wâ—th us all thine remember thy people from one end of the world to the other Thy people are very low this is a time of Jacobs troubles the Bush is burning every day Oh thou the Hope of Israel the Saviour therof shew thy self in mercy to these Nations We bless thee for all thy mercies that thy judgements do not seize upon us every day that thou dost not sweep us away that thou dost not rain Fire Brimstone on England as thou didst on Sodom our sins cry aloud to heaven for vengeance God is greatly provoked every day it is a miracle of patience that thou hast not destroyed us God can pardon the sins of the Nation at once but we are not fit for pardon we do not humble our selves O Lord humble us give repentance to England from the highest to the lowest that we may return unto thee We desire to bless thee that our Eemies have not had their wills over us they said they would pursue and overtake and satisfie their lusts but God did blow upon them and they did sink in the mighty Water and thou hast yet preserved thy Church we pray thee do not leave us nor remove thy Gospel whatsoever thou dost Pour down elle choicest of thy bâ—essings upon our Sovereign Charles by thy Grace of England Scotland France and Ireland Bless him with the Blessing of Heaven and Earth make him a blessing to all of us Bless him in all his Relations the Lords of the privy Councel Look on them that have desired an interest in our prayers known to thee are all of them know their souls in this time of adversity make their beds in their siekness Give Faith to them that complain of unbelief give the Spirit of Prayer to those that complain they cannot pray be a Councellor to those that wan councel in their affaires either by Sea or Land let thy blessig go with them whereever they go Spare the lives of Children if it be thy will Prepare us for thy good and holy Word let it be a savour of lise unto life and let it come with power unto us Oh let us hear it as thy Word not as the word of a poor man but as the Word of God and all for the Lord Christ his sake for whom we bless thee to whom with thee and the Spirit of Grace be given Glory and Honour for evermore Mr. Waltons Prayer in Walbrook O Lord God all our springs are in thee it is good for us to draw nigh to thee through Jesus Christ thou art all fulness thou art the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ and in him our Father thou art our light thou givest us these blessed opportunities of enjoying communian with thy self God blessed for ever These mercies are forfeited mercies we have abused the blessings of thy House we have grieved thy blessed Spirit therefore it is just with thee to deprive us of these comforts and to make us know the worth of these mercies by the want of them Lord we desire to judge our selves that we may not be condemned with the world Righteous art thou O Lord and just in all thy judgements we confess we are unworthy to have any converse with so holy a God we are polluted dust and ashes not worthy to tread thy Courts and it is of thy mercy that we are not consumed how often have we pluckt fruit from the forbidden tree we have sinned presumptuously against the clearest Light and the dearest love alwaies have we sinned thy footsteps have dropt fatness thou hast shewen mercy to us but the better thou hast been to us the worse we have been to thee thou hast loaded us with thy mercies and we have wearied thee with our sins when we look into our selves Oh the poyson of our natures whatever the Leper did touch was unclean Thus do we by our spiritual Leprosie infect our holy things our prayers had need have pardon and our tears had need have the blood of sprinkling to wash them how vain are our vows how sensual are our affections we confess we are untuned and unstrung for every holy Action we are never out of tune to sin but alwaies out of tune to pray we give the world our male affections and our strong desires we should use this world as if we used it not and alwies we pray as if we prayed not and serve thee as if we served thee not there is not that reverence nor that devotion nor that activeness of faith that there should be Lord if thou wouldst say that thou wouldst pardon all our sins to this time only judge us for this prayer wo unto us what breathings of unbelief and hypocrisie is there now when we approach unto thee we pray thee pardon us for Christs sake Who can tell how oft he doth offend we can as well reckon the drops of the Ocean as number our sins we have filled the number of the Nations sins but we have not filled thy bottle with our tears This is that that doth exceedingly aggravate our sins that we cannot mourn for sin we can grieve for our losses but we cannot mourn for our unkindnesses we have crucified the Lord of life sin hath not only defiled us but hardned us nothing can melt us but the love of Christ nothing can soften us but the blood of Christ O with-hold not thy mercies from us O help us to eat the Passeover with bitter herbs let us look on Christ weep over him let us look on a broken Christ with broken hearts and on a bleeding Christ with bleeding hearts let us mourn for our dis-ingenuity that we should grieve that God that is always doing us good Oh! humble us for our unkindnesse and for Christs sake blot out our transgressions they are more than we can number not more than God can pardon Though we have lost the duty of children thou hast not lost the goodness of a Father Let us be held forth as patterns of mercy so shall we trumpet forth thy praise to all Eternity Whatever afflictions thou layest upon our bodies let not our sins be unpardoned let not sin and affliction be together upon us let their be peace in Heaven and peace in the Court of Conscience We have found this part of thy Word true In the world we shall have troubles let us find the other part true in Jesus Christ we shall have peace Oh let peace and holiness go together make us new Creatures that we may be glorious Creatures Without Faith Christ will not profit us when we can call nothing in the world ours let us call Christ ours Lord draw thine Image every day more lively upon us a more lively hope and a more inflamed love to Christ let us have a spirit of courage and resolution keep us from the fallacies of our own hearts keep us from the defilements of the times make us pure in heart that we may see God that we may have Gospel spirits humble spirits
healing spirit This Legacy I would leave with you as matter of great concernment Labour mightily for a healing spirit away with all discriminating names what-ever that may hinder the applying of Balm to heal our wounds labour for a healing spirit discord and division becomes no Christian For Wolves to worry the Lambs is no wonder but for one Lamb to worry another this is unnatural and monstrous God hath made his wrath to smoak against us for the divisions and heart-burnings that have been amongst us Labour for an oneness in love and affection with every one that is one with Christ let their forms be what they will that which wins most upon Christs heart should win most upon ours and that is his own grace and holiness The question should be What of the Father What of the Son What of the Spirit shines in this or that person and accordingly let your love and your affection run out this is the tenth Legacy Leg. 11. Be most in the spiritual exercises of Religion Improve this Legacy for much of the life and comfort joy and peace of your souls is wrapt in it I say be most in the spiritual exercises of Religion There are external exercises as hearing preaching praying and conference and there are the more spiritual exercises of Religion exercises of Grace Meditation Self-judging Self-tryal and Examination Bodily exercise will profit nothing if abstracted from those more spiritual The glory that God hath and the comfort and advantage that will redound to your souls is mostly from the spiritual exercises of Religion How rare is it to finde men in the work of Meditation of Tryal and Examination and bringing home of truths to their own Soul Leg. 12. Take no truths upon trust but all upon trial â— Thes 5.21 So 1 Joh. 4.1 Acts 17.11 It was the glory of that Church that they would not trust Paul himself Paul that had the advantage above all for external qualifications no not Paul himself Take no truth upon trust bring them to the balance of the Sanctuary if they will not hold water there reject them Leg. 13. The lesser and fewer opportunities and advantages you have in publick to better and enrich your Souls the more abundantly address your selves to God in private Mal. 3.16 17. Then they that feared the Lord spoke often one to another c. Leg. 14. Walk in those ways that are directly cross and contrary to the vain sinful and superstitious ways that men of a formal carnal luke-warm spirit walk in this is the great concernment of Christians But more of that by and by Leg. 15. Look upon all the things of this World as you will upon them when you come to die At what a poor rate do men look on the things of this world when they come to die What a low value do men set upon the pomp and glory of it Men may now put a mark upon them but then they will appear in their own colours Men would not venture the loss of such great things for them did they but look on them now as they will do at the last day Leg. 16. Never put off your Consciences with any plea or with any argument that you dare not stand by in the great day of your account It 's dreadful to consider how many in these dayes put off their conscience We did this and that for our families they would have else perished I have complied thus and wronged my conscience thus for this and that concernment Will a man stand by this argument when he comes before Jesus Christ at the last day Because of the Souls of men many plead this or that Christ doth not stand in need of indirect wayes to save Souls he hath ways enough to bring in Souls to himself Leg. 17. Eye more mind more and lay to heart more the Spiritual and Internal workings of God in your Souls than the External Providences of God in the World Beloved GOD looks that we should consider the operations of his hand and the despising the works of his hands is so provoking to him that he threatens them to lead them into Captivity for not considering of them But above all look to the work that God is carrying on in your Souls not a Soul but he is carrying on some work or other in it either blinding or enlightning bettering or worsâ—ing and therefore look to what God is doing in thy Soul All the motions of God within you are steps to eternity and every soul shall be bless'd or curss'd saved or lost to all eternity not according to outward dispensation but according to the inward operations of God in your Souls Observe what humbling work reforming work sanctifying work he is about in thy spirit what he is doing in that little world within If God should carry on never so glorious a work in the world as a Conquest of Nations to Christ what would it advantage thee if Sin Satan and the World should triumph in thy Soul and carry the day there Leg. 18. Look as well on the bright side as on the dark side of the Cloud on the bright side of Providence as well as on the dark side of Providence Beloved there is a great weakness amongst Christians they do so pore on the black side of Providence as that they have no heart to consider of the bright side If you look on this black side of the Providence of God to Joseph How terrible and amazing was it But if you look on the bright side his fourscore years reign How glorious was it If you look on the dark side of the Providence of God to David in his first years banishment much will arise to startle you but if you turn to the bright side his forty years reign in glory How amiable was it Look on the dark side of the Providence of God to Job Oh! how terrible was it in the first of Job but compare this with the last of Job where you have the bright side of the cloud and there God doubles all his mercies to him Consider the patience of Job and the end that the Lord made with him do not remember the beginning only for that was the dark side but turn to the end of him and there was his bright side Many sins many temptations and much affliction would be prevented by Christians looking on the bright side of Providence as well as on the dark Leg. 19. Keep up precious thoughts of God under the sowrest sharpest and severest Dispensations of God to you Psal 22.1 2. and 3. My God my God Why hast thou forsaken me Why art thou so far from helping me and from the words of my roaring O my God I cry in the day time but thou hearest not and in the night season and am not silent There was the Psalmist under smart dispensations but what precious thoughts hath he of God under all But thou art holy O thou that inhabitest the praise of Israel though I am thus
keep close unto Christ not running into the vanities glories and sins of this World then are ye comprehended in Love wherewith God loveth his Son Yeâ— see the extension of the Apostles Faith and the firmness of it this is written for our instruction and Jesus Christ is the Author and Finisher of that Faith the issue whereof is this perswasion Therefore look not on it as a thing impossible to be attained it is your priviledge if you seek it Isa 43 23.44 1 2. Thou hast not brought me the smal cattel of thy Burnt-offerings neither hast thou honored me with thy sacrifices I have not caused thee to serve with an offering nor wearied thee with incense Thou hast bought me no sweet Cane with mony neither hast thou filled me with the fat of thy Sacrifices But thou hast made me serve with thy sins Thou hast we ariod me with thine Iniquities Yet now hear O Jacob my servant Israel whom I have chosen Thus saith the Lord that made thee and formed thee from the womb which will help thee Fear not O Jacoh my servant and Jesuâ—un whom I have chosen for I will pour water on him that is thirsty and floods upon this dry ground I will pour my spirit upon thy seed and my Blessing upon thy Off-spring This speaketh to us the Gentiles who serve not with Sacrifices If they thirst after this spirit it shall be pour'd out upon them and then shall they be perswaded let the World and the Devil say what they will that they are God's This is the priviledge of every true Christian that hungers and thirsts to be led in the true way of Righteousness and Peace The EXHORTATION If it be thus let it be matter of encouragement and consolation for whatever ye be separated from yet if ye be truly Gods you have something never to be taken from you to wit The love of God in Christ Jesus God will not Man nor Satan cannot I may be separated from you yea from each other body from soul yet 't is comfort to hear there is something that can never be taken from us It should stir up our minds to consider whether I have union with it or no or whether it is attainable by me and this is certain it may be had If you forsake the sin and vanity of the world you will naturally fall into the arms of everlasting love from whence ye can never be removed It is a good thing to have good thoughts of God to be well perswaded of him as the Apostle here who is confident of his goodness Love readily and naturally uniteth to love and good thoughts of God are from a seed of Gods love to us And in order to the establishing of us in this love let us leave with you a few Exhortations 1. In order unto your daily Conversation 2. In order unto the particular Divine Providence now ending of our Ministry unto you First as to your conversation 1. Think not your own Sins little 2. Think not your own Righteousness great 3. Alwayes resigned unto God humbly submitting unto his mercy Think not your own Sins little He is in danget to sin against this love that is not sensible he hath done enough already to separate him from it ye that have done the least sin hath done enough to condemn you for ever Rom. 5.17 For if by one mans offences Death reigned by one c. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 it may be understood by one offence And if you think thus do not thing any sin little 2. Think not your own Righteousness great This is that we are very apt to do to think our selves less sinful and more righteous than indeed we are But the Church saith All our Righteousness is as filthy rags Consider things thus ye have done enough for ever to forfeit your interest in this Love ye can never do enough to deserve it Therefore 3. Alwayes cast your selves upon it that you may receive it If your lives have been blameless think your selves to want as much Mercy to save you as any prophane one Jew and Gentile wanted one and the same Grace Secondly Consider to be serious in the daily Consideration of 1. Your Thoughts 2. Your Words 3. Your Actions 1. Your Thoughts Live less abroad and more at home I mean in your own hearts a man never cometh to see himself desperately wicked until he cometh to see the heart Christ saith from the heart doth proceed murder adultery c. It may be upon a smal vexation some can wish Death to any this is murder in the heart so for Adultery or the like The sin in Gods sight is there look but in there and you will find that shall make you despair of any thing but the meer mercy and forgiveness of Christ to make you righteous and in beholding of it seek for the cleansing of it from him 2. Your Words It is Christ himself who saith By thy Words thou shalt be justified and condemned Wherefore we pray you think there is more dependeth on words than generally is accounted they are not only wind but of such a nature as either driveth us nearer or wafteth us farther off from this Love from which we are never to be separated The tongue is set on fire of Hell Be careful of thine own words if thou wouldst grow acquainted with the Word of God 3. Your Actions Be not perswaded to live at a venture Consider Christ saith I must work the works of him that sent me for this cause came I into the world Let every one ask himself this Question Why came I into the world Christ said be came not to do his own Will but the Will of him that sent him Remember therefore in all your actions you are moving toward or off from this eternal Love Thirdly Consider how meer a necessity there is 1. Of your Repentance 2. Of your Forgivness 3. Of your becoming a new Creature 1. Of your Repentance Christ saith Vnless ye repent ye shall all likewise perish Do not continue thinking such or such an one hath deservedly met with this or that punishment but still consider Christs words Except ye repent ye shall all likewise perish Cast in your mind if you have any thing to repent of or ever had then whether if it be an indifferent thing or no your repenting and if not at what time ye did repent what accidents did accompany your Repentance which you yet remember 2. Of your Forgivness WOE is the portion of any that have sinned and find not forgiveness from the mercy of God you will find then it is more needful to be forgiven than to be either great or rich or the like in this world or for any to go out to condemn another That also you may obtain Forgivness Forgive 3. Of your becoming a new Creature It is not enough to be forgiven but ye must be new Creatures It is the new Man shall never be separated from the love of God in
