many Miracles and saith he Josephus Antiq. B. 18. e. 4 If it be lawful to call him a Man He was afraid to call him a man because of the wondrous things that he did But if any of you say How shall wee bee able to know certainly the truth of all those Miracles that hee did wee read in the Gospel how great things Christ did how he cast out Devils and cured the Blinde and Lame and raised up the Dead and the like but how can we know the truth of them For the answer of that Austine hath this Either all those things are true or they are not true if they be then hee is confirmed to be the Messias but if they be not true then saith he this is the greatest Miracle of all that such a supernatural Doctrin as that is to beleeve in him that was crucified to save the World and for men to venture their souls and eternal estates upon this without having this to bee confirmed by Miracles at first this is the greatest Miracle of all but we will passe by that only note it as we goe that Christ was wonderful in all the Wonders that hee wrought while he lived Christ wonderful in his Glorious indowments and excellency of his Person But further Christ he is the Wonder of the World in regard of those glorious endowments and excellencie of his Person those Personal endowments and excellencies that he had and herein he is the Wonder of the World Now the endowments and excellencies of Jesus Christ they are great and glorious Thou art fairer than the children of men It is he that received the Spirit without measure it is he that had the Treasures of wisdome and knowledge dwelling in him bodily and he must needs bee the Wonder of the World that Scripture in the second of the Colossians doth shew unto us what a wonderful Saviour we have it is such an expression that had wee not had it from the Holy Ghost we should never have dared to have ventured upon it as in Col. 2.3 In whom are hid all the treasures of wisdome and knowledge and then in vers 9. For in him dwelleth all the fulnesse of the Godhead bodily what an high expression is here All the fulnesse of the God-head doth dwell bodily in Jesus Christ surely he hath excellent endowments then he is filled with glorious things his Human Nature is elevated and inlarged to the highest capacity that a Creature can have to receive excellency And God hath raised up the Humane Nature of Christ to shew how high he is able to elevate a Creature and make it capable for the receiving of Glory that he might declare it to Angels and Saints to all eternity I say mans nature is raised to that height that God might to all eternity make known to the Angels and Saints this thing and say Behold to what a height is mine infinite power able to raise a Creature to be capable of happinesse Therefore Christs Human Nature is so raised and our nature in him which should be a wonderful comfort to us that our nature should be raised to so much glory in Christ And a great argument to us to take heed of the abuse of Humane Nature of thy Body and of thy Soul oh that ever any one should bee given up to that sottishnesse that is a man that hath Humane nature in him that should look after no greater good than meerly to eat and drink and play and satisfie his lust dost thou know oh Creature that thy nature is raised to such an height of excellency that God might declare to Angels and men what his power was able to doe and shalt thou that hast the same Nature that art a kin as it were to Christ shalt thou bee so base and vile to mind thy filthy and base lusts and mind no higher good than this the very thought of the raising our Nature in Christ it is a mighty argument to raise up the thoughts of one that is a man to a higher pitch than ever they have been think thus certainly my nature is capable of some higher good than meerly to ear and drink and play and to have a little Mony here for a while why now that shewes the personal excellency and endowments of Christ in general that all the fulness of the God-head doth dwell bodily in him and therefore Christ hee is called the Character and the ingraven form of the Image of God in the first of the Hebrews it is not said so of man though man be said to be made according to Gods Image yet it is never said of him That he is the brightnesse of Gods glory and the expresse Image of his Person so as it is said of Christ and in the Colossians you have mighty high expressions about the Personal excellency of Christ Chap. 1.15 Who is the Image of the invisible God the first born of every Creature and then he is the beginning of all things ver 18. He is the Image of the invisible God as God and man for so I must speak of him he is the Image of the invisible God in another manner and more fully than any creature is or possibly can be for Jesus Christ take him God and Man he hath the very character and ingraven form of whatsoever glory there is in the Father I say take him as God and Man as thus hee hath an omnipotency in him therefore it is said in the third of the Philippians latter end Who shall change our vild bodie that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body how according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself Now this is a great Mystery of godlinesse that God-Man should have an Omnipotency in him and then likewise he hath the expresse Image of all the knowledge of God for as he is God-man he is made the Judge of all the World and hee will bee the Judge not meerly as he is God but as God and Man now seeing hee is the Judge of all the World hee must have an infinite knowledge he must know the hearts of men and all the works of men and he must have an infinite Holinesse and Justice that must judge all the World And thus God-man hath an expresse Character of the Attributes of God which none else hath and then he hath an expresse character of the Immensity of God If you speak of his Body it cannot be every where but God-Man is in all places thus you have it in the third of John vers 13. it is a very strange expression and it can never bee understood but by understanding the personal union of the two Natures Why at that time hee was speaking to them there upon the earth and yet saith hee The Son of man which is in heaven At this time hee that is the Son of man is in heaven his body could not bee in two places at once but God-man was then in heaven Thus
gain that end for which they were made ib. Doct. 2 That the loss of the soul is a most dreadful loss 243 Answers to that Question What Christ means by the loss of the soul ib. Not because they will bee annihilated ib. But 1 The loss of the soul is in the privations of it of all good 244 2 It consists in its departing from God ib. 3 In subjecting it to that misery and evil that is contrary to what good it is capable of ib. 4 In the suckerless and helpless condition it is brought into For 1 Every man and woman as they came into the world are deprived of that glory and excellency that God did indow the souls of men with at their first Creation 2 All our souls do naturally wander away from God 245 3 In its depravity and sinfulness ib. 4 Its being in a succourless helpless condition ib. Wherein consists the loss of the soul in Hell 246 1 In the full rejection of the soul from God ib. 1 From living the life of God 247 2 From having any union with God 249 3 From having any fruition of God ib. 4 From enjoying the presence of Christ 250 5 From being ever exercised in that blessed work of praising God 251 6 From ever living in God as the Saints do ib. A second thing wherein the misery of the souls loss consists in Hell is in its being made very sensible of the loss of its chiefest good 254 Which is 1 To bee cast under the eternal curse of God 255 2 To have all the faculties of the soul to bee filled with wrath 256 1 The infinite power of God put forth in inlarging their natures that they may bee the more capable of evil ib. 2 To uphold their natures that they sink not with those dreadful evils ib. 3 To let out on the soul whatever it can bear to make it miserable 4 To keep all the faculties of the lost soul in its utmost activity 258 3 Its misery appears in its succourless and helpless condition ib. For 1 All the power of God cannot help it 2 There can bee no Mediator between God and the lost soul ib. Several Aggravations whereby the misery of a soul that is lost doth appear As 1 If the soul be lost then the body is and will be lost also ib. Because 1 The body all the time a man doth live is the onely or most immediate instrument the soul hath to work and to sin by 259 2 Because the soul that is lost shall bee united to the body the very extremity of the soul must needs bring misery on the body also ib. 2 When the soul comes into this condition it comes into the most dreadfullest condition that any creature is in ib. 3 It will then have none to pitty it Jesus Christ will not pitty it The Angels will not pitty it The Saints will not pitty it Their kindred will not pitty it ib. 4 It will prove to most that are lost an unexpected loss 260 5 It will prove to bee a dreadful loss because it will prove to bee a wilful loss 261 6 It will bee a great loss for a little matter 262 7 Many will lose their souls that were very nigh the saviâ—g of their souls ib. 8 When they shall consider they have lost their souls and have nothing in lieu thereof 263 9 The shame that shall bee put upon such lost souls as shall perish eternally ib. 10 When they shall see others taken up to Heaven that were as unlikely to bee saved as themselves 264 Use 1 If the souls loss bee so dreadful bless God that your souls are not thus lost ib. 2 Let us bless God then for Jesus Christ 267 3 It must needs then bee a dreadful evil for any to have a hand in this loss 269 4 It rebukes the folly and madness of most people that have no care of their souls 272 Several waies by which men come to lose their souls As 1 Some lose their souls by wandring up and down in darkness all the daies of their lives ib. 2 Others by pawning them away 273 The pawning of the soul is most dangerous of all other 274 For 1 There is no such pawn as possibly can bee laid as this ib. 2 In laying of pawns there is a time prefixed for the redemption ib. 3 You bargain the bringing of somewhat that you have in your own power to redeem it ib. 3 Men lose their souls by wounding of them ib. Quest Wounding them how you will say By that I mean the commissions of sins against conscience 275 4 Men lose their souls by being gull'd of them 5 By selling of them away ib. Men sell their souls 1 When men seek advantage to themselves by any unlawful means 276 2 When men shall resolutely give up themselves to all manner of wickedness 277 6 Men lose their souls by poisoning them ib. And that 1 Either by wicked company Or 2 By wicked errors 7 Others lose their souls by venturing them 279 This a man may do in four cases 1 By rashness 280 2 By doing things that are doubtful ib. 3 By venturing upon Gods patience ib. 4 By venturing upon their own lives 281 8 Many lose their souls by starving them 283 9 Some lose their souls by surfeiting of them 285 10 And lastly By forfeiting of them ib. And that two waies 1 By not tendring that homage to God that is due ib. 2 By breaking Covenant with God 286 Use 5 It concerns us to examine whether our souls bee not in such a condition that if they should depart in they would bee lost ib. But who are they that are no better qualified Answer 287 1 That soul that God hath not convinc'd of the dangerous natural condition in which it is 2 That soul that hath not made it his greatest care above all things to save it self 3 That soul to whom the Lord hath not revealed the glory of the mysteries of the Gospel 4 That soul that hath no other righteousness to tender up to God but its own 289 Quest What other Righteousness is there Answer A supernatural Righteousness 290 5 That soul that God hath not made in some measure at least to feel the weight of sin ib. 6 That soul that walks after the flesh in a course of sin 291 7 That soul that is under the dominion of any one lust 292 Quest What is it for sin to domineer Answ When sin shall set up a kinde of Throne and give Laws as a King 293 8 That soul that hath not had such a change wrought by the Spirit as is a New Birth or Resurrection 294 9 That soul that hath not gone beyond those the Scripture brands for Hypocrites 296 Quest How shall a man know hee is gone further than these Answer 298 1 They could not say because the word is pure therefore they delighted in it 2 That they prized Jesus Christ as a sanctifier 3 That they lift up God as the highest
