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A27047 Three treatises tending to awaken secure sinners by Richard Baxter. Baxter, Richard, 1615-1691.; Baxter, Richard, 1615-1691. True Christianity.; Baxter, Richard, 1615-1691. Absolute dominion of God-redeemer.; Baxter, Richard, 1615-1691. Absolute soveraignty of Christ. 1656 (1656) Wing B1420; Wing B1409L; Wing B1437; ESTC R11838 152,069 348

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that his Service was making more adoe then needs and didst grudge at those that were more diligent then thy self but for the World how heartily and how constantly didst thou seek and serve it and yet wouldst thou now perswade the Judge that thou didst love God above all He will shew thee thy naked heat and the course of thy former life which shail convince thee of the contrary The Second Excuse I lived not in any gross sin but only in small Infirmities I was no Murderer or Adulterer or Fornicator or Thief nor did I deceive or wrong any or take any thing by violence Answ Was it not a gross sin to love the world above God and to neglect Christ that dyed for thee and never to do him one hours hearty service but meerly to seek thy carnal self and to live to thy flesh God will open thine eyes then and shew thee a thousand gross sins which thou now forgettest or makest light of and it is not only Gross sins but All sin great or small that deserveth the wrath of God and will certainly bring thee under it for ever if thou have not part in Christ to relieve thee Wo to the man that ever he was born that must answer in his own name for his smallest offences The Third Excuse I did it ignorantly I knew not that there was so much required to my Salvation I thought less adoe might have served the turn and that if I lookt to my body God would take ca●e of my soul and that it was better to trust him what would become of me hereafter then to trouble my mind so much about it Had I known better I would have done better Answ If you knew not better who was it long of but your self Did God hide these things from you Did he not tell them you in his Word as plainly as the tongue of man can speak That except you were regenerate and born again you should not enter into the Kingdom of God John 3. 3● 5. That without holiness none should see God Heb. 12. 14. That you mist strive to enter in at the strait gate for many shall seek to enter and shall not be able Luke 13. 24. That if you lived after the flesh you should dye and if by the Spirit you mortified the deeds of the body you should live Rom 8. 13 That if any man have not the Spirit of Christ the same is none of his Rom. 8. 9. And to be carnally minded is death but to be spiritually minded is life and peace Rom. 8. 9. That you must not lay up for your selves a treasure on earth where rust and moths do corrupt and thieves break through and steal but must lay up for your selves a treasure in heaven where rust and moths do not corrupt and thieves break through and steal Mat. 6. 19 20. That you must seek first the Kingdom of God and the righteousness thereof Mat. 6. 23. and not Labour for the food that perisheth but for the food that endureth to everlasting life which Christ would have given you John 6. 27. That if you be risen with Christ you must seek those things which are above where Christ sitteth at the right hand of God and not the things that are on earth Col. 3. 1 2 3. Yea Your very Conversation should be in Heaven Phil. 3. 19. 20. 21. What say you Did not God tell you all this and much more aud plainly tell it you Turn to your Bibles and see the words and let them witness against you 2. And could you think with any Reason that your souls being so much move precious then your bodies you should yet do so much more for your bodies then your souls could you think all the labour of your lives little enough for a frail body that must lie shortly in the dirt and that your Immortal souls should be no more re●arded Could you think with any Reason that your souls should do so much for a life of a few years continuance and do no more for a life that shall have no end 3. And whereas you talk of trusting God with your souls you did not trust him You did but on that pretence carelesly disregard them If you trust God shew any word of Promise that ever he gave you to trust upon that ever an Impenitent Carnal Careless person shall be saved No he hath told yon enough to the contrary And could you think that it was the will of God that you should mind your bodies more then your souls and this life more then that to come Why he hath bid you strive and run and sight and labour and care and seek and use violence and all diligence for the safety of your souls and for the life to come But where hath he bid you do so for your bodies No he knew that you were prone to do too much for them and therefore he hath bid you Care not and Labour not that is Do it as if you did it not and let your care and Labour for earthly things be none in comparision of that for heavenly things You know God can as well maintain your lives without your care and labour as save your souls without it And yet you see he will not he doth not You must plough and sow and reap and thresh for all Gods Love and Care of you and not say I will let all alone and trust God And must you not much more use diligence in much greater things If you will trust God you must trust him in his own way and in the use of his own means The fourth Excuse I was never brought up to learning I cannot so much as read Nor did my Parents ever teach me any of these things but only set me about my worldly business and provide food and rayment for me but never once told me that I had a soul to save or lose and and an everlasting life to provide and prepare for And therefore I could not come to the knowledge of them Answ The greater is their sin who thus neglected you But this is no sufficient Excuse for you Heaven is not prepared for the Learned only nor will Christ ask you at Judgement whether you are good Scholars or not no nor so much as whether you could write or read But consider well was not Gods word so plainly written that the unlearned might understand it Did he not put it into the most familiar stile though he knew it would be offensive to the proud Scholars of the world of purpose that he might fit it to the capacities of the ignorant And if you could not read yet tell me Could not you have learned to read at 20 or 30 years of age if you had been but willing to bestow now and then an hour to that end Or at least did you not live near some that could Read and could you not have procured them to read to you or to help you And did you not hear these things read to
you in the Congregation by the Minister or might have done if you would And if your Parents did neglect you in your youth yet when you came to a fuller use of Reason and heard of the matters of salvation from Gods Word did it not concern you to have looked to your selves and to have redeemed that time which you lost in your youth by doubling your diligence when you came to riper years The Apostles gathered Churches among Heathens that never heard of Christ before and converted many thousand souls that were never once told of a Saviour or the way to salvation till they had past a great part of their lives If you loitered till the latter part of the day it behoved you then to have bestirred your selves the more and not to say Through the fault of my Parents I lost the beginning of my life and therefore I will lose all they taught me not then therefore I will not learn now hav you not seen som of your neighbours who were as ill educated as your selves attain to much knowledge afterwards by their Industry And why might not you have done so if you had been as Industrious as they May not God and Conscience witness that it was because you cared not for knowledge and would not be at pains to get it that you knew no more Speak truth man in the presence of thy Judge was thy heart and mind set upon it Didst thou pray daily for it to God Didst thou use all the means thou couldst to get it Didst thou attend diligently on the word in publike and think of what thou heardest when thou camest home Didst thou go to the Minister or to others that could teach thee and intreat them to tell thee the way to salvation Or didst thou not rather carelesly neglect these matters and hear a Sermon as a common tale even when the minister was speaking of Heaven or of Hell It was not then thine unavoidable Ignorance but thy negligence Yea further answer as in the presence of God Didst thou obey so far as thou didst know Or didst thou not rather sin against that knowledge which thou hadst Thou knewest that the soul was better then the body and everlasting life more to be regarded then this transitory life But didst thou regard it accordingly Thou sure knewest that God was better then the world and Heaven then earth at least thou was told of it But didst thou accordingly value him and love him more Thou knewest sure that there was no salvation without Faith and Repentance and newness of life and yet they were neglected In a word many a thousand sins which were committed and duties that were omitted against thy own Knowledge and Conscience will marr this Excuse The fifth Excuse I lived not under a powerfull Minister to tell me of these things but where there was no Preaching at all Answ And might you not have gone where a powerfull Minister was with a little pains Yea did not the very plain Word that you heard read tell you of these things and might you not have had a Bible your selves and found them there The Sixth Excuse I was a Servant and had no time from my labour to mind these matters I lived with a hard master that required all his own work of me but would allow me no time for the service of God Or else I was a poor man and had a great charge to look after and with my hard labour had much adoe to live so that I had no time for heavenly things Answ 1. Who should be first served God or man What should be first sought after heaven or earth Did not Christ cell thee One thing is necessary Luke 10. 41 42 Was it not as needfull to see that you escape Damnation and get safe to Heaven when this life is ended as to see that you had food and raiment for your selves and yours 2. Did you spend no time in Recreation nor Idleness nor vain talking why might not that at least have been spent about Heavenly things 3. Could you have taken no time from your rest or eating or at other Intermissions Mans Body will not endure so great Labours as have no Intermission And why then might not godliness have been your ease and recreation 4. Or might you not have minded these things even when you were about your labour if you had but a heart to them 5. At least you might have spent the Lords own Day in hearing reading and pondering of these matters when you were forced to forbear your worldly labours even by the wholsom Law of the Land These therefore are all but vain Excuses and God will shortly make thee speak out and plainly confess It was not so much for want of Time or Helps or warning as for want of a heart to use them well I should have found some time though it had been when I should have slept if my heart had been but set upon it The Seventh Excuse Little did I think ●o have seen this day I did not Believe that ever God would be so severe I thought his Threatnings had been but to keep men in awe and I suspected either that the Scripture was not his word or else I thought he would be better then his word I thought all that I heard of another life had been uncertain and therefore was loth to let go a certainty for an uncertainty and lose my present pleasures which I had in hand for the hopes of that which I never did see Answ He that will not know his misery by believing to prevent it shall know it by feeling to endure it You were told and told again what your unbelief would bring you to Did Gods Word make Heaven and Earth doth it support them and secure them and is not his Word sufficient security for you to have trusted your souls upon did you know where was any better security to be had and where was any surer ground for your confidence And did you think so basely and blasphemously of God that he would falsifie his Word lest such as you should suffer and that he was fain to rule the world by a Lye Did God make the world so easily and can he not govern it by true and righteous means what need God to say that which he will not do to awe sinners can he not awe them by Truth is it not just that those should eternally perish that will entertain such desperate thoughts of God and then by such wicked imaginations encourage themselves in sin against him And for the Truth of Scripture God did not bid you believe it without Evidence He stamped on it the Image of his own Purity and Perfection that you might know it by that Image and superscription if you had eyes to see them He sealed it by uncontrouled multitudes of Miracles He delivered it down to your hands by infallible witnesses so that he left you no room for rational Doubting And you knew that the matters
by your parents resign your self to Christ as his and renounce the flesh the world and the Devil and promise to fight under Christs banner against them to your lives end O happy person that performeth this Covenant and everlastingly miserable are they that do not Fides non recepta sed custodita viv●●●cat saith Cyprian It is not Covenant making without Covenant keeping that is like to save you Do you stand to the Covenant that you made by your parents or do you disclaim it If you disclaim it you renounce your part in Christ and his benefits in that Covenant made over to you If you stand to it you must perform your promise and live to God to whom you were resigned To take Gods oath of Allegiance so solemnly and afterward to turn to his Enemies which we renounced is a rebllion that shall not be alwaies unrevenged 11. Gods absolute dominion and soveraignty over us is the very foundation of all Religion even of that little that is found left among Infidels and Pagans much more evidently of the saving Religion of Christians He that dare say he believeth not this will never sure have the face to call himself a Christian Is it not a matter of most sad consideration that ever so many millions should think to be saved by a Doctrine which they believe not or by a Religion that never went deeper then the braine and is openly contradicted by the tenour of their lives Is a true Religion enough to save you if you be not true to that Religion How do men make shift to quiet their Consciences in such gross hypocrisie Is there a man to be found in this Congregation that will not confess that he is rightfully his Redeemers But hath he indeed their hearts their time their strength and their interest follow some of them from morning to night you shall not hear one serious word for Christ nor see any serious indeavours for his interest And yet these men will professe that they are his How sad a case is it that mens own Confessions should condemn them and that which they called their Religion should judge them to that everlasting misery which they thought it would have sav'd them from And how glorious would the Christian Religion appeare if men were true to it if Christs Doctrine had its full impression on their hearts and were expressed in their lives Is he not an exellent person that denyeth himselfe and doth all for God that goeth on no businesse but Gods that searcheth out Gods interest in every part of his calling and employment and intendeth that that whether he eat or drink or whatever he doth doth all to the glory of God 1. Cor. 10. 31. that can say as Paul Gal. 2 20. I am crucified with Christ neverthelesse I live yet not I but Christ liveth in me And Phil 3. 7 8. What things were gain to me those I counted loss for Christ yea doubtless and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord for whom I have suffered the loss of all things and do count them but dung that I may win Christ And Phil. 1. 21. For to me to live is Christ and to dye is gaine Perhaps you think that the degree of these examples is unimitable by us but I am sure all that will be saved must imitate them in the truth 12. Self-seeking is self-losing and delivering up your self and all you have to God is the only way to save your selves and to secure all The more you are His the more you are your own indeed and the more you deliver to him and expend for him the greater is your gain These Paradoxes are familiar tryed truths to the true Believer these are his daily food and exercise which seem to others such Scorpions as they dare not touch or such stones as they are not able to digest He knoweth that self-humbling is the true self-exalting and self-exalting is the infallible way to be brought low Luke 14 11. 18. 14. Mat 23. 12. He believeth that there is a losing of life which saves it and a saving of it which certainly loseth it Mat. 10. 39. 16. 25. O that I could reach the hearts of Self-seekers that spend their care and time for their bodies and live not unto God! That I were but able to make them see the issue of their Course and what it will profit them to win all the world and lose their souls O all you busie men of this world hearken to the proclamation of him that bought you Isa 55. 1 2 3. Ho every one that thirsteth come ye to the waters buy wine and milk without money or price wherefore do you spend money for that which is not bread and your labour for that which satisfieth not hearken diligently to me and eat ye that which is good and let your soul delight itself in fatness incline your ear and come unto me hear and your soul shall live and I will make an everlasting Covenant with you O sirs what a deal of care and labour do you lose how much more gainfully might your lives be improved Godliness with contentment is the great gain 1 Tim. 6. 6. That which you now think you make your own will shortly prove to be least your own and that is most lost which you so carefully labour for you that are now so idlely busie in gathering together the Treasurie of an Ant-hillock and building Childrens tottering piles you forget that the foot of death is coming to spurn it all abroad and tread down you and it together You spend the day of life and visitation in painting your phantasies with the images of felicity and in dressing your selves and feathering your nest with that which you impiously steal from God and you do forget that the night of blackness is at hand when God will undress you of your temporary contents and deplume you of your borrowed bravery How easily how speedily ● how certainly will he do it Read over your case in Luke 12. from 16. to 22. How can you make shift to read such Texts and not perceive that they speak to you When you are a pulling down and building up and contriving what to do with your fruits and saying to your selves I have so much now as will serve me so many years I will take mine ease eat drink and be merry remember then the conclusion But God said unto him Thou fool this night thy soul shall be required of thee then whose shall those things be which thou hast provided So is he that layeth up treasure for himself and is not rich towards God Are these things Yours or Mine saith God! whose are they if they are yours keep them now if you can either stay with them or take them with you But God will make you know that they are his and disrobe such men as thieves that are adorned with that which is none of their own this honour ●aith