wholly flesh totally opposite to the holy Laws of thy Majesty and were it not for thy renuing and restraining grace we should break forth into as vile abominations as the vilest of men our lives have been a continuall piece of rebellion against God who did make us and doth feed and cloath us all thy paths have been paths of mercy to us but we have requited thee evil for thy good and hatted for thy love Oh foolish men and women that we have been I we acknowledge our gospel-Gospel-sins are of a deep dye Thou hast not been a VVildernss or Land of darkness to us we have been exalted to heaven in the means of salvation but Oh! how short do we come of knowledge to the time and means we have enjoyed and our obedience comes short of our knowledge we have not walked up to that light which thou hast given us We desire to lay our selves low before thee Oh do thou open our eyes and present us to our selves show us the vilenss of our lives Blessed be thy Name that thou hast laid help upon one that is mighty to save all that come to thy Majesty by him and thou hast promised all that beleeve on him shall not perish but have everlasting life Oh help us to receive him in all his Offices in our hearts help us to give him the keys of our hearts and help us to live and die to him that died for us and let our souls be united to thee by him that his death may be ours and his life ours and his intercession ours Oh let our unity to Christ be demonstrated to us by our communion with and conformity to him in grace and holiness And we pray thee dearest Lord pardon our sins in the Court of heaven and in the Court of our own consciences besprinkle our conscienees in the blood of Christ and say to all before thee at this time that desire to fear thee more and serve thee better Sons and Daughters be of good cheer your sins are forgiven you And do not only justifie us but sanctifie us purge our consciences from dead works inform our understanding conform our wills to thy holy VVill let our hearts and lives be comformed to the Image of thy Son that beholding thereof we may be changed from glory to glory and let us have more knowledge of thy will that we may do thy will und suffer thy will with more patience and be filled with the fruits of Righteousness which are to the glory of God Let us not be empty Vines that bring forth fruit to themselves but let us bring forth fruit to God whereby thou maiest be glorified Oh plant that great grace of Self-denial in our souls and let us take the Cross of Jesus Christ and follow him wheresoever he goes Remember all thine extend thy favour to those thou hast cast on beds of sickness and let there be a saving change wrought in them before that change by death shall come and they that are drawing nigh their time of Travel let the arms of the All-sufficient God be under them and be better to them than their Faith or our prayers and look graciously upon poor children entitle them to an inheritance that fadeth not away make them a blessing in themselves and a blessing to their Parents And those that deâ—re the conversion of Relations that walk in waies of perdition do not let them find peace in any way against thy Majesty and let them know that sin will be bitter in the latter eud Look upon us that are before thee at this time before we go hence and shall be here no more make thy face to shine upon us let our coming together be for the better and not for the worse to any of us let thy poor Servant be able to deliver thy Message plainly and powerfull and give thy People hearing ears and obedient hearts and let us rejoyce that we did wait upo thee in thy Worship this day and all For Christ his sake in whose Name and Words we call upon thee Our Father ' which art in Heaven c. Doctor Manton's Prayer at Covent-garden O Lord God all that we can do is nothing of our selves we can do nothing Oh let us have the gracious Assistance of thy Spirit as this time let thy love constrain us say unto us Thou art our Salvation Do not say that we shall fill up the measure of our Iniquities and there shall be no hope for us O Lord we are ashamed that we have waited so long in thine Ordinannances and have got no more profit to our toor pouls but we have given up our hearts to the pleasures and vanities of this world that are but for a season even those that thou hast drawn out after thee do not walk worthy of thee anseerable to that blessed hope of future Happiness in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation Jesus Christ is to many of us become a stumbling-blook and a reck of offence while our hearts are caried out after the wirld with such strong affections Oh! when shall we carry our selves so as those that profess themselves to be secke's of a better life We come into thy presence now for strength do thou manifest thy self to us thou hast promised to pour out thy Spirit upon all Flesh Oh let it be unto us according to thy promise O Lord our hearts naturally are averse to thee so that of our selves we shall never be able to do any thing that may be wel-plensing to thee but do thou regulate us by thy blessed Spirit that we may observe thy statutes and do them and that thy Commands may not be grievous to us that it may not be burdensom for us to do the work of God O Lord when shall our hearts be made sound in thy statutes we wait upon thee in the use of thine Ordinances that we may have a new supply from thee that at length we may come to see that thou art at work with us to save our soules O help us to be followers of them who with faith and patience do follow thee to do nothing unbecomming our holy Call suffer us not to swerve from thy Commandments but let us have a constant and earnest desire after thee Let the choicest of thy Mercies come down on our Sovereign Charles King of England Scotland France and Ireland let His heart be guided by thee let him always set the before his eyes that under the shadow of his Goverment we may have Peace in all Godliness and honesty Bless him in his Relations in his Councils Teach our Senators wisdom Be with all thy Faithfull Magistrates and Ministers let them be a terrour to evil doers and an encouragement to them that do well Be with us in the way of thy worship we are here met together to hear and handle thy holy Word Oh do thou command it to light upon all our hearts let it come in the evidence and demonstratian
it is to be ashamed to sigh over our sins and groan over our iniquities I how few out of tenderness do mouru for sin but as if it were indifferent to us whether we have our sins purdoned or the grace that we beg to be granted and if we do beg to be pardoned where are the souls that desire to be purged If thou shouldst let us have our wills Oh then we should think thou wert a good God whereas it is thy great Love that thou dost deny us our wills we poor wretche we are up and down as the things of this world do come into us and go from us if God give us great things then we think our selves in Paradise and if God take from us then we fall out with God himself Oh! how ill do we take it at thy hands if thou dost not give us what we would or take from us what we would The doctrine of self-denial is a meer riddle to us we would fain spend the strength of our youth in following the lust of the eye and gratifie our sensual affections and when we come to die it may be we would have a Lord have mercy upon us in our mouths and think it strange if God should not give us what we ask O Lord convince us now that we may be willing to be crucified to the world and to die to sin Lord we may flatter with our selves but our hearts do but abuse us while we think there is such contentment in the enjoying of this world what is this when we come to die Alas if we were not besotted content is sooner gained by self-denial than by pleasing our selves Can we think we shall be at ease till we come to God Is it like to be well with us while our wayes are contrary to the wayes of God are not thy waies the waies of peace Oh! how can we be at rest when our waies are contrary to thine Oh! un-lust us we had better part from our idols here that that they should part us from God hereafter Lord if there were no other hell this is damnation to be a sinne for this is the nature of sin to separate us from God Oh help us to account the reproaches of Christ better than the honors of the Cross of Christ better than the Crown of the world O shew us the sinfulness of sin and the emptiness of the world that we may take thy Counsel and mind thy Glory and be ruled by thy Will Oh how happy would it be with us if our souls were brought into such a frame We are Lord as yet great strangers to the life of God Oh! let us know what it is to live with thee and to thee and with thee that we may say For us to live in Christ and to die is gain and that we may say Whom have we in Heaven but thee O Lord We depend upon thee let thy goodness be seen do not put us off with the means of grace but give us grace it self And seeing thou art pleased to make use of such a poor thing as the preaching of the Gospel is and seeing this is the means to bring our souls to eternal life Oh let it be so to us that we may repent from sin and believe in the righteousness of the Gospel Oh Lord thou knowest all our frailties and all our necessities find out them that are dead in sins and quicken them find out the hard hearts and soften them find out the proud hearts and humble them find out the formalists and bring them to the power of godliness and pour in wine and oyl into the wounds of the wounded in spirit and let the administration of the Gospel be in the demonstration of the Spirit that as the truth is delivered to us we may be delivered to the truth that while we touch the hem of thy garment Vertue may come out from thee Thou hast said that mercy pleaseth thee we are sure it will pleasure us Oh let us not loose our time but do thou teach us to profit and supply our wants for the sake of our dear Lord to whom with Thee and thy Spirit be given more Glory from now unto eternity Nr. G. N. his Prayer TO thee O Lord Jesus we commend our selves To thee who judgeth rightly thy poor Servant resigneth and commiteth this Congregation The Lord pardon unto me wherein I have been wanting unto them The Lord pardon unto them wherein they have been wanting in the hearing of thy Word that we may not part with sin in our hearts Unto thee who judgest uprightly I commend them The Bishop of Souls take care of them Preserve them from the love of the World teach them to wait on thee and to receive from thee whatevor any one or Family may stand in need of Provide them a Pastor according unto thine own will only in the mean time give us that Anointing shall lead us out of our own wells and waies that we may walk in the waies of Christ Jesus The Lord Jesus say now amongst them I am your Shepheard you shall not want Say to them as thou didst to thy Disciples Let not your hearts be troubled you beleeve in the Father beleeve also in me So far as we are able we put thy Name upon them we name the Name of the Lord Jesus over them The Lord Jesus bless them teach them to follow Holiness Peace and a Heavenly Conversation The Lord make them usefull to each other The Lord Jesus be a blessing to them and me and all ours The God of Peace and Consolation fill them with blessings according as thou seest every one stand in need of To thee O Lord we commend then do thou receive them that under thy counsel they may be preserved blameless until the day Jesus where we may all meet crowned with Glory Amen FINIS Mr. GEORGE THORNE of Weymouth HIS FAREWEL-SERMON PSAL. 37.34 Wait on the Lord and keep his Way NOt knowing whether ever I shal speak to you more from this place being willing to leave a word in season I shall recommend to you what in answer to prayer I have recived of the Lord for the directing me in my course in this gloomy dark day being well assured that as many of us as work by this rule and fall by this compass how ever we may be scatered by the tewpestuous storms we meet with here in the Sea of this World shall shortly arrive at and meet in our desired Port the Haven of Eternal Rest and Happiness What therefore the Lord hath said to me and that with a strong hand that say I unto you in the Name of the Lord Wait on the Lord and keep his VVay The scope of this Psalm is to direct the People of God and to encourage them to keep on in the course of Godliness at such times as when the Wicked prosper flourish and grow great and the godly are afflicted trouble persecuted and oppressed And there are two
is not the way for this way of complaining is 1. Fruitless a house on fire is not quenched with tears Murmuring will not scatter the Clouds 2. Causeless Thou hast thy life for a prey Jer. 4 5 6. What a living man and complain and that when 't is for the punishment of his sins this kind of complaining is causeless if you compare sin and punishment together there 's no proportion for sin is a transaression against an infinite God punishment but an affliction upon the finite Creature Sin is an evil against God punishment an evil against the Creature Or if you consider what sin is in its nature 't is a contrariety to Gods nature God is holy sin impurity A contradiction to Gods will God saith Do this the sinner saith I will not God saith Do not this abominable thing which I hate the sinner saith I will 'T is the transgression of Gods pure and holy Law nay 't is a practical blaspheming against all the names of God the rape of Gods mercy and the dare of Gods justice the challenge of Gods power Sin gives the lye to Gods truth and the fool to Gods wisdom And what can sin do more than to take away Gods good name Gods being And that sin would do Or 't is causeless if you consider against whom sin is i.e. God himself who is a jealous God Now a finner takes another lover into his bosome before his eyes yea he is a holy righteous omnipotent almighty living God Thoughts of this may well keep us from complaining Indeed whatever our affliction be we have as much cause to give thanks as to mourn if you consider whatever the punishment be it might be worse or do but look well into it you will see more mercy than affliction Psal 119.75 3. Sinful there is in it 1. unthankfulness while we complain of one affliction we over-look a thousand mercies whereas true grace is ingenious and can see a little kindness mingled with a great deal of severity The Church of God in captivity comparing her afflictions with her mercies breaks forth It is of the Lords mercy that we are not consumed â—am 3.22 blessed be God 't is not yet so bad but it might be worse 2 Cor. 4.8 We are troubled on every side yet not distressed though laid wait for beset on every side put to strive and struggle yet we escape God gives an issue in the temptation We are perplexed but not in despair we are not so helpless that we know not how to turn us we have a God to go to as bad as things are the Lords name is a strong tower persecuted but not forsaken we are shaken out but not to shivers persecuted but not conquered our God hath not quite forsaken us Cast down but not destroyed Psal 118.13 we are cast down but not cast off So Luther They may thrust me back but they cannot thrust me down they may crush me but they cannot kill me or they may kill me but they cannot hurt me they may shew their teeth but they cannot devour Is it a feaver it might have been eternal flames It is scarcity it might be universal famine Is it the danger of losing the Gospel 't is the mercy of God it is not done already Are we in Captivity we might have been in Hell are we in Prison it might have been Tophet The Lord hath chastened me sore but he hath not given me over unto death Psal 118.18 Though men have lost their bowels Gods compassions fail not God's as faithful as ever he hath taken away some of our mercies but he hath not taken away all he hath left us more than he hath taken They are new they are renewed every morning when old mercies are spent God sends us new he is the Father of mercies begets new mercies every moment Who can number or measure his mercies of one day whatever our fears are O blessed be God he loads us with mercies Now the Complainer over-looks all these there 's much unthankfulness in it and that 's a kind of Atheism She knew not that I gave her corn and wine c. Hos 2.8 2. Pride only by pride comes contention men never quarrel with God about their condition but 't is long of the pride of their heart proud man would fain sin and not hear from God would take liberty to sin but would not have God take liberty to punish Isa 8.3 God must take notice of our duties not of our sins God shall hear of it if he take not notice of our prayers but it shall be by complaining if he take notice of our sins A proud man whatever he hath its no more than his due and whatever he wants God 's his debter Hos 6 14. The want of a Complement undoeth him in the midst of honour if we want but one thing our hearts would have surely nature is proud and ready to pick quarrels with God on the least occasion nay if he will not give that mercy we would take all c. 3 Rebellion God strikes him for sin he strikes against God Jer. 31.18 God draws one way and he another c. 4. Vnbelief He that complains of his punishment never believed sin to be so great an evil or God to be such a one as revealed in the Word 5. Interpretative Blasphemy 1. While we dispute our afflictions and wrangle with the present dispensation what is it but to make our selves wiser than God We seem to tell God how it might have been better and so we do as it were give God counsel When he calls for obedience is not that Blasphemy to set up our wisdom against Gods 2. While we complain of punishment we take sins part against God we do as it were justifie sin and judge God God is unrighteous to punish such a sin as this with such grievous afflictions 3. By complaining we do as it were summon God to our Bar to come and give an account of his actions at our Tribunal What poor miserable Creatures are we that in our afflictions are so far from helping our selves that we commonly add to our own misery No affliction is intollerable till sin come in it The yoke God hath made easie we make intollerable and make God to be our enemy while he by affliction would become our friend Now this being found not to be the way that which God counsels and advises is 1. Self-examination Let us search and try our ways Sin and Hypocrisie lies close and deep therefore we must take pains dig to the bottom set up a tribunal in our own conscience summon try judge our selves over and over in Gods presence He stands at our closet doors to hear what we will say Jer. 8.6 before execution what indictment we will bring in against our selves We can tell what such a Drunkard such an unclean person c. hath done but no man saith what have I done my pride my unthankfulness my unfruitfulness c. 2. Reformation
would prevent your fears if God would continue forfeited mercies dearer to you than your lives you would set apart some special thing for God something for the propagation of the Gospel abroad for the maintenance of a godly Ministry at home for setting up the preaching of the Gospel in the dark corners of the Kingdom c. This must have some cautions with it As 1. We must be sure our vow be of what is in our own power we must not make vows of that which is none of our own I hate robbery for burnt-offerings We must not make a vow to God of that which hath been unjustly or unrighteously taken away or with-held from any 'T is Sacriledge instead of a Sacrifice 2. It must be of things warrantable and justifiable by the Word 3. It must be of such things that we are not bound to do before vows by the standing obligation of Religion and of our profession but of something that is in our own choice that we will voluntarily make a free-will offering of it to God 4. We must take heed that we do not entertain a superstitious thought of our own vows as if we had merited a mercy at Gods hands by our vows God looks for some special vow at our hands that we may shew how much we prize and value the mercy we would have that we would be content to part with any thing though to the half of our estate for it 2. Another thing I find is that in the mean time we should do something by way of extraordinary bounty and charity to the relief of Gods indigent servants Thus the Prophet Daniel Wherefore O King let my counsel be acceptable to thee break off thy sins by righteousness and thine iniquities by shewing mercy to the poor if it may be a lengthning of thy tranquility Dan. 4.27 The Prophet advises him to break off his sins by Righteousness there 's Reformation and besides Reformation that he would do something in an extraordinary way to the relief of the poor Mercy to the poor what 's that Interpreters conceive by the poor here he understands Gods poor i.e. the poor Jews that were now in the Babylonian Captivity he advises he would do something by way of sympathy to the Jews to ease their yoaks and oppressions break off thine iniquities by pittying and shewing mercy to thy poor Captives under thy power now at this time take off their yoak ease their burdens and restore them to their liberties again Thus do you and those that have been the instruments of your conversation or edification set apart something extraordinary for their relief and supply The Prophet Daniel seems to advise this to the King as it were by way of satisfaction There be two things in repentance in wrongs we have done there must be confession and satisfaction or restoration he seems to advise this to make up compleat repentance namely to make restoration and retribution of what he had injuriously taken from the Jews Oh then let me say without breach of charity that whatsoever except it be in this case of extraordinary supplies for his poor it will be found but making restitution and satisfaction It may be upon a twofold ground 1. With some it may be truly restitution and restoration of what he hath taken away by unjust means God knows how that 's between God and their own souls what unlawful means have been used to augment the heap and swell their Estate If there be any that hear me this day whose consciences shall tell them that they have increased their estate by undue and unwarrantable means Oh Restore Restore break off your iniquities by shewing mercy c. by making reparation as you can it will be but like Zacheus giving half his goods to the poor and restoring four-fold c. in a liberal Contribution to the poor 2. It will be restitution in another sense in reference to an unjust withholding some have injuriously and I am afraid too too many have kept injuriously Have we not rob'd the poor by an unjust denying of what God hath commanded us to distribute to their necessties there is that withholdeth more than is meet c. Prov. 3.17 and 11.24 It may be God hath given you so much there 's Gods share there 's the Ministers portion c. Now all that you have with-held beyond the Rule of Scripture is all stolen goods and is like a Wheat-sheaf on fire will burn down the whole Barn of Corn. That which I would exhort you to is for every one to set a part some considerable part of your Estate and account it as a hollow thing dedicated to God as a thing which to touch were sacriledge that you may be ready on all occasions in all regular and due ways to bring out for the relief of the poor you know objects abounding in every place and you may expect warrantable means for dispensing of what God shall put into your hearts in this matter Mr. Jenkin's Forenoon Sermon Heb. 11.38 The former part of that Verse Of whom the world was not worthy THe Apostle in this excellent Chapter that by some is deservedly called a little Book of Martyrs discovers the tryumph of faith or victory against all difficulty we meet with 1. Faith it assents to truths be they never so improbable 2. It puts men upon duties be they never so irrational or against carnal interest 3. It enables to sufferings be they never so afflictive These Worthies went through all by the victory that overcame the world the bitterness as well as the sweetness thereof In these verses the Apostle doth two things First he sets down the greatness and smartness of their sufferings which are by some learned men reduced to three heads First those sufferings that were to tempt them and draw them from God by those pains and tortures they were to undergo Secondly Those sufferings they underwent in dying Thirdly their sufferings in regard of wandering and leaving their comforts rather than they would lose God There were all kind of persecutions laid upon these Saints through all which they waded and never would be brought to forsake God and his truth for any of them 2. We have here the excellency of the sufferers and that is in that expression These men or these persons when they were under all these distresses from the world yet they were such of whom the world was not worthy Brethren the excellency of these saints and servants of God is considerable two ways that we may proceed distinctly and clearly First in reference to the wicked their excellency was so great that the wicked World was not worthy of them Secondly their excellency is discovered from the estimate or judgment that the Apostle passes upon them who tells us that he accounted them to be such though they were under such distresses and troubles yet they were a people of whom the world was not worthy I shall fall upon the due estimation the blessed Apostle
