are in Christ to them that are called and converted and brought home to Christ to those they are all yea confirmed and amen concluded yea made and amen performed but a man by nature can claime nothing at Gods hands but hell and damnation and therefore all the plagues and punishments that befall wicked men are the fruits of their owne labours they are their owne they have the fruit of their owne tree so Iudas is said to goe to his owne place In the 3. of Esay the 9. there saith the text Woe unto the wicked for they have rewarded evill to their owne soules the reward of their hands shall bee giver them for they shall eate the fruite of their doings They can challenge confusion and everlasting destruction this is their owne Iudas went to his owne hee had his owne share and his owne condemâ—ation they were his owne his owne sinnes procured them but as for the obtaining of Christ and of grace and salvation there is nothing that can doe it it is of the free mercy and goodnesse of God Godlinesse â—s great gaine saith the Apostle it hath the promise of this life and of the life to come but an ungodly man there is no promise at all made unto him hee can challenge nothing from God by way of promise so that by this time wee have the proofe of the point namely That the offer of grace is altogether free for we have nothing can purchase grace wee can do nothing that can procure grace wee have no right whereby wee may challenge grace by way of promise naturally and therefore the case is cleare That we have grace freely from the hand of God We see the point cleared the doctrine confirmed and established The use of it is two fold partly to the Saints of God that have received grace partly to those that want grace First for the Saints of God that have received grace I beseech you thinke of it it is a truth that cannot be denied proved by reason strong and Scripture plaine that whatsoever wee have from the beginning of conversion to the end of salvation is free grace Why mee thinkes your hearts should answer we ought to be stirred up the more to magnifie the mercy of God and so much the more to bee thankefull unto him for this mercy which our poore soules have received at his hands the freer the grace of God is which hee offereth unto us the greater our thanksgiving the greater the acknowledgement of the goodnesse of the Lord ought to bee those whom God hath given any assurance of sound grace that Christ is there that salvation is there they doe not know how much beholding they are to God for the same for this proceedeth altogether of his free mercy looke up therefore unto God and blesse God for it this is that which did drive the Prophet Micah to a stand Mica 7.18 19. there faith he Who is a Godlike unto our God that pardoneth iniquities and passeth by the transgression of the remnant of his people he retaineth not his anger for ever because he delighteth in mercy he will turne againe he will have compassion upon us he will â—ubduâ— our iniquities and thou wilt cast all our sinnes into the bottome of the sea as who should say here is a God indeed who is like our God who hath pardoned all our sinnes why because his mercy pleased him because hee delighteth in goodnesse no God like Iehovah no Redeemer like Christ no Comforter like the Spirit all sins pardoned all iniquities cast into the bottome of the Sea but what is the ground of all because his mercy pleased him as if hee had sayd Men will doe no good unto us unlesse they see good in us unlesse they expect some good and profit from us but who is like our God no man is like unto him hee hath passed by our transgressions and subdued our iniquities and given us the graces of his spirit not because wee pleased him or did any thing that could deserve this at his hands but it was his free mercy that moved him all our peevishnesse all our loosenesse all our carelesnesse all our sinnes subdued and thrust into the bottome of the Sea and pardoned and why because wee pleased God no because his mercy pleased him this is God full of grace full of mercy full of goodnesse and compassion no God like our God no mercy like this no grace no goodnesse no compassion like unto this and therefore you poore Saints that have received any grace from the hand of the Lord goe into some secret place and say unto your soules and plead with your owne hearts and provoke your soules to thankesgiving for Gods mercy towards you reason with thy heart and provoke thy spirit to take notice of Gods mercy and say How is it Lord that many that have lived in the same towne in the same family nay the same man that is under the same ministry that I am that heares the same Sermons that I doe and sits in the same seate with me how is it that such a poore man or woman is still in the gall of bitternesse in the bond of iniquity still in the snare of death and under the power of Satan Father how comes it why is it that my mind is enlightned why was my heart humbled why didst thou give me any care to walke with thee and to forsake my sinnes and abandon my former lusts and corruptions why is this Lord it was of thine owne free mercy Lord for I had nothing which could purchase this at thy hands I could doe nothing that might procure it I could claime no promise naturally from thee in this kinde if thou canst thinke thus and say thus goe thy wayes and be as thankefull as thou canst to such a God that hath done this for thee and plead with the Lord as the Prophet David did What is man that thou shouldst be so mindfull of him and what is the sonne of man that thou shouldst regard him why Lord thou mindfull of me when I forgot my selfe when I ranne headlong into all wickednesse as prophane as ever any soule was oh those dayes which I now remember with griefe of soule when my heart rose up against thee and thy ministers and yet thou Lord mindfull of such a sinfull wretch as I am that forgot my selfe and my owne salvation why what am I Lord and what is this poore soule of mine that thou shouldest remember me oh doe thus and thinke of this and remember that our Saviour Christ when the Apostles Preached the Gospell here was a poore man on one side converted and a poore woman on another when the Lord Iesus saw this why I blesse thee Father saith he Lord of heaven and earth that thou hast revealed these things to the poore of the world and denyed them to great ones take this to your hearts the poore receive the Gospell the rich they are so full and so delighted in
Christ he would direct me if this my wretched damned soule would give entertainement to Christ he would receive me Oh! what wonderfull love mercy and goodnesse is herein discovered there can no better way be devised how God may expresse more love and shew greater mercy toward us it is the Psalmists phrase open thy mouth wide and I will fill thee lie doth not say goe and provide for your selves and feede yourselves no no the provision is made ready and we need only open our mouthes wide and God will fill them marke here the wonderfull riches of Gods bounty what greater care of provision can be expressed or expected than this that a man should onely open his mouth and that wide and it should be filled it is not spoken of the mouth naturally but of the soule spiritually doe but thou open thy soule and empty thy heart of all other things whatsoever doe but get a heart willing to welcome and give entertainement to the Lord Iesus Christ and he will fill thee full of grace here and glory for ever hereafter this is the bounty of the Lord it is the Lords mercy and goodnesse and it should it ought to be mervailous in our eyes as the Psalmist speaketh in another case we ought to admire the goodnesse of the Lord in that he is pleased to offer us Christ and Salvation upon so reasonable conditions and this is the first use Secondly the second use is a word of terrour it shewes in the second place the just and heavie condemnation of all such as perish they are damned and goe to hell and everlasting destruction because they will be damned for if you would have had Christ and grace you might have received Christ and Grace and Salvation by him Every man that will let him take of the water of life freely let him receive mercy and grace and Salvation and therefore if you have not grace it is because you will not have it and therefore if you perish thanke your selves for you would not bee saved there is never a soule this day in hell buâ— received the fruites of his owne labour the reward of their owne workes and the desire of their owne hearts nay they have their owne will if thou wilt not be recovered and receive mercy offered why then thou must be damned and perish forever he that will not receive the Lord Iesus and entertaine grace so that he may goe to heaven t is pitty but he should be damned into the lowermost pit of everlasting ruine and destruction when men come to this passe once that they are not willing to be the treasury of God but are weary to heare the Word of God preached unto them one houre and notwithstanding God hath revealed himselfe in his Word and that with some glimpse yet wicked men would not be under the power of it because they would have their profits and pleasures and enjoy their lusts and coruptions they will not forsake their lusts and abandon their abominations and receive Christ and mercy when the case stands thus with men it is just with God to plunge them into everlasting misery in the 8 of Prov. 36. there saith the text He that sinneth against me wrongeth his owne soule Prov. 8.36 all they that hate me love death they that hate me saith the text that is they that hate wisedome love death by wisedome there is meant the Lord Iesus revealing the wisedome of the Father in the Word now he that hateth this Word of God he that will not be informed by this Word he that will not be directed by