of spirits Shall wee not much rather bee in subjection to the Fâ—ther of spirits and live As if God did not so much look after and regard your bodies the outward man but hee is the Father of spirits And in Zeck 12.1 There is likewise an expression to the same purpose That God did form the spirit of man within him God accounts it a special part of his glory that hee makes the spirits of men hee is the Father of spirits But now I shall not enter into that controversie of the Generation of the soul thus far these Scriptures with others do evidence that God hath a more special hand in the producing of this spiritual substance than hee hath in other Creatures 2 And further The soul is onely under Gods command No Creature can have power over the soul of a man he may force his body but his soul cannot bee forced by men or Angels 3 Yea And it is under the power of no Creature to inflict evil upon it Fear not them saith Christ that can kill the body and can do no more there is all they can do Mat. 10.28 Luk. 12.4 5 they can but kill the body fear not them but fear him who after hee hath killed the body hath power to cast the soul into Hell yea I say unto you fear him saith Christ So that it appears by the Text that there is no Creature can do hurt to the soul the Devils themselves they cannot do it they can propound objects before the soul but except the soul do consent they cannot force it it is onely God that hath power over the soul therefore saith Christ fear him that is fear God that hath this power all other creatures this is all their do as wee may say they are able to kill the body 4 But further The excellency of the soul of man in reference unto God appears especially in the large extent of capacity that it hath to receive the Image of God and its ability to work according as God doth work himself and to enjoy communion with God and to receive the communication of those choice excellencies that God hath to communicate these things shew the excellency of the soul the large extent I say of the soul in the capacity it hath of good of divine good As First It is that that is capable to have the Image of God stampt upon it Whatsoever the body hath it is but in way of reflection from the soul wee know those Princes that are great and rich Princes except necessity compells them do not use to stamp their Image upon Leather or Brass or Copper but upon the choicest metals upon Gold and Silver So when God would have a Creature upon which hee would stamp his Image hee doth not chuse a mean Creature the brute beasts or any sensitive Creature but hee chuseth the most excellent of his Creatures Angels and the spirits of men that are one as Gold and the other as Silver and the great God stamps his Image upon these two and onely upon these two these are the two Principal Metals Gold and Silver Angels and mens spirits upon which God did stamp his Image in their first Creation Secondly Not onely to have the Image of God upon them but they are able to work as God himself works No other Creature is able to do so but Angels and mens spirits And this is the principal thing that shews the excellency of the soul it is able to understand the first beeing God himself and to make God to bee the last end of all things what is Gods work wherein the very happiness as I may so say of God himself consists but in the understanding of himself as the first beeing and the working unto himself as the last end and the enjoyment of himself that is Gods own happiness Now of such excellency is the soul of man however by sin it is depraved that it is capable of the understanding of an infinite eternal first beeing it is capable of working towards this first beeing as the last good of all which is the same way and kinde of working as God himself doth work Thirdly And it is capable of injoyment of the communion with God himself What is Gods happiness but to enjoy himself as the onely good Now the soul of man is capable of the enjoyment of God of having communion with the infinite first beeing of all things and so hee is capable of living the same life that God himself lives for so the Scripture saith Ephes 4.18 Colos 1.21 That the Heathens were estranged from the life of God so that it appears then that beleevers are not estranged from the life of God but do live the life of God in the injoyment of communion with himself For indeed there could bee no communion except there were living the same kinde of life as thus A man and a beast cannot have communion together why because they live not the same life one with another their lives are of different kindes so were it not that the soul were capable of the same life that God lives it could not bee capable of communion with God Fourthly And further The soul is of such a nature as it is capable of the communication of the choicest excellencies that ever God did or will communicate unto any Certainly there are very glorious excellencies in God in the infinite fountain of all good in the infinite first beeing of all things and this God being an infinite good doth take infinite delight in the communication of his goodness Now I say the souls of men are of such a large extent as they are some way capable of the enjoyment of any good that God hath to communicate which hee hath revealed in his word yea and the truth is when wee hear of Gods communicating of himself to his Son that hath a humane soul as well as a body wee cannot but conceive that a humane soul is of that large extent as it is capable of the highest and excellentest good that God hath to communicate to any Creature We cannot but think that the soul of Jesus Christ hath as much of Gods goodness communicated to it as ever creature had or can have now the soul of Jesus Christ is of the same nature with our souls as his body hee took the same kinde of flesh as wee have onely there was no sin and so the soul it is the same kind of soul that wee have onely it was not sinful as ours are Now if the soul of Jesus Christ bee capable of the highest good that God the infinite good hath to communicate to any creature then the souls of men and women are also howsoever you have look'd after your souls no further but onely to bee serviceable to your bodies to get meat and drink and bee as it were salt Cujus anima est pro sale as the Philosopher saith of the Epicure that the soul serves for no other end to
lame in thy body yet if thou canst walk in the wayes of Gods Commandements and run there thou art a happy creature It may be thou wantest food I but if God feed thy soul with spiritual Manna feed thee every day with food from heaven and take care for the feeding of thy soul thou art not so miserable as thou thoughtst thy self thou hast tattered cloaths I but if God hath provided the righteousness of his Son to bee a garment to cloach thy soul every time thou appearest before him thou art a happy creature in that therefore when thy heart is ready to murmure that God hath denied thee bodily mercies that hee hath granted to others think with thy self I but hath not God recompenced mee in soul mercies I make no question but there are many souls that bless God that ever they have lived to this time though they have suffered hard things for their bodies many that have lost and been plundered of all yet bless God that they have lived to the time wherein there was so much plenty of the food of souls Oh those truths of God that have been revealed unto us since those times but had those that had the power before had the power still continued wee had never had such truths made known unto us they account all recompenced in soul-mercies in Eph. 1.3 Blessed bee the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ Mark what the Apostle saith there his heart is filled with this Blessed bee God and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ Wherefore that hee hath given us good trading and good incomes that hath given us food and rayment wee are to bless God for this I but the Apostles heart was above this therefore saith hee Blessed bee the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly things in Christ they are the blessings indeed that wee have cause to bless him for spiritual blessings soul-mercies as for bodily-mercies wee know that the Heathens and Reprobates have had as great a share in as any in the world but blessed bee God though wee bee denied these outward bodily favours yet wee have spiritual blessings Oh thanks bee to God and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who hath blessed us with spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ And this now would bee a good argument that you do know the worth of your souls if you can be blessing of God for spiritual blessings in Jesus Christ above all blessings and account your selves rich enough if you have the riches of spiritual blessings And then further Oh if the soul of man bee so precious What great pitty is it that God should not have the honour of mens souls of such a noble and excellent creature it is great pitty that there should bee any creature under the Sun that God should not have the honour of that God should not have honour from every pile of grass from every bit of bread that is eaten from every stone in the street But now that God should give to mankinde such an excellent spirit a soul more precious than all the world and yet that God should not have the glory of this Oh this is an evil thing under the Sun indeed this must needs go to the heart of God for the truth is God hath his glory from all other creatures by the soul of man As for other creatures hee hath his glory but passively from them but for mans soul hee doth expect to have his glory actively from that that man by his soul should come to know this God the infinite first-being of all things should fear him and worship him and serve him and have communion with him and praise him and therefore David in Psal 103. My soul praise thou the Lord and all that is within mee praise his holy name And again hee concludes My soul praise thou the Lord. And so in Psal 104. Now upon the consideration of what hath been said of the excellency of our souls wee should lay a charge upon them that they do honour God and serve God What a sad charge will this bee to many a man at the great day when God shall say Haddest thou been made a Dog I never had had so much dishonour as I have had I should have had more honour if I had made thee a Dog there I should have had my honour passively and no dishonour from thee But now thou being made an immortal soul as it was capable of honouring mee so of sinning against mee the more excellent a thing is the more capable of evil it is as well as of good no creatures but Angels and men are able to sin against God Oh it is pitty that God should not have the honour of thy immortal soul God had more honour from Nebuchadnezzar when hee was driven out among the beasts than when hee sat upon the Throne as a King And then further that should have been another Use to have laboured to perswade you to take heed of dishonouring these souls of yours God hath put a great deal of glory and excellency upon them do not you dishonour them and many wayes should have been said how men do put dishonour upon their souls only for the conclusion Oh that you would but learn to love your own souls To love them It is a strange exhortation you will say to exhort men to love their souls Oh that you would but do it Psal 22. David calls his soul his Darling the souls of men should bee indeed their Darlings not their bodies It was a speech of a Courtier to his friend saith hee I love you as mine own soul Oh saith hee then you love mee not at all if you had said you had loved mee as your body then I should have thought you had loved mee but I see no love you have to your soul It was the prayer of the Apostle St. John in the Epistle that hee writ to his host Gaius I suppose you that know Scripture are not unacquainted with it in his third Epistle Beloved I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and bee in health even as thy soul prospereth I shall close all I intend for the present with this Scripture it seems that Gaius was a holy man but a man of a weakly and sick body and therefore St. John writing to him hee prayes thus Above all things I desire that thy body may but prosper as thy soul prospereth As if hee should say O Gaius thou hast an excellent gracious soul indued with admirable graces of the Spirit of God full of God thy soul is though thy body bee weakly Oh that thou hadst but as good a body as thou hast a soul It seems Gaius had more care of his soul a great deal than of his body but now my brethren consider this Would not this bee a curse to
