THREE SERMONS PREACHED AT SHERBORNE IN DORSETSHIRE By WILLIAM LYFORD B. D. Being his last SERMONS Upon these words 2 Cor. 2.15 16. For we are unto God a sweet savour c. ACADEMIA OXONIESIS OXFORD Printed by H. HALL Printer to the University for EDVVARD FORREST 1654. 2. COR. 2.15 16. For we are unto God a sweet savour c. TWo parts of Chap. 1. Shewing the causes of his Indulgence towards that excommunicate person giving order for his reception into Fellowship upon his repentance testified 2. The successe of his Ministry v. 14. Now thanks be to God c. The praise and glory of the successe of our Ministrie is to be ascribed to God alone he causeth us to triumph q. d. notwithstanding al the oppositiōs we meet with all yet God giveth us the conquest where-ever we preach the Gospel all Countries are brought into subjection to the obedience of the faith he manifesteth the savour q. d. the doctrine of the Gospell is a sweet perfume blowne about with the Breath of the Apostles preaching into all parts of the world and doth sweeten and season them with saving knowledge q. d. God never placeth the faithful ministry of the Gospell in any place but he useth to make it savorie and fruitfull unto some in every place some were seasoned with it Ob. If so why then doe so many in every place reject the Gospell as an odious thing You stinke in the nostrills of some and are counted as the filth of the world Sol True unto some men we are so but yet unto God in his esteeme and account of us we are a sweet savour of Christ the knowledge of Jesus Christ spread abroad by us is pleasing to God though not salvificall to all q. d. we are a sweet savour of Christ we are pleasing gratefull and delightfull to God because by us is sent abroad the sweet savour of Christ the knowledge of his sweet mercy and grace to the corrupt world to save filthy sinners that lay rotting and stinking in their sinnes v. 16. This sweet doctrine is indifferently preacht to all but it worketh in a very different manner for as much as being received by beleevers it produceth in them life and salvation but being rejected by unbeleevers it sealeth up their condemnation it is a killing word to them Wee preach Christ a Saviour for to know him it is eternall life but to them that disobey him a Judge To some Christ preached is the power of God and the wisdome of God To others he is foolish nesse his Gospell is unsavorie a dead thing To the one sort he is a savour of life i. a vitall savour of spirituall life to life eternall of spirituall death unto death eternall to the other In the words 3. 1. the nature of the Gospell a sweet savour 2. The esteem that God hath of his Ministerie they are unto him a sweet savour for their works sake 3. The power of the Gospell it is unto life or unto death the one is effectus per se that which comes from it in its own nature the other per accidens that which follows upon the neglect contempt of 4. The difficultie of this calling who is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 sufficient he remoues from himselfe the suspicion of arrogancie for neither he nor they are sufficient Foure doctrines First a sound Ministerie is a savorie Ministerie it sends forth a sweet savour of Christ to perfume the world or The Gospell Purely preached brings with it a sweet smell savour to the soules of God's elect Second doctrine The faithfull Ministers of Christ are well pleasing as a sweet smelling savour unto God both in them that be saved in them that perish God esteemes so of them however the successe be Third doctrine The same Ministery and the same doctrine preacht indifferently to all hath not the same effects in all It is to some a doctrine of life and salvation it hath â spirituall savour and rellish but to others it is a deadly savour it does thē no good Fourth doctrine Men are to be reckned in a state of life or death of perishing or being saved according as they doe or doe not receive the savour and rellish the doctrine of our ministerie of the Gospell for so the persons are here distributed I made choyce of this Text because from hence ariseth the fountaine of your everlasting weale or woe from peoples respect or disrespect to this ordinance I thinke you are glad to see me now But your aymes upon me should be spirituall for spirituall good What the issue will be God knowes if he hath more work for me he will restore me to his house and make you more diligent hearers that so both may rejoyce together First doctrine A sound Ministrie sends forth a sweet savour The Breath of the Gospell is a sweet odour or smell and God's faithfull Ministers are they that carry it blow it abroad to perfume season the soules of sinners that ly stinking in their sins and in a state of condemnation Ministers are in regard of their necessitie and utilitie or benefit to the world compared to light to shine to them that fit in darknesse to salt to season and preserve from putrifying and in this place to a sweet perfume to make the men of earth to savour of Christ of Religion of Heaven And that for two Reasons First Reason Because they open the