Rulers and great ones of the world have been and are enemies to his Kingdome yet to keep things in a civil order Christ would have Rule and Authority for the present But there is a time coming when his people shall bee made so subâ—ect as they shall have no need of these things but Christ will put them all down here in the world and himself onely shall Reign so you have it in the book of the Revelations chap. 11. vers 15. That there were gâ—eat voyces in heaven saying The Kingdomes of this world are become the Kingdomes of our Lord and of his Christ and hee shall Reign for ever and ever For that it seems Christ hath not yet taken his Power had not then neither hath hee since But there is a time coming for the Kingdomes of the earth to bee the Lords and his Christs in another way than now they are 18 And then the last of all Christ is such a King as hee doth in a spiritual sense make all his Subjects Kings hee hath a Crown of glory for every Subject for every one of those that are his Subjects in that near relation as hee is King of Saints I say hee will put Crowns of glory upon them all you have it in Rev. 5.10 And hast made us unto our God Kings and Priests and wee shall Reign on the earth not onely in heaven but on the earth Why now how wonderful is Christ in this his Kingly power that hee is able to make every Subject that hee hath a King and hee will do it Now then If wee should put all these together that have been named you see how wonderful Christ is in his Kingly Power 1 Hee is high above all King of Kings Lord of Lords 2 Hee is an universal King over all the World a heavenly King over Angels yea over Powers over the Devils themselves 3 It is hee that makes his Subjects not they him 4 His Subjects are for him and not hee for them 5 Hee alone is able to make Laws for his Church 6 Hee hath absolute Sovereignty 7 His Laws do binde conscience 8 Hee rules in the hearts of men 9 Hee hath perfect knowledge of all his Saints and all their conditions 10 Hee is present in all Administrations 11 Hee is the KING of Righteousness and of Peace 12 Hee hath no need of any Instrument to do any thing 13 Hee over-rules all the plots counsels endeavours of his enemies 14 Hee was not onely born to bee a King but hee dyed to bee King 15 Hee is an everlasting King his Kingdome endures from Generation to Generation 16 Hee sits upon his Fathers Throne as equal with him 17 And will certainly subdue all enemies and will put down all Rule and all Power 18. And will put a Crown of glory upon every one of his Subjects This is our King Rejoyce therefore oh Daughter of Zion for thy King cometh Oh did wee but apprehend these things by faith that wee have to do with Christ as such a King certainly our hearts could not bee troubled whatsoever stirs there are in the world whatsoever Kings and Princes do in the world yet when wee look up to this King and by faith make all this real to our souls Oh what matter of infinite joy is it I beseech you do not think that these are notions that I speak unto you those that exercise their faith aright upon Christ they exercise their faith upon him as such a King You say you do beleeve in Jesus Christ In Christ Why what do you mean by Jesus Christ Why you will say hee was the Son of God But what is further Christ that is Anointed Anointed to what to King Priest and Prophet King what kinde of King Here I have presented to you what kinde of King Jesus Christ is Anointed by the Father And thus must you present him before your souls when you exercise your faith upon him Certainly there are few people that know what it is to exercise their faith upon Christ because they never knew Christ to be thus Well might the Psalmist say Psal 97.1 The Lord Reigneth let the earth rejoyce let the multitude of Isles bee glad thereof Oh it is well for us that the Lord Reigneth certainly did not Jesus Christ reign in his Church yea did not hee reign in the world all things would come to confusion presently Were it possible that such a handful as his Church that is a despised company a poor people that lives in the world and is so hated by the world and all the Devils in hell and their instruments which do labour to extirpate them and yet that they should continue certainly it is because the Lord Reigns and so orders aâ—â— things that seems to bee against his Church for the good of his Church otherwise it could not continue in the world Oh let the earth rejoyce because the Lord doth Reign And again in Psal 99.1 mark there what use is made of Christs Kingly power The Lord Reigneth let the people tremble Oh the Lord Reigneth let the people tremble certainly all wicked and ungodly men that are Rebels against this King they have cause to tremble such men as say of Christ Wee will not have this man to reign over us they have cause to tremble for the Lord Christ will overcome them certainly his Garments shall bee dyed in blood and what will become of them when hee shall come to take his Kingdome to himself Moreover Those mine enemies that would not have mee to Reign over them come and bring them and slay them before my face All wicked and ungodly men in their sins they do as if they should say thus wee will not have this man to Reign over us thou who doest cast off Jesus Christ as a King certainly thou canst not expect good from him as a Saviour Christs Priestly Office Now for the second thing and that is the Priestly Office of Jesus Christ Christ is wonderful in that hee is a great High Priest In Heb. 4.14 Christ is there called a Great High Priest Seeing then that wee have a Great High Priest that is passed into the heavens And so in Heb. 7.26 For such an High Priest became us who is holy harmless undefiled separate from sinners and made higher than the Heavens A great High Priest a High Priest made higher than the Heavens this is the High Priest that we have which we are to exercise our faith upon 1 Hee hath a Royal Priest-hood for it is joyned with Kingly Power and therefore Melchisedeck was his type Hee was not after the Order of Aaron but hee was after the Order of Melchisedeck because it is a Royal Priest-hood and so the Saints are called a Royal Priesthood And Melchisedeck is said to bee without Father or Mother the meaning is Hee was not so as hee was a man for hee had Father and Mother beginning and end but in his typical relation hee was so they were concealed to
is as much as in any thing and that is that he doth now exercise it in heaven at the right hand of the Father by his intercession for so the Scripture saith in the eighth of the Hebrews That we have such an high Priest who is set on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens and there he is making intercession As the Priest you know in the time of the Law did exercise his Priestly Office not only by offering Sacrifice but by going into the Holy of Holies and there had the names of the Tribes ingraven upon his brest and so presented them before God and made intercession for all the Tribes Also Christ he is our wonderful High Priest for he having offered himself a Sacrifice to the Justice of his Father hee is gone to Heaven and hath the names of all Beleevers upon his brest upon his heart and there presents them all before his Father and is their Advocate makes intercession for them hee is alwayes holding before the Father all his Sufferings as it were pleading before God the Father for them Why thou art a poor Creature here and art it may be fallen down in thy closet pleading with God for mercy and thou art discouraged for the straitnesse of thy heart and the like but now learn how to make use of thy faith look upon Jesus Christ hee is the object of thy faith I but you must beleeve in Christ as the High Priest that is gone before into Heaven and now is at the right hand of the Father making intercession for thy soul It may bee thou art discouraged because thy prayers are poor and weak I but thy faith must bee exercised upon that God-man who is pleading with God the Father for thee and that by his own merits that are worth more than ten thousand thousand Worlds and except you doe exercise your faith upon Christ as a Priest thus you doe not exercise your faith aright Oh what strangers are most people in the world to the exercising of faith I appeal to you when did you exercise your faith upon Christ as such an High Priest you would see him to be a wonderful Saviour indeed if by the eye of faith you did behold him to be thus Thus he is wonderful in his Priestly Office oh what wonderful things are these if they were made real to us by faith How wonderful would be the comfort and joy of the Saints of God in the exercising of their faith upon this that I doe but now name unto you whereby as wee goe along you may see how farre short you have come from exercising your faith upon Christ as such a Saviour as the Scripture doth present him to you 9 Again his Priestly Office endures for ever hee lives for ever to make intercession the Priests in the Law they dyed but Christ he is a Priest for ever and hee makes intercession himself he hath no Deputy nor no Successors as others had but he himself makes intercession for ever for his people and his Priest-hood is confirmed by an Oath Psal 110.41 The Lord sware the Lord by an Oath confirmed the Priesthood of Christ after the order of Melchisedeck to the end that we might bee the more sure of such a wonderful mercy of God to Mankind that is the reason that he added an Oath to the Priest-hood of Christ because that aymed at higher things than the Priest-hood of Aaron did that was but an external Priest-hood but this ayming at such high things yea that Sacrifice that must bee tendered up to God for a full attonement for the sin of Mankind therefore God confirmed this by an Oath for beleevers when they hear such things those that are weak I but Lord think they are these things so is it possible that God should have such thoughts of Mankind to work so wonderful for mans Salvation therefore saith God I have confirmed this by an oath And then this Priest-hood of Christ is a Priest-hood of a better covenant the other was but after a carnal Commandement and in comparison of this it was but an external covenant for there was certainly a covenant of Works besides that of Grace that God did renew with the people of Israel even when he gave the Law the Ceremonial Law did not only typifie the Covenant of Grace that should bee revealed hereafter more fully but it was annexed to the Covenant of Works as it appears plainly in the Epistle to the Hebrews but yet still I say they had a Covenant of Grace that was coucht darkly in the Ceremonial Law therefore Christ is said to be a Mediator of a better Covenant he comes to deal between God and Man in a better Covenant than was before And then further the Priest-hood of Christ it comes to have more efficacy than that of Aaron had for it prevails to the purging of conscience which that could not doe And it brings the Saints into the Holy of Holies and that with boldnesse and for that you have a most excellent Scripture of the Saints being brought into the Holy of Holies by the Priest-hood of Christ in the tenth to the Hebrews Having therefore boldnesse to enter into the holiest by the bloud of Jesus Heb. 10.19 by the Sacrifice that this our Priest hath offered to the Father we come to enter into the Holiest of all and that with boldnesse It was not so in the time of the Law no but after the High Priest had offered Sacrifice hee alone goes into the Holy of Holies but now mark here not only Christ our High Priest but we may come with boldnesse which none of the people could doe in the Law that is thus there is such an efficacy in the Sacrifice of our High Priest as that every beleever may come though hee hath never so many sins of his own he may come with boldnesse into the Holy of Holies into the most immediate presence of God the Father through the sacrifice of this our Priest that hath made such a way by his Bloud for us to come and enter into the Holy of Holies the People in the time of the Law were to stand at a distance for this Sacrifice was not actually offered but since Christs coming and his actual offering up his Sacrifice now the Saints of God may come with boldnesse into the holy immediate and glorious presence of God that can bee let God appear never so gloriously yet the Saints have liberty and boldnesse to come into the most glorious presence of God and therefore Christ is wonderful in this Priestly Office of his Two or three things more should have been spoken That Christ hath made us Priests unto God wee have the glory of his Priest-hood upon our selves if wee belong unto him Priests that wee may offer up Sacrifice to God now acceptable were it not through the vertue of this Priestly Office of Christ we could not doe it But it is by the Priestly
seek them out and so sometimes it is with the soul when it hath lost its evidences for salvation it may get new in less time and with less charge than to seek out the old It may bee thou lookest to see whether thou hast not been an Hypocrite all this while or formal Suppose upon examination thou canst not finde any thing to satisfie thy soul but that it hath been so yet now what hinders but that thou mayest this instant throw thy soul upon Jesus Christ I but I am afraid that when I have come to Christ I have not come rightly I but perhaps thou mayest come to Christ in that time that thou mayest know whether thou hast come rightly yea or nay But now the best way for those that are mightily troubled and solicitous about evidences whether their estate bee right or no I say let those rather than spend too much time in discouraging of their own hearts begin the work again let such a one present Jesus Christ now as a Saviour for lost man whose grace is infinitely full and infinitely free and there is nothing hinders thee but that thou mayest at this very instant cast thy self upon him to bee thy Saviour both to save thee from sin and from condemnation I but you will say I may presume and who hath right to do any such thing To that I answer that there is nothing can give thee right to Christ but by casting thy soul upon him by beleeving in him that right that wee have to Christ it is by beleeving It is not by any work before beleeving that gives thee right to Jesus Christ So that by this you see what I mean by rasing down the old foundation The next is by laying the new foundation of this great work of thy salvation and bee sure thou lay that sure You will say lay it sure what is it Christ is the foundation No other foundation can bee laid but Christ himself lay it there And then that that is next to Christ the foundation it is the true work of Faith and the true work of Repentance the true work of Faith that is next that is the foundation of what is wrought in our hearts Christ is the foundation first but of any work in our hearts the work of Faith Beleeve and thou shalt bee saved Now then this work of Faith thou must rightly know what it is and the way of thy beleeving and how thou dost receive Jesus Christ in thy beleeving and the power of thy Faith how that is wrought and what the work of it is upon thy heart now thou having laid Christ for thy foundation and understood the mystery of the Gospel then when thou comest to beleeve in this great mystery of the Gospel thou must consider what is it that I am now to beleeve why I am now to beleeve this that the thoughts of God from all eternity were for the good of the children of men and therefore hee hath sent the second Person in Trinity into the world to take mans nature upon him to die an accursed death for the sin of man And for mee in particular the thoughts of God were thus upon me from all eternity to send his son into the world to take my nature upon him and to bee made a curse for my sin to pay a price for my soul and through him when I beleeve I do beleeve all my sin to bee pardoned the infinite holy dreadful God to bee at peace with mee my soul to bee reconciled this wretched sinful soul of mine to bee received into mercy into the love of God as the love of a Father to bee made an Heir of God and Eternal life when thou dost beleeve this is the Object of thy Faith now this is a mighty work a mighty thing to beleeve such things as these are Consider therefore what thou doest when thou sayest thou dost beleeve in Jesus Christ put that to thâ— soul canst thou O my soul close with these things canst thou venture thy soul upon such things as these are and when thou comest to beleeve what dost thou it is not that thou thinkest that these things are true but thou dost in thy beleeving receive Jesus Christ according to the condition of the Gospel that is thy heart doth open to receive into it the King of glory Oh it is Châ—ist that is the foundation of the New Woâ—ld that God is to raise up It is Jesus Christ that brings in all the good and happiness and glory of God to the children of men and it is hee that my heart opens to receive in to imbrace to bee satisfied with all as all the good and happiness I expect and it is Christ that my heart opens too to save mee from my sin as well as from punishment to unite mee to God to bring mee to union with him that I may live for ever to the praise of the great God and it is this Christ that I take into my heart to bee King and Governour and now to rule Sin Satan Temptations Lusts shall not reign as they have done but Christ shall set up his own Government in my soul Now then upon this must needs follow wonderful and glorious effects upon the soul the soul that doth beleeve such high things as these are and doth open it self to receive Christ upon such tearms certainly I say there must needs bee wonderful effects wrought in that soul such things must needs work the soul up to God to live to him in another manner than ever and that is the reason of the Scripture expression 2 Cor. 5.17 Whosoever is in Christ is a New Creature all old things are past away and all things are become new For why the Lord hath revealed new glorious things to such a soul and the Lord therefore now acts and carries on the soul to other manner of objects than ever before it was wont to bee busied about And such a kinde of work of Faith is this that is the foundation of the great work of salvation next to Jesus Christ himself as the old must bee rased down so a new must bee raised up Now when you come to think of salvation that you hope to bee saved you must have recourse to such a kinde of work upon you as this how have I felt the power of the Holy Ghost rasing down old things and how have I felt the power of God even that power by which Jesus Christ was raised from the dead to raise such a foundation as this is And upon this now followes the work of Humiliation and Repentance that is Godly sorrow and so to mourn as to have the heart to bee taken from its former courses and waies and bee set upon the contrary good Now when the soul finds such workings of God upon it as certainly these things cannot bee and no notice at all taken of them when the soul takes notice how God comes in with power upon it and
doe understand more of Christ than many learned men doe you will say Wee never can beleeve it that such poor ignorant people should understand things of religion better than Learned men and great Rabbies Thou speakest ignorantly and carnally thou dost not understand what the Prophetical Office of Jesus Christ doth mean for God the Father hath anoynted Jesus Christ to come to instruct his elect ones in all the mystery of godlinesse and whatsoever he hath heard from the Father hee tells them When God the Father sent Christ into the World he saith Goe your way and this is the charge that I lay upon you that whatsoever you have heard of me from all eternity first or last reveal it to those souls it is a wonderful benefit that the Saints have by this Prophetical Office of Christ and this is spoken to his Disciples not as eminent only but he calls them friends in the fourteenth verse And all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known to you here is the fruit of Christs friendship you are my friends and here is the fruit of my love to you he doth not say I have called you friends therefore I will give you great possessions in the World no but I have called you friends for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known to you for Jesus Christ to make known these blessed things that he hath heard of the Father that are kept from the wise of the world this is the fruit of Christs friendship therefore though Christ doth not give you Possessions in the world though you bee poor and mean yet you may be dear friends to Jesus Christ Q. How shall I know this A. Why if Christ reveals to your souls those great things of eternal life that he hath heard from the Father certainly you are the friends of Jesus Christ oh that wee could exercise our faith in this Prophetical Office of Christ in which he is wonderful when you would exercise faith upon Christ exercise your faith upon him as a Prophet Lord I am weak and dull but Lord thou hast anoynted thine own Son to reveal unto me thy will as much as concerns my everlasting good look upon Jesus Christ as the wonder of the world in all these things in his Kingly Priestly and Prophetical Office and then doe you honour the Son of God as the Son of God when you look thus upon him And then another Scripture wee have in Joh. 17.8 I have given unto them the words which thou gavest mee and they have received them and have known surely that I come out from thee and they have beleeved that thou didst send mee When I was in thy bosome from eternity thou gavest mee such words and diddest put this upon mee that I should reveal thy will to such and such and every particular one was mentioned unto Christ whom such words should bee made known too saith Christ I have done it I have given unto them the words which thou gavest mee and therefore Christ hee is called the Word especially in regard of his Prophetical Office The Word was made Flesh the Word was God Christ comes to rexeal the minde of his Father unto the children of men as by the words of a man the minde and counsels and thoughts of a man come to bee made known so Christ was the Word of God though I say not that this is all the sense from that but there is a higher sense but this is one thing aimed at that by him the counsels of God come to bee made known to the children of men therefore Christ saith That no man knows the Father but the Son and him to whom the Son shall reveal him Hee comes to reveal God to the children of men And that may bee a third particular 3 The wonder of Christs Prophetical Office it is in the great things that hee is sent to reveal in the high things the supernatural things things that are so infinitely above the reach of reason Let a man bee elevated unto the greatest height of reason hee is not able to reach into the mysteries of godliness no as the Apostle saith in a place in the Corinthians before named it must bee the Spirit of God that searches the deep things of God now this is the Spirit of God that is sent from the Father and the Son that searches the deep things of God they are deep high supernatural glorious things that Jesus Christ doth discover Oh there are unsearchable riches the Apostle calls the Gospel Unsearchable riches rich things that have no footsteps at all in the creature wee can never come by any knowledge that wee can have from the creature to understand those things There is nothing written in the book of Nature in the greâ—t book of Gods Creation and Providence not one letter written of the glorious things of the Gospel Now these are the things that Christ is wonderful in to reveal things that are so high and so wonderful and glorious therefore in Luke 4.22 When Christ was performing that Prophetical Office of his the Text saith That all wondered at the gracious words that proceeded out of his mouth as if they should say Oh here are wonderful things indeed these are secret things indeed that wee were not taught they all did wonder at the gracious things that proceeded out of his mouth It is true before Christ was Incarnate there was somewhat of the mystery of the Gospel and our fore-fathers that were saved were saved by the same Gospel but the knowledge of the glorious mysteries of the Gospel were kept hid till that great Prophet should come into the world and that is a special reason why all the time before the Incarnation of Jesus Christ there was so little knowledge God and the way of eternal life was known so little because the Lord would reserve the Revelation of himself and those great Counsels of his Will concerning mans eternal estate hee would reserve them for the great Prophet to come to reveal and when Christ came then broke forth light into the world and as Christ comes to any place so there breaks forth the light of those glorious supernatural things that are above the reach of reason yea such things as Angels could never have understood therefore I remember it is said in one place That those things are made known to Angels by the Gospel the Lord sending his Ministers in his Name to preach those things from Christ that so the Angels come to understand further things in the mystery of the Gospel than they did before therefore they are things above the reach of any mens understanding whatsoever 4 And especially it will make the Prophetical Office of Christ wonderful if wee adde to this a fourth consideration that these things are not revealed to the wisest and the great ones of the world ☞ but to such men and women that ordinarily have the least understanding in the
Pauls Doctrine What will this babler say hee brings us news of a strange God and the like so these are things that people are not acquainted withall and so they cast them off and despise but mark saith the Text Take heed beware lest this come upon you that you shall behold and wonder and despise and perish too for I work a work in your daies a work which you shall in no wise beleeve though a man declare it unto you there shall bee the great Counsels of God revealed in your daies and in your Congregations there shall bee revealed those Counsels of God whereby God intends to save many souls and here and there God will make known these things to save poor souls but you in the mean time being conceited of your own understandings or your own Civil Righteousness that you are not so bad as others and that you are in a good case and in a good condition all this while and upon a conceit you hear and wonder and despise but you shall perish and shall never come to beleeve those great things that God in your daies shall reveal for the salvation of the souls of others and this is a most dreadful curse that is upon the hearts of many men and women that hear the great things of the Gospel as it is said in the second of the Acts that they spake the wonderful things of God and yet there was some that did but mock this is the condition of some that their spirits secretly despise and contemn those things that they should adore such things as upon the hearing they should even fall down upon their faces and adore God in the beholding of them and yet I say slighting of them and resting to their own waies and conceits here is the curse of God upon their hearts that though they hear them yet they shall not beleeve them I work a work in your daies a work that you shaâ—l in no wise beleeve though a man declare it unto you saith the Holy Ghost this Scripture is very much fulfilled in Congregations where the Gospel comes to bee preached Thirdly But further in the third place If Jesus Christ bee so great a wonder certainly then the misery of mankind is very great it follows from hence if there bee such need of so wonderful a Redeemer Oh the dreadful breach that sin hath made between God and man that required such a wonderful work of God to make it up this is that that God would have you have a right understanding of and have serious thoughts about it God would not have sinful wretched man to think the breach between God and him is a light matter a little thing No when the Lord hath sent his Son into the world and hath declared him to bee thus wonderful when the Lord shews what a wonderful glorious work of his there is in his Son for the saving of mankind hee thereby doth declare unto you and would have you know it that the breach that your sin hath made between God and your own souls it is a wonderful breach certainly were the Misery of man no other but such as the power of Angels as the power of any meer creature could help out of Jesus Christ had never come into the world there had never been such a wonderful work of God to redeem man But now when you hear that the way of God to redeem man is so wonderful you have cause to lay your hands upon your hearts and say Oh the depth of misery that my soul is fallen into Oh the desperate disease of my soul that must have such a wonderful cure Oh that ever the great and infinite God should work so wonderfully for the salvation of such a poor wretched creature as sinful man is My Brethren wee do not sanctifie the Name of God in the great thing that God would bee sanctified in except wee have right apprehensions of the dreadful breach our sin hath made between the Lord and our own souls that so wee might have right apprehensions of this wonderful work that God hath done for the salvation of man-kind this is the reason why God so many times doth bring sinful creatures into so great straights into the very gulf of despair oftentimes before hee reveals the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ unto them It is I say because the Lord would have his name sanctified in this wonderful work of redemption by Jesus Christ that the sinner might bee prepared to stand and admire at the wonderful glory of God in Jesus Christ And there is nothing in the world that God looks so much for as this to be sanctified in these wonderful things that hee hath done for man-kind in Christ and if wee have but slight thoughts of the breach that our sin hath made certainly wee cannot but have slight thoughts likewise of the work that God hath done to deliver us from our sin Thou thinkest thy sin to bee a light matter but know that when thou hast sinned against God there must bee the most wonderful work of God to reconcile thee to himself that ever God did from all eternity or will do to all eternity this is the greatest wonder his sending of Jesus Christ into the world know therefore the depth of thy misery by this if God should have devised as it were from all eternity how to have manifested the wonderful misery of man-kind no greater could bee found than this wonderful work of his in the redemption of man-kind This is a third And then Fourthly Is Jesus Christ the great wonder of the world hence then all Beleevers have exceeding cause of rejoycing in the hearing of what Christ is what a wonderful Saviour they have Let the children of Zion rejoyce in their King Rejoyce in this First That God hath so honoured you as that hee hath wrought so wonderfully for your salvation certainly as thy redemption is so art thou that is there is some reflection of the glory of thy Redeemer upon thee how hath Goâ— honoured thee before his Angels and how honourable shalt thou bee hereafter when it shall appear to all the world that the Infinite God did so gloriously work for the saving of thy soul God looks upon all the Kings of the Earth as worms Yea all the Nations of the earth as the drop of the bucket and the dust of the ballance as nothing less than nothing You see how meanly God values all the Nations of the Earth But when hee speaks of his Son that is thy Redeemer His Name shall bee called wonderful saith hee hee is wonderful in the eyes of God the Father thou that hast such a wonderful Redeemer as this is certainly thy condition must needs bee comfortable But Secondly The main comfort that Beleevers may have from this glory of Christ as hath been opened to you is this that hereby they may see Jesus Christ as a full object for their souls to rest upon whatever their condition bee thou hast
precious souls they have ever more beat down their bodies and kept them low You know Paul that was one of the most precious spirited men that ever lived upon the face of the earth yet saith hee I beat down my body I beat it black and blew lest after I have preached to others I my self become a Reprobate hee did not think his happiness to consist in pampering his body no but hee beat it down and therein hee shewed his love to his soul in that hee made his soul to bee Emperess as it were It is the speech of a learned man upon those words Subdue the earth that is thy body and all earthly things to that spiritual part of thine thy soul If one should tell you what the ancient Martyrs and worthy Instruments of God that were precious men in their time how hardly they used their bodies it would hardly bee beleeved by you but this is certain there was never any that knew the true worth of their souls but they made them the Emperesses of their bodies Ambrose said of Valentinian No man was ever such a servant to his Master as Valentinians body was to his soul Bring your bodies down and therein you will shew the greatest love unto your souls 3. And further Adorn your souls labour to put comeliness and beauty upon them as much as you can and therein you will shew love and respect to them Adorn them with those graces that may make them amiable and lovely in the eyes of God himself in 1 Pet. 5.5 Bee cloathed with humility Those that understand the Greek language know it to bee a word that signifies a dress that Gentlewomen use to have upon their heads with ribands such as they did use to wear in those dayes and so they thought themselves very comely and the Apostle alludes to those kinde of dresses Oh humility is the finest dress for a woman in the world and so for men too The finest cloaths that you can put upon you is the cloaths of humility and so any grace of Gods Spirit it is the cloathing of the soul Oh therefore shew your love unto your souls by labouring to deck and adorn them with such cloathing as this is 4. And shew your love to your souls by providing for them while God affords means labour to understand the want of your souls and bee willing to bee at any charge and cost for the good of them If your head ake or you have any little pain in any of your members how do you seek out and are willing to bee at a great deal of charge that you may have ease for your bodies now seek out for your souls the one is a sign that you love your bodies well and the other will bee a sign that you love your souls as well 5. And then shew love to your souls in the excellency of them in things that are suitable to them in conversing with God and Jesus Christ with the mysteries of the Gospel and with heavenly things 6. Shew your love to them in labouring to bring them to the attaining of that end that they were made for the uttermost happiness that they are capable of then indeed you shew true love to your souls when as your care is to bring them to the attainment of that end that God made them for Certainly when God made a creature of so much excellency hee did intend a glorious end for it And let this now bee your great care and manifest your love to your souls I say in this by labouring to attain the end that God made them for But this shall suffice for the first point of the preciousness and excellency of our souls Wee come now to the second and that is the main Point indeed in the Text that is That the loss of this soul is a most dreadful loss Doct 2 Skin for skin yea all that a man hath will hee give for his life Even the Devil himself could say so The loss of bodily life wee account a great evil and therefore the Scripture calls Death by the name of the King of Terrours and is it so great an evil to lose a bodily life to have the soul and body but separated Is the face of a bodily death so gastly Oh how great an evil and how gastly is the face of the eternal death and the loss of the immortal soul This Point my brethren is a Point of exceeding great concernment to understand wee shall therefore First Inquire what wee mean by the loss of the soul or when may the soul bee said to bee lost The second thing Wherein doth the dreadfulness of the loss of the soul consist And then thirdly I shall discover to you some aggravations of the evil of the loss of the soul Fourthly And then wee shall come to apply all together For the first then What doth Christ mean when hee saith What profiteth it a man if hee gain the whole world and lose his soul First You are to know this That wee are not said to lose our souls because they shall bee annihilated and cease to bee the ceasing of the soul to bee that is not the loss of the soul the ceasing indeed of our bodily lives is the loss of our lives but it is not so with the soul for the soul of no man or woman shall bee lost so Yea and this would not bee the greatest loss for the soul to cease to bee There are two degrees of evil that are beyond the evil of ceasing to bee to bee miserable to bee in pain and torture is worse than not to bee and to bee sinful is worse than to bee in pain and therefore the ceasing to bee is not the greatest evil What is the loss of the soul then First The loss of the soul it is first in the privation of it of all the good and excellency that the soul is capable of the privation of the true good that the soul was made for Secondly It consists in its departing and wandring from God As a sheep is said to bee a lost sheep that wanders up and down in the wilderness so that is a lost soul that wanders away from God the fountain of all good Thirdly It consists in the subjecting of it to that misery and evil that is contrary to what good it is capable of And then fourthly and lastly in the succourless and helpless condition that it is brought into wee use the phrase of Lost to all these things when a man hath lost his estate wee account such a man as a lost man and when a man is brought into a great deal of misery that heretofore was in a great deal of happiness wee account such a man to bee a lost man but especially when a man is succourless and helpless when hee hath no way to help and relieve himself then hee is a lost man indeed And according to the degrees of these four things then a soul may bee said to