higher than naturalness of the place If I shall make this place by the consecration of man to bee used as an Ordinance to draw mee nearer to God or God nearer to mee that is to think that my prayers in that place are more acceptable than in another that because I perform services in that place it shall bee more accepted Here I say man raises it higher than natural and puts a Divine Institution upon it and so it comes to bee sinful and so now you may come to know what the meaning is when wee say that Christ only can make Lawes for his Church and Officers for his Church Why because whatsoever is spiritual it must bee only by the Authority of Jesus Christ this great King of his Church 6 And then Sixthly Christ is a wonderful King in this that his Soveraignty is absolute which no Kings power is though they have great power in the world yet they have not an absolute power to doe what they list and certainly no Subjects are bound so farre to the humours of men that they shall doe what they list there is no absolute power that one man hath over another bur the power that Jesus Christ hath is absolute an absolute Kingly power his Will it is the Law no mans will in the World is sufficient to be a law but the will of this King it is sufficient 7 And then in the Seventh place hee hath power to bind Conscience his Laws are such as lay obligations and bonds upon the Consciences of men no Law that would be made by all the Angels in heaven could lay bonds upon conscience but the Lavv only of Jesus Christ all the Lavves that men can make must receive their povver and authority especially from the end of them and therefore if they should not conduce unto that end for vvhich God sets up Magistracy over men that is for the good of the place then the rule vvill hold that if there be not scandal or contempt there is no obligation upon a mans conscience meerly because it is the will of man But now the Lavves of Christ vvhatsoever they are they lay bonds upon consciences and if I doe offend them never so secretly I stand as guilty before the great God and that is the seventh thing 8 And then in the Eighth place Christs Kingly power it reaches to mens hearts I must not as I goe along enter into the large opening of any thing that may be controversal but meerly present vvhat at large might be opened to you about the Kingly povver of Christ I say Christs Kingly povver is vvonderful in this in that it rules over the hearts of men as vvell as their consciences Christ by his povver is able to subue the vvills of men and bring their hearts to obedience to him all the power there is in the World cannot doe this vvhy the Kings of the earth if they vvere put all together they could not subdue the heart of any one poor man in the world the will of the poorest Creature in the world cannot be subdued by all the powers of all the Potentates and Emperours upon the face of the earth they may beat his body or torter his body or kill his body but to subdue his heart to make his soul to bee subject and obedient to them that I say all the powers of all the Potentates in the world nay all the Angels in heaven cannot doe it the will of a man or woman is such that all the Angels in heaven cannot bring it down only God himself you many times say you will break the will of such a one that is you will make them not to doe such a thing but you are never able to break their wills Kings may prevail over their subjects to make them to doe what they would have them doe and their Estates and Liberties may come to be at their dispose but all this while it may be he hath never a one of their hearts and that is but a very mean kind of Kingly power only to rule over men by fear and they not to love him But now Christ in his Church he hath never a subject that is truly under his Kingly power but he rules his very will and hath never a subject but loves him where Christ doth rule Spiritually in the hearts of his people though they were never so stubborn and rebellious before yet when Christ comes and brings them under his power hee brings their wills and their hearts to him and that is the glory of the Kingly power of Christ 9 And then in the Ninth place Christ is a wonderful King in this that he hath the perfect knowledge of all his Subjects and of their wants alas Kings and Princes in great States they know but very few Subject that they have but now Jesus Christ takes notice of every subject that is in his Kingdom and knowes all their thoughts and all their vvayes and all their vvants all their conditions he knovves them all perfectly Oh this is the glory of this King and vvonderful is hee in his Kingly povver in this 10 Hee is present vvith them all in all the Administration of Justice the King hee cannot administer Justice but hee must use Instruments to doe it and hee cannot bee present alvvayes but Jesus Christ hee is alvvayes present in the Administration of vvhat ever is administred to any of his Subjects he stands by and looks upon them all 11 Christ is such a King as he hath no need of any Instruments at all hee may make use of them sometimes but he hath no need of any Kings can doe but very little vvithout some Instruments vvhat can a King doe for the ruling of a Kingdom but vvith such and such Instruments But Jesus Christ is vvonderful in his Kingly povver in that hee hath no need of any Instruments for the administration of any Justice but he can doe it all immediately himself if he pleases 12 Christ is glorious in his Kingly power in this that he doth over-rule all the plots and counsels of all the enemies of his Subjects for the furtherance of the glory of his Kingdome and the good of his Subjects now my brethren look upon these things as real and certainly by faith they are made real to the hearts of the Saints and they doe rejoyce in this if we had such kind of Governours that had power over all the plots and designs of the enemies what a happy condition would we think our selves to be in Now this is in our King the Lord Jesus Christ he hath power over all the plots and endeavours of all adversaries to work them all for the good of his Church 13 Further the Lord Christ is wonderful for his Kingly power in regard of his righteousnesse Thy scepter is a righteous scepter he is King of righteousnesse and so King of peace as Melchisedeck was It is a happy thing when people live under righteous Governours that they
hee is Now wee see Jesus Christ but thorow a glass and yet our hearts are taken with him and wee wonder at him now but oh how shall wee wonder when wee come to see him as hee is when wee shall behold his face in glory wee see now the Lord Christ in his Ordinances but as in a picture As at the first when there are treaties between one Prince and another about a march the first sight that they have of one another it is but by a picture and if they bee delighted with but seeing the picture one of another much more will they bee delighted and inamoured with the person when they come to see it its self so it is with the Saints here all that the Saints can see of Jesus Christ that makes them so wonder at him and to account him to bee the chiefest of ten thousand all is but by seeing of him by a picture Jesus Christ is in Heaven and hee sends us his picture in his Ordinances so St. Paul saith in Gal. 3. concerning the Ministry of the Word that Jesus Christ had been evidently set forth crucified among them Now are your hearts taken with the sight of Christ when you see him as it were in a picture know as Christ said to Nathanael Because I said unto thee I saw thee under the Figg tree beleevest thou thou shalt see greater things than these So thou shalt ere long see Jesus Christ as hee is Wee are now the Sons of God but it appears not what wee shall bee for when hee shall appear wee shall bee like him for wee shall see him as hee is And thou shalt not onely see him but so see him as hee shall never go out of thy sight thou hast but a little glimpse of him now for the present and thy soul rejoyces in that the time is coming when thou shalt see him and thy eyes shall feed upon him for ever the Lord Christ shall go up and down the Heavens as the wonder of the Angels and all the Saints shall bee following wondring at him to all eternity The luster of the deity shall bee shining thorow the humanity of Christ and men and Angels shall stand gazing and wondring at the glory of Jesus Christ to all eternity Oh let us comfort one another with these sayings and in the expectation of the glorious appearing of Jesus Christ And those that shall long for the glorious appearing of Jesus Christ upon the seeing of him here have a good evidence that they do belong to Jesus Christ and shall bee partakers of the wonderful things that Jesus Christ hath wrought and purchased with his own blood And thus wee have opened to you and applied this glorious wonder of Jesus Christ His Name shall bee called Wonderful hee is wonderful in the Word Oh that hee may bee wonderful in your hearts and in your lives THE CONTENTS OF THE EXCELLENCY of the SOUL Matthew 16.26 For what shall it profit a man to gain the whole world and to lose his own Soul c. THe Text divided into two general parts 1 That there is in every man a Soul a spiritual substance besides what is visible and sensible p. 203 2 That this Soul is more worth than all the world Ibid. The tearms of the Text explained sheweth what is meant by Soul ibid. That every man hath a soul and the necessity of looking to it for five Reasons p. 204 1 Wee see there are Actions in men that are beyond that which concerns the body at all ib. 2 There is a power in man to curb his body to deny himself of that which is most suitable to the body ib. 3 That which the Scripture makes the chief Actions of man to consist in which have any reference to God is such things as are done by somewhat beyond the body ib. 4 When this bodily substance is decaying mouldring away there are many thoughts in a man about his Eternal Estate p. 205 5 For wee know that there are real pains and torments upon a mans spirit ib. Doct. Did they but know the worth of their souls it could not but raise them very high above these empty vanities p. 208 The Excellency of the Soul discovered 1 In its Relations to God p. 208 2 The soul is onely commended by God 209 3 It is under the power of no man to inflict evil upon it ib. 4 It is of large extent and capacity to receive the Image of God ib. For 1 It is that that is capable to have the Image of God stampt upon it ib. 2 It is able to work as God himself works p. 210. 3 It is capable of enjoying communion with God himself ib. 4 It is capable of the communication of those Excellencies that ever God did or will communicate to any p. 211 5 The Contiguity it hath with God himself p. 212 A second Excellency of the Soul discovered in Relation to the Angels p. 213 A third in the Indeavour of it ib. A fourth in the Immortality p. 214 A fifth in the Measure of all other Excellencies p. 215 A sixth in the Price that was paid for it p. 216 A seventh in regard of the Body p. 217 God onely can satisfie the soul p. 219 The Devil himself esteems it p. 220 Use 1 Sheweth that wee ought to look upon every childe of man with some reverence esteem and honour 221 Use 2 How can wee look upon many people without having our hearts raised with the meditation of the dreadfulness of Gods Justice upon men for sin ib. Use 3 It must needs bee an honourable work to bee busied about souls 223 Use 4 Those that have most Soul-Excellency are the most excellent people 226 Use 5 Let us bless God for our souls 228 For hence it is that 1 You are look'd upon by the Angels themselves ib. 2 The Providence of God is more towards you ib. 3 You are such as are capable of all the good Christ hath purchased 229 6 Bless God for Soul-Mercies above all other 231 7 What a pitty is it that God should not have the honour of mens souls 232 8 Take heed of dishonouring these souls of yours 233 Question How may a man dishonour his soul Answer 236 1 When hee lives idlely and makes no use of it ib. 2 When hee emploies it about low and mean things 237 3 When hee defiles his soul 238 4 When hee make it a drudge to his body ib. 5 When hee grudges the time and cost hee spends upon it 239 6 When hee laies not up provision for it against an evil day 240 7 When hee thinks to satisfie it with any thing but God ibid. Next Use shews how to put honour upon our soul ib. And that 1 By having your thoughts often upon them ib. 2 By keeping your bodies under them 241 3 By adorning your souls with beauty 242 4 By providing for them ib. 5 By imploying them in things suitable to them ib. 6 By bringing them to
