the Sea side you see the water you see abundance of water ye hear the water roaring and raging and making a noise but you do not see the Gold and the Silver that lies at the bottom of the Sea you see the water of the Sea but you do not see the wealth that is in the Sea So now when you go and look upon a Beleever you behold his troubles you see his waves and al the troubles that beat upon him Oh! but the wealth of a Beleever the Fulness of a Beleever the Fulnes of Christ that is in him that you see not 't is hid from the world and 't is hid from himself many times And therefore saies the Apostle Our life is hid with God in Christ Coll. 3.3 4. When Christ who is our life shall appear then shall we also appear with Him in glory Secondly Though there be a communication of the Fulnesse of Christ unto all Beleevers yet He does communicate as a universal Cause The universall Cause doth seldom or never produce particular effects but with a concurrence of particular Causes The Sun is the universal Cause of all the fruitfulnesse that is upon the earth Yet notwithstanding it does produce the Fruit your Corne Barly and Rye and Wheat with the help of man The ground is plowen and sowen The River or the Fountain is the universal Cause of the Water that yee have in your houses but yet notwithstanding you have not this Water but by pipes and conveyance and when ye want water in your house you do not say There is no water in the Thames there 's no water in the Fountain No but surely the pipe is broken the pipe is stopt or we want some pipe or other So now when you want Grace and when you are empty of Grace you are not to say Oh! it is because there is not enough in Christ or Christ is not willing but rather surely the pipe is broken or we want this or that Ordinance the pipe is not clean the pipe is stopt and therefore we are so empty of Grace as we are Thirdly Though there be a communication of the Fulnesse of Christ unto all Beleevers yet notwith standing he does it in proportion Mark Christ does give unto every man according to the place that he bears in his body As the soul the soul sends forth life and motion to all the members but the soul does not give a hearing faculty unto the eye nor the soul does not give a seeing faculty unto the eare neither can the foot say I have nothing from the soul because I cannot speak like the tongue neither can the tongue say I have nothing from the soul because I cannot walk like the foot So the Lord Jesus Christ He doth observe what place every man doth bear in His Body accordingly He doth give forth Grace unto men You cannot say thus Surely I have none of Christ because I cannot pray and do so as others do But mark what is the place the you do bear in the Body of Christ and you may go to Christ for strength for that you may say thus Lord through thy Grace thou hast given me such a place in Thy Body and I want strength for that O! let me have it from Thee Fourthly Though there be a communication of the Fulnesse of Christ unto all Beleevers yet 't is according to their necessities and wants The lace you know 't is laid upon the seam upon the seam there lyes the lace lace indeed may be laid upon the whol cloath but ordinarily your silken-lace your silver-lace your golden-lace 't is laid upon the seam Now the Lord Jesus Christ He knows all the seams of your life all the seams of your life there He laies His Golden-Lace on Mark therefore what are the seams of thy life and see if Christ hath not laid on something there pa Take but these Four Considerations together and there is a sufficient Answer to that Objection I come to the Application Applic. And whilst I stand upon this point Me thinks here I see the transcendant excellency of the Saints of Beleevers and the betterness of their condition above the men of the world though they be never so Rich or Great Beloved Every man is according to the fulnesse that he doth live upon There is the Fulnesse of the Earth 1 Cor. 10 26. The Earth is the Lords and the Fulness thereof And wicked men they are said to be filled with this Whose bellies Thou fillest with hid Treasures Psalme the 17. And there is the Fulnesse of Jesus Christ And of this Fulnesse the Saints and Beleevers do all receive and partake Look therefore what a difference there is between these fulnesse's The fulnesie of the Earth And the Fulnesse of Jesus Christ such a mighty difference in point of excellency there is between a Beleever though he be never so poor and a wicked man-though he be never so rich Give me leave a little to open the difference of these Fulnesses to you that so you may see the difference betwwen men and men and be incouraged unto a godly course First The fulness of the world it is fulness made up of many things Martha Martha Luke 10.41 saies Christ thou art busied about many thing 'T is a fulness made up of many things and therefore not a Homogenial fulness The fulnes of Christ is a fulnes made up of one thing the Deitie in whom the God-head dwells and therefore 't is a Homogenial fulness every part of it is fulness every part of a Homogenial body hath the name of the whole Wvery part of water is called water though it be but a drop Every part of fire is fire though it be but a spark And Every part of Heaven it is called Heaven though it be but a corner of Heaven And so every part of the Fulness of Jesus Christ is fulness As the Philosophers say of the soul Animatota in toto that the soul is wholly in the whol and wholly in every part So the Fulness of Christ 't is wholly in the Church and 't is wholly in every Beleever Every Beleever may come and say I have all Christ But as for the fulness of the world every one that hath the worlds fulness cannot say so I have all the worlds fulness Secondly The fulness of the earth is a fulness made up of the worser things The world it is a great Body and it hath in it some things that are of a grosser more drossy nature and some things that are of a finer nature The fulness of the earth it is of the drossy and the grosser part of the world Oh! but the Fulness of Christ it is of the finer part and the fulness that does come from Him unto Beleevers the best of the bests wine of the lees and marrow out of the bones and wine well refined 't is of the finer part of the world The other is but
those Luke-warm I would thou wert hot or cold but seeing thou art Luke-warm I will vomit thee out of my mouth Luke-warm person worse than prophane and yet behold Jesus Christ stands at a luke-warm persons door knocking and tendering mercy to a luke-warme Laodicean person I but stay May be they were weary and heavy laden first before they were invited Reade the 17. verse Because thou saiest I am rich and increased with goods and have need of nothing and knowest not that thou art wrethed and miserable and poor and blind and naked Were these weary and heavy laden think ye And yet at this door behold at this door the Lord Christ stands knocking Oh! grace Oh glorious rich grace Oh! you that have stood at a distance from the promise and dared not draw neer to the promise said it did not belong to you you were not invited to mercy Consider do you consider what great enemies ye are unto your own breakings and humblings that ye do so much desire The approaching of the Kingdom of Heaven and the Doctrine of grace and of free-remission unto a poor sinner is the greatest means and motive in the world to break ones heart Oh! therefore as ever you desire to have your hearts broken and to be humbled look much to the Kingdom of Heaven and the Doctrines thereof and never say it does not belong unto you But Thirdly Vse 3 If these things be so if there be a truth in this Doctrine what infinite cause have we all for to Repent to mend our lives and to turn to God The Kingdom of Heaven hath approach't Beloved hath not the Kingdom of Heaven approach't unto our Nation Take the Kingdom of Heaven for the Kingdom of Glory and in these dying times how hath the Kingdom of Heaven approach't in that sense Take the Kingdom of Heaven for the State of the Church and how many Church-truths hath broken out in these daies that were not known before Take the Kingdom of Heaven for the Gospel and the preaching of the Gospel how hath God gone up and down in these latter times even in these times of trouble preaching free-grace to poor England Witness all these Victories ye have had notwithstanding all your sins Oh! England England now Repent and turn unto the Lord Surely if ever the Kingdom of Heaven is come to you yea hath not the Kingdom of Heaven approach't unto many of your souls in particular are there not some here great sinners that have been invited to mercy are there not some here great sinners that have received mercy hath the Kingdom of Heaven approach't unto you and will not you Repent and will not you turn to God and will not you amend your lives You will say This work is not now to do we have Repented already But pray give me leave Have ye have ye Repented upon Gospel-Motives have ye Repented upon this ground because the Kingdom of Heaven hath approach't Oh! how many legal Professors are there among Professors As there are Two sorts of men in the world Some that live in dark places and prisons And others that walk up and down in the light So some there are among Professors some legal that woak up and down in the dark and see no light Others again that walk up and down in the light of the Gospel many many legal Professors Beloved The more Evangelical your Repentance is the more it will cure your souls and not hurt your body Legal Repentance soakes into the body and frets out the very strength of ones body Pray look a little into the 33. Chapter of Job See what the holy Ghost saies there God speaks once yea twice yet man percieves it not here is man in his natural pure natural state In a dream at the 15. verse in a vision of the night when deep sleep falleth upon men in stumbrings upon the bed that is before a man is aware Then he openeth the ears of men and sealeth their instruction That he may withdraw man from his purpose and hide pride from man What then He is chastened also with pain upon his bed and the multitude of his bones with strong pain So that his life abhorreth bread and his soul dainty meat Verse the 21. His flesh is consumed away that it cannot be seen and his bones that were not seen stick out His soul draweth neer to the grave and his life to the destroyers Here 's Legal work Then comes the Gospel If there be a messenger with him an Interpreter one of a thousand to show unto man his uprightness Then he is gracious unto him and saith Deliver him from going down to the pit I have found a ransome Then at the 25. verse His flesh shall be fresher than a childs he shall return to the daies of his youth His flesh shall be fresher than a childs Thus Evangelical Repentance is a friend both to soul and body Meer Legal Repentance eats out the strength of ones spirit even of ones very body Again The more Evangelical your Repentance is the more you will be humbled and grieved for sins against the Gospel I will send saies Christ the Comforter and he shall convince the world of sin what sin of sin and of unbeliefe Oh! saies the soul that Repents Evangelically who more guilty of unbelief than I Oh! never any one more Ignorant of Christ than I Oh! the unkindness of my soul towards Christ Legal Repentance it pitches upon some breach of the Law and there it rests Again Enangelical Repentance complies with spirituall joy and is a friend unto it You grieve for sin and you rejoyce in God and when you rejoyce in God you grieve for sin I will send the Comforter saies our Saviour He does not say I will send the Spirit No but I will send the Comforter and he shall convince the world of sin and of unbelief The Comforter because it shall be a work of Comfort unto the soul that is convinced of sin Gospel-wise and the more a man rejoyces in Christ the more he grieves for sin and the more he grieves for sin the more he rejoyceth in Christ again Again When your Repentance is Evangelical The more you apprehend or hope that your sin is pardoned the more you wil grieve for it Ye reade in the Psalms of one special Penitential Psalme of David the 51. Psalme But when was that made A Psalme of David when Nathan the Prophet came to him that is after the Prophet Nathan had been with him And what did Nathan the Prophet say to him Saies Nathan Thy sin is forgiven thee Upon that message David fals into a Penitential Psalme a Psalme of Humiliation and of Repentance The more a man hath assurance that his sin is pardoned the more he doth grieve for it And the more Evangelical your Repentance is the more your heart will be inlarged to and for Christ The sight of Gods free-love in Christ will make your heart free in love unto Christ and
of God Page 206 7 It fils the soul with Gods infinitness Page 207 Application If Difficulties arise here is the way to grapple with them Page 207 Object How shall a man use his faith that be may break through all difficulties Answered 1 Exercise your faith in the promise before you speak with the difficulties Page 208 2 When you do look upon them look upon them as your trials many times as the Devils Engins to work your hearts off again Page 208 3 Set your selves now especially with al your might to venture upon Jesus Christ Page 209 4 The greater difficulties your graces are recovered out of the hands of the more sweet will they be unto you Page 210 5 Study Jesus Christ more ibid Object Suppose a man hath bin in Jesus Christ a great while and then discouragements arise to beat him out of the ways of Christ how shal he raise his faith to work through these Answered 1 Consider your call often Page 211 2 The more you beleeve in the ful of difficulty the more you please God ibid 3 Talke often one to another what great things God hath done that he hath promised Page 212 4 Consider what great difficulties Jesus Christ hath broke thorow to come to you ibid 5 Never speak with your difficulties apart from a promise ibid Matthew 3.2 SERMON I The text opened and explained Page 216 Doct. The kingdom of Grace mercy forgiveness comes to us before we com to that Page 211 Proved Page 218 Evidenced 1 From our own condition Lost sheep Page 228 2 From Christs willingness to save sinners Page 224 Objections answered Page 225 Reas 1 That God may be known to be God Page 229 Reas 2 That men may be made the more gracious ibid Reas 3 That no flesh may glory in it self nor any thing it doth Page 231 Application 1 Consider whether God have dealt thus by our souls or no Page 232 If so learn these duties 1 Be sooner at heaven gate with your duties hereafter than you were before Page 234 2 Labour to be like God in this particular ibid 3 Wait with long suffering for the conversion of others Page 235 4 Trust in God for ever Page 236 Application 2 You that have not received the Kingdome of Grace Take heed how ye neglect so great salvation Page 237 SERMON II Matth. 3.2 Doct. 2 The drawing nigh of the kingdom of grace is the greatest motive to true Repentance Page 240 Opened by considering the particulars of Repentance and you shall find the grace and love of God hath influence upon them all Viz. 1 Sight and knowledge of sin Page 242 2 Be humbled for it Page 243 3 Loath himself ibid 4 Be ashamed of it ibid 5 Acknowledge it Page 244 6 Labor to unsin it it ib. Reason 1 Because Repentance is a fruit of faith Page 245 Reas 2 Because it flows from love Page 246 Object Arguments drawn from Hell and the wrath of God seem to work Repentance more than the love of God Page 247 Answered by distinctions 1 It is one thing to be troubled in conscience and another thing to be humbled for sin Page 248 2 It 's one thing to be prickt at heart and another thing to repent ibid 3 It 's one thing to repent of sin in regard of the inconvenience of it and another thing to repent in regard of the morral evil of it ibid 4 It s one thing to be broken with the weight of sin and another to have the soul melted for it Page 249 5 Its one thing to have sorrow repentance in the Ore and another thing to have it refined ibid 5 It is one thing for repentance to be more in view another to be mort in spirit Page 250 7 It is one thing for our Repentance to affect our own heart much another thing for to affect the heart of God much Use 1 What a sad condition are those in to whom the kingdom of God hath come and yet they are not moved to repentance Page 251 Use 2 The reason why our hearts are no more humbled is because we do not labor to bring the kingdome of God neere to our souls Page 252 Use 3 What infinit cause we have to repent Page 254 1. The more evangelical our repentance is the more it will cure our souls and not hurt our bodies Page 255 2 The more you wil be grieved for sins against the Gossel Page 256 3 It is a friend to spiritual joy ibid 4 The more you hope your sin is pardoned the more you will grieve for it Page 257 5 The more your heart will be enlarged to and for Christ ibid 6 The more of the Gospel is in your repentance the more of the Gospel will be in your obedience Page 257 7 The more your hearts will be sweetned towards the Saints Page 258 FINIS Grace FOR Grace OR THE OVER-FLOVVINGS OF CHRISTS-FULNES Received by all SAINTS JOHN 1.16 And of His Fulness have all we received even Grace for Grace Preached at Dunstans in the East March 16. 1644 HERE in this Chapter are Two choice Spirits John the Baptist and John the Evangelist both agreeing in this To advance the Honor of Jesus Christ John the Baptist is brought in by John the Evangelist giving as you reade in this first Chapter Four great Testimonies of Jesus Christ The first begins at the 15. verse John bare Witness of Him and cryed saying This was He of whom I spake Wherein John the Baptist doth prefer Jesus Christ above himself both in regard of His Person and in regard of His Office In regard of His Person as you reade in the latter end of the 15th This was He of whom I spake He that cometh after me is preferred before me for He was before me In regard of His Office at the 16 the 17 and 18. verses And of His Fulness have al we received even Grace for Grace For the Law was given by Moses but Grace and Truth came by Jesus Christ c. I confess there are Learned Interpreters as Cyril and Chrysostome that do conceive the words of my Text to be the words of John the Evangelist the 15. verse having as they say relation unto Johns speech in the latter end of the 14. verse Full of Grace and Truth But Origen and others unto whom I rather incline think that they are the words of John the Baptist because they are knit unto the former by the copulative And And of His fulness have all we received Grace for Grace He therefore that spake the words of the former verse in all likelyhood spake these words He that spake the words of the former verse was John the Baptist and therfore these words being linked unto the former by the word And in all likelyhood are the words of John the Baptist The Words of themselves fall into these Three Propositions First That there is a fulness of Grace in Jesus Christ Secondly That of this