is your confidence in me submission to nay saving work obedience to my healing precepts If I be your Lord and Master why do you not learn of me your Master c. Your first Covenant engages you to proceed in fulfilling the things promised in your Covenant c. Better not have promised to be his people than to promise and break this promise The very mercies also you have received from him pardoning your former sin entertainment in his Church and all the blessings there found are as so many obligations to proceed 3. Ever since we came home to Christ we have had an addition of Reasons besides the first Reasons we had to believe Every day brings in new c. Certainly if a little were desireable more were more desireable If the people that stood afar off and never tryed what Christ and Grace is were bid to come in those that have tryed and tasted are bound to proceed much more You have the Spirit of God experiences of his love tasted the bitterness of sin have had some tryal of the truth of such things of which we speak when others have eyes and see not c. and will you turn back that have tasted c. 4. Consider how much hath been lost upon many a soul for want of care to take rooting and to proceed how much labour of the Ministry mercies of God pains and care of their own I speak of those that have seemed sincere not indeed so that have many times comforted the hearts of their Ministers and Friends and have had some kind of comfort to themselves in that taste they have had of the good word of God How many times hath the Preacher been gladded to see such a one come to him seemingly with a broken heart seeming to set themselves in the way of life yet the flesh prevailed for want of confirmation How many years have some spent in duty in hearing prayer gracious society profession of Religion yet afterwards the world hath drowned all What cause have you to see you lose not the thing you have wrought 5. Consider how much of the works of your own salvation when you are converted is yet undone Though you are sure your conversion is true how many temptations to resist enemies to conquer duties to perform and Heaven to be taken upon all those terms as the tenor of your Christianity therefore you had need to stand fast and having done all to stand you have need not only to believe but to wait and be patient in believing and to proceed in the way you have chosen 6. The want of strength building up makes the lives of many full of lamentable languishing weaknesses scandals unto others pain calamity trouble to themselves How long in healing And how much smart and pain while the fruit of their own folly is cured How little and how frequently do temptations prevail And hence as in a wilderness they are going one step forward another backward no evident keeping in God and all through the fruit of their own languishing weakness the fruits of the sins of Professors have been such that it should make you do all you can possible to escape the troubles at home and reproaches abroad 7. A life of spiritual weakness is usually a burden unto him that hath it it doth not only occasion his falling into sin and so renews the wounds of his Soul but is a constant burden to him not that any measure of Grace is troublesome but that which consists with so great a measure of remaining corruption this is the burden sickness is burdensome though there be life Methinks you should not then be recondiled to your fears you should methinks see so great difference between the sick and the well that for your own peace sake you should seek after confirmation Every duty they do is their pain which is anothers pleasure prayer c. their burden sometimes tir'd wearied dull c. presently overwhelmed with temptation every duty is a grievance to them through the weakness of their grade and their corruption 8. Christians that are weak and not confirmed lose abundance of the fruit of Gods Ordinances that are improved by others How many a truth that taste exceeding sweet to others have no great relish to them nor growth by it A healthy man hath more relish in ordinary fare than a sick person in varieties the full stomack loaths the Honey-comb 9. The weak and unconfirmed Christian is unprofitable comparatively unto others not that the Church would wish the weakest member out but comparatively unconfirmed Christians are very unprofitable unto others like little children in the Family that must be looked to make work for a great many more about them What doth a sick person but the work of others is to feed support and be a help to him The Church of God hath need of strong Christians that can pray in Faith servently for others and you scarcely pray son your selves Consider when the Church needs a great deal of help will you sit down with low attainments and little things when so many hundred about you need so great assistance 10. Weak persons are many times the troublers and very dangers of the Church many calamities have been occasioned by them the sins of professors have occasioned the displeasure of God on the Church their errors hindred truth and made divisions When Christians have not so much strength as to know Truth from Error that hearkens to every one that speaks with likeness What have these Christians done in the Church what mercies have been driven away so far that I think the Church of God from the Apostles days till now have suffer'd more by the sins of Professors then the malice of their Enemies and how canst thou expect God will save thy soul when thou hast set the Church on fire and been so great hindrance to others that many should perish occasionally by thy example c. The greatest sufferings of the Church have come from the miscarriages of the Church 11. Such have been the great dishonours of Christ but the Graces of ancient Christians the glory of their professions their Charity Self-denial Heavenly-mindedness Patience c. have preached the Gospel to the World more effectually then ever their words could do God expects your lives should be a considerable means for the conversion of wicked men the same God that hath commanded Ministers to teach others by their Doctrine hath commanded you should live for the conversion of the World that you zeal humility patience charity self-denial should win souls to God and if it be a sin to give over preaching when we may surely so to give over living c. If wo unto me if I preach not the Gospel then woe unto you if you by your lives preach not the Gospel How many sinners have you about you and how do you wrong and rob the ungodly of that Ordinance God hath appointed for their conversion and salvation You are the
I know I have attained this confirming grace A. These signs following shew a Christian confirmed and strong in grace which I will name that you may know what to aim at and what to desire There is not so great a difference between a King and a Beggar between the greatest health and fickliest man as between a strong useful Christian and a poor languishing soul c. 1. A confirmed Christian is one that can resist many subtile and strong temptations not onely a single temptation but when Satan assaults on every side with errors on both extreams with importunities of several parties with temptations of prosperity offered of adversity felt or feared strong temptations that seem to lay a necessity of yielding on a weakling that makes him say I must do it to save my liberty family life c. A strong Christian can say there is no necessity he can make light of those temptations that seem to be a necessity to other persons he can confute a subtle Sophister and deal with a cunning Adversary Satan cannot so easily go beyond and out-wit him 2. He can do great excellent and useful work is serviceable to God if he have opportunity in business of greatest consequence he doth not serve God onely in some little and inconsiderable thing but in his place sets himself to the work of God doth the great work of his Majesty faithfully The service of God to him is more easie and deligtful as to go ten miles is more easie to the healthful then one to a sickly person he can go through Gods service with pleasure ease and delight without tiring fainting sitting down or giving over 3. He can digest the hard truths and providences of God that are ready to puzzle perplex and over-set the stomack of a weak Christian he hath laid his foundation to which he reduces all things of difficulty and by the help of those great truths he hath received he can easily see through the difficulties that are yet before him He can tell how to reconcile those things in Scripture that seem contradictions where he meets with a difficulty he can easily discern the cause is in himself and that there is an undoubted way of reconciling them though he hath not attained to it He can easily quiet his soul under the most difficult providences and interpret them so as is consistent with the truths of God which must expound them he reconciles providence with providence and providence with Scripture whereas a weak Christian is ready to say A hard saying who can bear this and that and 't is the difficulty of these kind of truths that makes so many turn their Religion because not able to digest the hardest Truths of God Cross providences makes them question Gods love c. 4. He is one that can exercise various graces without setting one against another destroying or contradicting one another He can do many works believe many truths perform many duties at once He can rejoyce sorrow at once and make his sorrow a help to his joy and his joy a help to his sorrow so exercise both in that nature as will not directly hinder or weaken one another He can tell how in such a time as we are in to rejoyce yet to be humble to be cast down at Gods feet in the sense of the sins we have committed and of Gods displeasure c. yet to rejoyce in the mercies we have and do expect to possess He doth not look all upon sin all upon affliction or all upon mercy but can eye every thing and give every thing its part can exercise graces methodically give Truths Providences their proper place in his meditations and affections and this makes his life orderly beautiful regular and useful whereas a weak Christian let him set himself against one temptation he is taken in another if he humble himself in soul he can do nothing but humble weep grieve fear and be ready to cast away all comfort all sence of the love of God if he set himself to the consideration of the grace of Christ he is apt to forget humiliation and to be puffed up with spiritual pride c. Thus he hath not skill strength and ability to carry on all the whole work of Grace together 5. A strong Christian sinks not under those burthens that would press down and overwhelm a weak Christian he can bear heavy burthens and more easily away with them making it a Recreation to bear some things that another would sink under and cannot bear 'T is thy weakness that makes thee make such a stir when God lays on thee Personal Family publick affections that makes thee shrink under them strength of grace would enable thee to see God and Glory in the midst of them and to say All shall work for my good it would enable thee to get advantage and be bettered by them Hadst thou strength enough to improve them thou wouldst take comfort from them and support thy self under them but when thou hadst not strength enough to understand Gods meaning to see the Duty then called for to improve all for God to do that service to God thou shouldst do in such a condition no wonder if thou have not grace to support and comfort thee in that condition Whereas the confirmed Christian by strong faith love and patience can carry great burthens c. 6. Is helpful to many and troublesome unto few They are the useful persons in the family and place where they live it is they can counsel others in their doubts help them in their straits that can bear up the weak when ready to sink that can hold others by the arm when not able to go up-right that tend Gods little ones and if it were not for these what would Gods little ones do They are so furnished with Patience which God hath given them for the use of the weak ones in his Family and though they are troublesome or do that which might be a disturbance to them they will not thrust them out it is they that comfort the feeble support provide for strengthen and confirm the rest and were it not for these what backsliding hearts should we have c. And they are comparatively troublesome to few though while corruption cleaves to them they shal sometimes It is not they that are censuring their brethren that are stirring up divisions and make all that feud that is in the Church If they might be hearkened unto and regarded there would be quietness and composure for if ever there be peace it will be by the strong ones but weak ones in grace are the burthens and troublers of the Family you may know they are the weak ones in Gods house in that they are those that are always crying complaining making fire-work in the Family back-biting censuring their Brethren quarrelling with one or other c. these peevish troublesome souls are the weak ones c. 7. The strongest in grace are the best able
against God for it is not subject to the Law of God neither indeed can be so that they that are in the flesh cannot please God Why because there is that principle in them as carries out a real enmity to the Law and Will of God it is as if the Apostle had said They will not be subject to Gods will not obedient to Gods command there is a principle of enmity in them against these things so cannot please God God is pleased when his will is fulfilled his commands observed to please God is in all things so to act that whatever we do we may express a likeness to Gods naâ—â—â— and a blessed subjection to Gods revealed will and this is the first thing A second thing is the proof of the Doctrine they that thus please God he will be with them he will not leave them alone especially in an hour of tryal For my Brethren assure your selves of this that which the Father did for Christ he will do for all his Members 't is true Christs sufferings being greater then ours possibly can be and so his relation to God being higher then ours is he a Son by eternal Generation we onely by adoption he had the presence of God in a more glorious manner then we can expect but yet in our Sphere according to the measure of our tryals and according to our capacity we shall as really have the presence of God with us as Christ had with him that as we are partakers of Christs sufferings so we also shall be partakers of Christs support he that will be present with believers in heaven as he is with Christ he will be present with believers here on earth as he is with Christ in all his sorrows and sufferings Now for the confirming of this comfortable truth I need not speak much Many promises you have in Scripture for it and what ever God hath promised he will certainly make good Turn to that one promise in stead of many Isa 43.2 When thou passest through the water I will be with thee through the Rivers they shall not overflow thee when thou walkest through the fire thou shalt not be burnt neither shall the flame kindle upon thee And you shall find too that the Saints have experienced it in all ages God hath made it good Jacob was a man that met with many sharp tryals God exercised him with many troubles you shall find that when he was going to Padan-Aram and was in a very afflicted condition Gen. 28 15. God comes to him and saith Behold I am with thee Gen. 31.5 His father frowned upon him but the God of his father helped him Joseph Gen. 22.20 his master took him put him into prison a place where the Kings prisoners were bound he was in the Prison but the Lord was with Joseph The Prophet Jeremy was thrown into a Dungeon but the Scripture saith God was with him The three Children was thrown into the Furnace of fire but there was a fourth with them and that was the Son of God Dan. 3.25 Paul when he was brought to his trial all men forsook him but God stood by him 2 Tim. 4.16 So the Christians in all their sharp sufferings 2 Cor. 4.9 they were persecuted but not forsaken persecuted by men but not forsaken by God God hath abundantly made out this and doth so still that he will never leave those alone in a time of suffering who desire uâ—â—â—ignedly in all things to please God Nâ—â— the third thing is to shew you in what respect God is with such why this presence of God is an active presence God is not meerly with his people but he is with them in an active way for this is a certain truth God is working when the Saints are suffering I will open this in several particulars First God is with such in his teaching presence Gods correction and Gods instruction they usually go together and where there is the chastenings of Gods hand there is also the teaching of Gods Spirit Psal 90.12 Blessed is the man whom thou chastenest and whom thou teachest Christ though he were a Son yet learned obedience by the things that he suffered God teacheth his upright ones many lessons in a time of adversity which they never learned in a time of prosperity For we are like idle boys or bad Scholars that learn best when the rod is over us In a prosperous condition God speaks to us and we mind him not Jer. 22.21 Ispoke to thee in thy prosperity but thou wouldest not hear and this hath been thy manner from thy youth upwards in prosperity God speaks once and twice as Job speaks but we will not hear but in the time of adversity God opens the ears Jud. 8.16 As Gideon taught the men of Succoth with thorns and briers so doth God teach his people by affliction and oh the many blessed truths that they learn when they are under the Rod when they want liberty Oh what a mercy is it to have liberty then when they have not Ordinances as before what a mercy is it to have Ordinances then Oh what an evil thing is it then for them that they have departed from God! God teaches them these things then sin is never so bitter mercy is never so sweet as in a time of suffering Oh how vain and empty is the creature then Oh how sweet is communion with God then I say such things as these God teaches then Secondly God is with such in his guiding presence Psal 73.24 Thou wilt guide me with thy counsel and afterwards receive me unto glory When Israel was in the Wilderness then they had the cloud to guide them It is a blessed thing to live under the conduct and direction of the wise God we never have so much of this as in an hour of tryal indeed the people of God never fly so much to God for direction as as such a â—ime as Saul when he was in distress then he calls for the Ephod and thus it is with us under affliction then we look to God Thirdly God is with them in his preserving and hiding presence God is the Saints hiding place their shield their buckler their rock their defence the Scripture expressions are many to hold out Gods protection as to his people God hath a constant care over them to preserve them and save them oh but especially in a time of trouble as the Marriner is never so careful of the Ship as under a storm and God is never so careful of his Church and people as under affliction Jeremy is in Dungeon now God saves him Daniel is in the Den now God saves him The three Children in the Fire now God saves them Peter is in Prison now God saves him The mother never tends the childe so carefully as when the childe is sick and Providence is never so tender to the People of God as under a suffering condition Fourthly God is with them in his comforting Presence 2 Cor. 4.1