low old and young What shall it profit any one to gain the whole word and to lose their own soul I have read of one that gave counsel to John King of Portugal that hee would repeat this Text to himself and spend one quarter of an hour in the meditation of it What shall it profit a man if hee gain the whole world and lose his own soul and that hee would make the words of this Text to bee the cloze of his prayer continually What shall it profit a man to gain the whole world and lose his own soul This was wholesome counsel and certainly the tight meditation and understanding of this Text would bee of admirable use to every soul You have in the words these two things plainly hinted First That there is in every man a soul a spiritual substance besides what is visible and sensible And secondly That this soul of man is more worth than all the world it hath that excellency that if a man gains all the world and loses that when hee hath cast up his account hee may put his gains in his eye hee shall finde himself a miserable creature Wee might make more divisions or subdivisions of the words but I will content my self onely with those two things and speak chiefly to the latter Now to make way for that I will speak a little of the former What is a man profited if he shall gain the whole world and lose his soul his Soul Every man hath a soul a rational spiritual substance beyond that that is visible or sensible in Job 32.8 But there is a spirit in man and the inspiration of the Almighty giveth him understanding There is a spirit in man besides the bodily substance that you see there is a spirit in man such a spirit as is capable of the inspiration of the Almighty to give understanding c. And in Gen. 2.7 it is said That God formed man of the dust of the earth and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life Here is another manner of mans-creation 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 than of other creatures God did but say of other creatures let them bee Let the earth bring forth creeping things c. And it was so But when hee comes to man hee forms man out of the dust of the earth that is for his body and for his spirit hee breathes into his nostrils the breath of life I have read of a people that would not bee perswaded that there was any difference between beasts and them And truly there is somewhat to do to perswade carnal hearts of any great difference between a beast and them in relation to God or to another life But certainly there is a spirit in man there is somewat beyond that body of thine that is visible which doth infinitely concern thee to look to For first Wee see that there are actions in men that are beyond that which concerns the body at all And therefore surely there is a spirit in man besides what the body is the highest actions of men are such as do not concern the body as thus The knowledge of the heavens the knowledge of Angels of spirits what hath the body to do with such things the knowledge of the mysteries of the Gospel and the conversing with them they are abstracted notions from all kinde of bodily substances the knowledge of God and Christ yea the very knowledge of Mathematical notions many notions there are in Arts and Sciences that are abstract from all bodily things certainly then there is a spirit in man beyond that bodily substance that doth appear common with the brute beasts Yet secondly There is a power in man to curb his body to deny himself of that which is most suitable to the body saith Paul 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Subactum seu dejectumpremo in captivitatem reduco vel ut alii contundo Prov. 23.1 2. 1 Cor. 9.27 I keep under my body and bring it into subjection Surely there is somewhat in man that is above the body that hath so much command of the body as it appears the spirit of man hath to beat down the body If thou beest a man given to thine appetite when thou sittest at the table of a great man put a knife to thy throat a man is able to curb his appetite though the body hath never so strong a desire to such and such things yet the soul of man is able to curb his body and deny it Matth. 18.8 9. If thy right hand offend thee cut it off or thy right eye offend thee plâ—ck it out There is a power in man to deny the body that which it desires never so much which a beast cannot that cannot deny that which is suitable to his sense every way except therebe some stronger sensitive thing to take him off But man is able to deny his sense when there is no sensitive object before him to take him off By that dominion that the soul of man hath over his body hee is able to curb his body and to deny his body therefore surely there is a spirit in man 3. Again That which the Scripture makes the chief actions of man to consist in which have any reference to God is such things that are done by somewhat beyond the body Whatsoever a man doth if it bee but onely the body that is exercised and sense it is not acceptable to God 1. Tim 4.8 Bodily exercise profiteth little saith the Scripture and 1 Cor. 13.3 What if I give my body to bee burnt A man may give his body to bee burnt there all the senses may concur in it and yet if there bee not a spirit in man to act this upon any higher ends and grounds than any thing that is bodily can reach unto it is worth nothing it is not regarded Fourthly There is a spirit in man beyond this bodily substance for when this bodily substance is decaying mouldring away there are many thoughts in a man about an eternal estate and more fresh and lively sometimes when the body is mouldring away than ever there was before there are no creatures but Angels and men that take any cognizance of an eternal estate that take any thoughts about what is to come hereafter Now we say Nature doth nothing in vain Deus natura nihil aguâ—t frustra surely God would not have put such kinde of workings in man about another condition after this body shall moulder away but that there is somewhat that doth concern some other part of man besides that bodily substance of his Fifthly and then lastly There is certainly a spirit in man beyond his bodily substance for wee know that there are real pains and torments upon a mans spirit The burdens of conscience in the reflex act that a mans conscience hath upon himself summoning of him to appear before the great God Though a mans body be in never such health and hath all outward accommodations about
him but to keep his body from stinking yet know whatsoever thou art though now a sinful wretched vile creature and art deprived of the chief excellency that thy soul is capable of yet that soul of thine that thou hast is capable of the highest good thing that an infinite God hath to communicate Oh that God by your owning of this would a little but raise your spirits to think that you have been deluded and deceived all this while this is the excellency now of your souls in reference unto God Fifthly And yet there is in the next place A further reference that your souls have to God and that is the contiguity as I may so speak with God himself that is of all things that are here in this world the soul of man it is that that is next unto God himself Next to God you will say what do you mean when you say that the soul of man it is contiguous unto God I mean this that God hath made all creatures for himself but hee hath made them all for himself to come to him by man hee hath made all these inferiour things in the world for man and man for himself and so God comes to attain the end of all things in this world by man so that man is next unto God God would have the glory of all the creatures in the world but how by man saith God All these things that I have made I will have them bee in subjection to man for so they were in their first Creation and as I shall appear in all other of my works so shall this creature honour mee and fear mee and admire mee and magnifie mee upon the taking notice of and receiving in that good that there is in any creature All the goodness there is in the creature it comes to mee but how shall I have the glory of it all why I will make a creature that shall bee as it were between mee and other creatures that shall partake of the nature of other creatures but so as hee shall have a certain kinde of divine Beam of my excellency and shall bee able to take notice of mee and to receive in my goodness what hee doth receive in of the sweetness of the creature hee shall receive it in as my sweet and my goodness Incoms from mee and so hee shall reflect it upon my face again so that mans soul is like a Glass as you see a Glass that takes the beams of the Sun that shines upon it and casts it toward the Sun again as upon a wall the beams of the Sun comes into the Glass and then the Glass can reflect it this way or that way So the glory of God shines in the world and mans soul is as the glass and when it was in its first purity was as a clear chrystal glass and received in all the beams of Gods glory all the glory of God I say that did shine in all his creatures was received into mans soul as the beams of the Sun into a glass and now man was able to reflect the glory of these beams upon the face of God again and to return all again to God for as all things that are good come from him so all good should return again to him but now how comes the Lord to have an injoyment as it were of his goodness that hee lets out from himself How comes hee to have it return back again to himself Why the way of his returning it is by the Angels in heaven and the spirits of men these are the two excellent creatures that God doth make use of to fetch in all the glory that hee hath from all his creatures that they in an active way should reflect it all upon the face of God again certainly the soul of man is of an excellent nature then that is contiguous with God himself next unto him It is no matter whether a man bee rich or poor learned or unlearned yet hee hath a soul that is capable of this Yet further For the excellency of the soul The excellency of the soul discovered in its relation to Angels as it is excellent in relation to God so in relation to the Angels It is of the same kinde of nature that they are of they are spirits and so is the soul of man yea it hath the very same name with God himself God is a Spirit and so is the soul of man it is of the very same nature with the Angels and so is able to converse with them as well as with God himsâ—lf but for the way and manner of converse with those spirits that is little revealed in the word and therefore wee can say littâ—e of it And further The excellency of mans soul 3 The excellency of the soul in 1 Indowments of it it will appear in the excellent endowments of it Look upon the soul of man in his fallen estate and what admirable endowments some men have as in the excellent knowledge that some men have of Arts and Sciences the knowledge of the heavens it is a very gâ—orious thing that they are able to ascend up in their understanding and to know all the motions of the heavens and can tell you to a minute of an hour what kinde of motions there will bee as appears plainly by eclipses The arts of Navigation that they can compass the world up and down that way If it were but in these sensible things that wee see so much art in as in these mighty buildings which shows that a man out of a deal of rubbish can raise and erect such a building as this is this shows the excellency of mans soul and if there bee so much excellency in it naturally thâ—t it can do such things then what can it bee raised unto and inabled unto by a divine power What can it do when it is inlarged by grace and made partaker of the Divine nature 4. The souls excellency demonstrated from its immortality Luke 12.4 5. And further The excellency of the soul appears in the immortality of it Fear not them that can kill the body and can do no more Certainly if the soul were mortal as the body is then that man that kills the body kills the soul too and therefore wee may fear a man not onely because hee can kill the body but because hee can kill the soul but saith Christ Fear not them that can kill the body and can do no more The soul is as an Eagle when a man dyes that gets out of the Cage and so it flyes away saith Stephen when hee was to dye Act. 7.59 Lord Jesus receive my spirit Why if so bee that his spirit had dyed with his body he need not have said Lord Jesus receive my spirit Phâ—l 1.23 And so St. Paul I am in a streight and know not what to do whether to live or dye but hee thought it was better for him to bee dissolved it was not to bee destroyed