but help thee out of the snares of sin and promote the saving of thy Immortal soul and thy comfortable appearance at the great day of Christ I have the thing which I intended and desired The Lord open thy Heart aud accompany his Truth with the Blessing of his Spirit Amen A SERMON Of Judgement Preached at Pauls before the Honourable Lord Maior and Aldermen of the City of London Dec. 17. 1654. 2 Cor. 5. 10 11. For we must all appear before the Judgement seat of Christ that every one may receive the things done in his body according to that he hath done whether it be good or bad Knowing therefore the terrours of the Lord we perswade men IT is not unlikely that some of those wits that are taken more with things new then with things Necessary will marvel that I choose so common a subject and tell me that they all know this already But I do it purposely upon these following Considerations 1. Because I well know that it is these Common Truths that are the great and necessary things which mens everlasting happiness or misery doth most depend upon You may be ignorant of many Controversies aud Inferiour points without the danger of your souls but so you cannot of these Fundamentals 2. Because its apparent by the lives of men that few know these Common Truths savingly that think they know them 3. Because there are several degrees of knowing the same Truths and the best are imperfect in degree the principal growth in Knowledge that we should look after is not to know more matters then we knew before but to know that better and with a clearer light and firmer apprehension which we darkly and slightly knew before You may more safely be without any knowlege at all of many lower Truths then without some further degree of the knowledge of those which you already know 4. Besides it is known by sad Experience that many perish who know the Truth for want of the consideration of● and making use of what they know and so their knowledge doth but condemn them We have as much need therefore to teach and help you to get these Truths which you know into your hearts and lives as to tell you more 5. And indeed it is the impression of these great and master-Truths wherein the vitals and essentials of Gods Image upon the soul of man doth consist And it is these Truths that are the very Instruments of the great works that are to be done upon the heart by the spirit and our selves In the right use of these it is that the Principal part of the skill and holy wisdom of a Christian doth consist and in the diligent and constant use of these lieth the life and trade of Christianity There is nothing amiss in mens hearts or lives but it is for want of sound knowing and believing or well using these Fundamentals 6. And moreover me thinks in this choice of my subject I may expect this advantage with the Hearers that I may spare that labour that else would be necessary for the proof of my Doctrine and that I may also have easier access to your hearts and have a fuller stroak at them and with less resistance If I came to tell you of anything not Common I know not how far I might expect belief from you You might say These things are uncertain to us or all men are not of this mind But when every Hearer confesseth the truth of my doctrine and no man can deny it without denying Christianity it self I hope I may expect that your hearts should the sooner receive the impression of this Doctrine and the sooner yield to the duties which it directs you to and the easier let go the sins which from so certain a Truth shall be discovered The words of my text are the reason which the Apostle giveth both of his perswading other men to the fear of God and his care to approve to God his own heart and life They contain the Assertion and Description of the great Judgement and one Use which he makes of it It assureth us that Judged we must be and who must be so Judged and by whom and about what and on what terms and to what end The meaning of the words so far as is necessary I shall give you briefly We all both we Apostles that Preach the Gospel you that hear it must willing or unwilling there is no avoiding it Appear stand forth or make our appearance and there have our hearts and wayes laid open and appear as well as we Before the Judgement seat of Christ i. e. before the Redeemer of the world to be Judged by him as our Rightful Lord. That every one even of all mankind which are were or shall be without exception May receive that is may receive his sentence adjudging him to his due and then may receive the execution of the sentence and may go away from the barr with that Reward or Punishment that is his due according to the Law by which he is Judged The things done in his body that is the due Reward of the works done in his body or as some copies read it The things proper to the body i. e. due to the man even body as well as soul According to what he hath done whether it be good or bad i. e. This is the cause to be tried and Judged whether men have done well or ill whiles they were in the flesh and what is due to them according to their deeds Knowing therefore c. i. e. Being certain therefore that these things are so and that such a Terrible Judgement of Christ will come we perswade men to become Christians and live as such that they may then speed well when others shall be destroyed or as others Knowing the fear of the Lord that is the true Religion we perswade men Doct. 1. There will be a Judgement Doct 2. Christ will be the Judge Doct. 3. All men shall there appear Doct. 4. Men shall be then Judged according to the works that they did in the flesh whether good or evil Doct. 5. The end of Judgement is that men may receive their final due by Sentence and Execution Doct. 6. The knowledge and consideration of the terrible Judgement of God should move us to perswade and men to be perswaded to carefull preparation The ordinary method for the handling of this subject of Judgement should be this 1. To shew you what Judgement is in the General and what it doth contain and that is 1. The persons 2. The cause 3. ●he Actions 1. The parties are 1. the Accuser 2. the Defendant 3. Sometime Assistants 4. The Judge 2. The cause contains 1. The Accusation 2. the Defence 3. With the Evidence of both 4. And the Merit The Merit of the cause is as it agreeth with the Law and Equity 3. The Judicial Actions are I. Introductory 1. Citation 2. Compulsion if need be 3. Appearance of the Accused II. Of the Essence
may be to men and how loth so ever they are to depart away they must and come before the Lord that made them Death will not be bribed Every man that was set in the vinyard in the morning of their lives must be called out at evening to Receive according to what he hath done then must the naked soul alone appear before its Judge and be accomptible for all that was done in the body and be sent before till the final judgement to remain in happiness or misery till the body be raised again and joyned to it In this appearance of the soul before God it seemeth by Scripture that there is some Ministry of Angels for Luke 16. 22. it is said that the Angels carried Lazarus that is his soul into Abrahams bosom What local motion there is or situation of souls is no fit matter for the enquiry of Mortals and what it is in this that the Angels will do we cannot clearly understand as yet But most certain it is that as soon as ever the soul is out of the Body it comes to its account before the God of Spirits 2. At the end of the world the bodies of all men shall be raised from the earth and joyned again to their souls and the soul and body shall be judged to their endless state and this is the great and generall Iudgement where all men shal at once appear The same power of God that made men of nothing will as easily then New make them by a Resurrection by which he will add much more perfection even to the wicked in their Naturals which will make them capable of the greater misery even they shall have immortal and incorruptible bodies which may be the subjects of immortal woe 1 Cor. 15. 53. Iohn 5. 28 29. Of this Resurrection and our Appearance at Iudgement the Angels will be some way the Ministers As they shall come with Christ to Iudgement so they shall sound his Trumpet 1 Thes 4. 16. and they shall gather the wicked out of Gods Kingdom and they shall gather the Tares to burn them Mat. 13. 39 40 41. in the end of the world the Angels shall come forth and sever the wicked from among the just and shall cast them into the Furnace of fire Mat. 17. 49 50. FOR the sixth particular What Law is it that men shall be Judged by Answ That which was given them to live by Gods Law is but the sign of his will to teach us what shall be due from us and to us before we fell he gave us such a Law as was suitable to our perfection when we had sinned and turned from him as we ceased not to be his creatures nor he to be our Lord so he destroyed not his Law nor discharged or absolved us from the duty of our obedience But because we flood condemned by that Law and could not be Iustified by it having once Transgressed it he was pleased to make a Law of Grace even a new a remedying Law by which we might be saved from the deserved punishment of the Old So we shall be tryed at Judgement upon both these Laws but ultimately upon the Last The first Law commanded perfect Obedience and threatned Death to us if ever we disobeyed the second Law finding us under the Guilt of sin against the first doth command us to Repent and Believe in Christ and so to return to God by him and promiseth us pardon of all our sins upon that Condition and also if we persevere everlasting Glory So that in Judgement though it must first be evinced that we are sinners and have deserved Death according to the Law of pure nature yet that is not the upshot of the Judgement For the enquiry will be next whether we have accepted the remedy and so obeyed the Law of grace and performed its Condition for pardon and salvation and upon this our Life or Death will depend It is both these Laws that condemn the wicked but it is only the Law of grace that justifieth the righteous Obj. But how shall Heathens bejudged by the Law of grace that never did Receive it Answ The express Gospel some of them had not and therefore shall not directly be judged by it but much of the Redeemers mercy they did enjoy which should have led them to repent and seek out after Recovery from their misery and to come neerer Christ and for the neglect and abuse of this they shall be judged and not meerly for sinning against the Law that was given us in pure innocency So that Christ as Redeemer shall judge them as well as others though they had but one Talent yet must they give an account of that to the Redeemer from whom they received it But if any be unsatisfied in this let them remember that as God hath left the state of such more dark to us and the terms on which he will Iudge them so doth it much more concern us to look to the terms of our own Iudgement Obj. But how shall infants be judged by the Gospel that were uncapable of it Answ For ought I find in Scripture they stand or fall with their parents and on the same terms but I leave each to their own thoughts VII FOR the seventh head What will be the cause of the day to be enquired after what the Accusation and what the Defence Answ This may be gathered from what was last said The great Cause of the day will be to enquire and determine who shall dye and who shall live who ought to go to heaven and who to hell for ever according to the Law by which they must then be Judged 1. As there is a twofold Law by which they must be Judged so will there then be a twofold Accusation The first will be that they were sinners and so having violated the Law of God they Deserve Everlasting Death accordding to that Law If no defence could be made this one Accusation would condemn all the world for it is most certain that all are sinners and as certain that all sin deserveth Death The only defence against this Accusation lyeth in this Plea Confessing the charge we must plead that Christ hath satisfied for sins and upon that consideration God hath forgiven us and therefore being forgiven we ought not to be punished To prove this we must shew the pardon under Gods hand in the Gospel But because this pardoning Act of the Gospel doth forgive none but those that Repent and Believe and so return to God and to sincere Obedience for the time to come therefore the next Accusation will be that we did not perform these Conditions of forgiveness and therefore being Vnbelievers Impenitent and Rebels against the Redeemer we have no right to pardon but by the sentence of the Gospel are lyable to a greater punishment for this contempt of Christ and Grace This Accusation is either true or false where it is true God and Conscience who speak the truth may well be
the next words Depart fromme in to Everlasting fire prepared for the Devil and his Angels 1. Depart From whom from the God th● made them in his Image From the Redeem that bought them by the price of his blood an● offered to save them freely for all their unworthyness and many a time intreated them to Accept his offer that their souls might live From the Holy Ghost the Sanctifier and comforter of the faithful who strove with their hearts till they quenched and expelled him O sad Departing who would not then choose rather to Depart from all the friends he had in the world and from any thing Imaginable from his life from himself if it were possible then from Christ Depart from what why from the presence of the Judge from all further Hopes of salvation for ever from all possibility of ever being saved and living in the joyful inheritance of the Righteous Depart Not from Gods Essential presence for that will be with them to their evelasting misery but from the presence of his Grace in that measure as they enjoyed it Depart Not from your fleshly pleasures and honours and profits of the world These were all gone and past already and there was no further need to bid them Depart from these Houses and Lands were gone Mirth and Recreations were gone Their sweet morsels and cups were gone All the Honour that men could give them was gone before they were set at Christs barr to be Iudged But from all expectations of ever enjoying these again or ever tasting their former delights from these they must Depart No from their sin for that will go with them But the Liberty of commiting that part of it which was sweet to them as Gluttony Drunkenness Whoredom Idleness and all Voluptuousness from these they must Depart But this is consequential It is Christ and the Possibility of salivation that they are Sentenced to Depart from But Whither must they Depart 1. Into fire 2. Into that fire which was prepared for the Devil and his Angels 3. Into everlasting fire 1. Not into a Purifying but a Tormenting fire Whether Elementary or not Whether properly or Metaphorically called fire let us not vainly trouble or selves to enquire It is enough to know that as fire is one of the most grievous Tormentors of the flesh so grievous will be those infernal Torments to the whole man soul and body Such as is most fitly represented to us under the notion of fire and of burning It s easie for a secure unbelieving soul to read and hear of it but woe and ten thousand woes to them that must endure it In this life they had their good things when it went harder as to the flesh with better men but now they are tormented when the godly are comforted as Luke 16. 25. 2. But why is it called a fire prerared for the Devil and his Angels 1. What is this Divel That hath Angels 2. Who are his Angels 3. When was it prepared for them 4. Was it not also prepared for wicked men To these in order 1. It seems by many passages in Scripture that there is an Order among Spirits both Good and Bad and that there is one Devil that is the Prince over the rest 2. It seem therefore that it 's the rest of the evil spirits that are called his Angels And some think that the wicked who served him in this life shall be numbered with his Angels in the life to come Indeed the Apostle calls him The God of this world 2 Cor 4. 4. as is ordinarily Iudged by Expositors and the Prince of the power of the Aire the Spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience Eph. 2. 2. And he Calleth false seducing Teachers the Ministers of Satan 2 Cor. ●1 15 But that wicked men are Here meant as part of his Angels is not clear 3. If it be the preparation of Gods purpose that is here meant then it was from Eternity but if it be any Commination of God as Ruler of the Angels then was this fire prepared for them Conditionally from the beginning of that Commination and was Due to them at their fall 4. It seems that the Reason why here is no mention of preparing Hell-fire for the wicked but only for the Devils is not be cause indeed it was not prepared also for the wicked but to note that it is the Torment which was first prepared for or assigned to the Devils thereby shewing the greatness of the misery of the wicked that the Devil and his Angels must be their Companions Though some think as is said before that the reason why wicked men are not Mentioned here is because they are part of the Angels of the Devil and so included And some think it is purposely to manifest Gods General Love to mankind that prepared not Hell for them but they cast themselves into the Hell prepared for the Devils But the first seems to be the true sense And how apparently Righteous are the Judgements of the Lord that those men who would here entertain the Devil into their hearts and daily familiarity should be then entertained by him into his place of Torments and there remain for ever in his society Though few entertained him into Visible familiarity with their bodies as Witches do who so make him their Familiar yet all wicked men do entettain him into more full c ●nstant familiarity with their so uls then these withces do with their bodies how famliariar is he in their thoughts to fill them with vanity lust or revenge How familiar is he in their hearts to fill them with covetousness malice pride or the like evils and to banish all thoughts of returning to God and to quench every motion that tendeth to their recovery How familiar is he with them even when they seem to be worshipping God in the publike Assembles stealing the word out of their hearts filling them with vain and wandring thoughts blinding their minds that they cannot understand the plainest words that we are able to speak to them and filling them with a proud rebellion against the Direction of their Teachers and an obstinate refusal to be ruled by them be the matter never so necessary to their own salvation How familiar are these evil Spirits in their houses filling them with ignorance worldliness and ungodliness and turning out Gods service so that they do not pray together once in a day or perhaps at all How familiarly doth Satan use their tongues in cursing swearing lying ribaldry backbiting or slandring and is it not just with God to make these fiends their familiars in Torment with whom they entertained such familiarity in sin As Christ with all the Blessed Angels and Saints will make but one Kingdom or family and shall live altogether in perpetual Delights so the Devil and all his Hellish Angels and wicked men shall make but one house-hold and shall live altogether in perpetual misery O poor sinners I you are not troubled now
not Believe a●d he al●o shall be there The godly that waited in hope for that day as the day of their ●ull D●l●verance Coronation ●hey shall be there Those that have lain in the dust these 5000. years shall rise again and all stand there Hearer whoever thou art believe it thou maist better think to live without meat to see without light to escape death and abide for ever on earth then to keep away from that Appearance Willing or unwilling thou shalt be there And should not a matter then that so concerneth thy self go neer to thy heart and awake thee from thy security 3. That it is a matter of unquestionable certainty I have partly shewed you already and more would do if I were preaching to known Infidels If the careless world had any just reason to think it were uncertain their carelesness were more excusable Methinks a man should be affected with that which he is certain shall come to pass in a manner as if it were now in doing ● Thes 5. 2. Ye perfectly know that the day of the Lord so cometh c. saith the Apostle 4. This day is not only certain but it is ne●r and therefore should affect you the more I confess if it were never so far off yet seeing it will come at last It should be carefully regarded But when the Judge is at the door Jam. 5. 9. and we are almost at the barr and it is so short a time to this assize what soul that is not dead will be secure Alas Sirs what is a little time when it is gone how quickly shall you and I be all in another world and our souls recieve their particular Judgement and so wait till the body be raised and judged to same Condition It is not a 100. years in all likelyhood till every soul of us shall be in heaven or hell and its like not half or a quarter of that time but it will be so with the greater part of us and what is a year or two or a 100 how speedily is it come how many a soul that is now in heaven or hell within a 1000 years dwelt in the places that you now dwel in and sate in the seats you now sit in And now their time is past what is it Alas how quickly will it be so with us You know not when you go to bed but you may be Judged by the next morning or when you rise but you may be Judged before night but certainly you know that shortly it will be and should not this then be laid to heart Yea the General Judgement wil lt no be long For certainly we live in the end of world Qu. 4. MY next Question is Whether are you ready for this dreadful Judgement when it comes or not Seeing it is your selves then must be tried I think it concerns you to see that you be prepared How often hath Christ warned us in the Gospel that we be alwaies ready because we know not the day or hour of his coming Mat. 24. 44. 42. and 25. 13. 1 Thes 5. 6. and told us how sad a time it will be to those that are unready Mat. 25. 11 12. Did men but well know what a meeting and greeting there will be between Christ and an unready soul it would sure startle them and make them look about them What say you Beloved Hearers are you ready for Judgement or are you not Me thinks a man that knoweth he shall be Judged should ask himself the Question every day of his life Am I ready to give up my Account to God! Do not you use to ask this of your own hearts unless you be careless whether you be saved or damned me thinks you should and ask it seriously Qu. But who be they that are ready how shall I know whether I be ready or not Answ There is a twofold readiness 1. When you are in a safe case 2. When you are in a comfortable case in regard of that day The latter is very desirable but the first is of absolute necessity this therefore is it that you must principally enquire after In General all those and only those are ready for Judgement who shall be justified and saved and not condemned when Judgement comes They that have a good cause in a Gospel sense It may be known before hand who these are for Christ Judgeth as I told you by his Law And therefore find out whom it is that the Law of grace doth justifie or condemn and you may certainly know whom the Judge will Justifie or condemn for he Judgeth righteously If you further ask me who these are remember that I told you before that every man that is personally righteous by fulfilling the Conditions of Salvation in the Gospel shall be saved and he that is found unrighteous as having not fulfilled them shall perish at that day Qu. Who are those Answ I will tell you them in a few words lest you should forget because it it a matter that your Salvation or Damnation dependeth upon 1. The soul that unfeignedly repenteth of his former sinful course and turneth from it in heart and life and loveth the way of godliness which he hate● and hateth the way of sin which he loved and is become thoroughly a New Creature being born again and sanctified by the Spirit of Christ shall be Justified but all others shall certainly be condemned Good news to repenting converted sinners but sad to Impenitent and him that knows not what this means 2. That soul that feeling his misery under sin and the power of Satan and the wrath of God doth believe what Christ hath done and suffered for mans restauration Salvation and thankfully accepteth him as his only Saviour and Lord on the terms that he is offered in the Gospel and to those ends even to Justifie him and sanctifie and guide him and bring him at last to everlasting glory that soul shall be Justified at Judgement and he that doth not shall be condemned Or in short in Scripture phrase He that believeth shall be saved and he that believeth not shall be condemned Mar. 16. 16. 3. The soul that hath had so much knowledge of the goodness of God and his love to man in Creation Redemption and the following mercies and hath had so much conviction of the vanity of all creatures as thereupon to Love God more then all things below so that he hath the cheifest room in the heart and is preferred before all creatures ordinarily in a time of tryal that soul shall be Justified at Judgement and all others shall be condemned 4. That soul that is so apprehensive of the absolute Soveraignty of God as Creator and Redeemer and of the Righteousness of his Law and the Goodness of his holy way as that he is firmly Resolved to obey him before all others and doth accordingly give up himself to study his will of purpose that he may obey it and doth walk in these holy waies and hath so
