Satan under the power of sinne and in the bond of iniquitie yet the freenesse of Gods mercy may incourage them to seeke to God for this grace and to sustaine their hearts in some hope that they may obtaine it Why it is a free mercy and therefore why mayst not thou have it as well as another it is freely given and why mayst not thou receive it as well as another it is worth the while to seeke after grace and mercy for there is some hope and expectation to attaine it This was the ground why the Prophet Esay did perswade all people to come unto the Lord Iesus Esay 55.1 Why saith he Every one that thirsteth come yee to the waters and he that hath no money come yee buy and eate yea come buy wine and milke without money and without price Come you that have no money saith the text the people might make a cavill and say Why wee want money to buy to what end therefore should we come the text answers this and saith Come you that have no money and buy without money What is the meaning of this that is you that have no sufficiency to procure grace and salvation though you have no ability of your selves to purchase this yet come and come freely and buy without money as if he should say If you will but come and take grace this is all God lookes for all that the Lord expects and desires you may have it for the taking you may receive grace for the carrying of it away though your weaknesse be great and your infirmities many yet if you have but ability to take grace and carry it away this is enough this is all that God requires at your hands and this is that which makes the Saints of God in the 14. of Hos 3. to goe unto God and renounce all others there saith the text A shur shall not save us wee will not ride upon horses neither will we say any more to the workes of our hands Ye are our gods and what is the ground of all this for with thee the fatherlesse findeth mercy so that hast thou a desolate soule why bee of good comfort and be incouraged to go to God for helpe for hee doth not succour men because they have strength but hee helpeth those that are succourlesse Art thou fatherlesse and cast off of the world hast thou a fatherlesse soule a motherlesse soule that is a hopelesse and a helpelesse soule that hath no ability to procure mercy or to purchase grace why with God the fatherlesse findeth mercy and therefore say Lord with thee the fatherlesse findeth mercy I am such a one therefore Lord I expect mercy from thee If a great rich man should proclaime that at such a time every one that will come may receive dole from him if this dole now were to bee purchased with money none but the rich could receive it but when he saith he will give to every one that comes a dole freely then the poore may have it as well as the rich when the dole commeth not to be purchased but onely to be received then the begger may have it as well as he that hath money for the dole is not to bee bought but to bee received and therefore every one that hath but a bagge to put it in and ability to carry it away may have it consider this ye that God hath not called home there is a dole of mercy to be given you from God and God doth not intend to sell his mercy to you but to bestow it freely upon you and therefore if you will but come receive it and carry it away you may have it God requirs nothing else of you and therefore comfort your selves and say Why this mercy of God is free others have it and why not I Lord. Come therefore and waite upon God in his ordinances thinke with thy selfe that the dole of mercy is to be given at such a place at such a sermon and therefore resolve to goe thither and say If wisedome or goodnesse or understanding would purchase any thing at Gods hand then miserable creature that I were for I have none of those but the mercy of God is free there is a dole of mercy freely to be given and such and such have had it bestowed upon them and therefore why may not I have it as well as others And therefore naturall men that are burthened with abhominations and full of sinne and corruptions let them reason with their soules and say Why did God convert Saul call Abraham and humble Manasses why God did this freely of his free mercy and goodnesse did hee and why then may not I receive this mercy from the hand of the Lord also and when your owne weakenesses trouble you and your sinnes and infirmities lye sore upon you why then helpe your owne soules in this kinde and say I can doe nothing that can procure grace no
more could David I have nothing that can purchase favour and mercy at Gods hands no more had Saul and yet God was mercifull to them why hee is as mercifull now as he was then his goodnesse is not diminished nor his mercy abated Lord thou that shewedst mercy to these shew mercy to mee also thou that didst blesse these Lord blesse mee even me also Lord thou bestowest thy mercy freely I beseech thee therefore bestow one drop upon my poore soule Aye but some may cavill now and say Gods mercy is free and therefore hee may as well deny it mee as bestow it upon mee I answer this is true hee may deny it thee as well as give it thee and he may also as well give it thee as deny it thee it is as possible that thou mayest receive mercy and therefore try all meanes possible to obtaine it In the 3. of Ionah the 9. vers there the people of Niniveh say Who can tell if God will turne and repent The Lord there had sent the Prophet Ionah to prophecy against Niniveh That within forty dayes it should be destroyed When the people heard this there was a fast proclaimed and every man was commanded to put on sackcloth and cry mightily to the Lord for who can tell if God will turne and repent and turne away from his feirce anger that we perish not as if they should say We have deserved that this judgement should come upon us and our sinnes have procured it but yet who can tell whither God will turne away from his feirce anger for the Lord is mercifull and freely mercifull and thus doe thou and say I confesse God may confound me for my sinnes but who can tell whither God will have mercy upon me I confesse that God may harden me but who can tell whither he will humble mee I will therefore waite upon him in his ordinances and try if hee will bee mercifull to my poore soule The third use is an use of Exhortation to all poore creatures that are burthened with the burthen of their sinnes and are under the power of them as to bee incouraged to seeke for mercy and to have some hope to obtaine it so also with patience to waite and stay the time of the Lord this should exhort them to come continually into the Congregation of Gods Saints and waite patiently when and what God will bestow upon them according to his good will and pleasure The mercy and grace which God bestoweth upon any is a free gift and therefore if you come into the Assemblies of Gods people to heare Gods word if thou waite upon God in his ordinances one day and have not grace granted unto you nor mercy vouchsafed towards you if you come the next day and yet have it not you must still waite and expect because it is a free gift and therefore as God may give it to whom he will so also when he will and therefore murmure not nor say what shall I come so often and waite so long and pray so much and yet nothing why aye it is a free gift in the 3 of Lament 25.26 the text saith The Lord is good unto them that waite for him it is good that a man should both quietly hope and waite for the salvation of the Lord as it is with the sea when it ebbes the water goeth backe when it flowes and is at the maine it commeth againe now a man that is to take a journey by sea if the comming of the tide be not for his turne and is gone backe hee must waite untill it commeth againe so it is with God in this kinde there is a flow of grace and mercy with him now sometimes God withdraweth his grace from his poore creatures but yet let them cry still and pray still and resolve so to doe still doe not say If God will not succour me and bestow mercy and grace upon me now seeing I have waited so long I will pray no more I will expect no longer will you not so why alas who shal have the worst you will be sure to have the worst of it you that will be so sturdy that because God heares not and helpes not when you will and when you call therefore you will pray no more nor expect no longer you that say you have waited thus long and have not had grace nor mercy vouchsafed unto you and therefore to what end to what purpose should we waite any longer or attend any more why if it be thus with you you may depart if you please who thinke you shall have the worst of itâ— beggers must not be choosers this is not begging of mercy but commanding of mercy at Gods hands this is not to desire that God would give you mercy but that he would follow you with mercy Some man may say What shall I use the meanes so long pray so often and heare Sermons so often and still waite aye and blesse God that thou mayst waite blesse God that thou hast not beene long since confounded that God hath not long before this time sent thee packing to hell but that thou hast still opportunities that thou still hast peace and the meanes of Salvation afforded thee shalt thou waite aye and blesse God that thou mayst waite before thou goest hence and hee no more seene Psal 69.3 Psal 69.3 there saith the Prophet David I am weary of my crying my throat is dryed mine eyes faile while I waite for my God as if he had sayd I have looked this day and heard thy Word this day I have looked up to heaven in prayer and have not â—ound thee I wept this day and mourned this day I have used all meanes my eyes even faile with waiting for my God did David waite thus that was a King and why mayst not thou waite why mayst not thou stay looking for the salvation of the Lord shut downe those proud hearts and lofty spirits of yours which think themselves too good to waite the Lords leisure and reason with your own soules say why is not my heart humbled why are not my corruptions subdued and abated as well as others checke and subdue all those bublings of Spirit in the beginning see what Paul did when his heart began to grapple with God why who art thou O man saith he that thou liftest up thy selfe against God as if hee had sayd Art not thou a damned creature sinfull dust and ashes why who art thou O man that thou shouldest doe thus so when thy heart beginnes to rise against God suppresse those distempers and say who art thou damned sinnefull soule that darst thus stand against God what if I had gone to hell long before this why I had had my portion if I had beene confounded long since and sent roaring to hell my sinnes had merited it and therefore well may I waite for mercy and thanke God that I may waite downe with those proud imaginations and lofty thoughts that arise
and Salvation by him there is also a cursed kinde of Hypocrites which professe saire and much they say they will doe for the Lord Iesus Ier. 24.20 but they are like unto those in the 42. of Ieremy the 20. verse marke what the text saith there Yee dissembled in your hearts wheâ— you sent me to the Lord our God saying Pray for us unto the Lord our God and according unto all that the Lord our God shall say so declare unto us and wee will doe it So there are many that make a faire outside and will take up holy duties and they will be professing and talking of God but there must be more than this there must be a willing of grace besides a professing of grace you pretend faire and promise this and purpose that but when it commeth to you you fly off and you will have your owne liberty your heart is double you say you will reforme your wayes and yet you will be idle still and loose still and therefore you never yet willed Christ you never yet prized him aright you never truely chose him and therefore as sure as the Lord liveth Christ is not yours if the condition bee not performed by you you shall never bee made partakers of that which is promised upon the performance of that condition if you will Christ and grace then indeed you have Christ and grace but you never willed Christ and therefore it is evident you never had Christ Deut. 29.4 In the 29. of Deut. 4. vers there saith the text The Lord hath shewed you great wâ—nders and discovered many mercies unto you and you the Lord hath not given you a heart to perceive and eyes to see and eares to heâ—re unto this very day and therefore go home and mourne for yourselves and reason with your soules and say what after all ouâ— profession bearing praying talking after all the cost and care that God hath bestowed upon us have we not yet a heart to will grace and desire the Lord Iesus many mercies have beene vouchsafed unto us many judgements removed from us there is no nation that God hath dealt so mercifully with as with us we have peace yet and the Gospell yet and prosperity yet and yet for all this to this very day God hath not given us a heart to receive grace and the things belonging to our everlasting peace and therefore wives mourne for your husbands in secret and say oh my husband what hath not God yet given thee a heart to feare him and fathers mourne for your children that are not yet in the state of grace and say oh my sonne not yet a heart that God hath given thee to sanctifie a Sabboth and to leave off thy wickâ—d courses and friends mourne you also one for another and say oh my friend what not yet a heart to humble thy selfe and to feare the name of God thus mourne in secret and say God hath done this and this for thee and hast thou not yet a heart not yet a will to entertaine Christ the world carries al pleasure carries all profit beares all away malice carries away all The promises and Commandements of God are despised and hast thou not yell a heart to beleeve the promises and prize the Lawes of â—od above liberty and peace profit and pleasure there is nothing wanting on Gods part hee gives peace still and the Gospell still and yet not a heart all this while to feare God and keepe his Commandements thou hast a good house and good land and many mercies are vouchsafed unto thee and not yet a good heart what a misery is this not yet a will to embrace Christ and receive grace why what a lamentable condition is this and therefore in the last place it is a word of Exhortation to every soule here present to labour now to begin at the right end and take a right course and follow the path that God hath chalked out unto us in a word we see it is come to this passe that all is grown to an outside every man must be a Christian go to heaven and all the argument is this because a man can talke well of religion but this is not the right way the willing of grace must goe before the receiving of grace and therefore go home and examine your selves whether grace bee truely wrought and fashioned in you or no and reason thus with your owne hearts and say it is not enough to bring my mouth and profession to the Word of the Lord but heart what sayst thou in the meane time I can talke of religion and many good matters but will what sayst thou in the meane time dost thou prize Christ above all things dost thou choose Christ and grace above all other things in the world whatsoever heart what sayst thou dost thou open thy selfe and close with him and dost thou purpose never to forsake him Deut. 32.42 in the 32 of Deut. 42. there saith Moses to the people Set your hearts to all the words which I testifie among you this day for it is not a vaine thing for you because it is your life and through this thing you shall prolong your dayes so say I set your hearts to the word labour to set your soules to the word of God for it is not a vaine word it is your life and length of your daies it is not talking of Christ but it is the willing of Christ from the heart that will obtaine Christ and Salvation by him We have spoken already of the reasonablenesse of the condition whosoever will may receive grace and that freely and now we come to the universality of it the work of the Spirit is tendered to every one whosoever will give way thus unto it grace is set open to all and proclamed to all that will take it upon those tearmes before spoken of therfore saith the Text Whosoever will let him take of the water of life the word in the originall is every willing man there is no man exempted no man debarred no man hindred to take grace upon those tearmes if he will condiscend to Gods conditions be he what he will be naturally either in regard of sins and corruptions or in regard of poverty or infirmities whatsoever his naturall condition be yet if he wil but agree to Gods conditions if he will but choose and prize Christ above all other things â—he shall receive him and grace and salvation by hiâ—â—â— so that the doctrin is this Whosoever in truth doth will to have Christ shall receive him and salvation by him the Text doth not say Whosoever saith Lord Lord shall have Christ and grace but the willing soule he shall have him not the talâ—eing man nor the presuming man nor the glorying man but the willing man so that this is the point Whosoever in good earnest and in truth will have Christ shall receive Christ and salvation by him in the 10. of Luke ver 5 6.