an ill-favouâ—ed dirty leather case but will have a curious silver case for it Now because the Lord did make a curious peece the soul of man which was the master-peece of Gods creation next to the Angels therefore hee puts it into a very curious case this shews the excellency of those spirits that are within us howsoever they are now defiled with sin yet thus they were made at first When we are speaking to men about their own excellency one would think that then they should attend I have spoken of God and Christs excellency they may seem to bee things above you But now I am speaking of your own excellency what you are and what you are capable off Oh remember this you poor people and others for as wee shall shew afterwards you have souls as excellent as the greatest men in the world And there is nothing to the contrary but you may have that spiritual substance of yours filled with so much good as is infinitely more worth than ten thousand thousand worlds if you have hearts to look after it The Second SERMON ON The Excellency of the Soul Matth. 16.26 For what is a man profited if hee shall gain the whole world and lose his own Soul or what shall a man give in exchange for his Soul I Shall adde one thing more which shews the excellency of the soul in the relation that it hath to God and that is this That it is satisfied onely with God himself there is nothing can fill the soul of man to satisfie it but God himself For the true object of mans understanding it is not this truth or the other truth but truth in general and the highest truth and that is God and the object of this soul it is not this or that good but good in general the highest and the chiefest good and that is God Let all the creatures in the world present themselves before the soul of man to bee the portion of him Mans soul would say these are not the things that can satisfie mee saith Austin Lord thou hast made us for thy self and our heart is unquiet till it comes unto thy self and this is the excellency of mans soul it is above all creatures it is a vertue in the soul of man to have a holy kinde of pride to think all creatures in the world to bee too little to bee the portion of it and God takes this well hee likes it well that we should know our own souls so far that wee should have this kinde of pride of spirit as wee may so call it or rather a right elevation of spirit to look upon all creatures in the world as too low and too mean to bee the portion of one immortal soul Many other things were delivered about the excellency of mans soul that so you might know something of your worth that you are too good to bee slaves to the Devil and it is good for you to know your own worth in this thing that so your hearts might bee elevated above those bare things that you sought to have your happiness in all those that ever have had true wisdome have accounted souls to bee very precious I remember Zozomen the Ecclesiastical Historian saith of the Martyrs that they suffered torment in their bodies as if they were other folks bodies and not their own they lookt not upon them as any part of themselves but on their souls as themselves and so you finde it in Scripture that it is the soul of man that is a mans self Compare for this my Text in Matthew with Luke 9. where you have the same speech of our Saviour setting out the excellency of a mans soul In the one it is What will it profit a man if hee gain the whole world and lose his own soul In the other it is If hee lose himself this is all one the losing of a mans soul and the losing of himself for a mans self it is his soul as for the body it is but the case it is but the out-side and so indeed some of the Heathens accounted their bodies Anaxarchus Tunde tunde Anaxarchi follem Anaxarchum enim non tundis when hee was beaten in a Mortar to death by the Tyrants hee calls to them Beat Beat as long as you will you beat but the outward part of Anaxarchus it is but the vessel in which hee is The Devil himself hath high esteem of souls the Devil cares not so bee it hee may gain mens souls what they have for their bodies the Devil doth not envy any wicked man to prosper in this world to have a healthful lusty body and to have stature and strength and beauty But now if hee sees that there bee any means for the good of their souls hee envies that may the Devil have but their souls hee cares not what they have otherwayes But wee come to the application of this first point in my Text Of the excellency of mans soul And the first Use is this Use Surely then wee ought to look upon every childe of man with some reverent respect and honour there is not the poorest childe as I told you the last day that lyes crying at your doors for a crust but hath a soul in it more worth than heaven and earth And the consideration of this should make us look upon the meanest childe servant the poorest body with an honourable esteem and respect how ever the glory of their souls bee darkned for the present yet they have still in them such souls as are capable of a kinde of infinite good more than all the other works that ever God made except the Angels do not look upon your servants that are under you with scorn and contempt do not use them doggedly as if they were brute-beasts Remember though you bee a Master a Mistress a Governour you are a Governour of one that hath an immortal soul more worth than all the world A good man saith the Scripture is merciful to his beast and surely then a good man will bee merciful to one that hath an immortal soul and it may bee an immortal soul better than his Governour how many have more respect to Dogs to brute-beasts than they have to servants and children and poor people who have immortal souls I have read of the Turks that though they bee noted for most cruel people to men as you heard of their cruelty to those in the Gallies yet they are very pittiful to brute-beasts and therefore they will give alms and stipends out of charity to maintain brute-beasts withall and there is a story of a youth that abusing a bird that had a long bill was like to have been stoned to death in the street they did so hate cruelty to those kinde of creatures though they bee cruel to men Many have this Turkish disposition that are dogged and cruel to those of their own kinde to those that have immortal souls together with themselves though pittiful even to brute-beasts
brute creature Bless God I say for this for by this means First You are looked upon by the Angels themselves with honour and with respect till such time as the Angels certainly know your Reprobation and that you bee sent down to hell Though you bee wicked for the present and your souls bee defiled yet the Angels know nothing but that these souls though now much fallen from God may bee such as may live with them to injoy eternal communion with God together with them and therefore they look upon you with honour And the providence of God it is more towards you than towards any other creature in the world Doth God take care for Oxen saith the Scripture True the providence of God it is over all his works there is not the least worm that stirs without his providence I but doth God take care for Oxen that is as if the Holy Ghost there should say the providence of God over other creatures it is nothing in comparison of that it is over the spirits of men over those that have immortal souls When God looks upon the creature that hee hath given an immortal soul too why saith God My Providence shall in a special manner bee over this soul And certainly the thoughts of God have been from all eternity working towards those that have immortal souls in a more special manner than towards any of his other creatures how ever you think of God yet that is certain God hath had his thoughts towards you one way or other from all eternity and intends to fetch out a great deal of honor to his name from you one way or other and therefore his Providence is towards you God observes you and marks you what way you take his eye is upon you for hee intends to bring some great glory out of you God will not lose his creature fully you may lose your own souls but God will not lose the glory that hee might have from you but hee will have glory from you one way or other And if God hath given you immortal souls you have cause to bless him because whatsoever you are now yet you are such as are capable of all the good that ever Jesus Christ hath purchased and therefore it is a happy thing for one to have an immortal soul because they are not out of capacity of receiving that good that the Lord Christ hath purchased for his people the brute beasts are not capable they are capable of no higher good but to eat and drink and live here a while and have their senses to bee pleased and there is an end of them but know whatsoever thou art thou art capable of all the good that ever Christ hath purchased and therefore thy condition is a great deal better in that respect than the condition of all other creatures in the world And thou having a soul within thee God hath made thee for eternity one way or other and hee intends for to have thee to live to all eternity in one condition or other Now it is I say a happiness to bee made such a creature as that God should have thoughts about from all eternity It may bee you will say It were better that it were otherwise with us I confess such is the condition of some through their sin living and dying in it that it were better ten thousand times that they had been Dogs or Toads and Serpents I but that is but through thy wickedness but it cannot bee said of the vildest alive for there is none of you but for ought Angels or men know may live eternally to the praise of Gods grace in Christ you have such kinde of natures as are capable of it Now it is true if you should dye in your sins then it might bee said at that instance when you dye in your sins that it had been better that you had been Toads or Serpents or any thing in the world But were not this a sad thing for a man that hath such an excellent nature to live and dye so that they may wish hereafter that they had been Toads or Dogs how many are there that are willing so they may live like a beast to dye like a beast I but that thou canst not bring thy self to dye like a beast thou must be infinitly worse or infinitly better than the brute beasts But bless God that thou hast a nature capable of so much good whatsoever thou art in other respects though God hath made a great difference between thee and others that are of the same kinde in thy outward estate God hath made a great deal of difference between poor and rich between a poor alms-Alms-body that lives in so mean a condition and between a Noble-man a Prince an Emperour I but this difference is made in the outward estate and body but there is no such difference made in their souls thou hast as precious a soul within thee that is naturally as good as ever any Emperour had in the world so Philosophers say of the souls of men mens souls are equal and one is not better than another by nature what they are better by is afterwards by education or by common gifts of the graces of God but by nature all men are equal And therefore that wherein mans excellency is is in his soul thou art as high as any Emperour in the world and therefore it is that the Scripture would have no difference made between the souls of men in Exod. 30.15 you shall finde there by that Scripture that God would not have difference made of the souls of men it is said in the 14. verse Every one that passeth among you that are numbred from twenty years old and above shall give an offering unto the Lord God would have an offering from every one of them Now mark what hee saith in the 15. verse The rich shall not give more and the poor shall not give less than half a shekel when they give an offering unto the Lord to make an attonement for their souls There must bee the same attonement made for souls both for the rich and for the poor And as wee spake the last day in opening the excellency of the soul it appears by the price that was paid for it so here they are equal in this that the poor mans soul must have as great a price paid to save it as the richest man in the world And therefore bless God for thy soul in this that hee hath made thee equal with the Kings and Princes of the world in that that is thy more noble and more excellent part And bless God for soul-mercies above all mercies If the soul bee so excellent then I say bless God that hath granted thee soul-mercies though hee hath denied thee bodily-mercies it is no great matter as suppose If so bee that God should take away the sight of thine eyes yet if hee opens the eyes of thine understanding of thy soul thou art happy Suppose that thou art