it he that will not be humbled by it his soule taketh up armes against Gods ordinances why he loves death both naturally and eternally when the wrath of God ceaseth upon him he hath that which he loveth you loved this you loved death you have it you loved damnation you doe enjoy it and it is merveilous just with God thus to deale with you you cannot blame God for this but your selves wicked men are desirous to be rid of God and freed from the Counsell of God that may chalke them out the way to Salvation and they desire nothing the knowledge of Gods lawes many wicked carnall man doth not desire the good and Salvation of his owne soule he doth not desire the preaching of the Word for the reformation of his life and the humbling of his soule and directing of him in the wayes of Gods Commandements they say to God now depart from us we care not for thy lawes we will not walke after thy Commandements if he at the last day say unto you Depart from me ye workers of iniquity I know you not then you shall have your desire when the heavens shall melt away with fire and the Sunne and the Moone shall be darkned when all flesh shall appeare before the judgement seate of God at that day men and Angels shall heare the dreadfull doome which shall passe upon you by the Lord you contemned my word and ordinances and therefore away from me ye cursed into everlasting destruction prepared for the devill and his Angels you desired not to be informed you would not be humbled you refused to be directed by my word when it was preached unto you but you desired to fulfill your lusts and enjoy your profits and your pleasures you did not desire to be saved and therefore now you shall have your desire you shall be damned and therefore depart from me I know you not You would have your pride when you were upon the earth when you are in hell you may be as proud as you will you would have your malice when you are in hell you may have your desire you may have your fill of maliciousnesse in hell you may have elbow roome enough to satiate your selves in your lusts and sinfull abominations when the soule of a man doth secretly desire that the Word may not worke upon him then it is just with God to grant that desire of his soule it were just with God that the Word should never worke more that the Spirit should never strive more that mercy and Salvation should never be offered any more that man shall then have what he desired and he may blame himselfe for whatsoever judgement falls upon him in the 2 of Thess 2.12 there saith the text 2 Thess 2.12 that they all might be damned which beleeved not the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousnesse marke that hee speakes before of those that would not entertaine the truth and the love of it but when God made knowne his will and the way of Salvation they did not love that nicenesse they cared not for that exactnesse and holinesse why what doe you love then saith God upon what is your love placed upon what is the desire of your soule fixed oh saith the text They tooke pleasure in unrighteousnesse in contemning opposing hindring and despising the good Word of God and therefore they shall be damned when a
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
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
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
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
in mans heart and resolve with David to waite for the Salvation of the Lord with God is the gate of mercy the fountaine of mercy and this mercy is free therefore use the meanes still though God heare not pray still though he accept not resolve though thy heart fails and thy eyes faile yet to roule in the dust and call for mercy and say Lord thy mercy is free therefore blesse me Lord even me also The 2 conclusion in the text is that not withstanding this mercy of God is free yet a man must have a will to receive grace and mercy before he can have it for saith the text whosoever Will let him take of the water of life freely and heere we have the reasonablenesse of the condition together with the universality of it it is not a great thing that God calleth for but if a man will have mercy and grace and Salvation he shall have it First a man must will mercy before hee can have mercy and whosoever doth will it shall have it and herein is the universality of the condition so that the doctrine which ariseth naturally out of the text and which is the second generall circumstance of preparation is this viz. that the soule must bee willing to receive Christ and grace before it shall have Christ and grace God will not save a man against his will Rev. 3.20 there saith the text Behold I stand at the doore and knocke if any man heare my voyce and open the doore I will come in to him c. the doore is the heart the knocking is the striving of the Lord in the use of the means God stands this day knocks at this and all other the like opportunities the Lord knockes this day and will come and knocke againe the next Sabbath and the next the next Lecture and the next opportunity when the minister comes God comes when he perswades God perswades when hee threatens God threatens when he reprooves God reprooves sometimes the Lord knocketh at the doore sometimes hee pickes the locke thus every way striving to come in stands thus knocking and intreating exhorting perswading he knocks with much patience and long suffering if any man will but open here is all the Lord requires all that he expects and lookes for the opening of the doore that is all the doore is the heart the opening of the doore is the enlarging of the heart to entertaine Christ if any man will but open now here is all the Lord desires hee will come and suppe with that man and he with him and in the 16. Mat. 16.24 of Mat. 24. there saith our Saviour If any man will come after me let him deny himselfe and follow me what a strange phrase is this If he will follow me let him it is a pretty collection of Divines out of that place that a man must will to follow Christ before he can follow him the truth is the will never commeth after the following of God but if a man hath a heart that way a will to the businesse then hee may follow him then all goes forward cheerefully this will is the great wheele that turnes all and the power of the soule that workes all in this case and we may observe when the Lord is pleased to prepare a people for ruine hee then shutts up the doore of their hearts Acts 28.27 in the Acts 28.27 there saith the text The heart of this people is waâ—â—ed gross e and their eares are dull of hearing and their eyes have they closed least they should see with their eyes and heare with their eâ—â—es and understand with their hearts and should be converted and I should heale them in the 24. verse saith the text some beleeved and some beleeved not how comes this to passe now that some beleeved not the reason is â—endred in the 27 verse the heart of this people is waxen fat or gros s e least they should be converted and I should hedle them if a soule will be converted then God will heale it but if the heart of the people be stopped up if the heart be fatted up with sinne and corruption then the Lord will never heale he will never have mercy upon that soule eating and sleeping makes a man naturally to be fat and grosse so it is with the soule when a mans heart feedes upon his corruptions when a man lyes securely in his sinnes this fat 's the soule and this is the fore-runner of confusion some beleeved and some beleeved not why their hearts were fatted up they had no will to receive Christ and Salvation by him and therefore looke as it was with the cure of the Lame man Iohn 5.6 our Saviour saith unto him Iohn 5.6 wilt thou bee made whole so it is in spirituall things the Lord will have a man to will mercy and Salvation by Christ before he will bestow it upon him and therefore in the 5 of Iohn the 40. the text saith Ye will not come to me that you may have life and this is the reason that they had not life and that they were not saved You would not come that you might have life as who should say You must will to come before you can come to have life and when you have once got this will then there is hope that there is life coming but a man must first will life before he can have life so that then the point is cleere and evident namely that a man must will to receive the Lord Iesus and grace before he shall have the Lord Iesus and grace and Salvation by him for the further opening of the point we must observe two passages first what is meant by the will secondly wherein this will discovers it selfe and by that time we shall have somewhat to hold our selves unto And first for the former what is meant by will in this place we must understand that this word will it carryeth a double signification with it And first it discovers that naturall power and faculty wherewith every man is endued to will but this is not meant here viz. the very faculty and power wherby a reasonable man is enabled to will for then every man should have life and salvation for every man hath this naturall will for it is with the soule as with a clocke that runneth the wrong way and striketh false it hath the same wheeles like other clocks but it doth not strike true as other clockes doe and herein lies the difference so it is with the nature of man fallen from God the wheele of his will that is the power of his understanding remaineth still the nature of the soule still existeth but the quality of it is altered this naturall faculty of the will is not meant here for then the devils should be saved for they have a naturall will and therefore in the second place by will in Scripture we must understand the actions and operations which proceed from the
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.