THREE TREATISES Tending to awaken Secure Sinners viz. 1. The terror of the day of Judgment 2 COR. 5. 10. 2. The danger of slighting Christ and his Gospel MATT. 22. 5. 3. True Christianity or Christs absolute Dominion 1 COR. 6. 19 20. And Mans necessary Self-Resignation and Subjection unto Christ PSA 2. 10 11 12. By Richard Baxter To be sold by John Rothwell at the Fountain in Goldsmiths-row in Cheapside 1656. TRUE Christianity OR Christs absolute Dominion and Mans necessary Self-resignation and subjection In two Assize Sermons preached at WORCESTER By RICH. BAXTER LONDON Printed for Nevil Simmons bookseller in Kidderminster 1656. A Sermon OF The absolute Dominion of God-Redeemer and the necessity of being devoted and living to him Preached before the Honorable Judge of Assize at Worcester Aug. 2. 1654. By Rich. Baxter Rom. 14. 9. For to this end Christ both dyed and rose and revived that he might be Lord both of the dead and Living London Printed for Nevil Simmons Bookseller in Kidderminster 1656. To the Right Honourable Serjeant Glyn Now Judge of Assise in this Circuit My Lord COuld my excuse have satisfyed you this Sermon had been confined to the Auditory it was prepared for I cannot expect that is should find that Candor and favour with every Reader as it did with the Hearers When it must speak to All the guilty will hear and then it will gall Innocency is patient in hearing a reproof and charitable in the interpretation but Guilt will smart and quarrel and usually make a fault in him that findeth one in them Yet I confest this is but a poor justification of his silence that hath a Call to speak Both my Calling and this Sermon would condemn me if on such grounds I should draw back But my Backwardness was caused by the reason which I then tendred your Lord-ship as my excuse viz. Because here is nothing but what is common and that it is in as common and homely a dress And I hope we need not fear that our labours are dead unless the Press shall give them life We bring not Sermons to Church as we do a Corps for a burial If there be life in them and life in the Hearers the connaturality will cause such an amicable closure that through the Reception Retention and operation of the soul they will be the immortal seed of a life everlasting But yet seeing the press hath a louder voice then mine and the matter in hand is of such exceeding necessity I shall not refuse upon such an invitation to be a rememberancer to the the world of a Doctrine and duty of such high concernment thongh they have heard it never so oft before Seeing therefore I must present that now to your eyes which I lately presented to your ears I shall take the boldness to add one word of Application in this Epistle which I thought not seasonable to mention in the first delivery and that shall be to your Lordship and all others in your present case that are elected members of this expected Parliament Be sure to remember the interest of your soveraign the great Lord Protector of Heaven and Earth And as ever you will make him a comfortable accompt of your Power Abilities and Opportunities of serving him see that you prefer his interest before your own or any mans on earth If you go not thither as sent by Him with a firm resolution to serve him first you were better sit at home forget not that he hath laid claim to you and to all that you have and all that you can have and all that you can do I am bold with all possible earnestness to entreat you yea as Christs Minister to require you in his Name to study and remember his business and interest and see that it have the chief place in all your consultations Watch against the incroachments of your own carnal interests consult not with flesh and blood nor give it the hearing when it shall offer you its advice How subtilly will it insinuate how importunately will it urge you how certainly will it marr all if you do not constantly and resolvedly watch O how hard but now happy is it to conquer this carnal self Remember still that you are not your own that you have an unseen Master that must be pleased whoever be displeased and an unseen Kingdom to be obtained and an invisible soul that must be saved though all the world be lost Fix your eye still on him that made and redeemed you and upon the ultimate end of your Christian race and do nothing wilfully unworthy such a Master and such an end Often renew your self-resignation and devote your self to him sit close at his work and be sure that it be His both in the Matter and in your Intent If Conscience should at any time ask Whose work are you now doing or a man should pluck you by the sleeve and say Sir Whose Cause are you now pleading See that you have the answer of a Christian at hand delay not Gods work till you have done your own or any ones else You 'l best secure the Common-wealth and your own interest by looking first to His. By neglecting this and being carnally wise we have wheel'd about so long in the Wilderness and lost those advantages against the Powers of Darkness which we know not whether we shall ever recover again It is the great astonishment of sober men and not the least reproach that ever was cast on our holy Profession to think with what a zeal for the work of Christ men seemed to be animated in the beginning of our disagreements and how deeply they did engage themselves to him in solemn Vows Protestations and Covenants what advantages carnal self hath since got and turned the stream another way so that the same men have since been the instruments of our calamity in breaking in pieces and dishonouring the Churches of Christ yea and gone so neer to the taking down as much as in them lay the whole Ministry that stand approved in the Land O do not by trifling give advantage to the Temper to destroy your work and you together Take warning by the sad experiences of what is past bestir you speedily and vigoruosly for Christ as knowing your opposition and the shortness of your time Blessed is that servant whom his Lord when he commeth shall find so doing If you ask me wherein his interest of Christ doth consist I shall tell you but in a few unquestionable particulars 1. In the main that truth godliness and honesty be countenanced and encouraged and their contraries by all fit means suppressed 2. In order to this that unworthy men be removed from Magistracy and Ministry and the places supplyed with the fittest that can be had 3. That a competent maintenance may be procured where it is wanting especially for Cities and great Towns where more Teachers are so necessary in some proportion to the number of souls and on which the
Country doth so much depend Shall an age of such high pretences to Reformation and zeal for the Churches alienate so much and then leave them destitute and say It cannot be had 4. That right means be used with speed and diligence for the healing of our divisions and the uniting of all the true Churches of Christ at least in these Nations and O that your endeavours might be extended much further to which end I shall mention but these two means of most evident necessity 1. That there be one scripture-Creed or confession of Faith agreed on by a general assembly of able Ministers duly and freely chosen hereunto which shall contain nothing but matter of evident Necessity and Verity This will serve 1. For a Test to the Churches to discern the sound Professors from the unsound as to their doctrine and to know them with whom they may close as Brethren and whom they must reject 2. For a Test to the Magistrate of the Orthodox to be encouraged and of the intoller ably Heterodox which it seems is intended in the 37. Article of the late formed Government where all that will have liberty must profess faith in God by Jesus Christ which in a Christian sense must comprehend every true fundamental or Article of our faith And no doubt it is not the bare speaking of those words in an unchristian sense that is intended As if a Ranter should say that himself is God and his mate is Jesus Christ 2. That there be a publique establishment of the necessary liberty of the Churches to meet by their Officers and Delegates on all just occasions in assemblies smaller or greater even National when it is necessary Seeing without such associations and communion in assemblies the unity and concord of the Churches is not like to be maintained I exclude not the Magistrates interest or oversight to see that they do not transgress their bounds As you love Christ and his Church and Gospel and mens souls neglect not these unquestionable points of his interest and make them your first and chiefest business and let none be preferred before him till you know them to be of more authority over you and better friends to you then Christ is Should there by any among you that cherish a secret Root of Infidelity after such pretences to the purest Christianity and are zealous of Christ lest he should over-top them and do set up an interest inconsistent with his soveraignty thereupon grow jealous of the liberties power of his Ministers and of the unity and strength of his Church and think it their best policy to keep under his Ministers by hindering them from the exercise of their office and to foment divisions and hinder our union that they may have parties ready to serve their ends I would not be in the Case of such men when God ariseth to judge them for all the Crowns and Kingdoms on earth If they stumble on this stone it will break them in pieces but if it fall upon them it will grind them to powder They may seem to prevail against him a while when their supposed success is but a prosperous self-destroying but mark the end when his wrath is kindled yea but a little and when these his enemies that would not he should raign over them are brought forth and destroyed before him then they will be convineed of the folly of their Rebellon in the mean time let wisdom be justified of her Children My Lord I had not troubled you with so many words had I not judged it probable that many more whom they concern may peruse them I remain August 5. 1654. Your Lordships Servant in the Work of Christ Rich. Baxter A Sermon of the Absolute Dominion of God-Redeemer And the necessity of being Devoted and Living to him 1 Cor. 6. 19 20. And ye are not your own for ye are bought with a price therefore glorifie God in your body and in your spirit which are Gods FUndamentals in Religion are the life of the superstructure Like the Vitals and Naturals in the body which are first necessary for themselves and then also for the quickning and nourishing of the rest there being no life or growth of the inferiour parts but what they do receive from the powers of these it s but a dead discourse which is not animated by these greater Truths what ever the bulk of its materials may consist of The frequent repetition therefore of these is an excusable as frequent preaching And they that nauseate it as loathsome battologie do love Novelty better then Verity and playing with words to please the fancy rather then closing with Christ to save the soul And as it is the chief part of the cure in most external maladies to corroborate the vital and natural powers which then will do the work themselves so is it the most effectual course for the cure of particular miscarriages in mens lives to further the main work of grace upon their hearts could we make men better Christians it would do much to make them better Magistrates Councellors Jurers Witnesses Subjects Neighbours c. And this must be done by the deeper impress of those vitall Truths and the Good in them exhibited which are adaequate objects of our vital graces Could we help you to wind up the spring of faith and so move the first wheel of Christian Love we should find it the readiest and surest means to move the inferior wheels of duty The flaws and irregular motions without do shew that something is amiss within which if we could rectifie we might the easier mend the rest I shall suppose therefore that I need no more apologie for chusing such a subject at such a season as this then for bringing bread to a feast And if I medicate the brain and heart for the curing of sensless Paralytick members or the inordinate Convulsive motions of any hearers I have the warrant of the Apostles example in my Text. Among other great enormities in the Church of Corinth he had these three to reprehend and heal First their sidings and divisions occasioned by some factious self-seeking teachers Secondly their personal contentions by Lawsuites and that before unbelieving Judges Thirdly the foul sin of fornication which some among them had faln into the great cure which he useth to all these and more especially to the last is the urging of these great foundation Truths whereof one is in the words before my text viz. the Right of the Holy Ghost the other in the words of my Text which contains first A denial of any Right of propriety in themselves Secondly An asserting of Christs propriety in them Thirdly the proof of this from his purchase which is the Title Fourthly their duty concluded from the former premises which is to glorfie God and that with the whole man with the spirit because God is a spirit and loaths hypocrisie with the body which is particularly mentioned because it seems they were encouraged to fornication by
such conceits that it was but an act of the flesh and not of the minde and therefore as they thought the smaler sin The Apostles words from last to First according to the order of Intention do express first mans duty to glorifie God with soul and body and not to serve our lusts Secondly the great fundamental obligation to this duty Gods dominion or propriety 3ly The foundation of that Dominion Christs purchase according to the order of execution from first to last these three great fundamentals of our religion lie thus First Christs purchase Secondly Gods propriety thence arising Thirdly mans duty wholly to glorifie God arising from both The argument lies thus They that are not their own but wholly Gods should wholly glorifie God aud not serve their lusts but you are not your own but wholly Gods therefore you should wholly glorifie God not serve your lusts The major is clear by the common light of nature Every one should have the use of their own The Minor is proved thus They that are bought with a price are not their own but his that bought them but you are bought with a price therefore c. For the meaning of the terms briefly 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 vestri as the vulgar vestri juris as Beza and others is most fitly expressed by our English your own ye are bought a Synecdoche generis saith Piscator for ye are redeemed with a price There is no buying without a price This therefore is an Emphaticall Pleonasmus as Beza Piscator and others as to see with the eyes to hear with the ears Or else a price is put for a great price as Calvin Peter Martyr and Piscator rather thinks And therefore the Vulgar adds the Epithet magno the Arabick pretioso as Beza notes as agreeing to that of 1 Pet. 1. 18. I see not but we may supose the Apostle to respect both the purchase and the greatness of the price as Grotius and some others do Glorifie God that is by using your bodies and souls wholly for him and abstaining from those lusts which do dishonour him The Vulgar adds portate q. d. beare God about in your hearts and let his spirit dwell with you instead of lust But this addition is contrary to all our Greek Copies Grotius thinks that some Copies had 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and thence some unskillful scribe did put 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 however it seems that reading was very antient when not only Austin but Cyprian and Tertullian followed it as Beza noteth The last words and in your spirit which are Gods are out of all the old Latin Traslations and therefore its like out of the Greek which they used But they are in all the present Greek Copies except our M. S. as also in the Syriack and Arabick version The rest of the explication shall follow the Doctrines which are these Doct. 1. We are bought with a price Doct. 2. Because we are bought to we are not our own but his that bought us Doct. 3. Because we are not our own but wholly Gods therefore we must not serve our lusts but glorifie him in the Body and Spirit In these three conclusions is the substance of the Text which I shall first explain and then make application of them in that order as the Apostle here doth The Points that need explication are these First in what sense we are said to be bought with a price who bought us and of whom and from what and with what price Secondly How we are Gods own upon the Title of this purchase Thirdly How we are not our own Fourthly What it is to glorifie God in Body and in Spirit on this account Fifthly Who they be that on this ground are or may be urged to this duty First For the first of these whether buying here be taken properly or Metaphorically I will not now enquire First mankind by sin became guilty of death liable to Gods wrath and a slave to Satan and his own lusts The sentence in part was past and execution begun the rest would have followed if not prevented This is the bondage from which we are redeemed Secondly he that redeemed us is the Son of God himself God and man and the Father by the Son Acts 20. 28. He purchased us with his own blood Thirdly the price was the whole humiliation of Christ in the first act whereof his incarnation the Godhead was alone which by humbling it self did suffer reputatively which could not really In the rest the whole person was the sufferer but still the humane nature Really and the Divine but Reputatively And why we may not add as part of the price the merit of that obedience wherein his suffering did not consist I yet see not But from whom were we redeemed Answ From Satan by rescue against his will From Gods wrath or Vindictive justice by his own procurement and consent He substituted for us such a sacrifice by which he could as fully attain the ends of his righteous Government in the Demonstration of his justice and hatred of sin as if the sinner had suffered himself And in this sound sense it is far from being an absurdity as the Socinian dreameth for God to satisfie his own Justice or to buy us of himself or redeem us from himself 2. Next let us consider how we are Gods upon the Title of this purchase By God here is meant both the Son who being God hath procured a right in us by his Redemption and also the Father who sent his Son and redeemed us by him and to whom it was that the Son redeemed us Rev. 5. 9. Thou hast redeemed us to God by thy Blood In one word it is God as Redeemer the manhood also of the second person included that hath purchased this right Here you must observe that God as Creator had a plenary Right of propriety and Government on which he founded the Law of works that then was This right he hath not lost Our fall did lose our Right in him but could not destroy his right in us Because it destroyed our right therefore the promissory part of that Law was immediately thereupon dissolved or ceased through our incapacity and therefore Divines say that as a Covenant it ceased but because it destroyed not Gods Right therefore the prec●ptive and penall parts of that Law do still remain But how remain In their being but not alone or without remedy For the Son of God became a sacrifice in our stead not that we might absolutely immediately or ipso facto be fully delivered or that any man should ab ipsa hostia from the very sacrifice as made have a right to the great benefits of personall plenary Reconciliation and Remission and everlasting life but that the necessity of perishing through the unsatisfiedness of justice for the alone offences against the Law of works being removed from mankind they might all be delivered up to him as Proprietary Rector that he might
