Son and heire to his Fathers Crown but all Gods Children are heirs to two Kingdomes all the glory and riches of the Kingdome of grace and glory Such honour and riches have all his Saints And that which is the completory of their consolation and makes their joy full yea shaken together and pressed downe and running over with all these gifts they shall receive the giver which is more then all and they may rejoyce more in the God of their Salvation than in their Salvation it selfe yea there is such a plenitude in God that he is not only All in all but he is all in the absence of all things else When David was in one of the greatest of his temporall deepes the people ready to stone him at Ziklag yet the Text saith he comforted himselfe in his God 1 Sam. 30.6 And we cannot suppose a man can fall into greater streights than the prophet mentions Hab. 3.17 18. When the figtree should not blossome neither should fruit be in the vines the labour of the Olive to faile and the fields to yeeld no meat the flocks to be cut off from the foild and no herd to be left in the stalls and yet the Prophet resolves in such a streight I will rejoyce in the Lord I will joy in the God of my Salvation As it is the presence of the Sun that makes day so it is the presence of God and Christ that makes Heaven To be with Christ was that that made Paul desire to be dissolved Phil. 1.23 And our being for ever with the Lord was that consideration with which he comforts believers and bids them to comfort one another with it 1. Thes 4.17 18. In a word David that holy man that man after Gods own heart desired no more to cure him of all diseases heer but the light of Gods pleased countenance shew me the light of thy pleased countenance and I shall be whole And nothing but Gods presence to make him happy for ever hereafter In his presence is the fullness of joy and at his right hand there are pleasures for evermore No consolation like theirs who have clos'd savingly with the covenant of their God whom he hath chosen to himselfe and made heirs of this great Salvation FIFT USE 5 Use The last use shall be of exhortation Is it so great Salvation as the first use of consideration speaks it to be Is it offered to all upon the easy condition of receiving it as the second use of proclamation affirms Are they fooles and madmen that set light by it as the third use of reprofe manifests Are they wise and honourable and rich that close with it as the forth use of consolation declares Then we shall close up all which a fifth use of exhortation unto all to whom the word of this Salvation is sent to embrace both it and the embassadors that come to them to proclaim it Oh how beautifull should the feet of those be that bring unto you the glad tidings of Salvation And if their feet should be beautifull how amiable should their saces be How should you entertaine and wellcome them like the very Angells of God for their angelicall evangelicall imployment how should they be had in double honour for their worke and imployment sake And if the Messenger should be so gratefull how much more the message Do men enquire so diligently after good newes and joyfull tidings as if the Athenian itch were in their eares and will they not entertaine the Gospel of their Salvation the most joyfull tidings that ever came into the world what an oversight would this be that things of low concernment such as belong to our bodies names estates lives to take up so much of our precious time and the most momentous matters of grace and glory of our Soules and our Salvation to be no more thought upon than our dying day as the careless multitude do inconsideratly express themselves Oh be exhorted what ever else is neglected to make sure with your Salvation to give all diligence to make your calling and election sure 2 Pet. 1.10 To seke first the Kingdome of God and his righteousness Mat. 6.33 What Solomon saith of getting of wisedome I may say of getting Salvation How much better is it to get wisedome then gold anb happy is the man that findeth wisdom for the merchandize of it is better than the merchandize of silver and the gain thereof than fine gold she is more pretious than rubies the things thou canst desire are not to be compared to her length of dayes are in her right hand and in her left hand riches and honour her waies are waies of pleasantnese and all her paths are peace she is a tree of life to all that lay hold upon her and happy is every one that retaineth her Prov. 3. from 13. to 19 and how applicable is all this unto that great salvation that we have been speaking of Therefore above all gettings get salvation which comprehends wisdom honour riches safety all together oh who would load themselves with thick clay or set their hearts upon those toies and trifles that are called Crowns and Kingdoms that hath such true treasure as this to trade and traffick for If we must be coveting let us covet the best things and remember that we are here shewne a most excellent way This will prove a purchase that will more than recompence all the care and cost that can be laid out upon it and this is that that will so aggravate the folly of refusers because it will cost no more than our cordiall accepting and embraceing The Jewes might have had Christ for the taking and would not he came to his own and his own received him not but to as many as received him to them he gave priviledge to become the Sonns of God Iohn 1.11 22. O Jerusalem Jerusalem how often would I and ye would not Mat. 23.37 When the Prophet directed Naaman to wash in Jordan to be cured of his leaprosy and he was angry because he expected a quicker dispatch and some easyer cure his servants bespeake him thus My Father If the Prophet had commanded thee some great matter wouldest thou not have done it how much rather when he saith but wash and be cleane So may I say in the case in hand If God should Command us some great and difficult matter for the cure of our Leaprosy of sin and for the attaining of this great Salvation should we not do it If he should command us to give our first borne for our transgression the fruit of our bodies for the sin of our soules If he did require of us such costly sacrifices as thousands of Rammes or ten thousands of rivers of Oyle we might the more excusably draw back at such difficulties and impossibilities But when it is no more but beleive and live accept of Christ and be saved surely when this comes to be pleaded all such as are Christless and faithless will be also
the wages of all and every sin so that sin will find the sinner suffering enough death with all its appurtenances 1 with all its forerunners diseases aches paines c. 2 With all its concomitants of tribulation and anguish desperation and horrour 3 and all its followers death after death fire and brimstone which is the second death Revel 21.8 Let us distinguish of a threefold death which is the wages of sin and all will be plaine when we have clear'd it that Salvation saves us from all the three Death 1 Internall of the Soul 2 Externall of the Body 3 Eternall of the Body and Soul 1 It saves from death internall as Eph. 2.1 You hath he quickned who were dead in trespasses and sinns Iohn 5.25 The time shall come and now is when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God and those that hear shall live and Iohn 5.24 He that heareth my words and beleiveth in him that sent me hath everlasting life and shall not come into condemnation but is passed from death to life and Revel 20.6 Blessed is he that hath his part in the first Resurrection on such the second death hath no power which expositors do interpret of the resurrection of the Soul from the death of sin to the life of grace as the second resurrection of the body from death to life immortall 2. It saves from death externall though not from the stroak of death for it s appointed unto all men once to die Hebr. 9.27 Yet from the sting of death for blessed are the dead which die in the Lord Revel 14.13 Paul tells us if in this life only we had hope in Christ we were of all men the most miserable 1 Cor. 15.19 noting that the hope that we have in Christ for another life is the best part of our hope and that which maketh not ashamed and in order to this Solomon saith the righteous hath hope in his death Prov. 14.32 Though beleivers die yet they are not kill'd with death as that deadly phrase is Revel 2.23 It is but their dust that sees corruption Their head having kill'd death Oh death I will be thy death Hos 13.14 nothing hinders but that on the account of that victory they may triumph as more than conquerors and say with the Apostle O death where is thy sting O grave where is thy victory 1 Cor. 15.55 3 It saves from death eternall Iohn 11.25 26. He that beleiveth in me though he were dead yet shall he live and whosoever liveth and beleiveh in me shall not die for ever Death is therefore call'd the King of feares because there is a more terrible death stands behind it as the Apostle saith after death cometh the judgement so we may say after judgement cometh the death Observe but how the Apostle sends out bold challenges and even bids defiance to all adversary power upon this very score of being protected and secured from the second death Rom. 8.33 Who shall condemn What shall separate I am perswaded that neither death nor life c. nor any other creature shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus c. Let all these be laid together that it saves us 1 From the wrath of God 2 From the curse of his Law 3 From the tyranny of Satan 4 From sin both condemning and commanding and then from punishment death internall externall and eternall and these make up a pregnant proof that Gospel-Salvation is great Salvation from the ab hoc the great evills it saves 〈◊〉 from 2 Ad hoc 2 Reason It saves us to great happiness I meane that by this great Salvation we are advanced to great