precious souls they have ever more beat down their bodies and kept them low You know Paul that was one of the most precious spirited men that ever lived upon the face of the earth yet saith hee I beat down my body I beat it black and blew lest after I have preached to others I my self become a Reprobate hee did not think his happiness to consist in pampering his body no but hee beat it down and therein hee shewed his love to his soul in that hee made his soul to bee Emperess as it were It is the speech of a learned man upon those words Subdue the earth that is thy body and all earthly things to that spiritual part of thine thy soul If one should tell you what the ancient Martyrs and worthy Instruments of God that were precious men in their time how hardly they used their bodies it would hardly bee beleeved by you but this is certain there was never any that knew the true worth of their souls but they made them the Emperesses of their bodies Ambrose said of Valentinian No man was ever such a servant to his Master as Valentinians body was to his soul Bring your bodies down and therein you will shew the greatest love unto your souls 3. And further Adorn your souls labour to put comeliness and beauty upon them as much as you can and therein you will shew love and respect to them Adorn them with those graces that may make them amiable and lovely in the eyes of God himself in 1 Pet. 5.5 Bee cloathed with humility Those that understand the Greek language know it to bee a word that signifies a dress that Gentlewomen use to have upon their heads with ribands such as they did use to wear in those dayes and so they thought themselves very comely and the Apostle alludes to those kinde of dresses Oh humility is the finest dress for a woman in the world and so for men too The finest cloaths that you can put upon you is the cloaths of humility and so any grace of Gods Spirit it is the cloathing of the soul Oh therefore shew your love unto your souls by labouring to deck and adorn them with such cloathing as this is 4. And shew your love to your souls by providing for them while God affords means labour to understand the want of your souls and bee willing to bee at any charge and cost for the good of them If your head ake or you have any little pain in any of your members how do you seek out and are willing to bee at a great deal of charge that you may have ease for your bodies now seek out for your souls the one is a sign that you love your bodies well and the other will bee a sign that you love your souls as well 5. And then shew love to your souls in the excellency of them in things that are suitable to them in conversing with God and Jesus Christ with the mysteries of the Gospel and with heavenly things 6. Shew your love to them in labouring to bring them to the attaining of that end that they were made for the uttermost happiness that they are capable of then indeed you shew true love to your souls when as your care is to bring them to the attainment of that end that God made them for Certainly when God made a creature of so much excellency hee did intend a glorious end for it And let this now bee your great care and manifest your love to your souls I say in this by labouring to attain the end that God made them for But this shall suffice for the first point of the preciousness and excellency of our souls Wee come now to the second and that is the main Point indeed in the Text that is That the loss of this soul is a most dreadful loss Doct 2 Skin for skin yea all that a man hath will hee give for his life Even the Devil himself could say so The loss of bodily life wee account a great evil and therefore the Scripture calls Death by the name of the King of Terrours and is it so great an evil to lose a bodily life to have the soul and body but separated Is the face of a bodily death so gastly Oh how great an evil and how gastly is the face of the eternal death and the loss of the immortal soul This Point my brethren is a Point of exceeding great concernment to understand wee shall therefore First Inquire what wee mean by the loss of the soul or when may the soul bee said to bee lost The second thing Wherein doth the dreadfulness of the loss of the soul consist And then thirdly I shall discover to you some aggravations of the evil of the loss of the soul Fourthly And then wee shall come to apply all together For the first then What doth Christ mean when hee saith What profiteth it a man if hee gain the whole world and lose his soul First You are to know this That wee are not said to lose our souls because they shall bee annihilated and cease to bee the ceasing of the soul to bee that is not the loss of the soul the ceasing indeed of our bodily lives is the loss of our lives but it is not so with the soul for the soul of no man or woman shall bee lost so Yea and this would not bee the greatest loss for the soul to cease to bee There are two degrees of evil that are beyond the evil of ceasing to bee to bee miserable to bee in pain and torture is worse than not to bee and to bee sinful is worse than to bee in pain and therefore the ceasing to bee is not the greatest evil What is the loss of the soul then First The loss of the soul it is first in the privation of it of all the good and excellency that the soul is capable of the privation of the true good that the soul was made for Secondly It consists in its departing and wandring from God As a sheep is said to bee a lost sheep that wanders up and down in the wilderness so that is a lost soul that wanders away from God the fountain of all good Thirdly It consists in the subjecting of it to that misery and evil that is contrary to what good it is capable of And then fourthly and lastly in the succourless and helpless condition that it is brought into wee use the phrase of Lost to all these things when a man hath lost his estate wee account such a man as a lost man and when a man is brought into a great deal of misery that heretofore was in a great deal of happiness wee account such a man to bee a lost man but especially when a man is succourless and helpless when hee hath no way to help and relieve himself then hee is a lost man indeed And according to the degrees of these four things then a soul may bee said to
comes to have some kind of communion with innumerable company of Angels and with the spirits of just men made perfect It hath the assurance of it here and shall have the enjoyment fully and perfectly hereafter And then the continual exercise that the soul shall bee busied in to bee for ever blessing and magnifying and praising and worshipping of God and receiving in from God and letting out its self to God The eternal Sabbath that it shall keep and then the eternal rest that the soul shall have when it comes to God it comes there to its Center there it hath perfect peace and rest and can never have trouble further Yea and it shall live in God not onely God live in it but it shall I say live in God as though the similitude comes short of it the fish swimming in the Sea so the soul shall bee swimming in the infinite Ocean of the excellency of the great God It is said of John Rev. 1.10 Col. 3.3 that hee was in the Spirit on the Lords day so the soul shall live in God Our life is hid with Christ in God But our life shall bee plain and apparent not hidden but apparent before Angels and all the rest of the blessed and so our lives shall bee after another manner than now they are Now to open every one of these things would bee very large so that it suffices now onely to present them to you to shew in a short view the good of the soul in the full enjoyment of God and what it shall have from him that so you may see what the loss of the soul means Now if these things bee true and real Oh what a dreadful thing is it for a man to lose his soul for a man to come to lose all this good that others that have souls like unto him shall come to enjoy and that hee might have enjoyed as well as others If there were no more in the loss of the soul but this to bee cast away from the good that it is capable of it might shew unto us this loss to bee very dreadful It was a speech of Austin long since speaking of that place where Dives did desire Lazarus to come with one drop of water to cool his tormented tongue saith hee If there should bee but one drop of heavenly felicity let into Hell it would quench all the fire of Hell presently And Chrysostome hath such an expression that hee would rather suffer thousands of years in pain and torment in Hell than hee would lose that good that hee might have in the enjoyment of God hee accounted paena damni the loss of God to bee the greater and it were a good sign of a soul that did understand its own excellency and what good it were capable of to fear as well the loss of God and what good it might have in God and to account that as great an evil to it as pain and horrour and torment Why when wee come to express the wrath of God to you and the evil that sin deserves we speak of Hell fire and so the Scripture doth If wee would set out the great evil of punishment when wee speak to men and women that are lead by sense wee would tell them of their bodies being thousands of years in scalding Lead and kept alive there and this would startle and amaze them but certainly the evil of the souls rejection from God and being cast off from the good that there is in God it is as great if not a greater evil and a good sign I say it were that God is going to shew what our souls are to us and the true excellency of them If wee begin to bee affected with the loss of God himself and the good wee might have in God not onely afraid of Hell because of fire and torment there but afraid of having our souls lost because of being deprived of such infinite good as otherwise wee might come to enjoy with God A gracious heart hath more thought about losing the good that there is in God than of the pain that hee should feel in Hell To set it out a little but in this resemblance of the eye being deprived of light An eye that hath beheld the glory of the Heavens and of the Creatures though it should never have any pain but onely there should bee such an ill humour so as to take away all light from it why what hurt is here to the eye it is but onely the absence of a good thing the eye feels no pain but what man in the world but would rather bee willing to have his eyes to see and not to bee blinde all his life time than to have the enjoyment of thousands of gold and silver Now if the bare absence of the sight of a mans eyes bee so great an evil and hee would rather almost endure any pain than to have his eyes deprived of the light then certainly the absence of God must needs bee a most dreadful evil to the soul when the Sun shines in its lustre how beautiful is it ☜ and how pleasant to that it is at midnight when it is dismal dark why what is done it is onely the absence of one Creature one Creature is here now and shines gloriously upon us and at midnight the Creature is gone so what a mighty change and alteration would there bee in the soul if it should bee deprived of the presence of the Lord if the Lord who is infinite in glory bee present with the soul and shine upon it to all eternity Oh how glorious will it bee but Gods withdrawing himself fully and everlastingly from the soul Oh what a dismal night of darkness will there bee and therefore it is a most dreadful thing for the soul of a man to bee lost in regard of this first particular in regard of the privation of that good that it is capable of The Fourth SERMON ON The Excellency of the Soul Matthew 16.26 For what is a man profited if hee shall gain the whole world and lose his own soul NOw for the second Particular Namely wherein consists the eternal loss of the soul it is this when the soul in Hell is so possessed with sin as to bee contrary unto God eternally I say the soul cast away from God is possessed of all the evil of sin so as for ever to hate God and to abhor him and to blaspheme him that is one particular of the condition of a lost soul As every soul here by nature is deprived of all that good in which it was created and secondly as it doth wander from and is at enmity against God so when the soul is lost eternally then it is perfectly against God and doth hate and blaspheme God for ever Thou that art a wicked man thou wilt sin but when God hath cast thee away from him eternally then as I may say thou shalt have thy belly full of sin thou then shalt bee fully