Come and let us take our fill of love Come friends come company let us go unto such a Tavern or such a place where we may be fully merry Come O my soul take thy contentment in creature fulness there is enough there This robs Christ of the glory of all His fulness To carry away the custom of my thoughts unto another Shop from Christ argues that there is not enough in Christ alone Then beloved to conclude all Are there any here as I fear there may be too many that have thus robbed Jesus Christ of the glory of His fulness I beseech you in the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ whose fulness I have bin now preaching to you I beseech you in the fear of God go into your Chamber and be alone awhile and fall down before the Lord and say thus unto Him or to this purpose Oh! Lord I confess it hath bin so w th me I have thought that there hath not bin a sufficient rule for the Government of the Churches and herein I have wronged Christ in His Prophetical fulness and the Lord pardon this unto me Lord I confess also I haue said many times that my fins are so great that there is no hope for mercy that there is no hope for pardon herein I have wronged the Priestly fulness of Jesus Christ now the Lord pardon this unto me I confess Lord I have stinted thee and I have limitted thee and I have said many times in my hast if this means fail then England is undone the Church undone thus I have limitted thee Lord Oh! herein I have wrong'd thee and robbed Christ in His Kingly fulness Yea Lord I do acknowledge and I do confess I have gone to creature-comforts and my heart hath taken a content and complacency as if there were enough there but now I see there is a fulness in Jesus Christ the Lord pardon me that ever I let out my heart upon any creature-comfort upon any thing but Jesus Christ You that have bin guilty fall down and humble your selves before the Lord and consider that there is a fulness in Jesus Christ and labor to draw out this fulness from Him Which that you may so do think on all these things and the Lord blesse them to you SERMON II. JOHN 1.16 Preached at Wapping Aug. 17. 1646. And of His Fulness have all we received even Grace for Grace I Have made entrance into these Words in a neighbouring Congregation and shal now desire to go on where I left there The Words hold forth Three Great Grand Propositions First That there is a Fulness of Grace in Jesus Christ Secondly That of His Fulness all we do receive Thirdly That we do receive of His Fulness even Grace for Grace The former Proposition I have dispatched and desire at this time to speak unto the second All we do receive of His Fulness Of His Fulness have all we received The difficulty that lies upon the Proposition is this Who are meant here by this All Wee Some there are that conceive that by those words we are to understand all the Creatures in Heaven and Earth because 't is said before in the beginning of the Chapter That He is the light that lighteth every one that cometh into the world But though the thing be true that there is no Creature either in Heaven or Earth but more or lesse is beholding to Jesus Christ for if Christ had not stept in upon the fall Gods displeasure was so great against man that he would presently have broke up house and the sin of the fall was so heavie that it would have broken the very Axel-tree of the World if Jesus Christ had not put to His shoulder according to that of the Apostle Heb. 1.3 He bears up all with the Word of His Power yet notwithstanding all the Creatures in Heaven or Earth cannot be meant here by this All Wee for all the creatures in Heaven and Earth do not receive Grace they may be said to receive of the Fulnesse of Christ but not Grace for Grace But at the 12. verse 't is said as many as received Him to them gave He power to become the Sons of God euen to them that beleeve in his Name Now in Scripture phrase those are said to receive Christ Himself that do receive His Grace and those that receive His Grace receive Christ Himself Understand therefore by this All Wee those that receive Him as ye have it in the 12. verse which is explained to be Them that beleeve in His Name And then the Observation or Doctrine lies plain before us which is this That all the Saints and People of God Doct. do pertake of the Fulness of Christ in a way of receiving It falls a sunder into Two parts Thus First That there is a communication of the Fulness of Jesus Christ unto all Beleevers Secondly That whatsoever Grace or Holiness the Saints have from Christ they have it in a way of receiving I shall only speak unto the former at this time There is a communication of the Fulness of Jesus Christ unto all Beleevers Of His Fulness all we receive mark There is a communication of the Fulnesse of Jesus Christ unto all Beleevers He is the second Adam which the Apostle Paul speaks of in the 1 Cor. 15. Chapter and the 45. verse The first man Adam was made a living soul and the last Adam was made a quickning Spirit The whole world is divided into Two great Houses As once in this Kingdom There was the House of York And the House of Lancaster So now the whole world is divided into Two great Houses The House of the First Adam And the House of the Second Adam The first man Adam was made a living soul and the last Adam was made a quickning Spirit that is look as the first Adam did communicate life unto all his seed So the second Adam does communicate Spiritual life and grace unto all his people As by the first Adam sin and sorrow and death came into the world and so upon all man-kind So by the second Adam grace and life and eternal life unto all Beleevers There is a dealing out a giving out of the fulness of Jesus Christ unto all Beleevers This will appear First of all by the Union that there is between Christ 1 Reason and a Beleever there is a glorious a blessed an incomparable union between Christ and every Beleever though he be never so weak though he be never so poor There is a union between the Root and the Branches and by vertue of that union the Root sends forth life and strength into all the Branches but yet notwithstanding the Root is not in the Branches nor the Branches in the Root mutually There is a union between the Head and the Members and by vertue of that union the Head hath an influence upon all the Members but yet the Head is not in the Members nor the Members in the Head But
children of men Yet if He can be hindred al the former is nothing Mark therefore the Fourth and then we come to the Use There is nothing either in Heaven or Earth that can hinder Jesus Christ from communicating His Grace I work Esay 43.13 saies God and who shall let And I communicat My grace saies Christ and who shall hinder If any thing can hinder it must be either Satan without us or our sins within us Satan without cannot hinder he could not go into the herd of swine he could not destroy a hog a sow a pig till he had leave from Christ and can Satan hinder then when Christ intends to communicate His grace He is called the strong man but Christ is called the stronger than he Luke 22.31 32. Peter Peter saies our Saviour Satan hath desired to winnow thee but I have prayed that thy faith fail not I one prayer one prayer by Jesus Christ is stronger than all the temptations of Satan Satan cannot hinder Nor can our sins within hinder For if you look into the 2. Chapter of Titus 't is said there at the 14. verse He gave Himself for us that He might redeem us from al iniquity If from All iniquity then from unbeleef Then unbeleef cannot hinder If a King come on purpose to pardon All Rebellion if he be able and willing and come on purpose to pardon All Rebellion then no one Rebellion can hinder can be a reason why he should not pardon The Covenant that God makes with His is like the Covenant that He made with Noah as you reade in the 54. Chapter of Esay the 8. and 9. verses In a little wrath I hid my face from thee for a moment but with everlasting kindness will I have mercy on thee saith the Lord thy redeemer for this is as the waters of Noah unto me for as I have sworn that the waters of Noah should no more go over the earth so have I sworn that I would not be wrath with thee nor rebuke thee Mark The Covenant God would make with His people is like the Covenant that He made with Noah The Covenant that He made with Noah what is that Pray now look into the 8. Chapter of Genesis the 21. verse Noah being come out of the Ark and offering unto the Lord The Lord smel'd a sweet savour and the Lord said in His heart I will not again curse the ground any more for mans sake for the imagination of mans heart is evil from his youth I think it should rather be read thus according to the Hebrew I will not again curse the ground any more for mans sake although the imagination of mans heart is evil from his youth although ye read it for I wil not again curse the ground any more for mans sake for the imagination of mans heart is evil from his youth One would think He should rather say thus I wil curse the ground again and I will bring a new floud for the imagination of mans heart is evil from his youth No but the Covenant that God made with Noah was thus I do now make a Covenant with man-kind that the world shall never be drowned again yea Though man do sin yet the world shall not be drown'd again This is the Covenant that the Lord made with Noah The Lord did not make such a Covenant as this I do promise that the world shall not be drown'd again if man do not fin No but the Covenant that the Lord made with Noah was thus But I promise the world shall not be drown'd again Though men do sin again this is the Covenant the Lord made with Noah it was so far from running upon a condition that it runs crosse to all conditions So now the Lord saies concerning a poor Beleever I do take this soul into Covenant with Me Yea and Though he do sin yet notwithstanding I will pardon him and this soul shall never lye under water again shall never lye under water again his sin shall not hinder My grace he shall never lye under water again for as the Covenant I made with Noah such is the Covenant I make with every beleever And beloved if indeed that we could hinder Christ when He comes to communicate His grace if our sins could hinder then we might resist grace with an Overcoming resistance 'T is true a man may resist the grace of God with A gain-saying resistance but he cannot resist the grace of God with an overcoming resistance Whatsoever is overcome is overcome by a stronger Man I say cannot resist with an overcoming resistance Pray do but consider well the Covenant of Grace Ezek. 36 26 27. saies the Lord in that I will take away the heart of stone and I will give an heart of flesh and I will cause ye to walk in my waies and I will put My Spirit into you I will take away the heart of stone What is that a stone is hard a hard thing does not yeeld to the touch a soft thing yeelds Pharaoh had a hard heart and therefore he yeelded not When therefore the Lord makes such a promise as this I will take away the heart of stone What is His meaning His meaning is plainly I will take away the un-yeelding the resisting disposition that is in man Now therefore when the Lord makes such a promise as this That He will put His Spirit into them and cause them to walk in His waies Our resisting can be no hindrance Why because the Lord hath made a promise to take away our resisting If the Covenant had run thus I will put My Spirit into you and cause you to walk in My waies upon this condition that you do not resist then we could hinder but the Lord in the same promise that He does say I will put My Spirit into them and cause them to walk in My waies He doth also promise to take away the resisting heart to take away the spirit of resisting I will take away the heart of stone there 's the resisting And I will cause them to walk in My waies So that our sins cannot hinder Now then put al these together There 's an infinit treasury of grace and holiness in Jesus Christ This He hath not received for Himselfe but for others There is an infinite propension and willingness in Him to give out this grace unto the children of men And nothing either in Heaven or earth can hinder Him Surely therefor there is the Communication of the Fulness of Jesus Christ unto all Beleevers You will say unto me then Object Why are Beleevers then so empty of Grace 'T is the ordinary complaint Oh! I am full of evil Oh my heart is empty of all that is good Beleevers they complain thus How can this Doctrine be true if this experience be good I answer First Answ The Fulnesse of Grace which is in a Beleever is many times hid from the world and from himself When you go to
the grosser the thicker the dirtier the more grosser part Thirdly The fulness of the earth is a fulness that runs into emptiness a fulness that hath an hole at the bottom Like unto an hour glasse if you turn it up the upper part of the glasse is full of sand but because it hath an hole at the bottom and there stands a glasse beneath it as big as it self it empties it self into that galsse Then you turn up the glasse again and that is full but because that hath an hole at the bottom it runs out having an empty glasse beneath it and this fulness runs into it So now t is with the worlds fulnes a man he hath a great estate he hath his glasse full of sand I but because his children and his family stands under him his sand runs into them and he is soon emptied he is soon emptied into them Then when the father is dead and gone and hath emptied out his fulness into his children the childrens glasse is turn'd up but they having children under them and house under them their sand also is soon run out it runs out into emptiness Thus all the fulness of the world 't is but a fulness that hath a hole at the bottom that runs into emptiness Oh! but the fulness of Jesus Christ the fulness of Jesus Christ it is a dwelling fulness His sulness runs out into Leleevers yet He is ful Himself In Him the fulnes of the God head dwels it dwelleththere Fourthly The fulness of the Earth it can never satisfie the better part of man the soul it can never satisfie that All satisfaction and contentment arises from the conjunction of a Convenient with a Convenient the conjunction of sutables If a man have never so great an Estate if his heart be not suted to it he hath no content If a man have never so small an Estate if his heart be suted to it he is content So that now all content arises from sutablenessm the conjunction of sutables What sutableness is there between the fulness of the earth and the better part of man the soul Mark Properly a thing is never said to be full till it be full of that for which it was made A mans Chest a Chest or Trunk is not said to be full of aire though it be ful of aire yet notwithstanding we say the Chest or Trunk is empty because 't is not fil'd with that for which it was made And so take one of these meeting Houses though the place be full of stooles yet notwithstanding though I say the place be full of stools or full of air yet we say the Church is empty because though it be full yet 't is not full of that for which it was made full of people So now take a man that hath all the fulness of the earthl because that his soul was never made his better part was never made for the fulness of the earth therefore he is said to be empty in the midst of all his fulness his heart is empty and the man is an empty man because his heart is not full of that for which he was made and that is Christ that is Christ the fulness of Christ in him he is an empty man all this while Oh but the fulness Jesus Christ is a soul-satisfying fulness He that drinks of the water that I shall give him saies He shall never thiest again Joh. 4.4 Psal 17.15 When I awake saies the Psalmist I shall be satisfied with thy likeness And that is a Fourth Fiftly The fulness of the earth cannot commend a man unto God or make him more lovely or beautiful in the eyes of God The poor vain foolish stage-player thinks himself brave and a jolly man-while he is in kings cloathes or while he is acting the part of a King but the wise spectator he saies And is he that does but act the Kings part or hath the Kings cloaths on so brave a man what is a King indeed Beloved the Lord He sees all we have and do stands by as a wise spectator and when men brave it out with the worlds fulness I what then is the man that acts the Fulnesse of Christ Is he so brave a man that hath a possession here land and house What is he then that hath an eternal inheritance If there fall but the least drop of the Rulness of Christ upon a soul it makes the soul lovely and beautiful in the eyes of God 1 Pet. 3.4 The Apostle speaking of the adorning of women saies he at the 3 verse Whose adorning let it not be that outward adorning of playting the hair and of wearing of gold or of putting on of apparrel but let it be the hidden man of the heart in that which is incorruptible even the Ornament of a meek and quiet spirit which is in the sight of God of great price As if he should say All other Ornaments plaiting of hair and gold and the like is of no price in the eyes of God Oh! but a quiet spirit and a meek spirit one drop of the Fulness of Christ falling upon the soul makes the soul lovely in the fight of God is of great price Sixtly The fulnesse of the Earth is a fulnesse that is mixt with poison sin the curse of God What pleasure or delight can a man take in drinking when he shall consider with himself that poison is mixt withal this is good or sweer liquor saies he indeed Oh! but there is poison in the Cup and therefore I wil not meddle with it Take all the Fulnesse of the world and if it be not mixt with the Fulnesse of Jesus Christ there is poison in it the Curse of God in it the wrath of God there and therefore what pleasure what contentment can a man take therein without the Fulnesse of Fulnesse of Jesus Christ Seventhly The Fulnesse of the Earth is a defiling Fulness When a thing is mixed with any thing that is worse than it self it is defiled thereby If silver be mingled with gold the silver is not defil'd thereby because gold is better than the silver but if silver be mingled with lead the silver is defil'd because 't is mingled with something that is worse than it self So now if a man be mingled with Spiritual and Heavenly things his heart is not defil'd thereby because they are better than himself but if a mans heart be mingled with the things of the world his heart is defil'd because 't is mingled with something that is worse than himself and the more a mans heart is mingled with the things of the earth the more defil'd it is As a dog that hath bemir'd himself the more he fawnes upon you the more he dirties you If you take a dog abroad with you into the fields and he run into a dirty ditch or the river after he is dirty you will not suffer him to come neer you and themore he fawns upon you and leaps