man is not able to abide an admonition when he cannot endure to be informed or councelled exhorted or reproved when the ministers nor the Word of God can have any power over men when these poore creatures shall come into hell then they shall have elbow roome to fulfill their lusts and corruptions wherein they so much delighted they tooke pleasure in wickednesse they would not they could not abide the meanes of grace and salvation you would have no reproofes you would endure no admonitions it was well with you when you had no ministers to checke and reproove you but alas poore soule when you are gone downe into the bottomelesse pit of everlasting perdition then you may have your full swing then you shall never be reprooved more then you shall never be councelled more you shall never be admonished more you shall then never be prayed for any more but be damned in hell for ever from everlasting to everlasting you shall then have your full pleasure in your sinnes is it not just with God that you who would live in wickednesse and prophanenesse and would not receive grace and mercy when it was offerd that God should give you up to the hardnes of your owne hearts and blindnesse of your owne minds send you into everlasting condemnation for ever First look as it is with a malefactor that is convicted of high treason for plotting some wicked practise against his Prince or for proceeding into rebellion for the overthrow of his Countrey after all the sinnefull passages of his be discovered and made knowne both to himselfe and the world if the King after this make the Proclamation that if hee will leave of his wicked enterprizes hee shall be pardoned nay if the King shall send message after message unto him secretly to tell him that if he now will lay downe armes and take his pardon he shall freely be remitted and graciously received into favour if this Traytor shall rather fling away his pardon then his weapons I appeale to your owne consciences in this case if the King should â—â—ife an army and overcome him and take him and execute him without any pitty or mercy is he not justly rewarded what will the world say they will say execution and death is too good for him so he had a faire offer of pardon if hee had had a heart to receive it hee had pardon proclamed unto him nay the King sent messenger after messenger to tell him that if he would stoope to him he should receive mercy and favour from him and therefore seeing be refused and neglected so kinde an offer he is executed justly it is pitty but condemnation should befall him because hâ— would not take the meanes of consolation this is the condition of every poore soule under Heaven truely we are all Rebels and Traytors against Heaven by our â—â—thes and blasphemies we fet our mouâ—â— against Heaven we have often taken up armes against God and yet after all our pride and stubbornenesse and loosenesse and prophanenesse and contempt of Gods Word and Ordinances and yet the Lord is pleased to proclame mercy still to every one that will receive it all you that have dishonoured my name all you that have prophaned my Sabbaths and contemned my Ordinances all you cursed wretches come come who that will and take pardon let them lay aside all their weapons and receive it and salvation by him when it is offered to them and they shall have their sinnes forgiven and they shall be received to mercy now if any soule will stand out against God and say I will not have Christ and Salvation but will shift for my selfe and try it out to the last I will walke in my owne wayes and take up my owne courses I will be proud still I will breake Gods Sabbaths still and I will be malicious still and breake Gods Commandements still if any man shall be thus disposed if then the great God of Heaven and Earth shall come with tenne thousand thousand of judgements and execute them upon that man if he shall bring a whole legion of devils and say Take him devils and torment him devils in hell forever because he would not have mercy when it was offered he shall not have mercy because he would not have Salvation when it was tendered unto him therefore let him have everlasting condemntion if God should thus deale with that man the Lord should be just in so doing and he justly miserable And this is the second use it is an use of terror to all those that will not receive Christ and grace and salvation by him Thirdly in the third place it is a word of exhortation it should set an edge upon your desires and provoke your soules to give no sleepe to your eyes nor slumber to your eye-lids to give no quiet to your soules nor contentment to your hearts untill you have brought your soules to be willing to receive Christ Iesus you are the Spouse of Iesus Christ it is good for you therefore to consider and thinke of your estate in this kind if you will but have Christ that is all he careth for if he can but get your good wils he lookes for no more and therefore you are to consider of it and lie at your hearts daily you should daily be perswading of your soules and never cease till you have brought your hearts in some measure to be willing to receive the Lord Iesus and bid him welcome and give entertainement unto him and the more to prevaile with you in this case consider of the reasonablenesse of the condition and this may be a motive to provoke your soules hereunto because the offer is marveilous easie as faire as can be the tearmes of agreement are as faire as any heart can desire nay there is very good consideration in the goodnesse which the Lord hath tendred to us and that is thus much If we will but receive Christ Iesus all that he hath shall be ours the treasures of wisdome and grace and salvation they shall be all ours if we will but entertaine the Lord Iesus let us therefore reason with our owne soules and commune with our owne spirits concerning this gratious offer of salvation the soule should say What hath the Lord offered salvation at so easie a rate will hee notwithstanding what ever I have beene heretofore full of corruptions and abhominations though my soule stands guilty of my sinnes and distempers though I bee possessed with many weakenesses and infirmities yet notwithstanding all this will the Lord be pleased to pardon all to supply all to passe by all onely upon this condition if I will welcome and entertaine him may I have Christ for taking of him may I receive grace for carrying it away why good Lord if I will not doe this for Christ and grace I will do nothing doth God require no more why then if grace and mercy and salvation bee not worth this they are worth nothing if I will
not doe this I will doe nothing for eternall life this is that God expects all that he lookes for Every man that will let him take grace and mercy and that freely In the 2 of King 5.13 the text saith of Naaman the â—â—â—irian 2 King 5.13 when hee came to Elisha the man of God to bee healed the Prophet sent a messenger unto him saying Goe and wash seven times in Iordan and thy flesh shall come againe to thee and thou shalt bee cleane Now hee being a man of authority and of some place he tooke this somewhat in disdaine that hee should send a messenger out unto him and bid him wash seven times in Iordan hee was wrath and went away and sayd Behold I thought hee would surely come out to me and stand and call upon the name of the Lord his God and stroke his hand over the place and remoove the Leper hee did thinke the Prophet would have done some great matter unto him and therefore when hee saw that he bid him goe wash seaven times in Iordan he went away in a kind of indignation but then his servants they came neare to him in the 13. 2 King 5 13. verse and said My father if the Prophet had bid thee c. As who should say if you will not doe so small a matter to be cured you will doe nothing So I say to every soule here present if the Lord had required a great matter of us whereby we might attaine salvation if hee had required a thousand Rams 10. thousand rivers of Oyle if he had required the first borne of our body for the sinne of our soules if the Lord had enjoyned every soule of us to live howling crying all the dayes of our life for mercy if hee had commanded us to goe into a Chamber secretly and there to fall upon our knees and pray unto him continually for mercy untill our eyes had failed with looking up to heaven for mercy untill our hands had beene wearied with holding them up to heaven untill our tongues had beene hoarse with crying for mercy and untill our hearts failed us and fainted within us if at the very last gaspe wee should be crying for mercy and did 〈◊〉 then receive one drop of it it would quit cost it would be worth our labour if the Lord had required all things whatsoever of you for one drop of mercy if you had had your eyes about you yâ—â— would have given them but what a wonderfull goodnesse is this that the Lord should require nothing at our hands for Christ and grace and salvation but a will to receive them let me presse this a little further if God had required a great thing of you would you not have done it to have beene saved how much more when it commeth to this once that it is at a lower rate then wee can desire or expect it should bee onely be willing to take mercy and you shall have it doe but carry away grace and it is your owne for ever I cannot conceive of any easier tearme whereby God might better expresse his wonderfull goodnesse towards us wilt thou receive Christ and salvation by himâ— why then thou mayst have him nay the Lord even forceth his commodities and his favour upon us he doth not onely offer us this but he forces it upon us in this kind he is not onely willing that we should receive Christ if wee be but willing to take him but the Lord himselfe doth beseech us that wee will be reconciled unto him and receive mercy from him and be blessed for ever Take notice of this unmatchable and unconceiveable mercy of the Lord in that he offereth Christ and the meanes of salvation upon so easie conditions and at so low a rate if wee can but will Christ wee shall have Christ and salvation by him nay we shall not onely receive Christ if we will entertaine him but the Lord himselfe doth beseech us to take mercy at his hands aske your owne soules therefore if it bee not equall that you should entertaine the offer of Christ thus pronounced unto you But be â—â—les as a further motive hereunto consider that as the termes are equall and easie so the commodity also in the second place is worth the price and this may also inforce our hearts to forsake all for the getting of the possession of this goodnesse which wee stand so in neede of if the commodity were not good though the condition were caste and the price reasonable it were theâ— indeed something wee could thinke to mend ourselves in another place but here as the termes are most easie so the good is farre better than can bee conceived you cannot mend yourselves goe whither you will use what meanes you will If you will have Christ what then will you have as men use to say when a man hath a commodity offered him a good penny worth and hee knowes not a good bargainâ— when he hath it marke what Chapmen will say Oh say they you will goe further and speed worse just so it is here it is the woefullâ—â—â— thing under heaven for â—en not to know when they have a good bargainâ— and when they are weâ— dealt withall To refuse mercy and salvation when it is offered them and that upon so easie termes and at so low a rate for what will you have if you will not have Christ if you will nor have grace and salvation why what will you have upon what will you bestow your hearts you will have your sinnes and corruptions and not grace and mercy you will have damnation and not salvation you will have hell you will not have heaven you will be like the Iewes who refused Christ and chose Barrabas a murtherer for whensoever a soule refuseth the Lord Iesus it is certaine that he chooseth a Barrabas if you refuse the one you must needes receive the other and then consider which is best you will not have Christ and salvation what will you then have hell damnation confusion and destruction you will not bee happy and therefore you must bee miserable and therefore this is observeable the Lord hath sent from heaven this day and offered salvation and happinesse to men as freely as ever any man had any thing offered I come this day from the Lord to enquire how the case standeth and how the match goeth forward betweene Christ and you Let me therefore goe to your soules and answer you mee unto my question the offer of grace you see is free the condition is easie the price is reasonable whither now will you have mercy and salvation or no you little ones you young ones that have beene married to profits and pleasures to lusts and corruptions the Lord Iesus is become a great suter to you all this day and I am Christs spoksman to speake a good word for him be not oh bee not squeamish and coy and say afterward you will speake with him and tell him how