a surfeit of good meat though the meat bee good yet hee may surfeit upon it so though the things of this world the cares and the pleasures may bee as some things are in themselves lawful yet by an inordinate and immoderate letting out thy heart to lawful things thou mayest surfeit thy soul and it may die of that surfeit Many men think themselves out of danger if the things that their hearts are upon bee in themselves lawful they are not swearers and whoremasters and drunkards and theeves as others are and therefore they think their souls may bee saved I say thou mayest busie thy heart onely about that which is in its self lawful and yet thy soul may take a surfeit and perish eternally Tenthly and lastly Many lose their souls by forfeiting them and that by these two waies First A man forfeits his soul as men do their Coppy-holds by not tendering that homage to their Lord that is due by which they hold their Lands and so their Lands come to bee forfeit so dost thou God hath given thee thy precious soul more worth than all the world and thou holdest it of God but so as thou must tender up to this Lord that homage that is due to him that is thou must worship God When wee come to worship God this is that wee do wee come to tender up that homage that wee acknowledge to bee due to God for these souls of ours that hee hath given unto us that is our worship that is the nature of worship The tendering up something by way of homage to acknowledge that due respect wee owe unto God as that Lord that hath the absolute dispose of us now by neglect of worshipping of God of tendering up his homage thou forfeitest thy soul and indangerest thy self to perish eternally and oh how few people regard any such worship of God! and though they do the thing that God requires as praying and coming to hear the Word yet do they not do it as in a way of tendering up homage to that God upon whom they do onely depend but now this is that which God requires of us or otherwise our souls are forfeited Secondly Men forfeit their souls by breaking covenant with God however there may bee some that God will not take the forfeiture of yet certainly upon thy breach of covenant with God thy soul is forfeited Thou dost ingage thy soul to God every time thou dost enter into covenant with him It may bee said of any man or woman that enters into covenant with God who is this that hath ingaged his soul to God now thou ingaging and binding thy soul to God in thy covenant upon thy breach of it dealing falsely thou dost forfeit thy soul And by these several waies souls are lost and oh how many thousand souls perish with such waies and manners as these are and therefore seeing there are such several waies of the loss of souls let not people think themselves safe though they do not go in some waies whereby they may come to lose their souls for there are very many waies whereby thou mayest lose thy soul and so miscarry to eternity Use The other Use that remains is this If the loss of our souls bee so dreadful a thing and there bee so many waies for the losing of them then it concerns us neerly to examine whether wee bee not in such a condition for the present that if our souls should depart out of our bodies they would certainly bee lost this is a needful scrutiny and a most necessary inquiry Many men have these thoughts what if I should now die I have not made my Will and my estate would go such and such waies as I would not have it it would bee squandered away it would bee spent in Sutes of Law I but rather let thy thoughts run out thus what if I should now die would not my soul bee lost and perish for ever Now though I have said wee cannot set forth such a man or woman and conclude that their souls shall certainly bee lost because wee know not what God may do hereafter but wee may say this that such a man or womans soul in the condition it is If God do no more for it than hee hath yet done that then it will certainly bee lost Indeed a man or woman may come to know and certainly to conclude that they are elected but none can come to such a conclusion to know certainly that they are Reprobates the vilest wretch that is upon the face of the earth hee hath not ground sufficient to conclude against himself that hee is a Reprobate and that his soul shall for ever bee lost and therefore surely wee cannot conclude against another if not against our selves Well but who are they that if God should work no otherwise upon them than hee hath done that then their souls would bee lost First In the first place That soul to whom God hath not made known and convinc'd it of the dangerous natural condition in which it is if such a soul should depart from the body it would bee lost Onely let mee premise these two cautions I do not speak of Infants but of those that are come to years and that live under means And I speak of Gods ordinary way wee will not limit God what hee may do in extraordinary waies but in an ordinary course and way of Gods dealings with the children of men that hee lets live to come to years and bee under means these following rules will discover who they are that at the present are in a lost condition I say such to whom God hath never revealed and convinced them of the evil of their natural condition in which they were born in which they are if God should let them so die and make known no more to them than hee hath such a soul would bee lost and that upon this ground because that without Faith it must bee lost that is acknowledged by all hee that beleeves not shall bee damned is condemned already Now there cannot bee Faith in a Saviour to save the soul but it must needs imply that I know what a dangerous condition I am in by sin For there is even a contradiction implied in my beleeving in Christ as a Saviour and yet I not convinced of the damnable condition that I am in without this Christ Secondly That soul that yet hath not made it to bee its great care above all outward things in this world to save its self that soul if it should now depart from the body would bee lost I say if God hath not first convinc'd thee and made thee sensible of that damnable condition in which thou art in thy self and secondly if hee hath not taken off thy heart from the creature from the things that are here below and made it to bee the great care of thy soul for to get it to bee saved hath not made thee to bee solicitous about the work of saving of
by which you come to bee a new Creature certainly you perish till this bee wrought in your hearts by the power of the Spirit you are in a perishing condition there is nothing more plain than this in Scripture You know what Christ saith to Nicodemus Verily verily I say unto you except a man bee born again John 3.3 hee cannot see the Kingdome of God Therefore it is not enough that it may bee thou livest somewhat better than heretofore thou hast done It may bee when thou wert a young man thou wert wanton or unclean and prophane and abroad in the fields and in wicked houses on the Lords day I but now thou hast more wisdome and understanding and now thou dost not so this is well and good and this is to bee encouraged I but what is this to such a mighty change as to bee born again If so bee that your bodies had no other kind of soul than that that is of sence and afterwards a rational soul should bee put into it what a mighty change would there bee in that body before they could onely see and hear and feel but now having a rational soul they can understand understand reason understand the waies of men this is a mighty change and truly there is as mighty a change when God puts a new life into the soul and doth regenerate it making it partaker of the divine Nature and even to come to live the life of God according as the Scripture phrase is Now this must bee in every soul that must bee saved and if the time bee not come that this regeneration is wrought then certainly thy soul is yet in a perishing condition God knows onely what hee doth intend to do hereafter but for the present thy soul I say is in a perishing condition The first work that God made that is the work of Creation by sin was quite spoiled Now Jesus Christ the Son of God that is his honour and his work to rear up a new world and that is a better world a great deal than the former world was and the special creatures of this world they are his Saints and the new Creation in their hearts now this is the condition of a converted soul it is made a new Creature All old things are done away 2 Cor. 5.17 Thou that livest in thine old waies and art altogether for thine old customes and what shalt thou do contrary now to what thy Fore-fathers did and thou thy self hast done all thy life time and the like oh this is a dangerous kind of reasoning why thou must bee a new Creature and all things are to become new in thy soul thou must know that the Old Man is dead in thee and that the New Creature is reared up in thee or else thou canst not know that if thy soul should this night depart but that thou shouldest bee an undone Creature for ever Yea Shall I yet say further because it is a point of a wonderful consequence for men and vvomen to put themselves to it I fear that there is many men and vvomen here that yet all their lives time have not put this question to themselves What are the tearms betvveen God and mee vvhy I hope that God vvill vvork grace in mee I but vvhat hath God done is it so vvrought at this present that if I were this moment to die I were in a safe condition and the hazard of my miscarrying to all eternity were over A man may joyfully go thorow all conditions in this world if hee were able to say well vvhatever befall mee in this world yet my condition is such that I know the hazard of my miscarrying for ever blessed bee God that is over Oh that people would but put this question to themselves In what estate am I now it if I were to die this instant Ninthly Wherefore then another thing is this That soul that yet hath not gone beyond those that the Scripture doth brand and note for Hypocrites or Reprobates if thou hast yet no more wrought in thee than the Scripture shews that they had then certainly if thou shouldest now die thou must needs perish As now the Scripture holds forth these examples Pharaoh confessing his sins The Lord is Righteous saith Pharaoh and I have sinned Saul I have sinned against the Lord. Ahab Hee humbled himself in sackcloath and went softly when the Prophet threatned Gods anger against him The Scripture tells you of the stony-ground which received the Word with joy Of Herod That hee heard John Baptist gladly and reformed many things Of Judas Hee came and acknowledged his sin and brought again the thirty peeces that hee had gotten by it and cast it down yet these of which the Scripture thus speaks all of their souls were lost for ever and yet I say they went thus far Now it concerns us very nearly to look to our selves and not to think wee are safe upon every sleight apprehension if the Scripture holds forth such examples that went thus far and yet vvere lost vvee had need bee careful to examine our state To vvhat end do you think doth God set dovvn these examples of vvicked men vvhose souls vvere lost and shevv you hovv much good they did certainly this vvas Gods end that men and vvomen might not flatter themselves vvith every little good thing that they do but that they should bee ferious and very solicitous in the examination of the estate of their souls hovv the terms are betvveen God and them this vvas Gods end in it and this being Gods end vvee are to make the use of it that God did aim at in holding forth these things in his Word unto us Oh therefore do not satisfie your selves vvith a little do not say if I should novv die this night and no further vvork vvrought yet I hope the vvork is so far wrought that my soul will not bee lost The Seventh SERMON ON The Excellency of the Soul Matthew 16.26 For what is a man profited if hee shall gain the whole world and lose his own soul Quest BUt you slay wee must go further How shall a man know that hee is gone further than those whose souls are lost Answ To that I vvould briefly ansvver thus Canst thou say vvith David Lord thy Word is pure therefore doth thy servant love it I beleeve not one of these could say so Lord God Thy Word is a pure Word I see a holiness and beauty in thy Word and therefore my soul doth close vvith it because it is pure this is further than any of them vvent David could say so Saul could not nor Ahab could not nor Herod could not the stony-ground and Herod rejoyced in it but it vvas not from the purity of it that they did rejoyce for then they vvould have rejoyced in all the Word of God every part of Gods Word being pure and holy Secondly They could not say thus That they did prize Jesus Christ for a Sanctifier as
beleeves that now surely the Lord intends salvation to mee the Lord hath laid such a ground-work upon my soul as I dare venture all upon it and now I have cause to hope that the hazard of miscarrying to all eternity is over O this is that that is the joy of the Holy Ghost joy unspeakable and glorious when the soul upon good grounds can have hopes that the hazard of its miscarrying to all eternity is over now My soul return unto thy rest Psal 16.7 saith such a one so that that is the next thing the rasing down of the old and raising up the new foundation Ninthly If thou wouldest have thy soul saved thou must keep thy soul under the authority of the Word and maintain the authority of the Word and the authority of conscience over thee this is the way if thou meanest to go in Gods way for salvation First For the Word The soul that God intends to save hee doth reveal unto it a dreadful authority that there is in this Book of God this is that word saith God to the soul wherein I have revealed my mind to the children of men Those counsels of my will that concern the eternal good of the children of men are in this book and all your souls are to be cast by this book by this word for eternity Now this being revealed to the soul the soul stands in awe of this word and trembles at this word fears the authority of it looks upon every threatning in the Word every command in the Word every promise in the Word as having a divine authority stampt upon it sees the broad Seal of Heaven stampt upon every thing in this Book and dares not wilfully transgress against any thing in the Word and so continues in keeping its self under the dreadful authority of the Word and that soul is in a good forwardness to bee saved that is kept under the dreadful authority of Gods Word in the constant course of it Now I appeal to you you would fain have your souls saved but can you say thus Indeed I have many sins yet God knows that knows all things that my soul it is kept under the dreadful authority of his Word continually and this I labour to do more and more and I am willing it should bee so I am not willing to have the authority of Gods Word cast off but I am gâ—ad that ever God did discover to mee the dreadful authority that there is in his Word Secondly And then the next thing is the authority of conscience if conscience have any enlightening it is that that will discover very much of the mind of God unto thee there is nothing will discover Gods mind more unto the heart of a man or woman than an enlightened conscience and it will discover it with power a Minister speaks and his words many times vanish in the Air but when conscience comes to discover Gods mind it comes with power and speaks particularly to this soul and the other soul and conscience when it hath light will bee pleading of Gods cause and admonishing and plucking the soul out of the waies of death and perdition and it will not easily bee put off you may easily put off the counsels of such and such friends but conscience will not easily bee put off it will come with such majesty upon the heart of a sinner that there is no gain-saying of it conscience will not regard the vain shifts that people have but still comes in a commanding power Oh keep the authority of conscience many men and women because they cannot go on freely in the waies of sin where conscience and the word have much authority over them therefore they seek to cast off the authority of the word and conscience but know this for a truth that that soul that hath cast off the authority of the word and conscience is going apace to Hell is going apace to destruction All the while the word and conscience kept thee under thou wert in some forwardness towards the way of life but if thou hast once cast off that then Oh how doth the soul grow hardened in sin how easily are the truths of God rejected and then it goes with greediness to satisfie the lusts of the flesh and ten thousand to one but such a soul perishes eternally Oh if there bee ever a soul in this place that had the authority of Gods word and conscience to bee over them with power and now through the violence of their lusts have cast it off Oh let such a one take notice of what is said unto them in the Name of God Oh thy soul is going apace to destruction But as for you that begin to feel any authority of the word or of conscience upon you Oh keep it for this it is that will carry and guide thee in the way that will bring to life at the last Tenthly If thou wouldest have thy soul bee saved take heed of sinning against the price of thy soul against the blood of the covenant and against mercy take heed of these three things take heed of sinning against Jesus Christ that paid the price against the Gospel that revealed the price of thy soul Oh take heed above all things of turning the grace of God into wantonness let not the free grace of God revealed in Jesus Christ bee turned to bee a means to harden thy soul in sin to think thou mayest take the more liberty to have the satisfaction of the lusts of the flesh why because Jesus Christ came to save sinners let mee say to thee as Peter to Simon Magus Oh Pray if it bee possible that the thoughts of thy heart may be forgiven thee If thou hast ever had such reasonings in thy heart why Jesus Christ came to save sinners and the grace of the Gospel that is free and full enough to save souls though they bee never such great sinners and upon that thou hast taken more liberty Oh thou hadst need fall down before the Lord and cry If it bee possible that such a thought of thy heart might bee forgiven thee if you look into the Epistle of Jude you shall finde a dreadful passage against such as turn the grace of God into wantonness it is made a sign of a Reprobate and it is as black a brand of a Reprobate as any one to turn the grace of God and especially that grace of God that is in the price that is paid for souls to turn that into wantonness is the most dreadful hinderance of saving of a soul that possibly can bee Oh take heed of sinning against Jesus Christ the great Saviour of souls but honour Jesus Christ all the waies you can would you fain have your souls saved Christ is the great Saviour of souls and you had need honour him Kiss the Son lest hee bee angry and love him Psal 2 1â— you had need love his ordinances and all his members and all his people you had need
knows my Name the Lord haâ—h a hath account of those that know his Name As for those ignorant creatures let them bee what they will in regard of outward things yet if they bee ignorant of God they are vile and low and base in Gods esteem but take a soul that knows Gods Name the Lord will set him on high such a one is high in the very thoughts of God and the Lord doth take pleasure to make such a soul to bee high Paul in Phil. 3.8 did account all things dung and dross for what for the excellency of the knowledge of Jesus Christ For indeed in the knowledge of Christ God is known and if you would study the knowledge of God it must bee in Christ you can never know God but in Christ Matth. 11.27 saith Christ there No man knows the Father but the Son and him to whom the Son shall reveal him It must bee Christ that must reveal the glory of God to our souls or else wee can never come to know him savingly Use 6 Sixthly If God bee thus excellent above all and his glory thus above the earth and heavens hence we are taught to labour to keep the sense of the infinite distance that there is between God and his creatures alwayes in our hearts And this is a point of marvellous consequence the sense of the distance between God and us If God bee infinitely above the creature then God expects that wee that profess any knowledge of him that wee should evermore have our thoughts upon Gods excellency raised in a kinde of infiniteness above what wee think of the excellency of any creature and our hearts then should work after God in a kinde of infiniteness more than ever they did work after any creature as there is an infinite disproportion between the excellency of God and the excellency that there is in any creature I beseech you observe what I am speaking for it is of marvellous use to help us to sanctifie God in all our wayes as there is an infinite distance between the excellency of God and of all creatures so there ought to bee in a kinde an infinite distance between what our hearts are in the working after God and the working after the creature otherwise wee lift not up Gods Name in his excellency and glory And indeed a gracious heart will make it so and in this I conceive the very work of grace consists in that it is such a principle in the soul of a man or woman that is converted that though such a one bee a finite creature yet it hath a kinde of infiniteness in the working of it after God You will say Infinite how can that bee True I confess properly it cannot bee infinite but thus it is infinite in its kinde that is such a creature hath such a principle as it would fain if it were possible work infinitely after God And Further This principle of grace doth cause this in the heart that it will never limit its self in any working after God and therefore hath a kinde of Infinitenesse and here is the difference between one that hath true grace and the most glorious hypocrite in the world An hypocrite hee will ever bee bounding his working after God and think thus much is enough what need any more If I do thus and thus why I may do well and go to heaven at last and so doth bound himself But now where there is the least dram of true grace though there bee many weaknesses in the soul yet such a soul doth never bound its seâ—f in working after God I indeed heretofore have â—et out my heart to the creature but now I would fain if I could let out my heart infinitely after God Why For I see an infinite distance between the good there is in the creature and the good there is in God certainly where this is there is grace and this one note were enough to discern the truth of grace in the heart If the sight of God have wrought this that whereas heretofore thy heart hath been let out after such and such creature-comforts now thou dost desire if it were possible to let out thy heart infinitely after God here is the work of grace and in this thou goest beyond any hypocrite Oh keep this constant in thy soul this is the especial sanctifying of Gods Name in all our wayes when wee see that God gives us leave to let out our hearts towards the creature in some measure then there is a great deal of danger that wee should have our hearts stick in the creature and that we should not have that disproportion in the letting out of our hearts to the creature and to God as ought to bee And this is the ground of all Idolatry in the world when men have seen some excellency in the creature they have been taken with it and there have stuck and have not been carried from the creature to God And that is Heathens Idolatry when they see an excellency in the Sun they think that is God So Christians Idolatry may bee in this If there bee any creature-comfort that thy heart closes withall and there thou dost stick and thy heart is not carried to God yea is not carried to God in such a disproportion as there is between him and the creature I say so far as thou wantest that that thou art capable of in this kinde so far thou art guilty of Idolatry Oh that this one note might stick upon us There is none like unto thee O Lord Canst thou say this out of the uprightness of thy soul as in the presence of God Lord thou that knowest all things knowest that though I have a vile heart that is let out after the creatures more than it ought to bee yet Lord thou knowest that my heart is let out after nothing so much as after thee that would bee a good argument of a gracious work of God upon thee Surely if none bee like unto the Lord then our hearts should bee after nothing so as after the Lord Wee must not content our selves with a little love to God Is there such a disproportion between thy love to the creature and thy love to God as there is between God and the creature Thou sayest thou lovest God I but it may bee thou lovest the creature as well Doest thou think that this will satisfie God When thou hearest that Gods Name alone is excellent God expects that thy love to hâ—m should bee in a kinde infinite above that love of thine to any creature else And there is this one thing further with which I will conclude Use 7 Surely if Gods Name alone bee excellent then in a proportion Gods people alone are the excellent people upon the earth According as a mans God is so is hee as you know men conceive their excellency to bee according to the excellency of him whom they serve according as a mans God is I say so is hee Now if God alone
7.14 For a Virgin shall conceive a Son it is such a thing as never was done before since the world began nor never shall bee done again the ordinary manner of the generation of man was here stopt when Christ came to bee born saith God I will have a new way of generation for indeed there was a great Lord to bee born into the world a great Prince and hee must bee born after another way different from the ordinary way of Mankinde in a wonderful way the Holy Ghost being the cause of the conception and so brought forth by a Virgin You will say Why was this Here indeed consists the wonder that wee are to sanctifie Gods Name in not onely to know that it was after such a way and not as Adam was hee was made man but hee must bee made man in such a marvellous way You will say why could not Christ come into the world after the ordinary manner of generation You will answer to your selves God would have it so but there is something of Gods minde that he would have you know why hee would have it so If Christ had been made man after the ordinary manner of generation he could not have been made free from Adams sin from original corruption for the Law did lye upon Adam his Posterity against all that should come from him in the ordinary way of generation therefore if Christ now should have come from him in the ordinary way if hee had been of the seed of Adam then hee must have been under the Covenant that Adam was for it was to all his posterity Adam was to stand as a publick person unto his posterity and in him wee were to stand or fall Now whether there might have been any other way or no for Christ to have been freed from it wee will not stand to dispute But now Christ was freed from the Covenant so as hee was not now under original guilt under original corruption because hee was conceived by the Holy Ghost hee was conceived not after the ordinary way of men whereas you are to know that all your children coming into the world after the ordinary way of generation coming from man by man the first minute that their souls and bodies are together that the childe is alive in the womb it comes under the guilt of Adams transgression and comes to bee originally corrupted presently full of sin and corruption but it was not so in Christ and this is the wonder of Christs Generation that hee was conceived by the Holy Ghost and born of a Virgin and so free from all kinde of original sin had there been the least sin upon Christ hee could never have been a Saviour for thee nor any therefore Christ must come into the world in such a way as there must bee no sin upon him at all and this is the reason why hee was born of a Virgin and not after the ordinary course of Mankinde and therefore his Name may well bee called Wonderful from the wonderful manner of his Incarnation Christ wonderful in his Works In the fourth place Christ is wonderful in the wonderful Works that hee came about into the world the work that Christ came into the world about is the greatest and the most wonderful Work that ever was undertaken since the world began or can possibly bee undertaken Why what was the Work that Christ came into the world about It was first to stand between God the angry God What the work was that Christ came into the world about God provoked with mans sin and sinful man It was to bee a Mediator between God and his creature it was to reconcile God and man together that had sinned against him and was turned enemy to him the Work that Christ came to do it was to make up all the wrongs that sin had done that sin had brought to God Christ came to make up the vast infinite breach that there was made between God and man so to procure Reconciliation for man as to make God amends for all the sin that had been committed here is the work that Christ undertook hee undertook to pacifie the wrath of God his Father in such a way as that it should be let out upon him and hee would bear what ever fruits of Gods wrath was due to the sin of man hee came I say into the world for to reconcile God and man to make up all the breach and to make restitution of all things not onely to make up the breach that was made between God and man by mans sin but to make up the restitution of all things whereas by mans sin all the works of God in this world had almost been frustrated and had mans sin gone on God had not had the glory that hee made the world for now Christ hee comes into the world to make up all again that his Father might have full glory from all his Works Yea the great Work that hee came into the world about was that hee might bring this to pass that God his Father should have further glory now from his work than ever hee should have had if so bee there had never been any breach made here is the great work that Christ came into the world about Christ beholding that through mans sin all things were even brought to a confusion Mans sin had plundered all the world as it were plundered the Works of God and had brought all to darkness and misery and confusion now Christ comes into the world to make all perfect again and to raise up to God a Name of praise and glory higher than ever hee should have had if there never had been any sin committed against him now was not this a wonderful work that Christ came into the world about wee speak much of Christ and that hee came into the world but what came hee for Oh learn to sanctifie Gods Name in this to look upon Christ whose Name is Wonderful in regard not onely of what hee was in himself but of what hee came about the great and wonderful work that hee came into the world for and did accomplish and certainly did wee apprehend Christ thus and look upon Christ as having such a Name as this is Wonderful and know that upon this ground hee is called Wonderful it would teach us to adore him to honour him to magnifie him and to have high thoughts of him it would bee a mighty means to draw our hearts to beleeve in him the very setting of Christ as hee is in himself before the soul as the full object of faith hath a mighty power to draw faith out as the setting of a temptation before a man hath a power to draw corruptions so the setting of Christ in his glory and excellency in what hee is and what hee came into the world for I say it hath a mighty power to draw forth faith not onely to draw forth faith where faith was before but it hath a power to
cause faith in the soul Christ is not onely an object for us to work upon when wee have a faculty but such an object as being set before the soul hath a quickning power to cause life therefore we cannot say why should Jesus Christ bee preached to a company of people as are dead in sins I Christ indeed is a glorious object But they must have somewhat to work upon Christ Wee must not say so for Christ is not onely an object for the soul to work upon when it hath an eye to see but such an object as the very setting of it before the soul hath a quicking power to work life in the soul to cause an eye to see him and to cause the heart to make after him though it was never so dead before And it should bee the work of Ministerâ— to set Jesus Christ before the hearts of people before their eyes continually and though it may bee there comes nothing of it this time I but try it again and though nothing comes of it the other time but they passe all lightly by and little regard the glory of God that appears in Jesus Christ yet hee is to bee set before them again and again who knows when the quickning power and life may come from Christ Now this is the scope of the setting Christ thus before you This day I have endeavoured to set him but a little before you in the opening this Title of his Let this bee the Use of it Oh when you go home go and meditate of what hath been said and labour when you are before God which is the time for the exercising of your faith upon Christ Labour to set Jesus Christ before your eyes and look upon him as the great Wonder of the World and never leave meditating until you finde your heart come to this to admire at the Glory of God in Jesus Christ If ever your hearts were taken with admiration at any thing in the World Oh let them bee taken up with the admiration of Jesus Christ this may confidently bee concluded upon that that Soul that â—eâ—â—r found its self taken with admiring of the Glory of God in Christ did never know what Christ meant for Christ is such a kinde of Saviour that if God do propound Christ to the Soul in any measure it is impossible but that the heart must bee taken with him There is a Saviour sent into the World hee that is the Object of my faith and by him my Soul shall bee saved Now the first work of the heart is for to think this is too good to bee true do not therefore think that you must bee onely saved by Jesus Christ but know what manner of Saviour it is it s hee whose Name is Wonderful The Second SERMON ON The Excellency of Christ Isaiah 9.6 And his Name shall bee called Wonderful Christ Wonderful in his Offices CHrist further is the Wonder of the World in his Offices In his Natures In his Person In the manner of his Incarnation In the end why hee was sent hither And in his Offices in his Anointment as hee was Christ Christ signifies the Anointed of God and is all one with the Messias that that was the Messias in the Old Testament is Christ in the New The word signifies Anointed And Christ is the Anointed of the Father Anointed to those three great Offices King Priest and Prophet Great in all these three Offices never any man in the world had them all before I say never man in the world was Anointed to these three together but onely Christ Wee read in Scripture of a King and Priest so Melchisedeck was wee read in Scripture of a King and a Prophet and so David was wee read in Scripture of a Prophet and a Priest so Jeremiah was but of King Priest and Prophet together anointed by God wee read of none but Jesus Christ onely Among the Egyptians they were wont out of their Philosophers their wise men to choose their Priests and out of their Priests to choose their Kings and so whosoever was a King to them was eminent first in wisdome being a Philosopher able to teach and eminent in his Priestly office and then eminent in his power that hee might bee honoured by all people as having those threefold eminencies that was accounted the greatest eminency in the world for those were the three great eminencies the eminency of wisdome to teach and of Priesthood and of Kingly power Now Jesus Christ hee was wonderful in all these now that is the thing that I aim at to shew in every particular of these Offices of Christ how wonderful hee was and then though but briefly I shall set the beauty and excellency of Christ in his three Offices before you and that shall bee all that I intend to do at this time and shall but bee very brief in them too For I told you in the opening of the Excellency of God I did not intend to stand to open every particular Attribute at large but onely to set the Excellency of God before you briefly so of Christ The Kingly Office of Christ Now for these Offices of Christ his Kingly Office first Christ is King and wonderful in this Office of his for you cannot understand Christ your Saviour aright except you understand him as before in his Natures in his Personal union and so in his Offices First As King I shall not need to shew Scripture for these the Scripture is full If you read the 45. Psalm at your leasure about the middle of it Thy Throne O God is for ever and ever the Scepter of thy Kingdome is a right Scepter And Rev. 17.14 Christ there is said to bee Lord of Lords and King of Kings Now Christ is a glorious King and wonderful in his Kingly power First Hee is King over all over all Kings over all Powers hee hath the highest Authority of all Take that for the first thing In Rev. 9 hee is said to bee King of Kings and Lord of Lords I remember Theodotius and another Emperour did use to call themselves the Vassals of Christ and so certainly all the Kings and Princes in the world they are but the Vassals of this great King Now hee is wonderful in his Kingly power that hath all the Kings and Lords and all Authority in the world under his feet indeed they all hold on him and that will appear from the second place 2 As his power is the highest so it is universal universal over all the world the Government of all the world is committed to him 1 Cor. 15.27 All things are put under his feet God the Father hath given unto him the Government of all the world hee is not onely the King of the Saints though hee bee their King in a special manner but hee is the King of Nations too Christ hee is the King of Nations God-Man I say the government of all the world is given to him all the Nations of the World
are undeâ— him to govern and to judge and to make use of for the good of his Church Hee is not onely the governour of the World universally but a heavenly King even the Angels themselves are under him Thrones and Principalities and Dominions in Eph. 1.20 They are all brought into one under Christ yea and the Devils themselves are under him It is hee that hath the Keyes of Heaven and the Keyes of Hell Rev. 1.18 Hee that was dead is alive and hath the Keyes of Hell and Death And this Kingly Power of Christ must needs bee wonderful 3 But further in the third place Christ is wonderful in this his Kingly Power for hee makes his Subjects his Subjects do not make him Col. 1.16 By him were all things created that are in Heaven and that are in Earth There is no King that ever was in the World but either God from heaven doth tell people that hee would have such a one to bee a King or hee is made by the peopâ—e For what is one mans flesh more than another mans I say at first men they agree together to set up such a man or family to have a Kingly Power so that the Kingly power of the Family and of every one that comes of that Family it is by the people at first none must plead it to bee by conquest for then whosoever can conquer again hee must bee King if another can conquer hee must have right too if that bee the onely right if that were the onely right that a King had over his people conquest then as hee had his right over the people by conquest so if the people conquer him then they have right Certainly the best right of all the Kings of the earth this day it must bee by the first compact with that Family that is their right I but our King that wee have to do withall hee makes his Subjects they make not him King but this King makes all his Subjects Indeed if Kings could give being to their Subjects then their right were another kinde of right than now they have but the truth is Subjects do give being to their King I but our King the Lord Christ hee is Wonderful a Wonderful King in this because hee doth give being to all his Subjects 4 And then fourthly The Subjects of thâ—s King are for him hee is not for them whereas it is otherwise between man and man certainly the Subjects are not made for the King but the King is made for his Subjects a Kingdome is not made for a King but a King for the Kingdome But it is otherwise here Christ was not made for us but wee were made for him all the Subjects of Christ were made for the honour of Jesus Christ and Christ I say was not set up King for them 5 And then fifthly This King Jesus Christ is King in another manner than any other Kings upon the eaâ—th foâ— it is hee alone that makes Laws other Kings have not power themselves to make Laws but together with their people but hee alone makes Laws It is true the Kings of Israel they made not the people joyn with them in all their Laws because God himself let Laws there for the government of the Commonwealth But Jesus Christ I say hee is the onely Law-giver unto his Church and therefore there can bee no new Ordinances nor no new Laws nor no new Officers in the Church that can bee invented by man It is true in the Civil state there God leaves to humane prudence and wee may invent Laws and humane Ordinances and new Officers so as may bee good for the Church one Kingdome one kinde of Law and another another But now when wee come to speak of Christs Kingly Power especially as it hath reference to the Church there as hee is King of Saints there are no Ordinances nor no Laws nor no officers that can bee newly erected but it must bee the same and it must bee the same in all Churches in the World the same Laws must rule all and the same Ordinances and the same Church-officers there must bee no additions of any Why because that in Spiritual government there wee wait upon God for his presence wee wait upon the presence of Christ to work spiritually upon the soul and wee expect a spiritual efficacy from Jesus Christ upon our souls to draw us nearer to him and to draw him near to us that wee do in all Church Ordinances and therefore onely Christ can appoint Laws for them You will say an there bee no Laws no nothing added in the Church for way of decency and order and such kinde of things To that I answer briefly thus There are some things that do belong to those spiritual Ordinances things that are in the Church that may bee helpful to them in a natural way as now if congregations meet they must meet in some place they must have civil order in their meeting there may bee some things civil and natural subservient unto those things that are spiritual but that that is properly Ecclesiastical whereby I vvait upon Jesus Christ to have my heart dravvn nearer to him or to have him dravv nearer to mee therein there must bee no addition of men in any Law whatsoever but onely the things of Christ that are meerly spiritual if there bee any natural help or civil help as wee that are men cannot bee exeâ—cised in things that are spiritual without some natural and civil helps there certainly the prudence of man may come in but this cannot come to set up any new Ordinances or set up any new Officers in the Church or make any new Laws that shall concern the spiritual Worship of God to work my heart in a spiritual way to God or God unto mee here lyes the evil of mans inventions when there shall bee any inventions of man that shall come instead of a spiritual Ordinance that shall bee set by mans Institution and have more put upon it than it hath in a natural and civil way to bee helpful why then it comes to bee superstition I say when any thing is set by man in the worship of God that shall have more in it than that that is natural or civil to help then it comes to bee sinful and wicked When I think that by any thing of mans appointment God shall come nearer to mee or my heart shall bee drawn nearer to God by vertue of any Institution of man here is the very proper nature of Institution As for instance Some thing that is natural or civil to help Gods worship that man may appoint but nothing that is spiritual to draw my heart nearer to God or God nearer to mee As thus If the Church of God meet together for Ordinances it must meet in some place this is a natural help to have a convenient meeting-place to have a place to keep them from the air or rain or wind this is natural but if it go one step