he may abstain from vices from a sin but overcome it he cannot Sin may be Satisfied and not Mortified Mark â—n may be Satisfied and not Mortified As in the dropsie There is a great deal of difference between the satisfying of a mans thirst and the healing of the Disease Many men think that their fin is certainly Healed when 't is only Satisfied Whereas a beggar when he is competently served he will beg no more And sin beggar-like when 't is well served it will not beg again presently not in the same temptation Sin it self will cease to sin that it may gather strength to sin But now a man by nature he cannot overcome it And therfore in the 1 Cor 15.57 the Apostle saies thus But thanks be to God which giveth us the Victory through our Lord Jesus Christ Victories and all Victories is through our Lord Jesus Christ And if in the Old Testament all Victories were given from God all outward Victories were given from Him Then much more in the New Testament are all our Spiritual Victories the former being but Types of these much more are all our Spiritual Victories then to be given to God Now you see how it was with David in the 18. Psalme concerning outward Victories he gives all to God Saies he there at the 32 verse It is God that girdeth me with strength He maketh my feet like hindes feet He teacheth my hands to war so that a Bow of steel is broken by mine Arms. And at the 2. verse saies he The Lord is my Rock my For tress my Deliverer my God my strength in whom I wil trust my Buckler and the horn of my Salvation mine high Tower As if all his War-like strength and skill were from God And is not much more our Spiritual strength which we have in our Christian warfare from Jesus Christ Psal 16.8 I have set the Lord alwaies at my right hand therefore I shall not fall saies the Psalmist Naturally then a man is utterly unable to overcome any sin or temptation though it be never so small Secondly As a man is unable to overcome any sin So also if he be fallen he is unable to rise again Peter himself must have a look from Christ before he could repent As if Jesus Christ had said to him Peter thou art now down in the dirt and I know thou canst not rise unlesse I give forth My hand unto thee then here is My hand and so He did heave him up Every sin that a man does commit he is taken captive by it more or lesse sin is a captivity Now Voluntas non est libera nisi liberata A man is not free unlesse freed If the Son make you free you are free indeed but else not at all Every sin that a man does commit it is a mortal wound a death of the soul sin is A man may be able to kill himselfe but being kil'd he cannot raise himself The Ship having his rudder broken cannot go where it wil but must go where the Tempest pleases And Beloved there is never a fin that a man commits but he does strike upon his rudder he does strike upon the earth withal and he does lose his rudder A poor sheep is able for to lose it self to wander but being lost is not able to come home agaim Yea our Savior saies in the Parable of the lost-sheep meaning lost-man The lost-sheep is taken by the shepherd or the good-man that finds it and is layd upon his shoulder and so brought back again What is this shoulder but the strength of Christ And indeed if a poor soul if a wandting poor lost soul be not laid on the shoulder of Jesus Christ he will lose and wander unto all Eternity will lose himself and wander for ever This is wel exprest as an Ancient does observe in the example of Adam when Adam had sinned and fallen Adam was not able to return again Let us mark it the rather because Adam he was our Great Common-father and in his example we may all see our own faces Saies he Adam being fallen he could not rise again but when Adam was fallen What does he Then he sets himself for to make himselfe cloaths of siggleaves that so he might be freed from the injury of the weather he could mind his cloathes and do something to take away his shame but not one thought of God not one word of God whom he had lost And so now man man having finned What does he do He can mind his cloathes he can mind the affairs of the world those things that concern this life and his body Oh! but not one word not one thought of God until the Voice of the Lord be heard And what then Then Adam-like he may be ashamed and may be afraid but yet no repentance till Christ comes Naturally a man being fallen he is unable to rise again Thirdly As he is unable to rise again So he is unable to stand to hold to continue though he should rise up again he is unable to stand he is unable to hold to continue And therefore David seeing his people in a good frame he prayes That the Lord would continue that good in the thoughts of their heart and that for ever And so the Apostle in the 1 Peter 5.10 1 Chron. 26.18 But the God of all Grace who hath called us unto His eternal Glory by Christ Jesus after ye have suffered a while make ye perfect stablish strengthen settle you Pray mark the words The God of all Grace stablish strengthen settle you He does not say The God of Nature settle you Oh! 't is an act of Grace of great Grace of rich Grace to be settled it is an act of great Grace to be truly settled As Hierome excellently notes God is alwaies a giver God is alwaies a bestower It shal not suffice me that God hath once given unless He would alwaies give You know the parable concerning the strong man that ye reade of in Mat. 12. being cast out by a stronger then he and yet returns again The Devil is this strong man in some great and grosse sin now though he be cast out yet notwithstanding the room being emptied though it be garnisht with moral vertues and Evangelical gifts yet the room being left empty of Jesus Christ the Lord Jesus Christ not keeping the house saies the Devil the house is mine still and therefore saies he I will return to mine house he calls it his house all this while Though the strong man were cast out and though the room were swept and garnisht yet he calls it his house still because Jesus Christ did not keep there and continue there So that the Lord Jesus Christ must have the Keeping of the house as well as the Sweeping of the house Naturally a man is unable to hold to stand and continue though he do rise Fourthly Pray mark it that you may see what an insufficiency there is unto what
In a dream in a vision of the night when deep sleep falleth upon men in slumbrings upon the bed Then He openeth the ears of men and sealeth their instruction That He may withdraw man from his purpose and hide pride from man When man least thinks of it then God comes in a dream in a vision of the night when deep sleep falleth upon a man and in slumbrings upon the bed Then he openeth the ears of men and sealeth their instruction What does all this argue then But that grace grace is infused grace is supernatural Oh! there is a supernaturallity in saving grace Surely therefore all is in a way of Receiving all is Received That is a Second Argument Thirdly This truth is also argued from the Shortness of the means of grace Much means of grace appointed but take the means as it is in it self without Gods appointment or institution upon it you wil find that all means are too short to reach the end For example In the old Testament when the Lord would take in Jericho and break down the walls of Jericho He Commands Josh 6.4 The Rams horns should be blown Take the blowing of the Rams-horns as lying under Gods appointment and so this action was sufficient for to break down the walls but take the action of blowing the Rams-horns by it self and so it was too short So the Lord commands Naaman 2 Kings 5.10 To go and wash himself in the water of Jordan take this action of Naaman washing himself in the water take it I say without Gods Commandement take it with Gods Commandement Gods Appointment so it was sufficient to reach his Cure and heale him of his Leprosy but now take the action as it was in it self without the Appointment and institution of God and so it was too short to reach his Cure So in the new Testament Joh. 9.6 our Savior Christ He takes spittle and clay for to cure a mans eyes Take this under Christs appointment and so it 's sufficient to reach the cure but take it without and so short So God did appoint in Baptisme a man should be washed in water and in the Sacrament we should eat bread and drink wine for the begetting and increasing of Faith Take these actions as they lie under Gods Appointment and Institution they are able to reach this end but take these actions as they are in themselves washing in water and eating bread and drinking wine they are all too short all too short either to beget or increase Grace Well now why does the Lord stil appoint such means as in themselves are too short for the end whereto appointed Surely not only for this reason that he might teach us that the thing done is rather by the appointment then by the use of means but also to show thus much That though we do use the means yet notwithstāding in the use of the means we do not attain the thing by the use thereof but that in the using of means and waiting there we shall receive strength from God to do it to attain the end Whensoever therefore you consider the shortness of the means appointed conclude thus That all is in a way of Receiving therefore God hath appointed the means that are in themselves short Fourthly This Doctrine is further argued From the work and nature of Faith There is no Grace that the Scripture puts more upon than Faith Mark I pray In the old Testament all the Victories are put on Faith In the new Testament all the Cures if thou canst but Beleeve saies Christ According to thy Faith be it unto thee Yea Beloved if you look into the new Testament you shal find that the same works that are given to Christ are given to Faith Jesus Christ He is said for to Sanctifie the soul So doth Faith Faith purifies the heart saies the Apostle Jesus Christ He is said for to justifie a sinner So does Faith too Being justified by Faith Romans the 5th Jesus Christ He is said for to save the soul He is called our Savior So doth Faith too By Faith ye are saved What 's the Reason now that the Lord does especially set the Crown upon the head of Faith Some think it is for this Reason Because that Faith doth unite the soul unto Jesus Christ But so does Love Love is an affection of Union and all Grace unites to Christ as every sin seperates so every Grace unites Others think 't is for this Reason Because that as Faith sets the Crown upon the head of Christ So God sets the Crown upon the head of Faith and this is true For as the Lord does honor those persons most that honor Him most So He wil honor those Graces most that honor Him most But besides this I conceive the great Reason is this why the Lord does thus set all over upon Faith I say because that Faith in the nature of it is a Receiving Grace And therefore John having said in this 1. Chap. of Joh. and the 12. verse To as many as received Him He gave power to be called the Sons of God Explains himself by this afterward in the same verse Even to them that Beleeve on His Name So that Beleeving is nothing else but Receiving the Grace of God the nature of Faith being to Receive the Truth or the Receiving of Jesus Christ the proper work and nature of Faith being to Receive Now therefore when the Lord does put al upon Faith and Faith in it's nature is a Receiving plainly it holds forth this Truth unto us That all is in a way a Receiving all Grace in a way of Receiving Fifthly and lastly This Truth is argued also From the posture and true behavior of Prayer Mark Prayer is nothing else but the souls begging or petitioning for something from Heaven A begger you know when he begs he holds forth or he stretches forth his hand noting a willingness to receive So you reade in Scripture that when the soul is put into a posture of Prayer it is put into this posture Reade therefore what is said in Job 11.13 If thou prepare thine heart or est ablish thine heart for so the word signifies if thou prepare thine heart and stretch out thine hands towards Him That is if thou doest Pray unto Him thou stretchest out thine hands unto Him Now as one observes well As it were a derision or a mocking of God to praise God or to give God thanks for that which He doth not give but I have in my own power So it were also a mocking of God to pray to God for that which is not in His hands to give but in mine to do Now my Beloved What ever Grace or Holinesse a man hath he is to pray for pray for healing strength pray for quickning strength pray for confirming strength pray for strength to pray and seeing the posture of prayer is this to stretch forth the hands which notes receiving in that we are for to
is you shall have a godly man work work with fear and trembling as if he would earn Heaven with his fingers-ends and yet he relies upon Jesus Christ only for his salvation Further. You say 't is no great matter for a man To walk closely with God But 't is a great matter It may be you wil say 't is not I but for a man to walk closely with God and yet to be in the dark to walk exactly and yet to be in a crowd and throng of business who can walk exactly in the dark and who can walk exactly in a crowd when he is carried to and fro in a crowd Thus now you shall have a godly gracious man walk exactly with God closely with God and yet may be in the dark a Child of light and yet in the dark and in a crowd of occasions and businesse and yet walk exactly this is much Again You will say 't is no great matter for a man to be diligent in his particular Calling I but for the same person for to take no thought no dividing thought what be shall eate or drink or put on and yet be diligent in his particular Calling this is much Now so it is you shall have a godly gracious soul taking no care no dividing care what he shall eate or drink or what he shall put on and yet diligent in his particular Calling Again You will say It is no great matter for a man To grieve for sin past and to strive against sin for the time to come I but for the same person to know that his sin past is pardoned and to know that if he fall into a sin for the time to come God will work good out of it it shal be for his gain God wil over-rule it so and yet strive against it as the greatest evil in the world this is much Now thus it is A gracious soul knows his sin is pardoned yet he grieves for it and he knows that if he shall fall into a sin the Lord will over-rule things so as he shall be the better for it and yet he strives against his sin as the greatest evil in the world Here is a Mastery this is much Again You will say 't is no great matter for a man to be quiet under his Affliction because it does come from God for that reason I but for the same person To be the more sencible and to be the more afflicted because it does come from God this is much Beloved you shal have these Two meet together A godly gracious soul he is therefore quiet under Affliction because it does come from God and he is therfore the more sencible of his affliction because it does come from God Here 's a mystery put these together and you will say things rese high I 'le Instance but in one more and that is a Tenth You will say 't is no great matter For a man to be contented with his condition to be contented with his condition when 't is mean and when 't is poor I but for the same person To desire a better and pray for a better and to pray earnestly for a better and yet be contented with his condition though it be never so mean this is much Thus 't is with the Saints a Child of God being in a mean condition he desires a better he prayes to God for a better and he prayes earnestly to God for a better and yet he is contented with his condition though it be never so mean pray and pray earnestly and yet contented with his condition though it be never so mean Thus my Beloved Oh! there is a Mystery there is a mystery in every piece of godliness and you look not upon things under the mysterious Notion and you say 'T is no great matter that is in the life of such a one Oh! but if you would look upon things under this Notion and consider the mystery of godliness and every piece thereof you would lift up your hands and say Oh! surely he that hath but the least measure of Gospel-Grace hath Abundance of Grace he that hath but the least degree of Grace hath Abundance of Grace of Christs Fulness Now under the new Testament we have received not Sparingly not Scantly but Grace for Grace and Abundance of Grace he that hath but the least measure hath received much hath received Abundance Some few things by way of Application and so I have done If it be so Applic. 1 Then why should any of Gods People vilifie and degrade and lowen the gift of God wherewithal they are enriched through Jesus Christ Would you take it as fair dealing from a child that is estated in great lands by his father if he should say my father indeed was pleased to bestow a great Estate upon my Brother but he hath given little or nothing to me He hath bestowed great means upon such a Sister but he hath given little or nothing to me This were not fair dealing And is this fair dealing with your God and with your father When you shall say I there is such a godly man the Lord hath given him a great Estate of the Gospel but little or nothing to me And there is such a woman such a Sister the Lord hath done much for her soul but Oh! little or nothing for me Beloved There is no sin small because committed against the great God There 's no blessing small because received from the great God but of all blessings Gospel-blessing is the greatest blessing Hath the Lord therefore man or woman given thee any Gospel-Grace the Grace of Jesus Christ He hath given thee much that which thou look'st upon as little 't is much in the eye of Heaven Wherefore now let not the Eunuch say Oh! let not the Eunuch say I am a dry tree any longer Take heed how you degrade and vilifie and lowen the Grace of God wherewithal you are inrich't through Jesus Christ Secondly Appli 2. If there be such Abundance of Grace even Grace for Grace Abundance of Grace given unto the Saints and People of God under the new Testament Behold then what great finners Professors are yea the fins of Gods own people The more light and knowledge a man hath if he sin the greater is his sin The more beams of Grace fall upon a mans heart the more he is able to discern the motes that are there and so may avoid them and sinning he sins the more The more grace and the more mercy a man sins against the greater is his sin because free Grace and mercy is the remedy The more strength a man hath to stand the greater is his sin if he fall As it was with Adam He had strength to stand and yet he fell I say the more strength a man hath to stand the greater is his sin if he fall Now Beloved ye have heard what Abundance of Grace is Discovered Exhibited Communicated unto all the Saints under the new Testament unto