the Worm Conscience the 9 of Mark the 44 verse Where their worm never dieth Oh! how dreadful will it be to have this Worm Melancthon calls the tormenting Conscience A hellish fury Conscience will be just as if a Worm full of poyson were feeding upon the heart of a man Those Sinners that would never hear the voice of Conscience they shall feel the worm of Conscience And then Secondly As there is the Worm to torment so there is the Serpent that is the Devil who is called the Old Serpent Rev. 9. As there is the biting of the Worm so there is the stinging of the Old Serpent First of all The Damned shall be forced to behold the Devil I remember what Anselm saith saith he I had rather endure all the torments of this Life than see the Devil with bodily eyes But now this sight the wicked shall see whether they will or no and not only see but they shall feel the stinging of this Old Serpent the Devil Satan is full of rage against Mankind and will shew no mercy as he puts forth all his subtilty in tempting of man so he puts out all his crue'ty in tormenting of Mankind And this is not all There are two things to set out the Torments of Hell First These Agonies and Hell-convulsions they shall be for ever take that Scripture for proof Rev. 14.11 And the smoak of their Torment ascâ—nded for ever and ever and they have no rest day nor night Thus it is in Hell they would dye but they cannot the wicked shall be always dying but never dead The smoak of the Furnace ascends for ever and ever Oh! who can endure thus to be ever upon the wrack this word eâ—â—â— breaks the heart Wicked men now think the Sabbaths long When will the Sabbath be over they think a Sermon long and think a Prayer long but oh how long will it be to lie in Hell for ever and ever after millions of years their Torments are as far from ended as at the first hour they began Secondly Which is another aggravation of Hell torment the damned in Hell have none to pitty them it is some comfort some ease to have our Friends to pity us in our sickness and want I but they have no friends Mercy will not pitty them Mercy is turned into Fury Christ will not pitty them he is no more an Advocate for them The Angels will not pity them but they rejoyce when they see the vengeance they insult and glory when they see the Justice of God executed upon his enemies Oh how sad is this to lie down in the scalding furnace of Gods wrath and none to pity them when they cry out God will laugh at them Oh! hear this all ye that go into sin It will be ill with the wicked Oh! therefore turn from your sins lest God tear you in pieces as a Lion and there be none to help you Now for Application Oh! what an affrighting Word is this to all wicked men that go on desperately to sin and add drunkenness to thirst never such an inundation of wickedness as now men sin as if they would spight God and dare him to punish them men sin so greedily as if they were afraid Hell gates would be shut up ere they come thither Oh! how manfully do many sin they go to Hell strongly in their wickedness Oh! these are in a sad condition Is it not sad at the hour of death and at the day of Judgement and after Judgement with them wicked men live Cursed and they die Damned sinners are the very mark that God will shoot at his standing mark and he never misses this mark you know what the Scripture saith There shall be weeping and there shall be gnashing of teeth And saith Latimer That is sad fare where weeping is the first course and gnashing of teeth is the second course Quest Whence is it that there is this gnashing of teeth Answ First it doth arise from the extremity of Torment the wicked suffer they are not able to bear it and know not how to avoid it Secondly The wicked gnash their teeth in Hell at the Godly to see them in Heaven them whom they persecuted and scoffed and jeered to see them in Heaven and themselves in Hell they are mad at it Luk. 13.18 When they shall see Abraham Isaac and Jacob and all the Prophets in the Kingdom of God and they themselves shutâ—ut they shall gnash their teeth at this How may this amaze a wicked man if all the curses in the Bible will make a man miserable he shall be made so The second Vse is this Take heed that none of you here be found amongst the number of the wicked take heed of being of this black Regiment that wears the Devils colours and fight under his Banner the sinner and the furnace shall never be parted Oh! take heed of those sins which will bring you to Hell fire There are saith Bernard fiery sins which bring men to Hell fire What are those fiery sins why the fire of malice the fire of passion and the fire of lust and concupisence and the fire of Revenge these fiery sins bring men to fiery plagues to Hell fire When you are tempted to any wickedness think with your selves O! how can I bear the fierceness of Gods wrath for ever how can I lie in the wine-press of Gods wrath for ever Oh! take heed of those sins that will bring you into this place of Torment I have read a story of a Virgin who being tempted by a young man to commit folly saith she unto him Grant me but one request and I will do what thou desirest what is that saith he Do but hold your finger one hour in this burning Candle no he would not do that Saith she Will not you for my sake hold your finger an hour in the Candle and will you have my soul lie burning in Hell for ever Thus she rebuked the Temptation Doth Satan tempt thee to wickedness hold out this Text as a shield to the Devil to quench his fiery Darts say thus Oh Satan do I embrace thy Temptations I must be under thy Tormenting to all Eternity Oh! therefore labour to be Righteous It shall be well with the Righteous But take heed of sin It shall be ill with the sinner I will conclude all with that saying of Austin When a man hath been vertuous his labour is gone but the pleasure remains when a man hath been wicked the pleasure is gone but the sting remains Mr. Lye's First Sermon August 17 1662. Phil. 4.1 Therefore my Brethren dearly Beloved and longed for my Joy and Crown so stand fast in the Lord my dearly Beloved MY Beloved I do very well remember that upon the 24th of this instant month in 1651. I was then under the sentence of banishment and that very day did I preach my Farewel Sermon to my people from whom I was banished because I would not swear against my King having
if he gives you the upper spring of Grace he will give you the neather spring of Peace for they go both together If he gives you the Dew of Heaven you need not question the fatness of the Earth if his right hand be full of mercy his left hand shall not be empty Therefore grace and peace be with you from God the Father and from our Lord Jesus Christ Grace hath a double sense either for the grace of God to us that justifies us or the grace of God in us that sanctifies us Now there is a different flowing from each of these but still it is grace and peace First justifying grace hath a peace attending that Rom. 5.1 Being justified by faith we have peace with God So far as we have confidence in justifying grace there remains no conscience of condemning sin As there can be no bitterer War than between conscience and the ear so there can be no sweeter Peace than when Mercy and Peace meet together and when Conscience and Peace kiss each other The former is the taste of Heaven the latter is the perambulation of Heaven both which the Believer shares in upon his Justification by faith If Christ had peace who was made our sin needs must the Believer have peace who is made the Righteousness of God in him Seconly Sanctifying grace hath a peace attending it and this peace differs from the former as the Root from the Fruit. The peace of Justification is a radical Peace the root of Peace but the Peace of Sanctification is the bud the blossom of the Tree the former flows from the bloud of Christ sprinkled on the Conscience the latter from the conformity that is between the Word and the Will between the Commands and the Conscience As many as walk according to this Rule grace be unto them and peace Gal. 6.16 So that Peace is the fruit of sanctifying Grace Now as the bloud of the Pascal-Lamb which was a token of peace was not to be struck on the posts of the Egyptians but upon the posts of the Israelites so neither is the bloud of sprinkling which brings perfect peace to be struck on the Posts of the carnal Sinner but on the Posts of the true Believer an Israelite indeed in whom there is no guile no Grace no Peace that is Gods Law How can a sinner have peace in a state of sin when God and conscience when Word and conscience when Law and conscience and all the Attributes of God are against a sinner No Peace saith my God to the wicked Pray mark that chapter it begins with the peace and ends in no peace In ver 2. it is said He shall enter into peace that is the Righteous in the last verse There is no peace to the wicked It is the state of Grace that is the only state of peace And thus I pass from the double Grace desired Grace and Peace to the double Fountain discovered God our Father and our Lord Jesus Christ But here 's a question to be answered If Grace and Peace be from God the Father then how is it said to be from Christ and if from Christ how then from God the Father Answ It 's a known Rule that the transial external works of God are attributed to all the three Persons in the Trinity the same works that are attributed to the Father are also attributed to the Son and the same works are attributed to the Son the same also to the Father so Grace and Peace are here ascribed both to God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ that is they are both from Mercy and from Merit From Mercy on Gods part to us from Merit on Christs part for us they are from God the Father because he wills them to us from God the Son because he works them in us they are from God to Christ from Christ to us they are from God the Father originally and from Christ derivatively and to us actually God the Father is the fountain of all Grace and Peace Christ as Mediator is the Conduit of all Grace and Peace Man in union to Christ is the cistern into which these streams of Grace and Peace runs God wils Grace and Peace to us Christ works them in us God gives Grace Peace to be applied to the Creature this is from the love of the Father but the Application of this peace to the soul is from the Merit of Christ the Redeemer Thus you see there 's a double spring of this double blessing Time will not serve me further The only Observation is That all the Grace and Peace which Believers share in is derived from God the Father through our Lord Jesus Christ these three things opened will clear this 1. That Grace and Peace are the Believers priviledge 2. That the Fountain of this grace and Peace is from God the Father 3. That it is not given out from God the Father but through Christ First That Grace and Peace are the Saints priviledâ—e if Grace is then Peace is But Grace is the priviledge of every Believer and that whether you look upon it as taken from the love and favour of God to us this is the Believers priviledge God can as well forget Christ at his right hand as cease his love and favour to the soul of a Believer the Believers title to all their blessings arises out of this never-failing love of God or if you aske grace for the fruit of Gods love to the soul still it falls to the Believers priviledge Vocation Justification Adoption pardon of Sin purging from Sin strength against sin Holiness Faith Love Obedience Perseverance all these are the priviledges of every Believer nay a man cannot be a Believer without any one of them they are as essential to the Being of a Christian as reason to the Being of a man Secondly As Grace so Peace is the Believers priviledge There is peace external peace supernal peace internal and peace eternal There is peace external this peace with men there is peace supernal that is peace with God there is peace internal that is peace with Conscience all these three are to be had here upon earth and then there is peace eternal and that is only to be had in Heaven The Apostle here doth not exclude the former but chiefly intends the latter peace with man is a good thing to be desired but peace with God and Conscience is much more to be desired Peace with God is the spring of all things both within and without both below and above both in time and eternity so saith Job if he gives peace who then can make troâ—ble Now this peace is the Saints priviledge it is a Legacy left to every Believer by the last Will and Testament of a dying Redeemer Will you see a copy of his Will then look in Job 14.27 Peace I leave with you my peace I give unto you not as the world giveth give I unto you There is it seems a
that a Christian by inherent grace is able to do himself is through Christ I can do all things through Christ that strengthens me 2. Because if there be any acceptance of what a Believer doth with the Father this also is through Christ the gift is accepted not for the gifts sake but for the sake of the Merit of Christ 3. If so be a Believer should glory in his graces there is a possibility of falling but being clad with and resting in the power of Christ there 's an impossibility of miscarrying Thus the Saints of God have their infirmities frailties their multitude of frailties and infirmities yet have they reason to glory in that power of Christ which rests on them on Earth but much more reason if they will look up and see the tongue of Christ engaged for them i. e. interceding for them in Heaven And that lets me into The Third Sermon John 17.15 I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil I Pray not that thou shouldest not take them out of the world Let them stay there and glory even in their very infirmities But I pray that thou shouldest keep them from the evil In this Scripture you have our Saviors Intercession for his Disciples Preservation and in this his Intercession two things observeable 1. In the Negative part for what Christ doth not pray Not that thou shouldest take them out of the world 2. In the Affirmative part That thou shouldest keep them from the evil of the world For the Negative part wherein you have 1. Something implyed Not that thou shouldest take them out of the world This implyes That God hath the disposal of our continuance in the world else Christ would never address himself to his Father that he would not take them out of the world If so then 1. Live constantly Believer above the flavish fear of Death Times are not in thine Enemies hands no not in the Devils hands but in Gods hands 2. Be patient under the loss of thy dearest Relations God hath taken them who hath the disposal of our continuance 3. Seek to God for a blessing on all those means which at any time are prescribed or used for your preservation 2. There 's something mainly intended I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world and tha't this That God will have his people oftentimes continue in the world though they should meet with much trouble in the world And if so this should teach you for ever how to carry your selves in the midst of a sinful wicked rude God-hating Saint-persecuting World that is 1. Patiently to wait Gods leisure you must stay his time 2. Carry your selves Innocently be sure you in a salt Sea like good fish retain your freshness 3 Carry your selves Wisely you walk among Devils Snares c. walk Wisely And 4. Walk Serviceably continue you must but 't is Gods time how short you know not therefore walk serviceably For the Affirmative part But I pray that thou shouldest keep them from the evil of the World Wherein something Absolutely and something Relatively Take the words Absolutely thence these four Notions That thou shouldest keep them from the evil 1. Sin is an eminent evil the evil of evils 2. That we are utterly unable to keep our selves But 3. God can keep his people in and from the evil of a sinful World 4. That 't is the Godly onely that are kept from the evil that is in the World but Relatively especially I pray c. No great matter of their sufferings but their sins that 's the thing let them be preserved from that Thence observe Preservation from sin is a far greater mercy than exemption from suffering And so then 1. See the folly and madness of those that embrace sin to avoid suffering take a stab in their hearts that they may avoid a scratch upon their finger 2. See the folly of those that desire the removal of their sufferings rather than of their sins take away the Frogs not my hard heart 3. This shews what should be our greatest complaint in the midst of a troublesom world not my sorrows plunderings imprisonments Lord but the scarcities of my soul c. 4. This shews the grand mistake of the nature of true safety Men think safety to be meerly to sleep in a sound skin but 't is not safety to be preserved from danger but from sin True the men of the world yea the best of Saints are too too apt to mistake in this case there 's a heart within them that is very apt to think sometimes sinning to be chosen rather than suffering not in wicked men only but in the best of men for As in water face answereth to face so the heart of man to man Which lets me into The Fourth Sermon Prov. 27.19 As in water face answereth to face so doth the heart of man to man IN this Proverb two things 1. The Proposition and that by a Similitude As in water face answereth to face 2. The Reddition So doth the heart of the man to man Or in the words these two Generals to be observed 1. A Glass 2. An Object to be seen in this Glass 1. A Glass a notable one that 's two-fold a dead Glass Water a living Glass the Heart of a Man 2. The Object to be seen in these Glasses in the dead Glass the face of man is to be seen in the living Glass the heart of man there 's all the Species and Complexions of the Sons nay of the Souls of the Sons of Men to be seen That as by looking into the Water you may discern your own and other mens countenances and that plainly and clearly So by looking into your own hearts if you could have a Casement into the hearts of other men there may you see of what Spiritual Complexion Constitution and Make you are as clearly as a man may see his face in water As in water c. From these words this great Truth that the Heart of every man in the world is a Looking-glass 'T is such a Looking-glass wherein he may see himself his Condition Constitution special Complexion whether it be Morally Spiritually Scripturally Good or Evil. For the right improvement of this Looking-glass three things necessary which are optick Principles but clear to those that have either Physical or Natural Light 1. There must be an Object that must be seen And oh what visible Objects are there in the hearts of men Man is called a little World a Compendium of the whole World The heart of man is the Man The heart of man is like the Ark of Noah which contains all sorts all kindes of clean and unclean Beasts 'T is an Epitomy of Heaven and Hell What is there in the heart of man Who but God can fathom the depth of it There are more Objects in the hearts of men than Stars in Heaven or drops in the Ocean
all thy worldly concernments thy relations diseases c. are all numbred Nay more remember this Believer all thy distrusts disquiets murmurings despondencies the meanest lust unseen and the most secret sin are all numbred 6. Are our hairs numbred This is sad news for Unbelievers Are your hairs numbred then certainly your Oaths Curses contempts of Gods people all your sinful thoughts words actions wilful omissions of commanded duties commissions of forbidden sins all your disputings against God his people his word wayes will are all upon the file they are all numbred 7. What an encouragement is there here for poor sinners to come in to God Do but come into God and thou shalt come into such a condition of safety that the very hairs shall be all numbred And if thou wilt not come in certainly thou art wanting to thy self For look as well as thou canst to thy self thou hast not a promise to keep one hair of thy head till to morrow morning Not a promise of a sup of water bit of bread nor a promise of one minutes safety till to morrow morning And if so be thou hast not a God no interest in him if God should turn his back on thee a thousand to one but afflictions come And if afflictions come thy heart is gone thou having no spiritual strength in heart no eternal Rock of ages to flie to no wonder if thou faint under them and so thou wilt certainly do If a Believer that hath but little strength is apt to faint thou that hast no strength wilt utterly fall when afflictions find thee And this leads to The Eighth Sermon Prov. 24.10 If thou faint in the day of Adversity thy strength is small THe Observation from hence was To faint in the day of trouble argues a mans inward strength to be but small his judgement weak his reason low his graces feeble his inward comfort peace and joy not much but very little This 1. Shews whence our mis-givings of heart whence our want of liveliness of spirit in and under troubles proceeded even from hence that our strength is but small 2. Teaches us how to judge what our spiritual strength is namely this way How dost thou bear afflictions How is it with thee in a day of distress Dost thou faint and fail It argues thy strength is but small By way of Dehortation Do not thou faint in the day of affliction in the day of adversity Take heed of fainting in three things 1. Under work or duty be it never so great grievous troublesome or dangerous 2. Under the with-holdings of mercy be they never so long detained 3. Under afflictions be they or may they be never so grievous whether 1. Publick afflictions the afflictions of the Church of God Suppose Sion is now clad in Sack-cloth there 's a time coming when she shall be arrayed in Scarlet When the Whores Scarlet shall be turned into Rags the Churches Rags shall be turned into Gold Or 2. Personal afflictions faint not under them be it this or that or the other be they never so great never so long or never so many But what shall I do to bear up my spirit and to preserve me from fainting 1. Live in the holy dependence and filial fear of the great God He that fears God most to be sure will faint least 2. Strengthen Grace There are two graces to be strengthened viz. Strengthen Faith I had fainted unless I had believed c. Strengthen Patience dejection of soul usually comes from impatience 3. Be much in Prayer Is any man afflicted let him not go and sinfully murmur and complain but let him pray 4. Make use of heart-strengthening considerations and that is 1. Turn over the promises They are left on purpose as Gods bottle his Vial of Cordials to keep the soul from fainting 2. What ever befalls remember it proceeds from Gods love 3. All that God aims at is to do thee good 4. Be the affection never so great 't is as necessary as prosperity as health This thy Physick is as necessary as thy food 5. The issue of all a Crown of glory these light afflictions which are but for a moment worketh out for us a far more excellent and eternal weight of glory And therefore if so be there be such principles from which afflictions flow and such ends to which they are managed It is no wonder Christ will not pray that we may be taken out of the world from affliction but keep in this world from the evil So we fall on The Ninth Sermon Joh. 17.15 I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil GOd hath spoken once yea twice have I heard this That power belongeth to God When God is pleased to strike twice upon the same string it seems he hath something more than ordinary mind that you should observe the turn The Doctrine was That it is the will of Jesus Christ that his servants should continue in the world though they meet with nothing but trouble in the world I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world let them stay Lord be thou but their Pilot and then keep them at Sea as long as thou wilt God knows his Saints are very serviceable in their generation They are as it were a Pillar of fire unto the rest of the world for guide and light By their Doctrine and Conversation they instruct the godly and convince the wicked God will have his people stay in the World that his power providence mercy and goodness in their preservation may more clearly be discovered that their afflictions here may work out for them an eternal weight of glory These are the reasons why God will have them stay in the World c. Then 1. Saints carry your selves as becomes such in midst of such a World with that wisdom faithfulness carefulness humility that may bring honour both to your selves and to your Profession Walk as Lights in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation Walk closely warily innocently patiently submissively c. All these are necessary while you are to converse here in this wicked world 1. From that truth But that thou shouldest keep them from the evil Observe preservation from sin is a greater mercy than exemption from suffering Which 1. Informs us of a truth that carnal men will never believe till they come to Hell that that is the height of folly which the men of the world count to be the top of wisdom they think it wisdom to choose sin rather than suffering 2 This will evidence that the people of God are not such Fools as the men of the World think they are but the wisest that will choose the greatest suffering rather than the least sin 3. This reproves those that will take more care to have their afflictions removed than sanctified 4. Be more afraid of sinning and less afraid of suffering what afraid of a lash my child