your minde stands deferre not the time but welcome him and give entertainment unto him now presently do not put him off with delayes but presently embrace his kinde offer and be married unto him for if you will not now take him he will come in a flaming fire hereafter to take vengeance of you all that now refuse and reject him and therefore I beseech you let 〈◊〉 get your good will for this every man that will let him take grace and salvation freely tell mâ—â— then will you have mercy and salvation oh take heed of refusing it for if you do the time will come when you shall never have it though you never so earnestly desire it if you obtaine it you are made for ever if you enjoy it not you are for ever damned returne therefore I beseech you a comfortable answere to the demand which the Lord maketh if you will receive grace and Christ and Salvation from him then speake to the Lord in this case let your soules answere him cheerefully we will Lord the Lord saith come unto me ye sinfull sonnes of men and I will hâ—ale your rebellions answere the Lord and say we come Lord for thou art our God thinke upon this and worke your soules hereunto graâ—nt Christ your good wills in this kind if you will but prize him and choose him above all things in this world if you be resolved to cleave onely to him and forsake all other things in the world for him if your soules be but willing to receive Christ I proclaime mercy and salvation unto you we are as I told you before Christs messengers sent to speake a good word for Christ and to get your good wills for him oh that we may have our errant from you shall I say to the Lord Iesus all the poore soules that have heard the Word this day and received the tender of Salvation this day I have all their hands they have all writ downe their names that they will have Christ and they will have salvation offered unto them is it thus with you if it be so then I may goe and returne a chearefull answer to Christ but doe not doe not I beseech you give me the deniall doe not say I cannot live by grace I must provide for family for wife and children can you not so why I must not take this answer from you let not Gods messengers go drooping to heaven and returne this uncomfortable answer to the Lord in this case let us not say we offered mercy no body would receive it we tendred salvation but no body regarded it shall we returne this answer no no we must have another answer from you and therefore I beseech you worke yet more upon your soules and turne unto us a chearefull answer in this case for God looketh for a comfortable answer he wooeth from heaven and therefore never give her the deniall Deut. 5.29 In the 5. of Deut. 29. Oh that there were such a heart in my people to feare me and keepe my Commandements that it may goe well with them and with their children after them thus hee writeth thus wee speake what answer shall wee have from you that you will not have Christ and you will not have grace and salvation Oh take heede of this wee come for your hearts and wee must have your hearts therefore shut up your doores against all other lovers and come and say cheerefully wee will Lord wee will cleave to thee onely goe home therefore and whatsoever you now resolve this way persevere in it and take heed that no man inveagle you and withdraw your love from the Lord Iesus and when you come at home reason with your owne soules and say Lord I have followed raâ—ties heretofore I have had profits and pleasures do looke after but now I care for nothing but for the Lord Iesus if I may but have him I care for nothing else I â—are not whether I ever see good day againe or no and therefore if pleasures call if profits entise if lusts and corruptions stirre then I will answer I am married to Christ I will have Christ and I will have salvation nothing shall make mee forsake him thus cleave fast unto Christ forever let every soule resolve that hath heard mee this day that they will have Christ and let them take heede that they never start backe from him and say to your soâ—â—es before so many witnesses in the Congregation the Lord called and asked whither I would have him and I answered I was willing and what shall I now breake off my resolutionâ— no never doe it for shame for if you doe for sake Christ and do not keepe close to your resolution at the last day when the Angels of God a whole Congregation shall come and witnesse against you what a miserable estate will you then bee in therefore resolve to hold fâ—st to Christ and keepe this resolution unto the end 1 COR. 2.14 The naturall man receiveth noâ— the things of the Spirit of God for they are foolishnesse unto him neither can he know them because they are spiritually discerned WEE have propounded heretofore five generall circumstances of preparation First a man must know that the offer of grace is free Secondly that a man must will Christ and grace before hee shall have Christ grace Thirdly he that doth will Christ shall have Christ and salvation by him all which we have already handled out of that place Revel 22.17 Whosoever will let him take of the water of life freely And now wee are come to the fourth circumstance which is that no man by nature can will Christ and Grace and for this purpose I have chosen this Text. And a little to make way for our selves if you take your eyes backe to the beginning of the Chapter about the 3 4 and 5. Verses you may see how the holy Apostle doth expresse his earnest desire to preach nothing not know any thing but Christ Iesus and him crucified and therefore hee lookes not after the excellencie of humane eloquence or wisedome of men though hee could have had this too and happily expressed this also yet hee proclaimes it in the eares of the Corinthian Doctours that hee desired nothing in that Vniversity for Corinth was a famous Vniversity as Cambridge and Oxford is but to know the Lord Iesus and him crucified and therefore his speech and preaching was not with entising words of mans wisedome but in demonstration of the spirit and of power the Corinthâ—an Doctors bragged of that humane wisedome and learning wherewith they were endued but hee tells them he desired not this nor never lookâ— after it Now least some might cavill at the Apostles neglecting of this elegance whereby 〈◊〉 might sugar over his doctrine that was to be dâ—â—â—vered by him to the people least by the nor regarding of this he might bring a neglect upon himselfe and upon his doctrine the Apostle therefore to remoove these filly objections and secret
to inâ—â—rict many judgements upon the people of Israel because they had not walked in his statutes after the Lord had done this yet 〈◊〉 tells them in the 16. Verse if they would walke in his wayes he would be a Sanctuary unto them he would make them better than ever they were and hee would doe better for them than ever hee did but how will hee doe this Why saith he I will take away that stony sturdy heart which is in them and will give them a frameable heart and a teachable heart which shall yeeld to whatsoever I cammand and then they will be able to cast away all those evills which they have embraced and performe all those holy duties which they have neglected the heart which God takes away from them cannot be meant the heart it selfe the naturall facultie of willing and the heart which hee gives them cannot be meant the bare faculty it selfe but the rebellious disposition that was in the faculty the Lord removeth and that same teachable frameable disposition he putteth into the facultie whereby their hearts should be carried to that which was pleasing to God comfortable to themselves I intend to speake of two things concerning Gods taking away of this same stony heart and giving a heart of flesh unto his people first that God doth this that hee is the Author of it secondly I will speake of the circumstance of time when God doth this when he thus workes upon the hearts of his chosen sometimes sooner sometimes later and this same circumstance of time when the Lord doth this is double first in regard of the meanes the Lord doth thus worke upon the hearts of those which belong to the election of grace when hee gives them the meanes of salvation when they have the Sunne-shine of the Gospell shining in their faces The second circumstance of this time is in regard of the men whom the Lord will thus worke upon some sooner some later some in all ages some in their young and tenderage some in their middle age and some though very few in their old age First I will speake of the Authour of this and that is God hee takes away the stony heart and gives a heart of flesh to his servants The Doctrine out of the words is The taking away of the indisposition of the soule to any good dutie and the fitting framing and disposing of a soule to performe any spirituall service is the alone worke of God hee removes the indisposition of the soule and hee puts the disposition to any good into the soules of his the case is cleare if we reason after this manner what is a stony heart A stony heart is a sturdy unteachable heart uncapeable and indisposed to any good what is a heart of flesh it is a lowly teachable pliable heart wiling to receive any impression that God stampes upon it who takes away the one The Lord who gives the other The Lord. So that both the remooving of the stony heart is the Lords worke and the giving of the fleshy heart is the Lords worke also I will take away their stony heart and I will give them a heart of flesh Nay the Lord doth make it his chiefest prerogative to doe this worke for a poore sinner Ezek. 36.25 Ezeck 36.25 I will powre cleane water upon you saith the Lord and yee shall be cleane from all your â—ilâ—hinesse and your Idols I will cleanse you A new heart also will I give you and put a new spirit within you I will take away the stony heart and I will give you a heart of flesh and therefore wee shall take notice of it this great worke of conversion is compared with the worke of creation God onely created man and God onely converteth a man how was it when darkenesse was over the face of the earth Let there bee light said the Lord and there was light the same God that created light the same God doth shine in our hearts nay this worke of conversion is sayd to be one of the greatest workes of God as if God did the best he could doe for a poore sinner when hee converts him To whom is the arme of the Lord revealed saith the Prophet Esay that is to whom is the utmost power of the Almighty God revealed the Lord putteth forth his whole strength upon poore sinners when he converts them unto himselfe The power of Gods strength the depth of Gods wisedome and the riches of Gods mercy is discovered in this worke of conversion here is power against all power and strength above all strength for the Lord doth not meete with the soule of a sinner in the worke of conversion as hee did in the worke of creation with the world for when he made the world hee met with nothing to resist him but he onely spoke the word hee commanded and it was made but when the Lord commeth to meete with the soule of a poore sinner to open his eyes and convert him unto himselfe and bring him home hee meeteth with the whole frame of all creatures opposing and resisting him the divell and the world without and sinne and corruption within when the Lord comes to convert a firmer hee meetes with all these with sinne Sathan and the world resisting him and therefore here must needs be power against all strength that opposeth him here must needs bee wisedome against all pollicie that resists him and here must needes be wonderfull mercy against all weakenesse and miserie 1 Cor. 14.24 and therefore 1 Cor. 14.24 there saith the Text If all prophesie and there come in 〈◊〉 that beleeveth not or unlearned he is rebuked of all and judged of all and so are the secrets of his heart made manifest and so he will fall downe on his face and worship God and say plainely God is in you indeede here the Text faith when the Lord commeth to speake home to a poore sinner a poore soule he comes into the Congregation though he be simple the word is wise and powerfull and that discovereth what is in his heart man is not able to doe this but God can doe this and then the soule will say God is in you in deede as who should say Here is God or else I had never beene humbled or else my sinnes had never beene subdued or else my soule had never beene wrought upon the sinner that is strucken with this worke he professeth plainely that here is the stroake of God and power of God and wisedome of God which was able to discover all things that were in my heart and take 〈◊〉 this stubborne heart of mine Oh this is 〈◊〉 â—orle of God indeede The grounds of the point why it is necessary that God should be the Author both of taking away the stony heart and giving the heart of flesh are these if we doe but consider the nature of the stoninesse and the fleshinesse of the heart it will appeare that God onely can take away