God is the first and the last in our Ethicks and Politicks as well as in our Physicks that as there is ho Creature which he made not so it is no good right of Property or Government which he some way gives not that all Commonwealths not built on this foundation are as Castles in the air or as childrens tottering structures which in the very framing are prepared for their ruine and strictly are no Commonwealths at all and those Governors that rule no more for God then for themselves shall be dealt with as Traitors to the Universal Soveraign Thus far at least must our Politicks be Divine unless we will be meet confederate Rebels But it is yet a closer application which I intend Though we are not our own yet every mans welfare should he so dear to himself that methinks every man of you should presently enquire how far you are concerned in the business which we have in hand I 'le tell you how far The Case here described is all our own We are bought with a price and therefore not our own and therefore must live to him that bought us We must do it or else we violate our Allegiance aud are Traitors to our Redeemer We must do it or else we shall perish as despisers of his blood It is no matter of indifferency nor a duty which may be dispenced with That God who is our Owner by Creation and Redemption and who doth hitherto keep our souls in these bodies by whose meer will and power you are all here alive before him this day will shortly call you before his bar where these matters will be more seriously and searchingly enquired after The great Question of the day will then be this Whether you have bin heartily devoted to your Redeemer and lived to him or to your carnal selves Upon the resolution of this Question your everlasting Salvation or Damnation will depend What think you then Should not this Question be now put home by every rational Hearer to his own heart But I suppose some will say There is no man that wholly lives to God for all are sinners how then can our Salvation depend so much on this I answer in a word Though no man pay God all that he oweth him yet no man shall be saved that giveth him not the preheminence He will own none as true Subjects that do not cordially own him in his Soveraignty Be it known to you all there shall not a man of you enter into his kingdom nor ever see his face in peace that giveth him not the cheifest room in your hearts and maketh not his work your cheifest business He will be no underling or servant to your flesh He will be served with the Best if he cannot have All And in this sense it is that I say the Question will be put in that great day by the Judge of all Whether God or our carnal selves were preferred and whether we lived to him that bought us or to our flesh Beloved Hearers I will not ask you whether you indeed believe that there will be such a day I will take it for granted while you call your selves Ch●istians much less will I question whether you would then be saved or condemned Nature will not suffer you to be willing of such a misery though corruption make you too willing of the cause But the Common stupidity of the world doth perswade me to ask you this Whether you think it meet that men who must be so solemnly examined upon this Point and whose life or death depends on the decision should not examine themselves on it before-hand and well consider what answer they must then make and whether any pains can be too great in so needfull a work and whether he that miscarrieth to save a labour do not madly betray his soul unto perdition as if such rational diligence were worse then Hell or his present carnal ease were more desirable then his Salvation Let us then rouse up our selves Brethren in the fear of God and make this a day of judgement to our selves Let us know whether we are Children of Life or of Dea●h O how can a man that is well in his wits enjoy with any comfort the things of this world before he know at least in probability what he shall enjoy in the next How can men go cheerfully up and down about the business of this life before they have faithfully laboured to make sure that it shall go well with them in the life to come That we may now know this without deceit let us all as in the presence of the Living God lay bare our hearts examine them and judge them by this portion of his word according to the evidence 7. Whoever he be that takes not himself for his own but lives to his Redeemer he is one that hath found himself really undone and hath unfeignedly confessed the forfeiture of his Salvation and finding that Redemption hath been made by Christ and that there is hope and life to be had in him and none but in him as he gladly receives the tidings so he carefully acknowledgeth the right of his Redeemer and in a sober deliberate and voluntary Covetant renounceth the world the flesh and the Devill and resigneth up himself to Christ as his due He saith Lord I have too long served thine Enemies and mine own by cleaving to my self and forsaking God I have lost both my self and God Wilt thou be my Saviour and the Physitian of my soul and wash me with thy blood and repair the ruins of my soul by thy spirit and I am willing to be thine I yield up myself to the conduct of thy grace to be saved in thy way and fitted for thy service and live to God from whom I have revolted This is the Case of all that are sincere By many Scriptures we might quickly confirm this if it were lyable to question Luke 14. 25 26. If any man come to me and hate not his Father and Mother and Wife And Children and Brethren and Sisters and his own life also he cannot be my Disciple and whosoever doth not bear his Cross and come after me cannot be my Disciple So ver 33. Whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath he cannot be my Disciple which is expounded Mat. 10. 37. He that loveth Father or Mother more then me is not worthy of me Mat. 16. 24. If any man will come after me let him deny himself and take up his Cross and follow me for whosoever will save his life shall lose it and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall finde it Psal 73. 25 26 27. Whom have I in heaven but thee and there is none upon earth that I desire besides thee Psal 16. 5. The Lord is the Portion of mine Inheritance c. Heb. 11. 24 25 26. Moses refused honor chose rather to suffer affliction with the People of God then to enjoy the pleasures of sin for
a season esteeming the reproacb of Christ greater riches then the treasures of Egypt for he had respect to the recompence of the reward I forbear citing more the case being so evident that God is set highest in the heart of every sound Believer they being in Covenant resigned to him as his Own On the contrary most of the unsanctified are Christians but in name because they were educated to this profession it is the common Religion of the Country where they live and they hear none make question of it or if they do it is to their own disgrace the name of Christ having got this advantage to be everywhere among us well spoken of even by those that shall perish for neglecting him and his Laws These men have resigned their names to Christ but reserved their hearts to flesh pleasing vanities Or if under Conviction aud terror of Conscience they do make any resignation of their souls to Christ it comes short of the true resignation of the sanctfied in these particulars 1. It is a firm and rooted belief of the Gospel which is the cause of sincere resignation to Christ ●ney are so fully perswaded of the truth of those things which Christ hath done and promised to do hereafter that they will venture all that they have in this world and their everlasting state upon it Wheras the belief of self-d●ceivers is only superficial staggering not rooted and will not carry them to such adventures Mat. 13. 2l 22 23. 2. Sincere self-resignation is accompanied with such a love to him that we are devoted to which over-toppeth as to the rational part all other love The soul hath a prevailing complacency in God and closeth with him as its chiefest good Psal 73. 25. 63. 3. But the unsanctified have no such complacency in him they would fain please him by their flatteries left he should do them any hurt but might they enjoy but the pleasures of this world they could be well content to live without him 3. Sincere self-resignation is a departing from our carnal selves and all Creatures as they stand in competition with Christ for our hearts and so it containeth a Crncifying of the flesh and mortification of all its lusts Gal. 5. 24. Rom. 8 1. to 14. There is a hearty renouncing of former contrad ctory Interests and delights that Christ may be set highest and chiefly delighted in But self deceivers are never truly mortified when they seem to devote themselves most seriously to Christ there is a contrary prevailing Interest in their minds their fleshly felicity is nearer to their hearts and this world is never unfeignedly renounced 4. Sincere self-resignation is resolved upon deliberation and not a rash inconsiderate promise which is afterwards reverst The illuminated see that perfection in God that vanity in the Creature that desirable sufficiency in Christ and emptiness in themselves that they firmly resolve to cast themselves on him and be his alone And though they cannot please him as they would they 'l dye before they 'l change their Master but with self-deceivers it is not thus 5. Sincere resignation is absolute and unreserved Such do not Capitulate and condition with Christ I will be thine so far and no further so thou wilt but save my estate or credit or lise But self-deceivers have ever such Reserves in their hearts though they do not express them nor perhaps themselves discern them They have secret Limitations Exceptions and Conditions they have ever a salve for their worldly safety or felicity and will rather venture upon a threatned Misery which they see not though everlasting then upon a certain Temporary misery which they see These deep Reserves are the soul of Hypocrisy 6. Sincere self-resignation is fixed and habituate it is not forced by a moving Sermon or a dangerous sickness and then forgotten and laid aside but it is become a fixed habit in the soul it is otherwise with self-deceivers Though they will oblige themselves to Christ with vows in a time of fear and danger yet so loose is the knot that when the danger seems over their bonds fall off It s one thing to be affrighted and another to have the heart quite changed and renewed It s one thing to hire our selves with a Master in our necessities and then serve our selves or run away and another thing to nail our ears to his door and say I love thee and therefore will uot depart So much for the first mark of one that lives not as his own but as Gods to wit sincere self-resignation The second is this 2. As the heart is thus devoted to God so also is the life where men do truly take themselves for his And that will appear in these three particulars 1. The principal study and care of such men is how to please God and promote his interest and do his work this is it that they most seriously mind and contrive Their own felicity they seek in this way 1 Cor. 7. 32. 33. Rom. 6. 11. 13 16. Col. 1. 10. 3 1 2 3. Phil. 1. 20. 21 24. It is not so with the unsanctified they drive on another design Their own work is principally minded and their carnal interest preferred to Christs They live to the flesh and make provision for it to satisfie its desires Rom. 13. 14. 2. It is the chiefest delight of a man devoted to God to see Christs interest prosper and prevail It doth him more good to see the Church flourish the Gospel succeed the souls of men brought in to God and all things fitted to his blessed pleasure then it would do him to prosper himself in the world to do good to mens bodies much more to their souls is more pleasing to him then to be honourable or rich To give is sweeter to him then to receive His own matters he respects as lower things that come not so neer his heart as Gods But with the unsanctified it is not so their prosperity and honours are most of their delight and the absence of them their greatest trouble 3. With a man that is truly devoted to God the interest of Christ doth bear down all contradicting interest in the ordinary course of his life As his own unrighteous righteousness so his own renounced carnal interest is loss and dung to him in comparison of Christs Phil. 3. 8. 9. He cannot take himself to be a loser by that which is gain to the souls of men and tendeth to promote the interest of his Lord. He serveth God with the first aud best and lets his own work stand by till Christs be done or rather owneth none but Christs His own dishonour being lighter to him then Christs and a ruined estate less grievous then a ruined Church therefore doth he first seek Gods Kingdom and its righteousness Mat. 6. 33. and chuseth rather to neglect his flesh his gain his friends his life then the cause and work of Christ it is far otherwise with the umsanctified they will
please and make us such Laws and Conditions as seem best to his wisdom upon which our justification and salvation should depend He hath resolved that this shall be the only condition and way and that as no man shall be justified by a meer Christ or his death abstracted from Faith that is of Age and use of Reason so this Faith shall be the condition upon which they shall be justified or as a Christ neglected shall save no man so the accepting or receiving of him shall justifie and save them as the conditon of the Covenant performed under which Notion it is that Faith justifieth 2. Yet other improper or subordinate Reasons which receive their life from the former and without it would be no Reasons may be given as 1. From the equity and 2. From the sutbleness and conveniency 1. It is but equal that he who hath bought us and that so dearly and from a state so deplorable and desperate as we were in should be acknowledged and accepted for our Saviour and our Lord and that we who are not our own but are bought with a price should glorifie him with our bodies and souls which are his 1 Cor. 6. 20. 7. 23. Epecially when for that end he both dyed aud rose again that he might rule or be Lord over both quick and dead Rom. 14. 9. If one of you should buy a man from the Galleyes or Gallowes with the price of your whole estate or the life of your only Son would you not expect that he should be at your dispose that he should love you depend on you and be subject to you 2. And as salvation by free Grace through Christ is a way most sutable to Gods honor and to our own necessities and low condition so in subordination thereto the way of believing is most rationally conducible to the same ends As we could not have had a fitter way to the Father then by Christ so neither could there be a fitter way to Christ or means to partake of him then by Faith For though I cannot call it the instrumental Cause of our justification either Active or Passive yet is this Faith or Acceptation of Christ for our Saviour and King which is here called Kising the Son the fairest condition that we could reasonably expect and the most apparently tending to the honor of our Redeemer applying and appropriating to our selves the person righteousness and benefits procured and offered but no● the least of the houor of the Work All we do is but to accept what Christ hath procured and that must be by the special assistance of his Spirit too 4. The fourth thing I promised is to shew you Why no other Priviledge or Power in the world can save him that doth not kiss the Son It may here suffice that I have shewed you Gods determination to the contrary But further consider if any shonld hope to scape by their Dignities Titles Friends Strength or any other endowments or virtuous qualifications 1. What is their task 2. What is their power to perform it 1. They must resist the unresistible will of God They must do that which Heaven or Earth Men or Devils were never able yet to do They have resisted his Laws and his love but they could never resist his purpose or his power The power that undertaketh to save the Enemy or Neglecter of Christ must first overcome the power of the Almighty and conquer him that doth command the World And who hath the strength that is sufficient for this Sinner before thou venture thy soul upon such a mad conceit or think to be saved whether God will or not try first thy skill and strength in some inferiour attempt Bid the Sun or Moon stand still in the Firmament invert the several seasons of the year Bid the snow and frost to come in Summer and the flowers and fruits to spring in Winter command the streams to turn their course or the Tide its times or the winds their motion If these will obey thee and thy word can prevail with them against the Law of their Creator then maist thou proceed with a greater confidence and courage and have some hopes to save the neglecters of Christ Or try first whether thou canst save thy present life against the course of nature and will of God call back thine age and years that are past command thy pains and sickness to be gone chide back this bold approaching death Will they not obey thee Canst thou do none of these How then canst thou expect the saving of thy soul against the determinate will and Way of God Where dwelleth that man or what was his name that did neglect Christ and yet escape damnation Who hath hardned himself against him and hath prospered Job 9. 4. And dost thou think then to be the first Thou maist perhaps knock boldly at the Gate of Heaven and plead thy Greatness thy virtues thy Almsdeeds and formal devotion but thou shalt receive a sadder answer then thou dost expect Jesus we know and obediential Faith in him we know but who are ye 2 He that will save the soul that loveth not dependeth not on and subjecteth not himself to Christ must first make false the word of God and make the true and faithful God a lyer this is another part of his task God hath given it under his hand for truth That he that believeth not is condemned already Joh. 3. 18. That he shall not see life but the wrath of God abideth on him Joh. 3. 36. That they who are invited to Christ and make light of it or make excuses shall never taste of his Supper Luke 14. 24. Mat. 22. 5. 8. That it shall be easier for Sodom in the day of Judgement then for that City which refuseth the offers of the Gospel Mat. 12. 15. That whosoever would not have Christ to raign over them shall be brought forth at last and destroyed before him as his Enemies Luk. 19. 27. That they shall all be damned that believe not the truth but have pleasure in unrighteousness 2 Thes 2. 12 c. And hath the Almighty said that thus it shall be Who then is he that dare say it shall not be Is this the concluded Decree of Heaven what power or policy is able to reverse it hath God said it wil he not do it Thus you see his task that will undertake to save one neglecter of Christ 2. Let us now consider what Power that is that must perform it If it be done it must be either 1. By Wisdom or 2. By Strength whereas the chiefest of men even the Kings and Judges of the Earth are both ignorant and Impotent 1. Ignorant Though Judges are learned in the repute of the World Alas poor crawling breathing dust Do you know the secrets of your Masters counsel and are you able to over reach them and frustrate his designs Doth this Book know what is written in it Can the Seat you sit on over-top your
counsels more likely then for you to over-top the Lord silly worms you know not what God is nor know you any one of his unrevealed thoughts no more then that Pillar doth know your thoughts you know not what you are your selves nor see any further then the superficies of your skin what is thy soul and when didst thou receive it Dost thou know its form or didst thou feel it enter which part didst thou feel it first possess Thou canst call it a Spirit but knowst thou what a Spirit is or rather only what it is not Thou knowest not that whereby thou knowest and how was thy body formed in the womb what was it an hundred years agoe what is that vital heat and moisture what causeth that order and diversity of its parts when will the most expert Anatomists and Physitians be agreed Why there are mysteries in the smallest worm which thou canst not reach nor couldst thou resolve the doubts arising about an Ant or Atome much less about the Sun or Fire or Air or or Wind c. and canst thou not know thy self nor the smallest part of thy self nor the smallest Creature and yet canst thou over-reach the everlasting Counsels 2. And is thy might and Power any greater then thy Policy Why what are the Kings and Rulers of the Earth but lumps of Clay that can speake and go moving shadows the Flowers of a day a corruptible seed blown up to that swelled consistence in which it appears as Children blow their bubbles of Soape somewhat invisibly condensate which that it may become visible is become more gross and so more vile and will shortly be almost all turned into invisible again that little dust which corruption leaves by the force of fire may be dissipated yet more and then where is this specious part of the man Surely now that body which is so much esteemed is but a loathsome lump of corruptible flesh covered with a smooth skin and kept a little while from stinking by the presence of the soul and must shortly be cast out of sight into a Grave as unfit for the sight or smell of the living and there be consumed with rot●enness and worm These are the Kings and Rulers of the Earth this is the power that must conquer Heaven and save them that rebel against Christ the Lord They that can not live a moneth without repairing their consuming bodies by food one part whereof doth turn to their vital blood and spirits and the other to most loathsome unsufferable excrements so neere is the kin between their Best and Worst Judge all you that have common reason whether he that cannot keep himself alive an hour and shortly will not be able to stirr a finger to remove the worms that feed upon his heart be able to resist the strengh of Christ and save the soul that God hath said and sworn shall not be saved Ah poor souls that have no better Saviours And well may Christ his Truth aud Cause prevail that have no stronger enemies Vse 1. You have here a Text that will fully inform you how you are like to speed at the Barr of Christ who shall dye and who shall live The great Assize is neare at hand the feet of our Judg are even at the dore go thy way unbelieving sinner when thou hast had all the pleasure that sin will afford thee lye down in the dust and sleep a while the rousing voice shall quickly awake thee and thine eyes shall see that dreadfull day O blessed oh dolefull day blessed to the Saints dolefull to the wicked O the rejoycing O the lamenting that there will be the triunphant shoutings of joyful Saints the hideous roaring cries of the ungodly when each man hath newly received his Doom● and there is nothing but eternal Glory and eternall fire Beloved hearers every man of you shall shortly there appeare and wait as the trembling prisoner at the Barr to hear what Doom must pass upon you Do you not believe this I hope you doe believe it Why what would you give now to know for certain how it shall then go with you why here is the Book by which you must be judged and here is the summe of it in my Text the grounds upon which the Judge will then proceed Will you but go along with me and answer the Questions which hence I shall put to you and search and judg your selves by them as you go and you may know what Doom you may then expect onely deal faithfully and search throughly for self flatery will not prevent your sorrow And here you must know that it is the kiss of the heart and not of the lips which we must here enquire after The question will not be at the Great Day Who hath spoke Christ fair or who have called themselves by the name of Christians or who hath said the Creed or the Lords Prayer oftnest or cryed Lord Lord or come to Church for carryed a Bible or who hath held this opinion or who that It would make a mans heart ake to think how zealously men will honour the shadow of Christ and bow at his Name and reverence the Image of the Cross which he dyed on and the names and reliques of the Saints that dyed for him and yet do utterly neglect the Lord himselfe and cannot endure to be governed by him and resist his spirit and scorne his strict and holy waies and dispitefully hate them that most love and obey him and yet belive themselves to be real Christians For God sake Sirs do not so delude your immortal souls as to think your Baptism and your outward devotion and your good meanings as you call them and your righteous dealing with men will serve the turn to prove you Christians Alas this is but with Judas to kiss the mouth of Christ and indeed to fetch your death from those blessed lips from whence the Saints do fetch their life I will shew you some surer signs then these 1. And first let me a little enquire into your subjection to Christ Do you remember the time when yon were the servants of sin and when Sathan led you captive at his will and the Prince of darkness ruled in your souls and all within you was in a carnal peace Do you remember when the Spirit in the word came powerfully upon your hearts and bound Sathan and cast him our and answered all your r●asonings and conquered all your carnal wisdom and brought you from darkness to light and from the power of Sathan unto God Acts 26. 18. Or at least are you sure that now you live not under the same Lord and Laws as the ungodly do Hath Christ now the only soveraignty in your souls Is his word thy Law which thou darest not pass doth it bind thy thoughts and rule thy tongue and command thy self and all thou hast Hast thou laid all down at the feet of Christ and resigned thy self and all to his will and devoted all