happiness It were endles to handle all the particulars of that blessedness to which Salvation doth entitle us Moses brings in that blessedness in huddles that is prepared for the children of obedience and heyres of Salvation Deut. 28. blessings of all sorts and sizes in every state and condition David saith Psal 1.1 Blessednesses belong unto them or as the originall doth more emphatically render it ô beatitudines oh the blessednesses that belong unto such as he there describes and Psal 144.15 gives their blessedness a rise above all other blessedness yea above all that can be spoken or conceived yea blessed are the people which have the Lord to be their God Paul saith they begin in election and end in glorification Rom. 8.30 Whom he did predestinate them he called and whom he called them he also justified and whom he justified them he also glorified In which words he sets downe the priviledges of Gods saved ones 1. Before time In predestination 2. In time In calling and Justification 3. After time In Glorification Let us if we can run back to the beginning of eternity end run forward to the end of it and if we cannot as we cannot let us run to our witts end and then cry out ô altitudo ô profunditas oh the length and bredth and height and depth of the love of God which passeth knowledge The measure of Heaven is heaped up and pressed downe and running over Yet though the excellencies of that Land of promise which flowes with better blessings than milk and hony cannot be told you we shall not pass it by so slenderly as to say no more of it but shall do as those faithfull spies that were sent to survey the Land of Canaan present you with a bunch or two that you may have a tast at least of the fruits of the Land though the full feast be reserved till the time of our fruition 1. Those that are the heyres of this great Salvation are adopted into the family of Heaven and received into the glorious liberty of the Sonns and Daughters of the Lord God Allmighty which giving us union with Christ gives us right also to all the priviledges of Communion Justification Reconciliation adoption Sanctification and glory 1. Justification wherein of ungodly we are made righteous 2. Reconciliation wherein of enemies we are made freinds 3. Adoption wherein of aliens we are made Sonns 4. Sanctification wherein of Sinners we are made Saints 5. Glorification wherein of imperfect Saints and such as are sanctified but in part we are made perfect grace being but glory begun and glory nothing else but grace perfected 2. Those that are adopted into these priviledges are thereby entitled 1. Unto the love of God the Father 2. The grace of God the Son 3. The Communion of God the Holy Ghost 4. The protection of the Trinity 5. The guardianship of Angells 6. The comforts of an appeased conscience 7. The comfortable enjoyment of the things of this life 8. The beleiving and hopefull expectation of the life that is to come These are two bunches of the beatitudes that this great Salvation doth advance us to But the most excellent are behind this great Salvation doth advance the heirs of it unto two Kingdoms at once 1. The Kingdome of grace 2.
beautie of holiness and power of Godliness giving up themselves bodys souls and spirits unto God upon the account of the Covenant desiring nothing more than that their hearts may be whole with God and they could be stedfast in his Covenant making God and Jesus Christ the joy of their hearts and breath of their lives and resolve to continue so doing to the death God hath provided for them suitable joyes and pleasures in the life to come Rationall delights for their reasonable souls and sensible delights for their glorified bodys Mistake not far be it from me to say or you to imagine that the glorified Saints shall enjoy such carnall delights in heaven which sensuall and flesh pleasing men do make their heaven upon earth that were a conceite better beseeming a Turk than a Christian the Proselytes of Mahomet have dreamed of such an earthly or rather hellish heaven by fancying such an Utopian Paradise into which the unclean may enter and the pleasures of sin shall meet them The sensible pleasures to be enjoyed there are such as sort and suite with the sublimated senses of glorified bodies and no other And as God hath prepared such suitable joyes and pleasures for such as love and serve him in sincerity even joyes for Soules and pleasures for bodâ—es for those that glorify him with Soules 〈…〉 so on the contrary those that will 〈…〉 â—ting call nor close with his 〈…〉 in accepting his dear Son 〈…〉 great Salvation offered with him but remaine sworne vassalls to the Divell World and Flesh giving up the parts and powers of their Soules and Bodies to serve sin in the lust of it These shall receive wages according to their work as they polluted themselves with filthiness of the flesh and spirit and dishonoured God with their Soules and Bodies so God will punish them accordingly their Soules with rationall punishments tribulation and anguish shall be upon the Soul of every one that doth evill and their bodies with sensible which the word shaddows out by fire and brimstone These two sorts of Torments are breifly contained in those Scriptures Isay 66.24 Mark 9.44 In the worme that dyeth not and the fire that never goeth out In which expressions expositors conceive the holy Ghost alludeth unto two Kinds of burialls of dead corpses some were interred in the earth and out of those wormes would breed which would eat them up and never leave devouring till all were consumed an Ancient gives this account of the degrees of that annihilation which resolves the body into its principle of nullity Caro in putredinem putredo in vermes vermis in pulvere pulvis in nihilum redigitur The flesh is turn'd into rottenness that rottenness into wormes those wormes into dust and that dust is reduced to nothing Other bodies were not buryed in the earth but were burned with fire and reduced to ashes and those ashes were reserved in urnes Only here is the difference this worme is not like that that devours bodies for when the body is consumed that worme dies nor is this fire like that that burnes carcasses for when the carcases are burnt that fire goes out but this is ignis inextinguibilis unquenchable fire By this never dying worme we are to understand the worme of an accusing and tormenting conscience that is ever gnawing and hereby we may understand all rationall torments of which the buffetings of conscience are the cheifest And by this fire that never goes out we are to understand the torments of sense set off by burning because that was the most torturing death that was inflicted by the Jewes but to open these a little more fully we will take them as they lie before us and speak of them apart 1 Rationall torments provided for damned Soules are a part and the greatest part of the torments of Hell for which this deserves to be called Great Damnation Now as the Soul is distributed into the understanding will and affections so we may assigne unto these soveral faculties their peculiar torments I only intend to touch upon them to give you a tast and not to enter upon any topicall and methodicall discourse concerning them 1 They shall be plagued in their understandings by seing and knowing and feeling themselves to be irrecoverably lost and intolerably miserable Here the messengers of the Lord knowing the terrors of the Lord did cry alowd to give warning of their sin and danger and duty they did throw Hell-fire in their faces and so gaster them with the thunder and lightning of Hell and damnation that they could never be at quiet but were even tormented before their time and when they had done their uttermost when they had studyed and preacht and prayed and waited and wept themselves into consumptions in seeking to them and to God for them that they might be saved they could make no better a report of their embassy to him that sent them but to this effect Lord who hath believed our report or to whom hath the arme of the Lord been revealed In which seat doth that Souâ— siâ— in what town is his habitation or in what family dwells he that was dead and is alive that was lost and is found Some of us thy unworthy servants Lord have through undeserved mercy been preachers ten some twenty some thirty some forty yeares and more to such and such congregations we have preacht some hundreds some of us thousands of Sermons and through grace we have indeavoured to do it faithfully in our measure we have taught publikly and from house to house we have spoken with authority and dealt personally and familiarly with the soules of refusers and all was but lost labour upon them though not a labour in vaine to our selves Will not this be a sad hearing for thousands when those that have been watchmen for their souls must come to give up this account with griefe But what will the Lord say to this Will he say to those that would not be taught be ignorant still and to those that would not be reformed be disobedient still no surely it may well be doubted whether the Lord had not formerly seared them up in their ignorance and prophaneness with such an hardning of their hardness by inflecting senslesness for their affecting senslesness But now it shall be otherwise the ignorant shall be no longer ignorant the drunkard swearer who monger sabboth-breaker shall be so no longer they shall see with their eyes and hear with their eares and understand with their hearts though they shall never be converted nor be healed Lord thy hand is lifted up said the Prophet Isay and they will not see thy wrath was in the threatning they saw a black clowd rising and a driving storme coming and would not beware but now they shall see volentes nolentes willing or nilling they shall hear and understand and be ashamed and confounded Then shall the damned know good and evill as the Angels that kept not their first estate know it and as the