why though you be not able yet here is the comfort of a poore foule the worke is the Lords and he whose worke it is is able to bring it to passe what though thou beest weake yet God is strong and therefore quiet thy soule and content thy heart a man may say I have a hard heart from within and it will receive no good from without the Word prevailes not the Sacraments have no power over me why all the meanes and cost and charges that God hath bestowed upon me is lost and my heart is not yet humbled my corruptions are not yet weakened be yet comforted though meanes cannot doe it which God useth at his pleasure though these cannot doe it yet the Lord can doe it there is nothing hard or difficult to him that hath hardnesse it selfe at command hee is a God which hath all things at command hee can command the devill himselfe and therefore hee hath the hardnesse of thy heart at command also there is nothing hard to him that hath hardnesse at his command nay though all things be impossible to man yet nothing is impossible with God God can doe what man not meanes cannot the Lord hee sheweth mercy upon us why because wee will no because he wills and though we cannot cast away our sinnes yet the Lord will remove them Oh then saith the soule this is somewhat comfortable that the Lords mercie depends not upon my will but upon Gods will And I would tell you somewhat by experience in this kinde for I knew one that was over whelmed with dispaire a whole yeare together because hee thought hee had committed the sinne against the holy Ghost and yet at last was comforted by this meanes he refolved with himselfe if my conversion were in my will onely then I should be damned but it is not because I will but because God will doe good to my poore soule aye but the soule will say I confesse it is not in my will but it is in Gods will that hee sheweth mercy and this is some comfort yet but oh my corruptions are old sinnes of a long time can those be pardoned they are become as another nature in me can those therefore be removed yes the Lord is able to remove those also for saith the Prophet the Lord hath laid salvation upon the mightie so that though thy corruptions be mightie and powerfull yet there is a mighty God that is able to undoe that cursed combination that is betweene thy soule and thy corruptions and therefore quiet thy selfe in the consideration hereof and say I must confesse that I have many corruptions but the mighty Lord of hosts hath promised that hee will take away my stony heart and give me a heart of flesh and hee is able to doe it also be herein quieted and supported and looke up to heaven for comfort In the third place it is a word of exhortation to all those that are in the bond of iniquitie and under the power of Satan to those which carry a stony heart about them it is a word of exhortation to these see your owne wants and be exhorted in the name of the Lord Iesus to have recourse to this great God and intreate him to take away your stony heart from you looke as it is with men if there be a Physition of excellent skill that cures all diseases that are brought unto him why then all men will repaire to him why so it is here God alone is able to doe this cure for us and herefore he should have our custome if a man should set up a bill upon the market post that he would cure all that come to him which were troubled with the stone in the reines or any other grievous disease and if wee should meete with many comming from him that were healed by him why then wee would be ready to say such a one went and hee was healed such a one went and hee was cured and this will stirre up all to repaire unto him and every one would bring those that appertaine unto them and were troubled with this disease unto him that they might be cured by him the Lord hath set up a bill this day that he will cure all those that come unto him of their stony heart and all the Sonnes of God have found proofe hereof to the comfort of their owne soules the Lord is hee that will doe this hee will take away your stony heart you wives therefore that have husbands which have stony hearts and you parents that have children that are troubled with stony hearts goe home with comfort and tell them that you have heard this day of a Phisitian that will undertake to cure them of this disease and exhort them therefore to repaire unto him Our Saviour Christ when hee had healed many of their diseases the Text saith in the third of Matthew That all came unto him and brought their sicke that hee might heale them In the bowells of the Lord Iesus be intreated you that have stony hearts to goe unto the Lord that so you may be cured you were better have a milstone about your neckes then have this stony heart we have all of us this stony heart more or lesse as it is with a man that hath beene cured of a disease perhaps the disease is much mitigated but there will still be much weakenes and some reliques of the disease remaining in him a long time after So the Sonnes of God have the strength of this stony heart somewhat lessened and abated in them but they are not altogether freed from it but those that were never cured of this disease those that never had this stony heart in any measure removed they were better have a milstone about their neckes for it will sinke them into the bottomlesse pit of hell and destruction if death take them away while they carrie this stony heart about them they will be surely damned therefore 〈◊〉 them as they love their owne soules be 〈…〉 and perswaded to come to this Physitian God 〈◊〉 I will take away your stony hearts and I will 〈◊〉 you hearts of flesh come therefore and 〈…〉 selves to the hammer of God that your stony hearts may be taken away when you 〈◊〉 this Ministers teach then say Lord I beseech 〈◊〉 teach thou mee in the meane time when the Minister perswades then say Lord doe thou over rule and perswade this sinnefull heart of mine take thou away this power of corruptions which is in my heart and remove thou the rebellions of my heart goe home and be exhorted to goe to this Physition and importune the Lord in this case put him in minde of all those many savours which he hath vouchsafed to you put the Lord in remembrance of that which he hath desired in his Word Oh that people had such hearts as would feare me and keepe my Commandements alwayes say unto the Lord that it is as easie for him to create such hearts in you as to
every Christian man living wee are all travellers here below wee are all bound for heaven though a man finde rough wayes and cold weather though a man have many troubles many disgraces cast upon his person many reproches put upon his name yet this may be his comfort there is day enough before a man it is faire weather above head the preaching of the Word may cheere a man and the meanes of life and happinesse may comfort a man that walkes in the way unto salvation in 1 Pet. 1. â—0 the Teâ—t saith that the antient Prophets enquired and sought diligently when Christ should come when the means of salvation should be revealed of which salvation â— Pet. 1.10 saith the text the Prophets have enquired and searched diligently who prophesied of the grace that should come c. all the antient Fathers before enjoyed onely the Mooneshine and the Starre-light of the Gospell and therfore in the 2 Pet. 1.19 The Apostle saith 2 Pet. 1.19 We have also a more sure Word of prophesie whereunto you doe well that you take heede as unto a light that shineth in a darke place untill the day dawne and the day-starre arise in your hearts as who should say when Christ came when the Gospell was revealed the Sonne of righteousnesse did then clearely appeare if they that expected those things onely were thankefull for them then what should we be that enjoy these helpes for the cheering of us helping of us and comforting of us in the wayes of salvation it is a speech of the Prophet David Give me understanding that I may live it is an observation of holy men out of this place that a man doth not live because he growth a tree doth so a man doth not live because hee feeles and sees and heares and hath the sensible facultie the beasts doe so a man doth not live because hee reasons the devills doe so but give mee understanding that I may live wee live not as holy men unlesse we understand the wayes of God unlesse wee know the things belonging to our peace here 〈◊〉 hereafter we live not because we are wise for the devill is wiser than any man living but give me understanding that I may live that I may understand the things of God this is the wisedome of it Christian whereby hee shall come to 〈◊〉 eternall happinesse many in the East parts of the workâ— worship the devill they never so much as heard 〈◊〉 thing of Christ Iesus and the glad 〈…〉 Gospell and therefore is it not a wonder 〈…〉 that God hath continued us untill this time wherein the meanes of salvation are so fully reâ—â—â—led You that are going on in the roade way 〈◊〉 destruction all you that are in a naturall estate 〈◊〉 God should plucke you out of the land of the living what should become of your poore soules it is a great mercy that God doth yet vouchsafe life unto you but that you may heare the Word and enjoy the meanes of salvation what a comfort is this A Plowman if hee hath but a fit opportunitie of sowing plowing or reaping hee is thankefull for it and hee ought so to be for it is a great goodnesse of God to afford unto him seasonable weather to sow and gather in the fruits of the earth in the time here of late when by reason of unseasonablenesse of weather famine was feared and yet God gave a seasonable time afterwards to ripen gather the fruits of the earth I appeale to your owne consciences did not this coÌ„fort you did not this cheare you Nay could not people come and be thankefull to God for such blessings and say it was a good season God be blessed Gods name be praised for it Was this such a goodly season wherein you might fill your barnes full of corne and your purses full of money Why then had we eyes to see and hearts to conceive what is that season that blessed season of salvation those good dayes that have passed over our heads wherein many have injoyed the opportunitie and meanes of salvation twentie thirtie yea fortie yeares Oh blessed season the Sunne never saw the like nay the whole world wonders at this marvellous mercy that the Lord hath vouchsafed to us in this Land Shall we enjoy all these blessings and yet not be thankefull for them and prise them as we ought and walke worthy of them as we might Oh let it not be so with us but you that can be thankefull for a plentifull harvest when you may gather money into your coffers oh be thankefull be thankefull for the meanes of salvation vouchsafed unto you whereby you may fill your soules full of comfort and therefore goe your wayes in secret and be thankefull to God that you live and if you have received grace blesse God that ever you saw that day if you have not received grace yet blesse God that yet you breathe and that you may seeke unto him and waite upon him in the use of the meanes that so you may receive mercy and salvation from him blesse God that thou hast the Sunne-shine of the Gospell shining in thy face that thou hast the day before thee that thou mayst trade therein and receive comfort thereby Secondly is it so that while life lasts and the meanes of salvation is continued and vouchsafed unto us that this is our day that this is the season wherein God will shew mercy unto us what use then will you make of this for the present what will you say and what will you now perswade your hearts unto why me thinkes every man answers and every mans soule ecchoeth againe surely if this be the time if this be the season let us take it then since the Lord offereth this and continueth this we ought then to be intreated in the name of the Lord Iesus to take this opportunitie and not omit any season wherein the Lord calleth upon us that so wee may obtaine the end of our hopes the desire of our soules even salvation hereafter Redeeme the time because the dayes are evill saith the Apostle that is because the time is now therefore take the opportunitie it is the use that the Apostle makes While yee have time doe good unto all men then much more to our soules if we must doe good to our neighbours then much more to that poore soule of ours that is miserably oppressed with sinne that is in a dainned and cursed estate Oh but there are many arguments whereby Satan laboureth to defeate this truth and many shiftes the soule hath to put off this that hath beene spoken give me leave a little to wipe away those carnall conceits and cavills The first is this the soule will be ready to say I confesse it is true indeede that when the opportunitie is we should take it but that may be hereafter who knoweth whither this be my time or no my opportunitie or no I answer with the Apostle Paul while I am speaking and you are