typifie that Christ as hee was man hee had no Father and as hee was God hee had no Mother and hee had no beginning in his Priestly office it was from everlasting and it shall indure to everlasting So hee is a Priest for ever after the Order of Melchisedeck and not after the Order of Aaron 2 And in the next place All the Priests in the Law did typifie Christ and all did cease in him certainly hee must needs bee a great High Priest that was typified by them and in whom all ceased and vanished As when the Sun arises the light of the stars doth no more appear there was no further Priesthood when Jesus came and took that Office to himself in his humane Nature in this world 3 But further Christ is wonderful in his Priest-hood in this that hee had no need to offer for himself as others had for hee was blameless and without sin 4 Yea and consider what Christ offered and there you shall see him wonderful the Offering that Christ offered it was the blood of God I say it was that that wee may call safely according to Scripture language the blood of God and that will not seem to bee a hard expression if wee understand what the personal union of the two Natures are in Act. 20.28 faith the Apostle to the Church of Ephesus Take heed therefore unto your selves and to all the flock over which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers to feed the Church of God which hee hath purchased with his own blood These kinde of phrases wee have that come from the Personal union of the two Natures so that the blood that Christ did shed and offer unto God as a Sacrifice for the sin of man it is that that the Scripture calls the blood of God Now the blood that other Priests did offer was the blood of Goats and Bulls and Lambs and Kids but now what a wonderful Priest have wee that comes to offer Sacrifice to the Father for us and comes to offer blood that is the blood of God Hee is wonderful in his Priestly Office in regard of his Offering 5 Further from this follows that Christ offered a Sacrifice unto God that was sufficient to satisfie God for all the wrong that ever was done him by mans sin they offered poor things unto God you know in the time of the Law things that were worthless But now the Sacrifice that Christ offered unto the Father when hee that High Priest came to offer it was a Sacrifice that did satisfie Gods infinite Justice did make up all the wrong that all the sins of the Elect had ever done to God it was that that infinite Justice said it was well-pleased withall It was worth all that Christ did render it up to his Father for not onely a Sacrifice that was a sweet savour because God would bee pleased to accept of it but a Sacrifice that had in its self such a savour that could not but bee sweet in the nostrils of God the Father for it did fully satisfie the Justice of God the Father for the sins of mankinde here is a wonderful High Priest now that hee should come and offer such a Sacrifice that should bee of such infinite merit and worth as it was 6 Yea and hee was wonderful because that hee did offer himself not onely his blood but himself soul and body hee made himself a Sacrifice none of the Priests did so in the time of the Law was there ever heard of such a Priest that came to offer sacrifice that did offer himself for such as hee would make attonement for Jesus Christ hee was anointed by God the Father as a Priest of his Church to offer sacrifice now hee must have so nothing to offer and Christ saw that whatsoever hee could offer if so bee that hee had offered that that had been the worth of Heaven and Earth whatsoever it had been it could never have been an Attonement for those souls which hee did undertake for therefore Christ offers himself as there is nothing but God can bee a satisfying portion to an immortal soul so no sacrifice but Christ himself could bee a Sacrifice to pacifie Gods wrath for the sins of mankinde if Christ should have said Father Thou hast made mee Lord over all the world and I will give it all for a Ransome for the soul of this poor sinner God would have said It will not do it but it must bee thy self I and Christ yeelds to it A body hast thou prepared mee Isa 53.10 And bee made his soul an offering for sin And a body hast thou prepared for mee both body and soul of Christ was offered to God the Father for a sacrifice that hee might smell a sweet savour of rest even concerning us who are wicked and wretched sinners Either Christ must offer himself soul and body to bee a Sacrifice for thy sin or else thy soul and body must have been offered as a sacrifice to Gods Justice and then it must eternallâ— have been under the stroke of Gods Justice but to that end to free that soul and body of thine if thou beest a beleever to free thee from the eternal Justice of God therefore Christ did offer his soul and body as a sacrifice to his Father 7 And yet further Christ was wonderful in his Priestly Office for hee was not onely the Sacrifice but the Altar It would bee wonderful to hear of a Priest that should offer himself but the Priest to bee the Sacrifice and the Altar too that should sanctifie the Sacrifice it is a greater wonder and because this expression seems to bee very hard I take this out of Heb. 9.14 How much more shall the bloud of Christ who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God he offers his body and soul as it were upon his Divine Nature that as the Altar did sanctifie the Offering so the Divine Nature of Christ did sanctifie the offering of his Humane Nature so that he indeed became both the Altar and the Sacrifice 8 And then further Christ is wonderful in his Priestly Office and that is in this That he offered but one Sacrifice and at one time now the Priests in former time they offered many Sacrifices and they offered often but now if you would read of Christs Priestly Office read especially the seventh eighth and ninth Chapters of the Epistle to the Hebrews and there you shall have as much almost as in all the Scripture besides of the Priestly Office of Jesus Christ The Priests in the Law they offered often but Christ offered but once and having but once offered hee sits down in glory upon his offering of himself but once before the Father it was available for ever for so the Scripture tells us in divers places of the Hebrews and hee was able to save to the uttermost upon his once offering of himself And then further Christ is wonderful in his Priestly Office in this which
things of the world those men that have the dullest capacity to understand the reason of things in the world those that are the most ignorant people in the world why Jesus Christ chuses out them and makes them to bee apprehensive of the mysteries of the Gospel such things as Angels themselves desire to pry into 1 Pet. 1.12 Here is a wonder that such poor weak dull ignorant creatures sometimes that can scarce be able to speak two or three sentences in good sense together to a man yet that they should have the clear understanding of the chief mysteries in the Gospel and such things as Angels desire to pry into here is a wonderful work and therefore wee read in Matth. 21.15 when the poor children came to understand somewhat of Christ When the chief Priests and Scribes saw the wondeful things that hee did and the children crying in the Temple and saying Hosanna to the Son of David ☞ they were sore displeased Mark how this is joyned to the wonderful things they saw the wonderful things that Christ did and the children crying in the Temple Hosanna to the Son of David they were displeased It is one of the most wonderful things in the world to see that sometimes poor young children and such as understand but very little in the matters of the world and yet that these shall come to understand the deepest mysteries of godliness those things that exercise the understanding of Angels and shall exercise them to all eternity yet poor children and youths shall come to understand these things further than the great Rabbies and Doctors of the world is not this a wonderful thing in the dispensation of the Prophetical Office of Christ You make this use when you see poor youths come to have understanding in the great things of the Gospel you think surely it is but a conceit Oh but rather make this use let your thoughts bee carried to admire at the wonderful dispensation of the Prophetical Office of Jesus Christ and so in Matth. 11.25 27. you shall see what a wonderful thing it is made even this dispensation of Christs Prophetical Office in vers 25. and so on At that time Jesus answered and said I thank thee 0 Father Lord of Heaven and Earth because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent and hast revealed them unto Babes Now that the Father did hide them from the wise of the world and revealed them unto babes it was by Christ though hee thanks the Father and that it was done by Christ it appears in vers 27. All things are delivered to mee of my Father and no man knoweth the Son but the father neither knoweth any man the Father save the Son and hee to whom the Son will reveal him All things are delivered to mee so that Christ here makes the revelation of God unto babes to bee the fruit of Gods delivering up all things to him All things are delivered to mee and no man knoweth the Father but the Son and him to whom the Son will reveal him so that Christ having received all power from the Father upon this it is that these babes come to have such understanding in the mysteries of godliness and the wise of the world never come to understand And then that is very remarkable as wee go along that upon this ground Jesus Christ doth invite souls to come to him Come unto mee all yee that labour and are heavy laden and I will give you rest As if hee should say thus Conceive now as if Jesus Christ were preaching now personally to you and hee were saying thus to you All power is committed to mee by the Father and as a fruit of this that the Father hath committed to mee I do reveal him to whom I please and none can know the Father but by mee I have the dispensation of all the treasures of wisdome and the revelation of all the mysteries of eternal life from my Father Oh therefore come to mee come to mee all yee that labour and are heavy laden you labour under the burden of your ignorance perhaps you complain alas I do not know God nor understand the great mysteries of salvation I pray and hear and yet I cannot come to understand what God is Why come to mee saith Christ for all things are given to mee and if I reveal the Father you shall know him therefore all you that labour and are heavy laden all you that see the need you have of the knowledge of my Father and of the way of eternal life come to mee and I will reveal these things unto you and so will bring rest unto your souls Wonderful is Christ in the way of his Administrations and that is another consideration in the Prophetical Office of Christ 5 But further Christ is a wonderful Prophet in this that hee reveals things many times suddenly hee is not bound to those wayes that any man or Angel is bound to if a man or Angel would come to instruct others in the truths of the Gospel they must instruct them by degrees to understand one thing at once and another at another time and so deduct one thing from another in that way but Christ hee can make known the things of eternal life in an instant to the soul Whosoever comes to Christ must bee convinced of sin and bee emptied of himself and bee humbled all these things are in every soul that comes to Christ now all these things may by one beam of light bee wrought that Jesus Christ shall let into the soul As an Apothecary may get the very quintessence of all herbs in one drop though you cannot see the herbs so Jesus Christ I say sometimes by one beam of light lets in a hundred truths into the soul so that they do apprehend the substance of all those particulars that are spoken of and there is a proportionable work upon their hearts to bring them to Christ is not this a wonderful work of Christ that a man that hath been an ignorant sottish blinde creature a prophane ungodly man hating all godliness perhaps hee comes to hear a Sermon meerly to scorn as many have done this man comes in the very heat of his wickedness so that a man would wonder that some fruit of Gods wrath comes not from heaven to strike him into the bottomless pit yet it may bee at this very Sermon there shall bee some one beam of light darted into his spirit that may work his soul to heaven possibly if hee should dye at that instant though it is true ordinarily God begins to stir first and doth it not all at once but yet sometimes some that come into a Congregation most ignorant and sottish and know no other God but Mammon and lusts and yet coming to the word at one instant God darts in that light into his spirit as this man comes to have his heart turned to God and comes to know his misery and to know the way of
many Miracles and saith he Josephus Antiq. B. 18. e. 4 If it be lawful to call him a Man He was afraid to call him a man because of the wondrous things that he did But if any of you say How shall wee bee able to know certainly the truth of all those Miracles that hee did wee read in the Gospel how great things Christ did how he cast out Devils and cured the Blinde and Lame and raised up the Dead and the like but how can we know the truth of them For the answer of that Austine hath this Either all those things are true or they are not true if they be then hee is confirmed to be the Messias but if they be not true then saith he this is the greatest Miracle of all that such a supernatural Doctrin as that is to beleeve in him that was crucified to save the World and for men to venture their souls and eternal estates upon this without having this to bee confirmed by Miracles at first this is the greatest Miracle of all but we will passe by that only note it as we goe that Christ was wonderful in all the Wonders that hee wrought while he lived Christ wonderful in his Glorious indowments and excellency of his Person But further Christ he is the Wonder of the World in regard of those glorious endowments and excellencie of his Person those Personal endowments and excellencies that he had and herein he is the Wonder of the World Now the endowments and excellencies of Jesus Christ they are great and glorious Thou art fairer than the children of men It is he that received the Spirit without measure it is he that had the Treasures of wisdome and knowledge dwelling in him bodily and he must needs bee the Wonder of the World that Scripture in the second of the Colossians doth shew unto us what a wonderful Saviour we have it is such an expression that had wee not had it from the Holy Ghost we should never have dared to have ventured upon it as in Col. 2.3 In whom are hid all the treasures of wisdome and knowledge and then in vers 9. For in him dwelleth all the fulnesse of the Godhead bodily what an high expression is here All the fulnesse of the God-head doth dwell bodily in Jesus Christ surely he hath excellent endowments then he is filled with glorious things his Human Nature is elevated and inlarged to the highest capacity that a Creature can have to receive excellency And God hath raised up the Humane Nature of Christ to shew how high he is able to elevate a Creature and make it capable for the receiving of Glory that he might declare it to Angels and Saints to all eternity I say mans nature is raised to that height that God might to all eternity make known to the Angels and Saints this thing and say Behold to what a height is mine infinite power able to raise a Creature to be capable of happinesse Therefore Christs Human Nature is so raised and our nature in him which should be a wonderful comfort to us that our nature should be raised to so much glory in Christ And a great argument to us to take heed of the abuse of Humane Nature of thy Body and of thy Soul oh that ever any one should bee given up to that sottishnesse that is a man that hath Humane nature in him that should look after no greater good than meerly to eat and drink and play and satisfie his lust dost thou know oh Creature that thy nature is raised to such an height of excellency that God might declare to Angels and men what his power was able to doe and shalt thou that hast the same Nature that art a kin as it were to Christ shalt thou bee so base and vile to mind thy filthy and base lusts and mind no higher good than this the very thought of the raising our Nature in Christ it is a mighty argument to raise up the thoughts of one that is a man to a higher pitch than ever they have been think thus certainly my nature is capable of some higher good than meerly to ear and drink and play and to have a little Mony here for a while why now that shewes the personal excellency and endowments of Christ in general that all the fulness of the God-head doth dwell bodily in him and therefore Christ hee is called the Character and the ingraven form of the Image of God in the first of the Hebrews it is not said so of man though man be said to be made according to Gods Image yet it is never said of him That he is the brightnesse of Gods glory and the expresse Image of his Person so as it is said of Christ and in the Colossians you have mighty high expressions about the Personal excellency of Christ Chap. 1.15 Who is the Image of the invisible God the first born of every Creature and then he is the beginning of all things ver 18. He is the Image of the invisible God as God and man for so I must speak of him he is the Image of the invisible God in another manner and more fully than any creature is or possibly can be for Jesus Christ take him God and Man he hath the very character and ingraven form of whatsoever glory there is in the Father I say take him as God and Man as thus hee hath an omnipotency in him therefore it is said in the third of the Philippians latter end Who shall change our vild bodie that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body how according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself Now this is a great Mystery of godlinesse that God-Man should have an Omnipotency in him and then likewise he hath the expresse Image of all the knowledge of God for as he is God-man he is made the Judge of all the World and hee will bee the Judge not meerly as he is God but as God and Man now seeing hee is the Judge of all the World hee must have an infinite knowledge he must know the hearts of men and all the works of men and he must have an infinite Holinesse and Justice that must judge all the World And thus God-man hath an expresse Character of the Attributes of God which none else hath and then he hath an expresse character of the Immensity of God If you speak of his Body it cannot be every where but God-Man is in all places thus you have it in the third of John vers 13. it is a very strange expression and it can never bee understood but by understanding the personal union of the two Natures Why at that time hee was speaking to them there upon the earth and yet saith hee The Son of man which is in heaven At this time hee that is the Son of man is in heaven his body could not bee in two places at once but God-man was then in heaven Thus
that do belong to my Son and all those works by which my Son will come to have his honor eternally are done let there be an end of the world and the end of the world is like to be the sooner now because that we see God is doing so much for the setting up of Jesus Christ in this latter age as when a mans time is almost at an end for his work then hee doth work more speedily than hee did before now saith God I have made the world for the honour of my Son but yet to this day how little honour hath my Son had from the world and there is a time saith God that I will manifest to all the world that I did make it for Jesus Christ hee did not make it for a company of Tyrants to do what they would in nor for a company of prophane people to eat and drink and follow their lusts in but the end at which God aimed at in making the world saith hee I will set up my Son in the world and all the works that ever have been done in the world shall at length come in to conduce to the honour of my Son And this shall bee the great work that shall bee done at the Day of Judgement hee will shew to all the world how all those works that did seem to go most against Jesus Christ how they were brought about for the honour of Jesus Christ Oh blessed are those souls that come to see that all things were made for the honour of Jesus Christ and so give glory to him accordingly Thus you see what a wonderful Saviour wee have that God hath made all things for him Surely our Saviour is glorious and wonderfull 6 There is one thing more hee is wonderful in his Indowments and Excellencies in this that his Excellencies are in him to bee conveyed to his people Joh. 1.16 Out of his fulness do all we receive and grace for grace Out of the fulness of all Excellency that is put into him The Saints of God and elect ones they draw all the excellency they have here or shall have to all eternity For you must know this Though the Divine Nature bee the fountain of all Excellency yet it is not to bee conveyed but onely through Jesus Christ this is the great mystery of godliness and this is the wonder in the Gospel that is so much above nature that though God bee the fountain of all in himself yet hee hath determined that this goodness of his shall bee first let out to his Son and so shall bee conveyed through him to the Saints so that all the gifts and graces wee have wee must not look upon them onely as coming from â—od the Creator of all things but as coming from God through him that is God and man in this mystical way therefore if you say you look at God and beleeve in Gods mercy without understanding the way of Gods communicating himself you may utterly mistake it must bee in Christ that wee must receive grace for grace Now that there should bee such a thing revealed that God should say I will set up my Son the second Person in Trinity to take your nature and to bee God and man and hee shall bee as a Conduit to bee filled with all things whatsoever and you shall have as it were your pipes joyned to him and through him you shall come to partake of what good I intend for you This is the wonder of the world And hence it is that Christ is compared to all things that have any excellency in them Is there an excellency in light Christ is called a Joh. 1.9 Light Christ is called b Mat. 13.46 Pearl and c Rev. 3.18 Gold and Rayment and the d Psal 84.11 Sun and e Joh. 7.38 Living water any thing that hath any excellency in it f Joh. 6.50 Bread g Isa 15.1 Wine Milk whatsoever in the creature hath any excellency in it Christ is called by that Name to shew that all Excellencies are in him as one As I told you that Gods Excellency was such an excellency as the very quintessence of all excellencies was united in one in him so Christ hath the quintessence of all excellencies in him and in him as in a conduit to bee conveyed to all that God intends eternal good unto Oh what a Saviour have wee my Brethren now mee thinks this should bee a very strong argument to draw your hearts to Jesus Christ or at least to say as Philip said Let us see but Jesus Christ this wonder of the world and wee will never wonder at any thing more in the world Oh let us understand what Jesus Christ our Saviour is here you may see what a full object of your faith Jesus Christ is and how you may venture your souls upon him and your eternal estates here is enough to draw faith and incourage faith and inlarge faith and oh that God would bee pleased by presenting what Christ is to work faith in some soul that hath not had it before but now where faith is before this look beyond your own worth and your own inlargements And thus in these things you see how wonderful Christ is There remains two things more The Fourth SERMON ON The Excellency of Christ Isaiah 9.6 And his Name shall bee called Wonderful Christ is Wonderful in regard of the glory of the Father that shines in him WEE proceed The Name of Christ is Wonderful in regard of the wonderful glory of the Father that shines in him It is in Jesus Christ that God reveals himself and appears both to men and Angels It is true somewhat wee might know of the invisible things of God by the things that are seen as the Apostle speaks in Rom. 1.20 by his great Works of Creation and Providence but there is as much difference between the Glory of God that shines in all his Works of Creation and Providence and the Glory of God that shines in the face of Christ as between the glittering of a Glow-worm in a dark night and the glory of the Sun in the full strength of it Now onely take this along with you that God expects that those that do see his glory in Christ should glorifie him in another manner than those that see his glory onely shining in the Works of Creation and Providence that as there is much difference between the shining of the Sun in its full strength and a Glow-worm even so there should bee as much difference between beleevers glorifying God and heathens as there is between the Glow-worm and the glory of the Sun you should not satisfie your self except you finde that there is some such proportionable difference for certainly if you have seen God in Christ you have seen him wonderfully indeed therefore in 2 Cor. 3.18 saith the Apostle But wee all with open face bebolding as in a glass the glory of the Lord are changed into the same image
manner of his proceedings in bringing forth all the books of Gods forbearance and the books of mens conscience and the book of the word to proceed with men and Angels for their eternal estate in this Christ will appear then to bee wonderful Thus Christ is wonderful in his humiliation and in his exaltation But further a word or two more Christ wonderful in his working towards his Saints and in the high esteem that the Saints have of him Great and marvellous are thy works O Lord God Almighty who would not fear thee O thou King of Saints The great things that Christ doth in the world towards his Churches are wonderful and the great esteem his Saints have of him they account all things as dung and dross for the excellency of the knowledge of Jesus Christ And hee shall bee wonderful eternally hereafter in the highest Heavens and there hee will bee the matter of the wonder of all the Angels and Saints and the matter of the admiration and the praises that God shall have to all eternity it shall bee from what the Angels and Saints do see in Jesus Christ therefore surely hee will bee wonderful in Heaven And then wonderful when the understandings of the Saints shall bee elevated to the highest pitch that they are capable of sometimes wee do wonder at things because of our ignorance ignorant people will wonder almost at any thing at the works of Arts and Sciences they wonder because they know but little but now that that the most understanding man in the world shall wonder at certainly it hath some great excellency in it Now Christ shall not bee the wonder of the Saints onely while they are here in in this world but when they shall bee in Heaven and have their understandings enlightened and enlarged to the height that possibly they can bee enlarged to and yet even then Christ shall bee their wonder and they shall wonder at Christ more than they do now abundantly Certainly that hath real excellency in it indeed and great excellency that the more understanding a man is the more hee shall admire at it perhaps poor people they may wonder at some men for their parts yet if they had any great understanding themselves they would see such a mans parts had little in them but if a man had such parts that the more any man came to understand him the higher in degree their understandings were the more they should wonder certainly this man had a great deal of excellency in him indeed So it is in Christ that when the Saints shall bee elevated to the height they shall so much the more admire at him Further In Heaven Christ shall bee wondred at for ever many things are wondred at for the present I but the wonder quickly ceases wee use to say of strange things they are but of nine daies wonder but Jesus Christ is not onely a wonder at first when the soul comes first to embrace Jesus Christ It is true poor sinners at their first embracing Jesus Christ for the very novelty of those things they see in him they do admire at them they never did understand such things before but the truth is if that grace bee true thou shalt not onely wonder when thou comest to Christ at first at the excellency in him but the longer thou continuest a Beleever the more thou wilt wonder and when thou comest to Heaven after thousand millions of millions of years thou wilt wonder as much at him as thou didst the first moment those men that have made profession of Religion and seem'd to come to Christ they wonder at first hearing of the Gospel like the stony-ground that received the word with joy Oh how wonderfully are they affected at the first hearing of the glorious things of the Gospel but now mark their wonder quickly ceases and their joy ceases within a little while they do not now see so great excellency to admire at it neither have they so great joy but where there is true Faith there the soul doth not onely wonder at Christ at his first comming to Christ but still more and more to all eternity And now my Brethren mee thinks that all wonders in the world should lye by a while upon this wonder of Christs being presented to you and as wee read in Dan. 6. of one that came in a vision and said Gabriel make this man to understand the visioâ— so shall I call to a Gabriel no to Jesus Christ to the Immanuel hee that is the great wonder Oh blessed blessed Redeemer make these souls to understand these things to understand somewhat of this wonder wee have many wonders of our own and wee tell this and that news but O that Christ would but shew himself now to your souls that you may understand somewhat of this wonder that your hearts may bee for ever taken off from wondring at any thing in this world I have seen saith David an end of all perfection but thy Law is very broad So wee may say and the heart would say that were brought to Christ Oh Lord I have seen an end of all the great things in the world but Jesus Christ is very great and glorious indeed it is hee that hath darkened all the glory that there is in the world but now I may say of all these things as it is said of Daniel in chap. 12. vers 10. None of the wicked shall understand but the wise shall understand these things that are spoken of Christ the wicked they will not understand those that God hath not given unto Jesus Christ will not understand but they will bee content to part with Christ for any thing for all this O detestable wickedness that there is in the heart of man that after this that hath been revealed to you about Christ so much of his glory held forth for the wonder of the world that after this yet thou shouldest prize thy base lusts before all the good and the glory that there is in Jesus Christ certainly that man or woman must needs have the Angels in Heaven and all the Saints to acknowledge the righteous judgement of God in the condemnation of them that hath lived under the Gospel and hath heard what a wonderful Saviour is come into the world if such a one should yet go away and prize a base filthy lust before all the good and glory that there is in Jesus Christ take heed of this certainly if it bee so if any of you bee found at the great day still going on in the waies of known fins this will bee your charge You lived in such a place wherein you heard that my Son was the great wonder of the world and glorious things were shewed you to allure you to beleeve in him and yet hee was nothing in your eyes but your own vile lusts were more glorious in your eyes O just and righteous is the condemnation of this creature for ever certainly the sin of unbeleef the sin
of rejection of Jesus Christ must needs bee a dreadful sin because Jesus Christ is so great a wonder as you have heard The Sixth SERMON ON The Excellency of Christ Isaiah 9.6 And his Name shall bee called Wonderful NOw wee come to the Application of all which is the work of this exercise Application First Certainly Jesus Christ is little known in the world if this bee hee this great wonder of the world Oh how little is Christ known Christ is but a meer Notion and Imagination to most people in the world you heard the very sound of this name and how Christ came into the world to save sinners but I appeal unto your consciences when were your hearts taken with the admiration of the glory of God shining in the face of Jesus Christ hath Christ been made the greatest wonder in the world unto you some of you have seen many wondrous works of God some of you perhaps in the Seas or abroad in other Countries or if not there yet you have seen the Heavens and the Earth at which you many times wonder but when did God dart light into your spirits to cause you to see so much of Jesus Christ as made him to bee the great wonder of all his works certainly that soul knows not God nor Christ savingly that knows him not as the wonder of the world it is impossible that such a poor creature as man is should come to understand such great mysteries of godliness as are in Christ in any measure but must needs admire at the glory of that great work and say with acclamation Oh the height and depth and breadth and length of the glory of God his Wisdome and Mercy and Truth and Power Many Notes of Trial there may bee of Faith but I know not any one more familiar than this is at least negatively it must needs bee a true Note that is that there cannot bee Faith without it namely if the heart hath not been taken up with the wonder of Christ so as all the wonders in the world have been darkened in the soul in comparison of Jesus Christ Secondly If Christ bee so great a wonder then O how vile a thing is it for the hearts of men to prefer any base filthy lusts before Jesus Christ when God hath manifested him in that wonderful way unto the children of men and so much of his glory in him yet that their hearts should bee taken off from him and every base lust to bee preferred before him Oh how just must the condemnation of such bee for ever wee may take up that complaint that there was in Psal 106.7 Psal 106.7 Our Fathers understood not thy wonders saith the Psalmist So the truth is as our Fathers did not so few there are that understand the wonders of the Lord in Jesus Christ and therefore every thing is preferred before him with what infinite indignation must God needs look upon that wretched soul that shall prefer every base lust before Jesus Christ I remember a speech of Chrysostome speaking of that Text That our vile bodies shall bee made like unto the glorious body of Christ saith hee were all the world turned into tears yet they were not sufficient to lament the misery of that soul that forsakes Jesus Christ his heart was so much taken with the excellency of Jesus Christ that hee thought it impossible to lament the misery of the creature that should forsake him and so St. Paul having his heart filled with the glorious Mystery of Christ hee breaks forth with this dreadful curse Hee that loveth not the Lord Jesus Christ let him bee Anathema Maran-atha as if St. Paul should say having his spirit filled with the glory of Christ Oh what shall God manifest so much of his glory in his Son and shall base wretched vile creatures prefer their lusts before him and have their hearts taken up with other vain things and not love the Lord Jesus Christ let that soul bee cursed with a bitter curse saith Paul such a soul doth deserve indeed to bee cursed with a bitter and an eternal curse that shall hear so much of Jesus Christ and how God hath revealed himself in that wonderful way in his Son and yet that soul shall not bee willing to forsake a base lust for all the good there is in Jesus Christ let that soul bee cursed with a bitter curse It deserves above all creatures to have the most bitter curse to bee upon it to all eternity certainly the more glory there is in Christ the more dreadful will the condemnation of wicked men bee This is the condemnation that such glorious light is come into the world and men chose darkness rather than light How many hear of Christ and minde little but onely have a noise they hear some strange things of Christ and let them pass by and think there is little reallity in what they hear but the onely real comfort is in satisfying of the flesh in the lusts of it In Act. 13.41 Act. 13.41 wee have an excellent Scripture for the reproof of such that hear the Gospel and minde it not Beware therefore lest that come upon you which is spoken of in the Prophets Behold yee despisers and wonder and perish for I work a work in your daies a work which yee shall in no wise beleeve though a man declare it unto you It is spoken concerning Christ as appears in the verse before And by him all that beleeve are justified from all things by which yee could not bee justified by the Law of Moses Now then it follows Beware therefore lest that come upon you which is spoken of in the Prophets Behold ye despisers and wonder and perish as if hee should say you hear the Gospel about the glorious way that God hath to reconcile sinners to himself to justifie sinners but in the mean time your hearts do close with your own Conceits and your own waies with the Law of Moses and think by your own good meanings and your own good works that you shall do well enough and shall stand before God but saith the Apostle Beware lest that come upon you which is spoken of in the Prophets Behold yee despisers and wonder you perhaps when you hear such things declared unto you you account it strange doctrine and you stand and wonder what the meaning of those things should bee but as you wonder so you do despise you condemn it as a strange thing that you were not wont to hear heretofore and as a thing you cannot understand the reason of this is the usual guize of carnal hearts when they hear any doctrine though there bee never so much of God in it and of the Mystery of the Gospel that is revealed in it yet if they understand not the reason of it if it appear to them as a new thing they wonder indeed but they despise withall and condemn it and slight it and pass it over as they did St.