Prophet or a Disciple in the name of a Disciple Mat 10. 40 41 43. shall all these decide the Question Beloved Hearers I profess to you all in the Name of our Lord that it is not your bold and confident affirming that you love Christ which will serve your turn when Christ shall judge he will search deep and judge according to the truth in the inward parts How many thousands will then perish as his utter Enemies that verily thought themselves his friends How easily now might they finde their mistake if they would but be at the pains to examine themselves Oh try try Sirs before God try you judge your selves before Christ judge you It would grieve a mans heart that knows what it is to love Christ to believe to be subject to him to see how rare these are in the world and yet how confident and careless most men are It may be that you may think much that I so question your love yet Christ that knew all things questioned Peters love to him and that three times till it grieved P●t●r I am a stranger to the most of you and therefore know not your conditions or inclinations yet judge me not censorious if I fear the worst and if I measure you by the rest of the world and then I may confidently and sadly conclude that Christ hath few loving Subjects among you If we could hear your Oaths and vain speeches turned to heavenly soul-edifying discourse and your covetousness to conscionablene●s and see that the word of Christ were your Law and that you laid out your endeavours for heaven in good earnest then we should say These People are the loving Subjects of Christ But when men are enemies to Christs Doctrine and ways and worship and had rather live after the flesh and the world and the traditions of their Fathers and are notorious for profaness superstition and enmity to Reformation who can chuse but condole your case and if your obstinacy will not endure us to help you yet you shall give us leave whether you will or no to lament you Vse 2. But its time that I turn my speech to Exhortation And oh that you would encourage me with your resolution to obey My business here to day is as his Herauld and Embassadour to proclaim the Lord Jesus your King and Saviour and to know whether you will heartily acknowledg and take him so to be or not and to perswade you to take so fair an offer while you may have it and to kiss the Son lest his wrath be kindled This is my business here in which if I had not some hope to speed the Lord knows I would not have been here to day You will say This is a common Errand do you think we never heard of hrist before I confess it is common blessed be God for it and long may it so continue and encrease and let it be as constant and durable to us as the Sun in the Firmament and the Lord grant that England● sins or Enemies may never bereave them of the blessing of the Gospel and then it will be a 〈◊〉 Land then yet ever was on the face of the Earth but is it as common to receive Christ in love obedience I would it were I know the name of Christ is common the Swearer doth swear by it the Beggar begs by it the Charmer puts it into his charms and the Jester into his jests and every Papist and ignorant Protestant doth mutter it oft-times over his Prayers But who trembleth at it or triumpheth in it who maketh it his Fear and his Joy and give up their souls and lives to be governed by Christ I do here solemnly proclaim to you that the Lord Jesus will not be put off with your complements he cares not for your meer name of Christianity nor your Cap nor your knee If thy heart be not set upon him thou art none of his His word must be your Law and you must depend on him alone for soul and body or never look for mercy at his hands He is the Author of eternal salvation to them only that obey him Heb. 5. 9. What say you then Sirs in answer to my message and what course do you resolve upon shall Christ be your love and your Lord or not Will you kiss the Son or will you sleight him stil methinks you should easily be resolved and say Away with pleasure and credit and worldly gain away with these bewitching delights and companions Christ hath bought my heart and he shall have it he is my Lord and I will be ruled by him Hearers I hope God hath kept your alive till now to show you mercy and brought some sinners hither to day to prevail with their hearts And my hope is somewhat strengthened by Gods disposal of my own Spirit I was strongly tempted to have preached this Sermon in the enticing words of humane wisdom tending to a proud ostentation of parts But Christ hath assisted me to conquer the temptation and commanded me to preach him in plainness and evidence of the Spirit I come not to perswade you to opinions or factions to be for this side or for that but to be with all your hearts for Christ as ever you look that Christ should be for you to love him as he that hath bought you from eternal wrath and dyed to save you from the everlasting burnings to lay hold on him with most earnest affectionate apprehension as a man that is ready to drown would do upon a bough or upon the hand of his friend that would pull him to the shore to wait for the Law of thy direction from him and do nothing till thou hast asked counsel at his word and know his mind whether thou shouldst do it or no till thou feel thy Conscience bound by his Law that thou canst not stirr till he give thee leave that the commands of parents and Princes may stoop to his much more the commands of custome and company of credit or pleasure of the world or flesh These are the things that I exhort you to and I must tell you that Christ doth flatly expect them at your hands I will here back these Exhortations with some perswading Considerations Think of what I say and weigh it as we go If I speak not truth and reason then reject it with disdain and spare not but if it be and thy Conscience tell thee so take heed then how thou dost neglect or reject it lest thou be found a fighter against the Spirit and lest the curse of God do seize upon that heart that would not yield to truth and reason And I will draw these Considerations only from my Text. 1. Thou art else a Rebel against thy Soveraign Lord. This I gather from the command in my Text and indeed the scope of the whole Psalm God hath given thee into the hands of his on and made him Lord and King of all commanded all men to accept him and submit
in peace How many have been swallowed up like Pharaoh and his Host in their rash and malicious persuit of the godly Little thinks many an ignorant careless soul what a change of his condition he shall shortly find Those thousands of souls that are now in misery did as little think of that doleful state while they were merily pleasing the flesh on earth and forgetting Christ and their eternal state as you do now they could as contemptuously jeer the Preacher as you and verily believe that all this talk was but words and wind and empty threats and ventured their souls as boldy upon their carnal hopes Little thought Sodom of the devouring fire when they were fnriously assaulting the door of their righteous reprover As little do the raging enemies of godliness among us think of the deplorable state which they are hasting to They will cry out themselves then Little did I think to see this day or feel these torments Why thou wouldst not th●nk of it or else thou mightest God told thee in Scripture and Ministers in their preaching but thou wouldst not believe till it was too late A little of Gods wrath will bring down all this upon those that embrace not and obey not the Son If his wrath be kindled yea but a little c. As his mercy being the mercy of an infinite God a little of it will sweeten a world of crosses so therefore will a little of his wrath consume a world of pleasures one spark fell among the Bethshemites and consumed fifty thousand and seventy men but for looking into the Ark till the people cry out Who can stand before this Holy Lord God 1 Sam. 6. 19 20. How then will the neglecters of Christ stand before him Sirs me thinks we should not hear of this as strangers or unbelievers There did but one spark fall upon England and what a combustion hath it cast this Kingdom into how many Houses and Towns hath it consumed How many thousand of people hath it impoverished how many children hath it left fatherless and how many thousand bodies hath it bereaved of their souls And though there are as many hearty prayers and tears poured forth to quench it as most Kingdoms on earth have had yet is the fire kindled afresh and threatneth a more terrible desolation then before as if it would turn us all to ashes One spark fell upon Germany another upon Ireland and what it hath done there I need not tell you If a little of this wrath do but seize upon thy body what cryes and groans and lamentations doth it raise If it be on one member yea but a tooth how dost thou roar with intolerable pain and wouldst not take the world to live for ever in that condition If it seize upon the Conscience what torments doth it cause as if the man were already in the suburbs of Hell He thinketh every thing he seeth is against him he feareth every bit he eateth should be his bane If he sleep he dreams of death and judgement when he awaketh his Conscience and horror awake with him he is weary of living and fearful of dying even the thoughts of heaven are terrible to him because he thinks it is not for him Oh what a pittiful sight is it to see a man under the wrath of God! And are these little little sparks so intolerable hot What then do you think are the Everlasting flames Beloved Hearers if God had not spoke this I durst not have spoke it The desire of my soul is that you may never feel it or else I should never have chosen so unpleasing a subject but that I hope the foreknowing may help you to prevent it But let me tell you from God that as sure as the heaven is over your head and the earth under your feet except the Son of God be nearer thy heart and dearer to thy heart then friends or goods or pleasures or life or any thing in this world this burning wrath will never be prevented Mat. 10. 37. Luke 14. 26. 5. When this wrath of God is throughly kindled the world will discern the blessed from the wretched Then blessed are they that trust in him It is the property of the wicked to be wise too late Those that now they esteem but precise fools will then be acknowledged blessed men Bear with their scorns Christians in the mean time they will very shortly wish themselves in your stead and would give all that ever they were masters of that they had sought and loved Christ as earnestly as you and had a little of your oyl when they find their lamps are out Mat. 25. 8. And now Hearers what is your resolution perhaps you have been enemies to Christ under the name of Christians Will you be so still Have you not loathed this busie diligent serving of him and hated them that most carefully seek him more then the vilest drunkard or blaspemer Have not his word and service and sabbaths been a burthen to you Have not multitudes ventured their lives against his Ordinances and Government Nay is it not almost the common voice of the Nation in effect Give us our sports and liberty of sinning give us our Readers and singing-men and drunken Preachers give us our Holy-daies and Ceremonies and the Customes of our fore-fathers Away with these precise fellows they are an eye-sore to us these precise Preachers shall no● controll us this precise Scripture shall be no Law to us and consequently this Christ shall not Rule over us How long hath England rebelled against his Government Mr. Vdal told them in the days of Queen Elizabeth that if they would not set up the Discipline of Christ in the Church Christ would set it up himself in a way that would make their hearts to ake I think their hearts have aked by this time and as they judged him to the Gallowes for his Prediction so hath Christ executed them by thousands for their Rebellion against him and yet they are as unwilling of his Government as ever The Kings of the Earth are afraid lest Christs Government should un-king them The Rulers are jealous lest it will depose them from their Dignities even the Reformers that have adventured all to set it up are jealous lest it will incroach upon their power and priviledges Kings are afraid of it and think themselves but half kings where Christ doth set up his Word and Discipline Parliaments are afraid of it lest it should usurp their Authority Lawyers are afraid of it lest it should take away their gains and the Laws of Christ should over-top the Laws of the Land The people are afraid of it lest it will compel them to subjection to that Law and way which their souls abhor Indeed if men may be their own judges then Christ hath no enemies in England at all we are his friends and all good Christians It is Precisians and Rebels that men hate and not Christ It is not the Government of Christ that
we are afraid of but the domineering of aspiring ambitious Presbyters viz. That Generation of godly learned humble Ministers who have done more then any before them to make themselves uncapable of preferment or domineering and when men disobey and disregard our doctrine it is not Christ but the Preacher that they despise and disobey And if the Jews might so have been their own Judges it was not the Son of God whom they crucified but an enemy to Caesar and a blasphemer that works by the Devil It was not Panl a Saint that they persecuted but one that they found to be a pestilent fellow and a mover of sedition amongst the people But were there no seditious persons but Apostles and Christians nor no troublers of Israel but Elias nor no enemies to Caesar but Christ and his friends Oh. God will shortly take off the vail of hypocrisy from the actions of the world and make them confess that it was Christ they resisted and that it was his holy waies and word that did kindle their fury else would they as soon have fallen upon the ungodly rabble as they did upon the most zealous and conscionable Christains And however you mangle and deform them with your false accusations and reproach he will then know and own his people and his Cause and will say to the world In despising them you despised me and in as much as you did it to one of these little ones you did it unto me As Dr. Stoughton saith If you strike a Schismatick and God find a Saint lie a bleeding and you to answer it I would not be in yor coat for more then you got by it Hath the world ever gained by resisting Christ Doth it make the Crown sit faster on the heads of Kings or must they not rather do to Christ as King John to his supposed Vicar resign their Crowns to him and take them from him again as his Tributaries before they can hold them by a certain tenure read over but this Psalm and judge Herod must kill the child Jesus to secure his Crown The Jews must kill him least the Romans should come and take away their place and Nation Joh. 11. 48 And did this means secure them or did it bring upon them the destruction wich they thought to avoid Or have the people been greater gainers by this then their Kings What hath England got by resisting his Gospel and Government by hating his servants by scorning his holy waies What have you got by it in this City what say you have you yet done with your enmity and resistance have you enough or would you yet have more If you have not done with Christ he hath not done with you you may try again and follow on as farre as Pharaoh if you will but if you be not losers in the latter end I have lost my judgement and if you return in peace God hath not spoken by me 1 King 22. 28 Sirs I am loth to leave you till the bargain be made What say you Do you heartily consent that Christ shall be your soveraign his Word your Law his people your Companions his worship your recreation his merits your refuge his glory your end and himself the desire and delight of your souls The Lord Jesus now waiteth upou you for your resolution and answer thou wilt very shortly wait on him for thy Doom as ever thou wouldst then have him speake life to thy soul do thou now resolve upon the way of life Remember thou art almost at death and judgement what wouldst thou resolve if thou knewest that it were to morow if thou didst but see what others do now suffer for neglecting him that doth now offer thee his grace what wouldst thou then resolve to do Sirs it stirreth my heart to look upou you as Xerxes upon his Army and to think that it is not an hundred yeares till every soul of you shall be in Heaven or in Hell and it may be not an 100 hours til some of your souls must take their leave of your bodies when it comes to that then you will cry Away with the world away with my pleasures nothing can comfort me now but Christ why then will you not be of the same mind now When the world cryes away with this holiness and praying and talking of heaven give us our sports and our profits and the customes of our fore-fathers i. e. away with Christ and give us Barabbas then doe you cry away with all these and give us Christ Oh if it might stand with the will of God that I might chuse what effect this Sermon should have upon your hearts verily it should be nothing that should hurt you in the least but this it should be It should now fasten upon your souls and pierce into your Consciences as an Arrow that is drawn out of the quiver of God it should follow thee home to thy house and bring thee down on thy knees in secret and make thee there lament thy case and cry out in bitterness of thy spirit Lord I am the sinner that have neglected thee I have tasted more sweetness in the world then in thy blood and taken more pleasure in my earthly labours and delights then I have done in praying to thee or meditating on thee I have complemented with thee by a cold profession but my heart was never set upon thee And here should it make thee lie in tears and prayers and follow Christ with cryes and complaints till he should take thee up from the dust and assure thee of his pardon and change thy heart and close it with his own If thou wert the dearest friend that I have in the world this is the success that I would wish this Sermon with thy soul That it might be as a voice still sounding in thine eares that when thou art next in thy sinfull company or delight thon mightest as it were heare this voyce in thy Conscience Is this thine obedience to him that bought thee That when thou art next forgetting Christ and neglecting his worship in secret or in thy family or publique thou mightest see this sentence as it were written upon thy wall Kiss the Son least he be angry and thou perish that thou mightest see it as it were written upon the ●ester of thy Bed as oft as thou liest down in an unregenerate state and that it may keep thine eyes waking and thy soul disquieted and give thee no rest till thou hadst rest in Christ In a word If it were but as m●ch in my hands as it is in yours what should become of this Sermon I hope it would be the best Sermon to thee that ever thou heardest it should lay thee at the feet of Christ and leave thee in his arms Oh that I did but know what Arguments would perswade you and what words would work thy heart hereto If I were sure it would prevail I would come down from the Pulpit and go from man to man upon