given up unto sin Rev. 16.11 And they blasphemed the God of Heaven because of their pains and sorrows Now that is spoken of the beast of Antichrist but if men here blaspheme God because of pains what shall they do that are damned in Hell they that shall have the vials of Gods wrath poured out upon them But you will ask how doth it appear that for the wicked to bee given up to sin is such an evil unto them whereas here it is their delight to commit sin To which I answer though they love sin and though sin bee their delight here yet hereafter when they are cast off from God for ever then they shall not finde that delight in sin as now they do as to give you it in an example put a fish into a pot of water and the fish doth swim and play and delight therein because it is the proper element of the fish to bee in the water but now if you do but put fire under that pot of water wherein the fish doth play and take delight why then that which was before the delight and element of the fish thereby becomes its pain and torture so though sin in this life is delightful unto wicked men because it is their proper element to bee in sin in this life yet hereafter sin shall bee their pain because then there shall bee mixt with it the wrath of God which will make it pain and torture Again the loss of the soul consists in this when the soul is fully possessed of all the evils that are contrary to all the good it is capable of Thus shall it be with the lost soul eternally That as the Saints shall bee inlarged and made more capable of good which they shall enjoy to all eternity so those that are wicked and lost souls which shall bee opposite to God shall bee inlarged in their capacities and bee possessed and made capable of all contrary evils First To bee cast under the eternal curse of God I say to bee eternally under the curse of the Almighty Secondly To have all the faculties of the soul to bee filled with the wrath of God to have the understanding to bee filled with what may increase torment in that and for the conscience to have the worm gnawing which never dieth and to have the thoughts employed and running upon those things that will bee so hideous unto them and to have the will continually crossed by God himself and to have the heart sinking under the wrath of the infinite God in despair for ever Brethren the soul of man it is a very large vessel and because wee know but little of the large extent of our souls therefore it is that wee are so little sensible of the loss of them or of the pain and torment they are capable of or liable unto But as the soul is larger than the body to take in comfort so is it larger than the body likewise to take in pain misery and wrath we should bee sensible of such an expression as this to have the body in all the members of it to bee filled with fire so as to bee all on a hot fiery burning coale and that to all eternity this you would think could not but bee an extreme misery But the souls capacity is far larger than the bodies And to have the soul filled in every faculty of it with the wrath of God it is far greater pain than to have the body in such a condition which is the condition of a lost soul Further it doth consist in having the power of God stretched forth to bring evil and wrath upon it and that to the utmost Rom. 9.22 What if God willing to shew his wrath and to make his power known endureth with much long-suffering the vessels of wrath fitted unto destruction As thus First The infinite power of God put forth in enlarging their natures that they may bee the more capable of evil Secondly The infinite power of God put forth to uphold their natures that they bee not sunk down with those dreadful evils that God hath to put upon them Thirdly The infinite power of God to let out upon the soul what ever it can bear to make it miserable so as not to bee annihilated therewith which it shall bear for ever And further A lost soul is in this condition also to be continually under the stroak of Gods justice that when it haâ—h lain under its pains thousands of thousands of years saith divine Justice I am not yet satisfied Now that that is required is that the soul should lye under the wrath of God until such time that God may have as much honour by punishing it as hee hath had dishonour by its sinning against him and that must bee for ever because God can never have so much honour by the punishing of it as hee hath had dishonour by its sinning against him And then As the soul should have had eternal communion with God and Christ c. it being lost it must have communion instead thereof with the Devil and the damned spirits in Hell And if this bee the condition of a lost soul in Hell as it is then what shall a man gain in gaining the world if hee lose his soul But further to make this misery appear to bee misery indeed There is required a perfect sense of all these evils for a man or woman may bee in a lost condition as many are now but they do not understand it and therefore are not sensible of it But that soul that is lost eternally the Lord shall so far enlighten its understanding as may make it sensible of all its evil certainly many this day are in such a condition as did they but understand the lost condition they are in it would make them tremble But now when the soul is eternally lost it shall then perfectly understand what its lost condition is and then the thoughts of its mind shall bee so busied about its misery as that it shall not bee able to ease its self one moment but its thoughts shall be busied about its condition so far as may make it miserable And the Lord is able to make a creature as sensible of misery as hee pleaseth For this is the propriety of God to make a creature as sensible of all the evil that is upon him as hee pleaseth and if so then when all these evils come upon the creature and the Lord intends to make the creature fully sensible of it then certainly it must needs bee miserable indeed Further then this loss of the soul consists in this That it must have nothing to support it when the burden of the wrath of the infinite God shall bee thus upon it as also there shall bee no mixture of any good to bring relief or ease nor any intermission of time it must not bee one moment of time out of this condition of misery but must bee in it continually to all eternity Further In this doth
its misery consist because God will keep all the faculties of the lost soul in their utmost activity whereas now it is not so with us for if misery and pain bee upon us here after a while our activity and sensibleness of it is partly gone But the Lord will make such souls as are eternally lost as perfectly sensible of this its misery every moment as ever it was the very first moment that it went into that misery Then Lastly In regard of the irrecoverableness of the lostness of the soul when it is once lost The soul when it is departed from the body and once lost then all the power of God can never help nor recover it but then the stream of Gods wrath shall carry it with that mighty force as that it shall not bee able to all eternity to have the least actings of its self towards its deliverance for ever Secondly There shall bee no Mediatour between God and the lost soul none to mediate for it Now had not wee a Mediatour between God and us wee were all certainly lost but now for the soul that is once lost eternally Jesus Christ will never tender up any work of mediation for such a soul that is certainly gone and lost irrecoverably And then further the gates of mercy will bee for ever shut against such a soul Now for the further opening and setting forth the dreadfulness of the loss of the soul there are divers aggravations wherein the misery of it doth further appear The first aggravation is this If the soul bee thus lost then the body is and will be lost also It will bring the body into the very same lost condition of misery that it is in its self so far as it is capable of misery and that upon these two grounds First Because the body all the time a man doth live in this world it was the onely or most immediate instrument that the soul had to work and to sin by And certainly God must needs hate that body and curse it that did belong to the soul because it was the onely instrument of the soul to sin by Secondly Miserable must the body also bee because when such a lost soul shall bee united unto the body the very extremity of the soul must needs bring misery upon the body also as thus When Christ had the apprehensions of his Fathers wrath and displeasure in his soul how did it work upon his body even so as to cause even clodders of blood to fall from him Now what caused this pain in his body but the terrors of God in his soul and if it was so with Jesus Christ that had but sin imputed unto him then certainly the body of a damned creature must needs bee in very great and dreadful torment to which this soul is united If a holy man cried out Thy arrows stick fast in mee Psal 38.2.3 and thy hand presseth mee sore there is no soundness in my flesh because of thine anger neither is there any rest in my bones because of my sin I say if the anger of God caused this misery unto Davids body for his sin what misery will that bee when all the faculties of the soul shall bee filled with the wrath of God to their utmost capacity O then I say what dreadful evil and pain will there bee unto the body united unto such a soul The second aggravation of the loss of the soul it is this That when it comes to bee in this lost condition then it comes to bee in the deadfullest and most miserable condition that any Creature is in except the Devils themselves The Scripture tells us it is an evil thing to have riches kept for a mans hurt But O then what an evil is it and will it bee for a man to have an immortal soul for his hurt this is the condition of a lost soul The third aggravation of the loss of the soul is this It will have none to pitty it in that its miserable lost condition it is in If a man in this world should lose his estate or any great loss hee would have many to pitty him if a man lose by fire then hee may obtain a gathering whereby his loss may bee partly made up or hee relieved or if you lose your children you have your friends to pitty you and to condole with you But that man that shall have his soul lost hee shall bee in such a condition as that hee shall have none to pitty him True wee are all lost by nature but in that our lost condition wee have God pittying us and Christ pittying us and the Angels looking upon us with pitty and Saints pittying us But hereafter if lost none shall pitty that soul in that condition when its loss is eternal God shall not pitty it but then the blessed God shall look upon it as an object of his eternal curse But no pitty shall hee have of souls in that their lost condition neither shall Jesus Christ pitty them True Jesus Christ came to seek and to save those that were naturally lost but yee have done what in you lay to frustrate the ends of Christ his coming and as Christ shall not pitty you so mercy it self shall not pitty you but bee so far from pittying of you as that it shall plead against you And Angels they shall not pitty you because they shall bee taken up in blessing and praising of God for his works and righteous judgements upon you Neither shall the Saints pitty you though it bee thy Father out of whose loins thou camest or though it bee thy Mother out of whose womb thou camest yet they shall not pitty thee though thou art lost and lost eternally but shall rejoyce at it and bless God for his justice upon thee therefore miserable is the condition of a lost soul The fourth aggravation of a lost soul is this It will prove unto most that are lost an unexpected loss There are very few that have any apprehensions of the loss of their souls but they think they may go on in sin and yet do well enough It may bee thou hearest a Minister speak of the loss of the soul but thou flatterest thy self and thinkest thou shalt do well enough but at length before thou art aware thy soul may bee lost and that unexpectedly then it must needs bee dreadful because it is so great and unexpected As for example if a Merchant should hear that his stock at the Indies were there safe and well and afterward upon an instant there doth come news unexpectedly that all is lost and gone Oh how doth it damp him and O consider how it will damp thee hereafter though now thou dost flatter thy self If thy soul should bee lost eternally I say it will bee a dreadful loss in regard of the unexpectedness of it A fifth aggravation is this It will prove to bee a dreadful loss because the loss of every soul that shall bee lost will prove to