an All-sufficient Saviour thou hast an object that thou mayest venture thy soul thy eternal estate upon for hee is a wonderful Redeemer conceive thy misery to the uttermost that possibly can bee suppose thou seest the guilt of all thy sins before thee and apprehendest thy soul bound over to eternal death for thy sin suppose thou seest the justice of God coming out against thee to require satisfaction for thy sin the curse of the Law that likewise brings thee under it and thou seest the bottomeless pit even ready open for thee and the horrible vile iniquities that thou hast been guilty of presenting themselves unto thee with all the aggravations of them suppose all this And thou standest now before the great God ready to receive the sentence of thy eternal estate Now these things may make thy heart to shake and indeed they will where they are seen really But in the midst of such a sight if God do but give thee a sight of thy Redeemer that is so wonderful here is enough to draw forth Faith yea to beget Faith in the soul let this bee but presented whatsoever thy misery bee yet know here is a wonderful Redeemer who cannot onely cure ordinary diseases and deliver in ordinary troubles but can wonderfully deliver and no cure can bee too hard for him Oh therefore thou troubled soul that dost apprehend the evil of thy sin and the dreadâ—â—l danger that thou art in Oh that thou couldest but see this wonderful Redeemer before thee thou wouldest see him to bee an object for the most vile wretchedest sinner that ever lived upon the face of the earth to rest upon And because God the Father accounts wonderfully of his Son therefore it is that hee would not have us onely to beleeve in his Son in ordinary cases but in extraordinary cases you that are beleevers and hope you have any part in Christ know that God expects that you should sanctifie his Son as a wonderful Redeemer now if you can onely beleeve in Christ in an ordinary way when your condition is ordinary and your straights not very great this is not to sanctifie Christ as a wonderful Saviour Now let this bee but laid to thy heart when temptations are strong and when thy heart is ready to sink in any extremity It may bee temptation comes and tells thee thy condition is extraordinary who was ever so left of God as thou art then do but lay these truths upon thy heart that have been revealed in the opening of the wonderfulness of Christ and even say thus to thy soul well but oh my soul thou hast heretofore beleeved in God but hast thou sanctified the Name of Christ as wonderful hast thou beleeved in Jesus Christ as in him whose Name by God himself is called wonderful Thou hast thou thinkest beleeved in him as a Saviour as a Redeemer but hast thou beleeved in him as thus wonderful in his Natures in his Person in his Offices in his indowments and in all the great things that hee hath done in the glory of the Father that shines in him hast thou sanctified his Name in all those particulars wherein Christ hath been made known to bee wonderful certainly Beleevers do not sanctifie this Name of Christ except there bee some kinde of proportion between their Faith and all these glorious things that are revealed of Jesus Christ It is hee that is a full object for thy soul to rest upon in all straights whatsoever when the men of the world shall bee at their wits end they having their ordinary help fail them yet thou that art a Beleever and knowest what Jesus Christ is â—â—d the glory of God that appears in him thou needest not bee at thy wits end for thou hast him whose Name is wonderful to be the object of thy Faith Thirdly The consolation to Beleevers from this title of Christ is in this That certainly if there bee such a wonderful Redeemer that God himself doth glory so much in and account him so wonderful then it must needs follow that God doth intend wonderful things for the Saints no wise man that hath abilities will in a wonderful manner busie himself about a trifle certainly if the Lord doth thus work for man-kind in his Son if the Lord provide such a wonderful Saviour for the children of men wee may fully conclude that God hath wonderful thoughts to do great things for man-kind the thoughts of God for the good of man-kind are very great and very glorious they are some high things some glorious things that God doth aim at for man-kind Oh raise up therefore your thoughts let all that are but men raise up their thoughts and think surely there is some great happiness for the children of men God hath revealed it from Heaven when hee hath told us that there is such a wonderful Redeemer come into the Earth But Oh you Beleevers do you in a special manner raise up your hearts and expect glorious things and though you have but little from God for the present yet conclude that God hath wonderful thoughts about you that are the members of Jesus Christ and there must come a time that there must bee wonderful things bestowed upon you or otherwise God should lose the honour of all the wonderful things hee hath done in Christ and that hee will never do God will at length bring every beleever to such a height of glory as before Men and Angels it shall bee declared by the glory of your souls that Jesus Christ was a wonderful Redeemer such glory thou mayest have wee cannot tell the particulars If wee should go to open the happiness of the Saints what it should bee in Heaven wee should quickly bee swallowed up but one would think that this one thing should bee enough to fill the heart of the Beleever with joy I shall have so much happiness from God one day as must declare before Men and Angels that Jesus Christ was a wonderful Saviour such glory as God himself will glory in Oh look here look upon this poor wretch that a while was such a vile wicked creature and a childe of wrath and of perdition in its self and look now what a height of glory this soul is raised up to and now give your testimony whether my Son bee not a wonderful Redeemer this will bee the condition of every poor beleever that lives and comfort your selves in exercising your Faith in this What ever I am now for the present though but a lump of clay and filth yet I being a Beleever Christ being mine my condition must bee such one day as God the Father wiâ—l say before men and Angels behold the wonderfulness of my Son in what I have done for this soul and that may bee enough to satisfie the soul for the present that God will shew himself wonderful in thy good and thy salvation so that it may bee said of every particular beleever thy estate shall bee such one day
as if there were no other saved in all the world but thy self yet Jesus Christ will manifest himself wonderful in thy salvation for indeed that is that that hee aims at to bee wonderful in the salvation of his Saints in bringing them unto glory and that is the comfort of all Beleevers from this title of Christs being wonderful But now then as thy comforts art great from this title so thy duties should bee some way proportionable too thou shouldest therefore honour God the Father of Christ as a wonderful Saviour Labour therefore first to search into this deep mystery of the Gospel Oh what a shame is it that those that do profess themselves Christians should understand so little of Jesus Christ this is that that God expects I say that wee should study the Gospel search into the Gospel that wee may see more of Christ the more wee see the more still wee shall wonder for Christ is an infinite depth and the more wee search into him the more wee shall see cause to wonder In the first of the Ephesians mark what a prayer Paul makes for the Ephesians in the 17 and 18. verses hee told them before that hee did not cease to give thanks for them making mention of them in his prayers to what end That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ the Father of Glory may give unto you the Spirit of Wisdome and Revelation in the knowledge of him Hee doth not onely pray that they might have some knowledge of him but that they might have a Spirit of Wisdome and Revelation in the knowledge of Christ and this from the God of our Lord Jesus Christ and from the Father of Glory Mark what titles hee gives to God when hee prayes for them that they might have the knowledge of Jesus Christ it must bee the God of our Lord Jesus Christ that must do it and the Father of Glory God doth never shew himself to bee the Father of Glory so much as when hee gives the knowledge of Jesus Christ to a soul then God doth make himself to appear indeed to bee the Father of Glory And further The eyes of your understanding being enlightened that yee may know what is the hope of his calling and what the riches of the glory of his Inheritance in the Saints and what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who beleeve And in the third of the Ephesians from the 14 verse to the 20. For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ of whom the whole Family of Heaven and Earth is named that hee would grant you according to the riches of his Glory to bee strengthened with might by his Spirit in the Inner-man that Christ may dwell in your hearts by Faith that yee being rooted and grounded in love All this now is but a preparation to what hee would desire further and that is this That so you may bee 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 yee might bee filled with all the fulnesse of God This is a most admirable Scripture surely the Spirit of Christ filled the heart of Saint Paul and such kind of Scriptures as these are mighty strong Arguments to evince the Scripture to bee the Word of God when wee read such passages as these that have a spirit in them beyond the spirit of any man certainly it was beyond the spirit of any man to expresse himself in such a manner That hee bowed his knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ that they might comprehend with all Saints what is the breadth length depth and height and to know the love of Christ which passeth knowledge that they might bee filled with all the fulnesse of God and that is that which I would especially observe that Christians should not content themselves with a little knowledge of Christ but they should labour to comprehend what is the length breadth depth and height they should labour to dive into the Mâ—steries of the Gospel as it is said of Moses when hee saw that wonderful work in the wildernesse saith hee I will now turn aside and see this great sight you have it recorded in the seventh of the Acts and 31. vers There appeared to him in the wildernesse of Mount Sina an Angel of the Lord in a flame of fire in a bush When Moses saw it hee wondred at the sight and as hee drew near to behold it c. Hee had a sight of it at a distance and yet so much as hee wondred at it and then hee drew near and the Lord spake to him So it should bee with us wee have some sight of Christ but is it not at a distance wee hear a Minister speaking of Christ to us the great wonder of the world and it may bee at the hearing wee are ready to think there is somewhat in Christ beyond what wee have apprehended heretofore I but I beseech you Brethren let it not passe away so those things that have been spoken concerning Christ God will require an account of and know it is a dangerous thing to have the glory of Jesus Christ to pass by any soul and to do it no good If wee had been preaching to you of Moral Virtues or any deep discourse about any point save about Jesus Christ there had not been so much danger of letting it passe without profit but when God sets before you the glory of his Son know there is a great deal of danger upon the hearing of such things without profit therefore you had need say upon the hearing of such things as Moses said That you will draw near you will go and pray over these again and beseech the Lord that hee would reveal these things unto you Pray with David O Lord open mine eyes that I may see the wonderful things of thy Law By Law there is meant those things that were revealed in the Word of God and surely upon our hearing what God hath revealed in his Word wee have cause to pray with more earnestnesse Lord open our eyes that wee may see the wonderful things of thy Gospel but mark When Moses drew near Then God spake to him and revealed himself further to him If Moses had stood wondring at this sight and went no further it may bee hee had not had God revealing himself so clearly to him but when hee draws near then God speaks to him So if your hearts bee taken with what you hear of this wonderful Saviour and then you draw near and take pains in your closets by meditation and prayer to see what is the meaning of this wonder Why Lord shall I hear of such things and not understand them they are things that do nearly concern mee and shall I not understand them If you labour to draw near God will speak and reveal further of his mind to you But further of
this Text in the Ephesians Wee must labour to comprehend the heights and depths and to know the love of Christ which passeth knowledge You wiâ—l say these are too wonderful things for us to know Nay The Apostle praies that they may know that which passeth knowledge Though the fulnesse of the glory of it passeth all knowledge yet still there may bee so much of the knowledge of these things as may help you to sanctifie Gods Name and make your hearts spiritual for saith the Text That yee may know the love of God which passeth knowledge that yee might bee filled with all the fulnesse of God It is a very strange phrase for the creature to bee filled with God and had wee it not in Scripture wee should not have dared to have used such an expression But here it is to bee filled with all the fulnesse of God This phrase is a great deal higher but how comes this to passe by comprehending the height and depth and length and breadth that is by understanding Jesus Christ and the Glory of God in him by this means doth the soul come to bee filled with all the fulnesse of God What is the reason that Christians are so empty in their spirits in their conversations but because they know so little of the Mystery of the Gospel If thou didst but understand the Mystery of the Gospel but how the Lord makes known himself in the face of Jesus Christ this would fill thy heart with all the fulnesse of God those Christians are the Christians filled with excellency indeed that do comprehend the height and depth and length and breadth of this wonderful work of God in Christ There is nothing sanctifies the heart so much as the knowledge of Christ in a right way Seneca hath such an expression concerning the Heavens Oh the Heavens are a wonderful spectacle and a spectacle fit for a reasonable creature to bee imployed about Though wee should get little benefit by knowing the Motions of the Heavens the Sun Moon and Stars yet the beauty and excellency that is there and the wonderful work of God in the Heavens it cannot but take a rational creature Now if the wonderful work of God in the Heavens bee such as it must needs take a rational creature Oh what is the wonderful work of God in Jesus Christ therefore let us make it the chief of our study to study the Lord Jesus Luther hath an expression to the same purpose O saith hee I vehemently I extreamly am displeased with my self and displease my self yea saith hee I hate my self because I cannot get that great benefit that great work that there is in mans Redemption because I cannot get it to bee transfused into my very bones and marrow I would fain get it in there Saint Paul in Gal. 1.15 16. said hee was separated from his Mothers womb and called by Grace and had Christ revealed in him O blessed is that soul that the Lord hath separated for himself that Jesus Christ might bee revealed in it that is a blessed soul You know how Paul accounted the knowledge of Christ The excellent knowledge the excellencie of knowledge and accounted all things dung and drosse in comparison and so David in Psal 119.27 Make mee to understand the way of thy Precepts so shall I talk of thy wondrous works When you come together you can bee talking of this News and the other News but were your hearts filled with the knowledge of Jesus Christ you could not but talk of the wonderful things that God hath done for your souls in Jesus Christ And as wee are to labour to search that wee may know more so to give God the praise of this his wonder that hee hath done In Psal 107.8 Oh that men would praise the Lord for the wonderful things that hee hath done for the children of men It is meant there I confesse of the wonderful works of Gods providence but surely if God bee to bee praised and magnified for his wonderful works of providence much more for the wonderful works that hee hath done for the soul in Jesus Christ And so in Psal 86.9 10. You have an expression there to the same purpose All Nations whom thou hast made shall come and worship before thee O Lord and shall gloâ—ifie thy Name for thou art great and dost wondrous things Oh that this Scripture were fulfilled that all Nations might come and worship the Lord and glorifie God upon this ground because God is great and doth wonderful things The wonderful things of God in his works of Creation and Providence are nothing so much regarded of God himself as the wonderful things hee hath done in Christ and therefore the Lord expects that the Saints should glorifie him more for that than for any thing else And the truth is God reâ—ects all the glory that hee hath from his creatures except hee hath it because of the wonders that hee hath done in his Son And as wee should study Christ and praise and bless God and have our hearts enlarged for Jesus Christ So this is the duty of beleevers to whom God hath revealed Christ as wonderful that in their conversations they should hold out the wonderful Glory of Jesus Christ thou shouldest so walk before men as to manifest to all the world that thy Saviour is a wonderful Saviour And thou shouldest manifest it by thy wonderful change that soul that hath part in Christ whose Name is wonderful honours Christ in this If hee doth manifest that since hee came to know Jesus Christ there is a wonderful change made in him what a change is there made in this youth or childe young-man or neighbour or friend Not long since what an ignorant sot was hee but since hee went to hear the Word Oh the understanding in a little time that such a one hath got in the Mysteries of the Gospel such a one was not able to go into Gods presence to expresse himself in prayer any otherwise but upon a book but now Oh what a spirit of prayer hath God given to such a poor wretch that was so ignorant the other day Now O how can hee pour out his soul before the Lord Such a one that not long since was a prophane and loose liver and sensual and base in his life and conversation now oh how holy how heavenly how spiritual and would not commit the lest known sin if hee might gain a thousand worlds for it such a one that was false in his service before now how trusty one may trust ones life and all that one hath with him now such a one that heretofore was a swearer oh how doth hee reverence the Name of God! such a one that was a froward passionate spirited man or woman now how meek and gentle are they what a mighty change is there in the spirit of such a servant or wife or husband or neighbour And such a one that was altogether for himself and proud and haughty but now
oh how humble and submissive now hee can deny himself of any thing As wee read of Christ that when hee commanded the winds and the waves the Text saith all people wondred at him So when the winds of thy passion are up if thou canst but bid them bee still all would wonder at it Oh how comes there so great a change such a one that was impatient before in any suffering now what ever hee suffers how like a Lamb is hee and opens not his mouth Now in the midst of afflictions and pains and troubles hee can lye rejoycing and praising God And such a one though hee hath never such strong temptations to draw him on the other side yet now hee can resist the strongest temptations before if a companion did but hold up his finger hee must go but now I say hee can resist strong temptations and oh how hee accounts it his glory and happinesse to suffer for Jesus Christ Now this doth manifest Christ a wonderful Saviour As it was the speech of a Heathen seeing the Christians suffer with so great patience hee cries out Of a truth the God of the Christians is a great God that doth inable them to do such great things So thou must so walk in thy life that thou must manifest that Jesus Christ is a wonderful Saviour And bee ashamed to complain of any difficulty in any duties that thou art set about thou art set about such a duty and oh thou complainest they are hard and difficult and tedious Is it for thy Saviour that thou doest it thou shouldest bee willing to go thorow fire and water and in this one thing the wonderfulness of the change of a soul doth appear as much as in any thing That those things that before were accounted burdens now the soul accounts them as a priviledge and the joy of its heart others cannot do so Now the Gospel makes such a change and in this change of thy heart and of thy life Jesus Christ is held forth in the world to bee a wonderful Saviour but now if thou canst do no more than those that are strangers to Jesus Christ what honour hath Christ in thy life and conversation One passage or two more If Christ bee a wonderful Saviour hence then every one that hears of Christ should think it to bee a dreadful thing to misse of Jesus Christ Oh then let all souls to whom Christ is made known make after him Oh thou wretched soul that hast not yet understood the way of God towards man-kind now labour to know it If the Lord hath wonderful thoughts for the saving of man-kind then let thy thoughts bee such And after all this shall my soul perish eternally shall I bee cast away notwithstanding God hath wrought in such a glorious and wonderful way for the salvation of souls must I perish at last for all this Thy heart should make towards God and bee incouraged in this because the way of salvation is so wonderful why may not thy soul come in likewise and bee saved there is not the worst of you all but here is help in this wonderful Saviour to help you and redeem you had you but hearts now to come in and to fall down before the Lord when you get alone in your closets and say Lord I have heard that there is a wonderful Saviour come into the world and hath done wonderfully for the redeeming of man-kind Oh that hee might bee wonderful in my salvation also that I may bee among the number of those that may to all eternity bee admiring at thy glory in Jesus Christ many of you rejoyce in this that God hath wrought wonderfully to preserve you some times out of dangers I but what are all the wonderful works of God towards you except you have your part in him whose Name is called wonderful And last of all Let us long for that time when Jesus Christ shall appear in all his glory hee doth appear now to the souls of his Saints very wonderful as hee is set out in the Word but there is a time when Christ shall come and appear in all his glory in another manner than wee are able to set him out After the blowing of the seventh Trumpet that you read of in the book of the Revelations then is the Mystery finished and what is the finishing of it in chap. 11. then is the voice heard saying Rev. 11.15 The Kingdomes of this world are become the Kingdomes of our Lord and of his Christ and hee shall reign for ever and ever Then shall the Lord Jesus Christ come and appear in all his wonderful works to the children of men and to bee admired in the Saints then shall bee fulfilled the Scripture wee have in John 14.20 21. Mark what Christ promises there to his Disciples At that day yee shall know that I am in my Father and you in mee and I in you hee that hath my commandements and keepeth them hee it is that loveth mee and hee that loveth mee shall bee loved of my Father and I will love him and will manifest my self to him At that day you shall know it It seems his Disciples understood but little of this Mystery before but saith Christ there is a day that you shall know that I am in my Father and you in mee and I in you And bee of good comfort all beleevers there is a time coming that you will see Christ more wonderful than now you do you do now see Christ to bee wonderful and your hearts are taken in some measure taken off from all the Creatures to admire at Jesus Christ in Act. 3.11 12. when the people wondered at the cure that the Apostles wrought upon the lame man mark at the 12th vers When Peter saw it hee answered unto the people Yee men of Israel why marvel yee at this or why look yee so earnestly on us as though by our own power or holiness wee had made this man to walk The God of Abraham and of Isaac and of Jacob the God of our Fathers hath glorified his Son Jesus c. As if they should say Why do you wonder aâ— us know that the God of Abraham and of Isaac and of Jacob hath glorified his Son Jesus it is hee that you are to wonder at The Saints have their hearts taken off from Creatures from men from instruments and they look upon him that the God of Abraham Isaac and Jacob hath glorified even Jesus Christ and hee is the matter of their wonder But dost thou wonder at Jesus Christ now know Christ will come ere long in another manner to bee admired at by his Saints in all his glory Christ was wonderful when hee came with sin and when hee comes without sin hee shall bee more wonderful hee shall come in all his glory with his holy Angels to make good all that hee hath promised and to bring with him all that hee hath purchased and then wee shall see him as
gain that end for which they were made ib. Doct. 2 That the loss of the soul is a most dreadful loss 243 Answers to that Question What Christ means by the loss of the soul ib. Not because they will bee annihilated ib. But 1 The loss of the soul is in the privations of it of all good 244 2 It consists in its departing from God ib. 3 In subjecting it to that misery and evil that is contrary to what good it is capable of ib. 4 In the suckerless and helpless condition it is brought into For 1 Every man and woman as they came into the world are deprived of that glory and excellency that God did indow the souls of men with at their first Creation 2 All our souls do naturally wander away from God 245 3 In its depravity and sinfulness ib. 4 Its being in a succourless helpless condition ib. Wherein consists the loss of the soul in Hell 246 1 In the full rejection of the soul from God ib. 1 From living the life of God 247 2 From having any union with God 249 3 From having any fruition of God ib. 4 From enjoying the presence of Christ 250 5 From being ever exercised in that blessed work of praising God 251 6 From ever living in God as the Saints do ib. A second thing wherein the misery of the souls loss consists in Hell is in its being made very sensible of the loss of its chiefest good 254 Which is 1 To bee cast under the eternal curse of God 255 2 To have all the faculties of the soul to bee filled with wrath 256 1 The infinite power of God put forth in inlarging their natures that they may bee the more capable of evil ib. 2 To uphold their natures that they sink not with those dreadful evils ib. 3 To let out on the soul whatever it can bear to make it miserable 4 To keep all the faculties of the lost soul in its utmost activity 258 3 Its misery appears in its succourless and helpless condition ib. For 1 All the power of God cannot help it 2 There can bee no Mediator between God and the lost soul ib. Several Aggravations whereby the misery of a soul that is lost doth appear As 1 If the soul be lost then the body is and will be lost also ib. Because 1 The body all the time a man doth live is the onely or most immediate instrument the soul hath to work and to sin by 259 2 Because the soul that is lost shall bee united to the body the very extremity of the soul must needs bring misery on the body also ib. 2 When the soul comes into this condition it comes into the most dreadfullest condition that any creature is in ib. 3 It will then have none to pitty it Jesus Christ will not pitty it The Angels will not pitty it The Saints will not pitty it Their kindred will not pitty it ib. 4 It will prove to most that are lost an unexpected loss 260 5 It will prove to bee a dreadful loss because it will prove to bee a wilful loss 261 6 It will bee a great loss for a little matter 262 7 Many will lose their souls that were very nigh the saviâ—g of their souls ib. 8 When they shall consider they have lost their souls and have nothing in lieu thereof 263 9 The shame that shall bee put upon such lost souls as shall perish eternally ib. 10 When they shall see others taken up to Heaven that were as unlikely to bee saved as themselves 264 Use 1 If the souls loss bee so dreadful bless God that your souls are not thus lost ib. 2 Let us bless God then for Jesus Christ 267 3 It must needs then bee a dreadful evil for any to have a hand in this loss 269 4 It rebukes the folly and madness of most people that have no care of their souls 272 Several waies by which men come to lose their souls As 1 Some lose their souls by wandring up and down in darkness all the daies of their lives ib. 2 Others by pawning them away 273 The pawning of the soul is most dangerous of all other 274 For 1 There is no such pawn as possibly can bee laid as this ib. 2 In laying of pawns there is a time prefixed for the redemption ib. 3 You bargain the bringing of somewhat that you have in your own power to redeem it ib. 3 Men lose their souls by wounding of them ib. Quest Wounding them how you will say By that I mean the commissions of sins against conscience 275 4 Men lose their souls by being gull'd of them 5 By selling of them away ib. Men sell their souls 1 When men seek advantage to themselves by any unlawful means 276 2 When men shall resolutely give up themselves to all manner of wickedness 277 6 Men lose their souls by poisoning them ib. And that 1 Either by wicked company Or 2 By wicked errors 7 Others lose their souls by venturing them 279 This a man may do in four cases 1 By rashness 280 2 By doing things that are doubtful ib. 3 By venturing upon Gods patience ib. 4 By venturing upon their own lives 281 8 Many lose their souls by starving them 283 9 Some lose their souls by surfeiting of them 285 10 And lastly By forfeiting of them ib. And that two waies 1 By not tendring that homage to God that is due ib. 2 By breaking Covenant with God 286 Use 5 It concerns us to examine whether our souls bee not in such a condition that if they should depart in they would bee lost ib. But who are they that are no better qualified Answer 287 1 That soul that God hath not convinc'd of the dangerous natural condition in which it is 2 That soul that hath not made it his greatest care above all things to save it self 3 That soul to whom the Lord hath not revealed the glory of the mysteries of the Gospel 4 That soul that hath no other righteousness to tender up to God but its own 289 Quest What other Righteousness is there Answer A supernatural Righteousness 290 5 That soul that God hath not made in some measure at least to feel the weight of sin ib. 6 That soul that walks after the flesh in a course of sin 291 7 That soul that is under the dominion of any one lust 292 Quest What is it for sin to domineer Answ When sin shall set up a kinde of Throne and give Laws as a King 293 8 That soul that hath not had such a change wrought by the Spirit as is a New Birth or Resurrection 294 9 That soul that hath not gone beyond those the Scripture brands for Hypocrites 296 Quest How shall a man know hee is gone further than these Answer 298 1 They could not say because the word is pure therefore they delighted in it 2 That they prized Jesus Christ as a sanctifier 3 That they lift up God as the highest
end Use last Minde that serious question What you shall do to bee saved 299 Object But wee must inquire after all truth Answer Yes but seasonably and in its due time 300 301 Rules about our inquiring how to be saved ib. 1 Do it timely 2 Do it earnestly 202 3 Do it sincerely 4 Do it constantly 203 Reasons why wee should thus inquire ib. Because 1 By nature wee are in a lost condition 2 Salvation is a difficult thing 3 There are but few that shall bee saved ib. The true Question of what wee should do to bee saved Answered 306 1 If you would have your souls saved joyn with God in what hee hath revealed to you concerni g your own condition ib. 2 Break off the acts of thy sin at least 308 309 Wherein is shewed the reason of this Rule 3 Take off your heart as much as you can from the world 310 4 Acquaint thy self with the mysteries of the Gospel ib. Quest What is there in the Gospel and Covenant of Grace wee must inform our selves of 311 Answ 1 Informing our selves of the necessity of satisfaction to Divine Justice ib. 2 Of a necessity of peâ—fect Righteousness 3 Of an absolute necessity of the application of Christs Righteousness 313 4 Of the necessity of Regeneration ib. 5 The fear of God must bee mighty and strong upon your spirits 314 6 Attend upon those means that God hath appointed to save your souls 317 Quest Can wee do any thing towards the working our own salvation Answered 317 318 319 7 Take heed of resting upon false hopes of thy salvation 320 Question What are those hopes Answer 321 1 Such hopes as are not Scripture-hopes 2 Such as are not wrought by the â—pirit 323 3 Such as are not lively hopes 324 4 Such as are not purging hopes 325 Next thing is by laying the foundation sure of salvation Where that Question is answered what it is 328 9 Keep thy soul under the authority of the word 331 2 The authority of conscience 332 10 Take heed of sinning against the price of thy soul against the good of the Covenant and against mercy 333 334 335 11 Take heed of sinning against the Spirit of Grace 336 12 Account the preciousness of the time of your lives to consist in this that it is a day of salvation 337 13 And lastly Bee sure to go with those that go in the streightest and in the safest way 337 338 339 The last thing treats of the transcendency of the Souls loss above the worlds gains 340 Sheweth Three things that may help a natural man to see the things of the world to bee as nothing ib. 1 If God wound his conscience and terrifie him 2 When God laies his hand upon him in afflicting of him 3 Even strength of Reason 343 As 1 Though thou shouldest gain the world and yet bee a man like to perish at last thou hast gotten but little ib. 2 Hee is never a whit the better for any thing in the w rld 346 3 All these are things beneath the soul 347 348 4 They are such things as God hath denied to the choicest of his servants 349 5 They may stand with Gods eternal hatred of his creature 350 6 They have no real good in them ib. 7 There is nothing that can satisfie the heart 352 8 What ever a wicked man hath of the world hee hath it without God ib. 9 All these things turn upon a wheel of uncertainty 353 354 Use It shews us not to envy at the prosperity of the wicked 357 2 Let all those that seek the world in those waies wherein they are like to lose their souls think upon this truth 360 The Souls Excellency The Worlds Vanity 3 It shews the way to answer all Temptations 365 By thus comparing the World with the Soul 365 4 And lastly Incouragement to those that will rather venture all in the waies of God than to hazard their Souls Mr. BVRROVGHS on the BEATITUDES The First SERMON ON The Excellency of the Soul I Have endeavoured to shew somewhat unto you about the Excellency of the Name of God and likewise the Excellency of Jesus Christ and what hee is that so you might have right apprehensions of God and Christ Now in the third place I shall desire to shew you somewhat about the Excellency of your own Souls And to that end attend to Matth. 16.26 For what is a man profited if hee shall gain the whole world and lose his own Soul The Text. or what shall a man give in exchange for his Soul OUr Saviour going himself to suffer tells his Disciples what they must expect in the following of him Vers 24. If any man will come after mee let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow mee These are the tearms saith Christ upon which you must follow mee you must bee willing to deny your selves and to take up your cross to suffer hard things if you follow mee Christ would have his Disciples know the worst at first and not please themselves in a fools Paradise thinking that by following of him they should get great matters to themselves in the world no saith hee expect no such matter but deny your selves and take up my cross But this may seem to bee hard it may bee our cross may bee the loss of all the loss of our lives and must wee take up that yes saith Christ in the verse before my Text bee not solicitous what your cross is like to bee onely bee willing to take it up And the truth is the more willing you are to take it up the better will it bee for you and you will get nothing by seeking to shift for your selves For whosoever will save his life shall lose it and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall finde it Vers 25. It may bee when you meet with sufferings in the world you will think to shift this way or that way but you will get nothing If you would save your lives by forsaking the truth it is the onely way to lose your lives But if you bee willing to lose your lives for my truth you shall save them or what if by forsaking mee and my truth when you meet with suffering you should save your lives and your estates and live bravely in the world do you think you are any gainers by this you are infinitly mistaken If you cast up the account you will finde that you have gotten nothing all For what is a man profited if hee shall gain the whole world and lose his own soul And thus you see how the words come in These words that I have read unto you are of exceeding serious consideration And indeed they should bee as Thunder in every mans ears Some Scripture that a Minister may preach on may concern some particular person in a Congregation more than others But here is a Text concerns every one that hath a soul Man and woman high and
