is the food of thy Soul though thou canst not remember and give an account of such and such things thou do'st hear in the word but yet do'st thou find that thou art nourished by it I say the good things of the Gospel then do rest upon thy Soul Then if this be so great a Blessing O that I could but convince you this day to go away with your hearts taken with this Blessing O that all of you were convinc'd this day We hear that it is not enough for us to have sudden apprehensions when we hear the Blessed things of the Gospel but that that is indeed the blessing of God upon a Son of Peace it is to have the good things of the Gospel abide and rest upon them O then that it might be so with us O that the Lord would help us that whatsoever we hear we may not only be taken with the hearing of it but that it might rest upon our Hearts I shall propound some Rules unto you First When you come you must endeavour to bring soft Hearts and tender Spirits What Truths you do know you must work upon your Hearts before you come to labour to soften your Hearts We know that the Truths of God are compared in Scripture to Nails that are fastened by the Ministers of God in the Assemblies Eccles 12. 11. Now when you come to fasten a Nail or a Goad if the thing be a Stone you cannot fasten it A Work-man if he would drive a Nail into a Wall if he meet with a Flint the Nail cannot enter but there must be some thing that must yield to make it rest So you must labour to bring yielding and soft Hearts Secondly When you come to hear come so as to make account that now you come to attend upon God and that while any Truth of the Gospel is Revealing to you God is coming nigh unto your Souls in those things that concern your Eternal good If the Hearts of People did attend upon the Ministry of the Gospel thus that is We are here O Lord in thy Presence now to hear what Thou hast to Reveal unto us and we believe that in this thine Ordinance when Thou art making known any Truth of the Gospel to us Thou art coming nigh to our Souls in a matter that Concerns our Eternal good If you did attend thus certainly every Truth would get into your Hearts Thirdly When you find the Truth beginning to work upon your Hearts then Dart up some Ejaculations in your own Thoughts Lord set home this So you may do and not hinder your hearing Lord Thou beginnest to stir my Heart O Lord keep my Heart in this frame As we read of David when as he saw the People in a good Frame 1 Chron. 29. 18. saith he O Lord God of Abraham Isaac and of Israel our Fathers keep this for ever in the Imagination of the Thoughts of the Heart of thy People And the truth is We would willingly Dart up such a Prayer to God if we knew how God did begin to stir you But you know how God is communing with your Hearts when you hear us speaking to you therefore do you your selves Dart up such an Ejaculation to God O Lord God keep this Truth in the Thoughts of my Heart for ever A Fourth Rule is this You must not trust your own Hearts never trust to sudden Affections and Resolutions This Text is most excellent for this purpose Mark how David Prays Keep this in the Thoughts of the Heart of thy People and prepare their Hearts unto Thee Why were they not prepared to God Their Hearts were mightily up for God and yet it appears that David would not take this scarce for a Preparation but the Lord must still work further and further So when thou feelest thy Heart a little stirr'd do not think that the work is presently done but pray to God to prepare thy Heart and that He would go on with that Blessed work of His. And then another Rule is this Labour after thou art gone to work the Truths upon thy Heart by Meditation that so they may abide Would you have a Salve that should do good to an Affected Member It is not only the laying of the Salve upon the Body but to rub it that it may get in and supple the part So when the Lord comes to present the Blessed Truths of the Gospel to you you must labour to rub them upon your Hearts by Meditation Another Rule is Turn all that you hear into Prayer That is When you have heard any truth that hath taken and affected your Souls get alone into your Closets and before you go about any other Business fall down before the Lord and turn that which you have heard into Prayer it were a good Rule for your Direction and you will find an admirable benefit by this you will find this to help your Memory much Do but henceforward observe this Rule that now is tendered unto you as from the Lord work the matter that you hear upon your Hearts by Prayer And further Take heed of Temptations keep a narrow Watch over your Hearts take heed that some Temptations do not come secretly to steal away that blessed Truth that you have heard For the Devil will labour as I told you the place is full of Angels and so it is full of Devils too The Devil is watching who it is that is stirred with the hearing of the Gospel and he presently is labouring to draw out all the Power and Efficacy Therefore watch against Temptations Another Rule will be this Often call your Hearts unto an account oftentimes be communing with your own Hearts in this manner O my Soul was there not such a time that thou wert stirr'd and affected when thou did'st hear such and such things Why what is become of all thy Stirrings and of all those Resolutions and Truths that thou hast heard O my Soul where are they What hast thou done with them O it would be of admirable Use if you would take an account of your hearts But when Men and Women are stirr'd sometimes and go away and never call their Hearts to an account what is become of them no marvel though the things of the Gospel do not abide but vanish all and are as Water spilt upon the Ground And further Take heed of secret sins Thou hast no power to purge thy Heart but thou may'st in great measure abandon the Acts of sin That Man or Woman that lives in a Secret sin I say that Secret sin will either Eat out the Truths that he hath heard or the Truth will Eat out that sin Thou comest to hear the Word and hast many Blessed things Revealed to thee I say they will either Eat out thy Secret sin or thy Secret sin will Eat out them And which of the two do'st thou think thou hadst best be rid of And if thou wouldst have them abide turn all into Practice that is fall a
then the Blessedness you spake of For I bear you record that if it had been possible you would have plucked out your own Eyes and have given them to me The meaning is this When the Gospel came at first to be Preached among them generally they cried out O this Blessed Gospel O the Blessedness O these blessed Truths that is come among us such Truths as we were not acquainted withal O they are blessed Truths indeed Mark They were thus taken with the Truths of the Gospel when they were first Preached But now saith Paul Where is the Blessedness ye spake of Your Hearts are not now so taken with the Gospel as they were at first now you seem to be taken off from it Where is the Blessedness you spake of I make no Question but many Ministers in many Congregations have Cause to make Use of these words of the Apostle when God sent them at first The Hearts of People were taken with the Ministry of the Gospel but within a while they are off again And well may their Ministers say Where is the Blessedness you spake of The Peace of the Gospel it doth not abide upon them but one thing or other takes it off from them So in Heb. 6. There you read of some that yet were not Sav'd by the Gospel or were not in a Condition at least for the present to be Sav'd yet they had a taste of the Heavenly Gift They did not only hear the Word and understand it but they Had a taste of the good Word of God O they said It was the good Word of God And Mark Of the Powers of the World to come That is of those powerful Truths of those Truths that do concern the World to come that were powerful Truths For so certainly my Brethren the Truths that do concern the World to come as powerful Truths they have a mighty deal of Power to work upon the Heart And these had not only the Apprehensions but a taste of the Powers of the World to come and yet it appears that they had not those things that did accompany Salvation Many other Scriptures might be shewed that there are many that are Affected with the Gospel yea they are Convinc'd and they have some taste of it and their Spirits taken yea almost perswaded with him that we read of almost perswaded to become a Christian and yet for all this this Mercy that is here promised to the Sons of Peace is not their Portion the peace of the Gospel doth not rest upon their Spirits It is a Blessing beyond that which any Hypocrite in the World hath to have this peace of the Gospel to rest and abide upon his Spirit That is First To be set up as a constant Light before the Soul not to come as a meer flash of Lightning suddenly come and suddenly gone but then it may be said to rest when the Lord sets up those glorious Truths of the Gospel as a constant Light before the Soul And Secondly When as the Lord works those Truths by Meditation upon the Heart the Lord causes those Truths to follow the Thoughts of the Mind and so to work them upon the Heart yea into the Heart of the Thoughts of the Mind when the Lord gives a constant real Taste of those Truths and Savour of them that though they be not alwayes Hearing of them yet the Savour and Relish doth abide in a constant way upon their Hearts when the Lord causes those Truths of the Gospel to spread all over the Faculties of their Souls that it is as the Holy Ghost compares it in Scripture to Leven The Kingdom of God is like unto Leven which in a little time doth Leven the whole Lump So when the Lord causes the Truths of the Gospel not only to be in the Mind in the Understanding in the Conscience but to get into the Heart to get into the Affections and as it were to Leven in a good sense the whole Soul by the Sweetness and the Goodness and the Excellency of those Truths Yea when the Lord shall cause those Truths to be dearly Rooted in the Heart to take such Root as Temptations and Deducements any Provocations without shall never be able to take out those Truths which are upon the Heart When the Lord shall cause them to stick so fast to sinck so deep into the Heart let there come what will to take off the Heart from them or take them out of the Heart yet they shall never be able to take them out of the Heart As a Martyr said saith he You may take my Heart out of my Body but you shall never take the Belief of these things out of my Heart O the Blessing and the Truths of the Gospel did so rest upon his Soul and they had gotten so near into his Heart that nothing in the World could take it off Many People that are a little stirr'd upon the Hearing of the Gospel and they think it is good and the Truths are Blessed Truths and they had good Resolutions but perhaps when they come Home from Hearing of the Word they shall have a Fellow-servant Jearing of them or the Father or Mother Speaking against them or the Husband the Wife or the Wife the Husband and so perhaps they come to lose all those Truths which formerly they were so taken with But those that are the Sons of Peace they have the Peace of the Gospel resting upon them as hath been Opened to you and this is a very great Blessing of God O this is a Mercy indeed for the Lord to grant the Truths of the Gospel and the Good of it thus to rest upon the Heart that the Heart doth keep it as a Treasure within it it is a great Mercy First Because it is a special Fruit of the Covenant of Grace according to that Text in Jer. 31. where God promises as the Fruit of the Covenant that he will Write His Law in their Inwards parts Now certainly by the Law it is not meant the Letter of the Ten Commandments But when He saith I will Write my Law that is My Will The great Counsels of my Will And the saving Truths of God are there meant by the Law For when David Expresses his love to the Law he means also the Soul-saving Truths that are Revealed in the Word of God and certainly there because it was in the time under the Law the Language of the Holy Ghost was suitable to the Time But certainly It is meant in a more especial manner the Truths of the Gospel That look as the Law was Written in Adams Heart at first so now those that are received into the Covenant have the Law of the Gospel and the Truths of that Written in their Hearts That is When ever they shall come to hear the Truths of the Gospel Opened to them they shall find as it were a Counterpain of the blessed Truths of the Gospel in their Hearts Yea further To have the Word of
God doth at sometime or other Convice Men and somewhat stir their Hearts O but this is that that they have cause bitterly to complain of that those things that they deliver to them that are the Precious and Glorious things of Jesus Christ yet though they stir them a little for the while yet they do not rest upon them It was a Complaint of Chrisostom saith he We Ministers are in a worse Condition than any Work-men whatsoever Take a Carpenter he comes and works and leaves his Work over-night and comes the next day and finds it where it was as he left it his Work is no more forward neither backward Oh! But it is not so with us Preachers for we come and work upon the Hearts of People and we bring it into a reasonable good forwardness and we leave it one Night and come the next day but woe to us we find it not where we leave it We work upon their Hearts one Lords Day and it may be they go away with some Resolutions that they will break off their evil way and they will attend to the Ministry of the Word but before the next Lords Day they are quite off again They are got again into some wicked Company or other and they begin to harden their Hearts against those Blessed Truths so that our Condition is worse than any Work-mans whatsoever But though it be a sad Condition for the Ministers of the Gospel yet know it is a sadder Condition for your selves You that heretofore have heard those Blessed things of the Gospel and your Hearts have been taken with them have they rested upon you I put this to you in the Name of God I say Hath the Peace of the Gospel rested upon your Hearts It may be some of you may know Two or Three years ago God began to work upon you you began to have some Enlightning of Jesus Christ and of the Kingdom of God and you began to say Blessed are those that shall be partakers of those things but have these rested upon you Hath not the Ministry of the Gospel been to some of you like a Ship that when it is Sailing in the Water it makes a great Impression for the present but let the Ship be gone and the Water is as smooth as ever it was So many times when the Minister comes and open the Blessed Truths of the Gospel they make a mighty Dent upon the Hearts of their Auditors but within a little while their Hearts are like the Water no man can see that ever there was an Impression of any Truth upon their Hearts Now know that this is a very sad thing to have the Gospel begin to Affect the Heart but not to Rest First Consider How vile is thy heart it is an argument of strong corruption that is in thy heart that the things of the Gospel cannot stick there And Consider How vild it is that wicked thoughts vile base unworthy unclean filthy thoughts can abide upon you If the Devil dart in temptations they will abide and rest why when he darts them in over-night he can find them in the morning perhaps if you have some vain or unclean thoughts you can role them up and down in your mind for half a night together perhaps day after day and night after night base and filthy thoughts are rol'd up and down in your Spirits these things can abide Now what shall vile filthy ungodly thoughts rest in your hearts and shall not the Blessed and Glorious Truths of Jesus Christ and the things of the Kingdom of God rest upon your hearts Yea Consider further That it is a most dangerous thing for an essay of mercy to pass away and to do no good for mercy to come and as it were make a trial upon the heart and then leave it and no good done this is a sad condition It is not so dangerous while Men and Women are in such an estate as the mercy of God hath not made an essay as it were upon them But now When the Grace of the Gospel shall come to make an essay upon the heart to make as it were a tryal upon the heart and to have the repulse this is a dangerous thing for an offer of Gods Grace to be rejected is very sad to loose one opportunity of Gods Mercy is a very sad thing how dost thou know that ever they will come upon thy heart with that power that once they did and therefore thy condition is very sad And know further That when the Lord begins to reveal to thee the things of the Gospel and thou puttest them off those flashes of affection and conviction that thou hast had will prove to be matter of terror of conscience another day Some poor Soul may say Then Lord what shall become of me God knows this is my condition I come many times to hear the word and I meet with those truths that do mightily take my heart for the present but the Lord knows all vanishes again I think I could remember every thing that the Minister speaks while I am hearing of them but they go out again I hear that this is the Blessing of God upon the Sons of Peace that the Truths of the Gospel should abide upon their hearts and rest there O they do not rest with me Now and then they come to me but they do not rest with me Now for the Answer to this Perhaps they may not rest in thy memory but yet if the Fruit and effect of them doth rest in thy heart thou hast the Gospel resting in thy heart As thus Why perhaps the Water may pass through a Vessel go quite through it and not stay I but yet there is so much Fruit of the passage of it thorow as to keep the Vessel sweet Though you cannot take up any Water from it but it is all gone yet I say it keeps the Vessel sweet So I may say to those that have the weakest memories and yet the Lord hath wrought any degree of Grace though thy memory be so weak that thou canst not remember I speak this to those that have weak memories naturally and there is nothing that their Souls do more desire then this O that they might keep those things that they hear they would think themselves the most happy Creatures in the world if those truths that sometimes they hear might rest upon them I speak to those Is it so with thy heart Then though thou canst not remember yet if those truths keep thy heart sweet they keep thy heart from filthy lusts that they do not abide in thy heart thy heart is kept savory by them if there be this effect abiding upon thy heart to keep it savory and sweet this Peace of the Gospel may rest with thee though thou canst not remember particulars A Man or Woman perhaps they cannot remember what Meat they ate a little while since but they find themselves nourished by that Meat So for the word of God that
that Converteth a sinner from the Errour of his Way Let him know What shall he know That he shall save a Soul from Death and shall hide a multitude of sins Though it may be he takes a great deal of Pains and suffers much in it yet for his Encouragement Let him know that he shall save a Soul and hide a multitude of sins Further If the other should not be a sufficient Encouragement yet for his own good many times there is much Self in the hearts of the best Ministers Now there is these Two things that cannot but follow if the Lord Bless their Ministry to bring the Peace of the Gospel to any Soul First Such a Soul will Bless God for him Now for a man to be so in the Hearts of the Saints of God as that he should have them Bless the Lord for him and Bless the time that ever he saw him Blessed be the Lord and Blessed be thou as David said to Abigail when it did but hinder him in one sin by her Counsel But now If so be the Lord doth Bless the Ministry of the Gospel to any so that the Peace of Jesus Christ comes to the Soul there is not the hinderance of one sin but of multitudes and there is the obtaining of the Pardon of all sins And therefore how much more Cause have they to say Blessed be God and Blessed be thou and Blessed be thy Counsel and Blessed be thy Ministry Here 's a great Encouragement in this They through whose Ministry Souls comes to be Blessed they will Bless them and Bless God for them And further At the great Day of Jesus Christ they shall have abundance of Joy in those that God made them Instrumental of good unto In Phil. 2. you have a Notable Text for that saith the Apostle in way of Exhortation to the Philippians to hold forth the Word of Life in ver 16. Holding forth the Word of Life that I may rejoyce in the Day of Christ that I have not run in vain neither laboured in vain Saith he If you do thus and thus and shew forth the Power of the Grace of God that God hath been pleased to Bless my Ministry If you do so why then I shall rejoyce O do you shew forth the Power and Efficacy of the Ministry of the Gospel of that Ministry of mine upon you Why That I may rejoyce in the Day of Christ that I have not Run in vain neither Laboured in vain So that where the Ministry of the Gospel is Blessed to any People there those Ministers being Faithful themselves shall rejoyce in the Day of Jesus Christ that they have not Run in vain Therefore to Wind this up It should be one strong Motive to People to Imbrace the Ministry of the Gospel even for the Encouragement of those whom the Lord doth send among them that they may be willing to draw forth their Hearts and to venture their Lives among them As certainly not one Man of Forty of a Hundred scarce that should Preach to such a Congregation as this but must expect a Venturing of his Life in it But lot this Message be but Entertain'd it will be thought to be throughly Recompenced For it will be a Joy to those that do Venture themselves among you It will be a Joy in the Day of Jesus Christ that they have not Run in vain But we leave that Point and come to the last Part of the Text. If the Son of Peace be there your Peace shall rest upon it But what if not If not it shall turn to you again O that this should be heard If not This is a sad Supposition indeed If not What shall the Lord send Embassadors of Peace The Lord from Heaven send to His poor Creatures the Ministry of His Gospel and offer Peace between their Souls and Himself Purchased by the Blood of His Son And shall it be said If not If there be any that will not Imbrace it Is it possible that Jesus Christ wheresoever He comes should not be Entertain'd Truly this very Supposition that there should be a Possibility for any Soul to whom Christ is Revealed ever to reject doth Argue the extream sinfulness of the Hearts of Men. O Woe to us that such a thing should be supposed as possible If not That Christ should come to any place and should not be Entertain'd What that the Ministry of the Gospel should come and be Rejected when as it is nothing else but the bringing of the Message of Peace to a People between God and them They may think perhaps that it comes to trouble them But the Truth is The Errand of all the Ministers of the Gospel among People it is no other in the Conclusion and in the Issue but to bring Eternal Peace to their Souls And shall this be Rejected Sometimes it is so Now in this we have these Three things First A sad Supposition that sometimes the Ministry of the Gospel comes where it is rejected by some Secondly The Encouragement of Ministers in this Case Christ doth not only Encourage them in case their Ministry prevails that then they shall be Instruments of so much good to Souls but He doth Encourage them in case it doth not prevail As if the Disciples should say I indeed If our Ministry prevails that we may bring Peace to Souls we have enough But what if not It shall return to you again And then Thirdly A dreadful Denunciation against all those that do not Entertain the Gospel And that is That they shall have no Benefit of the Peace of the Gospel That the Ministry of the Gospel shall be taken from them and that God will be very Quick in His dealings with them Now then at this time for the First First If not This sad Supposition From hence the Point of Doctrine or Note of Observation is this That the Gospel doth sometimes go to places the Ministery of the Gospel is sometimes sent to places where it is rejected by Men As before If the Son of Peace that supposes that where God doth send the Gospel there are some Sons of Peace So If not here 's a Supposion that the Ministry of the Gospel may be sent to a place and yet there may be some that will reject this blessed Ministery You know what is said of Christ himself And well then may it be said of them he sends to Preach When Christ Himself came to his own John 1. his own received him not His own Those that he had a pecular right in the People of the Jews even such as were the only people that did profess the true God upon the face of the Earth I beseech you observe it When Jesus Christ came into the World there was but a handfull of people upon the face of the Earth that did so much as profess the worship of the true God but the generallity of all the world except a little Country of Canaan that was a matter of