last day that ever I shal speak the last day that you shall ever heare If I were now breathing out my last breath I would breath our this legacie to all Christians which I leave behinde me This is the accepted time this is the day of salvation He that hath an eare to heare let him now heare he that never had a heart let him now have a heart to embrace these things whilst grace and salvation is offered unto him let him entertaine this offer It doth mee good to consider if the soule of a man would but receive mercy and grace now while it is offered him this day what comfort he may have for ever both here and hereafter he might then say this day I received comfort I was never humbled before but this day I was humbled I could never before receive any mercy but this day I received it this was a good day to me Oh if men would but be exhorted to take the opportunity while it lasts and entertaine the meanes of grace and salvation while they are offered Oh what comfort might men gaine hereby then at the last day they should receive an everlasting crowne of glory they should then receive the fruits of their labours even the salvation of their soules Let us all therefore as wee love our owne soules be exhorted to entertaine the things of grace here that wee may obtaine the things of glory hereafter MATTH 20.3 4 5 6. And he went out about the third houre and saw others standing idle in the market place and said unto them Go ye also into the vineyard and whatsoever is right I will give you and they went their way Again he went out about the sixt houre ninth houre and did likewise and about the eleventh houre hee went out and saw others standing idle and saith unto them Why stand you here all the day idle They said unto him because no man hath hired us he saith unto them Go ye also into the vineyard and whatsoever is right that shall ye receive WEe have heard heretofore that all men being dead in sinnes and trespasses are so farre from working out their owne salvation from themselves as that they are not able to receive grace and mercy offered unto them from the Lord for the comforting of their hearts here and obtaining of happinesse hereafter and therefore the last generall circumstance of preparation we did handle was this That howsoever a naturall man is not able to understand the things of the Lord yet the Lord will make all those which belong unto him able to receive the Lord Iesus and then he will bestow the Lord Iesus and grace and salvation upon them Now concerning this point there are two circumstances of speciall consideration The first is the circumstance of time in regard of the meanes and that wee have already handled out of Luke 19.42 and the point then delivered was this When God continues life and the meanes of salvation to a people then this is the time when God meanes to bestow mercy and salvation upon them The second circumstance concerning the time of this worke is in respect of the men upon whom God will worke and some he workes upon in their tender age some in their riper yeares and some in their old age at all times God doth call some and this is the circumstance we will now grapple withall and for this purpose I have chosen this part of the Parable and in the Parable as in all other Parables besides the outside and letter of the Parable we must understand the sence and meaning thereof When therefore we heare in the parable of a vineyard and of the master of the vineyard and of the servants that were hired to worke in this vineyard and of the severall houres wherein they are hired these are onely the outsides of the Parable the meaning thereof is this by vineyard is meant the Church of God and by the Master of the vineyard is meant the Lord Iesus the hiring of the servants into the vineyard is nothing else but the powerfull calling of poore sinners by the worke of the Ministery to the knowledge of the truth here and happinesse hereafter and in that he calls some at one houre and some at another the meaning is that God calls some at one time some at another some in their tender yeares some in their middle age and some in their old age some older some younger but that wee may understand the sence of the Spirit in these words The third houre the sixth houre ninth houre and the eleventh houre We must understand that the Iewes and the Romanes used to divide their dayes which consisted of twelve houres into foure parts from sixe to nine was one parcell of the day from nine to twelve was the second from twelve to three was the third part and from three in the afternoone till sixe at night was the last parcell of the day Now therefore the third houre was nine of the clocke the sixt houre was twelve of the clocke the ninth houre was three of the clocke in the afternoone and the eleventh houre was five of the clocke an houre before night Now the Lord doth provide some soules for himselfe at nine a clocke in the morning some at three in the afternoone and some at the last cast at five of the clocke when the Sunne beginns to set in their old decrepit age the Lord meant to convert some unto himselfe Some understand this parable of the calling of Ministers good and bad and in that it is said here They were hired every one for a penny they understand by this that some will be Ministers for this living some for that some for preferment some also come into the Ministery for the salvation of soules but this cannot be the meaning of the Text here and the reason is this This Parable must be understood of those men of whom the last clause in the 19. Chapter is understood in the 30. Verse of the 19. Chapter the Text saith Many that are first shall be last and the last shall be first Now this Parable is set downe here in the beginning of this Chapter and brought in by the Spirit of God meerely for the manifestation of the Scripture going before therefore it is cleare that this Parable is to be understood concerning those persons spoken of before in the former Chapter Of those also this Parable must be understood to whom it is applied afterward in the 16 Verse of this Chapter it is said also The last shall be first and the first shall be last So that the case is cleare this Parable being brought in by the Spirit for the illustration discovery of the former truth therefore who ever they be that were there understood and whoever they be to whō this Parable is afterward applied of the same the Parable here must be understood but it is cleare that that Verse must be understood of those that are gracious for the
Gods mercy that he deales thus with the soules of poore sinners it is the reason of that passage in the 15. verse of this Chapter there the Master of the vineyard called the labourers together and they received every man a penny now they that came first and had borne the heate of the day when they saw that they which came last had as much as they they murmured against the master of the vineyard saying These last have wrought but one houre and thou hast made them equall unto us which have borne the heate of the day but then the master answered saying Friend I doe thee no wrong is it not lawfull for me to doe what I will with mine owne as if he had sayd I called thee at the third houre and him at the sixth houre and this man at the eleventh houre it was out of my mercy that I called thee and out of my mercy that I called him is it not lawfull to doe what I will with mine owne mercy is mine and love is mine and reward is mine it is my mercy that I will call any at any time and therefore I may dispose of it as I please Secondly as the Lord doth expresse hereby the freenesse of his grace so the Lord also hereby doth mervelously magnifie his great power and All-sufficiency in saving the soules of poore people that is able to doe what hee will in heaven and in earth and so likewise in the hearts of his servants there are many little ones that are fooles and have no knowledge and yet the Lord is able to convert them and make them understand the mysteries of salvation there are many strong men that snuffle up the wind like the Asse in the Wildernesse they will not stoope they will not be humbled but they will doe what they list and yet the Lord is able to over power this sturdy heart of a young and strong man and he is able to support the weake nature of a young one And so men that are weatherbeaten in their sinnes and screwed into their corruptions God is able to overpower these and convert these also and bring them home unto himselfe if hee be a weake silly child yet God is able to inlighten him if hee have a sturdy heart yet God can bring him downe and if he be a weatherbeaten and an old sinner yet God is able to call him and convert him also and hereby the wonderfull power of the Lord is seene in that hee is able to worke how hee will when hee will and upon whom he will in this kind looke as it is with a Physitian when a man hath a disease which lies low in his body and breedes rottennesse in his bones insomuch that it is almost past cure then the Physitian that can recover this man sheweth admirable skill and he sheweth admirable power in regard that he is able to provide such meanes and apply such meanes as thereby the party may bee cured by this meanes the skill of the Physitian and the power of him is magnified so it is with this great God when all sorts of sinners are called and all corruptions subdued your little ones that know nothing yet God inlightens them and supports them Timothy did sucke the sincere milke of the Gospel on one side as he did sucke the milke of his mothers brests on the other side and then there is a stubborne heart on another side which breakes all bonds and snappes all cords apeeces hâ—e cares for nothing he will be ruled by no man and then there is your old forlorne sinner his sinnes are become a rottennesse in his bones old incanlâ—â—ed pride and incancred covetousnesse and malice God now to conquer all these and helpe these doth not this shew admirable power in the Lord 〈◊〉 to worke and thus to order things for the good of his people so that wee see that God doth and can call in all ages We come now to the next passage and that is this however the Lord doth at severall times convert severall of his servants and there is no time alotted to him yet most and most usually God doth call them before their old age and that some interpreters wittily observe out of the Text it is sayd that the master of the Vineyard went out at the third sixt and ninth houre and saw some standing idle and he sent them into his Vineyard he went then on purpose to see and hire and send in Labourers to work in his Vineyard but the Text saith he went out at the eleventh houre not to hire any for he did not expect to see any then idle but hee went out upon some other occasion and seeing some then standing idle hee wondred at it and sayd Why stand yee all the day idle as if he should say no man will hire you now it is but one houre to night it is time for men to leave working and not to beginne to worke he went out occasionally and meeting with these unexpected hee wondered at these and therefore they observe that if there had not beene great mercy in the master of the Vineyard this was no time to hire Labourers in so that the case is cleare some are called in their youth some in their middle age some in their old age some in their tender yeares some in their riper age some old some young but this is most true than those whom God doth call it is most commonly in their middle age before they come to their old age this is the generall course of God he call many before some after but most then Eccles 3.1 there the wise man observes that there is a time appointed for every purpose and it appeareth that the middle age is the fittest time for this purpose it is true indeede that all things depend upon Gods will but yet there is wisedome in this God and he ordereth things according to wise dome and this seemes to bee the fittest season wherein the Lord should deale thus graciously in converting of a sinner if wee consider either the nature of man or the end of Gods giving grace in both these respects first if wee looke to man and regard either the constitution of his body or the gifts qualities of his minde we shall see that it is most fit for God to worke upon him in his middle age he can doe it and may doe it at another time but that is the fittest time and that first in regard of the constitution of his body for it is observed by Philosophers that a man in his tender infancie lives the life of a tree onely he onely eates and growes and so it is with little children in their swadling cloathes afterwards when he comes into further yeares when he comes to be ten or twelve yeares old then hee lives the life of a beast he is taken away with those objects that are then most sutable to him for a child to consider of the mysteries of life salvation is