the fire it self So when the Lord Jesus Christ is united to a soul look what Excellencies there are in Christ what Graces in Christ the same are Communicated to it the soul shines with Christs shining and warms with His warming there is Grace Answerable for His Grace You know there was a blessed union between the second Person and our Nature our flesh the second Person takes our Nature upon him and being united to our flesh by vertue of the hypostatical union the idioms and properties of the one are given to the other God hath no flesh God hath no blood and yet we reade in the Acts of the Apostles of the blood of God because of the union the properties of the flesh and of mans nature are given to God Eph. 4.10 So saies the Apostle He that descended is the same also that ascended God does not descend for He is every where but by reason of the union what is proper to the flesh is given to God And so now in this mistical Vnion there being such a glorious and blessed union between Christ and a Christian whatsoever Grace or Excellency or property is in Christ Himself there is an Answerableness of Grace an excellency wrought in the heart of every Christian he hath Grace for Grace he hath stamp for stamp And again Secondly Rea. 2 The Lord Jesus Christ is our second Adam a Common person between God and us Now look as it was concerning our fore-father Adam being a Common person look what nature he had we have He was made up of soul and body and so are we His body had legs and arms and other members and we have member for member we have head for head and arms for arms and legs for legs And so he sinning we have sin for his sin pride for his pride and unbelief for his unbelief because he was a Common person So I say Jesus Christ being our Second Adam look what Grace he had the Saints have they have Grace for His Grace they have Holiness for His Holiness The Apostle saies in the 5. of the Romans That as by one mans offence death came So through the gift of Grace Grace hath abounded But not as the offence saies he at the 15. verse So also is the Free-gift For if through the offence of one man many be dead much more the Grace of God and the gift by Grace which is by one man Jesus Christ hath abounded unto many Now if we should not have Grace for Grace from Christ as we had sin for sin from the first Adam how should Grace superabound Our Lord and Savior Christ saies himself I have life in my Self The Son hath life in Himself Joh. 5.26 which laid to that expression which you have in the 1. of Genesis speaks to our purpose the 11. and 12. verses God said Let the Earth bring forth grass the herb yeelding seed and the fruit-tree yeelding fruit after his kind whose seed is in it self And so again at the 12. verse Whose seed was in it self That is these Creatures had a power in themselves to bring forth their like And so saies Jesus Christ as other Creatures had seed in themselves to bring forth their like So have I life in my Self and am able to bring forth my like and so He does for He is our Second Adam and therefore as we had sin for sin from the First Adam we must have Grace for Grace from the Second Adam also Thirdly There is an incomparable and glorious Rea. 3 blessed love between Christ and a Christian Love loves to make a thing loved to be like it self Love in an Inferiour is of an Imitating Nature and love in a Superiour is of a Similitating Nature Now therefore if there be love between Christ and a Christian they must needs be very like and love there is Christ loves the Saints above all the world and the Saints love Christ above all the world Only Christs love exceeds for when the Spouse speaks of Christ in the Canticles she cals Him My beloved in the Concrete but when He speaks of her He cals her my love my dove in the Abstract Jesus Christ had loving thoughts towards the Saints before the world was as ye reade in the 8. of the Proverbs and the 29. verse Saies wisdom and so Christ there When He gave to the Sea His Decree that the waters should not pass His Commandement when He appointed the foundations of the earth Then I was by Him as one brought up with Him I was daily His delight verse the 31. Rejoycing in the habitable part of His earth and my delights were with the sons of men Jesus Christ was then in the bosom of His Father He had enough to take up His heart with full delight and yet notwithstanding before the Saints were His love was towards them and His delight was in them Surely if He loved them so much before they had a being when they have a being He will exercise and put forth that old and ancient love of His in more abundance towards them When a man loves a Maid or a Virgin while she is in her fathers house she is set a part for him but now afterward when she leaves her fathers house and all her kindred that she may only cleave unto him then his heart is drawn out more How am I ingaged saies he to love this woman that hath left all the world to come unto me So there was love in Christ towards the Saints while they were but set a part for Him in Gods Decree but now when they shall leave their fathers house for Him will He not then delight in them See what is said in the 45. Psalm Hearken O daughter at the 10. verse and consider and incline thine ear forget also thine own people and thy fathers house So shall the King greatly desire or delight in thy beauty But delight in them and love them he cannot unless they be like unto him for the lover loves to make a thing loved to be like himself or himself to be like to it The lover would if he could melt himself into a One-ness with the thing loved Indeed our love is scant and we cannot do it Moses of whom the Law is signified might chip and pare his wives nailes but he could not change her countenance A man may love his wife and bestow much upon her but he is not able to change her countenance to make her to be like himself But Jesus Christ hath this happiness above all the world His love hath this happiness above all other love that He is able to melt the person loved the soul loved into His own likeness and therefore wherever Jesus Christ sets His heart upon any soul to delight in any He draws His Image upon them makes the soul to be like unto Him what Grace He hath Himself He does communicate it unto that soul that there is an Answerableness of Grace Even Grace for
Hypocrites stand by as having no share and interest in Jesus Christ As for Profane men they will be Drunk and Swear and commit Adultery and Lye and break the Sabbath But would Jesus Christ do so They count it the life of their life and the soul of their soul to be at a merry meeting a jovial meeting but would Jesus Christ do so When Jesus Christ was upon the earth He went up and down doing good and scattering good communicating good and they go up and down scattering their sins and is this Grace for Grace is this Answerable I appeal to you As for those that are meerly Civil Moral Though they will not swear great and gross Oathes yet swear by their faith and by their Troth but would Jesus Christ do so They carry a secret spleen and envy at the power of godliness and those that have it but would Jesus Christ do so They frame up their Religion and their Worship according to the Times if Authority comand it they will they will do it whatever it be but would Iesus Christ do so When Iesus Christ was upon the earth He was Zealous The Zeal of thine house hath eaten me up Ioh. 2.17 but they are formal and they are Luke-warm Oh! is this Grace for Grace is this your Answer ableness and are these in Iesus Christ As for those that are Hypocrites They have alwaies some secret sin or other some back-door or other that they may go out at but had lesus Christ so They lie contemplating and chewing of the Devils Cud and are indulgent to their base thoughts their sinful thoughts but was Iesus Christ so They savour gifts and expressions more then Graces but did jesus Christ do so They though they seem to be mortified and dead unto the grosser part of the world meat drink and clothes yet they are no way mortified and dead unto the finer part of the world their Names and their Credits Was it thus with Jesus Christ Indeed an Hypocrite through the strength of Education living under the Gospel may set himself to imitate Christ but there is an Artificial imitation and a Natural resemblance A father may have two sons The one that is unlike him but imitates him the other that does naturally resemble the father and imitate him too Such are the Saints being made partakers of the Divine Nature they naturally care for the things of Christ hypocrites do not so Behold here 's the Character of a Christian indeed he hath Grace for Grace whatever Grace there is in Christ he hath somewhat Answerable thereunto Oh! how few men and women are there in the world that have a saving share and interest in Jesus Christ Secondly If this Doctrine be true What a happy Appli 2. and blessed thing is it for a man to be in Christ Behold the Dignity of the Saints Beloved here 's glory on this side glory 't is the glory and the honor of a man to be like to God 't is the glory and honor of a Disciple to be like his Master 't is the glory and honor of a Child to be like his father 't is the glory and honor of a Christian to be like unto Jesus Christ Every Christian hath the Image of Christ drawn upon him Had our Lord Iesus the Great Mighty Potentate only come by a poor soul and cast His Skirt over him and said unto the soul wear thou my Livery it had bin a great honor to belong to Christ to wear His Livery But behold here 's more than so the Saints do not only wear His Livery but they have His Grace and their Grace is of the same nature with the very Grace of Christ as our Grace should a bin of the same nature with Adams if Adam had stood Yea not only their Grace is of the same nature but look what Grace Christ had they have Answerable to it Had this great and royal Loadstone that draws all mens hearts after him only touch't our hearts that we might have followed him what a Mercy had it bin But behold here is more than so the Saints they have Grace for Grace whatsoever Grace or holiness there is in Christ somewhat in a Christian Answerable thereunto Oh! Dignity Oh! Dignity how can a Christian but be welcome to God the Father that does not come only in the Name of Christ to Him but brings the Image of Christ too with him Grace for Grace Oh! who would not be Incouraged to get into Jesus Christ Oh! you that are in Christ do you know what priviledges you walk under every day You sometimes are ready to envy at the men of the world but I pray Would you now change your condition with them Such a one he hath passion for passion and pride for pride and sin for sin with the world and you have Grace for Grace with Jesus Christ Here 's Dignity here 's Priviledge indeed But you will say Quest All Dignity cals for Duty Suppose it be so That whatsoever Grace and holiness there is in Christ there is somewhat Answerable in my soul Oh! what is my Duty now that does flow from hence Surely Ans you cannot be proud of it for then you shal not be like to Christ Who though He thought it no robbery to be equal with God the Father He humbled Himself became of no reputation Beloved you know that all Talents lents are to be improved and the greater the Talent the more improvement is to be made and improvement is to be made of the same kind 'T is our wisedom to observe what work God is a doing upon our souls and to help forward that work If God be working Faith in our hearts it is our duty to help forward the work of Beleeving If God be working Patience in our hearts 't is our duty to help forward the work of Patience Look now what work that is that God is doing in our hearts and lives for us that work we are bound to help forward Now hath therfore God drawn the Image of Jesus Christ upon your hearts so that there is an habitual likeness in your souls unto Jesus Christ Then it is your duty to labor for an actual likeness to be like unto Him in all your working to live as He lived and to do as He did and to speak as He spake labor more and more to be like unto Him in your lives And if you say How should that be The Apostle tells you Whom beholding as in a glass 2 Cor. 3.18 we are changed from glory to glory according to His own Image The serious frequent beholding of Jesus Christ is the only way to be like unto Him Beloved your lives they are divided into two parts There is a Doing part and a Suffering part As Christs Obedience was divided into Active and Passive Obedience Would you in the Doing part of your life be like unto Christ Behold Him in His Doing Omnis Christi Actio est instructio Every
head when the sentence of death is put upon the Mercy and blessing which you do most desire This is Gods way when he intends any great Mercy to any of his children he puts a sentence of death first upon it Oh! when death sits upon the meanes Psal 116.11 then we conclude all 's dead the Mercy dead all 's gone and we are very apt to have despairing thoughts and to make despondent conclusions I said in my hast sayes he all men are liars Samuel sayes I shall have a Kingdome the sentence of death is put upon the businesse All men are liars Psal 31.22 So in another place I said in my hast I am cast out of thy sight shall I see the face of God nothing but death upon all the means Isai 38.11 I am cast out of thy sight So with Hezckiah I said saies he I shall be cast out of the Land of the living And so now adayes I thought indeed that we should have had a Reformation but now nothing but sad Division I thought we should have had free enjoyment of al the Ordinances but now the sentence of death put upon all I had thought I should have had Assurance and never doubted again but now death put upon it and upon all the means that do lead unto it all 's dead all 's gone Oh! we are very apt to be much discouraged to make strange conclusions when death comes upon the meanes 't is a hard thing to keep from such conclusions For the businesse comes to a Vote as it were it comes to a Vote before the Soule The question is sayth the Soule whether I shall be saved or no As many as are for the Affirmative say I I sayes the Promise As many as are for the Negative say No No sayes Threatnings and No sayes guilty Conscience No no no sayes a thousand sinnes The question is whether I shall be delivered or no I am in such an Alliction and straitnesse the question is whether I shall be delivered or no As many as are for the Affirmative say I I sayes the Promise As many as are for the Negative say No No sayes Providence No say all second Causes and all the meanes round about No no no say a thousand sinnes Now my beloved it s a hard thing for a poor Soule to give an Affirmative with the bare Promise when all else gives a Negative but the reason is because this truth that now I am upon is not by you were but this truth by you it were easy to give an Affirmative with the bare Promise when death sits upon all the meanes As for example Suppose our Army by in the field engaged with the enemy a Troupe routed a Regiment routed a Wing routed Come sayes a carnall Souldier fellow Souldiers shift for your lives for we are all undone and spoil'd Nay not so stay sayes the beleeving Souldier this is Gods way when God intends any great Mercy to his people he does first of all put the sentence of death upon it and upon all the meanes that do lead unto it and therefore come fall on fall on brave hearts fall on for this is Gods way ans so it proves many times Or suppose a man be in some personall straite or affliction the Devill the Tempter he comes ye see