GREAT SALVATION BY JESVS CHRIST TENDERED To the greatest of Sinners and in particular to such as have been Refusers of it if God shall now at last make them willing to receive it By RICHARD EEDES Teacher of the Church at Beckford in Gloucester-shire LONDON Printed by TW for the Author 1659. To the Right Honourable the Lady VEERE Grace and Peace Right Honorable most Honored Madam MY ambition to invite your Honour to be Surety to my First-Borne hath offered violence to my modesty in this Dedication yet I know not why I may not dedicate my labours unto you to whom I have long agoe dedicated my selfe When I had once the happiness to entertaine your Ladyship for a very short time I found you so ready to take meane things in the best part that I do the less scruple here to invite you to take part of the Churches Ordinary The great Salvation that this weak hand holds out may well beseeme the greatest Personages not only to own but to have in highest estimation and I am perswaded that you have so long made the attainment of it next to God the Giver and Christ the Purchaser of it your chiefest interest that you have now with your namesake in the Gospel made the better part so sure unto you that it can never be taken from you yet dear Madam it is not unknown unto you that sin is so deceitfull to deceive and the heart so deceitfull to be deceived that we can see small ground of security though some of safety on this side Heaven It s our taking heed of falling that keepes us standing and Caveats against sin and condemnation may be of excellent use to keep the Soul in awe and reverend Dr Sibbs tells us that fear is the awe-band of the soul I am not insensible that Scoffers may say that here is more Porch than house but that was so far from being an oversight that it was a part of my design I dare not inclose nor impropriate that which the Apostle hath called the common Salvation Jude 3. v. That mysticall City that was called the holy Jerusalem descending from Heaven Revel 21.10 Tipifying the Church was said to have 12 Gates which noted out the confluence of Beleivers that should come into the preaching of the Gospel and should fly unto that great Salvation like Doves unto their windows and the discourse herein offered is so like the Pool of Bethesda a common Bath or Fountaine opened for sin and for uncleanness that I thought it convenient to make the more Porches and if I could direct a particular Epistle to every particular Soul the Soules excellency would acquit me from folly in so doing I have deservedly given your Honour the Preeminence in opening unto you the first Gate and the more to ennoble it have written your honourable name upon it that it may be called beautifull and followers may throng in after you and when they are entred if they will but learne of you they may count the feet and much more the faces of them beautifull that bring unto their Soules the glad tidings of Salvation But when they have made their entrance they will find that here is house as well as porch yea and that it is very roomthy for these three Stories Salvation Sin and Damnation do resemble Heaven Earth and Hell Salvation hath Heaven at the top of it and Damnation hath Hell at the bottome of it and Sin like its Father the Divell having the whole Earth for its walke is the worst Companion that the sonns of men have Madame you are here presented with a strange sight a poor sinner hanging betwixt Heaven and Hell if he will but accept of Salvation offered Heaven is his but if he neglect in this his day to know the things that belong unto his Peace he will fall into Hell and ther 's no escaping It 's a sad thing to see so many wallowing in sin like swine in the myre under such warnings and very sad to see many of the Godly to drive so low and dull a trade with Heaven that it may be sayd of them as of poor Tradesmen whom the World favours not that they are still buying selling and live by the losse What sad lives do we lead and what comfortable lives do we lose by not bringing our practises up to the principles of invisible Christianity and for want of more intimate acquaintance with the beauty of holines and power of godlines Gregory the great was said to be the last of the good Bishops of Rome and first of the bad his life was such a medley of good and evill and therefore some Interpreters have thought him to be that Angell in the Revelation that was said to fly betwixt Heaven and Earth And Salomon's life was so particoloured that an antient Limner drew him halfe in Heaven and halfe in Hell and such is the pittifull case of many a Christian they do so halt betwixt God and the World so half it betwixt the Spirit and the Flesh that they may be thought by themselves as well as others to hang equally poysed betwixt Fear of Hell and Hope of Heaven Oh how low are souls in their consolations for want of close and circumspect walking and for want of a laborious and costly serving of God Madam you may here stand safe upon the Rock of your salvation and behold the dead and red Sea of the Almighties wrath upon which multitudes of dead Souls ly floating like the Carcases of the drowned Aegyptians when the Israelites were passed over And while you are standing upon safe ground you may here behold that Rock of Gospel-refusing which hath shipwrack'd many and that Gulfe of Damnation which hath devoured them whereas you through Grace are brought nere unto the harbour and within sight of the Haven where you would be Let Faith and Patience hold out but a little longer for yet a little while he that shall come will come and will not tarry So desiring that the God only wise may guide you with his Counsell and stablish your Mind Heart with his Truth and Grace and lead you through militant holiness into tryumphant happiness I humbly crave pardon for this boldness take leave and rest Beckford Jan. 1st 1658. Madame Your unworthy Remembrancer at the Throne of Grace RICHARD EEDES 1 Tim. 1.15 This is a true and faithfull saying and worthy of all acceptation that Jesus Christ came into the World to save sinners of whom I am chief Hebr. 7.25 He is able to save to the uttermost all them that come unto God by him seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them 2 Tim. 2.24 25 26. The servant of the Lord must not strive but be gentle unto all men apt to teach patient In meeknesse instructing those that oppose themselves if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth And that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the Divell who
business that I have with you I came not hither to take tythes but to winn Soules The malevolent adversaries of the standing Ministry of England call us hirelings and it s a miracle of providence that we have our lives for a prey in the midst of such a blood-thirsty generation of unreasonable men but we so much more desire you than yours that if you would make this our hire to give up your selves to God by our Ministry that by taking heed unto our selves and to the doctrine we may save both our selves and them that hear us let them call us Divells and it should but adde unto our Crown while we all study to be what I desire to approve my selfe A Servant of Christ for the furtherance of your Salvation Richard Eedes To the Reader Reader BEhold I bring unto thee glad tidings of great joy That whatever thy life hath been for the time past and whatever thy sinnes unrepented of are for the present If God shall render thee teachable and willing to be counselled thou maist yet die happily if thou wilt but be perswaded to live holily for the short remainder of thy few and evill daies I desire to approve my selfe a true friend unto thy Soul in my indeavour to bring this to pass and nothing can hinder it if the Tempter do not still prevaile to make thee continue thine own greatest enemy If thou be young thou canst not set out upon such work too soon which is of everlasting concernment to thy Soul and tends to the sure-making of thy Salvation If thou be old and hast spent much time already in the service of sin it is more than time that thou shouldst awake out of that dead sleep least the sleep of death surprize thee and if thou should'st be taken out of the world by death before thou be taken out of the World by grace which God forbid it had been better that thou hadst never been born or hadst been created a Toade or Viper than a Man or Woman Deferr not a day not an houer not a moment longer to consider thy waies and to turne to God hearken to this call of God while it is called to day least deferring till to morrow it should be to late whiles the breath is yet in thy body and the Lord yet offers to breathe the breath of life into thy Soul let not the Divel World and Flesh so bewitch thee as to obstruct thy seasonable and serious closing with God upon a Covenant-accompt and with Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour So shalt thou breake off that Great Sin of Gospel-refusing and escape that Great Damnation that is due to it and attaine unto that Great Salvation which is here faithfully commended and heartily wished to thee by him who is Thy Soule Friend Richard Eedes To the Reader Reader IT is the glory and happiness of the Age and country in which thou livest to have the plaine and plentifull teachings of the Lord that while we see not God or the life to come with open face by immediate intuition to our full satisfaction we may yet see him in a glass by reason sanctifyed and guided and elevated by faith so far as to quicken our desires after more and to cheer and strengthen us as a fore-tast and earnest of the everlasting inheritance Though the invisible things of God may be so farr seen in the things that are made as to leave all those without excuse that know not God or glorify him not as God Rom. 1.20 21. yet is the Gospel the much clearer glass