him as musick good cheer friends estate yet there is that horror and torment in his spirit sometimes through the consciousness of the guilt of sin that hee is not able to bear nay were there not somewhat beyond this bodily substance certainly this could never bee verily then there is a spirit in man and hence therefore you see that there is somewhat doth concern you all beyond your present outward and bodily condition Let no man think that hee hath provided well for himself when hee hath provided mony and house and lands and good chear and cloaths and such kinde of things do not think that thou art happy in that for these are things that concern thy outward man there is still another substance in thee that thou art to look after that takes little notice of such things as these are Neither do you think that you have provided well for your children when you have provided an estate an inheritance somewhat to leave them know that there is another substance in your children besides that outward bodily substance you look upon Do you see a fine feature comely parts comely countenance and your children finely cloathed I but know there is a spirit in that childe besides that bodily substance that you are to look to Certainly man is very far fallen from God that none scarce takes notice of his own spirit We do not only naturally live without a God in the world so as to know little of that infinite divine Spirit that is the first being of all things but wee live without the knowledge of our own spirits of our own souls Truly few men there are that know their own souls As a man by his eye sees things that are without him but he doth not see his own eye so by the soul wee come to understand many things without us but yet how little do wee understand of our own souls well might the Psalmist therefore complain and say in Psal 49.20 Man that is in honour and understandeth not is like the beasts that perish God did indeed make man at first in honour but now hee is become like the very beasts hee doth minde little or nothing more than the very beasts themselves hee blesses himself if hee hath but content for the body for a while as if there were nothing else concerned him I appeal unto your consciences in this thing whether the uttermost sphere of your thoughts have been any further than meerly within the compass of bodily content If you should come to a beast and talk to it about Trades and titles of honour and Arts and Sciences and such kind of things why what is all this to a beast Give a beast hay or corn and such kinde of things that are suitable to it and it mindes that more than it doth any high notions that you are able to tell it and truly thus it is with sensual men even as the Atheist who saith in his heart That there is no God so a kinde of Atheism there is in their hearts to say they have no souls that there is no difference between them and the brute-beasts hence it is that they savour spiritual things so little Tell carnal men of the excellency of the Name of God Tell them of Jesus Christ how wonderful hee is of the wonderful mysteries of the Gospel and of the things of eternal life they are dry things to such a one hee savours them not Tell him of money and meat and drink and sports and cloaths and such kinde of things they are suitable unto him there is some savour in them but for the great things of the Kingdome of God and of eternal life there is no savour at all in them and thus far is man fallen from God and lives for the most part as if so bee hee were capable of no higher good but meerly to eat and drink and live for a while here like a beast Thus doth the Devil gull and deceive most of us Now my brethren this is a work that I have undertaken and it concerns as much the Ministers of God to shew unto you what you are your selves what God hath made you as to shew you what God is and what Christ is that you may come to understand your selves you can never come to know your reference unto God untill you come to know what God hath made you this is therefore my scope in this Scripture to shew unto you what God hath made you and that you have souls within you and souls of exceeding great worth I will not say infinite for none is infinite but God himself but more worth than all the world than all the creatures that God hath made except the Angels in heaven The souls of the children of men are most excellent creatures did but a man or woman consider seriously that they have souls in them beyond their bodies it would raise them up a little But this next Point that is the main and principal Doct 2 Did they but know the worth of their souls it could not but raise them very high above those poor empty vanities that they have minded all this while Therefore there is in man not onely a soul but that that is more worth than all the world that if it should bee lost that man that gained the whole world would bee a great loser in his bargain Know therefore this that there is not the poorest man or woman living nay not the poorest childe that lyes begging a crust of bread at your door but this childe hath a soul in it that is more worth than heaven and earth this poor ragged tattered childe that lyes in rags I say crying at your threshold and begging a peece of bread it hath a soul in it that hath greater excellency than the Sun Moon and Stars than all the Heavens than the Sea than the Earth put all the creatures in the world together that are under Angels the spirit of this poor childe hath more excellency in it than all these things and that is the thing that I am to make out unto you Why natural life hath more excellency in it than any creature that hath no life I remember Austin saith of a Flye because it hath life that it hath more excellency in it than the Sun its self because though the Sun bee a glorious creature yet it hath no life in it life in the meanest creature hath a greater excellency than any thing else that hath not life But now the soul hath the highest natural life that is and capable of the highest happiness that any creature is capable of and therefore more excellent than all the world But that wee shall come too in its order The excellency of the soul may bee discovered first In the relation it hath to God The Excellency of the Soul discovered 1 In its relation to God God doth challenge a peculiar relation to the spirits of men and therefore in Heb. 12.9 â—od is called the Father
of spirits Shall wee not much rather bee in subjection to the Fâ—ther of spirits and live As if God did not so much look after and regard your bodies the outward man but hee is the Father of spirits And in Zeck 12.1 There is likewise an expression to the same purpose That God did form the spirit of man within him God accounts it a special part of his glory that hee makes the spirits of men hee is the Father of spirits But now I shall not enter into that controversie of the Generation of the soul thus far these Scriptures with others do evidence that God hath a more special hand in the producing of this spiritual substance than hee hath in other Creatures 2 And further The soul is onely under Gods command No Creature can have power over the soul of a man he may force his body but his soul cannot bee forced by men or Angels 3 Yea And it is under the power of no Creature to inflict evil upon it Fear not them saith Christ that can kill the body and can do no more there is all they can do Mat. 10.28 Luk. 12.4 5 they can but kill the body fear not them but fear him who after hee hath killed the body hath power to cast the soul into Hell yea I say unto you fear him saith Christ So that it appears by the Text that there is no Creature can do hurt to the soul the Devils themselves they cannot do it they can propound objects before the soul but except the soul do consent they cannot force it it is onely God that hath power over the soul therefore saith Christ fear him that is fear God that hath this power all other creatures this is all their do as wee may say they are able to kill the body 4 But further The excellency of the soul of man in reference unto God appears especially in the large extent of capacity that it hath to receive the Image of God and its ability to work according as God doth work himself and to enjoy communion with God and to receive the communication of those choice excellencies that God hath to communicate these things shew the excellency of the soul the large extent I say of the soul in the capacity it hath of good of divine good As First It is that that is capable to have the Image of God stampt upon it Whatsoever the body hath it is but in way of reflection from the soul wee know those Princes that are great and rich Princes except necessity compells them do not use to stamp their Image upon Leather or Brass or Copper but upon the choicest metals upon Gold and Silver So when God would have a Creature upon which hee would stamp his Image hee doth not chuse a mean Creature the brute beasts or any sensitive Creature but hee chuseth the most excellent of his Creatures Angels and the spirits of men that are one as Gold and the other as Silver and the great God stamps his Image upon these two and onely upon these two these are the two Principal Metals Gold and Silver Angels and mens spirits upon which God did stamp his Image in their first Creation Secondly Not onely to have the Image of God upon them but they are able to work as God himself works No other Creature is able to do so but Angels and mens spirits And this is the principal thing that shews the excellency of the soul it is able to understand the first beeing God himself and to make God to bee the last end of all things what is Gods work wherein the very happiness as I may so say of God himself consists but in the understanding of himself as the first beeing and the working unto himself as the last end and the enjoyment of himself that is Gods own happiness Now of such excellency is the soul of man however by sin it is depraved that it is capable of the understanding of an infinite eternal first beeing it is capable of working towards this first beeing as the last good of all which is the same way and kinde of working as God himself doth work Thirdly And it is capable of injoyment of the communion with God himself What is Gods happiness but to enjoy himself as the onely good Now the soul of man is capable of the enjoyment of God of having communion with the infinite first beeing of all things and so hee is capable of living the same life that God himself lives for so the Scripture saith Ephes 4.18 Colos 1.21 That the Heathens were estranged from the life of God so that it appears then that beleevers are not estranged from the life of God but do live the life of God in the injoyment of communion with himself For indeed there could bee no communion except there were living the same kinde of life as thus A man and a beast cannot have communion together why because they live not the same life one with another their lives are of different kindes so were it not that the soul were capable of the same life that God lives it could not bee capable of communion with God Fourthly And further The soul is of such a nature as it is capable of the communication of the choicest excellencies that ever God did or will communicate unto any Certainly there are very glorious excellencies in God in the infinite fountain of all good in the infinite first beeing of all things and this God being an infinite good doth take infinite delight in the communication of his goodness Now I say the souls of men are of such a large extent as they are some way capable of the enjoyment of any good that God hath to communicate which hee hath revealed in his word yea and the truth is when wee hear of Gods communicating of himself to his Son that hath a humane soul as well as a body wee cannot but conceive that a humane soul is of that large extent as it is capable of the highest and excellentest good that God hath to communicate to any Creature We cannot but think that the soul of Jesus Christ hath as much of Gods goodness communicated to it as ever creature had or can have now the soul of Jesus Christ is of the same nature with our souls as his body hee took the same kinde of flesh as wee have onely there was no sin and so the soul it is the same kind of soul that wee have onely it was not sinful as ours are Now if the soul of Jesus Christ bee capable of the highest good that God the infinite good hath to communicate to any creature then the souls of men and women are also howsoever you have look'd after your souls no further but onely to bee serviceable to your bodies to get meat and drink and bee as it were salt Cujus anima est pro sale as the Philosopher saith of the Epicure that the soul serves for no other end to
him but to keep his body from stinking yet know whatsoever thou art though now a sinful wretched vile creature and art deprived of the chief excellency that thy soul is capable of yet that soul of thine that thou hast is capable of the highest good thing that an infinite God hath to communicate Oh that God by your owning of this would a little but raise your spirits to think that you have been deluded and deceived all this while this is the excellency now of your souls in reference unto God Fifthly And yet there is in the next place A further reference that your souls have to God and that is the contiguity as I may so speak with God himself that is of all things that are here in this world the soul of man it is that that is next unto God himself Next to God you will say what do you mean when you say that the soul of man it is contiguous unto God I mean this that God hath made all creatures for himself but hee hath made them all for himself to come to him by man hee hath made all these inferiour things in the world for man and man for himself and so God comes to attain the end of all things in this world by man so that man is next unto God God would have the glory of all the creatures in the world but how by man saith God All these things that I have made I will have them bee in subjection to man for so they were in their first Creation and as I shall appear in all other of my works so shall this creature honour mee and fear mee and admire mee and magnifie mee upon the taking notice of and receiving in that good that there is in any creature All the goodness there is in the creature it comes to mee but how shall I have the glory of it all why I will make a creature that shall bee as it were between mee and other creatures that shall partake of the nature of other creatures but so as hee shall have a certain kinde of divine Beam of my excellency and shall bee able to take notice of mee and to receive in my goodness what hee doth receive in of the sweetness of the creature hee shall receive it in as my sweet and my goodness Incoms from mee and so hee shall reflect it upon my face again so that mans soul is like a Glass as you see a Glass that takes the beams of the Sun that shines upon it and casts it toward the Sun again as upon a wall the beams of the Sun comes into the Glass and then the Glass can reflect it this way or that way So the glory of God shines in the world and mans soul is as the glass and when it was in its first purity was as a clear chrystal glass and received in all the beams of Gods glory all the glory of God I say that did shine in all his creatures was received into mans soul as the beams of the Sun into a glass and now man was able to reflect the glory of these beams upon the face of God again and to return all again to God for as all things that are good come from him so all good should return again to him but now how comes the Lord to have an injoyment as it were of his goodness that hee lets out from himself How comes hee to have it return back again to himself Why the way of his returning it is by the Angels in heaven and the spirits of men these are the two excellent creatures that God doth make use of to fetch in all the glory that hee hath from all his creatures that they in an active way should reflect it all upon the face of God again certainly the soul of man is of an excellent nature then that is contiguous with God himself next unto him It is no matter whether a man bee rich or poor learned or unlearned yet hee hath a soul that is capable of this Yet further For the excellency of the soul The excellency of the soul discovered in its relation to Angels as it is excellent in relation to God so in relation to the Angels It is of the same kinde of nature that they are of they are spirits and so is the soul of man yea it hath the very same name with God himself God is a Spirit and so is the soul of man it is of the very same nature with the Angels and so is able to converse with them as well as with God himsâ—lf but for the way and manner of converse with those spirits that is little revealed in the word and therefore wee can say littâ—e of it And further The excellency of mans soul 3 The excellency of the soul in 1 Indowments of it it will appear in the excellent endowments of it Look upon the soul of man in his fallen estate and what admirable endowments some men have as in the excellent knowledge that some men have of Arts and Sciences the knowledge of the heavens it is a very gâ—orious thing that they are able to ascend up in their understanding and to know all the motions of the heavens and can tell you to a minute of an hour what kinde of motions there will bee as appears plainly by eclipses The arts of Navigation that they can compass the world up and down that way If it were but in these sensible things that wee see so much art in as in these mighty buildings which shows that a man out of a deal of rubbish can raise and erect such a building as this is this shows the excellency of mans soul and if there bee so much excellency in it naturally thâ—t it can do such things then what can it bee raised unto and inabled unto by a divine power What can it do when it is inlarged by grace and made partaker of the Divine nature 4. The souls excellency demonstrated from its immortality Luke 12.4 5. And further The excellency of the soul appears in the immortality of it Fear not them that can kill the body and can do no more Certainly if the soul were mortal as the body is then that man that kills the body kills the soul too and therefore wee may fear a man not onely because hee can kill the body but because hee can kill the soul but saith Christ Fear not them that can kill the body and can do no more The soul is as an Eagle when a man dyes that gets out of the Cage and so it flyes away saith Stephen when hee was to dye Act. 7.59 Lord Jesus receive my spirit Why if so bee that his spirit had dyed with his body he need not have said Lord Jesus receive my spirit Phâ—l 1.23 And so St. Paul I am in a streight and know not what to do whether to live or dye but hee thought it was better for him to bee dissolved it was not to bee destroyed
it is but a dissolution hee rather desired a dissolution that hee might bee with Christ which is best of all Certainly it was this that made the streight If I dye I shall bee with Christ immediately and if I live I shall injoy some communion with him and likewise do a great deal of service for him If Paul had thought that his soul and body should have dyed both together certainly hee would have desired to have lived rather than to dye for when hee did live his soul did injoy communion with Jesus Christ and hee did do abundance of service for him Now is it possible to think that a man that did so much service for Christ as ever man did and that injoyed so much sweet communion with Jesus Christ that such a man should bee willing to dye Certainly no but that hee knew that upon the dissolution of his body his soul should injoy further communion with Jesus Christ than it could do here It is an immortal substance it runs parallel with eternity of such an excellent nature the soul of man is And then further in this appears The excellency of it that it is the measure of all other kinde of excellency 5 The soâ—ls excellency shewed in being the measure of all other excellencies The soul of man is the measure of all other kinde of excellencies as thus look how far any thing may bee subservient for the good of the soul so far that thing hath an excellency in it and if it bee not subservient for the good of the soul it hath no worth and excellency in it as thus Suppose a man have a great estate in the world great comings in many friends many places now there is some excellency you will say in these things but are these subservient for the good of thy soul that thy soul can injoy communion with God so much the better then these things are good to thee but if so bee that these things hinder the work of thy soul and do not help it forward in the service that it is most capable of and made for there is no excellency in these things And indeed I know no one better sign that a man doth understand the true worth of his soul than this What doth hee account to bee the measure of the excellency of all the things of this world Thou wouldest fain have an estate and outward things in abundance as other men have Why thou sayest they are the good creatures of God I grant it they are so but now wherein dost thou think the excellency of these creatures doth most consist Certainly if thou comest to know the true worth of thy soul thou wilt say God gives mee these outward things and blessed bee his Name by a more large portion of these things am I inabled to do more large service for God my soul is freed from incumbrances in the world and they do help forward the work that my soul is specially concerned in viz. the service of God and therefore I account it a greater good to injoy these things than to bee without them now if thou comest to reason in this manner it is a sign that God hath shewn thee what the true worth and excellency of thy soul is 6 The price paid for souls proves its excellency But that I might draw to a conclusion This is that that above all things will demonstrate the worth and excellency of the soul The great price that was paid for it That Jesus Christ should bee willing to lay down his life to purchase the pardon of the sin of thy soul to deliver thy soul from eternal misery 1 Pet. 1.18 this shews the great worth of the soul Wee are not redeemed by silver and gold saith the Apostle Peter by any of these corruptible things Vers 19. but by the precious blood of Jesus Christ According to the price that is paid for one you may know the worth of such a one Suppose there were divers men that were taken captives one is but an ordinary Mariner you will say perhaps forty pound will redeem such a one but suppose the other bee a Gentleman or a Knight a Noble-man there must go five hundred or two or three thousand pounds for their redemption according to the excellency of the man so must bee the price of his ransome So my brethren when wee consider the price of mens souls that were taken captive by sin what was paid for them it was a price that was more worth than ten thousand thousand worlds certainly the soul is of an excellent nature Indeed it cannot bee imagined that Jesus Christ would have taken mans nature upon him and dyed an accursed death to have saved the whole world from being dissolved Suppose it had lain upon this that heaven and earth must have been dissolved except Jesus Christ would take mans nature upon him certainly Jesus Christ would have suffered heaven and earth to have gone to nothing rather than to have done as he did But when Jesus Christ saw that these immortal souls by their sin were brought into such a condition that they must perish to all eternity except hee come and take their nature upon him and lay down his life and dye an accursed death saith Jesus Christ rather than such precious souls which my Father hath made capable of injoyment of so much good from him and bringing glory to him rather than these should perish I am content to come and dye and suffer the wrath of my Father surely the price that was paid for souls doth hold forth the great worth of them In the death of Christ wee may read in large characters the worth of a soul And my brethren Even the body its self 7 The excâ—llency of the soul proved from the body because it is as the case of the soul it is a very excellent thing Of all the corporeal things that ever God hath made the body of man is the most excellent thing therefore David in Psal 139. speaking of his body saith verse 14. I am fearfully and wonderfully made marvellous are thy works and that my soul knoweth right well And then vers 15. My substance was not hid from thee when I was made in secret and curiously wrought in the lowest part of the earth When I was curiously wrought From 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the word in the Hebrew signifies Imbroydred the body of man is Imbroydery and hence in Gen. 2. it is said there that God formed man ampigore and here in Psal 139. God did imbroyder him And therefore Gallen that was an Atheist a long time when hee came to see the Anatomy of a mans body hee cryed out Now I adore the God of Nature Now the Lord hath wrought the body so curiously because it is the case of the soul and that being such an excellent creature must have a suitable case As if you have a curious Watch you will not put it into
brute creature Bless God I say for this for by this means First You are looked upon by the Angels themselves with honour and with respect till such time as the Angels certainly know your Reprobation and that you bee sent down to hell Though you bee wicked for the present and your souls bee defiled yet the Angels know nothing but that these souls though now much fallen from God may bee such as may live with them to injoy eternal communion with God together with them and therefore they look upon you with honour And the providence of God it is more towards you than towards any other creature in the world Doth God take care for Oxen saith the Scripture True the providence of God it is over all his works there is not the least worm that stirs without his providence I but doth God take care for Oxen that is as if the Holy Ghost there should say the providence of God over other creatures it is nothing in comparison of that it is over the spirits of men over those that have immortal souls When God looks upon the creature that hee hath given an immortal soul too why saith God My Providence shall in a special manner bee over this soul And certainly the thoughts of God have been from all eternity working towards those that have immortal souls in a more special manner than towards any of his other creatures how ever you think of God yet that is certain God hath had his thoughts towards you one way or other from all eternity and intends to fetch out a great deal of honor to his name from you one way or other and therefore his Providence is towards you God observes you and marks you what way you take his eye is upon you for hee intends to bring some great glory out of you God will not lose his creature fully you may lose your own souls but God will not lose the glory that hee might have from you but hee will have glory from you one way or other And if God hath given you immortal souls you have cause to bless him because whatsoever you are now yet you are such as are capable of all the good that ever Jesus Christ hath purchased and therefore it is a happy thing for one to have an immortal soul because they are not out of capacity of receiving that good that the Lord Christ hath purchased for his people the brute beasts are not capable they are capable of no higher good but to eat and drink and live here a while and have their senses to bee pleased and there is an end of them but know whatsoever thou art thou art capable of all the good that ever Christ hath purchased and therefore thy condition is a great deal better in that respect than the condition of all other creatures in the world And thou having a soul within thee God hath made thee for eternity one way or other and hee intends for to have thee to live to all eternity in one condition or other Now it is I say a happiness to bee made such a creature as that God should have thoughts about from all eternity It may bee you will say It were better that it were otherwise with us I confess such is the condition of some through their sin living and dying in it that it were better ten thousand times that they had been Dogs or Toads and Serpents I but that is but through thy wickedness but it cannot bee said of the vildest alive for there is none of you but for ought Angels or men know may live eternally to the praise of Gods grace in Christ you have such kinde of natures as are capable of it Now it is true if you should dye in your sins then it might bee said at that instance when you dye in your sins that it had been better that you had been Toads or Serpents or any thing in the world But were not this a sad thing for a man that hath such an excellent nature to live and dye so that they may wish hereafter that they had been Toads or Dogs how many are there that are willing so they may live like a beast to dye like a beast I but that thou canst not bring thy self to dye like a beast thou must be infinitly worse or infinitly better than the brute beasts But bless God that thou hast a nature capable of so much good whatsoever thou art in other respects though God hath made a great difference between thee and others that are of the same kinde in thy outward estate God hath made a great deal of difference between poor and rich between a poor Alms-body that lives in so mean a condition and between a Noble-man a Prince an Emperour I but this difference is made in the outward estate and body but there is no such difference made in their souls thou hast as precious a soul within thee that is naturally as good as ever any Emperour had in the world so Philosophers say of the souls of men mens souls are equal and one is not better than another by nature what they are better by is afterwards by education or by common gifts of the graces of God but by nature all men are equal And therefore that wherein mans excellency is is in his soul thou art as high as any Emperour in the world and therefore it is that the Scripture would have no difference made between the souls of men in Exod. 30.15 you shall finde there by that Scripture that God would not have difference made of the souls of men it is said in the 14. verse Every one that passeth among you that are numbred from twenty years old and above shall give an offering unto the Lord God would have an offering from every one of them Now mark what hee saith in the 15. verse The rich shall not give more and the poor shall not give less than half a shekel when they give an offering unto the Lord to make an attonement for their souls There must bee the same attonement made for souls both for the rich and for the poor And as wee spake the last day in opening the excellency of the soul it appears by the price that was paid for it so here they are equal in this that the poor mans soul must have as great a price paid to save it as the richest man in the world And therefore bless God for thy soul in this that hee hath made thee equal with the Kings and Princes of the world in that that is thy more noble and more excellent part And bless God for soul-mercies above all mercies If the soul bee so excellent then I say bless God that hath granted thee soul-mercies though hee hath denied thee bodily-mercies it is no great matter as suppose If so bee that God should take away the sight of thine eyes yet if hee opens the eyes of thine understanding of thy soul thou art happy Suppose that thou art