in what straite ye are ther 's no meanes at all for your deliverance you had as good take such and such an indirect course why should you waite any longer Nay sayes the Soule but I have learned otherwise when God intends any great Marcy to his children he does first of all put the sentence of death upon it and upon all the meanes that do lead unto it and therefore I will waite on God still I may be in Gods way this may be Gods way it may be the Lord is in a way to give me a greater Mercy then ever I had in all my dayes Oh! my Beloved that you would but gird this truth upon your thigh how might you cutt off all discouragements as they rise upon you You will say Quest How does this cutt off discouragements some things there are that die and never rise again as Beasts some things there are that die and do rise again as Men The sentence of death is upon the Mercy that I do much desire and did I know indeed that it should rise again it were a matter of great Incouragement to me but that I do not know For Answer Answ I shall onely say thus much to it A may be of Mercy is a sufficient ground for our reliance and support of the Soule upon God Marke there is two acts of Faith the Faith of Reliance and the Faith of Assurance Assurance that causes Joy Reliance that causes Quietnesse Accordingly there are two Objects of Faith A shall be of Mercy that is the Object of Assurance A may be of Mercy that is the Object of Reliance Ye shall observe therefore that when the Lord would call out his people to an act of Reliance upon him he holds out a may be of mercy to them Zeph. 2.3 Seeke the Lord ye meeke of the earth seeke righteousnesse seeke meeknesse it may be ye shall be hid in the day of the Lords anger ye know the place in Zephaniah And if you looke into the 1 Samuell the 14. Chapter ye shall find that this may be was that encouraged Jonathan at the 6. verse Jonathan said to the Young man that born his Armour Come and let us go over unto the garrison of these uncircumcised it may be that the Lord will worke for us for there is no restraint with the Lord to save by many or by few It may be the Lord will work for us for there is no restraint with the Lord to save by many or by few This encouraged Jonathan and hereby he incourages his Armour-bearer So when a man can say thus it may be the Lord will show Mercy to me in such a work or in such a businesse there is no restraint with him it causes the Soule to rely on God Now this Doctrine it holds forth a may be to you a may be of Mercy to you though you have not an Assurance that this mercy that hath the sentence of death upon it will certainly rise againe yet notwithstanding seeing it is Gods way this is Gods way with the Children of Abraham when he intends to give a speciall Mercy he does put a sentence of death upon it This holds forth a may be unto you a may be of Mercy this Doctrine holds forth unto you Why therefore my beloved should we not relie upon God when the sentence of death is put upon the meanes upon all the meanes that does lead unto the Mercy that you most desire But you will say unto me Is there no way Quest no meanes to spy out Gods meaning in this particular Oh! that I did but know whether this Mercy that hath the sentence of death upon it shall
into his soule Answerable to that a chaine of gold is hung about his necke Joseph a poor stranger brought as low as ever man was Answerable to that he is made next in the Kingdome to Pharoah Beloved if the dead Mercy rise as your bodies when they rise they rise in glory So when the Mercy rises it will rise a glorious Mercy And as it shall be the greatest Mercy that ever you had so it shall be the surest That is most certain that is certain after uncertainty Whose assurance was like to Thomas's Oh! sayes Thomas My Lord and My God two My's My Lord and My God it came out of doubting A Tree that stands after shaking stands the most firmly Assurance after doubting is the strongest Assurance surest Assurance As 't is the greatest Mercy so I say it shall be the surest Mercy if ever the Mercy rise And then againe Lastly As the surest so it shall be the sweetest Mercy The children of Israel they had wholesome meat and water and drinke but the sweetest water was that which they had after no water water out of a rocke that was like hony And a Mercy that comes out of a rocke that comes from out of the sentence of death from under death it shall be the sweetest Mercy You know what the Father of the Prodigall sayes when his son was come home he cals his friends together Lak 15.32 Come sayes he and make merry with me for this my son was dead and is now alive Cals his friends together and speaks thus unto them So shall it be with the Soule when the Mercy lost is found when the Mercy dead is raised then the Soule shall call in his friends Come O my friends Come I le tell you what the Lord hath done for my Soule here here is a Mercy dead and 't is now alive Come make merry with me O my friends this my Assurance it was even dead and 't is now alive Oh! this Blessing this Blessing it was dead but 't is now alive Come and make merry with me O my friends for this Mercy was dead and 't is now alive Thus I say if this Mercy rise that hath the sentence of death upon it it shall be the greatest Mercy it shall be the surest and it shall be the sweetest Mercy that ever you had in all your dayes And therefore who would not waite upon the Lord who would not waite upon the Lord when the sentence of death is put upon the Mercy and upon all the manes that do lead unto it Oh! my beloved in the Lord that you would but possesse your hearts of this one Truth this Mercy how quiet would your Soules be under all the distempers and the troubles of the time Nationall distempers Personall distempers When you look upon the troubles that are abroad yet your hearts would be quiet and you would say well but yet notwithstanding we may be in the way to the greatest Mercy that ever England saw why should we be thus discouraged Oh! my Soule waite upon God this is Gods way he never gives any great Mercy to any of his people but first he does put a sentence of death upon it and upon all the meanes that do lead unto it And therefore notwithstanding all yet we may be in Gods way Therefore Oh! my Soule waite on him Thus much for this time Rom. 4. vers 19. And being not weak in faith he considered not his own body now dead when he was about an hundred years old neither yet the deadnesse of Sarahs wombe THe words as ye heard the last day are spoken concerning Abraham Preached-at Margarets New fishstreet March 2. 1645. And they hold forth three great Truths unto us The First is this That when God intends to fulfill his promise by giving any speciall blessing to the children of Abraham he does first put the sentence of death upon the blessing and upon all the meanes that do lead unto it Abrahams body is dead and Sarahs wombe is dead when God had promised him a great seed The Second is this When God is thus pleased to put the sentence of death upon a blessing or the meanes that do lead thereto Then and then especially 't is the duty and commendation of all the children of Abraham to beleeve in God and not to stand poring upon the meanes and the deadnesse thereof He considered not his own body being dead nor the deadnesse of Sarahs wombe The Third is this That no difficulty can stand before Faith true saving justifying Faith carries the Soule through all difficulties discouragements and naturall impossibilities to Jesus Christ Thus it was here with Abraham he being not weak in Faith he had an eye unto Jesus Christ I have done with the First and my desire is now at this time to dispatch the Second When God is pleased thus to put the sentence of death upon a blessing Doctr. or the meanes that do lead unto it it is the duty of the children of Abraham then to trust in God not to stand poring upon or considering of the meanes and the deadnesse thereof Thus it was here with Abraham God made Abraham a promise that his seed should be like the sand and like the starres for multitude But Abrahams body is dead and his wives body is dead Notwithstanding Abraham considered not the deadnesse of the meanes And in all this he is held forth for our Example as you heard the last day As he did therefore so must we do The Doctrine is somewhat large I shall break it asunder into three parts and endeavour to cleare up these three Propositions unto you for the proof of the whole First That a meere rationall considering of the meanes and the deadnesse thereof is a great and a speciall enemy to the work of beleeving Secondly That when all means faile 't is the duty and commendation of the children of Abraham then to beleeve Thirdly That so to do is exceeding pleasing to God and most acceptable First That a meere rationall considering of the meanes the straitnesse or scantinesse narrownesse or deadnesse of the meanes is a great and a speciall enemy to the work of beleeving Abraham being not weak in Faith considered not his own body being dead If he had considered he might have been hindered in his Faith Ye reade of Zacharias that good man Father of John the Baptist that when the Angell brought him tidings of a child in way of his speciall Mercy he would not beleeve it And in the 1. of Luke and the 20. verse ye reade how he was punished for it Behold thou shalt be dumbe and not able to speak untill the day that these things shall be performed because thou beleevest not my words But what hindred him what kept him off from this work of beleeving you shall find at the 18. verse too much attendance unto and considering of the meanes and the deadnesse thereof Zachary said unto the Angell Whereby shall I know
saies the Lord wilt thou now rest upon mee now I frown now I chide now I have a rod in my hand now I have a sword in my hand to kill thee as it were wilt thou now rest upon mee Well be of good comfort thou art mine for ever Man or woman go in peace good is thy faith This resting thus upon God when all meanes faile it melts Gods anger into love And besides it is that faith that is most successefull the most speeding in prayer You may look into the second of Chronicles the thirteenth Chapter and you shall find there that Abijah going to warre with Jeroboam had not more then halfe so many as Jeroboam had Abijah set the battaile in array with an Army of valiant men of warre even foure hundred thousand chosen men A great Army But Jeroboam had as many againe And Jeroboam also set the battale in array against him with eight hundred thousand chosen men being mighty men of valour I pray now let us consider how went the day Reade the seventeenth verse Abijah and his people slew them with a great slaughter so there fell down of Israel five hundred thousand chosen men Five hundred thousand chosen men slaine How came this about Reade the eighteenth verse Thus the children of Israel were brought under at that time and the children of Judah prevailed because they relyed upon the Lord God of their Fathers Or as some books have it because they stayed upon the Lord God of their father The meanes was too scanty it was short they rested upon God beyond the meanes and see what great successe they had upon this they were but foure hundred thousand against either hundred thousand and they slew five hundred thousand men So successefull is this worke and this way of beleeving It is this faith that now I am speaking of beleeving when all means faile and lye dead before us that does honour God especially which doth justify the soule It is the soule-saving faith of all Pray looke into the seventh of Luke and consider it well It is said at the last verse Jesus said to the woman they Faith hath saved thee go in peace but here 's no mention at all before of her Faith There 's mention of her love in the fourty seventh verse I say unto thee her sins which are many are forgiven for she loved much There 's mention before of her teares at the eight and thirty verse A woman in the City which was a sinner brought an Alabaster box of ointment and stood at his feete behind him weeping and began to wash his feete with teares and did wipe them with the haires of her head and kissed his feete and annointed them with the ointment Here 's mention of her teares here 's mention of her Liberality and Bounty and Love to Jesus Christ and yet our Lord and Saviour Christ does not say thus woman thy teares hath saved thee go in peace Woman thy Repentance and thy Humiliation hath saved thee go in peace he doth not say thy Love to me and thy Bounty to me hath saved thee go in peace woman No but our Lord and Saviour he saw a secret worke of reliance upon himselfe in this woman for she was a great sinner and he sayes unto her woman Thy Faith hath saved thee goe in Peace This is the soule-saving faith thus to beleeve when all meanes faile and seeme to lye dead before you Surely therefore to do thus must needs be exceeding pleasing to God and most acceptable And so I have done with those three Propositions Applic. and now come to the Application If these things be so Oh! what manner of Faith should we have Will ye only beleeve when meanes are strong and have life in them Ye have read of the unbeliefe of the people of Israel when they were in the wildernesse being in the wildernesse they wanted much outward provision ordinary provision and by occasion thereof they murmured full of unbelief in so much as the Lord was angry with them and slew them so that they never came into the Land of promise But I pray what was their unbelief for which God did slay them Was it this that they did not beleeve when they had meanes No but that they did not beleeve when all means failed when all outward meanes failed that is their unbeliefe Beloved we have their promises we have their Example we have more meanes of faith then they and shall not our Faith rise higher then theirs Shall not we beleeve an inch beyond the meanes You have heard the Doctrine T is the duty of all the children of Abraham to beleeve when meanes faile 't is exceeding pleasing to God and 't is most acceptable Oh! What an incouragement is here to beleeve above hope and under hope and when death sits upon the lips of the second cause and speakes nothing but terror Some there are that say they can beleeve for their bodies but they cannot trust God for their Soules when meanes faile Some say they can trust God for their Soules when meanes faile but they cannot trust God for their Bodies some say they can trust God for Themselves but they cannot trust God for their Families what shall become of my wife and children Some say they can trust God for their Families but they cannot trust God for the Church when a strome rises they cry out and say Lord carest thou not that we perish though Jesus Christ be in the ship with them We are very ready and apt to hunt after the meanes when we want them and to rest upon them when we have them And there is a great propensnesse in us to doing rather then unto beleeving before conversion and in the point of conversion Before conversion sayes the young man Mat. 1916. What shall I do that I may inherite eternall life And in the point of Conversion in the second of the Acts What shall we do to be saved And Paul himselfe Act. 9.6 Act. 6.30 Lord what wilt thou have me to do The Jaylor too What shall I do to be saved What shall I do But I pray marke the Apostles answer to the Jaylor when he cryed out and said Oh! What shall I do The Apostle does not say go fast and pray though he had need to do that but the first worke that the Apostle does put him upon is Beleeve and thou shalt be saved This is the worke And therefore Iohn 6.28 29. when some came to Christ and ask't him this question Master what shall we do that we may work the works of God sayes Christ This is the work of God that ye beleeve in him whom he hath sent And of all workings of Faith this same beleeving when all means do faile and seeme to lie dead before us is that which is most pleasing to God Oh! that we could learne Oh! that we could learne this point to beleeve when the sentence of death is past upon a