though not as to the sensible manner of Revelation yet as to the fullness and cleerness of Discovery In this glass thou maist certainly see on earth the things that will be done in Heaven and Hell to all Eternity Thou maist know if thou canst but know thy heart both where and in what case thou must live for ever Whether with God or Divells whether in joy or torments whether in the end I less sence of the love of God and in his Soul-ravishing vision and fruition and highest returnes of Love and praise with Christ and all the Heavenly Host or in the endless feeling of his confounding to wrath and pangs of conscience for thy former willfullness and folly and comfortless despairing lamentations of thy misery This certaine glass that from God foretelleth all these things is contained in the Holy Scriptures and daily held before thee by thy teachers who are commanded to call upon thee to try and know thy selfe hereby and to prevent the eternall misery fore-seen and set thy heart on the revealed glory and make out after it with the greatest care and desire of thy Soul that it may be thine for ever This glass is here held out unto thee by this faithfull Reverend Minister of Christ a member of our Association in these united Churches who hath judiciously and concisely yet seriously and pathetically told thee how great a Price is in thy hand if thou have but a heart to the blessedness to be procured by it and the improvement of it for that blessedness He hath told thee also what a sin and desperate folly it is to slight â—nd neglect this great Salvation and turne of that God that Heaven with a triâ—le or with the leaving of this contemptable World who is thy All and should have All and will have thy First and Best or nothing He hath told thee of that great Damnation that will certainely be thy Portion if thou go on to neglect this great Salvation Bless God for this seasonable call and admonition and harden not thy heart but hear if thou have but eares to hear Abuse not a God of Love that deserves not to be abused Turne not away from him that speaketh unto thee from Heaven Deny not thy Redeemer thy first and deepest thoughts and cares thy strongest love and most resolved labours that denyed thee not his blood his doctrine and his example Away with sin Man tread downe the World or use it for the World to come Crucify the flesh that hitherto thou hast served Heaven is before thee thou art made and redeemed to be equall with the Angels Dally not about so great a matter as everlasting joy or torment is God is not mocked and therefore do not mock thy selfe by preferring the tâ—yes of the World before him What needs all this adoe for thy daily bread Having food and rayment be therewith content Get well to Heaven and all is done and thou shalt never want lose that and lose all and thou wilt certainly lose it if thou seth it not first and give it not the chiefest roome in thy heart How thinkest thou to escape if thou neglect this Salvation Will a despised or neglected Christ be thy Saviour or a neglected Heaven be thine Inheritance Dost thou think to come back from the dead into this World to mend that which now thou dost amiss or canst thou escape against Gods will and word Reader
do forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forth unto the things that are before I press towards the marke for the price of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus whereupon one of the Fathers call'd him insatiabilis dei cultor an unsatisfied greedy worshipper of the Lord Jesus Gods workmen should be the best and good workmen can never want worke did not our God lay enough upon them in the duties of holiness righteousness and sobriety which is the Epitome of the morall Law Did not Christ lay enough upon them in charging them to keep his Commandemeuts out of love and that their faith work by love which is the Epitome both of Law and Gospel Their own deceitfull hearts will find them enough The alluring world the enticing flesh and suggesting devill will afford them but a little breathing redit labor actus in Orbem their worke is never at an end till death give them a quietus est blessed are the dead which die in the Lord even so saith the Spirit that they rest from their labours Rev. 14.13 What betwixt reading and hearing and studying and meditating and praying and mourning and searching and watching and praising and all those laborious and painfull duties that are of absolute necessity in order to the attainment of this great Salvation it is plentifully attested to be great Salvation 3. Next for Ordinances what tendency have all these but the furtherance of this Salvation The word that Converting and edifying ordinance is it not the word of life and Salvation May I not say unto you Men and brethren children of the generation of Abraham and whosoever among you feareth God to you is the word of this Salvation sent Is not the gospell our Law of life and the law our rule of life leading to this Salvation doth not Evangelicall grace fit us for legall duty Consult that Scripture Tit. 2.12 and you shall find it so And for the sealing ordinances of Baptisme and the Supper their tendency can be no other but as seales to a deed to the sure-making of this Salvation The Ministry we may say of it as the word doth of the Sabboth that it was made for man and therefore it s reckoned to the Churches charter 1 Cor. 3.22 All things are yours whether Paul or Apollo or Cephus c. And the Apostle to the Ephes speaking of the extraordinary Ministry of Prophets Evangelists and Apostles and the ordinary of pastors teachers tells us that it was for the perfecting of the Saints for the worke of the ministry for the edifying of the body of Christ till we all come in the unity of faith and of the knowledg of the Son of God unto a perfect man unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ Eph. 4.12 13. Wherefore hath God given us his Sabboth but that we should make it our delight if Salvation be our delight wherefore hath he appointed the ordinance of prayer as a Catholicon as universall food and Phisick for our Soules as necessary as our daily bread and daily pardon as the fourth and fift Petition of the Lords prayer note yea the very discipline of the Church Christian reprooses and rebukes and excommunication it selfe aimes at the reformation of the unruly at the destruction of the flesh that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord. 4. Lastly for Providences how strangely doth God worke for the heires of Salvation though the word be the ordinary means for the conversion of a sinner yet how ordinarily is some afflictive providence singled out to set it home to weane unbelevers and such as stick at a halfe conversion like a child in the birth and to make them more then all-most Christians when souls do hang in aequilibrio and do as it were halt betwixt God and the world or flesh it s usually some pinching affliction that turnes the scales and causes the sinner to turne his heart and feet unto Gods testimonies Those that keep Catalogues of providences can draw out choice of experiences out of their full quivers They can tell you with David who delivered them out of the paw of the Lion and Bear 1 Sam. 17.37 and can with Paul record unto Gods glory he hath delivered and doth deliver in whom we trust that he will also yet deliver 2 Cor. 2.10 Cannot Gods people tell you when they were dead and he put life into them as the prodigalls Father said of his Son so can they say of their soules this my soul was dead and is alive againe he was lost and is found Cannot they tell when they were asleep and he awaked them when they were in deepes and he succoured them when they were rushing upon sin like a horse into the battle and he withheld them as he did David from hurting Nabal by the providence of Abigal yea they can record thankfully the very ordinances and providences wherein God appeared to them It were endless to enumerate all let experient Christians supply the rest out of their own store while weaker Christians do make use of those weake helpes to further their understandings in comprehending this truth And now being come to the uttermost of their reason let us look back and gather up the severall branches into one bundle which we need not doubt to call the bundle of life in which all saved soules are bound up 1 The wisedome and love of God the Father who is the God of our Salvation 2 The sufferings and righteousness of God the Son who is the Author and finisher of our Salvation 3 The revelation and application of the spirit who is the furtherer of our Salvation 4 Graces and duties which bear the name of saving graces and saving duties 5 Ordinances and Providences which are all things that do accompany Salvation And none of these can be left out but our Salvation will miscarry they are all of absolute necessity and for all these gospel Salvation must be confessed to be great Salvation and a mighty engine that is carried with so many and mighty wheels 1 USE Shall be of Consideration wherein I shall commend unto your serious consideration this Salvation with its dimensions as great and so great Salvation so that you are to hear 1 What it is 2 How great it is What it is take in this short account which containes the substance of all that goes before It s the dear purchase of our Soveraigne Lord Redeemer freely bestowed upon Gods elect whereby they are by a strong hand and mighty meanes freed from sin and eternall misery and advanced to grace and everlasting happiness You may read a breviary of it Iohn 3.16 God so loved the World that he gave his only bogotten Son that whosoever beleiveth in him might not perish but have everlasting life It s this Salvation that denominates the Gospel to be glad tidings for can there be gladder tidings then life from the dead then eternall life from eternall death judge how
flaming fire rendering vengance to them that know not God and that obey not the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and the glery of his power mark the tendencie and full scope of the words you may take them at large thus O all you stubborn and rebellious sinners who are refusers of Gospel-mercy and have long continued neglecters of that great Salvation remember that the Lord Jesus was revealed from Heaven as the Lamb of God to take away the sins of the World and came down from his Fathers Throne to his foot-stool to take our nature upon him to humble himself and become obedient to death even the death of the Cross to be made under the Law to redeem them that were under the Law that we might receive the adoption of sons and he sent abroad his Apostles to propagate to all Nations the knowledge of this Salvation and to perswade the sinfull World that lay under condemnation unto faith and obedience believingly to accept of this Saviour and Salvation and in all thankfulness to return obedience and to take him for their soveraign Lord Redeemer and Saviour Oh know and be it known unto you and to all the World that he shall once more be revealed as a roaring Lyon to tear in pieces such as know not God and obey not the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ but this is to argue the greatness of the sin from the greatness of the punishment and the improvement of it may be referred unto the third doctrine as to its most proper place The same course that we took to illustrate the greatness of Gospel-Salvation we may take here to aggravate the sin of Gospel-neglecting or refusing We hinted there that Gospel-Salvation was called 1. Salvation 2. Great Salvation 3. So great Salvation Which we further amplified by alluding to the three degrees of comparison shewing 1. That it was positively great 2. That it was comparativly greater than other 3. That it was superlatively the greatest Conceive in like manner of the sin of setting light by this Salvation 1. That it is positively great 2. That it is comparatively greater than others 3. That it is superlatively the greatest of all except the excepted sin And we may call it 1. Sin 2. Great sin 3. So great sin 1. To discover it to be positively great we need but name it and a little open the nature of it to make men cry shame of it as the unwrapping of a plague sore and opening it to be seen is enough to make the sound to loath it and the stink of an open sepulchre is enough to make the living to abhor it Gospel-refusing O monstrous sin it hath a face more ugly than Belzebub the Prince of devils though it be a sin that is proper to men and so common to all degrees and estates of men that it fills Hell with souls yet it is such a sin that the devils have no temptation to commit they being left without hope of a Redeemer and doamed from their very fall to perish without remedy Salvation is a term that is comprehensive of all that is good and excellent and desirable yea of the highest good of the highest God for they are convertible the Trinity of persons agreeing in one unity of love as well as essence to further our Salvation yea the great God turned all into one great love to affect it God so loved the World that he gave his only begotten Son c. Joh. 3.16 Christ in the fullnes of time manifesting the fullness of love Gal. 4.4 And the spirit coming down upon Christs Ascention as another Comforter to abide with us to the end of the World and all in order to the bringing about of this great Salvation and if this be not a sin with a witness tell me what is Gospel-refusing is called in Scripture a God refusing a Christ-despising a spirit-resisting and inconsiderate sinners in refusing and setting light by the word and ministery of this Salvation do all this Christ said of the contemners of his messengers he that despiseth you despiseth me and he that despiseth me despiseth him that sent me Luke 10.16 and Stephen said unto his and the Gospels persecutors ye stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart and eares ye do allwaies resist the holy Ghost as your father did so do ye Acts 7.51 When Gods Embassadors shall go out into the world and doe as the Prophet was commanded lift up their voices like trumpets to tell men and women of their sinns and transgressions when they with Iohn Baptist shall cry prepare ye the way of the Lord make his paths streight when they shall make proclamation Ho every one that thirsteth come come come Isay 55.12 And with the spirit and bride and him that heareth shall say come come come Rev. 22.17 And let whosoever will come and take of the water of life freely When men are so obdurate that like Pharoah they remaine hard and hardned in the midst of meanes neither miracles nor ministry nor misery nor mercy can do them good when all Gods and Christs and the Spirits and the messengers intreaties and beseechings shall be like breath scattered in the aire and like water spilt upon the ground and a labour in vain shall make Gods tired ministers ready in a heart-breaking despondency to turne their backs upon their labours let such as have understandings of the longest reach and witts exercised to to distinguish betwixt good and evill speak whether this must not be concluded to be a great sin for such only are fit to take the dimensions of a sin that is so circumstantiated I le give you but one rule more to help you to conceive of the greatness of this sin in the positive description and then pass to the comparative The Apostle prayed for his Ephesians Eph. 3.16 17 18 19. That God would grant them according to the riches of his glory to be strengthened with might by his spirit in the inner man that Christ may dwell in their hearts by faith that they being rooted and grounded in love may be able to comprehend with all Saints what is the breadth and length and depth and height and to know the love of Christ which passeth knowledge that they might be filled with the fullness of God This is the well-spring of our Salvation the love of God in Christ which is here measured out unto us by the word and spirit of God in those dimensions of breadth and length and depth and height and said to pass knowledge and to comprehend all the fullness of God must not this have the length and breadth and depth and height of sin in it must it not be a sin passing knowledge must not this be to be filled with all the fullness and sinfullness of sin Those that are eaten up most of the love of God and know most of that love which passeth knowledge will be
most confounded with monstrousness of this sin and know most of the sinfull nature of it and such as these can assure the world of blind sinners that it is a Soul confounding sin and a plague provoking sin and such as are infected with this leaprosy of sin may well cry out uncleane uncleane but while I am speaking but positively of the greatness of this sin I am allready leaping into the superlative so hard it is to speak diminutively of this sin Deus caelum non patiuntur hyperbolen as we cannot speak too highly of God who is the highest good so we cannot speak too aggravatingly of this sin because it is so objectively against the highest love of the highest God that it is a sin so opposite to the highest good is aggravation sufficient to speak it superlatively great yet since it was promised we shall proceed to the comparative and so come in order to the superlative at last 2. It is Comparatively greater than other sinns and here we shall take the course to manifest Gospel-refusing to be great sin as we did to manifest Gospel Salvation to be great Salvation we compared Gospel Salvation with Law Salvation and with temporall deliverances and lower Salvations and shew'd you that it was great if compar'd with them because it was greater than those we shall therefore 1. Compareâ— Gospel-refusing with Lawrefusing and so demonstrate it to be greater And this the very argument made use of by our Apostle which ushers in my text Therefore we ought to give the more earnest heed unto the things that we have heard least at any time we let them slip for if the word spoken by Angells was stedfast and every transgression and disobedience received a just recompence of reward how shall we escape if we neglect so great Salvation c. That is if their sin which was less deserved so great punishment how much more ours which is greater Heb. 10 28 29. He that despised Moses Law died without mercy under two or three witnesses of how much sorer punishment suppose ye shall he be thought worthy who hath trodden under foot the Son of God and hath counted the bloud of the covenant wherewith he he was sanctified an unholy thing and hath done despight unto the spirit of grace We shall better improve that Scripture when we come to the handling of the third Doctrine only here as before read the the greatness of the sin in the greatness of the punishment for God who is ipsissima justitia justice it self doth allwayes proportion his punishment to the sin and note above all that this sin is here called a treading Christ under foot a counting of the bloud of the Covenant an uncleane thing and a doing despight unto the spirit of grace there is too much of these ingredients into the sin of Gospel-refusing which makes it to culminate and to mount up unto a sin of the highest altitude and greatest magnitude and to die in it to do it finally to continue refusers and neglecters of so great Salvation doth much aggravate it 2. If we compare this with other sinns it will appear to be greater than such as the Scripture condemns as very gross and out of measure sinfull 1 Adultery is lookt upon as a great sin it was so in Josephs account when he said how can I do this wickedness and sin against God Gen. 39.9 And David was even swallowed up of that twin-sin whereof adultery was one Psal 51.4 Against thee thee only have I sinned and done this evil in thy