Lord we would fain have drawn them with us to hear the word and to read it and to pray in their families and to santifie the holy day and take such happy Opportunities for their souls But we could not get them to it we did in our places what we were able to give them the Example of a Godly Conversation and they did but deride us they were readier to mark every slip of our lives and to observe all our Infirmities and catch at any Accusation that was against us then to follow us in any work of holy obedience or care for our everlasting peace The Lord knows it is a most heavy thing to consider now that poor neighbours must be fain to come in against those they love so dearly and by their Testimony to Judge them to p●rdition Oh heavy case to think of that a master must witness against his own servant Yea a husband against his own wife and a wife against her husband yea parents against their own children and say Lord taught them ●hy word but they would not learn I told them what would come on it if they returned not to thee I brought them to ●ermons and I prayed with them and for them I frequently minded them of th●se everlasting things and of this dreadfull day which they now see But youthful lusts and the temprations of the flash and the Devil led them away and I could never get them throughly and soundly to lay it to their hearts Oh you that are parents and friends and neighbours in the fear of God bestir you now that you ma● not be put to this at that day of Judgement Oh give them no rest take no nay of them till you have perswaded their hearts from this word to God lest you be put to be their condemners it must be now that you must prevent it or else never now while you are with them while you and they are in the flesh together which will be but a little while Can you but now prevail with them all will be well and you may meet them Joyfully before the Lord. 3. Another wittness that will testifie against the ungodly at that day will be their sinful companions those that drew them into sin or were drawn by them or joyned with them in it Oh little do poor drunkards think when they sit merrily in an Ale house that one of them must bear witness against another and condemn one another If they thought of this me thinks it should make them have less delight in that company Those that now joyn with you in wicked ness shall then be forced to witness I confess Lord I did hear him swear and curse I heard him deride those that feared the Lord and make a jest of a holy life I saw him in the Ale-house when he should be hearing the Word of God or reading or calling upon God and preparing for this day I joyned with him in fleshly delights in abusing thy creature and our own bodies Sinners look your companions in the face the next time you are with them and remember this that I now say that those men shall give in Evidence against you that now are your associates in all your mirth Little thinketh the fornicator and lustful wanton that their sinful mates must then bear witness of that which they thought the dark had concealed and tell their shame before all the world But this must be the fruit of sin It s meet that they who encouraged one another sin should condemn one another for it And marvail not at it for they shall be forced to it whether they will or no Light will not then be hid They ma● think to have some ease to their consciences by accusing and condemning others When Adam is questioned for his sin he presently accuseth the woman Gen. 3. 1● when Judas his conscience was awakened he runs to the Pharisees with the money that dr●w him to it and they cast it back in his own face See thou to it what is that to us Mat. 27. 4 5 6. Oh the cold comfort that sinners will have at that day and the little pleasure that they will find in remembring their evil wai●s Now when a fornicator or a worlding or a merry voluptuous man is grown old and cannot act all his sin again he takes pleasure in remembring and telling others of his former folly what he once was and what he did and the merry hours that he had but then when sinners are come to themselves a little more they will remember and tell one another of these things with another heart Oh that they did but know now how these things will then affect them 4. Another witness that will then rise up against them will be the very Devils that tempted them They that did purposely draw them to sin that they might draw them to Torment for sin They can witness that you harkned to their Temptations when you would not harken to Gods Exhortations They can witness that you obeyed them in working Iniquity But because you may think the Accusers Testimony is not to be taken I will not stand on this Though it is not nothing where God knoweth it to be true 5 The very Angels of God also may be witnesses against the wicked Therefore are we advised in Scriputre not to sin before them Eccl. 5. 6. 1 Cor. 11. 10. 1 Tim. 5. 21. I charge thee before the Elect Angels c. They can testifie that they would have been ministring Spirits for their good when the wicked rather chose to be slaves to the Spirit of malitiousness The holy Angels of God do many a time stand by you when you are sinning They see you when you see not them they are imployed by God in some sort for your good as well as we And as it is the grief of Ministers that their labours succeed not so may we suppose that according to their state and nature it is theirs For the that Rejoyce in heaven at the conversion of one sinner may be said to sorrow or to lose those joyes when you refuse to be converted These noble Spirits these Holy and Glorious attendants of Christ that shall wait upon him to Judgement will be Witnesses against Rebellious sinners to their Confusion ●irs you have all in you naturally a fear of Spirits and invisible powers Fear them aright lest hearkening to the deceiving Spirits and refusing the help of the Angels of God and wilfully sinning before their faces you should cause them at that day to the terrour of your souls to stand forth as witnesses against you to your Condemnation 6 Conscience it self will be most effectual witness against the wicked at that day I before told you it will be a Discerner and force them to a Confession But a further office it hath even to witness against them If none else in the world had known of their secret sins conscience will say I was acquainted with them 7. The spirit of Christ
can witness against the ungodly that he oft moved them to Repent and Return and they rejected his motions that the spoke to their hearts in secret and oft set in with the Minister and often minded them of their case and perswaded them to God but they resisted quenched and grieved the Spirit Acts 7. 51. As the Spirit witnesseth with the Spirits of the righteous that they are the children of God Rom. 8. 16. so doth he witness with the Conscience of the wicked that they were children of Rebellion and therefore are justly children of wrath This Spirit will not alway strive with men at last being vexed it will prove their enemy and rise up against them Gen. 6. 3. Isa 63. 10. If you will needs Grieve it now it will Grieve you then Were it not a Spirit of Grace and were it not free mercy that it came to offer you the Repulse would not have been so condemning nor the witness of this Spirit so heavy at the last But it was the Spirit of Jesus that came with recovering Grace which you resisted And though the wages of every sin is death yet you will find that it will cost you somewhat more to Reject this salvation than to break the Creators ●aw of works Kindness such Kindness will not be rejected at easie rates Many a good motion is now made by the Spirit to the Heart of a sinner which he doth not so much as once observe and therefore doth not now Remember them But then they shall be brought to his Remembrance with a witness Many a thousand secret motions to Repentance to Faith to a Holy Life will be Then set before the eyes of the poor unpardoned trembling sinner which he had quite forgotten And the Spirit of ●od shall testifie to his Confusion At such a Sermon I perswaded thy heart to Repent and thou wouldst not At such a time I shewed thee the evil of thy sin and perswaded thee to have forsaken it but thou wouldst not I minded thee in thy secret thoughts of the neerness of Judgement and the Certainty and Weight of everlasting things the need of Christ and faith and holyness and of the Danger of sinning but thou didst drown all my motions in the cares and pleasures of the world Thou harknedst rather to the Devil than to me The sensual inclinations of thy flesh did prevail against the strongest Arguments that I used Though I shewed Reasous undenyable Reasons from thy Creator from thy Redeemer from nature from grace from heaven and from hell yet all would not so much as stop thee much less turn thee but thou wouldest go on Thou wouldest follow thy flesh and now let it pay thee the wages of thy folly Thou wouldest be thy own guide and take thine own Course and now take what thou gettest by it Poor sinners I beseech you in the fear of God the next time you have any such motions from the Spirit of God to Repent and Believe and Break off your sins and the Occasions of them consider then what a mercy is set before you and how it will confound you at the day of Judgement to have all these motions brought in against you and that the Spirit of Grace it self should be your Condemner Alas that men should choose their own Desructon and wilfully choose it and that the foreknowledge of these things should not move them to relent So much concerning the witness that will be brought in against the sinner 5. The fifth Evidence that will be given against the sinner will be The Instruments and Effects You know among men if a man be found murthered by the high-way and you are found standing by with a bloody sword in your hand especially if there were a former dissention between you it will be an Evidence that will prove a strong presumption that you were the Murderer But if the fact be certain by other Evidence then many such things may be brought for aggravation of the fault So a twofold Evidence will be brought against the sinner from these things One to prove him guilty of the fact the other to Aggravate the fault and prove that his sin was very great For the former 1. The very creatures which sinners abused to sin may be brought in against them to their Conviction and Condemnation For though these creatures shall be consumed with the last destroying Fire which shall consume all the world yet they shall have a Being in the memory of the sinner an esse Cognitum The very Wine or Ale or other liquor which was abused to drunkenness may witness against the Drunkard The sweet morsels by which the Glutton did please his Appetite and all the good creatures of God which he luxuriously devoured may witness against him Luke 16. 19. 25. He that fared deliciously every day in this life was told by Abraham when he was dead and his soul in Hell Remember that thou in thy life time receivedst thy good things and likewise Lazarus evil things but now he is comfored and thou art tormented Though their sweet morsels and cups are past and gone yet must they be Remembred at Judgement and in Hell Remember Son saith Abraham Yea and Remember he must whether he will or no Long was the Glutton in sinning and many a pleasant bit did he taste and so many Evidences of his sin will lie against him and the sweetness will then be turned into gall The very cloathing and ornaments by which Proud person did manifest their Pride will be sufficient Evidence against them as his being clothed with Purple and fine Linnen is mentoned Luke 16. 19. The very Lands and goods and houses of worldlings will be an Evidence against them Their Gold and Silver which the covetous do now prefer before the everlasting Riches with Christ will be an Evidence against them James 5. 1 2 3 4. Go to now ye Rich men weep and howl for your miseries that shall come upon you Your Riches are corrupted and your Garments moath-eaten Your Gold and Silver is cankered and the Rust of them shall be a Witenss against you and shall eat your flesh as it were fire Ye have heaped Treasure together for the Last daies Behold the hire of the Laborers which have reaped down you fields which is of you kept back by fraud cryety and the cryes of them which have reaped are entred into the ears of the Lord of Sabboth Ye have lived in pleasure on the Earth and been wanton Ye have nourished your hearts as in a day of slaughter Oh that worldlings would well consider this one Text and therein observe whether a life of earthly pleasure and fulness of worldly Glory and Gallantry be as desirable as they imagine and to what Time and Purpose they now lay up their Treasures and how they must hear of these Things hereafter and what effect the review of their Jovial daies will have upon their miserable condemned souls 2. The very circumstances of Time Place and the
like may Evidence against his Condemnation The drunkard shall Remember In Such an Ale house I was so oft drunk and in such a ●avern I wasted my time The Adulterer and Fornicator shall Remember the very Time the Place the Room the Bed where they committed wickedness The Thief and Deceiver will Remember the Time Place the persons they wronged and the Thing which they robbed or deceived them of The worldling will Remember the business which he preferred before the service of God the worldly matters which had more of his heart then his Maker and Redeemer had the work which he was doing when he should have been Praying or Reading or Catechising his Family or thinking soberly of his latter end A thousand of these will then come into his mind and be as so many Evidences against him to his Condemnation 3. The very effects also of mens sins will be an Evidence against them The wife and children of a Drunkard are Impoverished by his sin His family and the neighbourhood is disquieted by him These will be so many Evidences against him So will the abuse of his own Reason The enticing of others to the same sin and hardning them by his example One covetons unmerciful Landlord doth keep a hundred or many hundred persons or families in so great necessities and care and labour that they are tempted by it to overpass the service of God as having scarce time for it or any room for it in their troubled thoughts All these miserable families and persons and all the souls that are undone by this Temptation will be so many Evidences against such Oppressors Yea the poor whom they have neglected to relieve when they might the sick whom they have neglected to visit when they might will all witness then against the unmerciful Mat. 25. The many ignorant worldly careless sinners that have perished under an idle and unfaithful Minister will be so many witnesses against him to his Condemnation They may then cry out against him to his face I was ignorant Lord and he never did so much as teach me catechize me nor tell me of these Things I was careless and minded the world and he let me go on quietly and was as careless as I had never plainly and faithfully warned me to waken me from my security And so their blood will be required at his hands though themselves also shall perish in their sins Ezek. 33 7. 8. 2. And as these Evidences will convince men of sin so there are many more which will convince them of the Greatness of their sin And these are so many that it would too much lengthen my discourse to stand on them A few I shall briefly touch 1. The very mercy of God in Creating men in giving and continuing their Being to them will be an Evidence for the Aggravation of their sin against him What will you abuse him by whom it is that you are men will you speak to his dishonor that giveth you your speech will you live to his dishonor who giveth you your Lives will you wrong him by his own creatures and neglect him without whom you cannot subsist 2. The Redemption of men by the Lord Jesus Christ will be an evidence to the exceeding Aggravation of their sins You sinned against the Lord that bought you 2 Pet. 2. 1. When the Feast was prepared and all things were Ready you made light of it and found excuses and would not come Mat. 22. 4 5 6. Luke 14. 17 18. Must Christ Redeem you by so dear a price from sin and misery and yet will you continue the servants of sin and prefer your slavery before your freedom and choose to be Satans drudges rather then to be the servants of God The sorrows and sufferings that Christ underwent for you will then prove the increase of your own sorrows As a neglected Redeemer it is that he will condemn you And then you would be glad that it were but true Doctrine that Christ never dyed for you that you might not be condemned for refusing a Redeemer and sinning against him that shed his blood for you How deeply will his wounds then wound your consciences You will then Remember that to this end he both ●yed rose and revived that he might be Lord both of the Dead and the Living And that he therefore dyed for all that they which live should not henceforth live to themselves but to him that dyed for them and rose again Rom. 14. 9. 2 Cor. 5. 14 15. Mat 28. 18. 19. 20. 1 Pet. 1. 17 18. You will then understand that you were not your own but were bought with a price and therefore should have glorified him that Bought you with your Bodies and Spirits because they were His 1 Cor. 6 19 20. This one Aggravation of your sin will make you doubly and remedilesly miserable that you Trod under foot the Son of God and counted the blood of the Covenant wherewith you were sanctified an unholy thing Heb. 10. 26 27 28 29. and crucified to your selves the Son of God afresh and put him to open shame Heb. 6. 5 6. 3. Moreover All the personal mercies which they received will be so many Evidences for the condemnation of the ungodly The very earth that bore them and yielded them its fruits while they themselves are unfruitful to God The Air which they breathed in the food which nourish'd them the cloaths which cover'd them the houses which they dwelt in the beasts that laboured for them and all the creatures that dyed for their use All these may rise up against them to their condemnation And the Judge may thus expostulate with them Did all these mercies deserve no more Thanks should you not have served him that so liberally maintained you God thought not all these too good for you and did you think your hearts and services too good for him He served yous w th the weary labours of your fellow creature and should you have grudged to bear his easie Yoak They were your slaves and drudges and you refused to be his free servants and his Sons They suffered Death to feed your bodies and you would not suffer the short forbearance of a little forbidden fleshly pleasure for the sake of him that made you and redeemed you Oh how many thousand mercies of God will then be reviewed by those that neglected them to the horrour of their souls when they shall be upbraided by the Judge with their base requital All the deliverances from sickness and from danger all the honours and priviledges and other commodities which so much contented them will then be Gods Evidence to shame them and confound them On this supposition doth the Apostle reprove such Rom. 2. 4 5 6. Despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and long suffering not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance But after thy hardness and impenitent heart treasurest up unto thy self wrath against the day of wrath revelation of
the righteous Judgement of God who will render to every man according to his Deeds 4. Moreover All the means which God used for the Recovery of sinners in the day of their visitation will rise up against Impenitent souls in Judgement to their condemnation You can hear Sermons carelessly and sleepily now but O that you would consider how the review of them will then awake you You now make light of the warnings of God and man and of all the wholesome advice that is given you but God will not then make light of your contempt Oh what cutting Questions will they be to the hearts of the ungodly when all the means that were used for their good are brought to their remembrance on one side and the temptations that drew them to sin on the other side and the Lord shall plead his cause with their consciences and say Was I so hard a Master or was my work so unreasonable or was my wages so contemptible that no perswasions could draw you into my service was Satah so good a Master or was his work so honest and profitable or was his wages ' so desirable that you would be so easily perswaded to do as he would have you Was there more perswading Reason in his allurements and deceits then in all my holy words and all the powerfull Sermons that you heard or all the faithfull admonitions you received or all the good examples of the righteous or in all the works of God which you beheld Was not a reason fecht from the love of God from the evill of sin the blood of Christ the Judgement to come the glory promised the torments threatned as forcible with you and as good in your eyes to draw you to holiness as a Reason from a little fleshly delight or worldly gain to draw you to be unholy In the name of God sinners I intreat you to bethink your selves in time how you will sufficiently answer such Questions as these You should have seen God in every creature that you beheld and have read your duty in all his works what can you look upon above you or below you or round about you which might not have shewed you so much of the wisdom and goodness and greatness of your maker as should have convinced you that it was your duty to be devoted to his wil And yet you have his written word that speaks plainer then all these And will you despise them all will you not see so great a Light will you not hear so loud and constant calls shall God and his Ministers speak in vain And can you think that you shall not hear of this again and pay for it one day you have the Bible other good books by you why do you out read them You have Ministers at hand why do you not go to them and earnestly ask them Sir What must I do to be saved intreat them to teach you the way to life you have some neighbors that fear God why do you not go to them and take their good advice and imitate them in the fear of God and in a holy diligence for your souls Now is the time for you to bestir your Selves Life and Death are before you You have gales of grace to further your voyage There are more for you then against you God will help you his Spirit will help you his Ministers will help you every good Christian will help you the Angels themselves will help you if you will resolvedly set your selves to the work And yet will you not stir Patience is waiting on you Mercies are enticing you Scourges are driving you Judgement stayeth for you The Lights of God stand burning by you to direct you And yet will you not stir but lie in darkness And do you think you shall not hear of this Do you think this will not one day cost you dear IX THE ninth part of our work is to shew you What are those frivolous excuses by which the unrighteous may then indeavour their defence Having already shewed you what the Defence must be that must be suffiicient to our Justification If any first demand Whether the Evidence of their sin will not so overwhelm the sinner that he will be speechless and past excuse I answ Before God hath done with him he will be so But it seems at first his dark understanding and partial corrupted conserence will set him upon a vain Defence For Mat. 7. 22 23. Christ telleth us that Many will say to me in that day Lord Lord have we not prophesied in thy name and in thy name have cast out Devils and in thy name have done many wonderful works And then will I profess to them I never knew you Depart from me● ye workers of iniquity And in Mat 25. 11. The foolish Virgins cry Lord Lord open to us And vers 44. Then shall they also answer him saying Lord when saw we thee an hungred or thirst or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison and did not Minister unto thee And vers 24 25. They fear not to cast some of the cause of their neglect on God himself Then he which had received the one Talent came and said Lord I knew that thou art an hard man reaping where thou hast not sown and gathering where thou hast not strawed and I was afraid and went and hid thy talent in the earth lo there thou hast that is thine It is cleer then that Excuses they will be ready to make and their full conviction will be in order after these Excuses at least as in their minds if not in words But what the particular Excuses will be we may partly know by these Scriptures which recite them and partly by hearing what the ungodly do now say for themselves And because it is for their present benefit that I now make mention of them that they may see the vanity of all such Excuses I will mention them as I now meet with them in the mouthes of Sinners in our ordinary discourse and these Excuses are of several sorts some by which they would justify their estate some Excuses of particular actions and that either in whole or in part some by which they would put by the penalty though they confess the sin some by which they lay the blame on other men and in some they would cast it upon God himself I must touch but some of them very briefly The first Excuse I am not guilty of these things which I am accused of I did love God above All and my Neighbor as my self I did use the World but for Necessity but God had my heart Answer The all-seeing Judge doth know the contrary and he will make thy Conscience know it Look back man upon thy heart and life How seldom and how neglectfully didst thou think of God how coldly didst thou worship him or make any mention of him how carelesly didst thou serve him and think much of all that thou didst therein Thou rather thoughtest