against their adversaries but my people would not hearken unto my voyce and Israel would none of me so I gave them up unto their owne hearts lust and they walked in their owne counsels Israel would none of me there was the breach So that that which breaketh the match betweene God and us is because wee will not receive mercy and grace and salvation offered unto us that so our sinnes may bee pardoned and our persons accepted for our everlasting comfort and salvation Looke as it is with a woman to whom a man maketh love and would marry her if she speake him faire and use great complements and bid him wellcome and all this while resolve that shee will not bee marryed unto him all her other outward behaviour the man regardeth not but counteth it as nothing because her heart is not with him and as the phrase is if she do not grant him her good will all is worth nothing In this case just so it is here all other outward complements and performances God taketh them as matters of â—o conse quence or worth if this beleeving in Christ and willing of grace bee wanting If a man shall come and heare the word of God speaking unto him and shall receive Christ into his family pray unto him and make a great profession of him all this I must confesse is very good but if the soule doe not will Christ if the heart doth not prize Christ and choose him and close with him and fasten unto him it is worth nothing If men wil professe faire to Christ and say he is welcome and all this while doe not give Christ their soules and good wils the Lord Iesus doth take himselfe as despised and counts himselfe as rejected in this kinde and therefore we shall observe that God regards not any of our performances 2 Chron. 25.2 if they bee not done from the heart 2 Chron. 25.2 there saith the text of Amaziah He did that which was right in the sight of the Lord but not with a perfect heart and therefore what is this to the marriage in the meane time so that to gather up all if it be so that this hearty willing is that which God requireth of us if it bee that whereby wee are able to close with Christ if the want of this breaketh the match betweene God and the soule then the case is cleare that whosoever hath this will shall have Christ and salvation by him but this willing of Christ doth fully satisfie and content God it doth enable us to fasten and lay hold upon Christ the want of this doth breake the match betweene Christ and the soule and therefore he that hath this will shall sâ—rely have Christ and salvation by him This contents God by this we lay hold upon God and the want of this causeth the breach betweene God and us and therefore hee that hath this shall have Christ The use of the point is threefold it is a ground first of instruction here we may see and wonder at the riches of Gods bounty and goodnesse in his reasonable dealing with poore sinners in that God doth not exact every thing at the utmost of us he doth not require every thing in the utmost rigour he doth not take poore sinners by the throat as he did his fellow-servant saying Pay me that thou owest mee there is no poore sinner but he may send the Devill after him to dragge him into hell he may justly say unto every sinfull soule I gave thee perfect righteousnesse and holinesse and abilitie to performe obedience to all my commandements either give mee that I expected from thee and thou owest unto me or else to hell thou must goe where is my service and my obedience and my righteousnesse that I required of thee God may say thus to every poore sinner but hee doth not deale thus in justice with us but blessed be his name he doth not expect that wee should have all sufficiencie in our selves he doth not say That he that hath no sinne shall bee saved let him take Christ he that is able to performe obedience to all my Commandements and doe whatsoeverâ— require he shall have Christ and salvation by him he doth not deale with us after this manner for then woe were it with us it is not exact obedience that Christ requireth of us but the condition is this If any poore soule will take mercy offered and receive grace tendered unto him he shall have mercy hee shall receive grace as if God should say Thou art a poore sinfull creature many weakenesses are with thee many imperfections trouble thee many corruptions doe oppresse thee I require no exaction of thee if thou wilt take Christ and mercy then Christ is thine and mercy is thine is not this marvelous mercy is not this wonderfull goodnesse If there should bee a poore miserable wretched creature one that had neither portion nor ability in any measure nor any thing that could procure a husband no friends to succour her no parents to relieve her but were fatherlesse and motherlâ—sse and voyd of all comfort if yet notwithstanding all this a man of place and abilitie should come and offer love unto her though shee have nothing but is troubled with all weakenesses and infirmities and full of all deformities if this man now for all this should regard none of these things if hee should looke for nothing nor require any thing of her but her good will and liking if shee would have him then hee would bee married unto her you will say this is wonderfull love and that nothing but love prevailed with him surely hee could see nothing in her but that which might rather make him despise her then shew any love unto her but it was the violence of affection which caused him to marry her This is our condition perfectly nay wee are not able to expresse our miserable and woefull estate this way because our basenesse and vilenesse and misery is greate in respect of our sinnes than any poore wretch can be in regard of any outward respect and the excellency of God also is greater and farre exceedeth the dignity and excellency of any man in the world and yet notwithstanding though we be nothing but ragges full of corruptions and rottennesse and deformities though we have neither beauty nor portion nor friends nor meanes but are fatherlesse and motherlesse and laden with abundance of all abominations yet for all this this is all that God requireth of us though we have nothing and can doe nothing yet if wee will but have Christ if we will but receive grace and mercy offered if we will but welcome and entertaine the Lord Iesus this is all that God expects the match then is made up and the businesse is fully ended we shall have Christ and abundance of love shewen unto us and this should make a soule burst out and say is it possible is it credible that if this my miserable heart would take
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
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
hearing while we are all living now is the time 2 Cor. 6.2 now is the season it is in 2 Cor. 6.2 the Text saith I have heard thee in a time accepted and in a day of salvation have I succoured thee behold now is the accepted time now is the day of salvation Whilst Ministers are calling upon you and you are living though they cannot give you grace nor you of your selves receive grace yet wee have the promise in the accepted time God will heare us even now while I am speaking and you are hearing this the very day of salvation and therefore let us not turne the deafe eare upon the Lord but while opportunity is affoorded let us make use of it while the Lord is pleased to continue opportunities unto us let us embrace them hee that never heard let him heare now hee that never prayed let him pray now it is now high time to awake out of that cursed securitie wherein wee have a long time lien the Lord is come neare unto us even to the very next doore Christ Iesus is calling and mercie is intreating and wisedome is even hoarse with crying after us there is nothing but a heart wanting mercy is offered we ought therefore to entertaine it the meanes of salvation are revealed therefore we ought for to embrace them Cant. 2.10 Cant. 2.10 there saith the Text My beloved spake and said unto me Rise up my love my faire one and come away for the winter is past and the raine is over and gone the flowers appeare on the earth and the time of the singing of birds is come and the voyce of the turtle is heard in our Land thus God speaketh to you this day those words are made good to every soule that heareth me this day God calleth to every poore sinner the Church was then in misery and so the Lord speaketh to every poore soule thou art in the grave of thy sinnes arise my love my dove the time of persecution is past and the voyce of the turtle is yet heard the Ministers of God are preaching to us and wooing of us and saying the Spring time of grace is now present The Lord saith unto us as to