sight but the refusing of Gospel-Salvation is far greater for David by Gospel-indulgence obtained pardon of that sin but if he had refused that Salvation he had been left to perish without remedy 2 Idolatry is also a most notorious sin surely the spirit of God names these two as two of the most crying when it promises great pardon to great sinns from your idols from your filthiness will I cleanse you Ezek. 36.25 i.e. if your sinns be as great as Idolatry against the first table or adultery against the second yet upon your seasonable and sincere returne you shall find mercy Idolatry is a spirituall adultery that ad alterius torum this ad alterum Deum Adultery is a running a whoring after strange flesh Idolatry a running a whoring after strange Gods When the Israelites had corrupted their waies by worshipping the calfe Moses told them they had sinned a great sin Exod. 32.30 and when Israel had sinned in asking them a King Samuel tells them they had sinned a great sin 1 Sam. 12.17 and what was that great sin they had rejected God the Israelits had taken a calfe for their God in Moses time and a man for their God in Samuell's but this is a greater refusing of God they refused him in his absolute power commanding their obedience these refuse him in his meruelous mercy calling them to beleive 3 Rebellâ—on or Treason are great sinns and disobedience to Gods commands is rebellion Isay 1.20 If ye refuse and rebell c. how much more our disobedience to that great Gospel command that we should beleive in the name of Jesus Christ whom he hath sent 1 Iohn 3.23 and Samuell told Saul that Rebellion was as the sin of witchcraft and stubbbornness as iniquity and idolatry 1. Sam. 1523. When a King shall proclaime his Lawes by his Embassadors and men shall offer violence to his Embassadors or refuse his Lawes they are left without the protection of those Lawes and not only so but proceeded against as rebells and Traitors against the Crowne and dignity of the Prince and Gospel refusing is Rebellion of an higher nature because it is against an higher Law against the royall Law and against a greater King against the King of Kings 4 Once more and I have done with the comparative part of the Illustration It s a greater sin than the sin of Sodom as may be gathered from Mark 6.11 Whosoever shall not receive you nor hear you when ye depart thence shake off the dust under your feet for a testimony against them verily I say unto you it shall be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgement than for that City It s very evident that its this sin of Gospel-refusing that is here intended it s the not receiving nor hearing the Apostles and messengers of Christ that were sent to negociate in the deep things of the Gospel Their setting light by it is here hinted in the Apostles gesture towards them they set no more by the preaching of the Gospel than they did by the dust under their feet and therefore they must shake off the dust of their feet against them And its further to be gathered by consequence that their sin was greater than the sin of Sodom in that Christ saith it and protests it that it shall be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgement than for that City Let us make
evill thoughts and then murders and a black traine of actuall abominations Mat. 15.19 And an evill man out of the evill treasure of his heart bringeth forth evill things Mat. 12.35 As vaine and lustfull thoughts do bring forth sin so serious and sad thoughts of sin do bring forth repentance Hezekia's thoughts troubled him by day David's by night Job's day and night so should a true penitent My sin is ever in my sight saith holy David The playster of Conviction should stick close till it draw forth Compunction and that of Compunction till it being forth humiliation and that till it being forth Faith and saving Conversion David saith I considered my wayes and turned my feet unto thy Testimonies In which words David makes a turne but first he makes a stop his thoughts did drive him to a stand I considered my wayes i. e. I studyed them I turned them upside downe It s good thus to prevent God he hath threatned to turne the wayes of the ungodly upside downe its safest that we turne our own ungodly wayes upside downe for the promise is If we judge our selves we should not be judged As all sin proceeds from ignorance and inconsiderateness so all grace begins in knowledge and consideration The progress of saving and conversion is laid before us in these severall degrees 1. Consideration 2. Deliberation 3. Resignation Resignation is the uppermost step when the Soul comes up to this point of a Covenant-delivery of it selfe to God and Jesus Christ and this begins in consideration that is taking up of our most serious thoughts about it for consideration is the eye of the Soul that lookes inward or the reflecting of the Soul upon it selfe which is done by this duty of thinking or thoughtfullnesse 2. There must be great searchings of heart Lament 3.40 Let us search and try our wayes and turne unto the Lord said the Church in distress in order to the getting out of her deepes Commune with your own hearts saith holy David on your bed and be still Psal 4.4 That is when you are retired and solitary and have sequestred your selves from other thoughts and imployments then take your hearts to task ask them questions and receive their answers and hold them to it keep them from starting aside or running away till you have your desired satisfaction The heart of man is deceitfull and wicked above all things It hath many turnings and windings and lurking holes in it many back-dores and evading places Observe how David did take his heart to task to make it a heart after Gods own heart and acted what before he gave in precept Psal 77.2 3 4 5 6. In the day of my trouble I sought the Lord my sore ran in the night and ceased not my Soul refused comfort I remembred God and was troubled I complained and my spirit was overwhelmed Thou holdest mine eyes waking I am so troubled that I cannot speake Sad thoughts did so throng in upon him that he could not speak for thinking he was overprest in his spirit and what course did he then take see verse 6. I commune with mine own heart and my spirit made diligent search As officers would search for hidden malefactors in every corner of an house where they are suspected to be so must we search every corner of our deceitfull hearts to find out those evill ones our selves a meipso libera me domine that body of sin and death that lies lurking secretly within us and as we would search dark vaults with lights so must we take Gods word to be a lanthorne that heart-discovering word to which all things are naked and manifest which is powerfull and mighty in operation and will pierce to the dividing asunder of the Soul and Spirit and joynts and marrow c. The cheife Quaeres that we should put to our selves should be these 1. Do we take no care about Salvation 2. Do we take but little care about it 3. Do we not make it our greatest care Our hearts should be fixed on such considerations and searchings till they are fired with them and we should have no rest in our Soules if our hearts condemne us till we have gone to God and vented our selves in a free and ingenuous confession of all our sins especially that sin with dejection of Spirit and humblings of heart which is the next thing 3. There must be great humblings of heart This sin should be for so great a lamentation that we should call downe the spirit of grace and mourning to assist us that our mourning may be deep and durable Notorious sinns must have notable repentance aggravated wickedness must have suitable sorrow where iniquity abounds humiliation must abound too if we expect grace shall super-abound Manasses having sinned greatly was said to humble himself greatly before the God of his Fathers 2. Chron. 33.12 13. and having sinned and sinned by adding sin unto sin He prayed and prayed he was instant and constant in his supplication for pardon We may not flatter our selves with the deceived multitude and think that a few good purposes towards the last or a crying God mercy upon our death beds will do the work The word indeed saith that the poor Publican that said but Lord be merciful to me a sinner went home rather justifyed than the proud Pharise that stood on upâ—oe in his own justification but observe the appurtenances to that prayer of the Publicans and you will find them to be such as do accompany deep humiliation 1. He stood afar off Eccetiâ—â—r 2. He 〈…〉 eyes to Heaven Ecce pudor 3. He smote his breast Ecce dolor That prayer of his was accompanyed with 1. Great fear in standing afar off 2. Great shame in not lifting up his eyes 3. Great sorrow in smiting his breast When souls tremble at Gods word to such will God look even to such Isa 66.2 when they take sâ—â— and shame to themselves and accept of the punishment of their iniquity and judge and condemne themselves God hath no more to â—â—y 1. Cor. 11.31 When the sinner is grieved because God and his Spirit are grieved God doth as it were sympathize with them and grieve for them he 's sorry for our afflictions and repents him of the evil Joel 2.13 and his soul was grieved for the misery of Israel Judges 10.16 and I will repent of the evil that I thought to do unto them Jer. 18.8 I know the Scripture opens a wide door of hope to faithful prayers in times of greatest distress in that gracious promise whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved Rom. 10.13 but its physick that is administred with this corrective in the very next words But how shall they call on him in whom they have not believed The prayer of faith will not only recover health in sickness but life in death but it is not every call nor loud cry that is a prayer not every one that can say Lord Lord can pray and