mystery and riches of God's grace in Christ to lost and undone mankinde Mary Magdalen brought a Box of ointment of Spiknard very pretious And she brake the Box and poured it on Christ's head and the house was filled Mark 14.3 Joh 12.3 Christ himselfe is like that Box the Ministers open it the Treasures of wisdome and mercy that be in Christ and poure it on your heads the whole house where they preach is filled with the odour thereof you carry the sent of it upon you all the weeke after yea as long as you live Thus Cant. 1.3 Christ is compared to rich oyntments because of the savour of thy good ointments Christ was filled with all Graces anointed with the holy Ghost and Power the savour of these ointments is smelt when the Gospell preached is perceived by sense or judgement for by smell or savours is meant knowledge by sense and feeling It followes Thy name is as ointment powred forth Christ's name is by interpretation Anointed By his name is meant the doctrine of his grace the law of faith and the preaching of that grace is called the Bearing of Christ's name before the Gentiles Acts 9.15 That 's the pouring forth of that ointment Therefore doe the Virgins love thee that is They that bee chosen of God and faithfull who serve God with chast and pure mindes and are not tainted with the common pollutions of the world These love Christ they follow him they are taken with the odour of his pretious ointments which they perceive sensible to revive
is a Reprobate noe man can know it by himselfe because thy present sins are not above God's Grace God is above thy naughty heart and therefore we preach the Gospell of salvation to men as sinners not as elect or reprobate to all sinners without exception we bid them come to Christ and he will heale them We challenâ—ge all the world to name one man or woman that ever repented in vaine and praied or sought God in vaine It is a dangerous temptation of the Devill in stead of obeying the Gospell to be inquisitive in the first place whether we be elected or not obey and thou art Elected 1 Th 1.4 5 6. Knowing brethren beloved your election of God for our Gospell came not unto you in word onely but in power and in the holy Ghost and in much assurance as ye know what c. Therefore art thou a sinner then Reason thus Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners the cheife of sinners Preach this Gospell to every Creature that every creature may have a ground to believe and live for who soever commeth unto him he will in noe wise cast off Reason thus The Lord freely offereth mercy if I will but forsake my sins He assures me that if I seeke strive I shall not seek in vaine that he awaites that he may be mercifull unto me that where the meanes are used the end will be obtained Blessed arge they that hungre thirst after righteousnesse Praying Preaching and seeking are not in vaine for every one that seeketh findeth Luk. 11.9.10 Aske and it shall be given unto you seeke and yee shall find c. It was a good saying of Sarah Wight to a Gentlewoman in spirituall distresse goe say to God heale me I have sinned heale my backslidings Oh but I am no better for saying it when I have no heart nor spirit to pray yet quoth Sarah Wight Say it though you be not better because God bids you say it Say it and say it againe till he heale you it may be he will come in when you say it if you can but say it with your lips the everlasting Armes of God can reach you when you cannot reach him wee must looke at God's revealed will that we should pray and waite on him in his waies Peter bid Simon Magus Pray In preaching the Gospell light motion and power goes out to all which they that resist perish not because they could not beleive but because they resist and refuse to obey What greater encouragement to holinesse and to duty to study of piety and Christian endeavours after Grace This they do savour that are saved Instance 2 The doctrine of free grace redemption is a savour of death to some it hardens them to securitie Thus some infer upon it Christ hath done all we must not thinke to be saved by duties or by ordinances by humbling our selves c. that 's legall Therefore others say the Gospell offers mercy to all sinners at all times What of that Therefore there 's time enough to come in and be saved This is a deadly inference too an inference of death to thee But the saved ones gather life of it O here 's comfort for me I may freely come to God accept of peace and be one with him I will not cast away his mercie I will not put a scorne upon his offer of reconciliation Christ hath done all that a Christ or a Mediatour ought to doe both for purchasing and applying salvation to me I must now doe what a sinner's part is namely to accept of it to humble himselfe and pray obey him and live to him that gave himselfe for me Christs part is to give bestow the graces of faith repentance and humiliation But it is the sinner's part to exercise them Free-grace does not set the heart at libertie to lusts In the doctrine of free-grace redemption by Christ God hath this purpose and aime namely to shew a visible