when you have no meanes Thus Abraham did he considered not his own body being dead nor Sarahs wombe being dead for this his faith is commended So shall you be Oh! that our faith were right Oh! that we could learn to live by faith at a higher rate then ever yet we have done Time yet may come for ought we know that you may find more use of this point But you will say unto me I am afraid I shall presume Obj. trust in God when all meanes faile meanes for my soule and meanes for my body and meanes for my family trust in God now I am afraid I shall presume presumption is a great sinne Marke I shall onely tell you what 't is to presume Answ in answer to this praesumo is to take a thing before 't is given or offered Mercy 't is alwayes offred to a poore sinner Jesus Christ came to save sinners and die for sinners thou canst not take mercy before 't is offred For a man to thinke that he shall fly in the ayre with wings like a bird this is to presume for a man to put God upon provision for his lust this is to presume for a man to put God upon extraordinary where ordinary may be had this is to presume But for a man to relie upon God for necessities in extraordinary cases when ordinary cannot be had this is no presumption but Faith Mark I say to put God upon extraordinary when ordinary may be had this is presumption But to rely upon God for necessities in an extraordinary case when it cannot be had in an ordinary this is no presumption at all Beloved 't is presumption in the highest degree for you and mee poore creatures to tye up the hands of God to labour to do it is dangerous As for example one poore Subject to go to his Prince and tye up his hands and feet or to go to his Pallace and nayle up all his doores and leave him but one little wicket to come out at this is presumption And so for a man to tye God to meanes to tye God to a time to tye God to this or that meanes to tye God to meanes in generall this is presumption Marke Some there are that tye God to a Time Oh! if mercy does not come by such a day or such a time I am undone for ever Others they won't tye God to a Time but they will tye God to this or that particular meanes Oh! if mercy come not that way or by that meanes I am gone I am lost for ever Others they won't tye God to time nor to particular meanes but they will tye God to meanes in generall they won't beleeve God a whit beyond meanes and so tye God to meanes in generall Ah what is this but ranke presumption for a poore creature to tye up the hands of his Creator the fin that you seeke and thinke to avoid you fall into This is presumption And beloved do you know how prejudiciall this is to your selves As a dishonour to God so a great hinderance to your selves to doe thus it turnes God out of the way of his mercy Nay sayes God seeing you will have no mercy but in a roade of meanes you shall have none but in a roade of meanes so mercy comes thinne and scant and by little drops whereas otherwise mercy would come thick and full and large Hereby you are put upon indirect meanes to get out of trouble pray what is the ground that causes men to use indirect meanes to get out of trouble is not this at the bottome you thinke meanes must be used this is at the bottome Beloved in the Lord as you do desire God may not be dishonoured that Mercy may come full and not scant unto you learne to beleeve at another rate then ever you have done when all meanes faile and seeme to lie dead before you then beleeve so for thy Soule so for thy Body so for thy Estate You will say How should I do this Quest to beleeve when all meanes faile and lie dead before me I have a great prospect in my sinnes the guilt of one sinne comes and that hath a blow at my conscience and the guilt of another sinne that comes and that gives a blow to my conscience and my conscience is all blacke and blue with blowes and they all cry out and say poor damn'd damn'd and undone creature and I see no way no meanes at all left for my salvation Ah! Lord what shall I do to beleeve now when all meanes faile I shall onely speake a word to it and so winde up all Answ thus Know that thou mayest trust God that thou mayest find Mercy that thou mayest beleeve in such a case as this is Beloved therefore thou hast not beleeved in such a case heretofore because thou didst think thou mightst not beleeve But now know from the Lord 't is no temptation 't is no presumption in such a case as this thou mayest leane thy poor guilty soule upon God this day I am loath to make comparisons between one duty and another but if there be any compares this act of beleeving when all meanes seeme to lie dead before us is more then all thy prayers and teares Thou criest out and sayest Oh! that I had teares in prayer Oh! that God would inlarge my heart in prayer Oh! that God would breake this hard heart and blessed be the Lord indeed when so it is But now art thou in such a case hast thou a prospect of all thy sins and all means seem to lie dead before thee and doest thou now go unto Jesus Christ saying to him Ah Lord I have been a great and a wretched sinner yet now hearing of thy free and rich grace I do throw my selfe upon thee Lord if thou killest mee yet I will trust in thee through thy grace I will never returne againe unto folly onely Lord I do leane my Soule upon thee as for comfort Lord give me comfort when thou wilt onely I leane my Soule upon thee I tell thee this act of thy Faith is more pleasing to God then thy twenty years teares then thy twenty years prayers if there be any compare But why then my Beloved should you look at this as a matter of presumption to trust upon God and upon Christ in this condition know 't is your way unto Jesus Christ when all meanes faile Oh! 't is the only way for your deliverance deliverance from your sinnes and the feare of your sinnes carry this rule home along with you deliverance is then nearest when Faith workes highest and Faith then workes highest when all means are lowest Do not stand poring then Christian don 't stand poring upon the deadnesse of the meanes or the deadnesse of thine owne heart As the sight beholding and gazing upon beauty is a snare and a temptation to those that are given to wantonnesse and the sight of much gold and silver and fine houses a temptation to those
that are given to worldlinesse So the sight and beholding of the deadnesse of the meanes is a great snare and temptation to those that are given to doubting and those that are given to unbeliefe Does the meanes therefore lie dead before thee at any time Soule man or woman go to the Lord and say thus Ah! Lord turne away mine eyes from beholding this same dead meanes away away to the promise when all meanes faile now beare thy selfe at length upon the promise go unto Jesus Christ throw thy self now at his feete and say Lord though thou kill me yet will I trust in thee if I perish I will perish here Do this and live And thus I have done with the Second Proposition And so much for this time Rom. 4. vers 19. And being not weak or weakned in faith he confidered not his own body now dead when he was about an hundred years old neither yet the deadnesse of Sarahs wombe THe words are spoken of Abraham and they hold forth Three great Truths as yee have heard First That when God intends any great mercy or blessing to the children of Abraham he does first put the Sentence of death upon the blessing or mercy and upon all the meanes that do lead unto it Secondly That then and then especially 't is the duty of all the children of Abraham of all beleevers then for to trust in God Thirdly That no difficulties can stand before Faith true saving justifying faith carries the soule through all difficulties discouragements and naturall impossibilities to Jesus Christ I have done with the two former and am now to speake unto the third No difficulties can stand before Faith Doct. 3 True saving justifying Faith carries the soule through all difficulties discouragements and naturall impossibilities to Jesus Christ Abraham had a promise given him that his seed should be as the starres of Heaven and that in his seed all the Nations of the world should be blest Upon this promise Abrahams body is dead and Sarahs body is dead Now Abraham beleeves Being not weake in Faith he considered not the deadnesse of his own body And in this he had an eye unto Jesus Christ for this was imputed to him for righteousnesse and herein he is held forth as an example to us that beleeve with a justifying faith in this chapter So that where ever there is true saving justifying faith it carries a man through all difficulties through all naturall discouragements For the clearing whereof I shall deliver my selfe in these foure things First I will shew you That the way to Jesus Christ is clogged with many difficulties and naturall discouragements this as a rice unto all the rest Secondly That true saving faith will carry one through all these Thirdly That nothing else can do it And Fourthly What it is in true saving justifying Faith that does is How this Faith comes to do it First The way to Jesus Christ is clogged with many difficulties or naturall discouragements No sooner does a man begin to looke after Christ but difficulties and naturall discouragements do arise and they are prest by Satan with much violence When the children of Israel began to make out of Egypt Pharoah doubles their taske and labours to make their way grievous and troublous And so soone as a soule begins to look after Christ Satan and the world labours to make his way troublous The Devill is the great hunter of Soules So long as the Game goes well with the hunter and he is going into his snare he makes no noise but if once the Hare or the Game begin to decline the snare and go another way then he hoopes and he hollowes and he makes a noise that he may scare it into the snare againe And so as long as men are going into the Devils snare he makes no noise but if once they begin to turne aside from his snare then he raises Town Country and a great noise is made to scare the soule in againe He knowes that a candle may be easily blown into light when 't is new put out Paul met with no buffetings of Satan till he had been taken up into the third heavens and seene the glory there So long as Paul went on in his Pharasaicall way he met with no opposition and so long as a man goes on in the way of the world or in some Pharasaicall Devotionall-way that is not the way of the Gospell he meetes with no opposition but when once the Lord takes him as it were into the third heavens and shews him the glory of Christ then Satan begins to buffer him Nature within us that stands and saies Will you go to Christ 't is impossible that ever you should get him And the world without Will you go to Christ you will lose all your friends Will you become a foole too What with the world and what with the flesh and what with the Devill the way to Jesus Christ is clogged with many difficulties And this will appeare yet further if you consider the Nature of Faith and the worth of it 'T is a grace a Gospel grace a precious grace whereby we do come to Christ I say 'T is a grace Nulla Virtus sine lapide When our Lord Jesus Christ was crucified they rould a stone over his sepulcher and when the Disciples came they said Who shall roule away the stone Mark 16 3 And as our Lord himselfe had a stone roul'd upon him so the more of Christ is in any vertue the greater stone and the greater difficulty is rould upon it every vertue and every grace hath one stone or other that is roul'd upon it but the more of Christ in any thing the more the greater is the stone that is roul'd upon it Faith is an excellent grace 1 Pet. 1.7 The triall of your Faith is more precious then gold sayes the Apostle what is Faith it selfe then It is the Intelligencer of the Soule the directrix or Queene-regent of all the graces it sits at the sterne and guides the whole Vessel 'T is that grace that gives a Being unto a Christian other graces the Well-being It is that grace that brings Christ and the Soule together It is that grace that covers the defects of all other graces Ephes 6.16 'T is called the shield a shield does not only cover the body but the rest of the armour Faith does not onely cover the Soule but the defects of all other graces There is an excellency in grace excellent things and jewels they are hard to come by Therefore by it we come unto Christ He that comes over the River must come from that side of the water if he will come to this And he that comes to Christ he must come from his old Customes and his own Engagements and his own Righteousnesse this is a hard thing I may say in some respects 't is harder to beleeve then to keepe the ten Commandements because there is something in nature towards
say if you take this course you will lose all you will lose all your acquaintance lose your liberty lose your estate may be lose your life Be it so saies faith though thou losest thy friends thou shalt gaine better and though thou losest thy liberty thou shalt gaine better and though thou losest thy life it selfe thou shalt gaine a better 't is but a while neither sayes faith that thou shalt lose these things and thou shalt have them better in a better Edition When a mans eyes are open to behold the Excellencies of Christ then they are shut to outward Discouragements When a man hath beheld the Sunne in its glory his eyes dazle to the things that are below Now Faith opens a mans eyes to see the Excellencies of Jesus Christ and so the soule is carried through Difficulties and Discouragements though they be never so many Againe fourthly True saving faith it inables the soule to leave the successe and the event of all unto God himselfe Nothing strengthens the hands of Difficulties and Discouragements so much as solicitude about successe and event of things True saving faith helps a man to leave the successe to Christ it does commit the soule unto God unto Christ there is a mutuall committing between Christ and a beleever Christ commits himselfe unto a beleever and a beleever commits himselfe againe unto Christ Christ commits himselfe unto a beleever you know what is said in the Gospel John 2.24 Psal 37.5 He did not commit himselfe unto them because they did not beleeve him arguing that he did commit himselfe unto others that did beleeve him And beleever commit themselves unto Jesus Christ Commit thy way unto the Lord there is a mutuall way of committing Christ he does commit his Grace he does commit his Spirit he does commit his Truth unto a beleever a beleever commits his Estate and his Name and Himselfe againe unto Christ Christ commits his work unto a beleever and a beleever commits the successe of the work againe unto Jesus Christ Faith now leaves the event and the successe unto Jesus Christ and therefore when Difficulties and naturall Discouragements arife and say What wilt thou do now What wilt thou do now to be preserved What wilt thou do to continue now What wilt thou do to be delivered now What will become of you now Oh! Satan sayes a beleever thou hast mistaken the question My question is not What shall become of me I have left the successe of things to God but my question is What shall I do for God My question is How shall I love Jesus Christ My question is How shall I be like unto Jesus Christ My question is How shall I serve my generation and owne Jesus Christ in these times This is my question Faith true saving faith it leaves the successe and the event of things unto Christ and so thereby the soule is carried through all Difficulties and naturall Discouragements unto Jesus Christ In the fifth place True saving faith is that grace whereby the soule takes up the yoke of Christ and the burden of Christ upon his soule Christs burden does unburden all other burdens the very taking Christs burden upon a man does ease him of all other burdens This may seem strange to you that the taking of a new burden should ease one of the former if a man be carrying coales or wood the taking of a new burden would not ease him of the former but the burden of Christ Belove is of another nature Austin distinguishes them there is a burden burdening and a burden supporting he expresses it thus The feathers that a bird or a foule is cloathed with they have a weight in them the wings and feathers have a weight a pound of feathers is as heavy as a pound of lead there is a weight in those feathers yet notwithstanding they beare up the burden of the body though there be a weight in them one weight beares up another Or as 't is with your coaches the wheeles are heavy yet notwithstanding being fastened unto the coach unto the body of the coach makes the body to go away the lighter though they be heavy in themselves So now 't is here the burden of Jesus Christ it makes all other burdens to go away the lighter Faith true saving Faith it is the grace that takes up the burden of Christ upon the soule and so thereby all other burdens are made the lighter and difficulties and discouragements overcome In the sixt place True saving faith it does teach a man for to picke out the love of God from under the anger of God God never makes his Pils so bitter but he mighles some Sugar withall and true faith can find it out When as our Lord and Saviour Christ said Ioh. 2.4.5 woman what have I to do with thee mine houre is not yet come The next words that she saies is to the servants Whatsoever he bids you do that do They wanted wine she came to him for wine and he answered her so it may seem an hard answer yet saies she to the servants whatsoever he bid you do that do For our Saviour had said my houre is not yet come implying therfore that he would do it Implycation is enough for Faith for Mary's Faith Faith it acquaints a man with the wayes of God and acquaints a Soule what Gods wayes are it tels the soule that when Christ seemes to be the greatest Enemy he intends the greatest friendship He sayes faith does then intend for to raise us up when he seemes most for to cast us downe whereupon when difficulties and discouragements do arise Is this his way indeed sayes a beleeving soule why then shall I be borne down with so many discouragements though they be never so many In the seventh and last place true saving justifying faith fils the soule with Gods infinity or infinitenesse Gods way is not as your way sayes Faith nor his thoughts as your thoughts but as the Heavens are above the earth so are his thoughts beyond yours and his wayes beyond your Faith lodges this principle into the Soule that God is infinite and having laid that principle there when difficulties and discouragements do arise saying you see now into what distresse you are brought now you see there is no hope at all for you deliverance true indeed sayes the Beleever through the strength of Faith I see there is no way in any one reason but God is infinite I see many difficulties but God is infinite the soule by Faith being fild with the apprehension of Gods infinitenesse hereby is carried through all difficulties and discouragements to Jesus Christ I have not time I see to tell you how Faith workes by love which much watter cannot quench stronger then death And how Faith is strengthened with the strength of the power of God that it layes hold upon As the Ivie is strong by the strength of the oake that it graspes upon so Faith is strong