God told the Israelites that they did not pray unto him when they howled upon their beds Hos 7.14 Ther 's a vast difference betwixt saying a prayer praying a prayer the words of prayer are but the carcase of the duty the longing desites of the soul after God and his mercies after gifts and giver are the soul of it and that only that makes the prayer effective Therefore I say that such sinners as Gospel-refusers may find mercy there must be deepest humiliations suitable repentance and most tervent prayers Old weather-beaten sinners â—hat have long setled on their lees and have been frozen in their dregs and have lain soaking in their lusts that have long frustrated meanes fair and foul and all that have been spent in vaine upon them such Blackmores will not be washed white with a little nitre nor such Leopards purged from their spots with a finger No if after long humbling and praying and fasting and waiting they may have a glimps of Gods pleased countenance at last they have cause to wonder at such mercy if at their latter end they may have their pardon sealed though their grey hairs are brought downe with sorrow to the grave yet they have reason more than enough to die admiring the Lords mercy But here I must enter a caveat against a mistake let all thought of meriting be banisht from our severest and most mortifying humiliations Though we should macerate our selves with fasting into very Skelitons and be like so many pale corpses or wandring shadows though we could sigh our selves into very aire and dissolve into very teares our heads being fountaines and our eyes rivers Yet when all were done we must cry out unprofitable and we must fly from our best performances to the Lords mercy and to Christs merit for succour and Salvation 4 There must be great changes of heart from stone to flesh is a great change and when God pours out his cleane water of sanctification he takes away the heart of stone and gives the heart of flesh Ezek. 36.26 From worse than nothing to the new creature is a greater change and this is wrought in regeneration From darkness to light is a change most remarkable and this saving conversion brings to pass Acts. 26.18 For a Man to hate his flesh his unregenerate part his lust and body of death which in the time of his vanity he loved so deerly and was as loath to part with the members of it right eye foot or hand this is a great change and such a change is wrought in selfe-denyall It was a great change that was wrought on Saul upon a sudden when from persecuting he fell to praying and preaching this well deserved an ecce as a note of admiration behold he prayes Acts. 9.11 For one that was so mad upon taking away the lives of others for professing Christ to be more ready to lay downe his own upon the same account was so notable a change that all that hear of it may say this is the Lords doing and it is marvellous in our eyes The grace of God which brings Salvation brings such changes and where great changes of heart are wrought there great changes of life will accompany them Gospel-sliting and neglecting will be turned into Gospel-prizing and advancing those that made no reckoning of Gods Law before will after this change say with David I love thy commandements above gold and the Lawof thy mouth is deerer unto me than thousands of gold and silver and they that thus prize it in their hearts will practise it in their lives knowing that the true sayings of God are verba vivenda non legenda and they ought to live Gospel as well as know it David approves himselfe to God in the sincerity of his own heart in saying Lord what love have I unto thy Law all the day long is my study in it and desires God to sift and try and prove and search him over and over that there may be no leaven of hypocrisy left behind Psal 139.23 24. And he makes it the Character of a blessed man that he exterciseth himselfe in Gods Law day and night Psal 1.2 We should make it our meat and drinke our food and Phisick and recreation And for an answerable conversation the Apostles exhortation is exceeding pregnant wherein he gives them one precept that may include totum homnis the whole duty of man Phil. 1.27 Only let your conversation be as it becometh the Gospel of Jesus Christ As Solomon saith Fear God and keep his Law for this is the whole duty of man Ecles 12.13 So the Apostle there love Christ and love his Gospel for this is the whole duty of Christians 3 USE Shall lay before you and leave with you two breife incouraging considerations by way of comsolation for those that have formerly been such but now have resolved to breake off that and all other sins by unfained repentance 1 Let such consider it is not every Sermon that is slighted or every tender of mercy and offer of Jesus Christ that is made to the Soul and set light by that is the great damning and impardonable sin of Gospel-refusing though these are too bad and exceeding heynous and being objectively against the Gospel are much to be bewailed but it s the finall refusing of mercy and slighting of Jesus Christ to the death that is most properly and in strict sense the great sin of Gospel-refusing and such as live and die in that sin do render themselves by so doing uncapable of pardon and cast themselves unavoidably upon everlasting damnation Gods word saith as much either exprefly or by direct consequence in a thousand places every Minister that you hear tells you so or else he tells you not the truth every Chapter that you read gives you some hint or other of it many a time have your bretheren and Christian freinds told you that except you close which God and lay hold upon Christ you cannot be saved if they have dealt faithfully with your Soules yea many a time have your own consciences if they are not blind and dumbe and seared told you so and is it not the extremity of madness to venter your Salvation upon such termes that either the Scriptures must be false and God a Liar or you cannot be saved If you live and die in this sin you must as sure be damned as the Divel himselfe as sure as the Heaven is over your heads and the earth under your feet Hell will be your portion and everlasting damnation will be the wages of refusing Gospel-Salvation But if you may yet be prevailed with before your breath be stopt and the pitt shut her mouth upon you to embrace Christ whom you have long slighted and accept of that mercy which you have unworthily refused and receive the Gospel which you have neglected there is yet hope in Israel concerning this O for the Lords sake and for your Soules sake stand out no longer refuse not mercy that
confluence of choicest provisions such is God's free entertainment of his Servants and Favourites Mine Oxen and Fallings are killed and all things in a readiness come unto the Marriage Mat. 22 4. And Come yee blessed of my Father receive the Kingdome prepared for you Mat. 25 34. But when men are to prosecute their deadliest Enemies they will do it with the uttermost rigour that their possibility can reach unto Such and infinitely greater is Gods anger against his Adversaries he takes pleasure at their overthrow and laughs at their destruction Ah I will ease me of mine enemies and be avenged on mine Adversaries Isay 1.24 And as if his mercy were utterly at an end and he had forgotten to be gracious he will denounce that everlasting excommunication as the triumph of his glorious justice Go ye cursed into everlasting fire prepared for the Divel and his Angels Mat. 25.41 5 Reason Because it hath a great and a long reach 1. It reacheth to the Soul 2. And it reacheth to eternity 1 It reacheth unto the Soul other sentences reach but to the body name estate family relations liberty life as was before hinted but this reacheth the Soul Fear not them which kill the body and when they have done that have no more that they can do but fear him who when he hath killed is able to cast into Hell yea I say unto you fear him Luke 12 4. How do malefactors that are arraigned for some capitall offences tremble before an earthly Judge when he is pronouncing sentence of death upon them but how will corrupt Judges themselves tremble as Faelix did when he heard Paul reasoning of judgement to come yea a more than either he or Belshazzar did when the hand was writing him a divorce from his Kingdome when this sentence of Damnation is going out how will blackness cover all faces when a World of selfe condemned sinners shall stand before the dreadfull Tribunall of the Lord Jesus which in the last Assize he is sitting upon life and death when nothing is left them but a certaine fearfull looking for of judgement and fiery indignation which shall devour the Adversaries Hebr. 10.27 'T was a sad hearing to the rich glutton Thou foole this night shall thy Soul be taken from thee Luke 12.20 The Soul is more worth than the World in his esteem that laid down his life to save Soules Mat. 16.26 And in this damnation this jewell is lost and this darling of ours must be delivered to the roring Lion The Saints do lay all at stake to save their souls Profsâ—s Pleasures Honours Friends Liberty Life it self and think all to be an easie exchange which will more than conclude the loss of the soul to be the loss of all losses 2. And that which makes this so great a loss and that we are treating of so great Damnation is because it is for ever and ever It reacheth to Eternity The sinner under convictions thinks he shall dy no other death looks upon himself as in a very hell upon earth David after deliverance out of such a deep saith O Lord thou hast delivered my Soul from the nethermost hell and Saint Augustine having in his confessions taken shame unto himself for a multitude sins in the depth of his humiliation calls out of the deep of misery to the deep of mercy Lord pitty my Soul in the lowest hell such in Scripture-sense are called lost Christ came to seeke save the lost but this loss shall- be their gain and I may