ground upon which all humbled sinners might accept of peace And likewise that there might be a visible rule of rejecting all that wilfully contemne their owne peace The doctrine of free will The Gospell teacheth that we are dead in sinnes and trespasses unable to raise our selves to spirituall life And that it is the spirituall grace of God by which we are converted and raised This yeelds to some a deadly inference therefore in vaine is the use of meanes urged and people leave all to God in a brutish way saying as it pleaseth God it is God that must doe it for us we have no power of our selves c. This is a deadly inference it slaies many a soule Whereas in other affaires we reason quite contrary I am sicke and cannot help my selfe therefore I will goe to the Physitian cannot read nor write therefore I will goe to schoole to be taught I cannot tell how to make a garment tto till the ground c. Therefore what shall I say I must refer all to God nay but therefore I will get the skill c. The saved ones will make other conclusions from such doctrines because we have no strength no help on earth therefore I will to my prayers to the ordinances to get help from heaven Thus it is with Gods ordinances and the pretious truths thereofas with physick it is given for the Patients good but many times through the distemper of his body it doth him hurt Thus wholsome doctrine through mens perverse reasonings doth turne to their destruction through those false hardning inferences is a savour of death Beware least the Lord be once provoked to give up obstinate ones to their own hearts lusts permitting them to dash against Christ and other meanes of eternall life and so through his just judgement they be blinded to their endlesse miserie and mischiefe as Ps 81.11 12. But my people would not hearken to my voice and Israel would none of me so I gave them up to their owne hearts lusts and they walked in their own counselles So Joh. 9.39 For judgement I am come into the world that they which see might be made blinde wretched sinners who acknowledge their owne ignorance they shall see But they which think they are wise too wise to be taught they shall be delivered up to the blindnesse of their own hearts Which made an Ancient say They that have despised God's inviting will shall feele his revenging will Vse 1 Goe home consider how 't is with you if the Ministrie have proved a savour of life to any of you praise his mercy for it it proceeded from the father of lights But if a dead thing and unsavorie upon your spirits blame your selves search and you shall finde that some of the forementioned distempers have been the occasion theerof Goe over the particulars Through your own fault it is that the word of life yeelds no lively savour to your soules c. Signe 2 For conviction and humiliation Look to it the word
to which of death In them that are saved we are a sweet savour of God unto life in them that perish a savour of death Doctrine 4 Men are to be reckned in a state of being saved or of perishing according as they doe or doe not receive the Ministry of the Gospell according as it is savorie and fruitfull and good unto them or a dead and unsavorie thing upon their spirits so are the persons here distributed God is glorified and our Ministry accepted both when people perish and when they are converted Unto the saved ones we are a savour of life to the other a savour of death and an occasion of their hardning Joh 8.46.47 If I say the truth why doe you not believeme He that is of God heareth Gods words yee therefore heare them not because yee are not of God Here our Saviour distinguisheth them that be of God from them that be not by their different respect and relish of God's word they that are of God and led by his spirit will hearken endeavour to doe his will the rest who are not of God but of Satan hate and resist the truth So doth Christ mark out his own sheep Joh. 10.27 My sheep heare my voice and follow me and I know them and give unto them eternall life So Mat. 7.24 26. He compares his hearers to wise and foolish builders of their owne salvation the one who heareth and doth them is blessed is safe from danger Blessed are they that heare the word and keep it When people rellish life in it they are in the rank of blessed and saved ones when they remaine dead under it hardned in their sins it is a sad fore-runner of their everlasting destruction How can this be so sure an evidence of life and death seeing Hypocrites goe far yea doe all in this kinde that a sound Christian may doe They may doe much as Herod did to John Baptist and Ezekiel's hearers cap. 33. 