the Church there rise and come out of those sinnefull courses wherein you are he pluckes the adulterer out of his leud practises and hee calls the proud man out of his wicked courses and the covetous man out of his counting house and from the things here below and bids them come unto the house of the Lord that he may speake comfort and consolation to their soules the Lord doth even strive with us and labours every way to plucke us out of our base and sinnefull courses the Lord dealeth with us Ezeck 12.3 as he did with Israel Ezeck 12.3 there saith the Text Prepare thou sonne of man thee stuffe for removing and remove by day in their sight and thou shalt remove from thy place to another place it may be they will consider though they be a rebellious people as if hee had said it may be when all these meanes are used it may be at last they will be perswaded and performe that which I require of them it is a lively patterne of Gods speciall providence over us in this Land God hath not dealt thus with other Nations hee hath passed by other people and hath let the Gospell abide among us the sound of the Gospell an inkeling of it hath beene in other countries but hee hath commanded the Gospell to abide with us twentie thirtie fortie sixtie yeares wee have yet the Gospell among us we are yet in peace and prosperitie we enjoy those liberties that thousands of our poore brethren want and would attaine unto many have had some meanes but wee have had all meanes we have had famine for to affright us the Plague to awaken us and peace to cheere us nay the Gospell and meanes of salvation are still continued to us the Lord saith preach still continue still calling and still crying to the people of England that so if it be possible their proud hearts may be humbled their sturdy hearts may be softned their unregenerate hearts may be converted and their soules may be saved The second cavill is this the soule may say though the opportunity be now present yet there is time enough the day is long enough for the answer hereof I will goe no further then the Text saith O that thou hadst knowne the things belonging to thy peace in this thy day but now they are hidden from thine eyes The day of a mans life is very uncertaine no man knoweth how long he shall live who knoweth not what our lives are bubbles and vapours and flowers how soone are the bubbles downe how soone are the vapours vanisht how soone doe the flowers fade nay many of us are in our middle age nay some of us are in our old age wee have one foote already in the grave and how soone may these flowers wither how soone may these men returne unto the earth and then what will become of all their expectations It is good saith the wise man to injoy the present time while life and strength continue young men will bee ready to say I will take my owne content now and hereafter I will returne unto the Lord I will gather the flower while it is greene and while I am young I will not spend my dayes in mourning I will not breake my heart with sighing and sorrowing for my sinnes but when I grow crooked and aged and sit at home then I will repent and 〈◊〉 unto the Lord and become a new man those young men say unto repentance as Felix did to Paul go thy wayes now I will heare thee another time so say they to repentance hereafter when there comes a convenient time I will repeâ—t I will be holy and obedient and turne over a new leafe and become a new man but now let me make use of the treasurie of my youth and because I am in the strength of my yeares therefore I will follow my pleasures O foole O foole I say unto thee as Christ did to the rich man in the Gospell this night thy soule may be taken from thee and then what will become of thy thoughts plots and plojects thy bed may become thy grave and then what will become of thy poore soule the divells may drag it into hell It was the word of the rich man when he had filled his barnes full of goods and his purse full of money then he saith unto his soule Soule take thy rest thou hast goods layd up for many yeares take thy cups saith the drunkard take thy whore saith the adulterer Oh foole this night the divell may hale thy soule into everlasting confusion how knowest thou but that sentence may bee given upon thee which was given upon him and then there will be no repentance in the grave But bee it so that thy life may continue which 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
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
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
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
will buy house and land and make it his owne for ever he first chooseth that house and land and then hee resolves to keepe it for ever and never part with it againe and if hee part from it or sell it againe then he is sayd to refuse it as well as to choose it and the stomach that chooseth meate when it hath such liking to any dyer that it openeth it selfe and receiveth it and closeth with it then we are sayd to will and choose Christ when we see the worth of Christ and take him before all and fasten upon him to make him our owne for ever when wee take such delight in him that we will not be freed from him but desire that he may be for our soules and our soules for him forever this is to will the Lord Iesus So then to gather up all when the soule priseth Christ as the chiefest of all when it chooseth him above all when the soule answerablely giveth up it selfe to Christ that Christ may take possession of it and never sever from it then a man doth will Christ Iesus heartily So that by this time we see the nature of the point and the English of the Doctrine is thus much the soule that seeth the worth of Christ and chooseth him above all things and closeth with him that soule willeth Christ Iesus But now heere a question may arise you may aske mee whether a man can will Christ and grace thus naturally out of the power of nature I answere no it is beyond the power of man to will Christ and grace naturally it is the free gift of God as it is the Lord which must give grace so it is the Lord that must give the will to receive grace what availeth all the water in the Sea if we have no vessell to receive it what avayleth it to have meate if wee have no stomach to digest it what avayleth it to have the fountaine of grace set open unto us if we have no vessels no hearts to receive it if we have no stomach to digest it all is worth nothing therfore the doctrine of the Scripture is compared to raine the raine which falleth upon a rock remaineth not but presently slides off so it is here the fountaine of grace is set open to every one that heareth the Word this day but if you have no vessels to receive no wills to embrace it no heart to entertaine it all this mercy of God grace of God love of God will fall downe at your feete you may carry away some words in your mouthes but unlesse you have a will to receive grace it will never dwell in your hearts it is impossible that the soule should receive grace and Salvation by the Lord Iesus unlesse it hath a will to entertaine him for common sence telleth us that those actions that have relation one to another cannot bee done one without the other no man can buy unlesse another will sell no man can take or receive any thing unlesse another will give it and bestow it upon him Christ cannot be bestowed upon us and given unto us unlesse wee have a will to receive him there is no giving of a thing unlesse there bee a taking and receiving of it Christ will not be a guest with us unlesse he bee entertained by us If a man should come unto an Inne and aske for lodging if the Host of the Inne tell him that the Inne is full and there is no roome for him and thereupon hee goes his way this man cannot be sayd to be a guest unto that Inne but that hee onely offered himselfe to bee a guest so it is here there is no soule that ever can or shall receive Christ as a guest to himselfe unlesse he be content to make roome for Christ and bee a receiver of him Christ will never come with salvation or comfort unto thy heart unlesse thou hast a will to entertaine him if our willing of Christ bee that which makes roome for Christ then it must go before the entertaining of Christ but the willing of Christ is that which makes roome for Christ and therefore it must goe before the entertaining of him So then the case is cleare and the point evident that a man must will to receive Christ before hee shall have Christ and grace and salvation by him The use of the point is threefold the first is for reproofe must a man have a will to receive Christ and grace before hee can receive Christ and grace then this condemneth that carnall conceit of a company of poore deluded persons in the world that thinke they may receive grace upon other conditions than the word hath revealed upon other conditions than Christ ever made agreement with them this conceit it is mervailous common it is a generall fault in all carnall professors they thinke to goe to heaven nay they make no doubt of it they thinke they have grace and why because they say so and professe so and therefore it must needs be so because a man can say hee beleeves and would have grace and wils to receive Christ therefore out of all question it must needes be so grace must needes be given them they cannot be without grace because they say they have it and if a man presse upon them and say the truth is the world knowes it that you live in base courses a common swearer you are a covetous wretch a base usurer that loves your money more than God true say they all flesh is grasse and in many things we sinne the Lord give us of his grace and for give us our sinnes and I hope he will doe so and this will make up the breach presently nothing but repent and say Lord have mercy upon us and then all will be well it is true if you can but truely repent all will be well indeede your sinnes shall bee forgiven you but now you talke of cost you must do more than say so you must do so likewise but thus a thousand poore soules goe to hell hood-winckt after this fashion they have invented a shorter cut to heaven they have invented a new way a backe doore to heaven and happinesse more than the word ever discovered But let any soule make this conceit good in Scripture and then I will beleeve them but if it be so that they cannot make it good by the word of God then know that if you continue in it your soules will be damned Is it thus in the word hee that saith hee hath grace hath grace if a man professe grace he cannot bee without grace no no it is not thus in Scripture the text saith He that wils grace that is hee that hath a heart to receive grace he shall have grace not hee that saith and professeth that he hath grace but hee that wils it you must not bring your tongues to talke of grace and your heads to thinke of grace but you must bring your hearts to will grace
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 Spirit of God and then the point will fall faire and undeniable To this I answere there are some things of God that are revealed in the creation of the world Rom. 1.20 there saith the text Rom. 1.20 The invisible things of him meaning God from the creation of the world are cleerely seene being understood by the things that are made even his eternall power and Godhead that is a man that looketh into the frame and fabricke of the world and seeth the making of the earth and the Sea and all things therein hee cannot say but God hath beene here an infinite wisdome and an Almighty power hath beene here and framed all these things but these are not the things of God which are meant in the text but there are other things of God which we must looke after and they cannot be discerned by the creation of the world and therefore 1 Cor. 1.21 1 Cor. 1.21 we shall observe this After that in the Wisedome of God saith the text the world by wisedome knew not God it pleased God by the foolishnesse of Preaching to save them that beleeve marke the naturall men might have knowne though they would not that there was a God by the wisedome of God that is by the wisedome of God in creating of the World and by the observation of things in the same but they could not take notice of him as a God reconciled as a God that should appoint Christ as a redeemer and as a God that should send Christ to bee a redeemer these are the things which men could not know by the creation of the world and by the wisedome thereof the things of grace and of our redemption the favour and love that God beares towards his in Christ these are the things of God the things of election sanctification justification and glorification these are the things of God which are meant especially in the Text as if he had sayd God by the spirit can onely reveale these things these come immediatly from God by the meanes hee hath appointed a man may know that God hath created heaven and earth and that he hath made all and provided for all and yet goe to hell But hee that hath found Gods love in Christ God working graciously upon his soule God humbling his heart and pulling downe his soule that hee might bee fit to receive mercy and then bestowing mercy upon him when a soule seeth these things then these are the things of God here meant Gods spirit must onely work these the spirit onely must reveale these and by the operation of the spirit wee are made partakers of these these are the things of God which are to be understood in the Text God is said to call and to sanctifie it is the Spirit that converts and adopts and humbles mens soules as who should say These are the workes of the Spirit there is no seeing there is no perceiving of these there is no way to be made partakers of these without the spirit so that the doctrine now lieth open and that is this No man naturally is able of his owne power to receive the spirituall things of grace and salvation no naturall man that is he that hath not the spirit of God working in him no man that is in his naturall estate can receive the spirituall things of grace and salvation Hee doth not receive them nay he cannot receive them saith the Text to put out all doubts and to cast away all cavills the Text doth not onely say he doth not receive them but that he cannot receive them doe hee what he will doe he what he can come to a naturall man and aske him will you receive Christ and the worke of grace why yes with all his heart and he makes no doubt but he doth so and hee hopes hee shall finde the comfort of it The Text saith God saith the truth saith you doe not nay you cannot you say you doe whom shall wee beleeve in this case God or you I can prove you are a naturall man you live in base wicked courses the Spirit of God is an holy Spirit you live in ungodly and unlawfull courses the Spirit of God is a wise Spirit you are ignorant and know not the things belonging to salvation and therefore the world knowes and you know that you are a naturall man and the spirit that saith a naturall man cannot receive the things of God and yet you say you can whom therefore shall we beleeve so that the point is plaine that a man by nature hath not power to will to receive Christ and grace and salvation by him and we will make good the point in foure particulars by way of explication That a man hath not power to will to receive grace and salvation by Christ First to omit that which the Papists themselves confesse in this case namely that a naturall man of himselfe cannot finde out the meanes of life and Salvation but God must give him some preventing grace he must be enlightned that is God must reveale and make knowne the things that concerne his peace unto him out of the Word hee must discover those things unto him which appertaine to his peace and justification by Christ I will omit this and speake onely of the power which a naturall man hath to entertaine the things belonging to life and Salvation and suppose it be granted that the things of Salvation must be made knowne unto a naturall mat in this case or else he can never of himselfe finde them out yet when these things be set open to mens cares by the ministers of God when grace and Salvation are offered unto men yet marâ—â— when these are proclaimed a naturall man cannot entertaine these things but the heart of a naturall man will 〈◊〉 away from these things which we may plainely see if wee looke but into the 19 of Mat. Mat. 19.22 22. there was a young man made some good profession he came unto Christ and asked him Master what good thing shall I doe to inherit eternall life Christ sayd unto him If thou wilt enter into life keepe the Commandements the young man askeâ— Christ which Commandement he should keepe our Saviour answers him Thou shalt not kill Thou shalt not commit adultery c. The young man answers All these things have I observed from my youth what lacke Iyet Then Christ saith unto him if thou wilt be perfect goe sell all that thou hast and give it to the poore and thou shalt have treasure in heaven but the text saith Vers 32. When the young man heard this he went away sorrowfull for he had great possessions All the while before our Saviour had not touched him to the quicke but when he saith unto him Goe thy wayes sell all that thou hast and follow me and thou shalt have treasue in heaven he then went away why marke here Christ made him a brave offer hee told him he should inherit heaven and happinesse if he