of this world were not only uncertain but certainly vain and transitory and would shortly come to nothing and leave you in distress If it had then been uncertain whether there were a Glory and Mi●ery hereafter as it was not should not Reason have taught you to prefer the least probabilities of an everlasting unspeakable happiness before that which is certainly perishing and vain These vain Excuses will but condemn you The Eighth Excuse I was so enticed and perswaded by sinner to do as they did that I could not deny them they would never let me rest Answ And were you not as earnestly perswaded by God to forsake sin and erve him and yet that would not prevail with you You could not deny the Devils and fools but you could deny God and all his Messengers Were not Ministers as earnest with you every week to repent and amend What did men entice you with with a little deluding fleshly pleasure for a few daies And what did God entice you with with the Promise of endless unconcievable felicity And if this were a smaller matter in your eyes then the other then you have had your choice be content with it and thank your selves In your life time you had the good things which you chose and preferred before heaven and therefore cannot expect to have heaven besides The ninth Excuse I lived among ungodly persons that derided all that feared God so that if I had not done as I they did but had made any more ado to be saved should have been the very scorn of the place where I lived Answ And was not heaven worth the enduring of a scorn Is not he worthy to go without it that thinks so basely of it Did not Christ tell you that if you were ashamed of him before men he would be ashamed of you before his Father and the Angels of heaven Mark 8. 38. He sufferered more then scorns forth you and could not you suffer a scorn for im and your selves seeing you chose rather to endure everlasting Torment than a little derision from ignorant men take that which you made choice of And seeing so small a matter wonld drive you from heaven and part God and you as a mock as the wind of a mans mouth No wonder if you be commanded to Depart from him into everlasting fire The tenth Excuse I had ungodly persons to my Parents or Masters or Landlord or Governors who threatned to undo me if I had addicted my self to so strict a life and if I would not believe and do as they did Answ What if they threatned you with present Death Did not God also threaten you with everlasting Death if you were not ruled by him And whose threatning should you have chiefly feared Is man more dreadful than God Is death more terrible then Hell Did not Chirst bid you Fear not them that can kill the body and after that can do no more but fear him that is able to destroy both body and soul in hell sire yea I say unto you fear him Mat. 10. 28. Luke 12. 4 5. and Isa 51. 7. Fear ye not the Reproach of men neither be afraid of their revilings For the moth shall eat them up like a Garment the worm shall eat them like wool but My Righteousness shall be for ever ard my salvation from Generation to Generation Seeing therefore you have chosen rather to suffer from God for ever for your sin then to suffer small matters for well-doing for a moment you must ever bear your own choice Christ told you before hand that if you could not forsake all the world and your own lives for him you could not be his Disciples Match 10. 37 38 39. And seeing you thought his terms too hard would needs seek you out a better service even take what you have chosen and found The eleventh Excuse I saw so many follow their pleasure and their worldly business and never look after these higher things and so few go the other way that I thought sure God would not damn so great a part of the world and therefore I ventured to do as the most did Answ God will make good his word upon many or few Did you doubt of his will or of his power I For his will he hath told it you in his word For his power he is as ab e to punish many as one man What is all he world to him but as a drop of a Bucket as the dust of the ballance He told you before hand that the gate was strait and the way to heaven was narrow and few did find it and the gate to destruction was wide and the way was broad and many did enter in at it Mat. 7. 13 14. And if you would not Believe him you must bear what your unbelief hath brought you to Wha● if you had twenty children or servants or friends and the greater part of them should prove false to you and seek your destruction or prove disobedient and turn to your enemy would you think it a good excuse if the rest should do the like because of their example will you therefore wrong God because you see others wrong him would you spit in the face of your own Father if you saw others do so God warned you that you should not follow a multitude to do evil Exod. 23. 2 And if yet you will do as most do you must even speed as most speed You should not so much consider who they be as what they do and whither they go and who they forsake and what they lose and what strength is in the Reasons that move them to do this And then you would find It is God they forsake it is sin they choose it is heaven they lose it is hell they run into and it is no true reason but Satans delusion and sensual inclinations that lead them to it And should men be imitated be they many or be they few in such a course as this The twelfth Excuse I saw so many faults in those that were accounted Godly and saw so much Division among them that I thought they were as bad as others and among so many opinions I knew not what Religion to be of Answ 1. A spot is soonest seen in the fairest cloth And the malicious world useth to make such far worse then they are 2. But suppose all were true that malice saith of some you could not say the like by others 3. Or if you could yet it was Gods Law and not mens faults that was made the Rule for you to live by Will it excuse you that others are bad 4. And from their diverse opinions you should have taken counsel at Gods word which was right Did you first search the Scripture impartially as willing to know the Truth that you might obey it and did you pray daily that God would lead you into the truth and did you obey as much as you knew Did you joyn with the godly so far as they are
Actually unwilling If a man have so accustomed himself to murder drunkeness stealing or the like wickedness so far that he cannot leave it will you therefore forgive him or will any Judge or Jury hold him excused Or rather think him the more unfit for mercy 5. Note also that the want of a supernatural Habit no nor the presence of the contrary Habit do not Efficiently determine the will to particular acts much less take away its natural Fre●●om 6. And that till Habits attain an utter predominancy at least there is a Power remaining in the will to resist them and use means against them Though Eventually the perverse Inclination may hinder the use of it The three and twentieth Excuse I have heard from learned men that God doth determine all Actions Natural and Free as the first Efficient Physical immediate Cause or else nothing could Act. And then it was not long of me that I chose forbidden Objects but of him that irresistly moved me therto and whose Instrument I was Answ This is a trick of that wisdom which is foolishness with God and to be deceived by vain Philosophy 1. The very principle it self is most likely to be false and those that tell you this to err Much more I think may be said against it then for it 2. I am sure it is either false or reconcileable with Gods Holiness and mans liberty and culpability so that its a mad thing to deceive yeur selves with such Philosophical uncertain●ies when the Truth which you oppose by it is infallibly certain That God is not the Author of sin but man himself who is justly condemned for it is undoubtedly true and would you obscure so clear a Truth by searching into points beyond homane reach if not unsound as you conclude them The four and twentieth Excuse But at least those learned Divines among us that doubt of this do yet say that the will is necessarily and infallbly Determined by the Practical Understanding and that is as much unresistibly necessitated by Objects and therefore whatever act was done by my understanding or will was thus necessitated and I could not help it The● say Liberty is but the Acting of the faculty aggreeably to its nature And it was God as Creator that gave Adam his faculties and God by providential dtspose that presented all Objects to him by Which hi understanding and so his Will were unvoidable necessitated Answ This is of the same nature with the former uncertain if no● certainly false Were this true for ought we can see it would lay all the sin and misery of this world on God as the unresistible necessitating Cause which because we know infallibly to be false we have no reason to take such principles to be true which infer it The understanding doth not by a necessary efficiency Determine the will but morally or rather is regularly a Condition or necessary Antecedent without which it may not Determine itself Yea the Will by commanding the sense and phantasie doth much to determine the Understanding As the eye is not necessary to my going but to my going right so is not the Understandings Guidance necessary to my willing there the simple Apprehension may suffice but to my Right willing There are other wayes of Determining the Will Or if the Understanding did Determine the Will Efficiently and Necessarily it is not every act of the Understanding that must do it If it be so when it sai●h This must be done and saith it importunately yet not when it only saith This may be done or you may venture on it which is the common part which it hath in sin I am not pleased that these curious Objections fall in the way nor do I delight to put them into vulgar heads but finding many young Schollars and others that have converted with them assaulted with these Temptations I thought meet to give a touch and but a touch to take them out of their way As Mr. Fenner hath done more fully in the Preface to his Hidden Manna on this last point to which I refer you I only add this The will of man in its very Dominion doth bear Gods Image It is a self Determining Power though it byassed by Habits and needs a Guide As the Heart Vital Spirits by which it acteth are to the rest of the Body so is It to the soul The Light of Nature hath taught all the world to carry the Guilt of every crime to the will of man and there to leave it Upon this all Laws and Judgements are grounded From Ignorance and Intellectual weakness men commonly fetch Excuses for their faults but from the Will they are Aggravated If we think it strange that mans will should be the first cause so much as of a sinful mode and answer all occuring Objections it may suffice that we are certain the Holy Majesty is not the Author of sin and he is able to make all this as plain as the Sun and easily answer all these vain Excuses though we should be unable And if we be much ignorant of the frame and motions of our own souls and especially of that high self determining principle Free-Will the great spring of our actions and the curious Engine by which God doth Sapientially Govern the world it is no wonder Considering that the soul can know it self but by Reflection and God gave us a soul to use rather then to know itself and to know its qualities and operations rather then its Essence The five and twentieth Excuse No man can be saved nor avoid any sin nor believe in Christ but those whom God hath predestinated thereto I was under an irreversible Sentence before I was born and therefore I do nothing but what I was predestinated to do and if God decreed not to save me how could I help it Answ 1. Gods Judgements are more plain but his Decrees or secret purposes are mysterious And to darken certainties by having recourse to points obscure is no part of Christian Wisdom God told you your Duty in his word and on what terms vou must be Judged to Life or Death Hither should you have recourse for Direction and not to the unsearchable mysteries of his mind 2. God decreeth not to Condemn any but for sin Sin I say as the Cause of that Condemnation though not of his Decree 3. Gods Decrees are acts Immanent in himself and make no change on you and therefore do not necessitate you to sin any more then his fore-knowledge doth For both cause only a necessity of Confequence which is Logical as the Divines on both sides do Consess And therefore this no more caused you to sin then if there had been no such Decree And it s a doubt whether that Decree be not negative A willing suspending of the Divine will as to evil or at most A purpose to permit it The six and twentieth Excuse If it be no more yet doth it make my perdition unavoidable For even Gods foreknowledge doth so
a full ●ustifiction A Heathens conscience may excuse him from those sins which he was never guilty of but not from all But no more of them 2. The case of those that have had the Gospel is more plainly opened to us in Gods Word Their Sentence is opened in many places of Scripture but most fully in Matth 25. whence we will now collect it There we find that Jesus Christ the Redeemer as King of the world shall sit in Judgement on all men at the last and shall seperate them one from another as a Shepherd divideth the Sheep from the Goats and so shall pass the final Sentence This Sentence is twofold according to the different Condition of them that are judged To them on the right hand there is a Sentence of justification and Adjudication to everlasting glory To them on the left hand there is a Sentence of Condemnation to everlasting Punishment The Sentence on each of these containeth both the state which they are Judged to and the reason or cause of the Judgement to that state For as God will not Iudge any to Life or Death without just cause so he will publish this cause in his sentence as it is the manner of Judges to do If you say Christ will not use a voice Let it satisfie that though we know not the manner yet if he do it but by mental discovery as he shews men what shall everlastingly befall them so he will shew them why it shall so befall them 1. The Sentence on them on the Right hand will contain 1. their Justification and Adjudication to Blessedness that both as generally denominated and as particularly determined and described 2. And the cause of this Iudgement 1. In general they shall be pronounced Blessed Satan would have had them cursed and miserable the Law did curse them to misery Many a fearful thought hath possessed their own brests least they should prove at last accursed and miserable But now they hear the contrary from their Iudge All the Promises in the Gospel could not perfectly overcome those their fears all the comfortable words of the Ministers of the Gospel conld not perfectly subdue them all the tend●er mercies of God in Christ d●d not perfectly subdue them But now they are vanquished all for ever He that once had heard his Redeemer in Iudgement call him Blessed will never fear being Cursed more For he that Christ Blesseth shall be Blessed indeed The Description of their blessedness followeth Come inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world And also they are called Blessed Of the Father Here is the fountain of their Blessedness The Father and the state of their blessedness in Being the Fathers For I suppose they are called the Blessed of the Father both because the Father blesseth them that is makes them Happy and because these blessed ones are the Fathers own And so Christ will publish it to the world in Judgement that he came to glorifie the Father and will proclaim him the Principal Efficient and Ultimate end of his work of Redemption and the blessedness of his Saints and that himself is as Mediator but the way to the Father It is the Father that prepared the Kingdom for them and from the foundation of the world prepared it Both for them as chosen ones and for them as future believers and Righteous ones It is called a Kingdom partly in respect to God the King in whose glory we shall partake in our places and partly Metaphorically from the Dignity of our Condition For so it is that our selves are said to be made Kings Rev. 1. 6. and 5. 1. 1 Pet. 2. 9. and not that we are properly Kings for then we must have subjects who must be Governed by us Thus we see their Blessedness in the Fountain end and state of Dignity As to the Receptive Act on their part it is expressed by two words one signifying their first entrance on it Come the other their Possession Inherit that is possess it as given by the Father and Redeemed by the Son and ho●d it in this Tenure for ever The true Believer was convinced in this life that indeed there was no true blessedness but this enjoyment of God in the Kingdom of heaven The Lord revealed this to his heart by his Word and Spirit And therefore he contemned the seeming happiness on earth and laid up for himself a Treasure in heaven and made him friends with the Mammon of unrighteousness and ventured all his hope in this Vessel And now he findeth the wisdom of that choice in a rich return God made him so Wise a Merchant as to sell All for this Pearl of greatest price and therefore now he shall find the gain As there Is no other true Happiness but God in glory so is there nothing more suitable and welcom to the true Believer O how welcome will the face of that God be whom he loved whom he sought whom he longed and waited for How welcome will that Kingdom be which he lived in Hope of which he parted with All for and suffered for in the flesh How glad will he be to see the Blessed face of his Redeemer who by his manifold Grace hath brought him unto this I leave the believing soul to think of it and to make it the daily matter of his Delightful Meditation What an unconceivable Ioy in one moment his Sentence of Christ will fill his soul with Undoubtedly it is now quite past our comprehension though our imperfect forethoughts of it may well make our lives a continual Feast Were it but our Iustification from the Accusations of Satan who would have us Condemned either as sinners in general or as Impenitent Unbeleiving Rebels against him that Redeemed us in sp cial it would lift up the heads of the Saints in that day After al● the fears of our own hearts and the slanderous Accusations of Satan and the world That we were either Impenitent Infidels or Hypocrites Christ will then Iustifie us and prononce us Righteous So much for the Condition to which they are Iudged 2. The Reason or Cause of this Justification of the Saints is given us both 1. In a general denomination and 2. In a particular Description 1. In General it is because they Were Righteous as is evident Mat. 25. 46. The Righteous shall go into life Everlasting And indeed it is the business of every just Judge to justifie the righteous and condemn the unrighteous And shall not the Judge of all the earth judge righteously Gen. 18. 25 God makes men Righteous before he judges them so and Judgeth them Righteous Because they are so He that abominateth that man who saith to the Righteous thou art wicked or to the wicked thou art Righteons who Justifieth the wicked and Condemneth the Righteous will certainly never do so himself Indeed he will Justifie them that are sinners but not against the Accusation that they are sinners but against the Accusation that they are