this than with the other And I pray what then Do but observe Paul who gracious he is how humble he is how thankful he is how ready to serve Christ how ready to serve the Churches for Christ how ready to suffer for Christ upon all occasions Oh! how gracious did this make him Thus 't is with a poor soul that hath tasted of the free-grace of God in Christ the heart is more taken herewithal than with the thoughts of Heaven Ah saies a poor soul I was going on in such a sinful way or I lay sleeping and snorting in my sins and I know not how before ever I was aware the Kingdom of Heaven did approach unto me and the Lord in his free-grace showed mercy to my family and to my poor soul Oh! therefore any thing for Jesus Christ Oh! I will spend and be spent Oh! any thing for Jesus Christ The sight of Gods grace does make one gracious and therefore Christ does take this way Causing the Kingdom of Heaven grace and free remission to approach first unto us before we do draw neer to it There is one Reason more I will but name it Christ does so order things in the dispensations of his grace that no flesh might glory in it selfe or in any thing that it hath or doth that no flesh might rest in any duty in any service in any suffering but only upon grace upon Christ alone Beloved we are very unwilling to come unto any duty and when we have done we are then as apt to rest upon it as ever we were unwilling to come unto it But what 's the reason that men are so apt to rest upon their duties but because there are these secret thoughts that they come to Christ before he does come to them Let the heart be possest with this truth That Jesus Christ and the Kingdom of Heaven and of free-grace does approach unto us and come neer to us before we draw neer to it And then he will not rest so much upon what he is doth or suffereth A man in this case is like unto a Silk-worme you know how 't is with that worme it makes a fine web a fine work and when it hath done it dies in it afterward it eats a hole through the work and it comes out with wings a quite other creature than it went into it So it is with a poor Christian he makes a fine work of duty and then he dies in it but through the manifestations of Gods free grace he does as it were eat a hole through all and he comes out with wings flying away from his duties not so as to neglect the performance of them but so as not to rest upon them flyes away from in regard of resting upon any duty and only upon this ground because saies he God did draw neer to me grace did draw neer to me mercy did draw neer to me before ever I drew neer to it and therefore why should I rest upon any duty performe it I will but through grace I will not rest upon it By way of Application Applic. 1 Let us I pray consider with our selves whether God hath dealt thus by our souls or no Hath the Kingdom of Heaven approch't and drawn neer unto us before we drew neer to it if not truly for ought that I know we are yet under the Law and all our mournings and walkings Heaven-ward they are but Legal If God love you indeed He shews kindness and mercy to you before you do come to him 'T is with Gods darlings as 't is with the worlds-darlings You have some men take a great deal of pains rise early and go to bed late and yet the world does not smile upon them these are the world's enemies Some take pains and grow rich thereby these are the worlds friends Others there are again that before ever they take any pains the Lord is upon them with the worlds blessings these are the worlds darlings So I say God hath his darlings and if thou art one of Gods darlings He does cause the Kingdom of Heaven Grace and Free-remission to appear and draw neer unto thy soul even before thou dost draw neer to it Hath God dealt thus by any of you Oh! contemplate consider seriously the sweetness of this grace Beloved preventing grace is sweet grace The Lord gave a Grown a Kingdom to David but the best Pearle in all the Crown that his eye was most upon was Gods preventing mercy Psa 21.3 Lord saies he thou hast prevented me with the goodness of thy blessing As if he had said thus Lord thou hast not only given me a kingdom made me a King over thy people but when I was a poor Shepheard keeping my fathers sheep thou diddest prevent me with thy love So may a poor soul say Ah Lord thou hast not only given me a kingdom but thou hast prevented me with thy love 'T is a great matter that the great God of Heaven and Earth should answer our prayers give us any mercy upon our request I but that the Lord should give us the greatest mercie before we come for it Pray good people mark it a little Ye shall observe that the greatest mercies that ye have ye have them and they are given unto you before you come for them There are some great mercies that a Christian hath as Conversion of his soul Justification Remission of sin Some lesser mercies as comfort and peace and outward plenty As for these lesser mercies God gives them when we do come for them but as for the great Mercies Remission of sin Justification of our persons Conversion of our souls God is upon us with these mercies before we come for them Oh! what grace is here Oh! what glorious rich grace is here What! shall be not stand and admire at the glory of this free grace of God in Jesus Christ You will say unto me Quest But suppose this that the Lord hath brought the Kingdom of Heaven neer to me and my family before I did come to it for I must confess that I have tasted and drunk deeply of Gods preventing love Oh! how graciously hath God dealt by our poor family wee were a poor ignorant family and the Lord shewed mercy to our family when we little thought of it to such a Child to such a Servant to such a Friend to mine own soul Indeed this is true That the Kingdom of Heaven hath approch't unto me drawn neer unto me before I drew neer to it Oh! what is my duty now that does flow from hence Let me tell you Ans 1 Duty First of all Be sooner at Heaven gate with your duties hereafter than ever you were before When as a Master comes into his servants Chamber in the morning and takes him abed if the servant have any ingenuity the servant saies this my Masters coming thus early is plainly a rebuke to my sloth and therfore God willing I will be up sooner another day So now
of heaven is approaching Surely therefore this is the great Motive the motive of motives In the invitation to the great Supper spoken of in the Gospel what is the motive used for to bring men unto the supper but this Come for all things are now ready Mercy is ready the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ is ready Come for all things are now ready this is the motive that is used there And if ye look into the 12. Chapter of Paul to the Romans ye shall find at the 1. verse That when the Apostle doth exhort them to present themselves a living sacrifice holy acceptable unto God he perswades by this motive of mercy I beseech you therefore brethren by the mercies of God that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice I beseech ye therefore That Therefore sends us unto the former Chapter to enquire what these mercies were At the 30. verse of the former Chapter he saies unto them For as ye in times past have not beleeved God yet now have obtained mercy through their unbeliefe The Jewes were cast off and the Gentiles these Romans received to mercy the Kingdom of Heaven did come to them the Gospel effectually preach't to them the Doctrine of free-remission of poor sinners Now saies he I beseech you by the mercies of God that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice The Scripture is full of this But for our better opening and clearing of this Truth Let us I pray descend into the particulars of Repentance and consider how the grace and mercy and love of God in Christ which is the substance of this Kingdom of Heaven hath an influence upon them all and how all of them are caused thereby First A man that does Repent must see and know his sins true-sight of sin is requisite to true Repentance Indeed a man may in some measure attain unto the knowledge and discovery of his sin by some Affliction when Adoni-bezek had his fingers and toes cut off you know what he said Thus have I done Afflictions do un-leave a man take off his leaves when the leaves are off the hedges ye see those birds-nests that ye could not see before when the leaves were on And so when affliction hath made one naked and taken ones leaves off a man is able to see those nests of corruption in his own heart that he never did see before The Apostle saies By the Law is the knowledge of sin but now though by the Law as by a rule we come to the knowledge of our sin and by Affliction we are help't to see the nests of our own hearts yet notwithstanding a man cannot see his sins fully but by Gospel-light it is a work of the Spirit to convince of sin I will send the Spirit the Comforter and he shall convince the world of sin And where does the Spirit breath but in the Gospel the Kingdom of Heaven the preaching of the Gospel Received ye the Spirit saies the Apostle by the works of the Law or by the preaching of faith When once Esay the Prophet had had a fight of Christ he cries out Vae mihi I am undone We is me I am undone I am unclean Again for I will but touch upon these As a man must know his sin So if he will repent truly he must be grieved and humbled for it If you look into the 7. of Luke ye may see what work it had A woman a great sinner comes to Christ and she washes his feet with her teares what made her do so She loved much for much was forgiven her So that the more the love and mercy of God in Chrst is opened in the Gospel or does make it's approach unto a soul the more the soul is set a weeping and mourning for sin committed Again As a man Repenting must be grieved for sin committed So he must and he will loath himself self-loa-thing is requisite to Repentance If a man have taken a surfet by cating or drinking he does not only loath the meat which caused the surfet but he loaths the very Vessel that hath the smell of the meat or the liquor in it So now when a man comes to Repent he does not only loath his sin but he loaths himselfe the vessel where the sinne was Oh! these filthy eyes of mine Oh! these vile hands Oh! this vile heart of mine hee loaths himself But what causes this self-loathing Th Prophet Ezekiel will tell ye in the 20. of Ezekiel the 41 42 and 43. verses Then shall ye loath your selves when I am pacified or when God had shown them mercy caused his love to approach unto them Then should they loath themselves 'T is not all your Afflictions nor all my Threatnings saies God that will make ye to loath your selves but when ye see my love my grace my pardoning mercy then shall ye loath your selves not your sins only but your selves also Again A Repenting person does not only loath himself for his sin but he is ashamed of it he is ashamed of his former evil waies What fruit have ye of those things whereof ye are now ashamed not before but wereof ye are now ashamed So long as a man walks in the dark he does not blush he is not ashamed though his Cloaths be ragged and torne and his naked flesh appears because he is in the dark But if he come to the light then he blushes that his nakedness appears And so long as men are in their sins and are in darkness they are not ashamed of their sins because they are in darkness But when once they come to the light then they blush and then they are ashamed What light is that that will ashame one of sin there is light enough in hel-fire for the damned there to reade their sins by but that don't make them ashamed where the light of the Gospel the opening of the Kingdom of Heaven is and pardoning love is there is shame Ye shall see therefore how Ezra bulshes when he considered the love of God and their sins together in the 9. of Ezra and the 6. verse And he said O my God I am ashamed and blush to lift up my face unto thee my God Why for our iniquities are increased Is that all No saies he at the 8. verse for a little space grace hath been shewed us from the Lord our God to give us a remnant to eseape and to give us a nail in his Holy place we were bond-men yet our God hath not forsaken us in our bondage And now O our God what shall we say after this after this The sight of their own sins and the remembrance of Gods love together made him blush Ye know the place in Ezekiel Then shall ye be confounded and ashamed when I am pacified towards ye The more a man knows that God is pacified towards him the more he is ashamed Again A Repenting person is not only ashamed of his former evil waies but as occasion serves he will acknowledge his
sins But I pray what works the heart over to this acknowledgment When David had Saul at a great advantage and spar'd him Saul breaks forth into this expression O my son David thou art more righteous than I O David thou art a righteous man but I am an unrighteous man So when the soul sees what infinite advantage the Lord hath it at and how the Lord spareth then the soul breaks forth and saies The Lord is righteous I am unrighteous I am unrighteous this works an acknowledgment Sixtly A Repenting person does not only acknowledge his sin as occasion serves but he labours to un-sin his sin and truely else it is no Repentance He does walk contrary unto himself and his former self he does labour to undo what he had done before sinfully he does labour to unsay what he had said before wickedly Before the Jaylor was converted he clap't up the Apostle into close prison and either he whipt him there or else being whipt he did not relieve him and wash his wounds But the Jaylor Repenting mark how he walks contrary to himself Repenting he opens the prison door he washes the Apostles wounds brings him into his own house sets meat before him Those Sorcerers Acts 19. repenting burnt their books which before they prized and studies much How did Manasses walk contrary to himself when he once Repented Well But what is that that will bring the soul to this disposition to walk contrary to ones former self If you look into the 116. Psalm ye shall find there how the Psalmist eats up his former words I said in my hast all men are lyers It was amiss in me I eat my words I am sorry for it what made him do it Saies he at the 3. verse The sorrows of death compassed me about and the pains of hell gate hold upon me I found trouble and sorrow Then called I upon the Name of the Lord O Lord I beseech thee deliver me at the 5. verse Gracious is the Lord and righteous yea our God is mercisul Now having had a tast of Gods grace and God mercy now he eats his former words And so the good man Hezekiab I said saies he I am cut off from the land of the living Isa 38.11 He did eat his words I repent it was suddenly done How was he wrought off to this He had tasted of the love and grace and goodness of God and this made him do it So that now look into the bowels of Repentance and the several workings thereof and ye shall find there is no such way or means or motive to bring a soul unto Repentance as the approaching of the Kingdom of Heaven the word and work of Gods grace and love of God in Jesus Christ Would you know the Reason Briefly thus Repentance is a fruit of faith Ye have a notable expression of godly sorrow to the height in the 12. of Zachary the latter end of the 10 11 and 12. verses speaking of the Call and Conversion of the Jews They shall mourn for him as one mourneth for his only son and shall be in bitterness for him the latter end of the 10. verse as one that is in bitterness for his first-born Bitterness upon bitterness and mourning And in that day at the 11. verse there shall be a great mourning in Jerusalem as the mourning of Hadadrimmon in the valley of Megiddon And the land shall mourn every family apart the family of the house of David apart and their wives apart Here is great mourning and sorrow What caused this saies he at the 10. verse They shall look upon me whom they have pierced and they shall mourn They shall look upon me whom they have piercit This is the eye of faith and all true mourning and sorrow does come from thence All tears of Repentance flow from the eye of faith the more a man by faith is able to see a pierced Christ the more his heart is pierced for sin committed the more by faith a man is able to see a wounded Christ the more will his heart be wounded for sin committed Faith works Repentance but what worketh faith Surely the Gospel the preaching of the Gospel Received ye the Spirit by the works of the Law or by the preaching of faith He does not say by the preaching of the Gospel but by the preaching of faith The Gospel is called faith not only because 't is the Cbject of faith but that by which faith is wrought Again As Repentance is a fruit of faith So also it does flow from love Amor doloris causa Love is the cause of grief The more a man loves another or apprehends that he is loved of him the more he grieves if he hath any way injured him If you at un-awares do strike another and one tell you that he is your enemy ye grieve not ye are not troubled unless it be in regard of some mischief that may come to your self But if one tell you that he is a friend a specialfriend that grieves you So now if by my sins I have striken at God if I look upon God as an enemy I am not grieved much I am not troubled much But when I consider him as my father the best friend I have in the world and consider how by my sins I have stricken at him this makes me grieve Oh! that ever I should wound the name of him whom my soul loves She loved much saies our Saviour concerning the weeping woman she loved much for much was forgiven her He does not say she wept much for much was forgiven her there was no mention before of her love but only of her weeping and yet saies our Saviour she loved much because he would shew what it was that drew up the sluce of these tears it was her love And what causeth love Love causeth love The more a man sees and apprehends the love of Christ towards him the more his heart is drawn out in love towards Christ again And what greater act of love than this That the Kingdom of Heaven approaches that the Kingdom of Heaven should come and make it's approach to such a poor sinner as I am Surely therefore the approaching or drawing neer of the Kingdom of Heaven is the highest and greatest motive in the world unto true Repentance You will say Experience seems for to speak the contrary for arguments drawn from Hell and the wrath of God seem to be more powerful and efficacious in the working of Repentance I have will some say sometimes considered the wrath of God and let out my heart upon arguments drawn from thence and then I have bin much humbled broken been much affected yea the truth is I have been more humbled and more broken and more affected and more troubled for sin than when the Gospel the word of the Kingdom hath been preach'd and opened unto me How therefore is this true Experience seems to speak the contrary I answer Quicquid recipitur c.