infinite wisedome make a separation betweene sinne and the soule and dissolve this union The soule saith I will have my sinne and I will have my life and I will have my God though I die for it there is a strong league 〈◊〉 betweene the heart of a sinner and his lusts 〈◊〉 therefore all outward meanes cannot possibly breake this league looke as it is wiâ—h a strong stomack if you give it any ordinary meate the strength of the stomake is above the meate and turnes the meate into the nature of it selfe â—o it is with a corrupt heart that hath made a league 〈◊〉 his lusts all outward meanes and of 〈…〉 God a corrupt heart converts them and 〈◊〉 them aside to his everlasting destruction the instrumentall cause is alwayes under the 〈◊〉 the soule of a man is a soveraigne commander this way all outward meanes are but instrumentall mâ—ses and the heart of a man is above them and therefore they may as well â—arden a man as soften his heart and humble his soule a man can receive no good thereby unlesse it please God to overpower this distemper that is in a man and break the neare union and firme league that is betweene sinne and the soule Secondly as there is a neare union betweene sinne and the soule so in the second place as from the knitting of the parts of a stone together there comes a strength to resist the blow so there is a marvelous power a soveraigne command that sinne setteth up and Sathan possesseth in the soule nay so strong a power it is for therein lyeth the strength of the argument that nothing can over-power it and overcome it but the Almighty come it power of the Lord for this is the meaning of that place â— Cor. 15.56 of Saint Paul 1 Corinth 15.56 The sting of a eath is sinne and the strength of sinne is the Law so that a man may see so strong as the Law is so strong is sinne and therefore the strength there of must needs be great I open that place of the Apostle thus The sting of death is sinne and the strength of sinne is the Law looke as it is with a King when a male factour is apprehended and convicted of high treason the king giveth up the malefactour into the hand of the jaylour and giveth him authoritie to keepe him in what prison or dungeon 〈◊〉 will and tyrannize over him as he list the jaylour now hath not power of himselfe onely but is armed also with authority from the King he hath a commission from the King that hee may dispose of the Traytour as hee pleaseth hee may keepe him in what prison hee will and tyrannize over him as he pleaseth and as hee seeth good and the reason is because hee hath authority from the King to backe him and he hath as much authority as the King because the King doth this by him so it is with the blessed will of God every poore soule rebells against him and breakes his Lawes and therefore the Lord taketh notice of it and treason is brought against him and hee is condemned for it and then he delivers him up into the power of sinne and into the hands of the devill as who should say Take him sinne and take him Sathan and hale him into damnation and tyrannize over him according to your owne minds thus God giveth them authority over him mee thinkes I heare the Lord say thus Let all occasions domineere over him let all corruptions take place in him hee hath opposed my Lawes I will never helpe him more hee hath transgressed my Commandements my Spirit shall never assist him more take him sinne take him Sathan and dispose of him according to your owne pleasure so that now sinne and Sathan have not onely their owne power over this soule but they have power from God and they are backed with authority from the Law in this kind Sathan may say This soule must 〈◊〉 damned I have Law for it by the vertue of the Law I prevaile against him and domineere over him God hath given mee authoritie to tyrannize over him thus the strength of sinne in the Law Now he that must come and rescue this soule and deliver it from the power of sinne and Sathan must be able to equalize and answer the strength of the Law and this none can doe the Law of God none can beare the strength of it but he that is perfect God none but the Lord Iesus Christ none can deliver the soule and rescue it from the power of sinne and Sathan but hee this is the reason of that unconceiveable and admirable power that a mans corruptions have over him a man would wonder to see that a base lust or corruption should so domineere and tyrannize over a man and make a man such a slave thereunto the reason is because the strength of sinne is the Law God in his just judgement hath given over a sinner into the hand of sinne and Sathan now the Lord Iesus onely commeth and taketh away this power and over commeth this strength for the rescuing of a poore soule this way and hereby wee may conceive that the wisedome and power of Gods mercy goeth beyond the power and wisedome of Gods justice as I may so say for what saith the Law and what doth the justice of God require the Law saith Doe and live justice faith if Adam dee obey the Commandements of God hee shall be saved if Adam sinne he shall be damned But then the wisedome and power of Gods mercy comes and saith a man shall not die though he doth not keepe all Gods Commandements but how is this done namely this way Christ which is perfect God and man commeth and suffereth for man hee comes and doth that which man should have done and therefore though man doe it not yet he shall not be condemned so that our Saviour by his death did satisfie for us and gave full contentment to the Law of God so that now the justice of God hath nothing to say to a poore soule and Christ by his resurrection he did overcome the power 〈…〉 and Satan so that now marke what followes if any thing hindereth the soule from being saved it is because either Gods justice is not satisfied or else because the power of sinne and Satan is not abated but Christ by his death did satisfie the Law of God and by his resurrection did overcome sinne and Satan and therefore these cannot hinder it from salvation and this is the ground how it commeth â—o passe that the Lord onely and no 〈…〉 can deliver a soule from the strength of 〈…〉 power of Satan which have the strength of the Law to backe them Thirdly as in a stone there is a close setting 〈◊〉 a neare knitting of the parts thereof together 〈◊〉 whence comes the hardnesse thereof and secondly as from this hardnesse there proceedes strength and as in the third place from this strength ariseth a resistance against
wish you had such hearts put the Lord in minde of his promise and tell him that hee hath promised that hee will take away their rebellions from his people and that he will give them a new heart and renew a right spirit within them and hee will cause them to walke in his wayes and intreate him for the Lord Iesus Christs sake to make good this promise unto you intreate the Lord to consider what a deale of honour shall redound unto his name if he shall cure your poore soules downe upon your knees and pray to God that he would heale you of this disease and say unto him that thou hast heard he is a mercifull God and that hee will take away the stony heart from his people and beseech him for his mercy sake that hee would take away thy stony heart nay tell him that if hee will cure thee thou wilt helpe him to a great many patients tell him that thou wilt tell thy neighbours of it and exhort them to come unto him that they may be healed by him come close to God and say Father hast thou not desired that people had such hearts as would feare thee and keepe thy Commandements alwayes Hast not thou promised that thou wilt powre cleane water upon thy people and thou wilt take away their stony hearts and give unto them fleshy hearts Say Lord what a great deale of honour thou shalt have hereby I will exhort all that have stony hearts to goe unto thee that they may be cured and therefore for thy promise sake and for the honour of thy names sake I beseech thee to take away my stony heart and give me a heart of flesh Doe thus and you shall 〈◊〉 a great deale of comfort to your poore soules thereby LUKE 19.42 If thou 〈…〉 knowne as least in this thy day the things belonging to thy 〈◊〉 ACcording to our purpose we have proceeded thus farre in the point of preparation wee have spoken of the five generall circumstances thereof the first whereof was this the mercy of God is free secondly a man must will to receive Christ and grace before he shall have Christ and grace thirdly he that doth will Christ truly shall have Christ and salvation by him These three wee have handled out of the 22. of