far mortified the flesh and subdued the world and the Devil that the Authority and Word of God can do more with him then any other and doth ordinarily prevail against all the perswasion and interest of the flesh so that the main scope and bent of the heart and life is still for God and when he sinneth he riseth again by true Repentance I say that soul and that only shall be Justified in Judgement and be saved 5. That soul that hath such Believing thoughts of the life to come that he taketh the promised blessedness for his portion and is resolved to venture all else upon it and in hope of his glory doth se● light comparatively by all things in this world and waiteth for it as the end of this life choosing any suffering that God shall call him to rather then to lose his hopes of that felicity and thus persevereth to the end I say that soul and none but that shall be justified in Judgement and escape Damnation In these five marks I have told you truly and briefly who shall be Justified and saved and who shall be condemned at the day of Judgement And if you would have them all in five words they are but the Description of these five Graces Repentance Faith Love Obedience Hope But though I have laid these close together for your use yet lest you should think that in so weighty a case I am too short in the proof of what I so determine of I will tell you in the express words of many Scripture Texts who shall be Justified and who shall be condemned John 3. 3. Except a man be born again he cannot enter into the Kingdom of God Heb. 12. 14. Without holiness none shall see God Luk. 13. 3 5. Except ye repent ye shall all likewise perish Acts 26. 18. I send thee to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light and from the power of Satan unto God that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an Inheritance among the sanctified by Faith that is in me Joh. 3. 15 16. 17 18 19. Whoever believeth in him shall not perish but have everlasting life he that believeth on him is not condemned he that believeth not is condemned already because he hath not Believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God and this is the condemnation that light is come in to the world and men loved darkness rather then light because their deeds were evil John 5. 28 29. The hour is coming in which all that are in the graves shal hear his voice shall come forth they that have done good to the Resurrect on of life and they that have done evil to the Resurrection of damnation Mat. 25. 30. Cast the unprofitable servant into outer darkness there shal be weeping gnashing of Teeth Lu. 19 27. But those mine enimies which would not that I should raign over them bring hither and slay them before me Mat 22. 12. 13. Friend how camest thou in hither not having on a wedding gatment And he was speechless Then said the King to the servants Bind him hand and foot and take him away and cast him into outer darkness c. Mat. 5. 20. For I say unto you that except your Righteousness exceed the Righteousness of the Scribes and Pharisees ye shall in no wise enter into the Kingdom of heaven Mat. 7. 21. Not every one that saith Lord Lord shall enter into the Kingdom of Heaven but he that doth the will of my Father which is in Heaven Heb. 5. 6. He is become the Author of eternall salvation to all them that obey him Rev. 22. 14. Blessed are they that do his Commandments that they may have right to the tree of life and may enter in by the Gate into the City Rom. 8. 1. 13. There is then no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus that walk not after the flesh but after the Spirit For if ye live after the flesh ye shall dye but if ye through the Spirit do mortifie the deeds of the body ye shall live Rom. 8. 9. If any man have not the Spirit of Christ he is none of his Gal. 5. l8 But if ye be Led of the Spirit ye are not under the Law Gal. 6. 7. 8. Be not deceived God is not mocked for whatsoever a man soweth that shall he also reap for he that soweth to the flesh shall of the flesh reap Corruption but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit read life Everlasting Matth. 6. 21. For where your Treasure is there wil your heart be also Read Psal 1. and many other Texts to this purpose of which some are cited in my Directions for Peace of Conscience Dir. 11. p. 115. 116. And thus I have told you from Gods Word how you may know whether you are ready for Judgement which is the fourth thing that I would advise you to enquire after O Sirs what shift do you make to keep your souls from Continual Terrours as you as long remain unready for Judgement How do you keep the Thoughts of it out of your mind that they do not break your sleep and meet you in your business and haunt you every way you go while Judgement is so neer and you are so unready But I shall proceed to say next Question Qu. 5 AND in the last place to those of you that are not yet Ready nor in a Condition wherein you may safe at that day ' my Question is How are you resolved to prepare for Judgement for the time to come Will you do no more than you have done hitherto Or will you now set your selves with all your might to make preparation for so great a day me thinks you should be now past all demurs delays or further doubtings about such a business and by the consideration of what I have said already you should be fully Resolved to lose no more time but presently to awake and ●e● upon the work Me thinks you should all say We will do any thing that the Lord shall Direct us to do rather then we will be unready for this final doom O that there were but such hearts in you that you were truly willing to follow the gracious Guidance of the Lord and to use but those sweet and reasonable means which he hath prescribed you in his Word that you may be ready for that day Alas it is no hard matter for me to tell you or my self what it is that we must do if we will be happy and it is no very hard matter to Do it so far ar we are truly willing but the difficulty is to be truly and throughly willing to this work If I shall tell you what you must do for preparation shall I not lose my labour Will you resolve and promise in the strength of Grace that you will faithfully and speedily endeavour to practise it whoever shall gainsay it Upon hope of this I will set you down some brief Directions
which you must follow if ever you will with comfort look the Lord Jesus in the face at the hour of Death or in the Day of Iudgement THE first Direction is this See that your souls be sincerely established in the Belief of this Judgement and everlasting life For if you do not soundly believe it you will not seriously prepare for it If you have the Judgement and belief of an Infidel you cannot have the Heart or the Life of a Christian Unbelief shuts out the most of the world from heaven see that it do not so by you If you say You cannot Believe what you would I answer Feed not yor ●●belie● by wilfulness or unreasonableness Use Gods means to overcome it and shut not your eyes against he light and then try the issues Heb. 3. 12 13 15 16 17 18 19. THE second Direction Labour diligently to have a sound understanding of the nature of the Laws and Judgement of God On what terms it is that he dealeth with mankinde and on what terms he will Judge them to Life or Death and what the Reward and punishment is For if you know not the Law by which you must be Judged you cannot know how to prepare for the Judgement Study the Scripture therefore and mark who they be that God promiseth to save and who they be that he threatneth to Condemn For according to that Word will the Judgement pass THE third Direction See that you take it as the very business of your Lives to make ready for that day Understand that you have no other business in this world but what doth necessarily depend on this What else have you to do but to provide for everlasting and to use means to sustain your own bodies and others of purpose for his work till it be happily done ● Live therefore as men that make this the main scope and care of their Lives and let all things else come in but on the by Remember every morning when you awake that you must spend that day in preparation for your Account and that God doth give it you for that end When you go to bed examine your hearts what you have done that day in preparation for your last Day And take that time as lost which doth nothing to this end THe fourth Direction Vse frequently to think of the Certainty neerness and dreadfulness of that day to keep Life in your Affections and Endeavours lest by Inconsiderateness your souls grow stupid and negligent Otherwise because it is out of sight the heart will be apt to grow hardened and secure And do not think of it sleightly as a common thing but purposely set your selves to think of it that it may rouze you up to such Affections and Endeavours as in some measure are answerable to the nature of the thing THE fifth Direction Labour to have a lively feeling on thy heart of the evil and weight of that sin which thou art guilty of and of the misery into which it hath brought thee and would further bring thee if thou be not delivered and so to feel the need of a Deliverer This must prepare thee to partake of Christ now and if thou partake not of him now thou canst not be saved by him Then It is these souls that now make light of their sin and misery that must then feel them so heavy as to be pressed by them into the infernal flames And those that now feel little need of a Saviour they shall then have none to save them when they feel their need THE sixth Direction Vnderstand and Believe the sufficiency of that Ransom and Satisfaction to Justice which Christ hath made for thy sins and for the world and how freely and universally it is offered in the Gospel Thy sin is not uncurable or unpardonable nor thy misery remediless God hath provided a remedy in his Son Christ and brought it so neer thy hands that nothing but thy neglecting or wilful refusing it can deprive thee of the Benefit Settle thy soul in this belief THE seventh Direction Vnderstand and Believe that for all Christs satisfaction there is an Absolute Necessity of sound Faith and Repentancte to be in thy own self before thou canst be a Member of him or be Pardoned Adopted or Justified by his blood He dyed not for final Infidel●ty and Impenitency as predominant in any soul As the Law of his Father which occasioned his suffering required perfect Obedience or suffering So his own Law which he hath made for the conveyance of his Benefits doth require yet true Faith and Repentance of men themselves before they shall be pardoned by him and sincere Obedience and Perseverance before they shall be glorified THE eighth Direction Rest not therefore in an unrenewed unsanctified state that is till this Faith and Repentance be wrought on thy own soul and thou be truly broken of from thy former sinful course and from all things in this world and art Dedicated Devoted and Resigned unto God Seeing this change must be made and these graces must be had or thou must certainly perish in the fear of God see that thou give no ease to thy mind till thou art thus changed Be content with nothing till this be done Delay not another day How canst thou live merrily or sleep quietly in such a Condition as if thou shouldst dye in it thou shouldst perish for ever Especially when thou art every hour uncertain whether thou shalt see another hour and not be presently snatch away by death Methinks while thou art in so sad a case which way ever thou art going or what ever thou art doing it should still come into thy thoughts Oh what if I should Dye before I be Regenerate and have part in Christ THE ninth Direction Let it be the daily care of thy soul to mortifie thy fleshly desires and overcome this world and live as in a continual Conflict With Satan which Will not be ended till thy life do end If any thing destroy thee by drawing away thy heart from God it will be thy carnal self thy fleshly desires and the allurements of this world which is the matter that they feed upon This therefore must be the earnest work of thy life to subdue this flesh and set light by this world and resist the Devil that by these would destroy thee It is the common case of miserable hypocrites that at first they list themselves under Christ as for a fight but they presently forget their state and work and when they are once in their own conceit Regenerate they think themselves so safe that there is no further danger and thereupon they do lay down their Arms and take that which they miscall their Christian Liberty and indulge and please that fl●sh which they promised to mortifie and close with the world which they promised to contemn and so give up themselves to the Devil whom they promised to fight against If once you apprehend all your Religion lieth in meer Believing
unto him Who can shew such title to the Soveraignty such right to rule thee as Christ can do He is thy maker and so is not Satan he dearly bought thee and so did not the world Thou wast not Redeemed with silver and Gold and corruptible things 1 Pet. 1. 18. I make this challenge here in the behalf of Christ let any thing in the world step forth and shew a better title to thee to thy heart and to thy life then Christ doth shew and let them take thy heart and take thy rule But why do I speak thus I know thou wilt confess it and yet wilt thou not yield him thy chiefest love and obedience out of thy own mouth then art thou condemned and thou proclaimest thy self a knowing and wilful Rebel 2. To deny thy affections and subjection to Christ is the most barbarous unkindness that a sinner can be guilty of Did he pitty thee in thy lost estate and take thee up when thou laist wounded in the way and make thee a plaister of the blood of his heart And is this thy requital Did he come down from heaven to earth to seek thee when thou wast lost and take upon him all thy dept and put himself into the prison of the world and flesh hath he paid for thy folly and born that wrath of God which thou must have suffered for ever and doth he not now deserve to be entertained with most affectionate respect but with a few cold thoughts instead of hearty love and with a few formal words instead of worship What hurt had it been to him if thou hadst perished what would he have lost by it if thou hadst lain in Hell would not Justice have been glorified upon a disobedient wretch Might not he have said to his Father What are these worms and sinners to me must I smart for their folly must I suffer when they have sineed must I debase my self to become man because they would have exalted themseves to become as God if they will needs undo themselves what is it to me if they will cast themselves into the flames of Hell must I go thither to fetch them out Thus Christ might have put off the suffering and the shame aud let it fall and lie where it was due but he did not His compassion would not suffer him to see us suffer Justice must be satisfied the threat must be fulfilled Christ seeth that we cannot overcome it but he can therefore hee comes down into flesh he lives on earth he fasteth he weepeth he is weary he is tempted he hath not a place to put his head he is ha●ed he is spit upon he is cloathed as a fool and made a scorn he sweateth blood he is Crucified with Theeves he bares the burden that would have sunk all us to Hell and must he after all this be neglected and forgotten and his Laws that should rule us be laid aside and be accounted too strict and precise for us to live by O let the Heavens blush and the Earth be ashamed at this barbarous ingratitude How can such a people shew their faces at his comming or look him in the face when he shall judge them for this would you use a friend thus No nor an enemy Me thinks you should rather wonder with your selves that ever Christ should give you leave to love him and say Will the Lord endure such a wretch to kiss him will he suffer himself to be embraced by those arms which have been defiled so oft by the embracements of sin will he so highly honour me as to be his subject and his servant and to be guided by such a blessed and perfect Law and doth he require no harder conditions then these for my salvation Take then my heart Lord it is only thine and oh that it were better worth thy having or take it and make it better the Spear hath opened me a passage to thy heart let the Spirit open thee a passage into mine deservedly may those Gates be fuel for Hell that would not open to let in the King of Glory 3. To deny thine affection and subjection to the Son is the greatest folly and madness in the world Why doth he require this so earnestly at thy hands is it for thy hurt or for thy good would he make a prey of thee for his own advantage is it for any need hat he hath of thee or of thy service or because thou hast need of him for thy direction or salvation would he steal away thy heart as the world doth to delude it would he draw thee as Satan doth to serve him that he may torment thee if so it were no wonder that thou art so hardly drawn to him but thou knowest sure that Christ hath none of these ends The truth is this His dying on the Cross is but part of the work that is necessary to thy Salvation this was but the paying of the debt he must give thee moreover a peculiar interest and make that to be absolutely thine which was thine but conditionally he must take off thy rags and wash thy sores and qualify thy soul for the prepared Glory and bring thee out of the prison of sin and death and present thee to his Father blameless and undefiled and estate thee in greater dignity then thou fellest from and all this must he do drawing thee to himself and laying himself upon thee as the Prophet upon the Child and closing thy heart with his heart and thy will with his will and thy thoughts and waies with the Rule of his Word And is this against thee or for thee is there any hurt to thee in all this I dare challenge Earth and Hell and all the Enemies of Christ in both to shew the least hurt that ever he caused to the soul of a believer or the least wrong to the soul of any And must he then have such a stir to do thee good must he so beseech thee to be happy and follow thee with entreaties and yet art thou like a stock that neither heare's nor fee●'s Nay dost thou not murmur and strive against him as if he were about to do thee mischief and would rather cut thy throat then cure thee and were going to destroy thee and not to save thee I appeal to any that hath not renounced his Reason whether this be not notorious bruitish unreasonableness and whether thou be not liker a beast that must be cast or held while you dress his sores then to a man that should help on his own recovery Foolish Sinner It is thy sin that hurts thee and not thy Saviour why dost thou not rather strive against that It is the Devil that would destroy thee and yet thou dost not grudge at they obedience to him Be judge thy self whether this be wise or equal dealing Sinner I beseech thee in the behalf of thy poor soul if thou have such a mind to renounce thy Saviour do it not till thou hast found a
better Master say as Peter Wither shall we go Lord thou hast the words of eternal life And when thou knowest once where to be better then go thy way part with Christ and spare not If thy merry company or thy honour or thy wealth or all thy friends and delights in the world will do that for thee which Christ hath done and which at last he will do if thou stick to him then take them for thy Gods and let Christ go In the meane time let me prevaile with thee as thou are a man of reason sell not thy Saviour till thou know for what sell not thy soul till thou know why sell not thy hopes of Heaven for nothing God forbid that thy wilfull folly should bring thee to Hell and there thou shouldst lie roaring and crying out for ever This is the reward of my neglecting Christ he would have led me to Glory and I would not follow him I sold heaven for a few merry hours for a little honour and ease and delight to my flesh here I lie in torment because I would not be ruled by Christ but chose my lusts and pleasure be fore him Sinner do not think I speak harshly or uncharitably to call this neglect of Christ thy folly As true as thou livest and hearest me this day except thy timely submission do prevent it which God grant it may thou wilt one of these dayes befool thy self a thousand times more then I now befool thee and call thy self mad and a thousand times mad when thou thinkest how fair thou wast for heaven and how ready Christ was to have been thy Saviour and thy Lord and how light thou madest of all his offers Either this will prove true to thy cost or else am I a fals Prophet and a cursed deceiver Be wise therefore be learned and kiss the Son The former Considerations were drawn from Aggravations of the sinne the following are drawn from the Aggravations of the punishment and that fom the words of the Text too 1. God will be angry if you kiss not the Son His wrath is as fire and this neglect of Christ is the way to kindle it If thou art not a Believer thou art condemned already but this will bring upon thee a double condemnation Believe it for a truth All thy sinnes as they are the Covenant of Works even the most hainous of them are not so provoking destroying as thy slighting of Christ Oh what will the Father say to such an unworthy wrecth Must I send my Son from my bosome to suffer for thee must he groan when thou shouldst groan and bleed when thou shouldst bleed and dye when thou shouldst dye And canst thou not now be perswaded to embrace him and obey him must the world be courted while he stands by must he have the naked title of thy Lord and Saviour while thy fleshly pleasures and profits have thy heart what wrath can be too great what hell too hot for such an ungrateful unworthy wretch Must I prepare thee a portion of the blood of my Son and wilt not thou be perswaded now to drink it must I be at so much cost to save thee and wilt thou not obey that thou maist be saved Go seize upon him justice let my wrath consume thee let hell devour thee let thy own Conscience for ever torment thee seeing thou hast chosen death thou shalt have it and as thou hast rejected Heaven thou shalt never see it but my wrath shall abide upon thee for ever Joh. 3. 36. Woe to the sinner if this be once thy sentence thou wert better have all the world angry with thee● and bound in an oath against thee as the Jews against Paul then that one drop of his anger should light upon thee thou wert better have Heaven and Earth to fall upon thee then one degree of Gods displeasure 2. As this wrath is Fire so is it a consuming fire and causeth the sinner utterly to perish All this is plain in the Text not that the Being of the soul will cease such a perishing the sinner would be glad o● A happy man would he think himself if he might dye as the bruits and be no more but such wishes are vain It is but a glimpse of his own condition which he shall see in the great combustion of the world when he seeth the heaven and earth on fire he see 's but the picture of his approaching wo. But alas it is he that must feel the devouring fire The world will be but refined or consumed by its fire but there must he burn and burn for ever and yet be neither consumed nor refined The Earth will not feel the flames that burn it but his soul and body must feel it with a witness Little know his friends that are honourably interring his Corps what his miserable sonl is seeing and feeling Here endeth the story of his prosperity and delights and now begins the Tragedy that will never have end Oh how his merry days are vanished as a dream and his jovial life as a Tale that is told His witty jests his pleasant sports his Cards and Dice his merry company and wanton dalliance his Cups and Queans yea his hopes of heaven and confident concerts of escaping this wrath are all perished with him in the way As the wax melteth before the fire as the chaff is scattered before the wind as the stubble consumeth before the flames as the flowers do wither before the scorching Sun so are all his sinful pleasures withered consumed scattered and melted And is not the hearty embracing of Christ and subjection to him a cheap prevention of all this Oh who among you can dwell with the devouring fire Who can dwell with the everlasting burnings Isai 33. 14. This God hath said he will surely do if you are able to gain-s●y and resist him try your strength read his ehal enge Isai 27. 4. Who would set the briars and thorns agaist me in battel I would go through them I would burn them together 3. This perishing will be sudden and unexpected in the way of their sin and resistance of Christ in the way of their fleshly delights and hopes They shall perish in the way l Thes 5. 3. Mat. 24. 37 As fire doth utterly break out in the night when men are sleeping and consumeth the fruit of their long labours so will this fire break forth upon their souls and how neer may it be when you little think on it A hundred to one but some of us present shall within a few moneths be in another world and what world will it be you may easily conceive if you do not embrace and obey the Son How many have been smitten with Herod in the midst of their vain glory How many like Ahab have been wounded in fight and dunged the Earth with their flesh and blood who left the Lords people to be fed with bread and water of affliction in confidence of their own return