O the Lord the Lord forbid but let me the rather embrace it by how much the more it is neglected and dis-regarded by others What shall such a glorious Gospel be preached in vain What shall the precious Blood of Jesus Christ be shed in vain and it is in vain in respect of many Souls and shall it be in respect of my Soul the Lord forbid O that the Lord would put such kind of thoughts into your Hearts when you see others live under the Ministry of the Gospel in a sinful way And thus much for this Supposition If not What follows If not Let it return to you again Here we have first an encouragement to Gods Ministers in case their Ministry is rejected And Secondly A dreadful denunciation against those that shall reject the Gospel First the encouragement of the Ministers of God in case their Ministry be rejected Let it return to you again In this we have these two Things First That when any Minister Preaches Christ to a people if the people get no good by his Preaching yet he shall have the benefit of it upon his own Soul that 's the first let it return to you again if they will not embrace it so as to have the good and benefit of it to them it shall return to you and you shall have the benefit and blessing of it upon your own Souls Secondly Let it return that is though it prevails not here yet it shall not lose any thing of its efficacy of the life of the vigor of it but it shall return to you with as much efficacy and life as ever so as if you be sent to some other place there may be as much hopes of doing good as ever you had these are the two things that are for the incouragement of Gods Ministers in case their Ministry be rejected Briefly of these First That whena people rejects the Gospel Gods Ministers they shall not lose by it they shall have the blessing of their Ministry in Isai 49. 4. Then I said I have laboured in vain I have spent my strength for nought and in vain here 's a dreadful complaint but mark what follows yet surely my judgment is with the Lord and my work with my God there is a correcting of himself as it were as if he should say what did I say it was in vain that I had spent my strength in vain to no purpose that I had gotten nothing by what I had done No let me correct my self surely my judgment is with the Lord and my work with my God I shall not lose my labour though I do no good upon people yet I shall not lose my labour The truth is even this Complaint is not spoken so much in the person of the Prophet as of Jesus Christ It is a complaint of Christ for it is apparent in the reading of this Chapter that it is Prophetical of Christ for it follows And now saith the Lord that formed me from the Womb to be his servant to bring Jacob again to him though Israel be not gathered yet shall I be glorious in the eyes of the Lord and my God shall be my strength And he said It is a light thing that thou shouldest be my servant to raise up the Tribes of Jacob and to restore the preserved of Israel I will also give you for a light to the Gentiles that thou maist be my Salvation to the ends of the Earth c. Now who was he that was a light to the Gentiles and the Salvation of God to the ends of the Earth It was Jesus Christ and yet Christ himself is brought in here complaining that he had laboured in vain and spent his strength for nought and in vain but God comes in and incourages him and tells him that he should not lose the benefit of their labours his judgment should be with the Lord and his work with his God And further that though he did not prevail with some yet he should with others he should be given as a light to the Gentiles And likewise that place is well known in the 2 Cor. 2. 15 16. For we are unto God a sweet savour of Christ in them that are saved I that 's true but mark what follows and in them that perish A sweet savour of Christ in them that are saved and in them that perish as truly in them that perish as in them that are saved Gods Ministers are a sweet savour of Christ therefore their labour is not in vain To us belongs faithfulness we are to look to be faithful in our work but for the success that belongs to God himself It is a note that Bernard hath on the 1 Cor. 15. 10. saith the Apostle there By the Grace of God I am that I am and his Grace that was bestowed upon me was not in vain but I laboured more abundantly then they all Saith Bernard here he doth not so much glory in the fruit of his Labours as in his labouring for indeed we are to glory rather in our work than in the faithfulness of our hearts in our work rather than in the success Ministers many times may look too much after the success of their labour and yet if there be any thing in the world that a man may look for the success of his labour in it is in the work of the Ministry but especially he is to look after his faithfulness in his labour and if he be faithful there he shall not lose his labour But saith Bernard you must have a care rather to discharge your work to take care of Souls rather than the curing of them it is your work to take care of them but it is Gods work to cure them that 's to be left to God There is a Question among Divines Whether a Minister that Converts many Souls here by his Ministry or another that is as faithful every whit as he and as painful and yet doth not convert Souls or but very few which of these shall have most Glory in Heaven whether the one or the other Many think rather the Second because the one hath a great part of his comfort here and his incouragement the other goes on in his painfulness and faithfulness though he hath not such comforts and incouragements And indeed of all Works it is the hardest work for a man to go on comfortably in the work of the Ministry without success there is no work so hard as that is What for a man to think O that the Lord should send me to a people to what end to preach the Gospel indeed but to harden them but to aggravate their sin but so as their condemnation shall be increased O it is a dreadful thought unto the heart of a Minister to think that he should be sent about such a task as this is Jeremy was even weary and said He would preach no more in the Name of the Lord only the Word of God was as fire in his bones and he
take hold of this may be saved from sinking into the bottomless Gulf of Eternal Horror and Despair and there is no way to save any sinking Soul but only this Now if men slight and disregard this and put it off is it not just that men should sink down this that I speak will eb foundgood one day the Lord forbid that any one Soul in this Place should find this similitude made good upon them that is to sink into the bottomless Gulf and there to consider with himself had not I a line cast to me for the Saving of me and had I catch'd hold of it as others did might not I have been Saved as well as they This I say the Lord will make good one day But now because much may be said As doth not God call at the Eleventh hour and the like And grant God may call at the eleventh hour I but it is not said God will call eleven times That is God may let Men and Women go a long time and at length call them but what have you in Scripture after Rejection of Calls to Call again do not mistake me I do not say but that God may call eleven score times I but it is more than such a one may expect the Lord calls at the Eleventh hour but you do not hear if they refuse then what he will do afterwards So you say That the Theef on the Cross was called at the last hour but who knows whether ever he did hear of Jesus Christ before that time therefore your case is not his though it 's true he was Saved at the last I but it may be he did never reject Christ in his life and it was the first time that ever Jesus Christ was made known to him for ought any can tell and do you so though you be old sinners yet upon the offer of the Gospel if you shall presently come in then you may be received but what may be after the offer of the Gospel I cannot tell You will say That we find by Experience that God doth Convert those that lives a long time under Meanes It 's true he may be patient towards them I but it is more than they can expect that it should be so and mark it you must not venture upon Gods patience with another to think that he will be patient so long with thee I will give you a notable Scripture for that the Example is in Manasses in 2 Chron. 33. 1. there you have the Story of Manasses how wicked a man he was and Manasses did Reign Fifty five Years though he were a very Wicked man yet the Lord suffered him to Reign Fifty five Years and it is like most of this time was in his Wickedness but now comes his Son Amon after him v. 21. and perhaps Amon he might think thus Why may not I do as my Father did The Lord was patient with my Father many Years and why may not I venture as he did and so he did venture to live in the Wickedness that his Father had lived in but mark God was quick with him though he spared Manasses the Father yet he was quick with Amon the Son in vers 24. God spared him but Two Years for he died Wickedly as the Story shews you afterwards so that you must know Gods patience is his own God may be patient with one perhaps Twenty or thirty Years and he will not with another so many moneths Wherefore then by way of Application thus much First Hence Ministers may see cause when they come to Preach Jesus Christ to a People to come with trembling hearts and the truth is though it be that that their Souls desire above all and they account themselves or should do in their Element when they are opening Jesus Christ unto you yet upon the Consideration of this Point they cannot Preach Christ unto you without trembling Hearts for they have these thoughts whatsoever you have Lord I am now going to Preach Christ and open the Mysteries of Grace to this People I but if they should reject it how quick will the Lord Deal with them the Ministry of my Word How soon may it be to cut them down and to send them to their own places Therefore those that know what they do cannot but come with Trembling Hearts Secondly From hence Let all those that have liv'd under the Gospel and yet the Lord hath been patient towards them for a long time O let them learn to Bless the Name of God I perhaps was Born of Godly Parents and they instill'd good Principles into me and they were careful to set me under good Preaching yea and I not only had the outward Offer of Grace but God knows how often Gods Spirit came offered Christ to my Soul and yet I went on stubbornly and stoutly a long time O the rich Mercy of God that he did not wholly give me up and cut me off Rich Mercy And what hath God yet come and strove with me again for all this Rejection O the Riches of the Grace of God towards me more than towards others Thou hast cause to magnifie God for it is not an ordnary thing for God to deal so with People as he hath dealt with thee Thirdly Let all those that do come to hear the Ministry of the Gospel to hear the Word of the Gospel and yet their Consciences tell them that they are Opposers of it and secret Contemners of it and are resolved to go on in their wayes let there be said what will be yet they resolve to go on and to continue as Vile as formerly O that the Lord would strike some such bold Sinner this Day by this Word By this Point that hath been thus Preached unto thee the Lord strike thy Heart thou bold Sinner that darest be bold even against the face of the Mercy of God in Jesus Christ that darest be bold to kick as it were God in his Bowels If the Lord hath any purpose to do good unto thee he will strike thy Heart and humble thee before him in that that thou hast gone on thus against so much rich Grace as thou hast done as Jehu said in another case What hast thou to do with Peace get thee behind me So is God a Merciful God and the Preacher Preaches Mercy howsoever thou wilt live in the face of the Mercy of God in thy wicked wayes What hast thou to do with Mercy Now if this be so Hearken to the Exhortation in the Second Psalm Kiss the Son lest he be angry there indeed lies the Emphasis Kiss the Son saith the Psalmist What shall the Son of God that is Jesus Christ come to be Preached to you and do you reject him No take heed what you do Kiss him and that expression it is a sign of Obedience for so it was used in those times they came and Kiss'd the Prince as a sign of their Subjection to him Kiss the Son Obey the Gospel submit
conscience liberty to reprove you for being Truant in the School of Jesus Christ and let this humble your souls before the Lord. I shall speak more to that afterwards but for the present know that this is your work to go and be humbled before the Lord that you have not understood what it is to sanctifie God in the fulness that you enjoy Lord Through thy mercy I have all my dayes been full of outward comforts Thou hast been full-handed towards me in the wayes of thy mercy but Lord though I have had fulness a long time O how far have I been from knowing how to be full If this be to know it then I have been a stranger to it hitherto Tenthly A man doth know how to abound when he knows how to make use of the Comforts he doth enjoy of the world so as not to be hindered by the afflictions or troubles that doth attend his Comforts In mens abounding and being full of comforts in this world they cannot but have some affliction and some troubles attending these comforts for all Creature comforts are mingled comforts Now then Then a man knows rightly how to be full when he enjoyes his fulness so as though he hath some affliction mixed yet he can tell how to make use of his affliction for his humiliation and his comforts for thanksgiving unto God at the same time whereas now abundance of people when they enjoy comfort if they meet with any trouble and affliction mixed with their comfort they are filled so with vexation and bitterness and their spirits are so troubled that they lose all the good of their comforts As Haman he did abound but he did not know how to abound therefore when he was but crossed in one thing that Mordecay did not bow the Knee to him why all the comfort of his prosperity was taken away and his spirit was filled with rage and bitterness and malice And thus it is with many people that have abundance in their Families they are full of outward comforts they have their Yoke-fellows comfortable Children they have Estates they have their Tables furnished and all things that one would think might content the heart of a man almost But now if any one cross doth fall out that doth displease them they are put into such a vexation and fretting humour as they lose all the benefit of the comforts Do'st thou know how to abound when as thou goest abroad and something crossest thee or thy Servant doth something amiss why presently thou art in a rage and fretting and all thy thanksgiving to God for all thy mercies that 's forgot Nothing but fretting and vexing in the Family for one cross when as there are a hundred mercies that thou shouldest bless God for Thou dost not know how to to abound when thou canst not tell how to sever the good of mercy from the consideration of affliction And though God doth afflict thee in something yet he gives thee abundance of occasions to bless him and praise him But now when thou canst bless God for all mercies and be humbled for all afflictions at the same time If God doth grant me more mercies then affliction he shall have more thanksgiving from me then sorrow or then trouble I le have more joy then I will have trouble if I have more mercy then I have correction This man knows how to abound that can do thus then Eleventhly lastly That man knows how to abound that in his abundance yet knows himself Such a man or woman knows how to be full and to abound I say that if they are full and abound yet they know themselves It s ordinary for people not to know themselves when once they come to abound Saul was little in his own eyes when he was in a mean estate but when Saul came to abound he knew not himself And so it hath been ordinary with people that their abundance hath taken away the very knowledge of themselves they have grown wanton and foolish and proud that they have not known themselves when they have abounded But now when a man in the midst of abundance knows his own meaness and wretchedness and sinfulness and vileness notwithstanding his abundance here 's a man that hath learned this lesson of the Apostle how to abound But this is a very difficult lesson If there be such things as as these in learning how to abound surely the lesson must needs be difficult You that are Mariners think if you have Sea-roome enough you are safe you care not then but it 's otherwise in this that we are speaking of your Sea-roome may be your undoing and the more abundance you have the more difficult it will be for you to know how to order your selves in your way I gave divers reasons why this lesson was more difficult then the other to know how to be full than to be empty which few people in the world will think so but certainly it is so Now though the very naming of these things may shew he difficulty of it yet we shall come in the Second place to shew that there 's a great deale of difficulty in Mens and Womens knowing how to be full And I name this the rather because I would put your hearts upon exercise that you may not lightly pass over what is said when we speak of knowing how to be full for it is ordinary for Men that have estates and outward comforts to slight the Word Well Let me have what will satisfie me and for this lesson to know how to be full I hope we shall do well enough for that Now for this that you may not slight the lesson I shall shew you something about the difficulty of it You that are Marriners If you may have Sea-roome enough you care not you think then you can do well enough but though you can do well enough in your Art when you have Sea-roome yet the truth is you do the worst for your selves when you have the greatest Sea of prosperity there you do worst of all and it is your Sea-room that doth undo you I mean the abundance of outward prosperity it is that ordinarily which doth undo men So it is easier a great deal you know for one to manage a little Boat in the Thames then for one to be able to manage an East-Indian Ship The truth is less skill will serve for the ordering of a mans estate when it is low and mean in the world than when he comes to be full It were a mad thing for a man that can but onely row in the Thames to undertake the command of one of your greatest Ships And so it is for those that are mean if God doth not teach them how to be full they are like to undo themselves by their fulness as well as any way It is easier for a man to manage a little estate that he hath then for him to manage great merchandizing There is more difficulty and skill required