lame in thy body yet if thou canst walk in the wayes of Gods Commandements and run there thou art a happy creature It may be thou wantest food I but if God feed thy soul with spiritual Manna feed thee every day with food from heaven and take care for the feeding of thy soul thou art not so miserable as thou thoughtst thy self thou hast tattered cloaths I but if God hath provided the righteousness of his Son to bee a garment to cloach thy soul every time thou appearest before him thou art a happy creature in that therefore when thy heart is ready to murmure that God hath denied thee bodily mercies that hee hath granted to others think with thy self I but hath not God recompenced mee in soul mercies I make no question but there are many souls that bless God that ever they have lived to this time though they have suffered hard things for their bodies many that have lost and been plundered of all yet bless God that they have lived to the time wherein there was so much plenty of the food of souls Oh those truths of God that have been revealed unto us since those times but had those that had the power before had the power still continued wee had never had such truths made known unto us they account all recompenced in soul-mercies in Eph. 1.3 Blessed bee the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ Mark what the Apostle saith there his heart is filled with this Blessed bee God and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ Wherefore that hee hath given us good trading and good incomes that hath given us food and rayment wee are to bless God for this I but the Apostles heart was above this therefore saith hee Blessed bee the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly things in Christ they are the blessings indeed that wee have cause to bless him for spiritual blessings soul-mercies as for bodily-mercies wee know that the Heathens and Reprobates have had as great a share in as any in the world but blessed bee God though wee bee denied these outward bodily favours yet wee have spiritual blessings Oh thanks bee to God and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who hath blessed us with spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ And this now would bee a good argument that you do know the worth of your souls if you can be blessing of God for spiritual blessings in Jesus Christ above all blessings and account your selves rich enough if you have the riches of spiritual blessings And then further Oh if the soul of man bee so precious What great pitty is it that God should not have the honour of mens souls of such a noble and excellent creature it is great pitty that there should bee any creature under the Sun that God should not have the honour of that God should not have honour from every pile of grass from every bit of bread that is eaten from every stone in the street But now that God should give to mankinde such an excellent spirit a soul more precious than all the world and yet that God should not have the glory of this Oh this is an evil thing under the Sun indeed this must needs go to the heart of God for the truth is God hath his glory from all other creatures by the soul of man As for other creatures hee hath his glory but passively from them but for mans soul hee doth expect to have his glory actively from that that man by his soul should come to know this God the infinite first-being of all things should fear him and worship him and serve him and have communion with him and praise him and therefore David in Psal 103. My soul praise thou the Lord and all that is within mee praise his holy name And again hee concludes My soul praise thou the Lord. And so in Psal 104. Now upon the consideration of what hath been said of the excellency of our souls wee should lay a charge upon them that they do honour God and serve God What a sad charge will this bee to many a man at the great day when God shall say Haddest thou been made a Dog I never had had so much dishonour as I have had I should have had more honour if I had made thee a Dog there I should have had my honour passively and no dishonour from thee But now thou being made an immortal soul as it was capable of honouring mee so of sinning against mee the more excellent a thing is the more capable of evil it is as well as of good no creatures but Angels and men are able to sin against God Oh it is pitty that God should not have the honour of thy immortal soul God had more honour from Nebuchadnezzar when hee was driven out among the beasts than when hee sat upon the Throne as a King And then further that should have been another Use to have laboured to perswade you to take heed of dishonouring these souls of yours God hath put a great deal of glory and excellency upon them do not you dishonour them and many wayes should have been said how men do put dishonour upon their souls only for the conclusion Oh that you would but learn to love your own souls To love them It is a strange exhortation you will say to exhort men to love their souls Oh that you would but do it Psal 22. David calls his soul his Darling the souls of men should bee indeed their Darlings not their bodies It was a speech of a Courtier to his friend saith hee I love you as mine own soul Oh saith hee then you love mee not at all if you had said you had loved mee as your body then I should have thought you had loved mee but I see no love you have to your soul It was the prayer of the Apostle St. John in the Epistle that hee writ to his host Gaius I suppose you that know Scripture are not unacquainted with it in his third Epistle Beloved I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and bee in health even as thy soul prospereth I shall close all I intend for the present with this Scripture it seems that Gaius was a holy man but a man of a weakly and sick body and therefore St. John writing to him hee prayes thus Above all things I desire that thy body may but prosper as thy soul prospereth As if hee should say O Gaius thou hast an excellent gracious soul indued with admirable graces of the Spirit of God full of God thy soul is though thy body bee weakly Oh that thou hadst but as good a body as thou hast a soul It seems Gaius had more care of his soul a great deal than of his body but now my brethren consider this Would not this bee a curse to
most men for one to pray thus for them Oh Lord give them such bodies as they have souls it were as much as to say Lord Let that body bee blasted let it bee filled with diseases let it bee filled with rottenness let it consume away let it bee a noysome and loathsome body for his soul is so The souls of most men are filled with diseases are noysome and loathsome in the eyes of God It is a happy thing my brethren to have better souls than bodies that was the happiness of Gaius and so it would bee your happiness if you could say so you have great care of the bodies of your children I but have you a greater care of their souls if you have it would bee an excellent sign that God hath made you to understand what true excellency means It is a great question among Divines and among Philosophers too about the propagation of the soul how it comes in whether by the Parents or immediate creation truly there is one argument that it is not like to come in by the Parents because wee see that there is scarce any Parents that have any care of the souls of their children but altogether caring that their bodies may bee fine and that they may bee brave and as they look at their children so they look at themselves they love their bodies to the uttermost to make provision for the flesh but no further What a deal of do would there bee if when any of your children goes abroad or husband or wife If you should hear that they have gotten a fall and broke their legs or arms but now when you go abroad and fall into sin and get a wound to your souls as every sin it gives a deadly wound yea such a wound as onely the blood of Jesus Christ is able 〈◊〉 cure it and there is nothing made of all this as if wee were nothing but lumps of flesh Oh have a care of your souls and labour to love them and make them to bee your Darling you had need have a care of them for as they are precious so they are tender as it is with Watches and curious Instruments those that are most curious are the easiest hurt the very air will put them out of temper and so the souls of men because they are things so excellent they are things of a very curious nature and a little thing wil hurt them As a little thing will hurt the eye for that is a more excellent member than your finger or leg so the soul is a more excellent part and therefore it is that that is most in danger to bee hurt and mischiefed yea and to perish and if your soul perishes your body will follow after what will become of that if your soul bee lost and perish but the onely way to love your bodies well and aright it is to love your souls The Third SERMON ON The Excellency of the Soul Matth. 16.26 For what is a man profited if hee shall gain the whole world and lose his own Soul or what shall a man give in exchange for his Soul I Shall speak something unto a Use that was mentioned the last day and that was this If God hath given unto us such precious souls Oh then let not us dishonour our souls Dishonour them Why how may a man dishonour his soul 1 Why first when hee lives idlely and makes no use at all of it any more than if hee had but the soul of a Brute Psal 24.5 speaking of him that had not lift up his soul unto vanity I remember the old Latin Arius Montanus turns it Hee that hath received his soul in vain And indeed most people do receive their souls from God in vain or to no purpose they make no more use of them than the Philosopher said of the Swine that had his soul onely as salt to keep the flesh from stinking there is all the use many men make of their souls onely to keep their bodies from smelling and from corruption Secondly Wee dishonour our souls when wee imploy them about low and mean things unworthy of them and make them to bee the chief things that wee imploy them about It is the misery of man so to do that I spake of before and it is the sin of man so to do How many men that have such precious immortal souls as these are know no higher good to imploy them about than to bee it may bee all day or night in shuffling a pair of Cards or casting of Dice or at Tables there is the highest good that they know how to imploy their souls about What a poor mean low thing is this what a dishonour to such a soul as this If so bee any of you have servants that are of good breeding good parentage that are of excellent parts that have lived long with you that have skill in your Trade if you should set them to do nothing but pick straws they would account it a great dishonour put upon them Truly what do you with these precious immortal souls of yours that are so much worth even more than the world but imploy them in such poor things even to pick straws as it were if a man should have pearls that every one of them were worth a Kingdome and hee should know no other use to make of them than to stop holes in Mud walls one would think it as to bee great folly in him so a great dishonour put upon those pearls that are of so much worth why your souls are more worth every one of them than all the Pearls and Kingdomes in the world and for you to do nothing else but spend the strength of your souls about gathering of a little dirt together here in this world it is a great dishonour to your souls Wee have a story of Domitian that was a great Emperour and yet hee had such a low and mean spirit as that hee would spend the greatest part of his time in catching of Flies This is recorded of him as an argument of the lowness and meanness of his spirit unworthy a man of so great a dignity Oh so our souls that God hath made so high and put such glory upon what are they busied about in most people I remember Gregory Nyssen hee tells of some and among others of Origen to bee of that opinion that the souls of men were made altogether at the first Creation and lived glorious spirits till they sinned against God and all those that sinned against God were thrust into the bodies of men as into a prison and those that did not sin they â—ive still with God in glory And Jerome as I remember in his 32. Epist speaks of that opinion that did prevail and wee finde Plato though a heathen hee speaks of the souls of men and thought that they were made altogether before their bodies if not from eternity These men they thought the souls of men so precious as that they could not come
is to see him that hath all excellency in him and to see all the good there is in God as the good of the soul The soul is capable of the understanding of the minde of God to have all the glorious Counsels of God about his works and wayes that hee hath had from all eternity to bee revealed unto so far as concerns it and as any way may make it happy To live to see what the wayes of God have been from all eternity and what they shall bee to all eternity and that for the good of this soul that it may bee for ever in his presence and to stand and look upon his face and see him as the portion of it Oh this must needs bee a glorious thing Certainly if the presence of God put such a glory upon the heavens it must needs put abundance of glory upon the soul that shall stand immediately alwayes in his presence To have eternal communion with God that is to have the imbracements of God imbracing the soul and delighting himself in it above all other his works but onely the Angels and his Son delighting I say himself in the soul and imbracing it communicating and letting out himself in all his lustre and glory when hee shall have inlarged the soul to bee able to the uttermost to receive in that glory that hee hath to communicate And for him to converse with the souls of men to all eternity in a familiar way as one friend with another and for the soul to bee letting out its self again to God for that is in communion there is Gods letting out himself to it and its letting out its self again to God now I say it is the greatest delight to what God hath in himself his Son and Spirit and Angels the letting out of himself to the souls of men those that shall bee saved And on the other side it must needs bee an infinite delight to the soul alwayes to bee letting out it self upon God as now what delight do men take in eating and drinking now if there bee such delight from the humour in the palat meeting with a peece of meat in the mouth because of the suitableness between one object and another Oh what delight must there needs bee when this immortal precious soul being inlarged to the uttermost with all excâ—â—â—ency shall then meet with an infinite God the infinite first-being of all things as the most suitable object to it and so bee letting of its self forth to God and God letting of himself forth to it again Again the good that the soul is capable of with God it is to have an union with God for the soul to be made one with God to be united so as to be made one with him Hee that is joyned to the Lord is one Spirit saith the Apostle and saith Christ in Joh. 17. Father I will that those that thou hast given mee may bee one with mee as thou and I are one Spiritual things do most unite one to another there may bee a thousand beams of the Sun united and almost into one point because it is of a more spiritual nature so when the soul shall bee made one Spirit with God it being a Spirit and God likewise a Spirit there will bee an exact union one with another And so the more spiritual things are the more they communicate one to another as in nature the more corporeal a thing is the less it communicates its self the earth doth not communicate its self with any creature the water communicates its self more than that and the air more than that and the fire more than that the Sun that is less corporeal than any of these elements that wee have here and therefore that communicates its self more than the element doth Now God being a Spirit and the souls of men spiritual Oh what a communion will there bee of each to other And then further the soul is capable of fruition of God union and communion and fruition what is that you will say that is to have God not onely to bee united to it but to have a kind of possession of him to have the use of all that there is in God that can make mee happy to have the full use of it when I will then a man doth injoy a thing when hee can have the use of such a thing when hee will Now the souls of the Saints shall enjoy God that is shall have the use of all that glory and good there is in God that can make them happy when they will shall have as much use of God as they will surely they must needs bee happy that shall thus enjoy God If a man had the fruition of the world that hee could have the use of all the good things in the world when hee would you would think him happy but this is the happiness of the souls of the Saints that they shall have such a fruition of God that they shall have all the use of God that they will and when they wâ—ll And further Fruition hath this in it it hath a reflect act A man though hee hath a great deal of riches given him yet if hee doth not know this or if so bee that hee doth know it and yet have not the comfort of it hee doth not enjoy it such a man though hee bee born to a great deal yet if hee have not the reflect act to know that hee hath it hee doth not enjoy it So wee enjoy but little of God now because God though hee bee the portion of a gracious heart yet the heart doth not know this fully But knowledge when it shall bee perfect then the soul shall perfectly know what good there is in God and how far my soul may and is happy in the enjoyment of this God I shall know how to make use of God to the full and shall have continually the comfort of all that good there is in God And yet further the presence and communion with Jesus Christ that the soul shall have besides that of God the Father it shall bee with him where hee is It is a blessed thing here to follow the Lamb whithersoever hee goes but to bee alwaies with him to have alwaies fruition of him and to have communion likewise with all the Saints and Angels and all the blessed spirits that is a blessed thing indeed I remember I have read of Cato when hee was about to dye Oh blessed day saith hee for now I shall go to the souls of wise men and Philosophers and so upon that ground he did account the day of his death a blessed day because hee should go to have communion with the souls of Philosophers and wise men But how blessed is it then for our souls to have communion eternally with Angels and blessed spirits You are come to an innumerable company of Angels Heb. 12.22 23 and the spirits of just men made perfect When a soul is converted it
its misery consist because God will keep all the faculties of the lost soul in their utmost activity whereas now it is not so with us for if misery and pain bee upon us here after a while our activity and sensibleness of it is partly gone But the Lord will make such souls as are eternally lost as perfectly sensible of this its misery every moment as ever it was the very first moment that it went into that misery Then Lastly In regard of the irrecoverableness of the lostness of the soul when it is once lost The soul when it is departed from the body and once lost then all the power of God can never help nor recover it but then the stream of Gods wrath shall carry it with that mighty force as that it shall not bee able to all eternity to have the least actings of its self towards its deliverance for ever Secondly There shall bee no Mediatour between God and the lost soul none to mediate for it Now had not wee a Mediatour between God and us wee were all certainly lost but now for the soul that is once lost eternally Jesus Christ will never tender up any work of mediation for such a soul that is certainly gone and lost irrecoverably And then further the gates of mercy will bee for ever shut against such a soul Now for the further opening and setting forth the dreadfulness of the loss of the soul there are divers aggravations wherein the misery of it doth further appear The first aggravation is this If the soul bee thus lost then the body is and will be lost also It will bring the body into the very same lost condition of misery that it is in its self so far as it is capable of misery and that upon these two grounds First Because the body all the time a man doth live in this world it was the onely or most immediate instrument that the soul had to work and to sin by And certainly God must needs hate that body and curse it that did belong to the soul because it was the onely instrument of the soul to sin by Secondly Miserable must the body also bee because when such a lost soul shall bee united unto the body the very extremity of the soul must needs bring misery upon the body also as thus When Christ had the apprehensions of his Fathers wrath and displeasure in his soul how did it work upon his body even so as to cause even clodders of blood to fall from him Now what caused this pain in his body but the terrors of God in his soul and if it was so with Jesus Christ that had but sin imputed unto him then certainly the body of a damned creature must needs bee in very great and dreadful torment to which this soul is united If a holy man cried out Thy arrows stick fast in mee Psal 38.2.3 and thy hand presseth mee sore there is no soundness in my flesh because of thine anger neither is there any rest in my bones because of my sin I say if the anger of God caused this misery unto Davids body for his sin what misery will that bee when all the faculties of the soul shall bee filled with the wrath of God to their utmost capacity O then I say what dreadful evil and pain will there bee unto the body united unto such a soul The second aggravation of the loss of the soul it is this That when it comes to bee in this lost condition then it comes to bee in the deadfullest and most miserable condition that any Creature is in except the Devils themselves The Scripture tells us it is an evil thing to have riches kept for a mans hurt But O then what an evil is it and will it bee for a man to have an immortal soul for his hurt this is the condition of a lost soul The third aggravation of the loss of the soul is this It will have none to pitty it in that its miserable lost condition it is in If a man in this world should lose his estate or any great loss hee would have many to pitty him if a man lose by fire then hee may obtain a gathering whereby his loss may bee partly made up or hee relieved or if you lose your children you have your friends to pitty you and to condole with you But that man that shall have his soul lost hee shall bee in such a condition as that hee shall have none to pitty him True wee are all lost by nature but in that our lost condition wee have God pittying us and Christ pittying us and the Angels looking upon us with pitty and Saints pittying us But hereafter if lost none shall pitty that soul in that condition when its loss is eternal God shall not pitty it but then the blessed God shall look upon it as an object of his eternal curse But no pitty shall hee have of souls in that their lost condition neither shall Jesus Christ pitty them True Jesus Christ came to seek and to save those that were naturally lost but yee have done what in you lay to frustrate the ends of Christ his coming and as Christ shall not pitty you so mercy it self shall not pitty you but bee so far from pittying of you as that it shall plead against you And Angels they shall not pitty you because they shall bee taken up in blessing and praising of God for his works and righteous judgements upon you Neither shall the Saints pitty you though it bee thy Father out of whose loins thou camest or though it bee thy Mother out of whose womb thou camest yet they shall not pitty thee though thou art lost and lost eternally but shall rejoyce at it and bless God for his justice upon thee therefore miserable is the condition of a lost soul The fourth aggravation of a lost soul is this It will prove unto most that are lost an unexpected loss There are very few that have any apprehensions of the loss of their souls but they think they may go on in sin and yet do well enough It may bee thou hearest a Minister speak of the loss of the soul but thou flatterest thy self and thinkest thou shalt do well enough but at length before thou art aware thy soul may bee lost and that unexpectedly then it must needs bee dreadful because it is so great and unexpected As for example if a Merchant should hear that his stock at the Indies were there safe and well and afterward upon an instant there doth come news unexpectedly that all is lost and gone Oh how doth it damp him and O consider how it will damp thee hereafter though now thou dost flatter thy self If thy soul should bee lost eternally I say it will bee a dreadful loss in regard of the unexpectedness of it A fifth aggravation is this It will prove to bee a dreadful loss because the loss of every soul that shall bee lost will prove to
bee thou that art a carnal Master mayst see thy poor servant taken up to God and thou thy self shut out or it may bee the carnal Father or Mother may see their childe saved and yet they themselves lost Oh this will bee a sad aggravation of their loss And thus you have heard the dreadful loss of the soul together with the aggravations thereof in these ten particulars Now for the Use Is it so that the loss of the soul eternally is so dreadful a loss as you have heard it is Oh then let every one here bless God for their souls that their souls are not thus lost It might have been so long ere this time when such a kinsman of thine dyed or thy fellow-servant or when such a neighbour or acquaintance of thine dyed if thou hadst but dyed when they dyed thy soul it may bee had been eternally lost This I can assure you that naturally you are all lost and what makes the difference between thy soul and the condition of a lost soul as you have heard but onely the meer mercy of God Oh therefore now bless God for his mercy unto thee that thy soul is not as yet a lost soul and think thus with thy self Lord if these things bee true and so dreadful to hear of Oh then what would be my misery if it should prove that I should bee the person made sensible thereof by experiencing the misery I hear of to bee the miserable condition of a lost soul The Scripture doth say concerning the joy and happiness of the Saints That eye hath not seen nor ear heard 1 Cor. 2.9 neither hath it entred into the heart of man to conceive what their happiness shall bee that shall bee saved And the like may bee said of the misery of the souls that are eternally lost and the Scripture doth say That if our Gospel bee hid 2 Cor. 4.3 it is hid to them that are lost I beseech you therefore remember what hath been spoken concerning the condition of loâ—t souls and lay to heart what hath been spoken out of this Text lest within a little time you feel what hath been spoken to bee a truth and so bee forced to cry out True it is I heard such a day out of such a text what was the miserable condition of a soul eternally lost but now I finde it by experience to bee true and the one half I now feel I could not then conceive And know the reason my Brethren why we lay the misery of lost souls thus before you it is to this end that none of you might be thus lost And it is a blessed thing for you to hear these things for how many are there that have lost their souls which till they were thus lost never so much as heard any thing about the loss of their souls which if they had who knows what might have been done by them for the saving of their souls Beloved such a subject as this cannot be spoken unto you without trembling for certainly this subject will bee much adding to the prevention of the loss or else it will mightily aggravate the loss of your souls if ever they are eternally lost therefore all I have at present to counsel you to is to lay these things to your hearts seriously as also to bless God for your souls that as yet they are not in this dreadful eternally lost condition The Fifth SERMON ON The Excellency of the Soul Matthew 16.26 For what is a man profited if hee shall gain the whole world and lose his own soul Use IF the loss of our souls bee so dreadful as you have heard bless God that your souls are not gone and thus lost as hath been opened unto you It may bee thou hast lost thy husband or thy wife or thy childe or thy friend or a great part of thine estate but blessed bee God that thy soul is not lost In a great fire where men use to lose most if not all that they have when a man comes to view what hee hath lost and hee findes hee hath lost this thing that was in such a parlour and that that was in such a chest but if at length he comes to finde that such a Jewel that hee had in the house or such a bagg of gold in which most of his estate consisted that that is not lost though all the lumber all the houshold-stuff is lost that comforts him in all other of his losses So it should bee here whatever wee lose wee are to bee comforted in this that our souls are not gone and lost It is a notable Scripture in 1 Pet. 4. vers last Wherefore let them that suffer according to the will of God commit the keeping of their souls to him in well doing as unto a faithful Creator As if the Apostle should say you are like to meet with great sufferings you may likely bee deprived of all you have of your estates and of all your comforts and may come to suffer much yet commit the keeping of your souls to him in well doing as unto a faithful Creator Why they might have said but what shall become of other things if storms and tempests and sufferings come what shall become of our estates what shall become of our livelihoods and of our bodies why saith the Apostle as for them for your estates for your bodies it may bee they may perish you are not so much to look after them but commit the keeping of your souls unto him as unto a faithful Creator The Apostle here exhorts them what to do in times of sufferings and by what hee doth express hee doth imply that they should take no care for outward estate and body it is enough that your souls are well commit the keeping of your souls to him as unto a faithful Creator wee have enough if that bee safe You know in time of danger as fires and other times if a man hath any precious thing hee carries that presently to some special friend and commits the keeping of that to him his writings and such things wherein his estate is most So saith the Apostle in the time of publick danger Take care to commit the keeping of your souls to him as unto a faithful Creator and you are well enough That is the first Secondly If the loss of the soul bee so dreadful a loss Oh let us bless God then for Jesus Christ without whom all our souls had been eternally lost never a soul in the world but must have perished unto all eternity had not Jesus Christ come into the world to bee the great Saviour of souls All the Angels in Heaven and men in the world could never have saved one soul now Christ saw this and his bowels did even yearn towards so many thousands of precious souls and rather than they should perish hee was content to come and make his own soul to bee an offering for sin Isa 53.10 the soul of Christ was made an
offering there and what was that but for the saving of souls wee may therefore concerning Christ well say as the Elders in Rev. 5.9 They sang a new song saying Thou art worthy c. for thou wast slain and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood Oh thou art worthy O blessed Saviour Hee doth not say what but onely thus Thou art worthy to take the book and to open the seals thereof for thou wert slain and hast redeemed us to God There is infinite worthiness in Christ and worthy hee is of all the honour that wee are able possibly to bring to him had wee ten thousand times more strength than wee have to do it For hee was slain and hath redeemed us to God by his blood If there were a company of poor people upon the Sea and in danger to be lost their own ship through stress of weather fallen to peeces and they upon a plank and ready to bee swallowed up of every wave and there comes a ship by and saves their lives Oh how would they bee affected with such a mercy as this and bless God for his goodness that such a ship should come by at such a time wee had all been lost if this ship had not come by just at this time So when wee read the Gospel wee read of Jesus Christ God-Man coming into the world and standing between the wrath of the Infinite God and sinful souls let us then consider how infinitely wee are bound to bless God for Jesus Christ for we were ready even all of us to bee swallowed up into the bottomless gulf of the wrath of the infinite God the waves of Gods infinite wrath were ready to have covered over all man-kinde onely the Lord Jesus Christ comes and even leaps as it were into the very Ocean of Gods wrath into the very flames of the wrath and justice of God to pluck out our souls and to save them Bless wee God then for Jesus Christ considering that the loss of souls is such a dreadful loss and onely saved by that great Saviour that is come into the world And then thirdly If the loss of the soul bee so dreadful then it must needs bee a dreadful evil for any to have any hand in this loss or to bee any furtherance of it Take heed that thou hast no hand at all in so great an evil as this is Oh how much better thou hadst never been born than to have a hand in so great an evil wee account those miserable creatures that have a hand in the loss of Kingdomes to have a hand in the undoing of one soul is a greater mischief than to be the cause of the undoing of a whole Kingdome for their outward estate If one should bee the cause of the ruine of a whole Kingdome for their outward estate you would say that certainly it had been better that that man had never been born Certainly thou that hast a hand in the undoing of any soul thou wert born to do a greater mischief than such a one if any friend of yours take a course whereby hee undoes himself and when the evil consequence of his unwise courses appears you are ready to say Blessed bee God I had no hand in it If people will damn their souls eternally take heed you have no hand in it and if any of your children friends servants acquaintance neighbours should perish eternally yet it will bee a great mercy if you have no hand in it People may have a hand in the loss of other mens souls many waies As by carelesness of the souls of those committed to their charge they may come to bee lost by thy carelesness by thy neglect their souls may perish and especially it concerns those that take the charge of souls they had need look to it that those do not cry out against them in Hell that it was through their neglect that they are here now and must lye here for ever Oh the cry of a soul against a man is a dreadful thing perhaps the souls of some of your children may bee in Hell crying out against you for the neglect of them that you regarded them not you let them prophane Sabbaths you could hear them swear and rebuke them not or but very slightly you never instructed them in the waies of God and eternal life you were the cause of the destruction of their souls by your wicked example they saw their Parents do thus and thus hate goodness and good men they saw them scorn at the Word or neglect it and contemn it and upon that they did so too and now they are in Hell for it and cursing the time that ever they were born of such Parents And many souls no question there are in Hell cursing the time that ever they came into such a wicked family wherein they saw so much wickedness wherein there was no worshipping of God nor no means to come to know God and upon that they went on securely in wickedness and now are sunk down to eternal misery You may bee the cause of the destruction of others souls by drawing of them to sin when you shall be active to draw any one to the commission of any sin thou dost what in thee liest to cast away that precious immortal soul And have never any of you had a hand in this have you never been instruments to draw others to some sin or other now if you have either these that you have tempted are yet alive or they are dead if they bee alive know that you are bound in conscience to do now to the uttermost for the good of their souls to make it your great work if it bee possible to do them as much good as ever you did them hurt for certainly Soul-satisfaction is required of men as well as Bodily-satisfaction If you have wronged a man in his estate any way although it were seven twenty years ago if God comes to awaken your consciences it will not serve your turn to return and repent that is to bee very sorry that you have done it and ask God forgiveness but before you can have peace you must make satisfaction where you have wronged if God inable you Now doth God stand so much upon that that if one hath but wronged a man in his estate that all the sorrow and repenting in the world will never bring peace of conscience without restitution where there is ability then certainly if one hath wronged another in his soul and hath indangered the damnation of that by drawing of him to sin It is not enough for thee that thou seest this thy sin and thou art sorry for it and thou wilt never seek to draw others any more no but thou art bound if such bee alive to go to them if thou canst and to seek now to do them as much good for their souls as thou wert a cause of evil what if this soul should perish at last by this sin that thou wert a cause to draw