the Revelations the 17. The fourth was that a man by nature cannot receive Christ and grace and that wee handled out of 1 Cor. 2.14 The fift was howsoever a soule by nature cannot receive Christ and salvation yet God will bring the soules of his to prize Christ and approve of him and bee willing to entertaine him and then he will bestow Christ and salvation upon them this wee handled out of Ezek. 11.19 and in this worke of God in the preparing of a soule for himselfe there are two further circumstances to be considered in regard of the time when God will doe this and the first circumstance is in regard of the meanes the second in regard of the men which are to bee wrought upon and so wee have a trouble consideration in regard of the time when God will thus prepare the soule of a poore sinner for himselfe the first is in respect of the meanes and that is this when the Gospel of life and salvation is sent and revealed to a people and continued to a people if ever God worke upon the hearts of men if ever hee meanes to bring people to the knowledge of the things belonging to their peace it is then when the Lord is pleased to send his faithfull Ministers among them discover the meanes of life and salvation â—nto them The second circumstance is in regard of the men that God will work upon some sooner some later some in their young and tender age some in their middle age and in their ripe yeares and some though very few in their old age few are called when they are old God calls some such but very few as wee shall heare hereafter Wee will handle now the circumstance of time in regard of the meanes when God doth purpose good into a man or towne or a country or a kingdome namely when the Lord sends his Gospel among them his faithfull Ministers to discover the meanes of 〈◊〉 unto them and for this purpose I have this 〈◊〉 Text. And first to make way for our selves and then to presse on unto the point we must therefore understand that our Saviour Christ came in the last day of asking as it were to Ierusalem they had had many Priests to teach them and many Prophets to exhort them and a great many of means of life and salvation vouchsafed unto them now when Christ was comming towards the city and saw it a far off and foâ—â— saw also the desolation that should come upon it his bowells yearned within him towards the people and he mourned secretly within himselfe Oh these famous monuments and goodly buildings shall all be layd waste thou hast had many Priests to advise thee and many Prophets to instruct thee in the wayes of life but now those dayes are gone and past Nay the great Prophet of the world Christ Iesus is now come to woe thee to receive the things belonging to thy peace and yet thy heart is hardned and thou will not receive the things belonging to thy peace and therefore now I will turne my preaching into mourning and sighing Oh Ierusalem Ierusalem that thou hadst knowne at least in this thy day the things belonging to thy peace but now they are hidden from thine eyes now those golden dayes are gone and the gate of mercy is shut there is no more meanes of grace and salvation offered the Gospell shall never more be vouchsafed unto thee and because thou hast rejected the meanes of salvation offered they shall never more be granted so that now here we have the passing peale of Ierusalem by our Saviour look as it is with a man that is carrying to be buried his wife shee weepes and his children they mourne and his firiends they lament So it is here our Saviour he followes Ierusalem to the grave as it were and when hee could doe no more for it then hee weepes and mournes over it Oh that thou hadst knowne in this thy day the things belonging to thy peace and the exhortation that here Christ presseth upon Ierusalem depends upon three circumstances the first is taken from the nature of the things offered her and revealed unto her they were not matters of trifles but they were things belonging to her peace the second is in regard of the time at least in this thy day as who should say this is the last day of asking the last time that ever these things shall bee offered unto thee and therefore this ought to move thee to give entertainment to the exhortation of thy Saviour The third is in regard of the person Christ Iesus requested this that might have commanded it he intreats and requests it nay with weeping he
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
good of men a gracious foote will be swift to runne the wayes of Gods Commandements now the wisest workeman will not chuse an instrument that is broken and unfit for service now an old man is a broken and crazie instrument little honour can God have by his tongue when it faulters little good can God have by his understanding and learning and wisedome when as in regard of his age he is become a child againe and therefore it is marvellous reasonable that God should take this time for the expressing of his grace for when a man is in the strength of nature then grace turnes all the members of his body and faculties of his soule the right way and a man runnes as earnestly forward in a good course as hee did before in the wayes of wickednesse so then gather up the point if in regard of the constitution of his body a man is then fittest to receive the things of grace if in regard of corruption he is not so hardened to resist grace if also then he is fittest to glorifie God for bestowing grace upon him then it is reasonable that as God can call when he will so it is most fit that he should call him before he is in his old declining age when his body is fit for nothing but to be carried upon a coffin and laid into the grave now we see then that it is cleare God can call at any time but God doth most usually call most of his servants before their old age Let us now see what use we can make of the Point and first observe from hence a ground of Instruction we must take heede that we be not too rash giddily censorious in setting downe a finall censure upon men seest thou men running on headlong in the wayes of wickednesse yet never conclude therefore that God will never shew mercy and favour unto them and worke upon the soules of them for we know that God can call at the eleventh houre and therefore be not too rash in censuring this way 1 Cor. 4.5 but receive the exhortation of the Apostle 1 Cor. 4.5 There saith the Text Iudge nothing before the time untill the Lord come c. FINIS THE FIRST TABLE Out of Revel 22.17 WHosoever will let him take of the water of life freely Doct. I. That the offer of grace from God is free page 6 It is free in regard of the preparation and the meanes of grace that God hath invented p. 8. Secondly it is free in regard of the revelation of the meanes p. 9. Thirdly it is free in regard of the blessing the meanes of grace and salvation to any soule p. 10 Reas I. This offer of grace must needes be free because there is nothing in man to purchase this p. 11 Reas II. Because the creature can doe nothing to merit it p. 12 Reas III. Because no naturall man hath any promise to challenge grace p. 13 Vse I. It is a word of advice to the Saints that have received grace to magnifie the mercy of God p. 15 Vse II. It is to the wicked that want this mercy a ground of encouragement to seeke after this mercy seeing it is free p. 19 Vse III. It is a Vse of Exhortation to all poore creatures that are burthened under the multitude of their sinnes to hope for mercy from the freenesse of of it p. 23 Doct. II. That the soule must be willing to receive Christ and grace before it shall have Christ and grace p. 27. What is meant here by the will p. 30 Quest But how shall a man come to know that he wills grace and Christ Answ A man may know whither he will grace or Christ by these 3. particulars First when the soule seeth such an excellency in Christ and grace that he highly priseth Christ and grace p. 35. Secondly whereby a man may know whether he will Christ or no is this when the soule can chuse Christ above all things p. 36. Thirdly if the soule truly wills Christ it will be carried towards Christ to close with him p. 39 Vse I. It is for reproofe and condemneth all those carnall Gospellers that thinke to be saved though they have no will to receive Christ. p. 41 Vse II. It is a word of terrour to all sinnefull creatures that doe professe by their wicked lives and conversations they will not have Christ. p. 45 Doct. III. Whosoever in truth doth will to have Christ shall receive him and salvation by him p. 51 Reas I. Because the Lord requires no more at the hands of a poore finner p. 54 Reas II. Because by this willing of Christ the creature is made fit