another A full estate hinders very much the depending life which is the life of a Christian I the life of a Christian is a more depending life then the life of Adam was and therefore a low condition is more suitable to a depending life then a full condition And so for self-denial One that is in a low condition it 's easier for such a one to deny himself But now when one comes to have much of self and to have self to be cockered as it were then yet to deny a mans self and to be nothing in his own eyes this is a great deal harder And so for Humility It 's not so much for one that is poor and in a low condition to have his heart low but to have his heart low when his estate is high that 's the difficulty You know there 's nothing more natural to men then to have their hearts rise as their estates rise as the comforts of the creatures rises so their hearts will rise and therefore it 's hard to learn this lesson How to be full And then that grace likewise of Tenderness of a tender heart a soft heart that 's a grace that belongs to a Christian in a special manner that they should keep constantly tender soft spirited Now though many in time of Affliction have their hearts tender and soft yet when they come to prosper once then their hearts are hard the prosperity of the world doth bake as it were their hearts and hardens their hearts As the Sun doth harden the Clay so prosperity doth harden the hearts of men and takes away that tenderness as was wont to be as might be shewn in many examples SERMON II. I Shall now give unto you some further evidences of this that it is a very difficult lesson to know how to abound The evidences are First The solemn and frequent charges of God to his people To take heed to themselves when they are full We do not find in Scripture that God doth so solemnly and frequently charge people to take heed to themselves when they are low that they don't then forsake him though there are some Commands that way but nothing so much in such a solemn way as God doth when he speaks to those that are like to be in a full condition then saith God Look to your selves as I 'll give you two or three Scriptures The first is in Deut. 6. 11. there God saith what he would give unto them They should have houses full of all good things which thou filledst not and wells digged which thou diggedst not Vineyards and Olive-trees which thou plantedst not When thou shalt have eaten and be full saith the Text what then Then beware lest thou forget the Lord which brought thee forth out of the Land of Egypt from the house of bondage That 's a time when poople are least careful at all when they eat and be full then they think of no danger at all I but this is the charge of the Spirit of God That when thou shalt have eaten and be full then beware in a more especial manner O that you would remember this you that have full Tables O that this Scripture were written over your Tables and were in your thoughts when you come to full Dishes you eat and drink and are full It would be but a melancholy thought to some of you to think of this O I must beware now in a more especial manner Some of you that have been in a poor estate perhaps you were but poor Sea-boys at first but in some few Voyages have raised up an estate then this is a Text that concerns you Hath God given you such Voyages that now your house is full you were wont to have your houses empty but ordinarily you Marriners have your houses full of good things that you bring from beyond Sea Now when your houses are full saith the Text beware of that that you forget not the Lord but then fear him And so in Deut. 8. 12. you have again this charge renewed the Lord doth not give it you once but presently again he renews this charge When saith he thou hast eaten and art full thâ—n thou shalt bless the Lord thy God for the good land which he hath given thee Beware that thou forget not the Lord thy God in not keeping his Commandments and his Judgments and his Statutes which I command thee this day least when thou hast eaten and art full and hast built goodly houses and dwelt therein and when thy heards and thy stocks multiply and thy Silver and thy Gold is multiplied and all that thou hast is multiplied then thine heart be lifted up and thou forget the Lord thy God Still see what charges are here as if God should say I am not so solicitous about you while you are in the Wilderness while you are empty but I am very solicitous about you what you will do when you are full I am afraid then you will forget me Therefore you see how it is renewed yea you have it renewed again in Deut. 11. 15. And saith he I will send grass in thy field for thy cattel that thou mayest eat and be full Take heed to your selves that your heart be not deceived and ye turn aside and serve other Gods Take heed you be not deceived when you are full There is a great deceitfulness in riches so you know the Scripture speaks of the deceitfulness of Riches You will say why when we are full we hope we may eat and drink and have the pleasure of what God gives us O but take heed you be not deceived Now that God should give such caution and solemn charges again and again in the 6th 8th and 11th Chapters and so repeat them again and again surely by this God would have us to learn that there is a great deal of danger in being full and therefore it is a difficult lesson for us to know how to be full and abound Another evidence that it is so difficult is this When do you find throughout all the Book of God that ever a full condition did ever turn any soul to God or was the means of it that was not turned to God before I can find in Scripture that an afflicted condition hath been blest so by God as it hath been an occasion to turn some to God As you know Manasses in his affliction he sought the Lord. And so God speaks once and twice and men hear not but then he opens their ears by correction And in their affliction they will seek me early But do you ever find it that those that did not seek God before were drawn to God by a full condition Truly I know no certain example of any where the prosperous estate of a man was any occasion to his conversion therefore that shews that there is a great deal of danger in a fuller condition Yea further Where do you find that any of Gods children that were brought into a full
his state and promotion did not succeed but was added to it I this is an excellency indeed when a mans fulness is added to his former condition and doth not succeed it that is he is the same man now that he was before that 's a rare blessing of God upon one Fourthly It argues a great deal of strength of grace for a man that is full and knows how to be full and to improve it It argues not onely grace but strength of grace as it argues a great deal of strength in mens bodies that they can drink a great deal of Wine and not be drunk Some think that they may take liberty to themselves to drink Wine so they do not stagger in the streets But you know the Scripture saith Wo to those that are strong to drink Wine It 's a speech of Seneca That moderation is a sign of a strong breast Moderation in the midst of prosperity is a sign of a strong heart It 's a sign God hath given thee strength of grace if thy conscience can witness this to thee Well Through Gods mercy though I have many weaknesses and fail in all that I do yet I can say to the praise of God that my estate hath not estranged my heart from God but my heart doth cleave to God and I have communion with God in the Creatures that God sonds me And when God doth give me the best Voyages I find my heart in the best temper and I have more sweet communion with God then than at other times Can you say so I appeal to your consciences now whether you can say as in the presence of God I never found my heart in a more heavenly spiritual temper than when I have found God blessing me in my labors and I have enjoyed God in them O now if thou canst say so be of good comfort thou hast learned a lesson that is a thousand times worth more than all thy prosperity This is thine excellency not that thou hast a fuller estate than others but that God hath taught thee such a lesson as this is And then farther Such a one may do abundance of good What abundance of glory may God have from one man that way whereas a man that is of an estate and hath not grace withal he is like a great Elder-Tree in the midst of a Garden Such a Tree why it spoils the Flowers and doth hurt there I but one that hath an estate and is rich and godly withal he stands as a prime Flower in the Garden that is an ornament to it As commonly in the midst of your knots you set a prime flower there to be an ornament to all the rest So the Lord will have some to be rich that may be an ornament and a shelter to his servants O many many hundreds of people will bless God that ever God set such a man in such a place and that God did give them their estate We say of some men that they have good estates I and it 's well bestowed on them for they do a great deal of good with them But now when they are not onely so but their hearts are to improve their estates for the furtherance of the Gospel for the beating down of sin and the countenancing of Religion O then all the people of God that live about them will bless God O for such a man Had it not been for some few in a place that God gave estates unto that was stirring what would have become of the Gospel Religion would have been trampled under feet O will not this be a greater comfort in the day of Jesus Christ when Christ shall own this and say I gave you an estate in the world and I acknowledge that you did make use of it for my Glory and Religion I made you an instrument to uphold it in the place where you were used O if Christ should own this would it not be a thousand times worth your estates And then When you come to die O how sweetly will you die when you can say O Lord remember me for good As Nehemiah did in the close of his Book look upon the very last words of Nehemiah he was a man that was full in outward blessings and he improv'd them to purpose for God and that was the very close of all Lord remember me for good and so may'st thou when thou comest to die Thy conscience shall not upbraid thee as others will Thou comest to God for mercy What come to me for mercy I have bestowed mercy upon you already and how did you abuse it With what face can you cry to me for mercy that have abus'd it so O but when your Consciences can tell you that you have not abused Gods mercy but his mercy in outward things hath drawn your hearts unto him and you have imploied it in his service Now thou may'st with joy and encouragement say Lord remember me for good And if God should ever bring thee into afflictions in this world it will be sweet and comfortable to thee if thou hast used thy prosperity well For that man that is willing to give up the comfort of his prosperity to God which he doth enjoy God will have a care to take away the gaul and the bitterness of affliction from that man when he is under affliction O there 's nothing more comfortable to a man in affliction than to consider that he hath made use of his prosperity for the honour glory of God When I was in prosperity God had honour and now I am in affliction I can comfortably fly to God for peace and comfort to my soul And in this God doth attain to his end and the end of his Creatures God hath his end especially from these men the end of his Works of Creation and Providence Why the Lord hath made this world and filled it with abundance of excellent things but now how shall God attain his end that is To have glory from the excellent things that he hath made in the world Why most men takes them and abuses them to Gods dishonour now were there not some men that had hearts to give God the glory of their estates why God should have no glory from all his works all his works would be as it were to no purpose But now it seems God hath called thee out to give him the glory of his works so that thou art the man among so many that doth pay as it were to God the rent that he requires for all the great things that he hath done in the world which cannot but bring in a great deal of comfort to thee and shews the excellency of it I have now but two other things for the opening of it before we come to the application yet all the way as we have gone along we have indeavoured to apply it shewing wherein it consists the difficulty of it and the excellency of it Now for the close at this time let these things
you to get alone as it 's said that David did go then and sat down before the Lord. Go and set thy selfe before the Lord and fall humbling thy soul O Lord who am I that thou should'st deal thus graciously with me that thou should'st make such a difference between me and others When your rents come in it may be quarterly more then others why think with your selves Lord What is it that hath made the difference between me and others Others have their 18 pence a day for the providing for their families and thou givest me hundreds together O Lord what am I that it should be thus with me more than with others O if it were thus it were right indeed and yet this is the way of a godly mans learning how to be full His fulness teaches him humility and by being taught humility by his fulness he comes to know how to be full for the glory of God and the good of his Church Sixthly Another mystery there is in a godly mans learning how to be full is He accounts it better to lose for and return to God than to gain for and keep to himself A godly heart when he hath a fulness he doth rejoyce in it according as God will have him in the outward blessings that he hath I but he rejoyceth more in this that he hath something to venture and lose for God than that he hath gain for himself One man rejoyces that he hath an estate to live merrily withal and bravely in the world the other man rejoyces that he hath an estate that he may venture for God and his returning any thing to God he doth account a greater priviledge to him than receiving from God This is a way of mystery too and of this there was something spoken likewise in the way of Contentment and therefore I shall but name it now Seventhly and then the last way is this A godly man learns to abound by abounding in holiness The more he abounds in worldly riches the more he seeks to abound in holiness and in the duties of Gods Worship Now this is a mystery to the men of the world they think indeed poor men that have not so much to do in the world they may be often in the Worship of God and hear Sermons and meditate and the like But for them that have so many things to take them off they think it cannot be expected from them Whereas godliness will teach men to abound in their many businesses and outward prosperity that they have and the great things of the world by adding a proportionable abounding in the performance both of the Worship of God and in holiness They think that because they have so many things to draw them aside that they cannot be so holy as others but now godliness will teach them to be more holy according to the proportion of their estate As eminent above others so they will labour that their holiness shall be eminent above others O this were an excellent thing indeed if all rich men should never satisfie themselves in this barely that they have more than others but look to what a degree God hath made them higher then others in their estates that they should indeavour and never be satisfied till they attain to it till they be in the like degree above others in holiness Why now for men to do this is a mysterious thing and where this is certainly those are well instructed in the mystery of godliness Thus you see that a gracious heart learns how to abound not in a meer natural way by natural wisdom but in a way of mystery of godliness But then there are divers Lessons that he learns by learning this Lesson As I told you in knowing how to be content one need learn a great many Lessons before he get to be instructed in the Art of Contentment in Affliction so in abounding in the same manner As now First I 'll but name these things He must learn the Lesson of the Principle from whence all he hath comes the fountain from whence all his good comes be thorowly instructed in that Why I do enjoy these and these outward comforts from whence have I these Why God hath blessed my endeavors and skill that God hath given me more than others I but it is the blessing of God in all beyond my skill Such and such friends have left me so much means I but the fountain is on high from whence all the outward good that I have comes This in general is acknowledged but the learning of it indeed in a gracious manner will work mightily upon the heart the understanding of the fountain of all my outward good as well as spiritual good Yea And this Fountain it is not onely God the First Being the Creator of all in his providence but it is God in Christ For we are to know that the very preservation of the world is through the mediation of Jesus Christ the world would fall about our ears else and all the good things in the creature are preserved by the power of Christ now And so a gracious heart looks upon the fountain of all not onely as God the Creator of all but God through Christ the Mediator that doth preserve the world the world would otherwise fall into confusion And so all the good that I have it comes from the work of Gods wisdom and goodness ordering things through Christ unto me And then the lesson of our unworthiness that 's to be learned throughly your unworthiness of the least crum of bread the least drop of water for the cooling of you This would teach you how to be content in want that we spake to before and it will likewise teach you how to abound when you can learn your own baseness and vileness before the Lord. And I now speak it not to learn it by your prosperity that was before in the mystery of it but to learn it any way by considering your sinfulness and your inability to use what you have and considering how little service you have done for God learn to know your selves that was the lesson in learning to want to know our selves but above all men rich men had need to learn to know themselves And then To learn the vanity of the Creature and the uncertainty of it that helps you how to want and so it will help you to abound too It 's true I have these things but what are these things to the portion of an Immortal Soul is there not a vanity in all these things in the world They make no such great difference between me and others but they are such things as often I have heard may stand with the hatred of God such things as a Reprobate may have for his portion That meditation will make men willing to be content in the want of them I abound now in these things why what great reason is there that I should have my heart lifted up thereby here 's
oftentimes far otherwise to us than they do to God God looks upon things otherwise than we do Then let Him do what seemeth Him good Not what seemeth good to me nor what seems good to others but unto God Then fourthly That this is a very Commendable and Acceptable work upon the first Manifestation of any Displeasure of God presently to yield and submit without any more adoe Not after a great deal of riggling and stir then to yield but to yield presently upon the first Manifestation against his Family he presently falls down and saith It is the Lord let Him do what seemeth Him good These are the four Conclusions in the Text and I shall desire to go through them all and speak to mine own Heart and yours in them It is the Second that is the chief and main there we shall pitch most But briefly of the First That a gracious Heart in all Afflictions looks up to God It is the Lord. Not this Cause and the other Cause or this Accident or the other thing that takes up his Thoughts so much but God in it The truth is a Heart that is truly Gracious loves to Converse with God in every thing If it be a Mercy presently the Heart gets through the Creatures by which God bestows a Mercy and looks up to the God of that Mercy And so if it be Afflictions the Heart that is Gracious having some of the Divine Nature in it presently works it's self up to God in the 6th of Micah ver 9. there 's a famous Scripture for this Saith the Prophet there The Lords Voice crieth unto the City and the Man of Wisdom shall see thy Name hear ye the Rod and who hath appointed it The Man of Wisdom shall see thy Name The Name of God is written upon his Rod and where there is a Man of Wisdom he sees the Name of God that is there written It 's a special part of the Wisdom of a Christian to be able to see Gods Name and to read Gods Name written upon his Rod The Men of the World have not the skill to read the Name of God written upon his Rod but it 's a priviledge of the Saints that they see Gods Name written there It is a special part of the Worship that is due to God the Acknowledgment of God in all his Administrations That 's Worship when we acknowledge God in all his Providences towards us In all thy wayes acknowledge Him and in all His Wayes he must be acknowledged As we must acknowledge God in all our wayes so we must acknowledge God in all His Wayes and thereby we come to Worship Him Secondly It 's a means to compose the Heart to strike the Heart with awful Fears and Reverence of God when we look at Him in our Afflictions and beyond the Creature It is a Way to make us search and examine our Hearts what there is between God and us when once we take notice it's God that doth it this presently puts the Heart upon a Scrutiny What is there between God and my Soul What is there between God and my Family And then it is a special means to put the Soul on to seek God for Help for Assistance for Blessing for a Sanctified Use of what ever Affliction is upon it There 's a great deal of good in seeing the Lord in an Affliction in seeing that we have to deal with Him but the special good is that that we shall come to in the second Point The working of the humble submission of the Heart to God Only for the present let this Rebuke such who are of Carnal and Atheistical spirits That whatever befals them look no higher than the Creatures by which God works It 's an Argument that they have little to do with God that they know not what it is to Converse with God that will cry out of their Afflictions They howl upon their Beds as the Holy Ghost saith in the 7th of Hosea But they seek not to Me or turn not to Me. And such as have slight and vain hearts in the time of their Afflictions it 's a very ill thing that for Men to think to take Courage to themselves so as not at all to be sensible of the Hand of God God expects we should be so though we should not have dishonoured Hearts yet we should have precious Hearts For when one have to deal with God in any thing we had need be serious the Presence of God should work our Hearts to Seriousness And therefore slightness and vanity of Spirit in the day of Affliction it is very unbeseeming Thou doest not sanctifie the Name of God in that Administration of His towards thee who hastâ—â— vain and slight Spirit in the Day of thine Affliction And surely that 's an Argument that thou never sawest God in His Mercy when thou doest not see him in thine Afflictions but that thou didst enjoy Gods Mercy but in a Brutish way when thou doest behave thy self under thine Afflictions in a Brutish way But this shall suffice for the first The second and that 's the main That the sight of the Hand of the Lord is that that hath a great deal of Power in it to work the Heart that is Gracious to an humble submission to Him It is the Lord let Him do what seemeth Him good That that 's here spoken of Ely we may find mentioned by divers of the Servants of God in Scripture I 'll give you but only two Scriptures for it and those are concerning David In this Book of Sam. 15. 25. If I shall flnd favour in the Eyes of the Lord he will bring me again and shew me both it that is the Ark and the City and his Habitation but if he should say I have no delight in thee behold here am I let him do to me as seemeth good unto him So you see how David he looks up to God here If I find favour in the Eyes of the Lord he will bring me again and if he say I have no delight in thee behold here I am let Him do what seemeth good unto him And in the 39th Psal ver 9. I was dumb I opened not my Mouth because thou diddest it It was the sight of the Lord in it that made him Dumb and not open his Mouth And you know what He did in the case of Shimei when He Curst him The Lord hath bid him saith he Now this Point is very large I shall briefly propound unto you the several Considerations from the Hand of God in an Affliction for to quiet the Heart and to help the Heart to sanctifie his Name As first â—â—us It is the Lord It is he that is infinitely above me above us all and therefore He must be submitted to It is the Great and Blessed God that is infinitely above Angels and above all Creatures that hath done it and therefore He must be submitted to It may may be you could not tell how to bear a