them to thou hadst need look about thee while they live that if it bee possible thou mayest make a satisfaction for that soul-wrong that thou hast done to them and it may bee such a one is dead and so dead as for ought thou knowest hee never did repent him of that sin now then see what a case thou art in there is one drawn to a sin by thee and now hee is in Hell for that sin that thou wert the cause of what a case hast thou brought thy self into now Is it any otherwise like but that thou must follow shall one bee in Hell for a sin that thou wert the cause of and dost thou think alwaies to escape here is the dreadful estate that any man brings himself to when hee draws others to sin thou hadst need to look about thee and thy heart to bee affected with that sin that hath been punished with the eternal damnation of those souls that thou hast drawn to that sin And not onely by tempting to sin but by incouraging to sin by disswading from that that is good It may bee some souls have been in a good forwardness to that which is good they have begun to inquire after the waies of God but have gotten into thy company and thou hast sought to take them off and what will you bee such fools as to beleeve every thing that is said and you will bee melancholly and mad and who are they but a company of simple people that do thus and thus and thus thou hast been a means to hinder the good work of God in others and to draw them from the good way that they were a beginning to set their feet in and now they begin to bee out of love with the good waies of God and thou hast been the cause of it Now if these souls perish and it may bee some of them are in Hell already truly if a mans heart weâ—e as hard as any Iron or Steel in the world one would think that such a meditation as this should break his heart in peeces That I know nothing to the contrary but some may bee in Hell for my cause And so many other waies wee might name how a man might have his hand in the loss of the souls of others what way soever thou hast a hand in the sin of others â—or keeping of others from good so many waies thou mayest have a hand in the loss of their souls But I intend not to stand upon this point onely consider of it and the Lord strike the hearts of those that are guilty in this kind But the main use that I would spend the chief part of the time in is this Use 4 If the loss of a soul bee so dreadful then hence is rebuked the folly and madness of most people that have no care of their souls but through their own wretchedness and vileness they suffer their souls to perish eternally all their care is in pampering their bodies and making much of them but little minding their souls and their eternal estates Certainly when the bodies of those souls shall meet them at the day of judgement it will bee a very dreadful meeting When thine immortal soul shall know what it is to bee lost for ever and shall bee brought to joyn again with the body Oh how do you think it will look upon that cursed carkass Oh this is that carkass that body of mine for whose sake I must perish for ever yea and wee must now bee joyned both together to bee fuel for the wrath of the Infinite God to burn upon to all eternity certainly souls are lost and perish thick and threefold they go down to Hell as Bees flie to the hive in the time of a storm There are many waies by which the soul may bee lost though there bee but one by which it may bee saved The several waies by which men come to lose their Souls As first Some there are that lose their souls by wandring up and down in darkness all the daies of their lives by wandring in the waies of sin in the dark and so are a continual prey unto the Devil how many yea and in many places the generality of people they go on continually in blindness and darkness in the vanity of their conversations knowing nothing of God nor of their own souls and the first time that the eyes of their souls are opened and enlightned it is when they are irrecoverably undone yea the first thing that many souls do ever understand concerning themselves it is this I am lost and undone for ever it is so with many certainly they know nothing about their own souls nor about God till they come to know this I am cast away from God and have lost my soul for ever Secondly Others they lose their souls by pawning of them away by pawning of them what is that you will say why you know what it is to pawn a thing when you come and receive from a Broker such a thing you lay something else to pawn for it and upon this condition that within such a time you bring them such a thing that you bargain for and if you do not bring it against that time then you lose your pawn Thus many pawn away their souls when there is a temptation to any sin and they have a mind to it now upon the commission of this sin thou dost lay thy soul to pawn to the Devil onely upon this condition that if thou dost repent and beleeve before God cuts thee off then thou shalt have thy soul again upon these tearms most people sin and in case thou dost not bring repentance and beleef in Christ thy soul is gone I appeal to you there is a temptation to sin you know it is a sin and there is a great deal of danger in it well but you have a mind to it and you will needs have it now you will acknowledge this indeed if I do not repent then I shall bee damned but before I die I hope to repent and so I hope that my soul shall not perish that is as much as to say I will lay my soul in pawn and if I can bring repentance before I die I will have my soul again but if I do not then my soul is gone thus upon the commission of every sin thou dost lay thy soul to pawn the devil hath it upon such tearms as these Now how many thousands have lost this their pawn they have not brought Faith and Repentance within their time before they died and so the Devil hath kept the pawn and will keep it for ever And it is more dangerous the laying of such a pawn than the ordinary laying of pawns to Brokers First There is no such pawn that possibly can bee laid as this the soul of a man Men and women that have any wisdome they will not lay pawns of those things that are precious to them Oh it goes to their hearts to think what
thy soul such a soul as this is I say if it should now depart would bee lost for God doth not save souls but by manifesting himself to them Phil. 2.12 hee would have all to work out their salvation with fear and trembling Certainly though the principle of our salvation bee without us yet the Lord that made us without our selves will never save us without our selves whosoever God doth save hee doth make them solicitous and careful about the work of the salvation of their souls Now if thy conscience tells thee that to this day thy care hath been about many vanities but as for having thy heart taken up with the saving thy soul thou knowest not what belongs to this I say if God should work no more in thee than hee hath done if thou shouldest now die thou wouldest bee lost Thirdly That soul to whom the Lord hath not revealed the glory of the mysteries of the Gospel that yet hath the Gospel kept hidden from it that doth not see into the glorious work of God in the covenant of Grace in those great counsels of God and great things that God hath done for the salvation of mankind in Jesus Christ that soul would bee lost if it should now go from the body and no further work of God upon it That Scripture that divers times you have heard named is proof sufficient for it If our Gospel bee hidden it is hidden to those that are lost 2 Cor. 4.3 Now certainly my brethren if God hath revealed to your souls the glorious things of the Gospel they cannot but bee taking things to you they cannot but cause much stirring much activeness mighty workings in your souls when once the glorious light of the Gospel comes into a soul I say it cannot but cause mighty stirrings and workings in such a soul When I see people sit deadly and dully under the means of Grace under the preaching of the glorious things of the Gospel I cannot but think with my self Lord do these people know what Jesus Christ is and understand what the great things are that God hath done for the salvation of man-kind certainly did they but know the wonderful and strange works of God about the salvation of the souls of the children of men their hearts could not but stir within them and work in another manner than yet they have done Fourthly That soul that hath no other righteousness to tender â—p unto God but its own righteousness if now it should depart would bee lost eternally Whatever man or woman it bee that have lived the most unblameable in his life and conversation that hath been the most righteous that no man could bee able to blame him for any thing yet I say if this man or woman hath no other righteousness to tender up unto God but his own certainly this soul would bee a lost soul for ever the truth is even the soul of Abraham Isaac and Jacob the souls of all the Patriarchs Prophets Apostles Martyrs all of them would bee lost eternally had they no other righteousness to tender up to God but their own much more those who have only a Civil righteousness and a meer natural righteousness such righteousness as is attainable by the very light of nature such a righteousness as St. Paul speaks on in the 3. of the Philippians that hee lived unblameably how hee was a Pharisee and hee accounted that righteousness of his conversation to bee gain yet afterwards when Christ was revealed to him hee accounted it but loss for hee saw that it would endanger the loss of his soul eternally the resting upon that Quest You will say the soul that hath no other righteousness but his own to tender up to God is that soul lost why what other righteousness is there besides that which is a mans own Answ To that I answer There is a supernatural righteousness the righteousness of a Mediatour God-Man that is come into the world to stand between lost souls and an infinite provoked God and that is made over to the soul by Faith and that soul that is saved by the hand of Faith doth tender up the righteousness of that Mediatour God-Man for the satisfaction of infinite divine Justice and the appeasing of infinite wrath and that is the soul that is saved but that soul that is not acquainted with such a righteousness that hath not such a righteousness made over to it by Faith the righteousness of the Son of God the righteousness that is by Faith in Christ that soul if it should now depart from the body and the Lord work no otherwise upon it than hee hath yet done certainly hee would bee a lost soul and that is the fourth evidence of a soul that would presently bee lost if it should now depart from the body Fifthly A fifth evidence is this That soul that God hath not made in some measure at least to feel the weight and burden of sin discovered sin unto it as a greater burden than all burdens whatsoever if such a soul should depart it would prove to bee lost and that upon this Reason Because without repentance a soul must needs bee lost Except yee repent Luk 13.3 yee shall all likewise perish saith Christ Now repentance cannot stand with feeling sin light much less with joy in sin Repentance whether before Faith or after wee will not now speak of whether a Legal repentance or an Evangelical repentance yet it must bee such a repentance as must bee apprehensive and sensible of sin as a greater evil than all the evils that it is liable to here in the world It must feel sin as it is against God feel sin as sin so as to bee a burden to it the measure of it how far and how weighty sin should bee wee do not now stand upon but that sin should bee found a great burden yea an intollerable burden so that were it not for an infinite Mediatour the soul could not stand under the burden that is necessary in the work of repentance and so the soul to come to sorrow for sin as sin and this is the repentance which is unto life which cannot bee except the soul doth feel in some measure the weight and burden of sin Sixthly Again that man or woman that walks after the flesh in a course of sin to give satisfaction and contentment unto the flesh that makes it to bee the great care and indeavour of it for to satisfie the flesh such of you whose consciences tell you that the contentment of your hearts is some fleshly thing and that in the course of your lives you walk after the flesh certainly if you should now die your souls would bee lost and that is clear out of Rom. 8.1 There is no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus that walk not after the flesh but after the spirit Therefore those that do not walk after the spirit but after the flesh there is condemnation unto them at the present O!
if men had but enlightened and stirring consciences how easie would it bee for men and women to see themselves in a restless condition and to conclude that if these things be the truths of God then I am in such a condition and though I do not know what God may work for time to come yet if I should now die my soul would bee lost eternally and so that other place in Rom. 8. They that live after the flesh shall die that is perish eternally if your hearts bee after the flesh after fleshly things and they are the things that you minde and if you would speak as in the presence of God you cannot but acknowledge that the things of the flesh are the things that do take up your hearts that are the adequate objects of your spirits and you think your great good and contentment lies in them so that if so bee you might but live alwaies in this world and have those contentments to the flesh as you desire you would care for nothing else but your hearts would bee fully satisfied this is living after the flesh now the Scripture tells us clearly that those that live after the flesh thus shall die It is your great care that the flesh bee satisfied and it is Gods threat that when you make it thus your great care to satisfie the flesh that you shall die so that this is a perishing condition unto you Seventhly Yea further what soul soever is but under the dominion of any one lust that soul if it should now depart would certainly bee lost Not onely such as live in all kind of sins that the constant course of their lives is in every kind of sin but if there bee but any one reigning ruling sin if there bee but any one sinful way that God hath convinc'd thy conscience of to bee a sin and yet because of gain or delight or pleasure or honours or respects thou dost go on in a constant course and way and practice of that sin though it bee but one sin so that thou art a slave to any one lust certainly this soul of thine if God works no ootherwise upon it than yet hee hath done will certainly be lost and that is clear out of Rom. 6.14 For sin shall not have dominion over you for you are not under the Law but under grace I would reason from this Scripture thus what soul soever is not under grace under the covenant of grace and under the mercy that there is in that covenant that soul if now it should depart must perish eternally but whosoever is under the dominion of any one sin is not under grace for the Scripture plainly saith That sin shall not have dominion over us if wee bee under grace If our souls bee in such an estate as they bee under the grace of the Gospel then there must not any one sin have dominion over them there may some sin dwell there but not reign there there is a great deal of difference between sins being in the soul and ruling over the soul Quest You will say then What is it for sin to have dominion Answ When sin shall set up a kind of Throne in the soul and give Laws as a King and thou shalt obey It is one thing for an enemy to come with violence and take possession and hurry one on to do that one would not do and another thing to bee subject and to yeeld to the laws and commandements of sin Now sin hath dominion when it is as a King upon his Throne that thou yeâ—ldest subjection unto it and for the satisfying of thine own lusts thou art willing that this sin should rule over thee Now that you may know a little further for the meaning of this sin and Jesus Christ cannot have dominion both together Then thus far wee may go safely that except Jesus Christ hath dominion over you then sin hath But how shall I know whether Christ hath dominion I will but appeal to you in this plain and familiar kinde of expressing of my self canst thou say as in the presence of God that seeth and searchest thy heart O Lord thou knowest that I have given up my heart to the Rule of Jesus Christ I would put this to every soul here present and I beseech you weigh it for wee are speaking of matters of life and death of salvation and damnation now therefore I put this unto you and think of it canst thou appeal to God in the sincerity of thy heart and say Lord thou art the seer and searcher of all hearts and thou knowest that though I have many weaknesses and infirmities and am often overcome by temptation yet thou knowest that I have given up my heart to the obedience of Jesus Christ and I do give it up and it is that that my soul desires above all things that Jesus Christ may rule in it that Christ may have dominion that his Laws may bee set up and if I knew any more of the mind of Jesus Christ whatsoever it cost mee thou that knowest all things knowest I would submit unto it and if there bee any thing that is against the mind of Jesus Christ if it bee but known to mee thou knowest that my heart is against it and I would rather than a world that I were delivered from the power of it canst thou speak thus as in the presence of God and certainly a Christian though a weak Christian can appeal to God in the sincerity of it and is able to venture its self upon such an appeal to God And if there bee not this dominion of Jesus Christ then there is the dominion of sin and then thou art not under grace therefore if God doth not more in thy soul than hee hath done thou shalt perish for ever and that man or woman that can sleep quietly so hath a strange pillow to sleep upon It is reported of Augustus Caesar that hearing of a Gentleman that was much in debt hee sent to buy his pillow saying Surely there is a great deal of virtue in that pillow that such a man could sleep on who was so much in debt Truly I may say so it is a strange kinde of pillow that men can sleep upon who are in such a condition that if God do no more for than hee hath done would certainly perish Eighthly But further That man or woman that hath not yet had such a change wrought by the power of the Spirit of God as is a new birth a resurrection from death a new creation that soul if it now depart would certainly perish Certainly every one of you as you come into the world as you are by nature your souls are in a lost estate and in such a lost estate as except the Lord make such a change in your heart as is a new birth by which you come to bee born again as is a new resurrection by which you come to bee raised from the dead as is a new creation
any more that doth it but it is a satisfaction to justice a price paid for the soul no soul is ever saved but it is saved in the way of a price that is paid for it and this thou must acquaint thy soul with which thousands of people are ignorant of yet they hope to bee saved but how they will pray to God that they may bee saved and that God would have mercy upon them and is here all certainly this is not the way of the Gospel but the way of the Gospel it is that that reveals unto the soul the price that is paid for a soul even the blood of Christ That in Christ the great Mediatour of the second Covenant there is a perfect satisfaction to Gods Infinite Justice this indeed is a great part of the Mystery of the Gospel this is the saving truth of the Gospel and thou must acquaint thy soul with this truth if thou bee saved And when thou hearest of this truth perhaps thou canst not understand it for the present Oh then thou hadst need go to God in secret and bee crying to him that hee would reveal this truth unto thee But you will say it is not our crying It is true it is not meerly our crying but there is something of God further But God hath made many gracious promises of answering our cries and now that so hee may make good his promises hee will further reveal this Mystery of the Gospel to thee that there is a necessity of satisfaction to divine Justice for thy sin that hath brought thy soul into a lost condition Secondly And further A necessity of a perfect Righteousness wee will not speak of any thing controversal about it which way it comes to bee applied but this all will grant that there is a perfect Righteousness that wee have need of the way of salvation is a perfect Righteousness thou must have a surety that must have a perfect Righteousness for thee Thirdly And then the way of salvation is this it reveals an absolute necessity of the Application of the satisfaction and Righteousness of Jesus Christ the Application of that that it must bee made thine some way that thou must have thy part and share in it by thy union unto Christ and by being made one mystically with him through Faith so that the soul is not meerly saved through mercy Nor thus that Christ hee hath come and done such and such things and therefore saith God the Father for the sake of Jesus Christ I will save thee for hee hath satisfied mee by what hee hath done No but there is somewhat more I confess it is true in the conclusion wee are saved for the sake of Christ but it is by our union with Christ wee are united to Christ and made one with him and so what Christ hath done for our salvation is tendred up to the Father as ours wee being one with Jesus Christ so that now if thou shouldest know thy miserable estate by nature and thereupon inquire after salvation and cry to God that hee would bee merciful unto thee that is not enough but the Gospel reveals further Suppose thou comest to know more than thou canst understand by the light of nature but yet the Gospel doth reveal to thee that not onely thou must bee saved by Christ but thou must bee united to Christ by Faith there must bee a spiritual marriage between the Son of God and thy soul thou must have Christ to bee a head and thou a member hee thy husband and thou his Spouse thou must inquire after this union and that is the way of beleeving and the substance of the Apostles words to the Jaylor when hee cryed what hee should do to bee saved why saith hee Beleeve in the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt bee saved It must bee through Jesus Christ the great Mediatour of the second Covenant by thy beleeving in him and being made one with him that thou must come to bee saved Fourthly And then the Gospel it reveals further as necessary to salvation a necessity of Regeneration of being born again of having the Image of God renewed in the soul by the Spirit of Jesus Christ of being a new Creature the want of which if the soul should now depart it must certainly perish under but now if it come to bee saved it must have this revealed to it for in the Gospel there is held forth the great work of God in begetting that soul anew to himself that hee doth intend to save in putting a new life into it in sending the Spirt of Jesus Christ into it whereby it lives and acts and works being now carried on not by its own spirit but by the Spirit of the Son of God this is necessary to salvation to do acts of Regeneration so Christ tells Nicodomus hee must bee born again and this onely the Gospel reveals and thus our souls should labour to acquaint themselves with the great things of the Gospel and as the wise man saith concerning instruction in Prov. 4.13 Take fast hold of instruction let her not go keep her for shee is thy life So I say of these instructions that are revealed in the Gospel keep them for they are your lives do not think that God though hee is infinitely merciful yet that hee will save souls any other way for God hath set this way and it is an infinite mercy that wee are to admire at and adore and praise his Name for that there may bee salvation any way and if there may be salvation any way oh you poor wretched children of men know that you should be restless till you come to understand further that one way Oh that wee could make it to bee the great business of our lives to search into the Gospel and finde out these things for it is through this that we come to have eternal life Fifthly A fifth rule for the salvation of your souls If God hath put it into your hearts to seek to have them saved you must walk with fear and trembling before the Lord all the daies of your lives the fear of God must bee mighty and strong upon your spirits if you would bee saved and you must labour to keep the fear of the great God upon your spirits that place is famous for this in Phil. 2.12 Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling for it is God that worketh in you both to will and to do of his own good pleasure As if the Holy Ghost should say you had need walk with fear before the Lord for the truth is hee hath you at such infinite advantage as you are not able to stir one foot to do any thing for the deliverance of your souls from eternal wrath without the work of God upon you you had need take heed what you do that you do not provoke this infinite God that hath you under his feet that you are able to do nothing towards your salvation if hee withdraw
inheritance among them that are sanctified by Faith that is in mee Saith the Lord Christ to Paul I will send thee to open the eyes of men and to turn them from darkness unto light and from the power of Satan unto God that they may receive forgiveness of sins and this is the great ordinance that I intend for this end and that I will accompany to those that I purpose to save at any time Therefore when you come to hear the Word you should come to it as the great Ordinance that God hath appointed to save souls by Is there any soul that begins in this Congregation to bee awakened and to think with it self Oh Lord What shall I do to bee saved I tell thee that every time thou comest to hear the Word preached thou shouldest come to it with such thoughts as these Now am I going to that great Ordinance that the Lord hath appointed to convey his power thorow to the salvation of those souls that are appointed to eternal life I am going to the Pool of Bethesda and there will I wait until the Lord shall bee pleased for to send his Angel to stir in my heart and I have begun to feel some power of Christ already which doth incourage mee to hope for further power There is many a soul hath met with Jesus Christ and hee hath brought it from the power of Satan to his own Kingdome of light and why may not my soul meet with the same power of Jesus Christ however I am resolved that as long as I live I will wait upon God in the way that hee hath appointed Oh the Word it hath a great deal of efficacy for the salvation of souls therefore if thou wouldest have thy soul saved attend upon it for that end I shall apply one Scripture which may bee for the preparation to what remains You are about inquiring how you should bee saved and wee are about answering Oh take heed that you bee not found in this like unto those wretched Jews which God forbid that there should bee any one in this place found like unto that would fain have the Prophet Jeremiah be inquiring what the mind of God was concerning them and they profest that whatsoever the Lord should reveal by him that they would do but when it came loe they fling off all and it was to no purpose the Scripture is in Jer. 42.5 Then they said to Jeremiah The Lord bee a true and a faithful witness between us if wee do not even according to all things for the which the Lord thy God shall send thee to us Wee desire thee to go and know the mind of God and tell it us and here wee profess and call God to witness that wee will do what lies in us to perform all that the Lord thy God shall require This was a very fair promise and I hope there are some souls if not generally all of you have such a kinde of disposition Oh let his servant search his Word and finde out what should be done and whatsoever hee shall speak according to his Word that will wee do and God forbid it should bee otherwise it were just with God that our souls should perish if wee should do otherwise but there is a mighty deal of deceitfulness in the hearts of men Jeremiah went and did as they desired him but mark chap. 44. 16. and you shall see what a different disposition there was in them to what there seemed to bee before first you shall finde in chap. 43. they begin to wrangle at what Jeremiah spake to them all the proud men began to wrangle at what Jeremiah spake mark it is all the proud men they are proud spirits that do contend with Gods Word but mark first they wrangle chap. 43.2 and then they grow resolute and stubborn chap. 44.16 As for the word that thou hast spoken to us in the Name of the Lord we will not hearken unto thee why what are these the men that called God to witness that whatsoever Jeremiah should declare in the Name of God they would do it and yet now first they wrangle at what he saith and then they resolve that as for what hee hath spoken to them in the Name of the Lord they will not hear it Now God forbid that ever there should bee found among any of you such wrangling spirits with the Word of God certainly God will justifie the words of his servants that they speak in his Name one day and will make them good upon you and they may lye heavy upon the soul that shall neglect them but then where there is first wrangling at the Word of God there usually grows an impudent proud stubborn casting off the Word of God As for the word that thou hast spoken unto us in the Name of the Lord wee will not hearken unto thee Why should not wee do what wee have a mind to why should not wee take our liberty on the Lords day as vvee vvere vvont and follovv our business as vvee vvere vvont let them say vvhat they vvill vvee vvill do as vvee vvere vvont to do and vvee vvill keep our company as vvee vvere vvont to do let them speak vvhile their heart akes this vvas the very guize of this people that made such a profession before the Lord but oh the Lord forbid that it should bee so vvith any of you But Seventhly If thou vvouldest have thy soul saved thou must take heed of resting upon false hopes of thy salvation you must rase down even to the very ground all your false hopes of salvation there is nothing in the vvorld hinders the salvation of souls more than false hopes vvhen men dare build their eternal salvation upon every sleight and vain hope that they hold The hope of the Hypocrite the Scriptuie saith is like the Spiders-webb spun out of thine ovvn conceits but every little touch is enough to strike it dovvn again Oh the poor things that people thus venture their souls upon I shevved you in the opening of vvhat did cause the loss of souls that one thing vvas by venturing and their vain hopes vvas one novv these must bee ras'd dovvn you vvill say vvhat are those vain hopes that must first bee ras'd dovvn and vvhat do you mean by rasing of them dovvn That I may speak plainly in this thing that concerns the poorest and meanest that is of the meanest capacity in the world as well as the most able or learned for the poorest hath a soul to save as well as the richest and the weakest as well as the learnedst if such a one should say What are those things that are to bee rased down to that I answâ—â— First Such hopes as are not Scripture-hopes if they bee not Scripture hopes they must bee rased down Rom. 15.4 Whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning that wee through patience and comfort of the Scripture might have hope Wee have hope through patience and comfort