4. The Design to destroy you No but to try you It is well you are Gold else you would be presently destroyed and burnt 5. The Duration Could the Devil have his design it should be for ever it is but for ten dayes 6. God over-rules all that befalls us Christ alwayes stands by the Believer to take notice of every stripe as well as of every hair of thy head to own thee in all thy sufferings to sympathize with thee to have a fellow-feeling and compassion unto thee to compose and to sanctifie all unto us to order the issue of all that it shall be sure speedy and good and by all these to make us like God God-Man as possible Vse Then do not fear Here we are fore-armed and fore-warned 1. Fore-warned Our suffering is like to be great nay it may be greater than we may suppose This to be sure if our sufferings do but keep pace with our sinnings I believe never such sufferings in England If God lay Righteousness to the Line and Judgment to the Plummet never such matter for his Justice in England 2. We should not fear because that is the spring of many other sins Fainting Running Lying Perjury and to any thing in the world c. 3. The best of men in such bad Times it will be as much as ever they can do to keep themselves steady We are Fore-armed 1. In reference to the Church of God Do not fear the Church of God is dear to thee but it is dearer to God The interest of God is more concerned in the life peace and truth of the Church than in mine c. If the great God will not look to his own interest can the Church be safe But doubtless he will 2. In reference to our selves Suppose many sufferings yet the wayes of God are in the dark as well as in the deep there is no tracing of him let him alone where thou canst not trace him admire him God can and hath done and I bless God I can set my seal to that word that tells me God will do great things Babylon must sink his people must be called the Kings of the Earth must hate that Whore when God brings his People low it is but making way for the baring and magnifying his own mercy when the praise can be given to none now is a time for God to work Now will I arise and shew my self strong Therefore Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer Fear not Oh ye Saints of the most High It is true if you were carnal natural unconverted sinful idolatrous wretches well might you fear the wrath of the Lamb and him that sitteth on the Throne Wert thou a filthy drunken unrighteous intemperate Felix thou mightst well fear thou hadst no God to run to but being a Paul thou needest not fear No Paul can speak and act with so much confidence even when he stands before a great Tribunal ready to leave a sentence of death passed on him that he makes his very Judge to tremble And so you have it in The Twentieth Sermon Acts 24.25 And as he reasoned of righteousness temperance and judgment to come Felix trembled IN these words you have the Manner Matter and Effect of Pauls preaching The Manner why Paul was reasoning the Matter it is of righteousness temperance and judgment to come the Effect Felix trembled First For the manner of Pauls preaching as he reasoned i. e. as he argued the matter he did propound it in a rational way and pursued it before Felix and this he doth in a double capacity as he is a Convert and as he is an Apostle as a Christian and as a Preacher 1. As a Convert and Christian and so he had reason to do and make use of that reason he had to shew though he became righteous yet Paul had not lost his reason Hence learn true Religion will consist with right Reason Blessed be God for his truth We are apt to look upon men as mad men if they will be righteous It is true before Paul was converted he had reason but he used it madly but after conversion he begins to be sober and make the best use of his Reason 2. Look upon Paul as a Preacher so he makes use of his reason And true reason may and must be used in preaching the Gospel yet with these two Cautions 1. Do not over-value Reason do not lift up the Servant above the Master Prize Grace more than Reason Piety is better than Parts though Parts are the Ring of Gold Piety is the Diamond in that Ring As if a man in a Pulpit should come to shew what a brave Scholar he is this is to over-value Reason 2. Do not under-value Reason We have had a strange fancy that if a man that could not read English would but come and talk and preach to us he was farr more desirable than a Black-coat that hath been at the Vniversity and learned his root there as they say you will be glad of such as these This Learning hath spoiled all the World do you not know how many Scholars are Atheists and their Learning made them the worse c. This is not the fault of their Reason had they more Reason they would improve it the better It is want of Reason that makes them not crucifie their Lusts Because corrupt men many times abuse that which is good will you therefore cast it off 2. For the Matter of Pauls preaching And here observe 1. It is suitable to his Hearers Felix was a Judge though a corrupt one and so he reasons of Righteousness He and his Whore lived in Adultery and so he preaches of Temperance of Judgment to come know God will call thee to judgment Hence observe The Gospel is then preached aright when suited to Hearers hearts condâ—tions and constitutions A man in the Pulpit ought not to shoot at random Paul speaks ad rem to his hearers suitably tells them of righteousness temperance judgment to come 2. Consider it with relation to his Scope which was to bring them unto Christ and what doth he do He preaches Grace Mercy and Peace no not a word of that but Righteousness Temperance Judgment to come Paul was a convincing Preacher he knows his way to bring home Felix and Drusilia to Christ was first to convince them of their sin and the wrath of God due to sin The whole sum of Pauls preaching was by way of conviction Sin and misery must be preached for this end that it may bring men unto Christ We must not make them half dead and there leave them but bring them to the Chirurgion all our conviction is only for this end that you might be brought to Christ by grace to glory 3. For the Effects of Pauls preaching Paul preached and Felix trembled doth not Drusilla tremble 'T is more than probable she brought Paul to preach there that Drusilla had a months mind to hear what he had to say but
be able to say Lord I lived under such a Minister that was a soul-betraying Minister one that was greedy of Livings and had perhaps two or three or four but so bad a man that the worst was too good for him or wilt thou be able to plead or canst thou say 2. Lord I lived under a soul-poysoning Innovator one that was for formality more than reality of true Worship one that preached such Doctrine as did not season but poyson and destroy the souls of his Hearers such are Romish Teachers Jesuites Priests and Seminaries who so affect the outward pomp as they neglect the inward power of it Wilt thou be able to say Lord I have lived under the Ministry of such an one who was more zealous for the formality of thy worship than the reality more zealous for those things that will not endure the tryal of the Lords day of appearance than for the substance of Religion Or 3. Canst thou plead that thou hast lived under a soul-pining dry Nurse one that did not nor could not feed us with the sincere milk of the Word one from whom thou never heardest a soul-solid a soul-working Sermon all thy life I appeal to your Consciences have you not heard often of your miseries and Gods mercy and Christs merits Have you not heard often of the necessity of a holy life Oh the convictions informations exhortations perswasions directions you have enjoyed and lived under Hath not thy state by nature been ripped up and the Anatomy not of the Council of Trent but of Gods Book been shewed to thee What shall I say Hath not Hell and Damnation to all rebellious and Heaven and Salvation to all true penitent Souls been preached unto you 4. Or canst thou say that thou livedst under a Soul-misguiding Guide as 1. A blind Seer a blind Watchman a blind Leader of the blind one who knew not Heavens way Canst thou say thou livedst under such a Creature that is not to be found in Christs Catalogue an Idol-preacher as in Psal 135.16 17. verses read that Or 2. If not ignorant yet one so Vicious that he pulled down more with his foul hands than he built up with his fair tongue Canst thou say thou livedst under one who by his Conversation gave his Doctrine the lye Wilt thou be able to plead thus at the great day or wilt thou be able to say 5. That thou hast lived under a Soul-unsetling Temporizer What would he not do rather than he would lose his Living which made me think Religion to be but a fantasie Wilt thou be able to say at the great day Lord it was my sad lot and portion to live under the Ministery of such a one who turned his Fiddle to the times of every one I Or Lastly wilt thou be able to say thou livedst under a Soul-destroying discountenancer of all purity and holiness one perhaps though no Dunce or Drunkard yet a prophane scoffer one that preached holiness out of his Pulpit and Parish and House and the like But first of all we can through grace appeal in this case both to the Lord and to your selves that it hath not been so with you 2. Consider how inexcusable you will be if you live and die in your ignorance impenitency and unbelief 1. Consider we can in this case appeal both to the Lord and to your selves 1. To the Lord we are able with an humble boldness to appeal to him and say Lord thou knowest we have given this people warning Ezek. 3.18 Now blessed be the Lord we can humbly appeal to his Majesty O Lord thou knowest we have warned the wicked to turn from his wicked way and the profane from his profaneness and the superstitious from his superstition and the schismatical from his schisme and the formal from his formality and the civil honest man from resting in his mortality O blessed be thy name we have endeavoured to take off this people from all their Sandy quagmiry Foundations Lord thou knowest our Prayers for them And so 2. To appeal to you And this was a very great comfort to St. Paul that he could appeal to the people themselves as Acts 20.26 27. This was a great comfort to him and blessed be the God of Grace it is a great comfort to us that we can take you to record that we are pure from your blood we have not ceased to declare all that the Father hath shewn to us we have not been afrighted by any man or mens frowns nor debauched to conceal any part thereof by any mans smile 2 Consider how inexcusable you will be if you live and dye in your ignorance impenitency and unbelief Ezek. 3.10 Observe it if you miscarry for eternity the blood of your souls will not be charged on us Nay it will be on your own heads And therefore the Apostle Paul when he preached Christ to the Jews and they opposed and blasphemed their blood was upon their own heads as Acts 18.5 6. Oh consider it if your Ministers have been faithful they are clear and free and guiltless the Lord will never charge the blood of souls on them Consider it therefore how speechless will you be at the great day if you live and die in your sins may not the Lord say of this place as he did of Capernaum Mat. 11.23 For thou hast enjoyed the Ministry of many of my Servants Dare any of you meet us in the day of Judgment under whose Ministry you have lived in an unregenerate estate and say that you have lived under a soul-betraying non-resident one or under a soul-poysoning Innovator or a soul-pining dry-Nurse or a soul-misguiding guide or a soul-unsetled Temporizer or a soul-destroying discountenancer in an unregenerate estare the Lord will then make you to know what it was to have a faithful Labourer among you as Ezek. 33.33 Then when you shall be convinced in your own Consciences you shall then say You heard all those things and we cannot say we were unwarned either in sin or danger we had preceptaton precept but we slighted all warning and exhortion and direction therefore now are lost and undone everlastingly So much may serve for the first Use The second Use is a Use of Direction which will fall into many very sutable and practical particulars whereto I do beseech you to hearken unto as the words of a dying man do commonly take the deepest impression on the surviving hearts Now this may be for all that I know my last words to you in this place therefore I beseech you to hear me An interruption a suspension of my weak worthless pains and labor among you there will be for any thing I know from this day but observe it is no resignation from me or my Reverend Brother and therefore what other dissolution of the property and relation between your Pastor and you there may be as of that mutual intercourse I shall not account oâ— call it forfeiture of his place whatever
they dare to venture their life that have no ground of a better life but for those that have a well grounded hope of the mercy of God they say We reckon these light afflictions which are but for a moment to work for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory Fear not any of these things which you shall suffer Prop. 7. Christ does limit Satan he hath him in a string him and all his instruments The Devil shall cast some of you into prison c. Every word hath its weight who shall do it the Devil What shall he do cast you into prison How far some of you How long ten dayes For what use that you may be tryed Christ as he hath Satan in a chain of providence so he hath a chain of Restraint it is Christ that sets a circle about him he cannot cause a hair of thy head to fall he is in the hand of Christ they are as truly under him and his hand as they are against him If God let alone his Enemies what shall they not do If God let alone his People what shall they do 2. God has a special Providence about the things of his Church by way of Eminency by way of Premission and ordination 3. You will not deny but there 's power enough in God to destroy all that are against him and to limit and all shall make to the praise of God and to his peoples good 4. The Lord is exceeding merciful he cannot hold when the Enemy comes to insult to blaspheme and revile Now will I arise saith God and set him at liberty from him that puffeth at him there is not only a judging of their Enemies hereafter but a judging of them here the world shall say Verily there is a God that rewardeth righteousness verily there is a God that judgeth the earth 5. God hath a special design in hand therefore just so far as he will carry on the design God hath towards his people which is always a design of Faithfulness just so far shall the enemy go Isa 10. The Enemy means not so he means to cut off people not a few but Gods end was otherwise and he will over-rule them this is the comfort there is a set time there is an end There is a difference between the afflicting of God's people and judging their Enemies in the intention and extension one is for ruine the other in proportion one is a light affliction the other a load And then for extension one is for ever the other is for a time for ten dayes Then our affliction shall have an end I and a comfortable end the end of our sins and the end of our sorrows God will restore comforts to his mourners let us be mourners during the time of mourning God will quickly cloath us with garments of praise there shall be an end of sufferings never an end of our joy and glory Prop. 8. To conclude in a word Be faithful to the death Be faithful in your Promises in your vows and purposes your covenants of obedience and reformation persist in the doctrine of the Gospel and the worship of the Gospel and the Ministry of the Gospel and Offices Christ hath fixt in his Church be faithful by your most earnest zealous desires before the Lord Be faithful to the death he will never let you see death till all your fears are conquered he can presently take them away he will certainly be present with you in all your troubles And remember God in tender mercy and faithfulness for the present accepts thy unfeigned purpose to be constant and faithful to him to the death Mr. Philip Lamb's Farewel Sermon Preached at Beer-Regis in the County of Dorset Aug. 17. 1662. Joh. 14.23 Jesus answered and said unto him If a man love me he will keep my words and my Father will love him and we will come unto him and make our abode with him THe departure of Jesus Christ unto his Father from whose bosom he came into the World was very sadly resented by his Disciciples whose mixt passions produce a very great disturbance and trouble upon their Spirits The inward Anxiety and unconcealed grief of the Disciples move the Bowels of their more affectionate Lord to pity their case and provide for their relief and give them instructions how to express their love unto him in his absence not so much in carrying blubber'd eyes and heavy hearts as by remembring and observing the Counsels and Instructions that he hath given to them while he was present with them So that this whole Chapter is fill'd up with Counsels and Comforts Directions and Consolations First Directions and Counsels especially in the 1.13.15 verses First To the exercise of Faith verse 1. Ye believe in God believe also in me And this is the life even a life of Faith which we must live till we come to the enjoyment of Christ by which we fetch comforts in all troubles and strength against all tentations from Jesus Christ Secondly To the duty of Prayer ver 13. which is the proper duty of an afflicted State as Jam. 5.13 Is any afflicted let him pray By Prayer the Soul empties his Complaints in Gods bosome and finds ease by telling him of all the trouble and grief that attends his state Prayer hath that divine excellency that like a heavenly Charm it speaks away trouble and speaks in comfort as 't is said of Hannah 1 Sam. 1.18 She prayed and went away and did eat and her countenance was no more sad And thus our Prayers alwayes speed when they be made by the help of the Spirit and offered up to God in the name of Christ 13 14. verses Whatsoever ye ask the Father in my name that you shall receive Thirdly To obedience in the 15. verse to do the work committed to them If ye love me keep my commandements You cannot better express your love to me than in keeping my words Nor is there a more certain way for men to find comfort than this by keeping his commands for then though they cannot enjoy his Person yet they shall not miss his Promise Secondly The Consolation which he gives them in the 2. ver c. the 16. ver c. and the 23. ver c. First In the 2 3 4 ver c. From the place whether he was going to his Father and their Father his Home and their Home whence he did intend to come again to them So that his going from them was but a Recess or with-drawing for a time until he came For in ver 3. I will come again and receive you to my self as rendred in the Greek I come again in the Present Tense to intimate the certainty of his coming to them again as if he were already come which in ver 28. of this Chapter Christ tells them should be matter of great joy to them If ye loved me ye would rejoyce because I said I go unto the Father Secondly From ver 16.