Box on the Ear from an Inferiour or an Equal or from one a little above you But if so be a King should be near and strike you you could bear that you would not be so ready to rise against him as against an Inferiour mans striking of you Why 'T is the Lord that is Infinitely above us that is the Infinite Glorious and Blessed God He must be submitted to Yea secondly It is the Lord that hath the absolute Right to us and all that we have more than we have to our selves or any thing that we enjoy It is the Lord that hath the absolute Authority over us to do with us what He will you have not so much authority over a Worm under your feet as God hath over you and over all your Comforts you have not so much right to kill a Fly as the Lord hath to take away your Lives He hath more Right a thousand thousand times over your Lives Familie Comforts and all you have than you have over the meanest Creature He hath the absolute Right over you all If any thing be done amiss in a Family and the Servants be falling out one with another and one saith you did thus and thus and the other saith you did it and so are wrangling one with another now if the Master comes and saith Why It was I that did it He makes account that this should still them all because it was he that had right to do it Why It is the Lord and therefore it is not for us to stand Fretting against any means For it is the Great Soveraign Lord that hath the absolute Power and Dominion over us And then Thirdly It is the Lord we have sinn'd against and hath us at infinite Advantages that way It is the Lord that we are liable unto While we are here in this World and carry about with us so much sin we cannot have any serious Thoughts of God but we must needs have Thoughts how we have sinn'd against this God and what advantages this God hath us at in respect of our sins Oh! It is the Lord that we have offended and sinn'd against Fourthly Hence it follows It is the Lord and therefore it is He that if He hath brought a little Affliction He may bring abundantly more if He pleases It is He whose Power as it is not shortned in a way of Help so not in a way of Affliction Hath He afflicted in one kind He might in a hundred if he pleased Hath He afflicted thee in thy Estate He might have afflicted thee in thy Body Hath He afflicted thee in thy Body He might have afflicted thee in thy Soul Hath He afflicted thee in thy Soul here He might have sent thee down to Hell eternally Is it upon any within thy Dwelling-place it might have been upon thy self It is the Lord that hath us under His feet And if He bring the least evil He might have brought as much as He pleased He might have afflicted us abundantly more than He hath done And this is a mighty humbling Consideration to quiet the Heart under the Hand of God And then Fifthly It is the Lord. Why it is the Lord that hath done all the Good that ever we have enjoyed It is He that hath done all Good to us You have an Affliction but have you no Mercies Do you enjoy no Good Why from whence was it was it not from the Lord Shall I receive Good from the Hand of the Lord and not Evil saith Job Why even the Savage Beasts will bear strokes from them that feeds them The very Bears will suffer the Bearherd that brings them Meat to strike them they will not suffer a stranger so much but those that bring them Meat They receive good from them and therefore they will submit to them Now we receive infinite Good from God daily Good and that 's a very useful Meditation for us to consider of in times of Affliction There 's this Good or that particular Good taken from me but what do I enjoy or what have I enjoyed It 's a usual thing in Afflictions to keep the sight of God from us As the putting a thing but as big as a Two-pence upon the Eye it will keep the sight of all the Heavens from us and so a little Afflictions many times keeps the sight of all the Good that we do enjoy from us But when we consider it is the Lord the infinite Fountain of all Good this is a mighty quieting Consideration Sixthly It is the Lord He is Just and Righteous in all his Proceedings there 's nothing but Righteousness in Him in all His Wayes In very Faithfulness saith David hast thou afflicted me It may be some affliction may come from Men and we may think they deal Unrighteously and Unjustly but it is the Lord and there is nothing but Righteousness in all His Wayes If we should think Why these afflictions they fall upon me and such and such they escape You must not reason so It is the Lord and therefore it is Righteous You think it might be better thus and thus but it is the Lord that is Just and Righteous in all His Proceedings and in all His Wayes Yea Seventhly As Righteous so infinitely Wise He is Infinitely Wise and so knows how to Order things in the best way that may be He knows what 's fittest both for us and for His own Glory We are poor weak Creatures but it 's the Lord that sees Infinitely beyond us Eightly It is the Lord that hath alwayes very Holy ends in all His Dealings He hath Holy ends and Aims at Great and Holy things though perhaps we know them not and therefore He is to do whatsoever He will We use to say of a Man if we see him to be a Wise and Understanding man yea a Just man and to be a man that doth all things alwayes from good Principles and for good Ends let him alone though we do not understand what he is doing yet let him alone he knows what he doth It is the Lord let Him alone in His work let Him do what seemeth Him good Ninthly It is the Lord and He is able to bring good out of the greatest evils to bring light out of darkness yea to bring the greatest good out of the greatest evils I verily believe that many of the People of God have found it so That the greatest Blessings that ever they have had since they were born have been Ushered in by the greatest Afflictions Certainly as the Lord would not suffer sin in the World were it not for His Infinite Power to bring about Good from the sins of men so neither would He suffer Afflictions in the World to His Saints but that He knows He hath Power enough to bring good to them even out of their greatest Afflictions It is the Lord that hath this Power One would be loath to trust ones self with one in any Danger that cannot tell how to bring him
out again You would be loath to see your Child held over the Water by another little Child or over a Fire but if a strong Man hath your Child in his Arms and holds it over the Water and you know him to be your loving Friend it troubles you not at all Why Because you know he hath strength enough to keep your Child from the Danger Why It 's the Lord that though He holds his Children over Fire or Water and brings them into Fear and Afflictions yet He hath Power enough not only to preserve them but to bring a great deal of Good out of all and therefore let Him do what seemeth Him good Tenthly It is the Lord therefore submit to Him for His Counsel must stand and His Work must go on there 's no striving with the Almighty Are we greater than He No Instead of striving let there be submitting and yielding Eleventhly Yea and further It is the Lord and therefore He is worthy that His Designs should be brought about though we should be ruined There is such infinite Excellency in this God as I say He is worthy to have his own Designs brought about and his own Will fulfilled though it be to our Ruins Doth God think man so excellent a Creature as that He shall give thousands of other Creatures for to help him with the loss of their own Lives And shall not we think the Lord to be Infinitely worthy if He have use of our Lives or Liberties or Names or any thing that He should not have all to bring about his Designs withal O he is worthy and therefore let Him do what seemeth Him good If so be he will raise up any building of his in our ruins we should be willing to be serviceable to God in it we should be willing to lie down and let all that we have go that may be any way serviceable to God in his designs for the Lord is worthy These Considerations may be very useful to help you in the day of Affliction to meditate of God and so to work your hearts to an humble submission but especially if you add this one more Twelfthly When you do not onely see him to be Jehovah the Lord but if you can see that you have any interest in him as that he is the Lord your God this is of mighty power to quiet the heart as if he be your God why then he is in Covenant with you and if he be in Covenant with you then he hath engaged all his Wisdom and all his Power and all his Mercy for to be working eternally for your good and that 's more than a meer consideration that it is the Lord and that he is above us and just and holy and that it is in vain not to submit unto Him But it is the Lord that is in Covenant with me and in that Covenant he hath engaged all his Power and Wisdom and Mercy and Goodness for me Did we but understand what the Covenant of God in Jesus Christ was that he hath taken his Servants into O then this thought It is the Lord in Covenant with me would be enough to enable us to resign up our selves wholly to his dispose Thirteenthly Yea 'T is the Lord that is our Father You know what Christ saith Shall I not drink the Cup that my Father giveth me to drink That was the Argument of Christ O that this were in all our thoughts at all times when any thing though it be never so grievous befals us Shall I not drink the Cup that my Father giveth me to drink Whatsoever it be if it comes out of a Fathers hand why let Him do what seemeth him good You know when Christ came to the Disciples walking upon the waters and the Disciples were afraid Be not afraid 't is I saith Christ They were troubled at it and thought that one came as an Enemy to do them hurt but be not afraid 't is I saith Christ So my Brethren we should look in all afflictions to see who it is that comes we apprehend an Enemy coming but now those that are godly they may look upon him that comes as God Be not afraid saith the Lord it is I It 's I that am reconcil'd to you in my Son Upon this the soul may with abundance of sweetness and comfort go to God in Prayer and open it self to God having an interest in him You know If a great Dog should come with full mouth upon one why indeed if so be that he that comes to a house be a thief he hath cause to fear but if he be a Child he can call to his Father the Master of the house Take off your Dog So when afflictions come to the wicked they come with open devouring mouth and they have cause to be afraid but those that have interest in God may go with freedom unto God in prayer and cry to the Lord to take off the dog the affliction to keep it that it should do them no hurt at least It is the Lord. Object I but you will say That though it be the Lord yet it 's this indeed that rather makes my affliction the greater to consider it comes from God The thought that it's God in it strikes terror because I am conscious of sin against God It is an affliction that comes for my sin and therefore I see the displeasure of God in it and this makes it more grievous I would rather bear any thing from a creature than to bear the displeasure of God in a creature that 's that that is the greatest stick of all and therefore every time I think it is the Lord it rather adds to mine affliction Answ To that I answer First It 's true many men that think that all is well between God and them in the time of their health and prosperity yet when affliction comes God appears to them and they look upon God as an Enemy this is dreadful It 's a fearful thing when God is a terror to a man in the day of Calamity You know what Jeremy saith Jer. 17. 17. Be not thou a terror to me O Lord for thou art my hope in the day of evil If the soul may have God to be the hope of it in the day of evil there 's no evil terrible but if God be a terror then too and write bitter things against the soul in the time of affliction that 's dreadful But yet suppose thou seest God even as an Enemy coming against thee yet the consideration that it is the Lord should make thee submit at least For it is time for thee then to submit if so be that God as an Enemy appears against thee It 's time for thee to make haste to make thy peace with God yea and thou hast the more cause to bless God that he hath not destroyed thee What dost thou apprehend God as an Enemy O then it 's infinite Mercy thou art not destroyed Certainly if He be an Enemy
Delights he knows not how to deny himself in them but now a Man that hath another Life beyond this he can deny himself in these things 2 Cor. 14. 11. See what the Apostle saith there concerning himself For we saith he who live are alwayes delivered unto Death for Jesus sake that the Life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our Mortal Flesh Even this Mortal Flesh that must Die ere long in suffering for Christ here it doth manifest the Life of Christ And is it not a greater good to us to have our Mortal Flesh to manifest the Life of Christ than to have our Mortal Flesh to live here a Natural life We would be loath to have this flesh of our Bodies to be dead flesh While we are willing to suffer for Christ this flesh of ours doth manifest the very Life of Jesus Christ Therefore the Saints are dead to the World but they are alive to Jesus Christ But thus much for this first Part To me to live is Christ And to die is Gain To whom Christ is to live to them Death is gain The more we enjoy Christ and live to Christ here the more gainful will death be to us and the more shall we be able to look upon death as Gain And here we have a Scripture if we had no other sufficient to prove the Immortallity of the Soul How could death be Gain unto the Apostle if so be that the Soul should die together with the Body Indeed Christ would be Gain for another Life hereafter that is at the Day of Judgment there Christ would be Gain And those that do deny the Immortallity of the Soul yet they are not so vile as some take them To think that Man should Die like a Beast and there 's an end of him and that there shall be no Resurrection No But those that do deny the Immortallity of the Soul they say That though the Soul dies with the Body yet at the Day of Judgment both Soul and Body shall rise again and live for ever But all they deny is this That the Soul between Death and the Day of Judgment shall live They think that the Soul between Death and the Day of Judgment shall die and then by the Almighty Power of God they shall be both raised again That 's their Opinion But though it be not so bad as some would make it yet an Opinion false For this Text shews that Paul was in a straight he knew not whether to live or die but that was the conclusion that it was better for him to die for then he should be with Christ He could not mean that when he was dead he should be with Christ when the general Resurrection comes but he must needs mean that he should be with Christ immediately after his death and enjoy another manner of communion with Jesus Christ than he did here while he was living And it is upon this account that he saith It is gain for him to die Why Paul enjoyed much communion with Jesus Christ here and though he had some sin in him yet considering the Grace he had and the Service he did for Christ certainly it were better for him to live than to be in a condition where he should enjoy nothing of Christ and do no Service for Christ But the Apostle lookt upon the State of death before the day of Judgment to be a better Estate than that he had while he lived Though saith he I have the Grace of Christ and I do Service for Him yet there is a better condition between Death and Judgment If my Soul were gone from my Body it would be in a better Estate than now it is To me to die is gain and so you have it in 2 Cor. where the Apostle speaks of his departing out of the Body in Chap. 5. Therefore we are alwayes confident knowing that whilst we are at Home in the Body we are absent from the Lord. We are confident in verse 8. I say and willing rather to be absent from the Body and to be present with the Lord. So that 't is apparent that upon the Souls absence from the Body it is present with the Lord. Now if the Soul did die as the Body doth it were not present with the Lord no not so much as when it is in the Body But now the Apostle saith That when it is out of the Body then it 's present with the Lord and when it is in the Body it is absent from the Lord. And so it is upon this Ground especially that the Apostle saith That to him to die was Gain Because he should be absent from the Body but present with Christ which is best of all To be with Christ it is more than to have Christ with us The difference lies here For us to be with Christ it is for us to be brought to Christ where He is like Himself in all His Glory and Excellency and for us to enjoy Him in a proportionable way But now for Christ to be Immanuel God with us it is for Christ to come down as it were to us and to manifest so much of Himself as is sutable to our condition Therefore Christ humbles Himself to come to be with us For there He is a Man of Sorrows He is with us sutable to our Mean and Low condition but when we come to be with Him we are there sutable to His High and Glorious condition There lies the difference Mark The Apostle doth not here say To me to die is Gain Upon this Ground Because I shall be delivered from my Troubles As a great many are ready to think it were well for me to be Dead If they be but a little discountented their outward Trouble makes them willing to go out of the World Yea and if their Bodies be weakly and their Stomachs gone and cannot Eat as others do or Sleep as others do or are very Poor and Live in a mean Condition they are weary of this World Now to think death Gain upon such a poor Ground as these is not according to the Spirit of Paul Paul suffered as much as many of you do for outward things in this World and yet he did not desire to die O then I shall be Afflicted no more be Persecuted no more in the World no but when I die I shall be with Jesus Christ and shall enjoy Communion with Him and it 's this that makes me look upon Death with comfort and in this respect it's Gain Though Paul had enjoyed all the World at will yet he would have accounted Death to have been Gain to him And though Paul was a Man of great Esteem among the Saints though Persecuted by others yet death was Gain to him Yea though Paul enjoyed all Ordinances yet Christ was Gain to him And though he did a great deal of Service for Christ as I verily believe there was never any Man since the World was made did more Service for Jesus Christ