31. But herein they fall short they doe not yeeld the word a sincere universall respect obedience they heare but doe it not they heare are offended at the word It is the honest heart that heares brings forth fruit with patience an hypocrite may do much but he cannot do this he may make many prayers heare many sermons use fasting cleave to the best side approve of a sound ministrie forsake scandalous sins and be reformed in some measure by the word c. Yet this he cannot doe he cannot with an honest heart bring forth fruit with patience he doth not in all things give the word a divine power over his heart he cannot yeeld universall obedience thereto out of love to God Therefore slight not this doctrine the power of it expressed in your consciences will witnesse your soundnesse true fellowship with Jesus Christ against all temptations Ps 119.161 My heart stands in awe of God's word you dare not resist any truth that yee heare but you will yeeld unto it make conscience of it desire and endeavour to obey it and put it in practise This I say will witnesse with you and for you 1. Th. 1.5 For the Gospell came not unto you in word only but also in power Of Exhortation Therefore come to the Ministrie as to an ordinance wherein life and death are sealed Take these Motives You must live for ever in heaven or in hell and the question must be resolved upon our obeying or not obeying the Gospell Therefore bethinke thy selfe what thou wert best to doe Is not heaven worth all the sins which the word would crucifie in thee And will thy unsubdu'd lusts and the pleasure thereof make amends for all the torments which the disobedient are sure to endure in hell Is thy conscience convinced of this truth If it be how darest thou now goe on in thy common carelesse course against the light of the word in thy own conscience How darest thou live as loosely heare as carelesly Spend the Sabbath as profanely slubber over the worship and service of God as slightly as formerly thou hast done To have this question resolved on thy side me thinkes thy heart should breake through all oppositions scornes and temptations and forthwith set thy selfe wholly about the worke and to cast off every weight and with full resolution of heart to lay thy soule at the feet of Christ and his Ministrie and say Lord here I am what wilt thou have me to doe Doe with my heart and mould it to thine owne minde will Motive 2 Consider the terrour of the Lord against all wilfull people that despise the savour of life depart from mee yee workers of iniquitie into the place of torments you know the Sodomites are in an ill case in hell yet it shall be more tolerable for Sodom then for thee they sinned against the light of nature thou against the light of the Gospell they against the Law thou against the Remedie against the mercy of a Redeemer Heb. 10.29 Of how much serer punishment suppose ye shall he be thought worthy who hath troden under foot the blood of the covenant c. Woe to poore sinners for their madnesse against their own soules Consider your case art thou able to beare the wrath of God for ever When he shall come in flames of fire taking vengeance on them that know him not and obey not the Gospell of his Son 2. Thes 2.10 Thou canst not endure the voice of the Cock of a poore Minister that awakens thy conscience How then wilt thou endure the voice of the Trumpet Arise yee dead and come to judgement Death is terrible sicknesse is painfull thou canst not endure thy finger in the fire one houre how then wilt thou endure everlasting fire The tooth-ake the stone the Gout make thee roar and cry out O Lord help me the torments of hell made Dives cry out Send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water to coole my tongue you that will cry out then pity pity a poore tormented soul should doe well to pity your selves now when we cry out unto you to pitty your own soules if thou wilt be entreated to pity thy selfe thouwilt need no man's pity then but here 's your misery our infelicitie you will not believe your own miserie you will not believe our report if you did believe it you would soone cast away every sin that hangeth on so fast you would no longer stand off but deliver up your soules into Christ's doctrine to be transformed renued and moulded by it you would presently enter into a strict covenant with God to be his people you would never content your selves with a cold formall livelesse profession but labour for the life of grace and that too while the day of grace doth last Heb. 3.14 Motive 3 It will torment you one day to remember what yee have lost what blessed opportunities which cannot be recalled to remember how eagerly the world was pursued when your salvation lay at stake if you had spent but one of those yeares to get the knowledge of Christ unto unfeined conversion you had been for ever happy whereas now your miserie is past recoverie and all through your owne fault and doings It will cut you to remember how often did the Minister call upon me how faine would he have had me to be saved to be converted and escape these torments but I would not I counted him mine enimie I made a jest of his compassionate beseechings when he told me 't was not well with me and shewed me my own heart I thought him too busie with other mens estates though he were more willing to save me then I my selfe to be saved How fresh will these things come into thy minde gnaw thy heart like a worme thou wilt be a terrour to thy selfe What will yee doe now upon these Motives resolve for life before God take you away in his wrath FINIS