The promise of the Spirit which shall supply his absence such a Spirit as shall reach them comfort them and be in stead of All to them give them such Joy Courage and Peace as the World can neither give nor take away ver 27. Peace I leave with you my Peace I give unto you c. Thirdly In the 23. ver in the Text We will come and make our abode with him while you keep my words which is the great promise here If a man love me he will keep my words and my Father will love him and we will come unto him and make our abode with him The words of the Text are an Answer to the Question of Judas not Iscariot Lord how is it that thou wilt manifest thy self unto us and not unto the world Jesus Christ gives the Answer If a man love me he will keep my words c. To him the Promise is made That the Father will love him They love him that keep his words and to these he hath said He will manifest his love to them and make his abode with them In which word there are three parts considerable First A Supposition If a man love me c. Secondly A position which is the effect of that love He will keep my words Thirdly A promise which is two-fold First Of the Father's love My Father will love him Secondly The Co-habitation of the Father and Son with such a Person We will come unto him and make â—ur abode with him The Observations that I intend to insist upon are two First That it is the duty and special property of them that love Jesus Christ in sincerity to keep the words of Christ Secondly That God and Christ will make their abode with them that keep his words First Of the first of these That it is the duty and special property of them that love Jesus Christ in sincerity to keep the words of Christ If any love me he will keep my words he will do my will walk in my ways treasure up my truths and counsels This Doctrine requires three things to be spoken to in their order 1. That Jesus Christ must be truly loved 2. What it is to keep his Words 3. Why it is both the duty and property of them that love him to keep his words First That Jesus Christ must be truly loved there is such an indispensible necessity for this that the Apostle says 1 Cor. 16.22 If any man love not the Lord Jesus let him be Anathema Maranatha let him be accursed But because every one pretends highly to love Jesus Christ and but few that love him indeed I shall shew two things more briefly 1. Who is he that truly loves him 2. Why we should all truly love him First Who is he that truly loves Christ First He truly loves Jesus Christ who upon the discovery and tender of Jesus Christ in the Gospel as King Priest and Prophet can willingly deny all for him as the Merchant Mat. 13.45 46. sold all that he had for the goodly Pearl And so Paul Phil. 3.8 accounts all dung his parts his righteousness by the Law his greatest excellencies he loves Christ in deed and not in shew only who can leave the world his dearest lusts his best righteousness for Christ This is a true conjugal love Psal 45.10 Hearken O daughter and confider and encline thine ear forget also thine own people c. When Christ sees that we have such love to him that we will part with all for him then he sees a beauty in us that delights him Secondly He truly loves Jesus Christ who having received him will rather lose all than part with him again who accounts Jesus Christ better than his best things as he sayes in Mat. 10.37 He that loves Father or Mother more than me is not worthy of me c. therefore sayes the Spouse Cant. 8.6 Set me as a seal upon thine heart as a seal upon thine arm let me be so united to thee that I may never be sever'd from thee It is a very hard lesson and an irksome duty for the best of men to part with friends liberty peace life all these or either of these sweet mercies but to part with Christ nothing can perswade or enforce the soul that truly loves him that 's a thought more cruel than the Grave witness the holy Martyrs a whole cloud of witnesses that notable and eminent Galeacius Marquess of Vico c. Thirdly He that truly loves Jesus Christ takes abundance of delight in communion with him No pleasure like the kisses of his mouth No sweetness like that of his bosome all his ways are peace and his paths pleasantness Christ makes every condition comfortable there is no comfort of life but in that little enjoyment of Christ that the soul hath in his life 't is communion with Christ converse with him that is all my comfort and pleasure in the world O how doth the Spouse take care that he be not disturbed in Cant. 2. â— I charge you O ye daughters of Jerusalem by the Roes and the Hinds of the field that ye stir not up nor awake my Love till he please The words are an allusion to one that would not have her Friend disturbed and speaks to her companions and charges them by all that is dear and pleasant to them not to break the rest of her best Beloved and shews the wonderful delight the soul takes in communion with Jesus Christ and the special care that it alwayes hath that no tentation break in nor corruption break out to interrupt that sweet communion or occasion Christs departure who will not for any profit commit any sin or cause Jesus to depart from him Fourthly He that truly loves Jesus Christ having lost the sight of him is never satisfied till he come to the re-enjoyment of him is alwayes at a loss and is never quiet till he enter into acquaintance and communion with him as in that of Joseph and Mary they having lost their Son went seeking till they found him So Cant. 3.1 2 3 c. By night on my bed I sought him whom my soul loveth I sought him but I found him not I will rise now and go about the City in the streets and in the broad ways c. I said to the Watchmen Saw ye him whom my soul loveth c. By all which is expressed the sedulous care and industry of a living soul seeking after Christ First By night in her bed Jesus Christ hath her best thoughts in her closet and private duties of Prayer serious Meditations spiritual Ejaculations and secret self-Examinations in all these the soul enquires As one that loves the world by night his meditation is of the world so the man of pleasures and honours is pursuing his lusts in the night season the wicked man is contriving mischief upon his bed so the soul that loves Christ his are still at work after Christ Secondly I will rise now and go about the
in mercy to his people Sad providences producing sweet effects Directions and helps how to get the presence of God and Christ with us First Repent and humble your selves because of all your sins that you have at any time rejected the counsels of God and resused grace and mercy and neglected opportunities of doing your souls good and drawing near to God Repentance and resolution against sin come like John Baptist to prepare a way and a place for God and Christ to come to and make their abode in Of the Hearts and Houses of impenitent sinners we may well say God is not there The way to have God to turn unto us is to turn away from sin as Ephraim Jer. 31.18 19 20. He bemoaned himself and repented and God came to him as to his dear Son and to his pleasant Child Secondly Believe in Jesus Christ and by Faith get an interest in him It is by Faith only that we get an entertainment to Jesus Christ It is by Jesus Christ alone that God and man come together No man hath seen the Father at any time but the Son and he to whom he doth reveal him and he that hath the Son hath the Father Rom. 5.1 Being justified by Faith we have peace with God Thirdly Own Jesus Christ in all his offices as your King Priest and Prophet First As your King let him have the Soveraignty of your souls that he may rule over you If Christ be your King God will be your Father God loves to come where Christ hath his Throne Secondly As your Priest that his Righteousness may give you the advantage of communion with God without which we cannot come near to him and he will not come near to us Thirdly As your Prophet that he may shew you the way if his Spirit be your Guide and his Word your Rule you may be sure his Promses shall be your portion even this Promise in the Text They will come to you and make their abode with you even God and Christ Fourâ—hly Seek earnestly after God and Christ in the use of all appointed means till you come to see and enjoy their presence with you Here shall be fhewn these two particulars 1. Where we may seek God and Christ 2. How or after what manner we must seek them First Where we must seek after God and Christ First We may finde them in the works of Creation these will represent God and Christ unto us the power and wisdom of God and Christ by whom the World was made In omni re aspeciabili quaedam extant vestigia Dei In all the visible Creatures there be some prints of the invisible God so that he which lives altogether without God must needs be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 without excuse having God so near him Secondly We may finde them in the Word 2 Cor. 4.6 The glory of God shines there in the face of Jesus Christ and to them that are conversant in the Word God hath promised to reveal himself Isa 66.2 To this man will I look even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit and trembleth at my word And the Apostle gives this direction Rom. 10.6 7. Say net in thine heart Who shall ascend into Heaven that is to bring Christ down from above or who shall descend into the deep that is to bring up Christ again from the dead But what saith it The word is nigh thee even in thy mouth and in thy heart that is the word of faith which we preach Thirdly We may finde them in Prayer Jam. 4.8 Draw nigh to God and he will draw nigh to you If you will be strangers to the duty of Prayer to the Throne of Grace God will be a stranger to you he hath promised to draw nigh to them that draw nigh to him and so in Exod. 20.24 In all places where I record my name I will come unto thee and I will bless thee Fourthly We may finde them in the communion with the people of God Where two or three are niet together in my name there will I be says Christ in the midst of them Therefore Jesus Christ directs us to go up by the soot-steps of the flock and they enquire wisely Cam. 6.1 that say to the Church of Christ Whither is thy beloved gone that we may seek him with thee And when the two Disciples went to Emmaus communing of Christ he came and joyned himself with them Secondly How or after what manner we must seek God and Christ Take these four following Directions First Affect your selves with the worth and excellency of this presence of God and Christ carry a high esteem of them in your hearts think with your selves how safely they are immured as the Prophet said unto his servant There is more for them than can be against them Isa 33.16 Their place of defence is the munition of râ—cks c. O what sweetnesse and satisfaction have they within with whom God and Christ abides as the Spouse doth express it Cant. 1.3 Because of the savour of thy Oyntments thy Name is as Oyntments pâ—ured forth therefore do the Virgins love thee Thy Name of Mercy Wisdome and Faithfulness how doth it refresh their hearts that have the presence of God and Christ O sweetness and satisfaction beyond expression and then conclude Si tanius quaerentibus O quantus pâ—ssidentibus If he be so good to them that seek him how good is he to them that enjoy him Secondly Labour to affect your souls with the great want and need that you have of the presence of God and Christ while men do think in their hearts they can be well enough without God and Christ they will never seek after them but say as in Jer. 2.31 We are Lords we will come no more unto thee that is we have strength enough of our own we need no more of thy support and thus David brings in the wicked priding themselves in Psa 10.4 The wicked through the pride of his countenance as in the Original through the pride of his nose will not seek after God God is not in all his thoughts when these proud Laodicean spirits will not seek the poor hungry desolate soul that sees a need of God and Christ finde them Thirdly Quicken your selves to much diligence in seeking The Prophet complains No man stirreth up himself to seek the Lord. It is a business of the greatest concernment and must not be attended with a cold indifferency but as one set on by a true love and where that is Non quiescit amor sed quaerit amatum Love will be restless in the pursuit of the thing or person beloved See with what heat men seek the world with much more heat seek God and Christ We must do as the woman that had lost her groat she lights a candle sweeps the house seeks diligently so we must set up the light of the Word and to work with the besom of a serious repentance and thorow-reformation and
mock with God in our prayers when we pray that his Name may be glorified if we are dismayed and discontented when God is glorified by us in our sufferings because they are tedious and irksome to our flesh If we are unwilling that God should be glorified by our sufferings If we are unwilling to honour him in an afflicted state why do we then in our prayers pretend to beg that God may be glorified Oh how much is God glorified many times by the sufferings of his people when as he is dishonoured by the secure and sensual lives of many thousands that are in prosperous calm and quiet condition in the World I might give you many instances from the Scripture to such that the sufferings of Gods people have tended very much to the setting forth of the high praises of the Lord. Oh how much have the sufferings of the Israelites been all along of Joh of David of Hezekiah of the three Children of Daniel and so under the New Testament how have the sufferings of Stephen Paul Silas and the rest of the Apostles and Martyrs resounded to the honor and glory of God for whom they suffered Indeed Gods people do more honour and glorifie God by their sufferings than by their doings for him Let us not then be dismayed though we may be in a troublesome and suffering condition seeing this is a condition in the which we are most capable of doing service for God and of bringing most honor and glory to him Secondly Thou that hast an interest in the Kingdom of Heaven art thou in an afflicted suffering condition in the world to bear up thy fainting spirits consider that affliction and tribulation is that by which God is pleased to cleanse and purge his people from sin Afflictions are like Black-soap which doth seem to soil the Cloath and make it more filthy yet it purgeth and cleanseth it and maketh it more white at length it is as the fire into which the Gold may be thrown yet it is not consumed but refined and puriâ—ied thereby it loseth only its dross so the Saints are not quite consumed by their afflictions but sanctified and they lose only that filth dross and rust that doth mix it self with grace in their hearts by this shall the iniquity of Jacob be purged saith God speaking of afflictions and this is all the fruit to take away his sin and shall we be unwilling to have our sins purged It is true as for those that are Reâ—robates God usually lets them alone to go on and die and â—erish for ever when as yet God is pleased to correct his people and to cast them into the Furnace of affliction because he intends mercy to them and surely it will be known one day that there can be no greater Judgment befall poor Creatures than to be let alone without chastisements to take their own swing in sin and Oh how many thousands are now in Torment for that they were let alone in their sins and never chastised by Afflictions in their Life time when as Gods people are chastened of the Lord that they might not be condemned with the World 1 Cor. 11.32 And which is easier to be born external tribulations in this life or eternal torments in the life to come one of these two will certainly befall every man and woman of us either we shall be chastened here or condemned hereafter the wicked are oftentimes let alone here they are not in troubles as other men Psal 73. but they are condemned with the World The Goâ—ly they are often chastized of the Lord here but it is in mercy to them that they may be purged from sin and not condemned with the world And David tells us that by his afflictions he was reduced from going astray and brought back again into the Fold of God Psal 119.67 Before I was afflicted I went astray but now have I kept thy precepts And shall we be dismayed at the means whereby we are kept close to God and are kept from falling away from God A man is willing to take a bitter medicine to purge away that disease which would otherwise kill him Nor is he troubled at the working of his Physick though he have many painful gripes so long as it tends to the removing of those obnoxious humours and diseases which would otherways bring him to his grave And shall Christians be afraid of the bitter Cup of Afflictions which by Gods blessing purge away their sins which are the diseases of their Souls and so preserve them from eternal death Thy trials here are to purge thee and cleanse thee that thou mayest not lie in Eternal torments in the world to come And shall Christians be dismayed at that which tends to their Eternal health and Salvation and to the keeping of their Souls from Hell We should rather rejoyce to be in that condition whatsoever it be by which we may be most purged and preserved from sin Standing poâ—ls do usually contract filth and mud So those Christians that are setled upon the lees in a prosperous state and condition they do verâ— frequently get filâ—h and corruption The people of God are never made the freer from sin by their freedom from outward affliâ—tions This then is the second consideration to keep the Saints from being dismayed at their afflictions in the World because thereby they are purged from sin which would otherways prove the bane of their souls Thirdly You that are the heirs of Heaven and have an interest in the Eternal Glory you are in affliction and tribulation in the World be not dismayed For coâ—â—ider that the thing do tend to the exercisinâ— and increase of our â—â—aces and tâ— the making of â—ou eminent in Grace and â—â—linesâ— Aâ—d will you be daunted at that which tend to the making of you more holy Will you be grieved at that which tends to the increasing of your faith patience humility heavenly-mindedness and to the making of you more eminent for holiness and godliness Believers are usually greater gainers by their afflictions in the World than by their external prosperity yea many times they are losers by their prosperity when as they have been great gainers by their troubles and adversity Oh how many have gained in grace and holiness by their losses in the World the servants of God were never more eminent in grace than when they were least and lowest in their outward estate true graces are the diamonds that shine brightest in the darkest night and these shine clearest in the obscurest night of adversity The Saints in Scripture were then most eminent for holiness and godliness and all other graces when they lay under greatest troubles and tribulations from the World and how exemplary in holiness and how eminent in faith and heavenly-mindedness were the Martyrs when they were afflicted tormented imprisoned burned and persecuted with the most grievous persecutions from the hands of wicked men when as the prosperity and pleasures of the wicked did tend