ever he meane to come to heaven and this is the first meanes when the soule of a sinner is inlightned and his mind informed that he is in a wrong course and that he must take a better course or else he shall never come at heaven and this the Lord doth suddenly the sinner not perceiving of it the Lord setteth a sudden flash upon his soule and telleth him that he is going unto hell the soule presently wonders at this and marvels how it came to passe Esay 66.1 there saith the text I am sought of them that asked not for mee and I am found of them that sought mee not the Lord putteth a sudden light into soules of men which they never dreamed of Hypocrites if they can but goe to Church and sit in the Church as Gods servants do and leane on their elbowes and heare as Gods people do then all is well with them but as many of them as belong to God God will discover unto them that they are in a wrong way and he will shew and reveale another way unto them which they never dreamed of and therefore this is that we shall observe haply we shall see a man come riding into a town on a Sabboth day and when he comes there hee seeth the people going to Church well perhaps then he sets up his horse at the Inne and goes into the Church for a custome and for company sake and when he is in the Church he goes into a seat and sets down his staffe and sits down and attends the Minister and never thinks of any thing well at last the Lord sends a light into his soule and telleth him thou art now riding about thy own worldly businesse when thoushouldst be in sanctifying of my Sabboth I tell thee my friend thou art in a wrong way thou takest a naughty course thou dost wickedly and if thou continuest and goest on in this course thou wilt never come at heaven And this the Lord doth on a sudden when a man never so much as thought of any such matter And after a man is thus enlightned he will be ready to say the truth is heretofore I went to heare the word but for customes sake but when I least dreamed of any such thing it pleased the Lord blessed be his name to reveale such things unto mee as I before never knew he told mee that which sticketh upon mee to this present houre he discovered that unto mee which I hope I shall carry with me unto my grave this is that we may observe in the 9. of the Acts Paul there was running on in a resolute-course he had gotten letters at Damascus and purposed to make havock of all poore Christians where he came now while he was in his journey the Lord met him from heaven and cryed unto him Saul Saul why persecutest thou mee as he if had said this is not the way to heaven you think to persecute my poore Saints but Saul Saul I tell thee this is not the way thou takest a wrong course he called unto him as a man would call after one that is running out of his right way into some wildernesse or dangerous place And when Saul heard this he presently fell off his horse and humbled himselfe and said Lord what wilt thou that I do and so Luke 15.4 the text saith that the shepherd that had lost his sheep left his ninty and nine and went into the wildernesse to seek that which was lost and if he had not gone to seek the sheep the sheep would never have sought him alas the poore sheep was gone astray and bewilderd and if the shepheard had not followed it and sought after it that would never have found the sheepheard nay to go further many a man goeth to the word and heareth it for nothing else but to carp at the Minister and yet the Lord hath caught many such men also and hath put such a light into their hearts that he hath made them know that they were in a wrong way and mark when the Lord hath let in this light then the soule begins to be at a stand and thinks with himselfe surely if this be the right way I am in the wrong if the Minister saith true then I am not right but then sometimes the heart would put out this light it would not be informed and perswaded if the Minister tels a man that he must sanctifie Gods Sabboths here or else he shall never sanctifie a Sabboth unto him in heaven hereafter when the Minister saith that unlesse God humble us here he will break us in peeces in hell hereafter loath a man is to know this and be informed of this because hee would not be offended by this and provoked to performe this but though a sinner would shift off this yet the Lord will not leave him but will still pursue him and lay reasons upon him unanswerable the soule would fain play tricks with the Lord in this case and put out this light but God will reveale to the soule of a sinner that these things are certainly true God will lay hold upon the understanding of a poore sinner and follow him with reasons that are undeniable untill his reason shall yeeld and his understanding give verdit to that which the Lord reveales untill hee sayes I confesse Lord it is true I yeeld full assent thereto Thus the Lord knocketh at the doore or heart of a poore sinner and not only so but lifts up the latch and opens the doore of a mans heart and letteth in the light and this is the first course that God useth 2 2. The second is this after that the Lord hath thus enlightened the minde and let in the light of his spirit into the heart of a sinner and though a man would defeat the power of it yet God still followeth him with forceable arguments untill the understanding is setled and reason answered after the Lord hath done this then the second cord wherewith God draweth sinners unto himselfe is a cord of mercy whereby the Lord doth compasse a poore sinner about with kindnesse goodnesse and compassion Hos 11.4 there saith the Lord I taught Ephraim to goe taking them by the armes I drew them with the cords of love and with the bonds of a man This same cord of Gods mercy is a cable rope the abundant riches of Gods mercy is a great thick cable and we will tell you of what it is twisted it makes known it selfe in foure particulars if the illumination that God sends into the heart will not bee able to perswade the heart though it answers all objections pursueth it with arguments undeniable why then the Lord will draw us with the cord of his mercy and this great cable of Gods goodnesse is made up of foure cords First First Cord. the Lord revealed himselfe to be ready to receive and willing and easie to entertayne poore sinners when they come unto him Esay 55.7 there saith
greater eagernesse than ever he did all his life time before For mark that alwayes if after God hath inlightned a mans mind and awakned his conscience he falls into his old wayes again then he is a divell he is twice as bad as he was before he followes his corruptions with such outragiousnesse as if hell were broken loose Very well he hath now broken two hooks the third hook is that which will rend him in peeces before it will let him passe when conscience seeth that the other two hooks are broken when he seeth that commands prevaile not that accusations terrifie not then the Lord exerciseth another work of conscience upon the heart of a poore sinner and that is this As conscience did before command him and peremptorily charge him upon the hazzard of everlasting life not commit sinne and secondly as it before did accuse him before God for the commission of that sinne whereby God was dishonourted and his soule polluted so in the third place conscience becomes his executioner it takes the office of an executioner upon him conscience will beare with him no longer but now draggs him down to the very place of execution he was convicted before conscience sayes unto him thy sinnes were discovered and I charged thee not to meddle with sinne any more upon paine of Gods displeasure and as thou wouldst answer it before God afterward I became an accuser of thee before God and then thou didst confesse thy sinnes and didst purpose amendment but now since thou hast slighted my commands and not regarded my accusations there is therefore no remedy but thou must go to the place of execution now there is no way but one with thee now conscience begins to condemne the soule as Divines expresse these three works of conscience by a practicall kind of reasoning and conscience reasons thus with the soule He that being often reproved hardeneth his neck he shall perish there is no remedic there is the command of conscience but thou hast often been reproved and admonished and yet hast hardoned thy heart and hast not been bettered by it there is the work of accusation and therefore thou shalt perish there is no remedy and this is the condemning work Suppose conscience should come thus unto the heart of a man he that being often reproved hardeneth his heart he shall perish saith the Lord there is no remedy but now let conscience go into every mans bosome and reason thus with him thou art the man woman or child whom counsells in private and reproofes exhortations and admonitions in publque would do no good nothing would convince thee nothing would informe thee therefore thou shalt perish man woman or child there is no remedic These are the three works of conscience and when conscience hath done this last work and performed his office of execution when he hath condemned a soule and delivered a sinner into the hand of the executioner then it is thus with this sinner after all mercies and cords of love will do no good after the commands and accusations will not prevaile then conscience sayes come damned ghosts take away this drunkard this blasphemer this adulterer this contemner of my word and throw him headlong into the pit of everlasting destruction he would not be amended let him be condemned he would not be humbled let him therefore be damned Thus conscience delivers a sinner into the hands of the jaylor into the hands of the divell and then he is amazed and thinks himselfe past hope past help past cure This is that we shall observe in conscience look as it with a debter that liveth in prison he was haply put in at first for some trifle when he is once there then all his creditors come in and one layeth a hundred pound to him and another a thousand pound and then his case is irrecoverable he is never like to come out againe so when conscience hath arrested a man and cast him into prison for his pride or for his covetousnesse or for his drunkennesse or for his adulterie and the like then mark Mercy and Goodnesse and Patience and Long-suffering come all in and arrest him and Mercy saith at my sute soe many hundreds Grace that saith at my sute soe many thousands then Patience and Long-suffering comes and sayes at my sute soe many millions and this is the wofullest plight of all When conscience is thus tormenting a sinner then patience comes and pleads against him and mercy that sueth a bond against him Mercy saith Lord I have beene wronged then commeth grace and saith Lord I have beene refused then commeth patience and saith Lord I have beene contemned I have besought him saith mercy to be reconciled but I was slighted I have waited for his amendment sayth patience but I have not beene regarded I have beene offered saith grace but yet have beene neglected Lord all thy cost and care hath beene despised they all come before the Lord and plead against the soule of a sinner justice Lord saith mercy justice Lord saith grace justice Lord saith patience wee have all beene slighted neglected and contemned and then the Lord he condemnes him and saith take him divell and execute vengeance upon him mercy was offered but he refused he would none of it and therefore mercy shall never be shewed unto him let him for ever be damned And by this time the soule perceives it selfe to be in the divells hands as it were and in the divells possession and that Satan may torment him as he please and then the soule being thus perplexed he cryeth out the divell is there do you not see him he is come for mee and I shall go and must go with him why since I must go to the divell why let mee go then nay if the soule that is thus in the jawes of the divell lie upon his death bed as soone as ever he takes a little rest the Lord terrifieth and affrighteth him in his dreames and then he riseth out of his bed and the first word hee speaks is this I must go and I will go then his friends that attend about him ask him whither he will go they tell him he is among his friends then he saith I am damned and I am going to hell and therefore let mee go the divell is comming to fetch mee and therefore I must be gone I beseech you consider this you that make nothing of conscience if it once lay hold on you with this hook it will hold you sure enough and reare your very hearts in peeces Now when the Minister in sent for to come unto apoore soule in this miserable condition when he comes haply he tells him there is a great deale of mercy and comfort with the Lord there is a great deale of grace and salvation with Christ but then the sinner when he heares of mercy is distracted and besides himselfe and sayes that is my plague that is my bane and that in the end will be my damnation if