Every thing is received according unto the receiver A legal spirit doth relish and savour most of those arguments which are drawn from Hell and from the wrath of God But an Evangelical Christian those that are drawn from love and mercy But for the more full Answer to this pray consider with me these Six or Seven Distinctions First It 's one thing for a man to be troubled in Conscience and another thing to be humbled for sin committed Those that are Damn'd in Hell and lie there despairing must needs be troubled in Conscience how could they despaire else Take a soul that hath the work of the Law upon him and a meer work of the Law and in some respects he may be more troubled in Conscience but a Christian that hath a work of the Gospel upon his heart is notwithstanding this more humbled for sin committed Again It 's one thing for a man to be prick't in heart and another thing for a man to Repent Ye shall find therefore that in the 2. of the Acts 't is said concerning divers That they were prick't in their heart and said What shall we do Peter said nnto them Repent They were prick't in their heart and said what shall we do and he said Repent Possibly then a man or woman may be prick't in the heart and yet not Repent Those that have the work of the Law upon them may have more legal prickings but those that have the work of the Gospel they Repent more Again It 's one thing for a man to Repent of sin considered in genere entis and another thing in genere moris Sin may be considered in regard of the mischief and inconvenience that does come thereby Or in regard of the moral evil of it 'T is said concerning Judas That when he saw what became of things he Repented And a Malefactor a murderer when he sees what shall become of him that he must die for his sin he may Repent of his sin in genere entis wishing that he had never done it and yet my be not Repent in genere moris Ye reade concerning Esau in the 12. of the Hebrews That he sought his birth-right with teares but found no room for his Repentance He Repented he Repented with Tears but found no room for his Repentance What Repentance was this Saies Austin He greived that he had lost his birth-right not that he had sold his birth-right So there was no room for such a Repentance And so now take a man that hath the work of the Law upon his soul and he may be much troubled he may Repent and he may have more Repentings in regard of the evil that does come by sin but the other more in regard of the evil that is in sin it self In the Fourth place It 's one thing for a man to be broken with the weight of sin and another thing to have his soul thawen and melted for it There is a great deal of difference you know between the breaking of the ice with your hands or with a staffe and the thawing of the ice melting by the thaw When you take a staffe and break the ice with your hands though you break it in one place it freezes in another but when there is a thaw then it melts then it breaks every where So now it is in regard of legal breakings Here 's a man hath a work of the Law upon his soul he breaks for his Drunkenness and he breaks for his Swearing and he breaks for his Wantonness Oh! but he freezes in Unbelief in another place he freezes in Unthankfulness But when a gospel-work comes it makes a general thaw a man is broken every where And this is more Again It is one thing for a man to have more sorrow griefe Repentance in the Ore and another thing to have a more sorrow griefe and Repentance that is well Refin'd As now suppose a man take a hand full of gold in the Ore it seems to be a great deal more than a twenty shilling-piece I but because much of that is to be taken away a great deal of Earth is to be taken away it is less in the worth Thus it is between Legal Repentance and Evangelical The Legal Repentance may seem to be more in bulk I but a great deal of that is to be taken away Much unbelief to be taken away many sad despairing conclusions to be taken away a great deal of Mercinariness to be taken away And therefore ye shall observe That when the father had kiss't the Prodigal he left out the Mercinary piece that he spoke of before he came home Saies he at the 18. verse I will arise and go to my father and will say unto him Father I have sinned against Heaven and before thee and am no more worthy to be called thy Son make me as one of thy hired servants in the 15. Chapter the 18. and 19. verses verse the 20. He arose and came to his father his father saw him and ran and fell on his neck and kiss't him had compassion on him ran and fell on his neck and kiss't him And the son said unto him Father Now see whether he makes good his words that he said he would say when he came to his father I have sinned against Heaven and in thy sight and am no more worthy to be called thy Son But his Father said to his servants Bring forth the best robe He leaves out that Make me as one of thy hired servants One kisse from his father had fyled off all the mercinary disposition Oh! much much of the Legal-work is to be taken away In Evangelical Repentance there is much in little in Legal Repentance there is little in much Again It 's one thing for grief sorrow Repentance to be more in view sence and noise and another thing to be more in spirit and in profit As now for Example The rain does sometime fall in a storme and when it does so it makes a great noise the earth hath not time for to take it at the first into it's bosome it runs down the streets in great abandance and it stands in some places in great plashes of water At another time the rain fals by smal drops and makes no such noise but yet notwithstanding it fals to the root of the Corn and profits more for when the rain fals so in a storm it laies the Corn the Corn I say is laid by it So now sorrow and griefe sometimes fals in a storm as in Legal Repentance and it is great in view stands in great plashes of water Oh! but then it doth lay our Duties it laies our Assurance it laies our Faith Evangelical Repentance that makes no such noise but it fals to the root of the graces and don 't lay your comfort it don't lay your Assurance it don't lay your Duties And so it is more in profit Lastly This Sorrow grief and Repentance may take ones own heart much or the heart of
God much ones own heart may be much affected or the heart of God may be much affected Beloved we are apt to love our first-borne and though Legal repentance does not alwaies go before the work of the Gospel for what legal work was there in Matthew before he did come to Christ or what Legal work was there in Zacheus before he came to Christ yet often times it does I say yet often times it does and this being the first-born of our soul we go to God with both our Repentances Legal and Evangelical and we say Lord lay the hand Oh! lay the right-hand of thy blessing upon my first born oh let that inherite But the Lord deals here as old Jacob did when Joseph brought his two Children before him to be blest Jacob crost his hands and for Joseph's sake he laid the blessing upon the younger So now does God do you would have me to lay my blessing saies God upon your first-born upon your Elder upon your Legal Repentance No saies God I have said The Elder shal serve the Younger I wil cross my hands and for Joseph's sake because there is more of Christ in this younger therfore here will I lay the hand of my blessing Beloved the heart of a Christian a gracious man is never more drawn out in greif than upon the apprension of love in jured The greater love and the greater injury is presented the greater is the greif When the Kingdom of Heaven comes unto a poor soul there is the greatest love presented sin against that is the greatest injury when therefore a man is senfible of his sin under that notion then is his heart most affected and drawn forth in godly sorrow Surely therefore The approaching and the drawing neer of the Kingdom of Heaven is the greatest motive argument under Heaven unto true Repentance By way of Application If these things be so Vse 1 What a sad condition are those in whom the kingdom of Heaven the word of the kingdom the Doctrine of free-remission hath come unto and yet they are not stir'd nor moved for to turn to God or to repent It may be here is some Drunkard some Swearer some notorious Sabbath-breaker some wanton that is gotten into the Congregation I will not say to thee Friend how camest thou in hither Ah poor soul thou maiest hear that voice and those words too soon another day But this I say Friend the greatest motive under Heaven hath been used to move and turn thee and yet thou art nothing moved and stirred therewith O! whereby shall thy soul be brought unto Repentance Go saies our Saviour Christ unto his Disciples preach Repent for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand if they receive ye your peace be upon them if not it shall be more easie for Sodom and Gomorah than for that City than for that people at that great day Oh for the Lords sake take heed when ye hear the Word of the Kingdom take heed that ye don't lose it Repent and then turn to God But if these things be so in the Second place Then here we see the reason Vse 2 why our hearts are no more broken are no more humbled no more Repentance no more melting heart no more softened because ye don't labour to bring the Kingdom of Heaven neer unto your souls I mean the Gospel and the Word of the Gospel free-remission of poor sinners When the Kingdom of Heaven comes neer unto a person he runs away from it from the Promise Oh! it belongs not to me I am not so and so qualified I am not so and so broken I am not so and so weary and heavy laden and therefore the promise belongs not to me But the approaching of the Kingdom of Heaven is the only means and motive to break thy heart and wilt not thou therefore come to it because thy heart is not broken Oh! but the Promise don't belong to me the Promise is made unto those that are weary and heavy laden and I am not so Mistake not good people The invitation is made to the weary and heavy laden but the promise is made to Coming There are Two things in that speech Come unto me all ye that are weary and heavy laden Here 's an Invitation and here 's a Promise The Invitation is made indeed to those that are weary and heavy laden Oh! but the Promise is made to Coming the Promise is made to Comming But that is all one you will say for then it seems I am not invited if the invitation be made to such God does not speak every thing in every Scripture But man or woman art thou not invited by some other Scripture Pray what think ye of that in the 9. of the Proverbs Wisdom hath built her an house that is Christ compar'd with the former Chapter she hath kild her beasts she hath mingled her wine she hath furnisht her table She cries upon the high places of the City What does she cry reade the 4. verse Who so is simple let him come in hither as for him that wanteth understanding ye reade it 't is As for him that wanteth heart Come eat of my bread and drink of the wine which I have mingled The Invitation is made to simple ones who so is simple let him turn in hither Oh! But I have such an heart as never any had I want a heart unto all that is good Mark As for him that wanteth heart she saith to him Come eat of my bread How think ye is the Invitation here made only to those that are weary and heavy laden And if ye consider that place in the Gospel which ye know The Invitation to the great supper The servants are sent forth to call in those that were bidden and they excuse themselves But they were bidden they were invited were they weary and heavey laden think ye Well he sends out again and invites others Look upon the text were they weary and heavy laden too Go saies he Go Go to the high-waies and go to the hedges and compel them to come in were they weary and heavy laden too And if ye look into the 3. of the Revelations ye find there that our Saviour saies at the 20. verse Behold I stand at the door and knock if any man hear my voice and open the door I will come in and sup with him and he with me Our Saviour Christ here stands knocking and offers the greatest mercies that can be fellowship and communion with a poor soul I will come in to him and will sup with him and he with me What greater blessing or mercy can you desire than fellowship with Jesus Christ Saies Jesus Christ If any man will open I will come in and sup with him and he with me Here 's mutual fellowship Christ stands and offers this he stands knocking But I pray what door does he knock at whose door does he knock at Oh! my beloved 't is a Laodicean door Laodiceans what are
it labor not in word but in deed to lift up the Name of Iesus Christ SERMON VI. JOHN 1. 16. Preached at Margrets newfishstreet Dec. 22. 1645. And of His Fulness have all we received even Grace for Grace THREE Things ye heard are to be noted in this last Clause as it stands in relation to the former part of the verse First It notes An Abundance of Grace Secondly It notes thus much That whatsoever Grace the Saints have they have it from Jesus Christ And of these Two I have I have spoken already The Third now follos It notes also An Answerableness of Grace in every Christian unto the Grace of Christ of whose Fulness we have all received Even Grace for Grace Grace Answerable to His Grace We have not only received Abundance of Grace from Christ but whatsoever Grace or Holiness there is in Jesus Christ there is somewhat in the Saints that is Answerable thereunto And this now sutes w th your ordinary expression When the Seal fals upon the wax and the wax receives it rightly ye say there is upon the wax Stamp for Stamp Character for Character Image for Image So here Grace for Grace that is whatsoever Grace there is in Christ there is the like stamp upon the heart of every Christian This also sutes with that expression of Scripture Mat. 5.38 An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth That is an eye answerable unto an eye a tooth answerable to a tooth So Grace for Grace that is answerable Grace whatsoever Grace or holiness there is in Christ Something in a Christian that Answers thereunto Take Grace for Favour Mat. 3.17 2 Sam. 12.25 for the Favour of God And is Jesus Christ called the Beloved of God This is my Beloved Son So are the Saints too Solomon called Jedidiah The beloved of God Take Grace for Priviledge Is Jesus Christ called the Son of God This is my beloved Son So are the Saints too Every Son whom he loves c. Heb. 12.6 Is He called an Heir a Heb. 1.2 The Heir of all things The Saints are said to be b Rom. 8.17 Heirs and Coheirs with Jesus Christ Is He called c 1 Pet. 2.6 Elect and Precious So are they too d 1 Pet. 1.2 Elect and precious Is He called Gods e Zach. 13.7 Fellow as ye have it in Zachary The Saints they are called His Fellows f Heb. 1.9 Who is anointed with the oyl of gladness above his fellows That is above the Saints Is He called the Light g Joh. 8.12 The Light of the world The true Light They are called Light too h Eph. 5.8 Ye were darkness but now are ye Light in the Lord. Take Grace for Assistance And had Jesus Christ felt an Assistance from God the Father As ye reade at large in the 22. Psalm so have the Saints too i 1 Cor. 12.9 Joh. 17.9 Ibid. Joh. 1.14 Act 7.55 My Grace is sufficient for thee Take Grace for Holiness or Sanctification And is He said to be Sanctified For this cause have I sanctified my self So are the Saints also said to be sanctified That they also may be sanctified Is He said to be Full of Grace Full of Grace and Truth So are the Saints too Some of them Steven full of Grace and Mary full of Grace Oh! what a glorious mercy is here before us now Whatsoever Grace and holiness there is in Christ somewhat in the Saints that is Answerable thereunto Let us awaken and stir up our selves for to look into it Ye reade of a fellowship that the Saints have with Christ in that 1 Epistle of John the 1. Chapter and the 3. verse 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Communio 1 Cor. 1.2 Societas Gal. 2.9 That which we have heard and seen declare we unto you that ye also may have fellowship with us and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ He does exhort them to fellowship with them with the Saints upon this ground and motive because their fellowship was with the Father and with the Son He does assert this fellowship with the Father and with the Son with the most ingenious asseveration And truly our fellowship may be you will think this no great matter truly our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ And so in that known place in the 1 Corinths 10.16 The cup of blessing which we bless is it not the Communion of the Blood of Christ As you reade it 't is the same word fellowship And in the 1 Cor. 1.9 ver 't is said God is faithful by whom ye are called unto the fellowship of His Son Jesus Christ our Lord The same word there too The word that is used in the Acts of the Apostles where 't is said Act 2.44 That the Disciples had all things common Look therefore as it is in a Society where they have all things Common such is the fellowship that is between Christ and the Saints They have not any Sin but it is imputed to Jesus Christ though it be great or small and He hath not any Grace but it is communicated to all the Saints hath not any Grace but they have some Grace or other that is Answerable thereunto This is a great matter Would you know the reason now Grace for Grace Grace Answerable to His Grace First of all There is a glorious Rea. 1 and blessed union between Christ and every Christian a union beyond all expression It is compar'd indeed unto the union that is between the Head and the Members the Root and the Branches the Husband and the Wife but though they come up unto what Christ intended yet they all fall short of this Vnion that is between Christ and a Christian for the Head is not in the Members nor the Members in the Head mutually but Christ in them and they in Christ I in you Joh. 14.20 and you in me saith He It is a union of mutual in-being not a union of affection only such as the stones have when they lye together in a great heap but rather such as is between the wine and the water when they are put together saving that they are not mixt together Christ is not mixt with a Christian a Christian is not mixt with Christ Christ is not a Christian a Christian is not Christ but there is a union of mutual in-being Now you know when the fire gets into the Iron is united to it is in it the properties of the fire are cōmunicated to the Iron the Iron forgets his own blackness shines w th the shining of the fire burns w th the burning of the fire And as a coal a char-coal though it be never so dark and black a body when the fire comes gets into it the properties of the fire are communicated to it and it burns like the fire it self and melts like the fire it self and shines like