while you sit in health and ease what different thoughts you will then have of a holy and unholy life and with what gripes of Conscience will your undone Souls look back on a life of Mercy thus basely and blockishly slept away dream'd and sin'd away I beseech you then and that for your own sakes that you would not for a few fleshly pleasures which are passing away incur the torments of Hell which shall never pass away III. Thirdly I beseech you for Christs sake And me thinks when I beg of you in Christs name and for Christs sake you should not say nay If you love me saith Christ keep my Commandements Joh. 14.15 See with what perswasive Rhetorick he presseth this Duty If you love me saith he do it O Christians what may not the love of Christ command you If it were to lay down your blood for him would you not do it and will you not be perswaded to lay down your Strifes and Divisions your Animosities and Corruptions for his sake As Absalon said to Hushai 2 Sam. 16.17 Is this thy kindness to thy friend Such a friend as Christ hath been is and ever will be Certainly that Indictment will one day be prefer'd against you which the Apostle pronounceth with tears in his eyes Phil. 3.18 You are enemies to the Cross of Christ as if he had said Christ came to destroy the works of the Devil and you by your loose walkings destroy the works of Christ the Image of Christ and the Interest of Christ in the Soul Christ laid down his bloud to Purge you and you unworthily lay down your selves in sin to Pollute you and so become guilty of denying the Lord that bought you and trampling under foot the Bloud of the Covenant What Ear doth not tingle and what doth not tremble at such a horrid and flagicious Act I beseech you then be tender of Christs honour Quod vos divites relinquam and be holy for Christs sake whose heart you see or may see by what follows is engaged and concern'd to promote holiness among you Consider 1. His strict Command calls for it 2. His servent Prayer implyes it 3. His holy Example teacheth it First I say his Command calls for it Mat. 5.16 Let your light shine before men that they may see your good works that is lead such convincing lives that the world may witness and certifie with you that you are certainly a choice Generation a Seed which the Lord hath blessed Here 's a Command you see now where 's your obedience will you make Conscience of it or will you not will you swear Allegiance to it or will you not shall it pass for an irrefragable Rule of Life or shall it not It was Pompey's boast that with a Word or a Nod he could a we his Souldiers to any thing and shall God command and go without shall Gods word have less authority then Pompey's I read much of the blind obedience of the Papists to their Rulers even in things scarce credible but that themselves have publisht them One Masseus a Franciscan tumbled himself in the dirt and crawled like a Child because that St. Francis told him That unless he became as a little Child he could not enter into the Kingdom of Heaven The Jesuites are so framed to Obedience that whatever service they are injoyned by their Superiours though never so abominable they must accomplish it Yea if the blessed Virgin vouchsafe her presence to one of the brethren if his Superiour call him he must presently break from her and go at his bidding although it be on a bloudy Errand and wondrous design with a hundred more Fopperies of this nature What do I reckon these for but to assure you that these who have paid such homage to man will rise up one day out of their Graves to condemn us who are less careful in our obedience to God Almighty They shut the eyes of Reason to obey their earthly Superiours and we dispute if not deny our Allegiance to our Heavenly Law-giver God bids us believe and we distrust God bids us obey and we dispute God bids us remember our Creator in the dayes of our Youth and we forget him even in our age God bids us learn of him to be meek and lowly and we learn of the Devil to be proud and haughty God bids us be sober and watch unto Prayer and we surfeit with excess and sleep at Prayer God bids us forbear and forgive one another in love and we reproach and persecute one another with much opposition and hatred In a word God bids us be content with what we have and we unthankfully murmur for what we want Ah sinners God sees and hears you all this while and his hand is setting down in the Table-book of his Remembrance all your undutifulness and disobedience and when the Book shall be open'd how think you will these Indictments be answer'd II. Secondly Christs servent Prayers calls for holiness John 27.17 Sanctifie them with thy Truth saith he Should you hear a Minister with abundance of zeal press a Duty upon his people in the Pulpit and as soon as he gets home you should go under his Closet Window and hear him hard at Prayer begging of God a blessing upon his labours that day you would easily believe the Minister was in earnest So here our Saviour hath no sooner done his Sermon but you finde him at Prayer John 17.17 and what he most insisted on in the Pulpit that he enlargeth most on in his Closet Father saith he Sanctifie them III. Thirdly As Christs Prayer so his Pattern and Example shews his desires to have his people a holy people Was not he a lover of holiness in others and a true practiser of holiness himself was not be the Israelite indeed in whom there was no guile no sin no spot and why was he so doth he not tell you John 13.15 I have given you an Example saith he that you should do as I have done He was content to have his Honour laid in the Dust his Credit or Bloud laid in the Dust but it was for an Example of all self-denial to you Again he was content to take a Towel and a Bason in his hand to wash his Disciples feet John 3.14 but it was for an Example of Humility to you In a word He was so Heavenly upon Earth so mortified to all worldly interests and liv'd so convincingly before men that his very enemies were forced to own his Divinity and to say that he could not possibly do such things unless God were with him now all this was for an Example of holiness to you I have given you saith he an Example that you should do as I have done O then set Christ in his holy Example before you as one would set the person whose Picture he intends to draw and labour to draw every line in your life according to your Copy O this would be a sweet way indeed to maintain
can truly be called or by Christians can be counted heavy but sin and this is a burthen which makes the whole Creation to groan under it take away sin and a man's life will be no longer a burthen to him this is the heavy burthen as for other burthens they are light and that first Absolutely Secondly they are light comparatively 1. If you compare them with the pains which Christ endured Or Secondly With the pains of Hell which you deserved First If you compare them with the pains that Christ endured look but into Isa 53. and you shall see that whole Chapter spent in relating that bloody Tragedy which Christ acted for the Salvation of the World He was despised and rejected of men saith the Prophet He hath bore our Griefs and carried our Sorrows ver 4. He was wounded for our Transgressions and bruised for our Iniquities And thus the Text runs on in Teares O what a suffering-Race did he run that he might overtake us before we got to Hell Methinks I see what haste he makes on this suffering-Errand and hear him cry to his Father while yet afar off Lo I come to do thy will O my God See here how the heart of Christ like an Eccho rebounds to his Fathers call When his Father spoke to him to undertake the Redemption-Work of saving a lost and undone World he did not reluct nor answer with Moses Exod. 4.13 I pray thee send some other on this Message but Lo I come saith Christ to do thy will O my God And now Christians tell me Doth not thy dear Lord deserve thus much from thee to endure a little for his sake who hath endured so much for thine What though thy afflictions cost thee Tears Christ's afflictions cost him blood and though thou losest the comforts of this Life this is nothing comparable to Christ's loss who lost life it self Ah! what loss can match this loss and whose sufferings like his sufferings Do'st thou sigh under the sense of thy grievance thus My soul is sorrowful But Christ went further and said My soul is sorrowful to death Mat. 26.38 Do'st thou cry My God my God why hast thou afflicted me But Christ said more My God my God why hast thou forsaken me consider this and leave complaining Secondly Your Cross is easie if you compare it with the pain of Hell which you have deserved Ah! there 's never a one of you but would be in Hell before to morrow if God should give you your due there are many there for those very sins which you live in Dives is in Hell for making an Idol of his Wealth have none of you done so Haman is in Hell for pride and are you not proud Sodom is in Hell for contempt of the Prophets of the Lord and for neglecting the day of Peace and the day of Grace the day of Gods patience and striving with them and is not this Englands sin at this very day The old Word is burning in Hell for burning in lust on Earth and was this sin ever more predominant than in this juncture of time Herod hath been lying in Hell a thousand and six hundred years for taking John Baptists Head from him Ah England England Is not this thy charge Hath not this been thy practice these late years And art thou not plung'd deep in thy own blood-guiltiness Herod did but cut one mans Head off and he is gone to Hell for it Oh what an Hell may est thou look for who hast got so many Heads and drunk the Blook of thousands of the Saints and faithful Servants of the most High What City is there wherein there is not some Noble Births some of Englands Worthies Sacrificed to the bloody itch and Bedlam Surges of a Civil War I had almost said of an Vncivil Peace What Town is there wherein there is not some Families repeating over the Lamentations of Jeremiah and saying I am the man that hath seen affliction by the Rod of his wrath Sion doth mourn Judah is gone into captivity the prophets sigh the sheep are scattered and wo is my soul because of murderers How many of the dear Children of God are crying for bread for the powerful Preaching of the Word amongst them and there is no bread to be given them nor the pleasant voice of their faithful Ministers to be heared amongst them and they left to lament over their silenced Ministers as King Joash wept over the dying Prophet 2 Kings 13.14 O my Father my Father the Chariot of Israel and the horse-men thereof Will not God visit for these Will he not be avenged on such a Nation as this Yes yes he will Israel's woe may be England's warning Amos 4. Thus will I do unto thee and because I will do thus unto thee therefore prepare thy heart to meet thy God O England But this is a digression That which I am to speak to is this You are to bear the Cross contentedly because what ever you do Endure it is nothing to what you deserve or to what the damned in Hell Endure In Hell there is variety of torments and extremity of torments and eternity of torments not one way but a thousand wayes to make a poor soul miserable everlastingly miserable And who can bear variety Who can bear Eternity Who can bear Eternity of torments Yet all this you must bear if ever it be your lot to lie in Hell Here it may be you want one mercy but blessed be God you have another in lieu of it you want health but you want not friends you want money but you want not a Christ you want an Estate but you want not a contented mind though your life be not absolutely made up of comforts which is your misery yet it is not altogether composed of crosses and is not this a Mercy And thus is your life checqu'rd with blacks and whites so that you have never such cause of Mourning but withall you have some just ground of rejoycing but in Hell there 's nothing to be seen but objects of sorrow and nothing to be heard except inducements to grief not one merry day and one sad not one hour of pain and another of ease not one cross and one comfort but all crosses and curses do meet there like lines in their proper center Compare now your sufferings with the sufferings of Hell and let this quiet you That School-boy thinks he gets well off when deserving a Rod he escapes with a Reproof What a mercy then may you count it that when you deserve a Curse from Christ you escape with the Cress of Christ afflicted on Earth when you might justly be tormented in Hell Think of it then are you corrected It 's the Lords mercy that you are not consumed Hath God taken away your health from you it's well you escape so he might have taken away your life from you and your Christ from you and where had you been then In a word how much soever God
did bear the reproach of my youth Is Ephraim my dear soâ— is he a pleasant child for since I spake against him I do earnestly remember him still therefore my bowels are troubled for him I will surely have mercy upon him saith the Lord. Ephraim that was a Tribe one of the Tribes of Israel you hear hath the voice of a penitent sinner he smites upon his thigh which is a sign of great anguish of spirit here you have the penitent here you have the weeping shame-fac'd sinner But in the verse following you have God standing and looking on saith God Is Ephraim my dear son is he a pleasant child for since I spake against him I do earnestly remember him still therefore my bowels within me are troubled for him I will surely have mercy upon him If thy heart breaks thou seest that God's heart will turn towards thee Oh the excellency of Repentance that doth so much prevail with the God of heaven It is these dews and heavenly showers that must revive your almost dying withering blessings Repentance it is that holy Oyl that must recover our Lamps that are going out Oh the excellency of Repentance From hence you may gather what an excellent priviledge a penitent heart hath with God It is the mourning lamenting sinner that is like to do England good these heard hearted sinners they cannot recover an almost lost Gospel they cannot fetch God again but a penitent heart can My beloved how can you live without such a Grace your Souls want it your Families want it three Kingdoms want it the great want in England is broken-heartedness Vse 3. Is Repentance the only way to prevent the Judgments of God Then you may from hence gather That when God either hath his Plugues upon a people or continues in threatning his Judgement upon a People it is a sign that those people are very guilty of impenitency and that this people have not yet repented of their sins If God threatens thee O England Scotland and Ireland If God threaten thee to give thee up to hardness of heart and blindness of mind doth God do it at this day then I say O England Scotland and Ireland you are impenitent people at this day If you see a Kingdome groaning under the Judgments of God it is a sign that they have not made use of those remedies that would have cured them This is my Charge against England we have been a stiff necked People Oh London London how long shall God wait on you before you repent how often hath God threatned to remove the Gospel from among you how often hath God visited you with great and grievous Sicknesses how many thousands have been killed by the Sword how many Widows and Fatherless Children have there been left desolate God hath visited you this year with Mercy and yet you repent not Oh my beloved is not this sad If God come to punish you after you have received so many mercies from him take heed that God doth not rid his hands of you Why fit you as if you had no hand in these things you careless Masters that never pray in your Families nor never teach your Families to pray It is for your sins that God doth threaten to remove the Gospel and to take away his Ministers Will you repent of your sins If you do not sad will be your ends God mâ— cut you off from the face of the Earth and raise up unto himself a generation out of your loyns that may serve him better than ever you have yet done and God may cause you to die in a wilderness Oh the hard heartedness of the People of England Oh the Swearing the Wickedness the Superstition and Prophaness that is grown up amongst us That I may say as the world was once drowned by water so it is now almost filled with wickedness Oh you sinful wicked Generation is this your requital to God for all his Mercies Deut. 32.6 Do you thus requite the Lord O foolish People and unwise Is not he thy Father that hath bought thee hath he not made thee and established thee May I apply this to you Is this the thanks you return to God that hath been as a Father to you that hath bought you and made you When your sins grow so high do not you think but that the wrath of God will grow high too Objection I But you say Why do you speak to us of these sins speak to them that commit such sins Answer My beloved have you repented of your sins Are not you grown hard hearted with the rest of this generation Let me ask you Have you repented of those sins that you are guilty of Yes say you we hope we have Let me try you a little with these few things First of all Have you thought upon the wickedness of your wayes Have you set your sins in order before you Have you called to mind the manner of your Lives and Conversations Sin is never left until it be soundly laid to heart A repenting Man is one that the World sayes is a moplâ—g Man or Woman he is one that will look himself in the face of the Gospel an hour to find out his spots and when he hath found them he falls a weeping Secondly If you have repented as you say you have what hath been your mourning for Sin You came crying into the world your mother said Since the first tears that you shed how many tears have you shed for your sins When were you alone in your Chambers When have you done as Ephraim did How often have your Cheeks been wet with your Tears how many Handkerchiefs have you wet with your Tears for your Sin Oh my Beloved do you think that God will not humble you for your sins God will humble you before he exalt you God will bring you to the brink of Hâ—â—â— before he brings you to Heaven Thirdly If you have repented of your Sins as you say you have Then what Reformation is there in your lives what sin have you left What sins are they that you have forsaken Have you observed that you are more humble than you were heretofore Do you observe that your hearts are more in Heaven than they were before Do you observe that you pray more and delight in prayer more than you have done It may be you are ready to try out that you are well Well but have you repented Alas you talk you have repented of your Sins when it may be that you know not one sin that you have left Didst thou once Swear by the holy Name of God and art thou now afraid for to take his Name into thy mouth but with great reverence and adoration Fourthly Have you repented of your sins as you say you have done Then what Resolutions have you taken up for your future obedience Is it your resolution for to seek God more in prayer than ever you have yet done Will you watch your hearts in prayer â—â—â—re than you
thing to fall into the hands of the living God! Oh my beloved if your Parents should see any of you carried in a Cart to the Gallows to be hanged it would make them to repent that ever they brought you forth into the world How much more then do you think it would trouble them for to see you thrown body and soul into Hell there to be tormented with the Devil and his Angels for ever I say repent or else God will take away the Gospel from among you repent or God will take away his Ministers from among you The truth of it is I have made it the greatest part of my work ever since I took the Office of a Minister upon me for to get people upon their knees when I could prevail so far with them as to get them upon their knees I thought with my self that then the work was half done Secondly Repent for Christ hath encouraged you with many precious promises if you will repent Object But say you This is a hard work What! shall we ever go with tears in our eyes what will God give us for our reward Answ My beloved your Reward is great would you know what you shall have For your forrow you shall have Crowns of Glory you shall have Joy unspeakable if you will but repent of your sins God will blot them out Me things it should make thy heart for to ake to think how God will deal with thee at the day of Judgment how God will say before all the holy Angels and before thousands of righteous Persons Look what a hypocrite stands there God will then make known the most secret sins before men Angels that thou wouldst not have men to know now Oh repent therefore that your sins may be blotted out and you shall never hear more of your sins repent and you shall be saved repent and you shall escape Hell Thirdly Repent because God hath waited a long while upon you how long hath God stayed at your dores asking you if you wou'd repent how long O thou proud man or woman hath God waited upon thee how often hath God come and stood knocking at the dores of your hard hearts you that are given to Taverns and Ale-houses and rioting how long will it be before I shall see you leave these Taverns and Ale-houses and let me see you upon your knees in your Closets Oh thou gray headed sinner God hath waited long upon thee it may be ever since thou wert fifteen or sixteen yeers old as I have known many eminent Christians at those years which hath made me much admire at it Oh thou sinner God hath waited upon thee all this while when wilt thou repent Rom. 2.4 Or despisest thou the Riches of his goodness and forbearance and long suffering not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth to Repentance There is not a blessing thou hast from God but it hath this written upon it repent of thy sins Wilt thou think of what I say unto thee when God puts thy bread into thy hands he saith unto thee Sinner take this bread eat it and repent when God puts the cup of Beer into thy hand he saith unto thee Sinner take this beer drink it and repent when thou arisest in the morning he saith unto thee Sinner take this suit of cloaths and put it on and repent Every mercy that thou receivest from thy God calls thee to come along with me Come wilt thou leave thy sins and go along with me wilt thou leave Hell and go along with me My beloved I will desire you to bear a little with me because I am so urgent in pressing this great work of Repentance It is the last time that I shall speak to some of you and therefore I am something the more earnest with you the Lord grant that they that shall come after me may far exceed me in this work Fourthly Consider if you will return and repent God will return to you if you will leave your sins God will not be angry with you if you will have the means of grace God will give you the means of grace My beloved God never goes from you until you go away from him God hath intreated you to return and God hath promised to return to you My beloved you have heard the Parable of the prodigal Son how he ran away from his Father but at last when he was ready to perish with hunger he returns to his Fathers house again So my beloved God is your Father but you are Prodigals all the sins that you have committed against God is Prodigality But yet let me tell you if you are willing to come to Gods feet he will take you about the neck if you are willing to forsake your sins God is willing and ready to pardon your sins if you have been a wicked sinful rebellious people yet if you will turn to the Lord he will turn to you Fifthly Repent because if any misery doth come upon thee the fault shal lye at thine own dore I say repent for if God doth bring a Judgment upon thee thou mayest thank thy self for it Art thou a notorious sinner and God layes his afflicting hand upon thy Family thy Family may thank thee for it that the Lord is pleased to deal by them as he doth Many a Family may curse the Head of their Family Oh thou drunken Master God doth send a Judgement upon thy Family they may thank thee for it and I tell thee if any evil come upon the Church it is thy fault thanks be to you lyers thanks be to you Swearers thanks be to you Drunkards that the Gospel and Ministers are a going Sixthly Repent because God sendeth his Messengers unto you for to intreat you to repent I am sent unto you this day to intreat you to repent now wo be to you if you neglect my message You know that it was one reason why God took away his Prophets and Ministers from Jerusalem because they would not hearken to their Message as you may read Mat. 23.37 38 39. O Jerusalem Jerusalem thou that killest the Prophets and stonest them that are sent unto thee How often would I have gathered thy Children together even as a Hen gathereth her Chickens under her wings and you would not Behold your house is left unto you desolate for I say unto you ye shall not see me henceforth till ye shall say Blessed is he that cometh in the Name of the Lord. I know thee Jerusalem thou hatest and killest my Prophets that are sent unto thee when I come to thee again thou shalt say Blessed is he that cometh in the Name of the Lord. Oh that you could apply this to your selves Oh London how often would I have gathered thee as a Hen gathereth her Chickens under her wings but thou wouldst not But thou hast killed my Prophets and cast them into prison Well we are now taking leave of you this day I and my Ministers are leaving