Therefore surely it 's Gain to die for a Godly Man 7ly Further It 's Gain in this respect When they receive immediately they shall receive all United in one and all together They shall have such Influence from Christ as hath all Good united in one Beam of Excellency and so receive it all together As now a Man may take the Quintesence of several Herbs there 's this Herb hath this Virtue another another and a third a third but now if you Still all these Herbs together you will have the Virtue and Quintesence of all in one Drop So Christ here scatters His Excellencies one in one Creature another in another but when we come to enjoy Him immediately then we shall have all in one because all His Excellencies whatsoever is united in one in Him Eighthly Further all our Good shall be in continal Act. Here we have a great deal of Good in the Habit but now when we come to have this Immediate communion with Christ there all our Graces shall be Acted continually The Sun you know how it doth Act the Earth whatsoever there is in the Earth it draws it forth and makes it flourish So the Presence of the Sun of Righteousness Oh how Gloriously will it Act all our Graces In Numb 17. 7. We read of Aarons Rod it Blossom'd And the Text saith It Blossom'd before the Lord. When the Souls of the Saints shall be before the Lord and be in the Presence of the Lord Christ O they shall Blossom and Flourish and all their Graces shall Flourish in a most Glorious manner Ninthly And then lastly We shall enjoy what is in Christ without any Intermission What 's the reason of any Intermission here But something that comes between Christ and our Souls But now when there shall be nothing between Christ and the Soul then there will be no Intermission That Sweetness and Comfort thou hast in communion with Christ at any time thou shalt have it at all times And how good is that O saith many a Soul could I have but the communion with Christ at all times as I have at some times O that would be comfortable Now when the Soul hath Immediate communion with Christ it shall have it at all times What 's the reason of Ecclipses It is the Interposition between the Moon and the Sun or some Interposition between the Sun and us So our Ecclipses of the Light that we have from Christ it is some Interposition Take away the Interposition and then there will be no Intermission Now put all these together and is it not Gain to Die and to be with Christ Now by way of Use It is Gain thus to be with Christ Hence then If it be Gain for one that doth so much Service for Christ as Paul did surely than those that are Believers and are made little Use of in any Service for Christ they will get by their Death Paul was a Man that one would wonder how the Churches could spare him he did so much for Christ and yet Paul would get by Death If thou beest a Believer thou shalt have thy Immediate communion with Christ as Paul had Alas here while thou Livest thou hast but little communion between Christ and thee and doest Him but little Service in the World Then why should you so much desire to Live in the World that have nothing to Countervail the Trouble that you have and the Sin that is committed in the World O surely it will be gain for you Secondly Hence it follows That it is a Self-denial to a Believer to be willing to Live here in the World You will say If it be so much Gain why should any be so desirous to Live It 's this first Nature will have its work though in their Judgments they are convinc't that it 's better to be with Christ yet the Body will be working and the Affections will follow the Body very much Further Though they be convinc't that it is Gain yet God lays a Tie upon them to preserve their Lives as long as they can here in this World in Obedience to God They do desire to avoid Dangers and Preserve their Lives It is not for them to be where it is best for them to be but to be where God would have them to be and therefore God doth charge them to seek to Preserve their Lives and to go on till He Himself shall Dissolve the Body and Soul It 's God that is the Lord of our Life and as God gave us our Lives so it is He that must take them away and not any Body else But yet I say there is some Self-denial in it We must look upon our selves here as in a very Low and Mean condition in comparison of what we hope to be within a while after Therefore observe this one Note Those that do believe the Gain of Death they had need Labour what they can to countervail the Forbearance of the Gain by somewhat or other If a Man hath a great Gain and it comes not in his present Possession he thinks What shall I have for my Forbearance You will say What is it that any Believer can have in lieu of his Forbearance of that Gain Truly the most Excellent thing is this that he may do Christ Service while he Lives Now then Is that the main thing O learn from hence to be of as much use in your Lives as possibly you can for you have nothing else to speak of in Forbearance of that great Gain Why Lord I expect to enjoy Thee for ever before long but thou art pleased to Prolong my Life here for a while in the mean time I meet with many Temptations and Troubles and Vexations and much Sin I have But yet Lord thou knowest it 's my desire to Honour Thee and Serve Thee and through Thy Mercy I am some way or other Serviceable to Thee in the Place where Thou hast set me and Lord this is the thing contents me while I am absent from Thee Thirdly Hence we see the great Difference that there is between the death of a Believer and the death of a Wicked Man I shewed you I remember in the death of an Ungodly Man when the siery Serpent comes with his Sting and takes him in his Natural Estate Death is not Gain to such a one O no death takes away all his Gain But now death is the greatest Gain to the Saints That 's an excellent Scripture you have in 1 Cor. 3. the latter end Whether Paul or Appollos or Cephas or the World or Life or Death or Things present or Things to come all is yours In Christ Death comes to be made yours Death is part of the Possession of the Saints O the difference between the death of the Saints and the death of Wicked and Ungodly Men Do but put two Men a Wicked Man and a Godly Man lying both together upon their Death-Beds you must take a wicked Man that hath an enlightned
such an Esteem of Ministers of the Gospel And what do they do It is only Preaching peace to the Souls of Men. But Lastly If this be so That the Errand is to bring Peace to your Souls Then hence you Learn what you are to come for when you come to hear Sermons you hear that at such a time there is such a Sermon or a new Man there is come among you and you come to hear what he can say or you hear that in such or such a place there is a very witty Man and of Excellent parts and you come to hear what he can say But alass you deceive your own Souls all this while You should come with a Disposition of Spirit I am now going to hear the Doctrine of Peace between God and my Soul to attend upon the Ministry of Reconciliation this day And though the very word be not spoken of Peace yet the Word that doth tend to the making peace between God and my Soul And indeed when you feel the Ministry of the Gospel working of your Hearts into peace with God then hath it had the true genuine proper Effect upon your Hearts that God hath appointed it for But if you only shall sit under the Ministry of the Word and it may be only Gain some further knowledge in the things of Religion that you never knew before or be inabled to Discourse of something in Divinity more than you could before What 's this to the Fruit of the Ministry of the Gospel No But can you say Blessed be God the Lord hath made known to my Soul what my Estate was by Nature The Lord hath opened to me the Doctrine of Reconciliation The Lord hath shewn to my Soul how I am to make peace with God and that in another manner of way than ever I thought of I come now to see it to be another manner of Mistery of Godliness than ever I imagined before Can you say so now Hath the Gospel had this end of it upon your Hearts O then it hath had the Effect that the Lord doth send it for And thus much for the Third Note of Observation That the Work of Ministers is to bring Peace the Message of Peace to People Observ 4. The Fourth Point is this That the Ministers of the Gospel are to offer Peace unto every one For so you have it Into whatsoever House ye enter say Peace be to it Offer terms of Peace to it If you come to a place where there are the most Notorious sinners of all yet offer peace to them Though they be the most Prophane and Ungodly people that should Live yet offer peace to them Though they be Old sinners that have Liv'd a long time in most vile sins yet offer peace to them Into whatsoever House you come you have a Command to offer peace in the Name of God even to them For my Brethren the Merit of Christ it is of such infinite value that we may if we knew what the meaning of that is comfortably offer peace to the most Notorious vile sinners that do Live upon the Face of the Earth We read of Christ that He would have His Disciples to go and Preach in the High-wayes Mat. 22. Saith Christ unto His Servants Go your wayes into the High-way and as many as you shall find bid to the Marriage Into the High-wayes to Note those that were the most Unlikely the most Vile and Wicked Go unto them and bid them to the Marriage And in the last of Mat. 15. Go saith Christ into all the World and Preach the Gospel to every Creature They might say Lord perhaps we shall meet with some that are most Notorious Villains and Blasphemers and Prophane and Ungodly Creatures Must we Preach the Gospel to them I Go and Preach the Gospel to every Creature Into any place whatsoever you come you shall offer Peace unto them I but you will say This may harden many in their prophaneness If God would have His Ministers offer Peace to the most prophane People that are Then may some prophane one say I hope we shall do well enough then To that I answer The Lord will venture this The Lord is so desirous of Magnifying His Grace to offer it to those that belong to His Election as that He will venter the Hardning of other men If they will be Hardned saith God let them be Hardened And so Though a Minister ought to be as Careful as he can to prevent all Stumbling Blocks yet certainly he is to Venter the Hardning of many Hundreds rather than not to Preach the Gospel of God to any one Soul He should more regard the Offering of the Gospel of Peace in hope that there are some few that belong to Gods Election than to fear the Hardning of many Hundreds And if you should be Hardned by the offer of the Gospel of Peace there could be no greater Brand of your Rejection and that will make it appear that you are no such Son of Peace I but then may some say that are more Civil and Fair What if God send the Gospel to the most prophane surely there is no question but God will have mercy upon us for He doth appoint His Ministers to offer the Gospel of peace to the worst I but know what Christ saith That the Publicans and Harlots did enter into the Kingdom of God rather than the Scribes and Pharisees God offers to the worst yea many times makes it more effectual to the worst than He doth to some that are more Fair and Civil in their Conversations because indeed they do not see the need that they have of Peace I suppose you would think it to be one of the most Hard and Harsh things in the World if you should be told that all of you naturally were Enemies to God and yet there is nothing more plain in the Scripture than this Now because it is so hard to convince Civil men of this therefore they are not so soon wrought upon as prophane ones are Wherefore then my Brethren if this be so it is an Encouragement First to Ministers when they come to any place never to be troubled whatsoever people they be if he come to Preach to them and offer the Gospel of Peace to them for who knows but those that are the Worst and Vilest ones may come in and embrace the Gospel of Peace may be Vessels of Mercy and may hereafter stand and admire at the Riches of Gods Goodness and may live Eternally to Bless His Name for this blessed Peace that is made between their Souls and Himself And Secondly All you that do hear this Point stand for the present and admire at Gods Goodness that ever this should be so that ever you should hear such a Truth as this is that Christ would have His Ministers offer Terms of Peace to the Worst in the World I say Admire at this Goodness of Christ and especially you that are prophane ones stand and wonder
at the Goodness of God whereas He might have Curst thee and sent thee long since down to thine own place yet He doth give His Ministers charge to offer peace to thy Soul Think thus The Lord in this hath done more to me than He hath done to all those Thousand Millions of Angels that sinn'd against Him Those that were once glorious Angels and did sin against God the Lord took Advantage against them for their first sin and upon that cast them down into Chains of eternal Darkness and did resolve that He would never so much as enter into a Plea about any Condition of Peace with them to all Eternity This was the Way of God towards the Angels that did sin against Him that are now Devils O you that think the Lord to be a God of Mercy altogether do but consider of this and consider to Tremble before Him that God should take Advantage against Millions of Angels for so they were For we read in Scripture that Legions of Devils were in one man and they were once Angels and they did but commit one sin against God and the Lord would not Plea with them about Terms of Peace But mark now The same God that was so severe against Angels that were His own Creatures as well as thou and were more glorious Creatures and committed but one sin yet would never enter into any Terms of peace with them this God is not only willing to Treat with thy Soul to be at peace with thee but He sends forth His Messengers unto thee to Treat in His Name and doth give them command that when they come to thee they should offer Terms of peace to thy Soul Admire at this thou that hast not been guilty of one sin but of Thousands thou that hast Liv'd like a Monster in the place where thou hast Liv'd and hast liv'd in Rebellion against the Lord yet He doth give Command to His Ministers to offer peace to thee I say stand and admire at this when thou goest Home lay it to thy Heart O that the Great God should so Condescend to me rather than to Angels He doth so this day and in His Name I say according to the Text Peace be to every Soul that shall yet come in and return yet come and repent whatsoever they have been whether thou mayst live to have any further offer of peace or no the Lord knows It is an Offer that thou hast this day Look to thy self come in for there are many things in the Text that might put you on For if there be not a Son of Peace this Peace will turn back again Observ 5. But the last Point of all is this That Ministers of the Gospel are when they come to a place to say First Peace be to this place It should be the first Message that they should declare they should begin with this And there is a great deal of Emphasis in this word First say First So we read of John Baptist his first Sermon was this Repent for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand And likewise the First Sermon of Christ in Mat. 4. 16 17. And again the Apostles you shall read of them Repent for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand The First Sermon of John Baptist of Christ and of the Apostles was this Repent for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand And the First Sermon that the Seventy Disciples was to Preach was Peace And in this the Lord deals with sinners according to the Order He gave in Deut. 20. 10. The Lord required that the First thing the Children of Israel should do when they came against a City it was to proclaim peace And we read of Alexander the First thing that he did was to set up a Lamp and his White Colours and to Proclaim That whosoever did come in before that Lamp was out should have his Life and Peace So when the Lord sends Ministers of the Gospel to any place he sets up a Lamp in that place and the First thing that He would have done it is to Proclaim to all People to come in that so they might have Peace And it is to be done in the First place First Because the Bowels of Gods Compassions are very strong and Gods Mercy lies at His Heart uppermost and therefore that is most ready and He is most ready to vent it That 's the most proper Work of God that He doth delight to Vent His Mercy Jer. 9. 24. Secondly Because that when the Offer of Peace is that hath a great deal of power to work upon the hearts of People Now the Lord therefore would have that done at First that is like most to prevail We know that People at First when a Minister comes amongst them they are set upon Novelties now it is good to take advantage of that their Humour and when they are hearkning after Novelty that they should come to have some principal Doctrine of Salvation to be secretly Instill'd into them that they should Drink in that before they are aware So the Lord uses to work upon Mens Self-love Every Creature loves it self and therefore the Lord sees that it is a good advantage to work upon Mens self-love to offer terms of Peace And the truth is that is it that gains the Heart of a Sinner And God will out-bid the World and Devil and Flesh What do they offer any thing that may delight you saith God I will out-bid them all Christ out-bids the World and Devil in offering unto sinners a greater Good than World or Devil can possibly bring unto them And indeed this offer of Peace doth out-bid the World that is doth proffer a greater Good to a sinner than World or Devil can possibly proffer to them Nay then saith the Soul if I see that I may have a greater good by Repenting and Believing than by going on in my sin I will go that way I will rather attend upon the Word for I hear of great things that are there about Reconciliation between God and man Now this is the way to take the Hearts of men and it is the way to break them of their stoutness and stubbornness For certainly every man naturally hath a very stout and stubborn Heart against God Therefore if First he be opposed he will be ready to rise against God and against His Truths and against His Servants Therefore it is good to come First with those things that their Hearts may close with all that so they may be in a more preparation that they may hearken to what the Lord shall reveal after as necessary unto them But you will say If it be thus Why is it then that Ministers do Preach so much of our miserable Condition in which we are The answer is It 's true at First there should be a tender of peace and I make no question but you have had it so here But now it 's true before the full Doctrine of Reconciliation with God is to be opened
Now saith the Text And from the dayes of John the Baptist until now doth the Kingdom of Heaven suffer violence O the Hearts of People were mightily stirred ever since the dayes of John Baptist and why Because that he Preached that The Kingdom of Heaven is at hand Now that consists of Peace and Joy and the Doctrine of Reconciliation between sinners and the Blessed God that indeed is the special part of the Kingdom of Heaven Now he Preaching this Kingdom of Heaven saith the Text from that day the Kingdom of Heaven suffered Violence and every one comes to know Lord what shall I do that I may enter into this Kingdom O what a Blessed thing is it for Congregations when the Lord shall send those amongst them to bring Peace between God and their Souls That it may said from such a Day from such a Time that the Lord did send such among them that opened this Doctrine of Peace That the Kingdom of Heaven hath suffered Violence There hath many poor Souls come in and said O Men and Brethren What shall I do to be saved And Blessed are they upon whom the Tender of the Gospel shall have this Effect Now if there be any Sons of Peace here that shall entertain this here 's the Blessing that is to be upon them That the Peace of the Gospel shall rest upon them upon that Parish upon that House upon that Soul Sermon II. Luke 10. 6. And if the Son of Peace be there your Peace shall rest upon it If not it shall turn to you again TO leave what was said in the former Verse and to proceed to what remains In this Verse you have First A Supposition If the Son of Peace Secondly A Description of a good Hearer of the Gospel He is a Son of Peace Thirdly The Blessing upon him Your Peace shall rest upon him We shall speak to no more only these Three things at present First The Supposition If the Son of Peace be there Here there is a Supposition That when the Lord sends the Ministry of the Gospel unto any place that there will be some Sons of peace it were a hard thing if we should come and find no Sons of Peace If the Son of Peace be there As if Christ should say It is hopeful you may find some Sons of Peace From whence the Point of Doctrine is this That when God doth send the Ministery of the Gospel to any place there is hopes that there is some Sons of Peace there There may be hope to Ministers and others that they shall find some that will entertain their Gospel In Acts 18. 9 10. Then spake the Lord to Paul in the night by a Vision Be not afraid but speak and hold not thy peace For I am with thee and no man shall set on thee to hurt thee For I have much People in this City When God sent Paul to Preach there was a great deal of Opposition Well saith God for all that Opposition you shall Preach in this place Why For I have much People in this City So that when God by His Providence shall order the Word to come to any place there is a hopeful Argument at least that God hath People in that City In Mat. 10. Where you have Christ sending of the Apostles to Preach He bids them in ver 5. Go not into the way of the Gentiles and into the Cities of the Samaritans enter ye not saith Christ But go rather to the lost Sheep of the House of Israel As if Christ should say As for the Gentiles and the Samaritans I have yet none to Call there the time is to come for the Gentiles to be Called I would not therefore have you go thither I would not have you lose your Labour But go unto the lost Sheep of the House of Israel There are many of the House of Israel that are as lost Sheep that are wandering from God and their own Happiness I would have you go thither saith Christ thereby Intimating that there were some to be Call'd there rather than in the other place The Ministry of the Gospel it is the great Gift of Jesus Christ that He gave when He Ascended on high And to what end did He give it Mark in Ephes 4. 11 12. to what end it is And He gave some Apostles And some Prophets And some Evangelists And some Pastours and Teachers For the perfecting of the Saints So it is Translated in your Books But the Word in the Original is For the Joynting of the Saints the putting of them into Joynt At first to put them into Christ and then that they may grow up For the Work of the Ministry for the Edifying of the Body of Christ For the Building up of the Body of Christ And this Text is quoted out of that Prophesie that we have in Psal 68. 18. Thou hast ascended on High Thou hast led Captivity Captive Thou hast received Gifts for men c. Here 's a Prophesie of Christ clearly And the Apostle doth apply it in Ephes 4. Christ received Gifts for men here it is And there it is That He hath Dispensed Gifts to Men. And mark Yea for the Rebellious also Those Men that are the most Rebellious yet Christ hath received Gifts for them What Gifts The Ministry of the Gospel is the great Gift that God the Father hath given to Christ and Jesus Christ hath given it unto His Ministers and sends them among the Rebellious And to what end That the Lord God might dwell among them So that by this it appears till God send the Ministry of the Word among a People the Lord God doth not dwell there for it is That the Lord God might dwell among them They are without God in the World but when that comes unto a place then the Lord God comes to Dwell among them So that then you see the Point clear by Scripture when the Lord sends the Ministry of the Gospel there is some hope that there is some good intended for some in that place And the Reasons are these 1. Because Christ sends His Ministers according as His Father sent Him Now thus we have it in John 20. 21. Then said Jesus to them again Peace be unto you as my Father hath sent me even so send I you Mark As God the Father sends Christ so Christ sends Ministers Well How doth God the Father send Christ Compare this Scripture with John 3. 17. Thus God the Father sends His Son He doth not send His Son into the World that He might Condemn the World That is not Gods primary End to Condemn the World but that that God doth Aim at in sending His Son into the World it is that by Him the World may be saved Now then compare this Scripture with that other saith Christ As my Father sent me so send I you Now my Father sent Me into the World not to Condemn the World though by accident the World shall be Condemned the