in the beginning and thus his children his brokers and factors do in the end of the world these are the two sonnes of Satan the chiefest schollers in his schoole they are able to bring many to destruction and confusion Rev. 12.4 there the Text saith that the Dragon stood before the woman that was to bee delivered for to devoure her child as soone as it should bee borne the woman is the Church the Dragon is the divell the child to be borne is the soule that is to be converted when the Church doth bring a soule to life why then the Dragon watcheth when the child is borne that he may devoure it if there be any that looke to heaven if there be any whose hearts are humbled whose minds are inlightned and consciences awakened the divell watcheth when this soule is borne that hee may devoure it so it is with wicked persons that beare the image and exercise the practise of the divell if there be any that God is pleased to work upon why wicked men they court them at all times and occasions that can be all is too good for them in this kind nicenesse and exactnesse and precisenesse and madnesse and all is cast upon them to devoure poore sinners and hinder poore Saints to hinder the birth of the child that the Church travelleth withall why wouldst thou devoure a poore creature that God in mercy would deliver from sinne here and bring to salvation hereafter Dost thou envy him dost thou by cursed perswasions and wicked devices endeavour to pluck from God to sinne I tell thee if there were ever a divell in a man there is one in thee if there were ever a child of the divell that was wicked here and shall be damned hereafter thou art surely one and this is the first thing wherein the miserable condition of these men is discovered they are the children of the divell the Lord of heaven open your eyes and awaken your consciences and reveale these things to your soules that you may forsake these base courses secondly as they are most like to the divell so also their wretched estate appeares in this that they are the greatest and deadliest enemies to God that place formerly named will serve for the opening of this Acts 13.10 there saith the Text thou child of the divell and enemy to all righteousnesse Paul calls Elymas the sorcerer because hee withstood him and resisted the work of God not only the child of the divell but an enemy to all righteousnesse mark that as who should say he that withholds a Saint of God hee that would pluck a soule from walking uprightly before God he is an enemy to all righteousnesse and this is a most fearfull thing for other kind of sinnes are of a lesse nature for a drankard is an enemy to sobriety an unjust person is an enemy to justice a lyer is an enemy to truth an adulterer is an enemy to chastity and a malicious man is an enemy to charity but he that is an enemy to the saving work of Gods grace in the soule of a man he that withstands and resists the worke of conversion hee is an enemy to all righteousnesse for how shall a man walk holily before God or righteously before his brethren how shall he love God above all things and his neighbour as himselfe unlesse grace be wrought in the soule of a man and unlesse the word of God bee placed in the heart of a man men ought to keep Gods Cōmandements that they may receive comfort from God now unlesse God bestow faith and grace and his spirit upon a man how shall hee do this but when thou sayest I would not have such a man converted I would not have the spirit work effectually in his heart when thou hinderest the work of God in this kind then thou hinderest a man from performing obedience to Gods Commandements and therefore thou art an enemy to God Gods Sabbaths can never be sanctified the life of thy neighbour can never be tendered the chastity of thy neighbour can never be preserved thou art a drunkard thou art an adulterer thou are a murtherer he that murthereth a man is an enemy to the life of a man but he that will not suffer the word of God to take plane in the soule of a sinner he is the murtherer of the soule of a man he is an enemy to all righteousnesse he cannot performe any service unto God there is no duty to be performed no sinne to bee omitted but thou art an enemy to all for when thou dost hinder a sinner from receiving of grace and from being made partaker thereof thou dost hinder a sinner from honouring of God here and receiving of comfort hereafter and what a wofull wretched condition is this to be an enemy to all righteousnesse and not only so but full of all mischiefe for so saith the Text aforenamed thou enemy of all righteousnesse and full of all mischiefe marke the opening of the words full that is brimme full top full ready to runne over with wickednesse and the cause is this it s naught for a man to be wicked and to resolve to be no better is worse but for a man not only to be wicked and resolve to be no better but to hinder others also from being good this is the very height of all impiety this is to be an enemy to all righteousnesse and to be full of mischiefe Thirdly as they are the children of the divell and enemies to all righteousnesse so also they are the greatest enemies to the salvation of mens soules they compasse sea and land to make a Proselyte I beseech you take notice of it thou art a drunkard and a blasphemer and a wretched lewd person thou art not only bad thy selfe but such a man hath had his mind inlightned and his conscience awakened but thou by thy wicked counsells and carnall reasons and sinfull arguments catchest him and with drawest him againe into his former wicked courses and base practises and then the end of that man is worse than the beginning and hee becomes twice a child of the divell well he shall perish and so shalt thou he shall be damned but the Lord shall require his bloud at thy hands and this is the maine cause why men perish and go downe to hell namely the wicked counsells and cursed perswasions which sinfull damned persons use to hurry poore soules downe into destruction as though they could not go fast enough of themselves to hell but they must lay these base sinfull cords upon them to draw them headlong into the bottomlesse pit of confusion Well the time will come when these poore creatures shall call for vengeance at the hand of God to bee executed against you they will accuse you at the last day and curse you and call for vengeance to be poured downe upon your heads you that are guilty of this whensoever you meet with the day of death here or with the day of judgement
hath over those sins is much more forcible though thy sturdy heart will not come off though thou hast no desire to leave thy corruptions though thou hast not put off the will of sinning yet God can take it away and make way for the power of his spirit to take place in thy heart Acts 16.24 we shall observe this in the Iaylor he was a proud sturdy dogged cruell hearted man when the Magistrates commanded him to put Paul and Silas into prison hee went further than his commission and put them into the inner Prison and made their feet fast in the stocks oh thought hee now I have gotten these nice factions fellowes into my hands I will punish them soundly Now at midnight Paul and Silas sang praises unto God and then suddenly there was an exceeding great earthquake so that the foundations of the prison were shaken and immediately all the doores were opened and every ones bands were loosed the doores flew open the prison shooke and the earth shooke God exercised his power upon the creatures and made them shake and yet the Iaylor stood still all this while and stirred not though he were a Iaylor now to the Apostles yet the Devill was a Iaylor to him also he was under the jayle of his sinnes his sturdy heart would not awaken all this while but at last the Iaylor hee shooke also and seeing the prison doores open pulled out his sword and would have killed himselfe supposing that the prisoners had fled but Paul cryed with a loud voyce saying doe thy selfe no harme for wee are all here and then hee called for a light and sprang in sayth the text and came trembling and fell downe before Paul and Silas he now saw all that pride and stubbornnesse of his whereby he handled the Apostles so basely and now he brought them out and sayd Sirs what must I doe to bee saved hee now bathed their wounds and set bread before them and dealt kindly with them and thus we see when the Lord commeth for a sinner he maketh the prison shake and the earth shake the doores shake the yron bolts shake and at last he makes the heart shake also it is not the doore that I care for nor the prison that I care for nor the earth only that I will make to shake but it is the jaylor that I will shake also it is the Iaylor that I come for the Iaylor I will have and so hee had indeed in conclusion thy corruptions are not so powerfull but the Lord will bee more powerfull to pluck thy heart from them unto himselfe The third thing that hinders a poore sinner in this case is in respect of disgrace other opposition that hee shall meet withall in a Christian course I could be content saith he to take a better course and leade a new life and become a Christian but I see how disgrace will be cast upon me and opposition be made against me and this knocks me off I am not able to suffer it and to beare it are you not so the Lord will make you able to beare it before he hath done with you you feare wild-fire do you God will make you feele hell fire before he hath done you will goe against conscience you will displease God before you will displease man wil you wel you feare man now the face of man this is but wildfire but God will send hell fire into your hearts one day he will send the horrour of conscience into your soules then you will say rather disgrace here than damnation for ever hereafter I will rather goe to hell than to sinne I will rather offend all the world then God gather up your selves therefore if God at any time hath opened your eyes though Satan pursue you and though corruptions presse upon you yet cheere your selves God in mercy will looke upon you Esa 43.6 there when the Lord commeth to gather his people together hee saith that hee will bring them from the East and gather them from the West he will call to the North give up and to the South keepe not back bring my sonnes from farre and my daughters from the end of the earth hee sayth the earth shall give account and yeeld up her dead the sea that also shall yeeld up her dead why God can make the divell yeeld up a wretched man as well as the earth give up a dead man God will say I must have a sinner divell and therefore deliver up thy prisoner God will draw thy heart out of the power of sinne and dominion of Satan though thou canst not tell how yet God is able to give thee a will of yeelding unto him and so much for the comfort of those that are unconverted there is hope that God will do you good bee your sinnes what they will bee now those that are converted and those that are in the state of grace this is a ground of strong comfort unto them that they shall prevaile against all sinnes for after times by the power of that God that hath given them victory over their sinnes in former times they may say did the Lord give me power over my sinnes when I loved them and will hee not give me power to resist them now when I have desire to forsake them it cannot bee hee that offered favour to thee when thou didst refuse it hee cannot but give favour to thee when thou beggest it at his hands and this shall suffice for that matter Vse 5 The fifth use is an use of exhortation to all Gods people is this the cord that God taketh to pluck a soule from corruption to himselfe namely by a holy kind of violence why what will you do then you that professe your selves to feare God and that say you are the children of God must not children imitate their father doth God deale thus with poore sinners then do you so likewise this is the course that God takes and this ought to be a coppy and pattern to you in the meane time as you are the Elect people of God to put on the bowels of mercy and compassion towards your brethren if ever mercy here it ought to be expressed and discovered if ever God shewed mercy to thy soule shew thou the like mercy to thy brethren did the Lord ever shew compassion unto thee shew thou the like compassion unto them did the Lord ever awaken thy eyes or humble thy heart did the Lord offer his favours to thee still calling still exhorting and perswading of you you that are the Elect people of God if ever God shewed any goodnesse unto you shew the same goodnesse mercy and compassion to your fellow brethren and therefore as God hath dealt with you and as hee doth deale with sinners let it bee your honours and your resolutions to deale answerably to God so saith the Prophet David I will reveale thy way to the wicked and sinners shall be converted unto thee oh blessed