Martyrs 7. And lastly the Remish religion is a self-contradicting religion One of their Canons saith a man in some cases may take the Sacrament at the hand of an Heretick another Canon saith he may not A learned and judicious Writer observes above an hundred Contradictions in their Religion Therefore again I press the words of my Text Wherefore my beloved nay let me say my dearly beloved flee from Idolaâ—ry To shut up all let me exhort you to these two or three things First Hold fast the Doctrine of the true Orthodex Protestant Religion the very filings of this gold is precious Keep all the Articles of the Christian Faith if you let one fundamental article of your Faith go you hazard your Salvation When Samson pulled down but on Pillar immediately the whole Fabrick tumbled so if you destroy one Pillar if you let go one Fundamental of Truth you endanger all Secondly Hold forth the profession of the Protestant Religion I say do not only hold fast the Doctrine of the Protestant Religion but hold forth the Profession of the Protestant Religion Be not ashamed to wear Christs Colours Christians remember this one thing those Persons that are ashamed of Christ are a very shame unto Christ The Religion I exhort you to flee from is a novelty that which I press you to stand to is a verity it is consonant to Scripture it is built on the foundation of the Prophets and Apostles and hath been sealed to by the blood of many Saints and Martyrs Thirdly and lastly do not only hold fast and hold forth but also adorn the Protestant Religion this is holy Pauls Exhortation to Titus Tit. 2.10 Adorn the Doctrine of God our Saviour Adorn Religion with a holy Conversation There is nothing hardens Papists so much as the loosness of Protestants Therefore adorn your holy Religion with a holy Conversation Do as Christ did tread in his steps make your Saviour your Pattern Let me assure you I can hardly think they do truly beleeve in Christ that do not really conform unto Christ The Primitive Christians Sanctity did much-what propogate Christianity And this is that beseech you carry home with you Hold fast and hold forth the Protestant Religion and adorn it with a Holy and Bible-Conversation and when you do not hear me Preaching to you yet let me beseech you hear this good Word speaking in you Wherefore my dearly beloved flee from Idolatry Consider what hath been said and the Lord make it advantagious to all your Souls The Prayers of several of these Divines Mr. Calamy's Prayer at Aldermanbury OH most Holy thou ever blessed Lord God thou fillest Heaven and Earth with thy Presence We pray thee fill all our hearts with the Presence of thy Grace and let it appear that thou art in the midst of us with that powerfull assistance of thy Spirit that we may receive a token of thy love from thee at this time It is a singular favour that the doores of thy Sanctuary are open to us and that yet we may meet together in thy Name we pray the continue it to us and sanctifie it to us that every Sabbath may add to our stature in Jesus Christ We confess we have forfeited all our mercies wee have heard much of God and Christ and Heaven with our ears but there is little of God Christ and Heaven in our hearts We confess many of us by hearing Sermons are grown Sermon-proof VVe know how to scoff and mock at Sermons but we know not how to live Sermons It is a miracle of free grace thou hast not taken the Gospel from us ere this time but thou art a merciful God and though we cannot please thee yet Mercy pleaseth thee and we have no argument to bring along with us to beg thy favours but thy Mercy in Jesus Christ We pray thee that thou wilt glorifie thy Soveraignty in being gracious to us and pardon our many and great transgressions Thou makest use of the malice of men for thy Glory Thou killest Goliah with his own Sword O help us to put our trust in thee thou that canst kill and cure by killing Blesse these Nations of England Scotland and Ireland and find out yet a way to save us Pour down thy blessings upon the head and heart of our Sovereign Charles by thy Grace King of Great Britiain thou hast done great things for him let him do Great things for thee Bless him in his Royal Consort in his Royal Relations in his Council Bless the Magistrates and Ministers of this Realm Lord forgive us for we live as if we had been delivered to work wickedness we cannot sin at so cheap a rate as others do we pray thee humble us under our great and grievous sins give us repentance unto Salvation and a lively Faith in the Blood of Jesus Christ Quicken our graces forgive our sins make alive our Souls let us be such as thou wouldst have us to be make us Christians not only by an outward Profession but an inward Conversation that we may live in Heaven while we are on Earth and come to Heaven when we shall leave the Earth To that purpose bless thy Word unto us at this time and give us all grace to make conscience of what we hear and how we hear and all for Jesus Christ his sake to whom with thy blessed Self and Spirit be all Glory and Honour Amen Mr. Nalton's Prayer at Foster-lane ETernal most Mighty and most glorious Lord God thou art God alone and besides thee there is no Saviour or helper our strength stands in thy Name who hast made both Heaven and Earth of our selves we are able to do nothing that is pleasing in thy sight we can pollute thy Name but we cannot honour thy Name we can run away from thee but we cannot run unto thee unless thou dost powerfully draw us by the holy spirit We can grieve thy spirit but we cannot grieve for grieving of thy spirit Oh let thy strength be manifested in our weakness look upon us with the favour thou bearest to thy children Enter not into judgment with thy servants for we cannot answer thee one of a thousand not one thought of a thousand thoughts not one word of a thousand words most of our actions have been reproveable and the best of our services have been unprofitable our omissions commissions and presumptions have been multiplyed intolerably Oh! how often have we take 〈◊〉 Name in vain while we have been confessing our sins how often haâ—â— we run from confessing our sins to the committing of sins and from committing sins to the confessing sin again as if we had but mocked thy sacred Majesty Though we know thy Favour is better than life we have parted with it upon easie terms Oh the pride and stubbornnesse that is in our hearts All the mercies thou hast bestowed upon us have not melted us into tears for our unkindnesse and all those blows that have fallen upon our backs have
not beat folly out of our hearts We have been unprofitable all our days some have done thee more service in one year than we in all our time We have forgotten thee in the day of prosperity and sung a lullaby to our own Souls Oh that we could speak these things with broken and bleeding hearts But as in the time of our ignorance we could sin without reluctancy so now we can sin without repentance Oh that thou wouldst smite the rock that there might flow out tears VVe can do nothing by way of expiation if we would weep out our eyes nothing but the blood of Christ can take away our guilt O that there might be a spring of that blood upon our souls at this time Oh that that blood may at this time bring a report of love and a message of mercy to us Do we beg any more than thou hast promised Oh hast not thou accepted of that satisfaction that Christ hath made in his own person If we had suffered the torments of Hell it could not have made that satisfaction that Christ hath made Give us the witness of thy spirit and thy Love and we will say we have enough give us hearts of flesh crush the head of the serpent in our souls O Lord Christ thou camest into the world to destroy the works of the Devil in our hearts and to build up the Kingdom of the spirit in us Oh when shall we see the old man decay in us and the new man to live more and more O be wisdom to guide us and Righteousness to cleanse us from guilt and redemption to deliver us from the wages of sin let us be nothing in our selves that we may be all in thee our saviour Oh honour us so far that we may honour thee VVe pray thee strengthen our weak saith quiet our consciences we would not live a day longer than that we may honour thee tread Satan under our feet fit us for our places and imployments let not our conditions be so low but that our hearts may be lower we are posting to death Oh let sin die before we die let us know our names are written in the Book of Life before thou take away our life Look upon thy servant our dread Sovereign Charls of Great Britâ—â—â—n France and Ireland King oh inrich his Royal heart with all those saving graces of thy Spirit in order unto a wise and happy Government of these Kingdoms Look upon his Royal Consort his Royal relations the Lords of his Privy Council and make them blessings to this Nation oh sanctifie thy good word oh give thy gracious assistance to us both in speaking and hearing let us hear it as that word by which we must be judged that we may be convinced by it and say it is the power of God to salvation to every soul of us Let our meeting be for the better to all of us that we may be built up in the most holy Faith and let us know we have not sought thy face in vain for Jesus Christ his sake our dear Saviour for whom we bless thy Majesty to whom with thee and thy Spirit be praise for ever Amen Mr. Jenkin's Prayer at Christ Church MOst blessed and holy Lord God thou art infinitely beyond our apprehensions who wast infinitely happy before the worâ—d was made and wantest none of thy creatures nor their services to make thee more excellent than thou art in thy self we daily want thee thou never wantest us thou art pleased to make use of ordinances Ministers Sabbaths as thy Institutions to accomplish and bring about the great work of thy Glory and mans Salvation yet Lord thou dost not need them thy Spirit is not made efficatious by these things but it is that that makes these things efficatious though thou art pleased to tie us to them when we may have them and duly enjoy them yet thou dost not tie thy self to them We desire in these our addresses to eye the happiness of Saints that depends upon him that depends upon none we are here in thy presence by thy goodness and grace O whither should we go but to thee and how should we come but by thee Oh strengthen our faith kill our corruptions inflame our love give us assurance of thy love to our souls oh that God would teach us how to pray that we may taste and see how good the Lord is this day that our souls may be filled as with marrow that we may by our own experience be able to say It is good for us to draw nigh to God and that a day in his house is better then a thousand elsewhere that there may be a communion between us and God let there be a disunion between us and sin we confesse we brought sin enough into the world with us to cause thee to with-drawâ—th blessed self from us and to cast such unproffitable servants as we are into utter darkness we have been a long time in thy school and yet how dull are we we might have been teachers of others but we need our selves be taught which are the first Principles of the oracles of God we love less than we know and we do less than we love we have neither done that good nor received that good which we should or might have done and received We have been trees that have cumbred the ground in thy orchard but we have brought forth no fruit Wo unto us that we have not known the day of our visitation many of us have one foot in the grave and yet we have lived without God in the world we are wise in every thing but in our own Salvation we live as if Hell were a priviledge those of us that have some knowledg of thee have great cause to repent that we have walked so unworthily of God Which of us pray continually and fervently or live the life of saith we confess we neither take our afflictions humbly nor our mercies thankfully nor want our comforts contentedly nor fill up our relations fruitfully We live as if Hell were a scare-crow as if all the threatnings of thy word were an empty noise as if there were neither sweetness in Heaven nor bitterness in Hell When we come into thy presence where are our hearts what earthly dispositions do we bring along with us the sins of our Prayers cry louder then the Supplications of our prayers what hypocrisie and formality cleaves unto us If thou dost not look upon the iniquities of our holy things with an eye of pitty what will become of us O Lord be pleased to smell a sweet savour of rest and peace through thy dear Son O Lord it is only his precious Blood that can sprinkle our hearts and quiet our Consciences and no other thing We do renounce our own Works and we cry out in our selves Undone undone It is through thy beloved Son that we are accepted and therefore to that end bring us to him by a saving operation on thy part
meek spirits as Christ did take our flesh let us partake of his Spirit Why dost thou imbitter the brest of the Creature to us but that we should finde the sweetness of the Promises There is as much in the Promises as ever let us live upon God let us cast anchor in Heaven and we shall never sink Shower down thy blessings even the choicest of them upon the head and heart of our dread Sovereign Charles by thy appointment of England Scotland France and Ireland King Defender of the Faith let him see wherein his cheifest interest lies let him count those his best subjects that are Christ's subjects Bless him â—n hâ—s Royal Consort in his Royal Relations the Lords of his Privy Council let them be a terror to eviâ— doers and incouragers of those that do well Bless all thy Ordinances to us make them to be fulness of life to every one before thee we are come this day to partake of them Oh pour in Wine and oyl into our souls let us be a watered garden let this blessed Sacrament be a poyson to our lust and nourishment for our Grace Hear us be our God follow us with mercy crown us with acceptance and all for Christ his sake whom not seeing we love in whom believing we rejoyce to Christ with thee and thy holy Spirit be Glory Honour and Praise now and for ever Amen Mr. Lye 's Prayer at Allhallows Lumber-street O Lord our great God thou canst do all things for thou dost dispose and govern all the wayes and works and words of thy Creature to thâ—ne own praise We thy poor Creatures the workmanship of thy hands the price and purchase of thy Sons blood do desire this morning to fall down and humble our selves at the Throne of thy Grace we desire to lift up an eye of Faith to thee that thou mayest dart an eye of Love to us since thou hast commanded us to come unto thee Oh bless us now we come Let it not be in vain for any of us from the high'st to the low'st from the richest to the poorest that we have sought thy Face this morning Blessed Father pour down a spirit of Prayer a Spirit of preaching a Spirit of Rejoycing a spirit of Practising in the midst of us let us not only be enabled to know what to do but to do what we know Thou that distd cure the eyes of the blind with clay and spittle Oh heel that natural dimness that is in the best of us Thy Rod in the hand of Moses brought water out of the Rock Oh do thou strike upon those rocky hearts that our adamantine hearts being softned may gush out into Rivers of tears Oh drown our sins in the Red sea of our saviours blood help us to smite upon our thigh and to ask our selves what we have been and what we have done and humble us under the omission of any commanded duty and the comission of any for bidden sin sins of thoughts wordes and dieds sins against the Law against the Gospel of youth manhood and old-age sins before under and since conversion sins against prayers vows promises covenants and oaths Oh Lord if thou didst prefer thy Bill against us we could not stand if we were weighed in the balance of the Sanctury we should be found too light but holy Father remember not against us our former sins but rather have mercy upon us according to thy loving kindness cross and blot out our iniquities blot them out so fully and wholly that it may be to us as to Judath in the promise that the sins of Judath should be sought for and not found O bathe our souls in that Fountain that was set open for Judah and Jerusalem though our sins have been as Scarlet let them be as white as Snow though they be red like Crimson let them be like Wool We have read that a flood of sin brought down a deluge of water that they covered the tops of the mountains Oh let thy deluge of mercy cover the tops of the mountains of our sins It is the glory of a God to pardon great sins We desire to turn unto thee with our whole hearts do thou subdue our iniquities let us be not only cleansed but let us have the efficacy of the spirit of Christ to wash us from the guilt of sin because we boast we are not under the Law but under Grace Be gracious to our Soveraign Lord Charles King of England Scotland France and Ireland It is thy promise that Kings shall be Nursing Fathers to thy children grant that under the shadow of his Majesty thy people may be protected that we may live a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty Oh let thy people possess the Land from Dan to Beersheba Oh give us Scripture-Magistrates and Gospel-Ministers as long as the Sun and Moon endures Let thy VVord be sanctified to us let it not be only as water to get out our spots but as a Refiners fire to purge our dross and take away our tin And holy Father where thou hast begun a good work do thou go on and bring it to perfection let not the light that is in us be like the glimmering light of the evening but as the light of the morning that shineth more and more to the day Let our best wine be kept to the last let the end of our lives be the end of sinning Thou hast cast our lot in the midst of temptations of all sorts thou hast brought many of us through the red Sea but we are in the wilderness with Zeba and Zalmunna and those that dwell at Tyre the children of Ammon Moab and mount Seir and all the forces that Hell can make against us Oh put upon uâ— all the whole Armour of God Now in these days of Errour gird us with the Girdle of Truth Oh now in these days of falsity give us a helmet of Hope Now the Devil darts at us give us the Sheiâ—d of Faith Oh give us the Sword of the Spirit of the word of God that it may enable us to confute the gain-saying of foolish men Oh help us to pray with all manner of prayer constantly fervently faithfully feelingly that we stand and not fall and that not in our strength but in Gods To this end be with us upon this thine own day our Manna falls every day and it is doubled upon the Lords day Oh let us be as thy servant John in the Spirit upon thine own day let God by his Spirit come into our spirits understandings consciences wills memories and affections that all our conversations without and affections within may be obedient to thy Word Enable thy Servant to deliver thy Word faithfully God forbid thy Servant should stand upon so sandy a foundation as the Wisdome of Man one iota of thy Word hath more wisdome in it then all men and Angels have Good Father give thy people a hearing ear it is too much they have played