great Moment and when he doth come to hear he doth bend his whole Soul to attend to what is heard and he dares not give liberty to the wandering of his Thoughts And he doth charge his Memory with such and such truths to think of these whatsoever he doth forget And here 's now a Son of Peace as the Children of the Bride-Chamber they are such as do attend there So he A Son of Peace attends upon the Ministry of the Gospel Now by this Second thou mayst know the First thou mayst know whither thou beest a Son That is whither thou beest one that from all Eternity wert set apart by God the Father to obtain the Peace and Benefits of the Gospel But Thirdly The Son of the Gospel is to be as an Obedient Child To come with a Resolution when he comes to hear the Word Whatsoever the Lord shall this day make known of his Mind unto me the Lord knows that I would fain yield unto it I come with this Resolution every time I come to hear the Ministry of the Gospel This is now a Son of Peace that comes with such a Heart resolved to be Obedient unto it 2. He doth open his Understanding and is easily Convinc'd of those Truths that he doth hear Revealed in the Ministry of the Gospel he doth not stand Opposing of them 3. He doth open his Heart to accept of the Conditions of the Covenant when the Lord Reveals the Doctrine of the Covenant of Life and Peace the Soul doth open it self to admit of the Conditions of the Covenant Lord Speak thy Servant hears Reveal what Thou wilt my Soul is here ready and willing to accept of the Covenant whatever it be Further He doth give up himself to be Moulded by the Gospel according to that Phrase in Rom. 6. 17. The Doctrine into which ye were delivered So it is in the Original that is There is a delivering of the Soul up to the Ministry of the Word as the Mettle is to the Mould to be Fashioned by it So here a Son of Peace doth give up his Soul to be Moulded by the Word whatsoever he was before yet here he is now ready to give up his Soul to be Fashioned to be Framed by the Word Here 's a Son of Peace Further He doth in his Conversation Act what he doth hear in the Ministry of the Word and he doth indeavour to Live according to the glorious Gospel that he doth hear and he doth Labour to become the Gospel So that one may know in such a ones Family and in such a ones Life a mighty deal of Alteration And again Such a one as is Begotten by it is not only Obedient but indeed there is the work of Regeneration wrought and therefore he may be called a Son saith the Apostle I have Begotten you by the Gospel And so by the Word of Truth you are Begotten Abundance of Scriptures might be for this Those that the Gospel works Savingly upon the Gospel doth not only stir their Hearts but put a new Life into them They live by new Principles by new Rules they find a mighty Power in the Gospel to Beget them again And such as these are are Sons because they are Heirs of the Gospel Children of the Kingdom But that we shall have more use of in the other place when we speak of the Blessing of the Gospel that shall be upon them Now to Apply these in a few words The good Hearers of the Gospel are the Sons of Peace O what a blessed thing it is to be the Sons of Peace Better to be the Son of Peace than a Monarch than of the greatest of the World better to be this Son of Peace than to injoy all the World If the Lord should give thee the Inheritance of all the World He doth not do so much for thee as when He makes thee to be a Son of Peace It may be many of you were Born very mean and you are like to Inherit but little of this World but if the Lord work upon your Hearts in the Ministry of the Gospel that which comes by this makes you blessed Creatures for ever For by this means you come to be the Sons of the Living God You come to be the Children of Life and Co-heirs with Jesus Christ O how Industrious should Ministers of the Gospel be to Beget such Sons of Peace to God St. Paul in Gal. 4. he tells the Galatians there that he did Labour and Travel in Birth till Christ was formed in them My little Children of whom I Travel in Birth again until Christ be formed in you A Faithful Minister of the Gospel doth even Travel in Birth that he might beget Sons of Peace to Jesus Christ And O the Blessedness of this Work for God to set Men on Earth to this Work to Beget Sons of Peace If we should Beget you to be Children of the Bond-woman it were somewhat that is to strike fear into your Hears by the Terror of the Law I but to Beget you to be Children of Peace and of the Free-woman this is a great deal more This is such a Work as it is that which doth satisfies the Soul of Jesus Christ when He sees it It satisfie His Soul for all His Sufferings As in Isa 53. 10 11. Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise Him That is It pleased God the Father to bruise Jesus Christ For this is an Evangelical Chapter When thou shalt make His Soul an Offering for sin Mark He shall see His Seed He shall prolong His dayes and the Pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in His hand He shall see some Children Born unto Him some Sons of Peace But Mark He shall see of the Travel of His Soul and shall be satisfied So that when there is a Son of Peace he is the Fruit of the Travel of the Soul of Jesus Christ and he is the Fruit at the Second hand of the Travel of the Souls of Gods Ministers their Souls Travel as you heard before in Paul but that not so much He is the Fruit of the Travel of the Soul of Jesus Christ the Soul of Christ Travels with this Birth and this Work of God upon the Heart of such a one it is the Fruit of this Travel of the Soul of Christ And Mark further And He shall be satisfied As if the Holy Ghost here should say Let but Jesus Christ see a Soul brought in to Himself let Him but see any Begotten to be the Sons of Peace Christ saith I am satisfied for all the Blood that I have shed for all my Sufferings I have been willing to come from the Bosom of my Father to take your Nature upon me and I did endure the Withdrawings of my Father when I cried My God my God why hast thou forsaken me I was made a Man of Sorrows and my Father did Bruise me and my Soul was made an Offering for sin But now What will satisfie the Soul
Judgments of God shall be abroad in the World they shall be in a secure Condition they shall be free from all they shall be built upon the Rock when Tempests and Storms shall be abroad to Sink others they shall not be stirred for they shall have peace with God Your Peace that is even peace with all Creatures they shall have the blessing of that peace too Whereas before all the Creatures of God were as the Hosts of God His Armies ready prepared to Avenge the Quarrel of God upon them Every Creature as it were crying unto God Lord send me Lord send me that I may strike this Sinner that I may strike this Blasphemer this unclean Wretch and this prophane Wretch and if God would but give Commission to any one Creature it would presently be their Destruction But upon their entertaining of your Message there shall be Peace between them and all Creatures so as no Creature in all the World shall ever be able to do them hurt Though they shall Live in the midst of an evil World yet this shall be their Condition That all good Creatures shall be made useful to them for good and there is no evil Creature shall ever be able to do the least evil to them And again They shall have a peace of Conscience whereas before their Consciences were ready to flie in their faces And they indeed sought many wayes and means to quiet their Consciences but could never get any true quiet of Conscience But upon their entertainment of your Message their Consciences shall be pacified in the Blood of the Messiah therefore bid them be of good comfort their Consciences shall be able to answer all Accusations that can be laid against them For so the Scripture tells us of the Answer of a good Conscience 1 Pet. 3. 21. Thus Let the Devil let Temptation charge upon one that is reconcil'd to God what they can A good Conscience through the Resurrection of Jesus Christ is able to answer all Accusations and Temptations This shall be the Peace that shall be upon them And Fourthly The Word of God shall be at Peace with them They shall have Interest in all the Promises that are in the Word of God the whole Word shall speak nothing but good unto them Whereas before the Word of God was full of Terror and came against them as their Enemy but now all that is in the Word shall be Peace unto them If the Son of Peace be there This is the Peace that you shall bring upon them Peace with God and with the Creatures and with their Consciences and with the Word And then O the Blessing that is upon all the Entertainers of the Gospel O the happy Condition that the Entertainers of the Gospel are in This my Brethren is the Reason why there are some that do prize the Gospel and their Hearts are so much upon it Do not blame them they find this good in it They find the Blessing of the Gospel upon them And therefore though you feel not the sweetness and good that there is in it and so neglect it their Souls feel it and they bless themselves in their God and bless the Lord that ever they heard of the Gospel Certainly There are many Thousands this day in Heaven Blessing God that ever they heard of the Gospel because of the Blessings that they do partake of by and through the Gospel Object You will say I but there are many that are the Sons of Peace and the Entertainers of the Gospel and yet they do not feel the Blessing of this Peace they are as much troubled as any are Answ To that I answer They have certainly that which is the Matter for Peace and their trouble comes for want of Understanding it Others have Matter for Terror and their peace comes for want of the knowledg of what Matter for Terror there is It 's true they have not for the present the full sense of this Blessing of peace though they have that which will bring it at last As for Instance When the blustering Tempestuous Winds do cease the Waves of the Sea do not presently cease from their tumultuous Working and Roaring and Noise and yet that which was the Cause of their Working that 's gone So here Those who Entertain the Gospel they presently upon the Entertaining of it have the Tempest over there is no more Tempest of the Wrath of God against them but yet there may be some Trouble in their Spirits but it will be allaid within a while because that which is the Reason of their Trouble that certainly is over And therefore a strong Argument here you have to Entertain this blessed Gospel that is sent among you When you hear it Preached you hear what it brings to you it brings all the Good that Christ hath purchased with His Blood This it offers to you And can the World offer to you as much as this comes to Can there be any thing to draw your Hearts away from it that shall be Equal with this Good Certainly This is the Peace that is Infinitely above all Earthly things What would not we do to purchase a good and sure Peace here in the Kingdom If we account a firm and sure peace to be so sweet would not we be willing to lay down our Lives Certainly That Man or Woman cannot be accounted to be a good Member of a Common-wealth that should not be willing to lay down their Lives in such times as these to purchase a sure and firm peace But now here the Gospel preaches to you another manner of Blessing than this outward Peace The Gospel holds forth unto you that peace that was purchased to you by the Blood of the Son of God It was such a Peace that Christ thought his own Blood not too dear to lay down for the purchase of this peace of the Gospel It is that Peace that passes all understanding a Soul peace an Everlasting peace and therefore you should come to hear the Gospel as the great Ordinance of God that is appointed by Him to bring this Glorious peace unto your Souls Do not come meerly to hear what a Man can say or to hear the Gifts and Abilities of a Man or to get a few new Notions and the like But when you come to attend upon the Gospel come I say unto it as the great Ordinance that is appointed by God to bring peace to the Souls of those that He doth intend Eternal good unto And this is to come in a right way and manner to the Preaching of the Gospel This I say is to have a right understanding of what Good there is in the Gospel And if any of your Souls have had a peace before you have come to a right understanding of the Gospel know that all that peace is Naught it will Undo you you will never have any good by it You have had peace in your own Spirits a great while and you bless God
and to do or Suffer any thing in the World though but upon this Supposition That if God shall be pleased but to Bless my Ministry then the Lord shall make me an Instrument to bring Peace to that place even Peace between God and their Souls to be the Means to Convey all the good unto them that Jesus Christ hath Purchased by His Blood This seem'd to be the Encouragement that God gave to Jeremiah in Chap. 36. And that was in another kind Jeremiah was to go and reveal the Threats of God but Mark what his Encouragement was in ver 3. It may be that the House of Judah will hear all the evil which I purpose to do unto them that they may return every man from his evil way that I may forgive their Iniquity and their Sin Saith the Lord to Jeremiah Go about this Work though it be a hard Work and let this be your Encouragement It may be Though but upon a may be The House of Judah will hear all the evil which I purpose to do unto them that they may return every man from his evil way that I may forgive their Iniquity and their Sin Now if this were Jeremiah's Encouragement surely a greater Encouragement it is for a Minister to go and Preach the Gospel upon a meer May be that there are some that shall Entertain the Gospel And we find it was Paul's Encouragement in divers Scriptures as I might shew you but that 's most Notable in 2 Tim. 1. 10. But is now made manifest by the appearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ who hath Abolished Death and hath brought Life and Immortality to Light through the Gospel Whereunto I am appointed a Preacher and an Apostle and a Teacher of the Gentiles Mark saith He The Gospel reveals Jesus Christ who hath Abolished Death and hath brought Life and Immortality to light And saith he God hath appointed me to be a Teacher of this For the which Cause I also suffer these things I am content to go on in this Work of the Gospel whatsoever I suffer What Is this the Errand that I am sent about to go and Preach the Gospel that brings Life and Immortality to light Let me Suffer what can be I am content to go on in this Work O It is a glorious Errand that I am sent about If it please God I speed but upon one Soul O it were worth my Life So the excellent Fruit that should come upon the Entertainment of the Gospel is here given to these Disciples for their Encouragement in the Ministry Now what is it that should Encourage the Heart of a Minister in his Work more than these Three things First That he shall be an Instrument to glorifie God Secondly An Instrument to do good to Souls Thirdly He shall have a Crown of Glory so much the more These Three things are the greatest Encouragements in the World to any gracious Heart First That he shall be an Instrument of the Glory of God For one to live to be Instrumental of the Glory of God must needs make his Life comfortable whatsoever he suffer Now there can be no such Glory that any Creature can be made a greater Instrument of than the Glory that God hath from Souls that are Sav'd by Jesus Christ It is the highest Glory that God hath from all His Creatures that there should be some Souls that should understand Jesus Christ that should admire at Him should glorifie God in Jesus Christ It is the highest Glory that God doth Injoy in Heaven next unto the Glory that He hath in Himself and in His Son that is in the Trinity But for the Glory that He hath Ab extra from His Creatures that is the highest Glory that ever God had or shall have Now for the Lord to make a Man to be an Instrument of this To bring some Souls to be Eternally Glorifying God for Jesus Christ O It is worth all a Mans Strength though he should shorten his Life Seven Years yet if there be but One or Two Souls brought by his Ministry that shall Injoy the good things in Christ this is well worth the Labour and Pains For indeed in this the Lord doth honour Men more than Angels The Lord hath not put the Angels in Heaven upon such an Honourable work as this to be the Embassadors of God and Christ for Reconciliation The Lord hath not committed the Word of Reconciliation to Angels to go and Preach that in an Ordinary way They are not Deputed by Christ to be as His Officers We never read of any such thing in the Word of God though they be sometimes Appointed to be Ministring Spirits for the good of Gods Elect to Help them to Comfort them to Avenge them of their Enemies but we never read that the Word of Reconciliation was Committed to them and to the Ministers of the Gospel And therefore there is no such Glory that they can bring to God as the Lord is Pleased to make Man to be an Instrument of In this the Lord doth Honour Man more than the Angels that he shall be Appointed to be the great Ordinance under Jesus Christ for the bringing of Souls unto Jesus Christ and so the bringing of them to Magnifie the Infinite Riches of the Grace of God in Christ to all Eternity Now Is not this worth any ones Labour and Life O what Encouragement is this whatsoever one suffers in it Secondly Can there be next unto this a greater Encouragement than to be an Instrument of good to our Brethren of good to Mankind Those are the most happy Men in the World that are the most Useful for Mankind that the Lord shall be Pleased to make Use of for the good of Mankind and therefore it should Teach all to be as Serviceable as they can to others For the Happiness and the true Comfort of a Mans Life it doth not depend in this That he can get an Estate and go Brave and Fine and Eat and Drink of the best but it is in this That the Lord will make him useful in his place an Instrument of good to others It is a very Comfortable thing for any that are Chief in a place where they Live that the Lord makes them Instruments of the Civil good of the places where they are Of the good of the People for their Bodies to keep them in Peace and Order But to be Appointed by God to be an Instrument of Soul-good of Eternal good this is a higher Priviledge that God doth grant in His Mercy to some And it might be a mighty Encouragement the Considering of this What saith Saint James speaking to Christians to Encourage them to Labour to do good to their Brethren Brethren If any of you do erre from the Truth and one Convert him Let him know that he which Converteth a sinner from the Errour of his Way shall save a Soul from Death and shall hide a multitude of sins Let him know saith he that he
there was a certain Woman one poor Woman called Lydia and it pleased God to open her Heart Certainly If God had opened the Hearts of any other they would have been mentioned as well And you shall find that Paul had very ill Entertainment among the rest of the Multitude ver 22. And the Multitude rose up together against them see what Entertainment he had and the Magistrates Rent off their Clothes and Commanded to Beat them And when they had laid many Stripes upon them they cast them into Prison charging the Jayler to keep them safely Who having received such a charge thrust them into the Inner Prison and made their Feet fast in the Stocks Here 's the Man that had such a mighty Call of God by a Vision from Heaven and yet you see how his Ministry doth prevail Thus you see that the Gospel may be sent to Places and that by a strange Work of Gods Providence and yet a very few Imbrace it yea it may be Rejected by the greatest part I might shew unto you Examples of the same kind And just as it was with the Apostles so it was with the Prophets As those Three Famous Prophets Isaiah Jeremiah and Ezekiel See the working of Isaiah's Ministry in Isa 53. Who hath believed our Report and to whom is the Arm of the Lord Revealed We come and Preach things to the People and they come and hear us and think they are very strange things that they hear the Minister say but they do not believe it Who doth believe it Yea you know that the Lord doth Complain that He did streach out His Hands even all the Day Isa 65. 2. I have spread out my Hands all the Day unto a Rebellious People which Walketh in a Way that is not good after their own Thoughts I spread out my Hands That is I come in my Ministry saith God by His Prophet and I there open the Arms of my Mercy and open the Riches of my Grace to their Souls but they Walk in Wayes that are not good And what Wayes were they According to their own Thoughts Look what their own Thoughts are and what is most pleasing to them They more regard their own Thoughts than all those Blessed and Glorious Truths that are made known unto them in the Ministry of the Word And as for Jeremiah you have it in Chap. 20. ver 8. you have very strange kind of Expressions about him Since I spake I cried out I cried Violence and Spoil because the Word of the Lord was made a Reproach unto me and a Derision daily O the Word of the Lord was made a Reproach and a Derision to Jeremiah And for Ezekiel do but read Chap. 2. of that Prophesie and there you shall find that God tells him before-hand that He did send him to a Rebellious House yea God told him that he should Live among Bryars and Thorns And yet it is observable That this Prophet Ezekiel did Prophesie in the time of their Captivity was sent unto the People of Israel when they were in Captivity One would have thought that in the time of their Affliction that if ever they would have attended to the Word of the Lord then they would No But in the time when they were in Captivity when God had fulfilled the words that were Threatned by the former Prophets though they saw how God had made good His Words by the former Prophets yet they continued a Rebellious People O this was an extream thing It was not so much for them to reject Jeremiah that did Prophesie of their Captivity I he tells us of nothing but Judgments but we hope God is a more Merciful God and upon that perhaps they rejected Him I but surely when they were in Captivity now they should one would have thought acknowledged that to the Lord belongs Glory but to us nothing but Shame and Confusion No But yet their Hearts continued hard as a Brick in the Fire it is harder for the Fire and so were their Hearts in the time of their Affliction I shall not need to Instance in any further particulars it is clear that God sends the Ministry of the Gospel to places sometimes where it may be it will be rejected Now for the Opening of the Point there are these Two things I intended First How it comes to pass that it is Rejected or why Men do Reject the Gospel Secondly What 's the Reason that God will send it to those places that He knows before-hand that it will not be Entertain'd The Lord sends the Ministry of Peace the Offer of Peace by Jesus Christ to Souls and yet they do not regard it but cast it off Because indeed First The generallity of People they do not know God they do not know that they have to deal with an Infinite and Glorious God in all their wayes they do not know whom it is that they have sinned against and therefore do not understand their danger and upon this the Ministry of the Gospel is but a dry thing unto them Whereas did but the Souls of Men and Women understand what an Infinite and a Glorious Majesty they had to deal withal and thereby what a dreadful thing it is to have the Wrath of God to be revealed to their Souls they would hearken to the Ministry of the Word That this is the Reason it appears in John 15. 20 21. Saith Christ to his Disciples Remember the Word that I said unto you The Servant is not greater than the Lord If they have Persecuted me they will also Pesecute you If they have kept my saying they will keep yours also But now Mark ver 21. But all these things will they do unto you for my Names sake because they know not Him that sent me Here 's the Reason why they will do thus unto you they will be far from entertaining of you but will rather oppose you Why Because they know not Him that sent me As if He should say Did they but know Him that sent me did they but know what a God the Lord is what the Father is what an Infinite Majesty and dreadful Deity they have to deal withal did they but understand that certainly they would not cast you out But they will not entertain you Because they know not Him that sent me Secondly There is nothing that doth discover more the Vileness of sin than the Gospel O the Gospel being Preached aright I say nothing in the World can discover the hainousness of sin the Vileness the Abominable Nature of sin more than the Gospel All the Terrors of the Law and the Curses of the Law cannot discover so much of the dreadfulness of the Evil of sin as the Gospel And we know that Men that love their sin cannot endure that which doth discover the Evil of it But you will say How doth the Gospel discover so much of the Evil of sin Certainly You may see more of the evil of sin by the Ministry of the Gospel