say in this case as the Word in another he that loseth his life shall find it and the Apostle Paul desired to be lost in himself that he might be found in Christ this is but a seeming loss nor will it last long heaviness may indure for a night but joy cometh in the morning for a moment have I hid my face in mine anger saith the Lord but with everlasting mercy will I return and have compassion but the lose we are speaking of is reall and irreparable The soul under desertion thinks it self in a wofull case and hath much ado to distinguish betwixt it self and a cast-away as appears in Davids case Psal 77.7 8 9. Will the Lord absent himself for ever and will he be favourable no more c. and Job complained in the bitterness of his soul that God had set him up as his marke to shoot at and the venome of his arrows drank up his Spirit and Hezekiah did mourn like a Dove and chatter like a Crane and complained that from morning to night God did make an end of him But though it were now winter with them and the sap was gone down into the root yet the Suns return brought their spring again and the light of Gods countenance made all whole but in that desertion which Damnation causes the deserted soul is deserted for ever When the body loses the soul at the death naturall it s a sad loss but the Resurrection will bring them together again but where the soul and God are parted in the spirituall death and the naturall death finds them in this case eternall death presently seizes that soul and that separation wil be everlasting that soul and happiness will never meet 6. Reason The last reason to prove this Damnation to be exceeding great is Because it consists in great and dreadfull punishments We shall make use of this old and common distinction of 1. Poena Damni The punishment of loss 2. Poena Sensus The punishment of sense All evil is distinguished into 1. Malum culpae The evil of sin 2. Malum poenae The sin of punishment All evill of sin may be distinguished into 1. Inherent our own sins 2. Adherent our other mens sins All evil of punishment as afore into 1. Poenam Damni the punishment of loss 2. Poenam Sensus the punishment of sense Man is a compound creature consisting of a soul and body a Coelestiall and Terrestriall part as God is Lord both by Creation Preservation and Purchase so he requires to be honoured with both with all of both all the parts of our bodys and all the powers of our souls If the Apostles inference hold concerning one viz Gods right of purchase ye are bought with a price and therefore ought to glorifie God c. It will conclude much more strongly if we take in all ye are created with his power preserved by his providence as well as bought with a price therefore ye ought to glorifie God both with your bodies and souls which are Gods Here is the very quâ—nâ—essence of reason that God should have his own that which is so much his own by a manifold right Give unto Caesar that which is Caesars and give unto God that wich is Gods Now for such as give up themselves wholly to God in a way of grace and duty taking him to be their â—â—rtion and his Son to be their Lord preferring their interests before all others serving them in the
worthy the glory which shal be revealed When we are inticed to sin let us sit down and count the cost it may cost our lives it may cost our precious Souls it may loose us Heaven and Salvation for eternity and when we are discouraged in the waies of God in laying out our selves to be wail our sins to treasure up grace to perform duty and not be weary of well doing to suffer patiently whatsoever can befall us for Christ's sake then let us sit down and count our gain It will make us live comfortably it will give us hope in death it will give us boldness in Judgement it will save us from hell it will advance us to Heaven To wind up all let me speak close to you as once Paul did to Agrippa as if he would offer violence to force his belief O Agrippa believest thou the Scriptures I know thou believest you that have read or heard these Lines do you believe these things I know you believe them they are so set out in the demonstration of the Spirit and in power that you cannot gain-say them and if you cannot contradict them will you not believe them 1. Do you believe Gospel-Salvation to be great Salvation The Angels believe it and admire it 1 Pet. 1.12 The Saints believe it and adore it Revel 5.11 13. The number of them that gave glory to God was ten thousand times ten thousand and thousands of thousands and every creature in Heaven and earth and sea were heard to say Blessing Honour Glory and Power be unto him that sitteth upon the Throne and to the Lambe for ever and ever The Devils believe and envy it The damned believe it and the loss of it is that never-dying worm that renders them restless and whether you will now believe it or no the time is coming when you will believe and confess it with hearts as full of anguish as ever they can hold O believe it now and be happy for ever and the Lord help your unbelief and make you believers by the exceeding greatness of his Omnipotent Power and according to the working of his mighty power Oh that the King of Saints would command those everlasting doors of your understandings and wills to be opened to give entrance to the King of glory that you may imbrace and receive thankfully this great Salvation that you may live and dye upon the faithfulness and truth of that acceptable and accepted saying That Jesus Christ came into the World to save sinners 2. Do you believe Gospel neglecting to be great sin Those that are truely inlightned touched with the fear of God do think so those that are under the convictions and compunctions of the Spirit of bondage for this sin do think so they are ready to depend and give up themselves as lost and utterly undone under the load of it this is still ready at hand to make up the sum totall of their confessions we have added to all our transgressions of thy law this Monster that we have resisted and slighted thy gracious Gospel Against thee thee have we sinned and done this evil O be mercifull to our sin to this of all sins for it is great The infinite mercy of God and merit of Christ and mighty Spirit of grace and adoption revealing offering and applying that mercy and merit as balsome to the wounded Spirit hath much ado to bear it up from sinking under so insupportable a burden Inlightned sinners will believe it at the last when they are under the arrest of death then they will be ready with Cain and Spira to fill all the ears about them with their despairing complaints then they could seek the blessing with tears as Esau did could be content to fill heaven and earth with their roarings if that would help them Believe it Sirs the Devil that tempts you to make light of this Salvation now and presents it as a Molehill will then turn the other end of the prospective and make it as bigg as a Mountain and perswade you it is greater than that it can be forgiven How much better were it that you should now believingly receive in this truth in the power of it that where sin hath abounded grace may super-abound and that you may in time leave and loath this sin before it be your everlasting undoing 3. Do you believe that Great Damnation remains for such as dye in this sin that the wrath of God abides on them here and a sorer punishment and more fiery indignation will abide on them if conversion prevent not world without end Those that are in hell already do believe it yea they know not how to evade the believing it They do curse those Mountebank Preachers that heal mens wound with oyly words that speak Placentia things that may please itching ears rather than things that may profit unbelieving hearts Yea they do charge it heavily upon their deceiv'd own deceitful hearts that when they heard the words of the Curse and threats of Damnation caused them to bless themselves in their cursed practises though they added drunkenness to thirst and Gospel-refusing to Law-transgressing till all curses written and unwritten came in tumbling upon them like mighty waters How much better were it for men to carry about with them a hell in their consciences than to be carryed captive by the Devils into this hell of torments How much easier were it for them to descend every day into hell by meditation than at their dying day to be doom'd unto hell by condemnation Pliny writes of the Lions whelps that he is at first much given to Sleeping but being once awakened scared with the hideous roaring of the old Lion sleeps ever after with his eyes open The application is to our present purpose very pertinent Those that set light by Salvation are much given to sleeping they hear in the Text Damnation thundred out against such sleepers like the roaring of a Lion Rampant I heartily wish that this use may be made of it that our consciences may be so throughly awakened to see our sin and danger and duty that we may alwaies sleep with the eye of conscience open and that we may resolve not to suffer our eyes to sleep nor our eye-lids to slumber nor the temples of our heads to take any rest till we have made this great sin our great Lamentation till we have great and grounded probability of escaping this great Damnation and till we have believed and prayed and lived our selves into some setled and imfalliable perswasions of our obtaining of this great Salvation All which the Lord give grace unto his chosen people effectually to perform for his great names sake for his beloved Sons sake for his gracious Spirits sake And the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the Communion of the Holy Ghost be with you all 2 Cor. 13.14 Amen Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think according to the power that worketh in us unto him be glory in the Church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages world without end Amen FINIS