of the Scripture how doth the hopes of those that shall bee saved arise Why they rise thus either by reading or hearing something out of the Word of God and God darting some light some truths into their souls through his Word they come to receive it and there it lies working in them till at length their souls relish it and they taste the sweetness of the Word and come to have comfort in it and so through patience and comfort of the Scriptures their hope comes to bee raised the Scripture in raising hopes first it works patience it usually beats down the soul first and speaks hard things to it and the soul that God over-powers to himself it is willing to lye under the power of the Scripture and bee patient notwithstanding the Scripture doth reveal such hard things and puts it upon never such hard duties the heart I say yeelds to it and at length the soul comes to finde sweetness out of the Scripture and so hopes comes to bee raised that is the soul sees some eternal truth out of the Word of God the truth of God himself that is eternal a divine truth that it dares venture its eternal estate upon and upon this it doth raise its hope it is able to give an account from some place of the Scripture upon what grounds it doth hope I hope that God will shew mercy to mee and save my soul in the day of Christ will some say I but what ground have you for your hopes Now if your hopes bee right then there is somewhat in this Book of God to bee shewed as the ground of this and indeed you can have but little comfort of your hopes except you bee able to hold forth some Scripture of other upon which you build your hopes for when you say you hope you may not mean that you think and aâ—e perswaded that it is so but what Scripture have you for iâ—â—â— you will say what Scriptures have any to ground their hopâ—s of salvation upon what Scriptures a great many I will give you but this one that many have to ground their hopeâ— upon Rom. 8.1 There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus who walk not after the flesh but after the Spirit Upon this now saith a soul that God brings to himself What doâ—h God say in his Word that word upon which my soul stands and must bee cast one day for eternity that those that are in Christ Jesus shall never bee condemned I but who are they such as walk not after the flesh but after the Spirit such as the bent of whose hearts and the indeavours of whose souls are not after fleshly things the comforts of this world but after spiritual things such whom the Lord hath made to be sensible of spiritual things and such as the Lord doth act and guide by his holy Spirit in their waies and conversations God saith such shall never be condemned then upon this I will build my hopes for I feel that the Lord hath been pleased to work so on mee as to bring mee to Jesus Christ to see him to close with him and to relye upon him and I feel the fruit of the Spirit of Christ in mee that whereas before I walked after the flesh and spiritual things I did not savour now I finde that the lusts of the flesh are mortified and I should wrong the grace of God if I should deny the actings and the guidings of the Spirit in my soul and therefore I will build my hopes and rest upon this Scripture And the more any soul rests upon any Scripture if it rests truly the more shall it finde the power of that Scripture upon it Therefore you shall know the difference between an hypocrites resting upon Scripture and one that rests through the work of Gods Grace an Hypocrite rests upon such a Scripture and conceits that his heart is according to the Scripture but now hee doth not finde that the more hee rests the more his heart is wrought upon by the Scripture and daily grows to bee liker and liker to the Scripture to come nearer and nearer to what is required in the Scripture but now when a gracious heart doth rest upon Scripture it findes that daily it doth grow nearer and nearer to the Scripture and that works daily more and more upon it and indeed this is the way to grow in sanctification and to make our hearts like to the Scriptures Fall upon several places and let your souls rest upon them for eternity and so you will finde your hearts to grow more and more like to those Scriptures and the power of those Scriptures will appear more and more in your hearts and conversations This is the way of the Saints that have hopes to bee saved Secondly Again those hopes that are to be rased are hopes that are not wrought in the soul by the power of the Holy Ghost in the forenamed Chapter The God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in beleeving that you may abound in hope through the power of the Holy Ghost That hope that is right for salvation is such a hope as is wrought through the power of the Holy Ghost Now then that hope that is in men and women which is born with them and hath lived with them all their daies that springs from the root of nature for so that that is born with us and grows up with us all the daies of our lives I say it springs from a root of nature and so the hopes of most people they are no other but such as springs from a root of nature come from one to another and ask them do you think to bee saved I I hope so how long have you hoped so ever since I can remember I thank God I I thought so it is a hope that springs out of the root of nature and therefore you have had it alwaies whereas the true hope of the godly for salvation it is a hope wrought in their hearts by the Almighty power of the Holy Ghost And I appeal to you now what Almighty power of the Holy Ghost have you felt in your hearts to raise up those hopes that you have in you For certainly the grace of hope hath a difficulty in it as well as any grace whatsoever now all people almost finde an easiness in that but here the Scripture makes it to bee the glory of the Holy Ghost to raise hopes in any creature therefore those hopes that arise from a root of nature that are not wrought by an Almighty power of the Holy Ghost in the heart must bee rased down Do but put your souls to this question I have hopes to bee saved but Lord how are they wrought what power of the Holy Ghost hath been in my heart to raise these hopes Suppose there were no Holy Ghost as they said in the Acts that they had not so much as heard whether there were any Holy Ghost or no
yet might not I have such a hope as I have in Gods mercy Oh the hope that will bring to salvation is such a hope as is raised by the power of the Holy Ghost Now if our hopes bee raised by the power of the Holy Ghost then they will have much of the Holy Ghost in them and sutable to your hopes so doth the Holy Ghost come into your hearts and dwell in your hearts and if it comes in and dwells in your hearts then it doth inlighten your hearts it doth act and guide you you are lead by the Holy Ghost in your way Now can you say that in the course of your lives it is the Holy Ghost that guides you that you are carried on by the Holy Ghost and not by your own spirits It is true the best of all may bee acted by their own spirits in some time of temptation but for the course of their lives they are acted and guided by the Holy Ghost their lives are such as those that live by them may say here is one that is acted and guided by the Holy Ghost Now can you say so certainly if you have true hopes for salvation it is raised by the Holy Ghost and if it bee raised by the Holy Ghost it doth act your lives in the waies of holiness Thirdly Those hopes must bee rased down that are not lively hopes and purging hopes I will put them both together That are not lively that you have in 1 Pet. 1.3 Blessed bee the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead Here is a great deal in this Scripture First that the hopes of the Saints are lively hopes that is a hope as is mightily working in them it will not suffer their hearts to lye dead in any way of wickedness Indeed it may bee with the hearts of the Saints as it is with a fountain of living water that may have some dirt cast into it but it being a living spring it works out that dirt so the children of God that have some lively hopes may have some dirt cast in by temptation some sin I but if their hopes bee lively it will work it all out And mark you are begotten therefore you see that the hopes of life and salvation it is that that is not bred with us as I spake before but it is that that follows from our new birth And this is by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead The power and the virtue of the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead being in the soul and putting a new life into the soul begets it to this lively hope And then it is a purging hope 1 John 3.3 And every man that hath this hope purifieth himself even as hee is pure Mark you think what need men bee so pure and strict are there none of you that ever have scorn'd at purity and preciseness and holiness if you have consider of this text upon which your souls lies every man that hath this hope that is to see Jesus Christ and bee made like unto him hee doth here in this world purifie himself as Jesus Christ is pure that is hee doth make Jesus Christ to bee his pattern in all that hee doth and aims at no less purity than the very purity of the Son of God hee doth aim at it hee makes it his work though hee cannot come fully to it and that very hope that is in him doth work him to this Now what hopes you have had that are not such must bee rased down to the ground if ever you would bee saved at last The Ninth SERMON ON The Excellency of the Soul Matthew 16.26 For what is a man profited if hee shall gain the whole world and lose his own soul Question YOu will say Rased down to the ground what is that Answ By that I mean this First You should bee willing to seek to God and that earnestly that hee would never let you bee at quiet in any false hope be earnest with God in prayer O Lord I see that the matter of my salvation is a matter of infinite consequence if I should mistake if I should miscarry in it it had been better for mee never to have been born O Lord therefore help mee in this thing above all that I may never rest my salvation upon any false hopes that so I may not at the last bee disappointed of my last hopes bee earnest thus with God and bee willing to know the worst of your selves Lord if thou seest the work bee not yet done let mee know it let mee know it now before it is too late It is better to know that yet the work is to begin while you have time to work than to know it after when the time is gone And then bee willing to examine your hopes to lay them to the rule of the Scripture and that very narrowly And if you finde your hopes cannot stand with the Word then resolve thus with your selves the work is yet to bee done the very laying of the foundation of that great work of the saving of my soul it is to begin I but you will say God forbid this wee have not lived all this while to begin to lay the work for the saving of our souls now that were an ill thing indeed O I would to God it were not so but this very thought that some have that they are not now to begin the â—aying of the foundation in saving their souls is that that doth destroy them whereas though a man or woman have lived many years yea though they have been Professours of Religion yet if upon examination they can finde that the saving work of God is not wrought in their hearts and upon that can conclude Lord it is to begin for ought I know I must begin the work again and better it is to begin twice than bee damned once therefore whatsoever becomes of mee I will begin again this were a good sign Suppose you should begin again and it may bee you thought too ill of your selves for it may bee there was some truth in your hopes or hearts that you could not see yet there is no great danger in this that that was good will hold though you do not see it it is the safest way for men and women therefore to bee willing to begin often yea and sometimes it is the best and the readiest course for people that have lost their evidences for salvation and they can see no clear evidences out of Gods Word to settle their hearts upon for the great matter of their salvation I say it is the readiest way for them to do as if they were to begin again rather than to spend time in looking out their old evidences as a man perhaps that hath lost his evidences may have them renewed with less charge and cost than hee can
give all the respect that may bee to him because hee is the onely Saviour of souls And for the blood of the Covenant take heed you sin not against that let it not bee accounted as a common thing Oh do not prize the satisfying of your own lusts rather than the blood of the Covenant and all the good that was purchased by that blood when any wretched sinner shall hear the Gospel preached to him and yet shall prize the living in any base wicked way of sin I say such a one doth trample the blood of the everlasting Covenant under his feet and the language of his heart and actions is nothing but this whatsoever is spoken concerning the blood of the everlasting Covenant revealed in the Gospel I do prize the satisfying the lusts of mine own heart more than all the good that is in the Covenant now do you think can such a soul as this bee saved now you sin against the blood of the Covenant when you come hand over head to the Sacrament and thereby you come to bee guilty of the body and blood of Jesus Christ People are mighty earnest about coming to Sacraments now do but read 1 Cor. 11. It is a Scripture which I know you that are acquainted with Scripture are not unacquainted with vers 27. Whosoever shall eat this bread and drink this cup of the Lord unworthily shall bee guilty of the body and blood of the Lord And what then vers 29. Hee eateth and drinketh his own damnation When you would have the Sacrament as the seal of the blood of Christ and yet come in your sin and filthiness and do not discern the Lords body you come to bee guilty of the blood of Christ and so to bee guilty of your own damnation and so many think to seal their souls by eating and drinking the damnation of their souls for there is nothing set out in Scripture that furthers more the damnation of a soul than to sin against the blood of the Covenant I know some make that Scripture their damnation to themselves that is that they are onely to bee reproved and condemned for doing so but wee are to inlarge Scripture to the uttermost that may bee and seeing the Scripture hath made the sin against the blood of Christ in other places so dreadful wee may very well understand that place in the most dreadful sense that may bee Now if in case you come unworthily you hear what the Scripture speaks it is guiltiness of the blood of Christ and eating and drinking your own souls damnation And then take heed of sinning against the mercy of God let not mercy harden you but let it soften your hearts Oh that soul is in a good forwardness to bee saved that every time it thinks of the mercy of God it findes it self to melt before the Lord and mourn bitterly for sin when as it applies the mercy of God to it self I that is a good evidence but now when you think or speak of Gods mercy you finde your hearts the more hardened in sin Oh this is dreadful for how can such a soul be saved that sins against the mercy and love of Jesus Christ for who shall hear and plead for thy soul before God when as thou art guilty of the blood of Jesus Christ and what is it that shall bee thine attonement before the Father It must bee blood Without shedding of blood there is no remission of sin And what blood must bee for the remission of thy sin when as thou tramplest the blood of the Covenant under thy feet and when thou sinnest against mercy what is it that must recover thee but the mercy of God when thou comest to God in the anguish of thy soul Now if thy case bee thus that Jesus Christ shall plead against thee and say Oh Father Father avenge thy self upon this wretch that hath not onely sinned against thy work of Creation but against the work of Redemption that I went into the world to work Father let this soul perish eternally that hath rejected mee and received every base wretched lust before mee now shall that soul bee saved that shall have the blood of the Covenant cry against it and mercy it self cry to the Lord against it Lord avenge my cause for I have been most abominably and cursedly abused by this wretch when not onely the Law of Gods Justice and Satan accuses thee but Christ and his blood and the Gospel it self how shall such a soul bee saved now then if you would have your souls saved take heed of sinning against Jesus Christ against the Gospel and against the blood of God and against the mercy of God Eleventhly If thou wouldest have thy soul saved take heed of sinning against the Spirit of Grace the good Spirit of God that must draw thee to Christ and guide thee in the way of salvation if ever thou beest saved Now take heed of sleighting the motions of Gods Spirit oh do not sleight any motion of the Spirit of God how dost thou know but when there comes in any motion of Gods Spirit it comes in to save thee at this time thou canst not tell but that at any time when Gods Spirit doth assist his Word thy soul may depend upon that time so as God may say had this soul followed on the work at this time it might have been saved but upon it s not following it on it shall not bee saved doth Gods Spirit begin to move thy soul when thou art hearing the Word Oh do not go into wicked company and so lose all again but get alone in thy closet and fall down even upon thy face and cry to God that hee would follow on the work of his Spirit that hee hath begun in thee Oh Lord I lived a long time in a dead-hearted condition never minding the good of my soul but thou hast begun to stir mee and Lord I hope it is the beginning of thy saving work upon my soul Oh that thou wouldest go on with it How many upon their sick-beds and death-beds would give a thousand worlds if they had them that they could have such stirrings of the Spirit of God as sometimes they have felt Oh now when the Spirit stirs and temptation stirs take heed of listening to temptation and rejecting the motions of Gods Spirit but think of that that wee read on of the people of Israel when they were going to Canaan they were very near Canaan and when they were upon the borders of it they refused to go into the Land when God would have them and upon that The Lord did swear in his wrath Psal 95.10 that they should never enter into his rest So when the Spirit of God begins to bring thee near to salvation that it may bee said of thee as Christ to the young man Thou art not far from the Kingdome of Heaven O take heed of hearkening to temptation lest the Lord swear that thou shalt never enter into
Heaven The Spirit of God which is like unto the Dove in the Ark perhaps it comes into thy heart once and it comes in again and thou sendest it out again but take heed of sending it out the third time lest it should never come in to thee again Gen. 6.3 but that the Lord should say Spirit never strive more with such a soul Oh when God begins to stir it doth concern you to say with Samuel Lord speak for thy servant hears You that have been forward heretofore and have lost the work of Gods Spirit you had need look about you for it is a dangerous thing to draw back My soul saith God Heb. 10.38 shall have no pleasure in those that shall draw back And if the soul of God will have no pleasure in thee how shall thy soul bee saved Twelfthly Whosoever would have their souls saved let them take this course account the preciousness of the time of your lives to consist in this that it is a day of salvation account it therefore a mercy of God that your lives are continued upon this reason not because you may get great estates and live and have your pleasures and delights but because God hath appointed the time of mans life here in this world to bee the time to provide for his eternity few men and women in the world know how to judge aright of the preciousness of their time the time of their lives and that man or woman that comes to know aright how to judge of the preciousness of this time of life and of what doth depend upon it such a one is in a good forwardness to salvation Thirteenthly The last thing that I shall Name is this bee sure to go with those that go in the safest way and the straightest way many of you you question about many things that others do whether they need do so or no why can none bee saved but those that do so but I appeal to your consciences do not you think the strictest way of godliness is the safest way for salvation now if it bee the safest if you did but understand the infinite consequence of the salvation of your souls there need bee no other Argument to perswade you to any strict way of godliness but this whatever it bee whether absolutely necessary or no I am sure it is the safest way and I am sure there was never yet any upon his sick-bed that did repent him that hee was too strict and too precise but I have known many that have repented them of being too loose and too careless Now in a matter that is of great consequence you will bee sure to take the safest way If there bee any people in the world that walk so as your consciences tell you they are in a more strict way than others more holy more close to God more self-denying more faithful it doth concern you to inquire after those and to walk after those and joyn with them surely those that go on in the safest way for the salvation of their souls those I will make a pattern to mee I will not look what the common course of the world and the generality of the world doth The Scripture tells us that There are but few that shall bee saved And therefore the fewness of men shall never discourage mee bee they never so few bee they never so mean If I am perswaded in my conscience it is the safest way that is the way that I will walk in and surely it is the way for the soul to have comfort at the great day when it shall appear before the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ I beseech you consider of this if you were all now to appear before Jesus Christ to have your eternal estates determined of in what mens conditions would you wish your selves to be in if it might bee at your liberty and Christ should say now I am to pass the sentence of eternity upon you for your salvation or damnation now what kind of mens estates would you wish your selves to be in who would you rather be like unto who would you venture most upon to be dealt withall according as your consciences do think they are most like to bee dealt with I am perswaded if this were the case most loose and prophane and ungodly men would run and cling unto those that now they scorn and contemn unto those that walk with the most strictness and holiness in their conversations Certainly if you would do so Then it is your wisdome to do so Now that which will bee true then certainly is true now and therefore that is a good way for the helping to save your souls to joyn with those that walk in the strictest and the holiest way to do that now that if you were to die you would wish you had done and to bee with them now that if you were to have the sentence of eternity past upon you you would wish you had been withall But this shall suffice for what is to bee said concerning that great Question about the preventing the loss of our souls and what wee should do to bee saved Now for the conclusion you have heard divers things already about the way and direction for the saving of souls I suppose when first the Question was raised every one of you would bee greedy to hear an answer There was never a one in this place but would fain have his soul saved eternally what do you mean to do now what are your thoughts there hath been a question and I have indeavoured in the Name of God to answer it Now this is that that I desire of you even before you sleep get into the presence of God alone and give in your answer to God what you mean to do are you resolved upon it will you ingage your souls now to God this evening that that little time that hee will let you live in this world that your indeavours shall bee according to those particulars that have been opened unto you Oh blessed bee God if this bee but in any one soul but can any one think that among such a multitude as this is but that the Lord would bee pleased to dart some thing or other into one or more Let mee conclude at this time as the servant of Naaman said to him when the Prophet gave him direction what hee should do to bee cleansed hee began to bee angry and was loath to do what the Prophet bid him why saith his servant to him My Father If the Prophet had bid thee do some great thing wouldest thou not have done it how much rather then when hee saith to thee wash and bee clean So I say to you considering what the worth of your souls is and the danger there is of your eternal miscarrying how if God should have said this That so your souls may bee saved I require of every one of you that you should for forty fifty years lie as a head-block at
the fire burning I and if God should have said thus unto us from Heaven wee had all cause to have fallen upon our faces and have blessed God for his mercy towards us but now God doth not require any such thing as this at your hands but requires the abandoning of your lusts and the attending upon him in his Ordinances and hee requires the keeping of your souls under his Word and Conscience and the following of the motions of his Spirit and the beleeving in his Son such things as these the Lord requires upon which your souls may eternally bee saved and will not you accept well that soul that God intends to save hee will perswade and the Lord perswade your souls in these things that so you may bee saved in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ The Tenth SERMON ON The Excellency of the Soul Matthew 16.26 For what is a man profited if hee shall gain the whole world and lose his own soul NOw then having done with that point wee are to come to the last thing That as the loss is great as in all the respects I opened so it is such that suppose a man to have gained the whole world in a way of the loss of his soul yet that gain will never recompence it Job 27.8 For what is the hope of the hypocrite though hee hath gained when God takes away his soul There are some men that seek the world and yet lose both the world and their souls they neither gain the world nor their own souls and some there are that do gain the world and their souls both But there is no necessary connexion between either gaining the world or losing ones soul or losing the world and gaining the soul but one may bee severed from the other But suppose God should let a man gain what hee will though many men seek for gain by sinful waies and God crosses them in it they have not their gain and yet they are damned eternally for seeking gain but suppose a man had gotten all the world as hee would desire and yet this man wicked and losing his soul hee is a most miserable man Now this is the thing that I have to do to shew unto you what a poor gain a man hath that is wicked though hee hath got the world when hee hath cast up all his reckonings it may bee said of him as wee usually say of men that have got little They may put all their gain in their eye and never see the worse So certainly if thou hast sought after gain in this world in such a way as thou hast not provided for thine own soul when thou comest to summe up all thine accounts thou wilt see that very little is got There are many waies whereby a man may come to see all the glory in the world to bee but darkness By seeing the glory of God the glory of Christ and the infinite consequence of an eternal estate those three things make the spiritual man to look upon all the glittering vanities of this world but as meer darkness and as nothing But now there bee three other things that may help a natural man to see the things of the world to bee as nothing and the gains of it to bee very poor gain I mean one that is not sanctified that hath no grace The first is If God do but please to wound his conscience and terrifie him hee will see all things to bee poor things indeed Or secondly When God laies his hand upon him in afflicting of him upon his sick-bed or upon his death-bed It is reported of Musculus that when hee lay upon his death-bed and his friends coming about him and seeing what a poor condition hee was in that had been an eminent worthy Instrument of God and an excellent Preacher in his time and they mourning for the sad condition they saw him to bee in O quid sumus say they as hee lay in his bed hee over-heard them Fumus said hee that is O what are wee smoak Many a carnal man in the time of his sickness and apprehension of death will say that all this world it is as nothing A third thing that may make even a carnal heart to see all the things of this world to bee as nothing It is strength of Reason though there should not bee terrour of conscience nor any afflictions yet strength of reason may discover the gain of this world to bee as nothing in comparing of it unto the soul and this strength of reason God is pleased sometimes to sanctifie by his Spirit when it is helped by the Word by the sanctified reason that there is in the Word I say when it is helped by that then God blesses it so as to work off the heart from the world to the things that concern the everlasting good of the soul And it is that that I shall speak to at this time to convince you what a poor thing the gain of the world is even by strength of reason and yet such reason as is founded upon the Scripture I have already shewn you the things that may make a spiritual heart see a vanity in all things in the world as the excellency of God and of Christ and the consequences of eternity Now the other two terrour of conscience and afflictions they are Gods work and God when hee pleaseth to shew the vanity of the World â—oth ordinarily bring them upon the creature but now for the third way of God to discover to the creature by the sanctified saving work of his Spirit the vanity of all things I shall indeavour to shew it you by strength of Argument and Reason out of the Word As First Surely though thou shouldest gain the world and yet bee a man that art like to perish at last thou hast gotten but little and it appears first in this that all those that ever came to have true wisdome and that are in Scripture commended for men of true wisdome they have lookt upon all the things of the world as very poor things First What do you think of him that was the wisest man upon Earth meer man even Solomon that had the greatest experience that ever man had of what good the honours or pleasures or profits of the world could do and yet after all his experience see his testimony of all in Eccles 1.2 Vanity of vanity saith the Preacher vanity of vanities all is vanity Observe these five things in it First The things of this world are not onely vain but vanity in the abstract Secondly They are an excessive vanity vanity of vanities Thirdly A heap of vanity vanity of vanities Fourthly All is vanity Fifthly Hee adds his name to this Saith the Preacher Now the word that is translated here Preacher in the Hebrew as those that know the tongue know it signifies one gathered and it is in the feminine gender and so some think it notes the soul of Solomon that gathered wisdome after hee had
Collins of Norwich The sum of practical Divinity or the grounds of Religion in a Catechistical way by Master Christopher Love late Minister of the Gospel an useful piece Heaven and Earth shaken a Treatise shewing how Kings and Princes and all other Governments are turned and changed by J. Davis Minister in Dover admirably useful and seriously to be considered in these times The Treasure of the Soul wherein wee are taught by dying to sin to attain to the perfect love of God A Treatise of Contentation fit for these sad and troublesome times by J. Hall Bishop of Norwich Select thoughts or choice helps for a pious Spirit beholding the excellency of her Lord Jesus by J. Hall Bishop of Norwich The holy Order or Fraternity of Mourners in Zion to which is added songs in the night or chearfulness under afflictions by J. Hall Bishop of Norwich The Celestial Lamp enlightning every distressed soul from the depth of everlasting darkness by T. Fetisplace Excellent 〈…〉 Mathematicks Geometry of Arithmetick 〈…〉 â—nd other Arts or Mechanicks The incomparablâ—â—â—â—atise of Tactometria sâ—â— Tetagmenometria or the Geometry of Regulars practically proposed after a new and most expeditious manner together with the Natural or Vulgar by way of Mensural comparison and in the Solids not onely in respect of Magnitude or Demension but also of Gravity or Ponderosity according to any Metal assigned together with useful experiments of Measures and Weights observations on gauging useful for those that are practised in the Art Metricald by T. Wybard Tectonicon shewing the exact measuring of all manner of Land Squares Timber Stones Steeples Pillars Globes as also the making and use of the Carpenters Rule c. fit to be known by all Surveyors Land-meters Joyners Carpenters and Masons by L. Diggs The unparallel'd work for ease and expedition entituled the Exact Surveyor or the whole Art of Surveying of Land shewing how to plot all manner of Grounds whether small Inclosures Champian Plain Wood-lands or Mountains by the plain Table as also how to finde the Area or Content of any Land to Protect Reduce or Divide the same as also to take the Plot or Chart to make a Map of any Mannor whether according to Rathburn or any other eminent Surveyors Method a Book excellently useful for those that sell purchase or are otherwise employed about buildings by J. Eyre The Golden Treatise of Arithmetick Natural and Artificial or Decimals the Theory and Practice united in a sympathetical proportion betwixt Lines and Numbers in their Quantities and Qualities as in respect of Form Figure Magnitude and Affection demonstrated by Geometry illustrated by Calculations and confirmed with variety of Examples in every Species made compendious and easie for Merchants Citizens Sea-men Accomptants c. by Th. Wilsford Corrector of the last Edition of Record Semigraphy or the Art of Short-writing as it hath been proved by many hundreds in the 〈…〉 â—â—â—don and other places by them practised 〈◊〉 â—â—owledged to bee the easiest exactest and swiftest Method the meanest capacity by the help of this Book with a few hours practice may attain to a perfection in this Art by J. Rich Author and Teacher thereof dwelling in Swithins-lane in London Milk for Children a plain and easie Method teaching to read and write usefull for Schools and Families by J. Thomas D. D. The Painting of the Ancients the History of the beginning progress and consummaâ—ing of the practice of that noble Art of Painting by F. Junius Excellent and approved Treatises in Physick Chirurgery and other more familiar Experiments in Cookery Preserving c. Culpeper's Semiatica Vranica his Astrological Judgement of Diseases from the decumbiture of the sick much enlarged the way and manner of finding out the cause change and end of the Disease also whether the sick bee likely to live or die and the time when Recovery or Death is to bee expected according to the judgement of Hyppocrates and Hermes Trismegistus to which is added Mr. Culpeper's censure of Urines Culpeper's last Legacy left to his Wife for the publick good being the choicest and most profitable of those secrets in Physick and Chirurgery which whilest he lived were lockt up in his breast and resolved never to bee published till after his death The Yorkshire Spaw or the virtue and use of that Water in curing of desperate Diseases with directions and rules necessary to bee considered by all that repair thither Most approved Medicines and Remedies for the diseases in the body of man by A. Read Doctour in Physick The Art of simpling an Introduction to the knowledge of gathering of Plants wherein the definitions divisions places descriptions differences names virtues times of gathering temperatures of them are compendiously discoursed of also a discovery of the lesser World by W. Coles Adam in Eden or Natures Paradise the History of Plants Herbs and Flowers with their several original names the places where they grow their descriptions and kindes their times of flourishing and decreasing as also their several signatures anatomical appropriations and particular physical virtues with necessary Observations on the seasons of planting and gathering of our English plants A work admirable useful for Apothecaries Chirurgions and other ingenuous persons who may in this Herbal finde comprized all the English physical Simples that Gerard or Parkinson in their two voluminous Herbals have discoursed of even so as to bee on emergent occasions their own Physicians the Ingredients being to bee had in their own Fields and Gardens published for the general good by W. Coles M. D. The Compleat Midwives practice in the high and weighty concernments of the body of Mankinde the second Edition corrected and enlarged with a full supply of such most useful and admirable secrets which Master Nicholas Culpeper in his brief Treatise and other English Writers in the Art of Midwifry have hitherto wilfully passed by kept close to themselves or wholly omitted by T. Chamberlain M. P. illustrated with Copper-Figures The Queens Closet opened incomparable Secrets in Physick Chirurgery Preserving Candying and Cookery as they were presented to the Queen by the most experienced persons of our times many whereof were honoured with her own practice True History and Divine Poetry The Tears of the Indians the History of the bloody and most cruel proceedings of the Spaniards in the Island of Hispaniola Cuba Jamaica Mexico Peru and other places of the West-Indies in which to the life are discovered the tyrannies of the Spaniards as also the justness of our War so successfully managed against them Harvey's Divine Poems the History of Balaam of Jonah and of St. John the Evangelist Fons Lachrymarum or a Fountain of Tears the Lamentations of the Prophet Jeremiah in Verse with an Elegy on Sir Charles Lucas by J. Quarles The Admirable ingenuous Satyr against Hypocrites Several other accurately ingenuous Treatises lately printed Themis Aurea The Laws of the Fraternity of the Rosie Cross in which the occult Secrets of their Philosophical Notions are brought