than by the dreadful Threats of the Law For the Gospel shews that sin makes such a dreadful Breach between God and the Creature that only the Son of God made Man and put under a Curse can make up the Breach again In the Red-glass of the Blood of Jesus Christ that is Preached to you in the Ministry of the Gospel the evil of sin is more fully discerned than in the bright Crystal-glass of the Law that doth discover somewhat but this shews you more It shews you that those beloved sins of yours that you have Imbrac'd and have had a great deal of Sweetness and Gain by O they are such Snakes and Vipers in your Bosom as makes such a Breach between God and your Soul that only the Son of God paying an Infinite price for the Satisfying for these can take away from you And further The Gospel doth discover more to Debase a Man than any thing can possibly be Imagined There is nothing that doth more discover that which may Abase Men and bring them Low and make them Vile in their own Eyes than the Gospel Why The Gospel doth shew unto them that they are by Nature the Enemies to God It is the Gospel doth discover that because it is the Doctrine of Reconciliation and it doth discover that all a Mans Righteousness is nothing his own Righteousness is nothing in point of Salvation for Justification that whatsoever Righteousness a Man hath by common Gifts by his good Nature it will not serve his turn in the Day of Jesus Christ he may perish notwithstanding It takes a Man off from all his Civil Righteousness and so makes him to be as a vile wretched Creature before the Lord and one that must lie upon meer pure Mercy or else must perish to all Eternity whatsoever he thought himself he must be taken from his own bottom even from that which his Soul Imbrac'd and was as dear unto him as his own Soul he must be taken from all O now this is a hard saying and who can bear it The Gospel doth teach Self-denial that we must deny our own Excellency every beloved Lust and to be nothing in a Man 's own Eyes I indeed it is the first Lesson of the Gospel saith Christ If any man will follow me let them deny themselves Now Men naturally are Proud and Haughty and what for them to come and appear before the Lord as vile wretched Caitiffs in themselves and to have all their Righteousness to be counted as filthy Rags now to see that they must be Sav'd by a Righteousness that is above them and beyond them and without them O this is very hard The Gospel requires Conditions that are very hard to Flesh and Blood that we must be willing to Sell and part with all for Christ as the wise Merchant did And besides It is a very high Mystery a thing that is above the reach of any Natural Man living and People Generally are of Slight Vain and Proud Spirits Now being partly Slight and Vain and partly Proud they will not bend their Minds to dive into those things that they are not presently able to read It is that Mystery that the Angels do stoop down to pry into and it requires a great deal of pains to behold the Glory of God in it Now the Vain and Drossy and Proud hearts of Men and Women they pass it over lightly because they see no present need of it They Thrive and injoy their Estates and they are well enough for the Flesh and all things that are Savory to them they have according to their hearts desire and what need have they to trouble themselves Many other things might be named to shew that when the Gospel comes to places why it is not entertained Quest But you will say Why doth God send it God knows it will not be entertain'd it is not with God as it is with us to go to a place at paradventures It is said If they hear them There can be no Ifs with God God knows every thing Now if God knows that before a Man comes it will not be entertain'd why doth God send it Answ 1. To that I Answer First That Gods Wayes and Judgments are Unsearchable and past finding out in this thing For indeed there is nothing wherein God doth appear more Wonderful in His Wayes and Judgments past finding out than in this in sending the Gospel sometimes to a place where He sees it will not prevail and denies it to another place where He sees that if it were among them it would be likely more to prevail You will say This is strange and yet this is certain This is the Administrations of God that sometimes God denies the Gospel to a place where He doth see that if He sent it they would Entertain it more and sends it to another place where He sees they will not Entertain it Now to make this out by Scripture that Text is clear for it in Mat. 11. 21. Wo unto thee Chorazin Wo unto thee Bethsaida for if the mighty Works which were done in you had been done in Tyre and Sydon they would have Repented long ago in Sack-cloth and Ashes It is a strange Speech almost as any one that is in Scripture Here 's Chorazin and Bethsaida have the Gospel sent to them and they did not Entertain it Saith Christ If the Works that were done in you had been done in Tyre and Sydon they would have Repented and yet I denied it to them and sent it to you Now there can be no Reason given of this but only this The Judgments of God are unsearchable and His Wayes past finding out Gods Mercies are His own the Gospel is His own and He will send it where He pleases Secondly But then Secondly The Lord sends His Gospel For though perhaps it be rejected for the generallity yet there may some one Soul Entertain it among a People that shall so much reject it and for the sake of that one God may send it God may send Ministers to a Congregation to spend their very Heart and Strength and Life and it may be may intend some one or two Souls that are as unlikely as others perhaps some one or two poor Servant or Child and it is worth the Life of any Man if he may be Blest to call home one or two in his Life time You know the Lord lets it Rain and the Intendment of the Rain it is to Water the Earth but abundance of it falls upon Tiles and Stones but likewise it falls upon your Beds in your Gardens and the Intendment I say is for the benefit of the Ground So the Ministry of the Gospel Gods chief Intent is for the good of Souls though God causes the Ministry of it to be generally The Gospel is Preached to Congregations and for the generallity it doth but as it were Rain upon the Tiles and Stones I but there are some Beds that have some good Seeds in them and
God Intends them If you water your Gardens in these dry times you aim at the Herbs but yet the Water will fall among the Weeds So the Lord He Aims at His Herbs and Flowers though the Gospel be dispensed to others Thirdly Though God sees there be none for the present yet God layes in for time to come God will send His Gospel to a place though He sees this Generation will get no good by it and God may Intend the good of the Generation that is to come by sending His Ministry in this particular Generation though He sees that they will not Entertain it yet some that may come after them may Entertain it As they say in China they prepare Work for many Hundred years before The Parents they are preparing Work for their Children to enjoy And so the Lord layes In in one Generation for the Children that are coming after and therefore whether you Entertain it or no God notwithstanding will have His End accomplisht Fourthly Another Reason why God sends His Gospel where He knows it will not be Entertain'd by the Generallity it is this To leave Men wholly without Excuse I may put these two together To discover the Abominable sinfulness of the Hearts of Men and to leave them wholly without Excuse There is nothing in the World that doth discover the sinfulness of Mans Heart more than this That when the Lord sends this Gospel among them yet it is rejected The Preaching of any Moral Truths do nothing so much argue the sinfulness of Mans Heart in the rejection of them as when the Gospel is Preached and that is rejected That argues the Abominable wickedness of Mans Heart yea for ought we know more than is in the very Devil We do not know that there is so much Perversness in any of the Devils in Hell as there is in the Heart of that Man that doth reject the Ministry of the Gospel And why Because God never tried them God never put it to trial to offer any Terms of Peace to them and never told them that He would be Reconcil'd to them upon any Terms And therefore whether they have such perverseness of heart or no it is not discovered so as thine is But if thou Livest where the Ministry of the Gospel is Preached and yet continuest wicked and ungodly thou art discovered to have that wickedness in thy Heart that for ought thou knowest it is beyond the wickedness of any Devil in Hell The Devils might say Lord hadst thou offered Terms of Peace to us we would not have so rejected it And then it doth leave Men utterly without Excuse I do not say that this is Gods primary Intention but this comes in Why the Lord doth suffer the Gospel to be Preached to leave them wholly without Excuse And for that you have that Text in the fore-named place John 15. 22. If I had not come and spoken unto them they had not had sin But now have they no Cloak for their sin Sin Why are there any Men in the World that have no sin Why did Christ coming bring sin to them It did not add sin but it did Discover their sin and it took away their Cloak for their sin Now upon my coming to them and when they shall reject me and the offer of Grace that I bring from my Father now they have sin to purpose now their sin is of a Scarlet Colour now they have no Plea they cannot say Lord if thou hadst sent to us to Reveal to us thy Mercy and the danger of our sin The danger of your sin may God say Did not I send those to you that did Preach that nothing but the Heart Blood of my Son could pacifie for your sin Could there have been any thing more to reveal the evil of your sin than this was O now you have no Excuse at all for your sin Fifthly Another Reason is this which is one of the chief That the Lord might cause all those hereby that do not entertain the Gospel to see the Freeness of His Grace towards them A poor Soul that the Lord is pleased to work upon by the Gospel hath no cause to attribute any thing to himself There are others and such a Multitude of People more Learned than I and Men and Women that had greater parts than I they had the Gospel preached to them and they do not see those things that the Lord hath Revealed to me I can tell no Reason of this Difference only Free-grace And certainly Those People whom God is pleased to make the Gospel effectual upon the hearing of this Point and seeing how it is Verified in the Examples of others O they have cause to Cry out Grace Grace to the Lord. What is there in me rather than others as Proud and Stout and Vile Hearts as any and we see the Gospel is rejected by them and what reason is it that it is not so with me John 14. 22. It 's a speech of Judas not of him that betrayed Christ Lord How is it that thou Revealest thy Self unto us and not unto the World Lord We cannot devise how it should be that thou shouldst Manifest thy Self to us and not unto the World We see that the World rejects Thee O this is that we may have the more Cause to Bless the Name of God here and to Magnifie His Free-grace to all Eternity afterwards Sermon V. Luke 10. 6. Your Peace shall rest upon it c. APPLICATION First IS it so that even the Blessed Ministry of the Gospel the Opening of Jesus Christ and the Riches of Gods Grace may be Rejected by People and is often The Consideration on of this First should Teach us to bewail the horrible Wickedness of Mans Heart and the Dishonour that is done to God in this When those Riches of Gods Grace that glorious Work of God in Christ the Blessed Son of God coming to Ransom Souls and to Deliver them out of the neathermost Hell yet he Rejected There 's no Object that ever was in the World that is such an Object of Lamentation as this is When Christ came to Jerusalem He falls a Weeping Upon what ground O if thou hadst known saith He at least in this thy day those things that concern thy Peace Thou didst not know those things that did concern thy Peace Perhaps it may be meant outward Peace In great part it is But if that be such an Object of Lamentation as to draw Tears from Christ what an Object of Lamentation is it to Rend indeed the Hearts of those that understand what Christ is what the Offer of Christ means That Christ should be Preached in any place and yet rejected When Jeremiah went to Preach though not such a Message as this is that now we are Speaking of yet when he saw the People would not hear Chap. 13. ver 15. Hear ye and give ear be not Proud for the Lord hath Spoken But in ver 17. But if ye will not
hear it my Soul shall weep in secret places for your Pride and mine Eyes shall weep sore and run down with Tears because the Lords Flock is carried away Captive If ye will not hear That indeed should be the work of the Ministers of the Gospel when they are Rejected Not to be Careless and say I have done my Work and what need I care But they should take it to Heart and Lament it as the greatest Affliction that can befal them yea more than any Affliction whatsoever That the Blessed Message that they are sent withal is Rejected by Wretched and Sinful Men. Secondly If God in Christ be sometimes Rejected all the Mercy of God in His Son we should not think much though our love and kindness towards others be many times Slighted and Disregarded Indeed there 's nothing goes more to any Ingenuous Heart than to have his love and kindness to be Disregarded But when we find our Hearts troubled at this O that such a one that I have done so much for and yet that he should deal thus with me Lay thine hand upon thy Heart and consider what God hath done for thee in Christ and how ill thou hast requited Him Is it so much for thee a poor Worm not to have thy Love and Kindness imbrac'd What is it then for the Infinite God not to have that Infinite Love and Mercy of His to the Children of Men not Imbraced but Rejected Thirdly Let 's learn from hence never to trust our own Hearts We think often had we such means as others have then we should not do as they do surely we should do better Men are very ready to trust their own Hearts and in the use of Means But let us learn from hence never to trust in our own Hearts or in the use of any Means God may send you Means and Reveal glorious Truths unto you yet it may so fall out that you may never come to be partakers of the good of those things It hath been so with many and you must look to your own Hearts Do not Bless your selves in this Through Gods Mercy the Lord hath sent us His Word plentifully and the Gospel comes to be Opened clearly among us That 's not enough what God hath done but look you into your own Hearts how you Imbrace it otherwise the Gospel may come among you and yet you never come to be Saved by it But this indeed is a sad Condition wheresoever it is Fourthly Further Gods Ministers are to Learn from hence not to be Discouraged They come and Preach and with an Expectation to prevail with the Hearts of People to draw them to Christ When they have been in their Studies labouring to find out some Truths of the Gospel and to sit it to the Hearts of their Auditors and have been Praying over it They come now with Expectation that some good may be done that some Soul may be drawn in to Christ yet perhaps find it quite otherwise and the People to sit Dead under it it may be Slight it Contemn it Scorn it Disobey it But they must not be I say Discouraged in this as if so be a strange thing had befallen them What art thou more than Jesus Christ thy Master What art thou more than Paul and other of the Apostles They have been rejected all in their Ministry and what art thou that thou canst not bear any Rejection Indeed it is the hardest thing to be Born by a Minister of the Gospel that possibly may be But consider That it is not a new thing for the Gospel to be Rejected I remember I have read of Melancthon he had such thoughts that when he began to Preach he should Convert all that heard him He thought there was so much Reason in what he Spake and so much Evidence and Power to prevail with the Hearts of People that he thought he should prevail with every one but he found it otherwise by Experience And though indeed when any Minister that is acquainted with the Glorious things of God and Christ come to open them to People they are ready to think such things will surely prevail with the Hearts of People but the Lord teaches him to know that the Blessing depends upon Himself That though the things be never so Excellent and Moving yet all will not do except the Lord comes in by His Almighty Power Fifthly Let all those with whom the Ministry of the Gospel doth prevail in any measure Bless God that makes such a difference between them and any others It is Preached unto many but doth them no good But the Lord hath Called thee out and it hath struck thy Heart converted thy Spirit Thou seest cause to stand and admire at the Glory of God in Christ and thou wonderest perhaps that all People are not taken with the Riches of the Glory of Gods Grace in Christ Well Bless God that hath made a difference between thee and others It may be in the same Family another Scorns it and Contemns it perhaps one that came out of the same Womb despises it and God hath taken thee and revealed Himself to thee it may be thy rich Neighbour Contemns it but God looks upon thee a poor Creature and makes Himself known to thee It may be a Learned Man he slights it and makes nothing of it and thou who art but a Babe hast those things Revealed Thou hast cause to thank God for it For Christ doth He thanks His Father for this thing That He should be pleased to pass by the Wise and great ones of the World and chuse Babes Mat. 11. 25. At that time Jesus Answered and said I thank thee O Father Lord of Heaven and Earth that thou hast hid these things from the Wise and Prudent and hist revealed them unto Babes Now this Scripture that I bring not only to shew you that God doth sometimes Reveal the great Mysteries of the Gospel to Babes and hide them from the Wise but as a Text to stir up your Hearts to Bless God if He hath done so for any of you Upon this ground Jesus Christ doth thank His Father for it then surely thou hast cause to thank God the Father for this great Mercy of His to put such a difference between thee and others For indeed it is one of the most glorious Works of God This Work of the Lord making known the Great and High Mysteries of the Gospel to poor weak ones when as the Great and Rich and Mighty and Learned of the World do not come to understand it It is one of the great Miracles by which the Lord doth Confirm the Gospel to be His own as great a Miracle as other Miracles that were Wrought by Christ And for that this is very observable that we have in the place where John sends to Christ to know whether He were the Messias or no. Now mark the Answer that Christ gives unto John's Messengers Jesus Answered and said unto them Go and