spirit when the Lord had shewed mercy to him then saith he I will teach thy way to the wicked and sinners shall be converted as if he should say I will have no nay at the hands of sinners in this kind the proud heart shall bee humbled and the sturdy heart shall be softned I will exhort all sinners to come unto thee that art a God hearing sinners and shewing mercy unto sinners if God bee urgent so be you also labour you with a holy kind of violence to draw sinners unto heaven and to help on this exhortation for your help herein labour to draw them these two wayes labour your selves to do whatsoever in your power lyeth secondly labour to help them by the supply of others that may doe that which you cannot first in regard of your selves foure things are remarkable first set upon the sinner with a holy kind of heavenly resolution of soule and labour every way to expresse your love towards him for the good and benefit of him by sweet counsell loving exhortations gentle admonitions and sharp reproofes do to your utmost power worke upon poore sinners Heb. 3.13 Exhort one another saith the Text daily while it is called to day lest any of you be hardned through the deceitfulnesse of sinne but above all that place is remarkable for this purpose that we should advise and comfort and quicken and every way do that which may be most advantagious for our brethren 1. Thess 5.14 Wee exhort you brethren saith the Apostle warne them that are unruly comfort the feeble minded support the weake be patient toward all men see that none render evill for evill unto any man but ever follow that which is good both among your selves and to all men the Apostle doth not say that it is in one mans power to do this but all ought to do it men brethren and fathers ought to do it every sonne and daughter of Adam if there bee any weak strengthen them if there bee any down raise them deale patiently and lovingly with all deale answerably to the necessities of all sinners whom you have to do withall but you will say am I my brothers keeper aye that you are your brethrens keepers or else you are their murtherers wouldst thou not defend thy brother from murthering if thou shouldst see a cōpany of theeves set upon him go about to slay him wouldst thou not labour by all meanes possibly to succour him and hath God care of Oxen and Asses wilt thou preserve thy brother from a bodily death and wilt thou not doe much more for the soule of thy brother for the saving of him from eternall death and damnation dost thou set a sinner whurried and teared by Satan dost thou see the divell robbing him of all his graces and hearest him crying murther murther and wilt thou not help him and relieve him if you should lie in your beds and heare one cry murther murther would you not rise rescue him why every sinner every proud man every covetous man every malicious man every drunkard adulterer blasphemer the divell and those sins do prey upon them and worry their soules oh help them mercifully and perswade them lovingly rescue your child or your husband or your friend out of the jawes of Satan and work every way for their good in the 17. of Inde remember that build up one another saith the Text on your most holy faith labour to save some and pluck them out of the fire and though they doe not call to thee for help yet offer thy helping hand unto them if thy neighbours house be on a fire thou wilt not stay till thou beest called but if they that be within be dead in sleep then thou wilt break open the doore upon them and awake them and rouse them up so deale with the soules of poore sinners there is one man his soule is set on fire with hell it is all on a flame with devilish lust dost thou see the soule of thy neighbour all on a flame in this kind why then breake in upon him haply hee will not intreat thy help but that 's no matter stand not upon complements but with a holy kind of violence pluck him out of the fire you that are wise pluck the drunkard off the Ale-bench hale poore creatures out of hell and corruption did the Lord deale so with you why then deale you so with your fellow brethren and if you be not able to prevaile your selves if your owne counsell bee too weak then take two or three with thee it is Christs counsell Mat. 18.16 If thy brother shall trespasse against thee goe and tell him his fault betweene thee and him alone if hee shall heare thee thou hast gained thy brother but if hee will not heare thee then secondly take to thee two or three more that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may bee established that is take severall neighbours wise and holy and so double reproofes admonitions doe not onely perswade him but overpower him not only reprove him but convince him let thy neighbour exhort and thou also let thy neighbour admonish and thou too let thy neighbour reprove and thou too double your exhortations and admonitions and reproofes that at last you may prevaile with him But you will say if the soule still staieth in his distempers what must wee then do why if he returne to sinne againe then thirdly returne you to reproofes and exhortations againe and never leave him when thou goest to his house and meetest him in the way and seest him in the fields then still in all places upon all occasions reprove and exhort him and hale him from his ungodly courses and if the sinner yet will not hearken to thy exhortations but scorneth thee then the Lord doth free thee from thy counselling of him doe not cast pearles before swines but yet though thou needst not counsell him publickly yet go into thy chamber and mourne for him secretly as Ieremy did for the people of Ierusalem Lam. 1.17 for these things saith he I weepe mine eye mine eye runneth downe with water because the comforter that should relieve my soule is farre from me and my children are desolate doe thou so for the soule of a poore sinner and pluck hard to get help from heaven for him and intreat God never to give quiet to his soule untill his eyes be opened and his heart humbled lastly when your selves have done what you can and when you have used the help of others if after this he returnes to his former course and then when thou fallest to reprove him and exhort him againe he then becomes a scorner then labour to bring him to receive what succour hee may from others and that two wayes first by what meanes you may bring him to the publick meanes it was so with Cornelius after that by Gods Commandement he had sent for Peter and Peter was to come he drew all his friends and
acquaintance together saith the Text and then he saith to Peter we are all here present-before thee to heare all things that are commanded thee of God and it was that passage Ezech. 33.3 there the people speake one to another saying Come let us goe up to the house of the Lord and heare what is the word that commeth from the Lord mark how they call one another together and rap at one anothers doore thus do you counsell men to come unto the Lord and heare his word they will never come under the power of the hammer else that they may bee stricken hale them and draw them to the ministery of the word that so what you cannot do privately that the word may do in publick Ioh. 5.4 there was an Angell went downe at a cortaine time into the poole of Bethesda and troubled the waters then whosoever first stepped in was made whole of whatsoever disease he had now there lay a poore lame man at the brinke of the waters and because he was not able to step in every one stepped in before him and no man would help him mark how hee complaineth in the seventh verse I have no man saith he when the water is troubled to put me into the poole but while I am comming another steppeth downe before me he would faine have got in bâ— could not the word of God is like this poole of Bethesda when the word of God is opened and plainly and familiarly discovered when the spirit moveth upon the waters why put a poore soule into the water fling the soule of your child or your servant or your friend into the poole perswade what you may and compell those that are under you to come unto the word of God wheÌ„ the word of God is soundly revealed delivered why put a poore soule into the waters such a man hath a lame heart hee is lame in his practise and lame in his praying and lame in the performance of holy duties he is a cripple from his cradle why bring such of your neighbours and put them into the water and intreat the Lord to work upon them that the Angell may move from heaven and work conversion and salvation to the soules of them secondly as you must labour to bring them under the power of the word so secondly when God hath made knowne his word to the hearts of them follow you the blow as much as in you lyeth if there bee any exhortation settle it if there be any admonition presse it if there be any reproofe apply it home unto their soules strike thou while the iron is hot if thy child were touched and inlightned by the word when the Lord hath strucken his heart follow thou the blow when the Lord is pleased to smite his soule bring thou the blow home unto the heart of him remember that Deut. 6.7 there saith the Text these words which I command thee shall be in thy heart and thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children the word in the originall is thou shalt sharpen them thou shalt teach them that is thou shalt sharpen them upon the soules of thy children and upon the soules of thy servants the Ministers do what they can and you heare reproofes and exhortations and when you go out of the Church leave them in your stooles behind you but you should sharpen them and bring them home to the hearts of your wives and your children and servants and they that belong unto you you should follow the blow home when the Lord is pleased to exhort exhort you when the Lord is pleased to reprove reprove you it is no great matter haply to bring your children or servants under the word but when they are here they play and sport and talk and runne about as though there were no God here and therefore you should tell your children and servants it is the word of the Lord child and it is the word of the Lord servant it is not the word of man as you may think but it is the word of the Lord by which you shall one day be judged the Minister told you that God hateth a proud man and and a drunkard and an adulterer and a swearer why this was the word of the Lord thus bring the word home unto their soules and this is the way to bring them home unto God here that they may receive salvation hereafter we should use all the cords of mercy and love and anger and indignatioÌ„n that so if it were possible we might hale the soules of poore sinners to God oh blessed spirit of Saint Paul in this kind I wonder what is become of that love zeale that was in him as we may see in the 19. of the Acts he travells from place to place froÌ„ countrey to countrey he goes from house to house and rappes at every mans doore perswading men with all patience to be reconciled to God he dealeth as the nurse doth with her child the child cries and shrâ—ikes and wrawles and yet the nurse beares all so doth the Apostle Paul he met with much opposition here mocked there imprisoned there set in the stocks and scourged and yet he beares all with patience and perswades and beseeches men to be reconciled I say this power this zeale this love is gone if wee had hearts and hands and endeavours much more might be done in this case and God might work more mercifully with us powerfully by us for the conversion of poore sinners and this doth not lie only in the Ministers hands but Masters in yours and Officers in yours and so much shall serve for this poynt The next thing considerable in the Text is from the order first drawing then comming you cannot come unto me except my father draweth you the point is that God must first pluck us froÌ„ sin before we will fasten our soules upon the Lord Iesus it is evident Mat. 12.29 no man commeth into a strong mans house saith the Text unlesse he first bind the strong man first there must be binding and casting out before there can be taking of possession the house is the heart and the strong man is Satan the Lord must bind the one before he can take possession of the other the soule must be drawne before it will come to God however for the manner of this drawing it be divers God dealeth with some one way and some another some hee drawes with the cords of his mercy and some with the hookes of conscience yet this is certaine there must be a drawing before there can or will be a comming Gal. 3.22 it is said that all men are shut up under sinne c. Ioh. 1.12 As many as received him to them he gave power to become the sonnes of God now before the Lord Iesus can be received the bonds of sinne must be removed and the lock must bee opened before the Lord Iesus can come in and bee entertained but God doth loose these locks divers wayes as sometimes