to close with God p. 56 Reas III. Because the want of this wilingnesse to receive and embrace Christ is that which breaketh the match betweene God and the soule p. 58 Vse I. It is a ground of instruction to wonder at the riches of Gods bountie and goodnesse in his reasonable dealing with poore suiters onely to take Christ and mercy offered p. 62 Vse II. It is a word of terrour to shew the just heavie condemnation of all such as perish as are damned and goe to hell it is because they will be damned they will have none of Christ and grace p. 65 Vse III. It is an use of exhortation to stirre you up never to be quiet untill you have brought your soules to be willing to receive Christ p. 72 1 COR. 2.14 Doct. NO man of himselfe by nature can will to receive Christ p. 85. What is meant by a naturall man vid. p. 85. What is meant by the things of the Spirit vid. p. 87. That a naturall man hath no power to will Christ appeareth in foure particulars p. 90 Part. I. That the things of salvation must be first made knowne unto a naturall man else be can never of himselfe finde them out yet when these things of Christ and salvation by Christ are made knowne unto naturall men they cannot entertaine these spirituall truths p. 90 Part. II. When these things of life and salvation â—e brought home to the soules of naturall men yet the heart cannot but resist and oppose the Spirits worke p. 92 Part. III. If the Lord followeth a naturall man further that he may give him grace yet in himselfe he is not capeable of this grace p. 94 Par. IV. The naturall man is unwilling to be wrought upon that he might be made capeable to receive grace p. 97 Reas I Because a naturall man cannot receive the things of God p. 100 Reas II. Because all naturall men are fleshly and wholely overpowred with sinne p. 102 Reas III. Because a dead man hath no power to procure life unto himselfe p. 104 Vse I. It is to condemne that foolish conceit that â—arbours in the mindes of many poore ignorant soules that they brought grace into the world with them p. 105. Vse II. It is an use of Examination to trie whether you are naturall or spirituall p. 111
under sinne and Satan and have beene in the same condition our selves we know what it is to be shut up under a hard heart and a blind mind and distempered affections we know what it is to be prentise to the devill and therefore this should move us to deale pittifully with poore miserable captived creatures we our selves were in the same condition we our selves lived without God in the world heretofore as those do now Nay this is that which the Apostle presseth Tit 3 1 2 3. there saith the text Put them in mind to be subject to principalities and powers and to speak evill of no man to be no brawlers but gentle shewing all meeknesse unto all men for we our selves also were sometimes disobedient foolish deceiving serving divers lusts and pleasures living in malice hatefull and hating one another you that have beene prisoners and have had your soules pierced with bolts and fetters why remember your own estate and pitty poore prisoners that are now in that estate that you have formerly been in Hath the Lord opened thy eyes and humbled thy heart hath the Lord broke thy bonds and knocked off thy bolts and let thee out of prison why then pitty poore prisoners you were such once your selves hating God and hatefull one to another and that you are not so blesse God for it You know what it is to be in such a condition to be troubled with a hard heart you that have beene in prison and know what it is to have hard hearts and dead soules and blind minds why pitty poore prisoners that are in the same case and cry to heaven for help for them intreat God to free and deliver them from the bondage of sinne and Satan in the 12. of Matth. 9.10 it is that our Saviour presses upon the Pharisees there saith the text what man shall there be among you that shall have one sheep fall into a pit on the Sabbath day and will not lift it out how much then is a man better than a sheep so say I if any of you should have a child or a father or a husband fall into a Well would you not use all meanes possible to lift him out oh here one would be breathing and would scarce speake there another would be hoarse with crying help help for the Lords sake my child my father my husband is drowning thus you would do and you do well and mercifully but have you care of oxen and of the bodies of your sonnes and your fathers and husbands and have you no pitty no compassion upon their soules you that see the soules of your husbands sunk down into a durty pitt into a filthy dungeon into a drunken â—rophane course thou that seest thy wife fallen into a course of chambering and wantonnesse if thou seest this why then call and cry for succour and reliefe and pray for help and labour by all meanes possible to pluck out these soules out of the gall of bitternesse and out of the bond of iniquite labour to pluck them out of sinne here and damnation hereafter Look as a man deales with carriage if a Cart be at a stay or at a sett in the high way why then the Carter that drives it doth what he can himselfe he sets his shoulder to the wheele and labours as much as in him lyeth to lift the Cart out but if this will not doe then he craves the help of some others especially if there go two or three teames together then he gets all the other teames set to this load to draw it out and especially if the load be going then they cry it is comming it is comming and labour by all meanes possible to lift it out altogether Dost thou see the heart of thy father or the heart of thy child at a stand under pride covetousnes and prophanenesse why then pray thou what thou canst and do what thou mayst put thy shoulder to the wheele and use all meanes to pluck them out but if this will not do use all helps that can be by the supply of others and crave their help in this case intreat them to help thy father or thy child or thy husband at a dead lift say my father or my husband is sunk forty fadam deep into the earth he is buried in the world and in his corruptions especially if thâ— load be comming if he be almost perswaded to become a Christian then labour earnestly and cry one pluck for my poore husband one pluck for my poore father he is comming he is comming therefore pull pull for the Lords sake and go further and cry mightily unto the Lord that it would please him to pluck him out of the ground look up to heaven and intreat the Lord to lend his helping hand if man cannot nor neighbours will not why then look up higher unto heaven for succour and say good Lord my father is a prisoner and a bondslave to sinne and Satan therefore good Lord I beseech thee break those bonds and knock off those bolts of pride and infidelity and the like in the 12. of the Acts when Peter was taken prisoner it is said that prayer was made without ceasing of the Church unto God for him and the same night when Herod would have brought him forth Peter was sleeping between two souldiers bound in two chaynes and the Keepers before the doore kept the prison and the Angell of the Lord appeared unto him and a light shined in the prison and he raysed him up and said Peter arise and the chaines fell off from him afterwards he came unto an iron gate that lead unto the City and that opened of its own accord Why that God that was able to knock off the bonds of Peter and was able to make the iron gate open of it selfe unto him that God is able to break the bonds of sinne and Satan wherewith thy father husband or friend are fetter'd he is able to break the brasen doore of their hearts which hinders the light of the Gospell from shining in and therefore cry to this God for help and succour and mercy and say good Lord thou that wert able to break off the fetters wherewith Peter was bound and to make the iron doore to open good Lord I beseech thee do thou work upon my father my husband or my child especially that he may never be so hardened slip the lock and break in upon him and humble him here that he may be saved hereafter especially when you see the load is comming then draw oh then draw with all your power when you see their minds are inlightned and their judgements informed why then the load is comming pray therefore then to God especially for help who knowes but God may humble them and convert them to himselfe and therefore strive amayne with God use all meanes both ordinary and extraordinary for the benefit of them and this shall suffice for the first passage namely that the soule of a man by nature is
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
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