I indeed am cast into a Dungeon but the Gospel will prevail all the persecutions of Wicked men all the scorn that is cast upon the Gospel by them shall not take away the edge and power and life of the Gospel but that shall continue as much as ever all the rage of Hell and Devils and Tyrants shall not take away the power of the Gospel Indeed they may restrain such and such men in the Preaching of it but after they are dead and rotten and roaring in Hell the Gospel shall prevail We find it so at this day ever since Christ came the Gospel hath been opposed by Ungodly men yet it doth remain in as much life and vigor and power as ever it did and I have no cause to question but it will prevail ere long more than ever it did in the World though its true sometimes we find Ministers Preach Sermon after Sermon and there are but few converted to the Gospel what shall we think that therefore in hath lost the power of it No Gods time is not come When the time of God shall come to call home those that belong to his Election of Grace it shall appear that the Gospel shall arise in power and glory and prevail in the World again therefore let 's never despair but that the Gospel will prevail in the World as at first when as there were but a few poor Fishermen to Preach it and all the World was enraged against it the Emperors and Princes of the Earth was enraged against it and yet these poor Fishermen did subdue a great part of the World by the power of the Gospel therefore let not us be discouraged for when Gods time is come it shall prevail in a glorious manner more than ever And so as it is with the Gospel so it should be with the Professors of it If God be dishonoured by other yet let not your edge be taken off but do you continue in the power and life and vigor as much as ever Now the second part which is the main that I intend and that is the dreadful threatning of those that do reject the Gospel only take this one point there are these Three First That where a people reject the Gospel God may justly take it away from them yea they are in danger to have it taken from them It shall return Secondly Such shall not have the blessing of the Gospel upon them this shall be their doom as they shall lose the Ministry of it so they shall be cast out from the blessing of it And then Thirdly which is yet the principal of all and that is That God will deal very quick with those that do reject the Gospel Your peace shall return no more ado there 's an end of them These are the Three things in this sentence against those that are not the Sons of Peace where the Gospel is preached But a little of the First we will leave the other First That where a people do reject it and that presently for so it is when you come to a House and offer it if they do not embrace it let your peace return again Christ here compares his Disciples unto Chapmen that should go and offer rich Wares they have Diamonds and Precious Stones things worth Thousands and they come perhaps to poor Country-people and open their Cabinet of Diamonds and Precious Stones and make offers to them but they do not know the worth of them they will bid nothing for them Now when he sees that they reject and despise them saith he give me my Wares again and so he packs them up again and away he goes for saith he this is not a people that is fit for such things as these are so saith Christ you are such Chapmen I send you abroad with the most rich pearl of the Gospel to go and shew the excellency of it to people and to offer it to them and the truth is I require thus much of them that if they would have this Pearl they must sell all Now the Ministry of the Gospel comes and they are ignorant of this Pearl that they have brought this rich Commodity They can tell them indeed that here is an exceeding rich Pearl but this is the tenor that you must be content to part with all for this Pearl that is thus First you must actually lay down and renounce every beloved sin Secondly you must enter into Bond as it were with God that whensoever he calls for your Estates your Liberties your outward Peace and Comforts that you have in the World shall be at Gods dispose Thus you enter into Bond as in your dealing for Commodities when you see a great and rich Commodity you lay down somewhat for the present and give Bond for the rest to be paid when it shall be called for When you go to buy Pedling things there you lay down all at first and no entring into Bond but when it is a great Purchase then there is a little laid down for the present and entring into Bond for the rest Now certainly in this Bargain of the Merchant there is first a laying down for the present thy Lusts thy Sin as if the Soul should say O Lord let me have my part in Christ in this glorious Peace of the Gospel as for any wayes of sin that I have lived in heretofore Lord I renounce them and will not live in any way of known sin Lord grant me thy Grace to do it Indeed this is the way of the Hearts coming in at first I but saith God I will not only have thy sin renounc'd but thy Estate and Liberty and Life at my dispose and thou shalt enter into Bonds to lay down all yes Lord this is the very English of the Covenant The Soul seeing the glory of God in Christ saith the Soul Lord I will not only renounce my sin but Lord whatsoever I am whatsoever I have whatsoever I can do shall be at thy dispose and here I enter into Bond Lord that is I Covenant and Vow and bind my self by the strongest Bonds that a poor Creature possibly can do that whensoever thou shalt call for any of my Estate of my Liberty or my outward Comforts when thou shalt call for my Life Lord they shall be at thy dispose Now have you sold all have you thus bought the Pearl When we come to bring the Pearl of the Gospel to you have you embrac'd it O if our Ministry prevails this hath been the frame and working of your hearts but if not our Ministry hath not yet prevail'd with you but when your Hearts begins to work thus then our Ministry begins to work to purpose in your Souls But we may come to most People and open the Pearls of Christ and open the Ministry of Reconciliation and they will do neither of these Two neither lay down any thing for the present renounce no known Sin and as for Entring into Bond to have their
nothing to have the Gospel taken from them yet when that is taken from you know that the Kingdom of God is taken from you that place in Mat. 21. 43. is very remarkable O this is one of the dreadfullest Threats therefore say I unto you The Kingdom of God shall be taken from you and given to a Nation bringing forth the fruits thereof When you have the preaching of the Gospel in the clearness if it among you know that you have the Kingdom of God among you Now God doth require that you should bring forth the fruits thereof therefore examine your own Hearts what fruits of the Kingdom of God are in my Life in my Family Why the Kingdom of God is among us that 's the meaning of Christ's and Johns preaching Repent for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand that is now comes the Revelation of Jesus Christ in the Gospel and he calls people to Repent upon this Ground O Repent and Turn from your sins Why for the Revelation of Jesus Christ is come among you I say to you in this place therefore Repent Repent now for the Lord is coming to Open the Kingdom of Heaven and to Reveal the Grace of Christ and the Glorious things of Eternal Life to you and therefore if you should please your selves rather in sporting upon the Lords Day and going to Ale-Houses and Wicked places rather than Attending upon the Word why the Lord may take away this Gospel and so take away the Kingdom of Heaven from you and the taking that from you it is but a fore-runner to the depriving of you from the Everlasting Kingdom that the Saints shall have to all Eternity And know there is no Dallying with God for when thou comest to the Offer of Mercy in Christ saith Christ either come in or not Christ calls for your Answer quickly Though the Lord be very patient towards men that never yet understood the Offering of the Gospel of Christ but if they come once to have Christ preached to them they must not expect the like patience When John began to preach Christ you know what he said Now is the Axe lay'd to the root of the Tree And why now more than before Because now the Kingdom of Heaven is to be preached to them and now Every Tree that bringeth not forth good Fruit shall be hewn down and cast into the Fire Perhaps they have gone this Thirty or Forty Years and there was no Hewing of them down but now the Axe is lay'd to the root of the Tree You know that of Christ to his Apostles go your wayes and preach saith he He that Believes shall be Saved and he that Believes not shall be damned there is no more ado either Believe and be Saved or Believe not and be Damned there is quick work and indeed that 's a Point that I would very gladly have been upon even the Consideration of the Quick Work of God upon those Souls that shall reject the Ministry of the Gospel Sermon VI. Luke 10. 6. If not it shall return to you again THere are Two Points more remaining which is to be the Subject of this Excercise The First is this That those that are not the Sons of Peace what is means you have had already opened that do not imbrace the Ministry of the Gospel they shall have no Blessing from the peace of the Gospel they shall not be partakers of the good of the Gospel Secondly That God is very quick with those that do not embrace his Gospel Go and say peace if there be a Son of peace well and good they shall have peace if not It shall return saith Christ From the manner of the phrase that note was raised That God doth use to be very quick with those that do not embrace the Gospel I shall be very short in the Former of these two because I would gladly have a little more time in the Latter Those who entertain not the Gospel they shall not have the Blessing of it I shall not need to go far for another Scripture which is indeed a very dreadful one to this purpose Luke 14. 14. For I say unto you that none of those men which were bidden shall taste of my Cup. We have there a Parable A certain man made a great Supper and bade many The meaning is this It is to set out God the Fathers preparing of his Son and of these Blessed Dainties at the Marriage of his Son The scope of it is to shew the excellent things of the Gospel that they are no other but the Dainties that are prepared by the great King of Heaven at the Marriage of his Son The Scope of it is to shew the excellent things of the Gospel that they are no other but the Dainties that are prepared by the great King of Heaven at the Marriage of his Son unto Souls unto Believers Well there are sent his Ministers they are the Servants of this King they are sent to Invite to this Marriage to Invite men to partake of the Blessed things of the Gospel Upon this Invitation we see that generally it was rejected One saith he hath bought a Farm another a Yoak of Oxen and another hath Marryed a Wife c. and the Ministers they come in and give this account to God Lord we have according to thy Command invited them to come in to partake take of the good things of the Gospel but these are their Excuses their hearts are set upon other things Now mark their doom in ver 24. For I say unto you that none of those men which were bidden shall taste of my Supper That is do they thus reject it and slight it and disregard it I say to you I profess it that there 's not one of them shall make such a slight account of that Blessed Gospel of mine and the glorious things contained therein not one of them that shall taste of my Supper Only one Text more in Rom. 2. 8. But unto them which are contentious and do not obey the truth that must needs be meant of the truth of the Gospel but obey unrighteousness indignation and wrath tribulation and anguish upon every Soul of man that doth evil of the Jew first and also of the Gentile Those who are set upon their evil wayes and will not obey the truth you see what their Doom is The first is privative That they shall not taste of the Supper the other is Positive Wrath and indignation and anguish shall be upon them You will say That this shall return What then What great Evil wil follow upon this what most dreadful Evils Why first The very want and privation of the Infinite good that the Gospel tenders to thee is evil enough and the remaining under all those Evils that the Gospel would have delivered thee from that 's evil enough as thus What doth the Gospel return and the Blessing from you why then you remain under the guilt of all your Sins and stand charged
the Preaching of the Word of the Gospel to the Rain that comes down from Heaven upon the Ground Now saith he in v. 7. For the Earth which drinketh in the Rain that cometh oft upon it and bringeth forth Herbs meet for them by whom it is dressed receiveth Blessing from God but that which beareth Thorns and Bryars is rejected and is nigh unto Cursing whose end is to be burned So those people that do receive the Dews and Showers of the blessed Truths of the Gospel and brings forth Fruit and Works meet for him that doth Dress them and grants them such Showers these shall receive Blessing from God but mark v 8. But that which beareth Thorns and Bryars is rejected and is nigh unto Cursing whose end is to be burned That is those people that live under the showers of the Gospel and yet bring forth nothing but Bryars and Thorns that is wicked Works they live prophanely and ungodlily notwithstanding all the showers of the Word that comes upon them Mark what the Text saith such a one is nigh unto Cursing he doth not say presently he is Cursed no not so but he saith He is rejected and is nigh to Cursing whose end is to be burned that is continuing so his end is to be burnt You will say How long shall he continue so No he cannot continue long for the Text saith he is nigh to Cursing And in Rev. 11. you read there of the Witnesses those Witnesses the Ministers of the Gospel especially that stood up to Witness for Christ in vers 4. they are called Two Olive Trees The Ministers of the Gospel for they are the special Witnesses to Christ they are Two Olive-Trees that is they bring Peace to people Do not think that these things can any ways contradict what was said before they do bring peace and because their Message of peace is such a blessed Message therefore it is that the Lord is so severe against those that do reject it They are as Olive-trees to bear the Emblem of Peace and as Candlesticks standing before the God of the Earth but then mark in vers 5. If any man will hurt them if any man will oppose them fire proceedeth out of their mouths and devoureth their Enemies and if any man will hurt them he must in this manner be killed They are Olive-trees they come and bring peace but if they be opposed and hurt then even fire comes out of their mouths It is strange that those that are Olive-branches should have fire in their mouths The Witnesses of Christ they are Olive-branches that have the Message of peace but if they be opposed and rejected and hurt then fire comes out of their mouths and devours their Enemies By this fire is meant the Ministry of their Word the Lord makes it be as a consuming Fire to the Souls of those that shall reject their Ministry and that you may see Gods quickness in dealing with those that he calls to Repentance and offers any Mercy to you have in the Old Testament somewhat but in the Old Testament the Lord never revealed his Grace so clearly and therefore we cannot expect so much of Gods quickness there as in the New and yet mark what he saith in Jer. 18. 9. And at what instant I shall speak concerning a Nation to build and to plant it if it do evil in my sight that it obey not my Voice then will I repent of the good wherewith I said I would benefit them If I come and speak unto a Nation and offer them Mercy and tell them of my Grace if that Nation doth evil in my sight at that very instant when I speak if they do not turn from their evil wayes I will repent of all the good and I will take all my goodness from them You see that God expects to have you at an instant You many times would have your Children and Servants come as soon as you do call or else you are ready to fly in their Faces certainly God may justly expect that at what instance he should call that you should come in The Lord may be too quick for you your day may be past the day of Grace and Salvation may be past I say before you are aware before your repenting time comes Gods forgiving time may be past Though it is true you will say At what time a man repents I that is if God give him a heart But what if God will not give thee a heart but will harden thy heart and give thee up to thy self at what instant saith the Text And then another Text is in Mal. 3. beginning Behold I will send my Messenger and he shall prepare the way before me and the Lord whom ye seek shall suddenly come to his Temple Now this is apparently meant concerning Christ but saith he Who may abide the day of his coming so he goes on and shews how severe he will be and then in vers 5. I will come near to you to Judgement and I will be a swift witness against the Sorcerers and against the Adulterers and against false Swearers and against those that oppress the Hireling in his gates c. Christ when he comes he comes to be a swift Witness against them that live in their Wicked wayes after his coming Indeed all mens sins do witness against them but now those that live in Prophaneness and Wickedness when Christ is come among them I say they are to expect Christ to be a swift Witness against them How quick did the Lord deal with his People upon their rejection of the Land of Canaan they did often sin against God in the Wilderness but when they came to the Land of Canaan and had an offer of the Land of Canaan having sent Spies to see the good Land and they came and declared what a Good Land it was and yet some discouraging of them because of the Children of Anack they were Rebellious and would not go to the Land to enter upon it because of the difficulty they should endure No God presently Swears against them he takes a Solemn Oath that they should never Enter into his Rest so you have it in Heb. 4. God did never Swear against them till they came to have the proffer of the Land and upon their first rejection of it after the Offer and declaring to them the good Fruit of it upon the very first rejection the Lord Swears in his Wrath that they should not Enter into it and so they were to turn back again into the Wilderness Now we are to know this Land of Canaan to be a Type not only of the Church but of Heaven it self and of the good things of the Gospel Now those that live in the Wilderness and do not know the good Land of Canaan and have not the Offer of it the Lord may bear a long time with them but now when it comes to this that the Lord doth reveal unto them the Blessed things of Christ and make
to it Why lest he be angry lest the Son of God be angry The anger of the Son of God is a dreadful anger the Anger of God the Father is dreadful and yet the Anger of the Son of God in some respect is more dreadful as the Anger of the Holy Ghost is most dreadful of all because the Scripture saith The sin against him can never be forgiven And next Kiss the Son and that because there is so much Mercy in the Son therefore if he be rejected his anger is so much the more dreadful And lest you perish in the mid-way that is when you hope to live many years to have many more Merry-meetings with your Companions and do not think your selves to be nigh to perishing saith the Text In the mid way the Lord comes upon such when they least think of it The Lord comes upon many and cuts them off in the middle of their years This Consideration no question it was in part that caused Saint Paul when the Lord Christ was Revealed to him that he dared not put off a day no saith the Text Gal. 1. 15 16. When it pleased God who seperated me from my Mothers Womb and called me by his Grace to reveal his Son in me that I might Preach him among the Heathen immediately I conferred not with flesh and blood immediately as soon as ever God was pleased to reveal Christ to me or in me I did not confer with flesh and blood that is I dar'd not so much as Reason about the difficulty of the way or what I should suffer if I took this course I dar'd not go to my Company and take their Advice and Counsel No saith he but as soon as ever the Lord was pleased to reveal Christ in me I presently went about the Work and so in the 26th of the Acts where he tells the story of his Conversion speaking of Gods revealing himself to him in that glorious way of a Vision Whereupon O King Agrippa I was not disobedient to the Heavenly Vision the very first Vision I presently submitted to Paul he fell down and said Lord what wilt thou have me to do upon the first manifestation of Christ unto him O do you take heed that you be not disobedient to the Heavenly Vision perhaps together with the Ministry of the Word the Lord may grant to some of your Souls a Vision that is he may come with his Spirit and shew some of the Glory of his Son to you O be not disobedient to the Heavenly Vision but immediately yield to it and confer not with flesh and blood O but you will say this is hard you come at first and say Peace to us but this is very severe to tell us how quick the Lord is But Observe it It is but severity to those that put off Mercy then if you love Mercy so well what need you fear this Severity But further Know that upon your receiving of the Gospel the Lord will be as quick with you in wayes of Mercy as he is in Judgments to those that do reject it You will say How quick will the Lord be in the wayes of his Mercy Thus quick that upon thy receiving the Gospel and Believing the very first instant of thy receiving it thou shalt be delivered from all thy sin the guilt of all thy sin thou shalt be made as clear from the guilt of sin as the Child that is new born and more clear a great deal How quick is God now Yea thou shalt be made as clear from the guilt of all thy great sins that thou hast committed I say as clear from the guilt of them as the Saints are in Heaven and this at the first moment of thy Entertaining of Jesus Christ thou shalt be as clear as Abraham Isaac and Jacob thou shalt be equal with Abraham Isaac and Jacob in the point of thy Justification yea in regard of any guilt of sin thou shalt be as unspotted before the Lord as the Saints are in Heaven O the Lord is willing to be quick with you in wayes of Mercy Now then consider of both Here we set Life and Death before you we know it is not in Mens power indeed but we know God doth use to Bless his Ministry so as to convey power by his Ministry God is quick both wayes upon Entertaining he is quick in wayes of Mercy presently to clear the Soul from all those horrible Wicked Sins that thou hast been guilty of and if thou shalt reject it then thou may'st fear that the Lord will be quick with thee another way O consider what hath been said in this Point and in this Text and the Lord give you understanding FINIS Doct. Appl. Obs Exhort His house being visited it was thought he was Dead Doctr. Doctr. Appl. Vse Doct. 2. Doct. 3. Reas 1. Appl. Doct. 2 Doct. Appl. Doct. 2 Appl. Doct. 3. Reas Doct. Doct. Doct. 1 2. 3. Appl. Doct. Appl.