by which you come to bee a new Creature certainly you perish till this bee wrought in your hearts by the power of the Spirit you are in a perishing condition there is nothing more plain than this in Scripture You know what Christ saith to Nicodemus Verily verily I say unto you except a man bee born again John 3.3 hee cannot see the Kingdome of God Therefore it is not enough that it may bee thou livest somewhat better than heretofore thou hast done It may bee when thou wert a young man thou wert wanton or unclean and prophane and abroad in the fields and in wicked houses on the Lords day I but now thou hast more wisdome and understanding and now thou dost not so this is well and good and this is to bee encouraged I but what is this to such a mighty change as to bee born again If so bee that your bodies had no other kind of soul than that that is of sence and afterwards a rational soul should bee put into it what a mighty change would there bee in that body before they could onely see and hear and feel but now having a rational soul they can understand understand reason understand the waies of men this is a mighty change and truly there is as mighty a change when God puts a new life into the soul and doth regenerate it making it partaker of the divine Nature and even to come to live the life of God according as the Scripture phrase is Now this must bee in every soul that must bee saved and if the time bee not come that this regeneration is wrought then certainly thy soul is yet in a perishing condition God knows onely what hee doth intend to do hereafter but for the present thy soul I say is in a perishing condition The first work that God made that is the work of Creation by sin was quite spoiled Now Jesus Christ the Son of God that is his honour and his work to rear up a new world and that is a better world a great deal than the former world was and the special creatures of this world they are his Saints and the new Creation in their hearts now this is the condition of a converted soul it is made a new Creature All old things are done away 2 Cor. 5.17 Thou that livest in thine old waies and art altogether for thine old customes and what shalt thou do contrary now to what thy Fore-fathers did and thou thy self hast done all thy life time and the like oh this is a dangerous kind of reasoning why thou must bee a new Creature and all things are to become new in thy soul thou must know that the Old Man is dead in thee and that the New Creature is reared up in thee or else thou canst not know that if thy soul should this night depart but that thou shouldest bee an undone Creature for ever Yea Shall I yet say further because it is a point of a wonderful consequence for men and vvomen to put themselves to it I fear that there is many men and vvomen here that yet all their lives time have not put this question to themselves What are the tearms betvveen God and mee vvhy I hope that God vvill vvork grace in mee I but vvhat hath God done is it so vvrought at this present that if I were this moment to die I were in a safe condition and the hazard of my miscarrying to all eternity were over A man may joyfully go thorow all conditions in this world if hee were able to say well vvhatever befall mee in this world yet my condition is such that I know the hazard of my miscarrying for ever blessed bee God that is over Oh that people would but put this question to themselves In what estate am I now it if I were to die this instant Ninthly Wherefore then another thing is this That soul that yet hath not gone beyond those that the Scripture doth brand and note for Hypocrites or Reprobates if thou hast yet no more wrought in thee than the Scripture shews that they had then certainly if thou shouldest now die thou must needs perish As now the Scripture holds forth these examples Pharaoh confessing his sins The Lord is Righteous saith Pharaoh and I have sinned Saul I have sinned against the Lord. Ahab Hee humbled himself in sackcloath and went softly when the Prophet threatned Gods anger against him The Scripture tells you of the stony-ground which received the Word with joy Of Herod That hee heard John Baptist gladly and reformed many things Of Judas Hee came and acknowledged his sin and brought again the thirty peeces that hee had gotten by it and cast it down yet these of which the Scripture thus speaks all of their souls were lost for ever and yet I say they went thus far Now it concerns us very nearly to look to our selves and not to think wee are safe upon every sleight apprehension if the Scripture holds forth such examples that went thus far and yet vvere lost vvee had need bee careful to examine our state To vvhat end do you think doth God set dovvn these examples of vvicked men vvhose souls vvere lost and shevv you hovv much good they did certainly this vvas Gods end that men and vvomen might not flatter themselves vvith every little good thing that they do but that they should bee ferious and very solicitous in the examination of the estate of their souls hovv the terms are betvveen God and them this vvas Gods end in it and this being Gods end vvee are to make the use of it that God did aim at in holding forth these things in his Word unto us Oh therefore do not satisfie your selves vvith a little do not say if I should novv die this night and no further vvork vvrought yet I hope the vvork is so far wrought that my soul will not bee lost The Seventh SERMON ON The Excellency of the Soul Matthew 16.26 For what is a man profited if hee shall gain the whole world and lose his own soul Quest BUt you slay wee must go further How shall a man know that hee is gone further than those whose souls are lost Answ To that I vvould briefly ansvver thus Canst thou say vvith David Lord thy Word is pure therefore doth thy servant love it I beleeve not one of these could say so Lord God Thy Word is a pure Word I see a holiness and beauty in thy Word and therefore my soul doth close vvith it because it is pure this is further than any of them vvent David could say so Saul could not nor Ahab could not nor Herod could not the stony-ground and Herod rejoyced in it but it vvas not from the purity of it that they did rejoyce for then they vvould have rejoyced in all the Word of God every part of Gods Word being pure and holy Secondly They could not say thus That they did prize Jesus Christ for a Sanctifier as
well as a Saviour None of them did look upon Jesus Christ that hee might deliver their souls from the power of their sin and work righteousness in them as well as deliver them from the wrath that is to come Therefore though some of them would bee glad to bee saved from hell by Christ yet to look upon Christ in regard of his purity and holiness as altogether lovely this none of them could do Thirdly and lastly None of them did lift up God as the highest end of all and give up themselves and all that they had or were or could do being empty of themselves so as to lift up God as revealed in Christ as the highest end so as God and Christ to bee all in all to their souls they went not thus far And therefore do not think that it is a putting people to great streights to tell them how far many went whose souls were lost and if they went no further their souls would likewise bee eternally lost Now then these things being so what remains but that you should lay them to your hearts Oh lay them to your hearts and if God would but bee pleased this evening to cause every one in this Congregation to examine themselves and call their souls into question O my soul how is it with thee how do things stand between God and thee art thou in such an estate as if God should call for thee out of the body this moment that thou shouldest bee saved Oh bee not satisfied in any thing in the world till you come to a resolution in these things And if you finde that these things speak against you and your souls bee cast by them for the present do not sleight them for verily God will make them good upon thee these things shall stand when thy soul shall perish Wherefore then this is the last use about this point of the dreadful loss of the soul Use Oh then let every man or woman propound this question Act. 16.30 What shall I then do to bee saved The world is troubled with a great many questions at this day questions that have no great necessity in them but here is the great question Men and Brethren what shall I do to bee saved And if people when they meet together would bee taken up and bee asking of this question one of another it would prevent a great many wrangling and jangling questions that men spend their time in oh when they are asking of you many such vain questions answer those vain questions but thus I but do you know how one may do to be saved tell mee something of the way of God about the salvation of my soul and that is that that both Ministers and Christians should most aim at to help one another in they should not fill peoples heads with curious questions and specially young ones for that is a great deceit of the Devil at this day There was never a time wherein there was a more hopeful harvest of young ones than there was two or three years since in England and in this City and because the Devil saw it was in vain to tempt their hearts to their former prophaneness hee labours by all means to cause them to fall into the hands of vain jangling people that shall fill their heads with a great many curious questions about controversies and things that they do not understand and so take away the very strength and life of the work of the Word upon them when as the Scripture tells us plainly that wee must not receive the weak in Faith unto doubtful disputations Rom. 14.1 But Object You will say wee must inquire after all truths Answ It is true but seasonably in their due time It is not for young converts before they bee setled in the main things of Religion to have their heads filled with doubtful disputations it is the plain Scripture and it is as plain if wee would understand it as Thou shalt not steal or commit adultery oh this hath hindered the salvation of many a soul Now therefore this is that that I would aim at to turn the strength of your souls into this great question What shall wee do to bee saved in Ecclesiastes 7. saith the wise man there God hath made man upright but hee hath found to himself many inventions so your books have it but I finde it translated in the old Lattin Hee hath mingled himself with many questions so they turn the phrase Now the Lord take off your hearts from those and give you hearts to attend to this great question What shall wee do to bee saved It was the question you know of the Jaylor in Act. 16.30 And it concerns those that yet have not assurance of what condition their souls are in for salvation to ask this question speedily and not to put it off till they come to sickness and death and then send for Ministers and godly Christians and say Oh! what shall I do how many upon their sick and death beds that never minded to inquire before what they should do to bee saved theâ— are in dreadful anguish and then cry out Oh what shall I do Oh the distressed condition I am in I am afraid my soul is lost for ever what shall I do why dost thou ask it now is this question to ask now when thy soul is going before the great and dreadful God to have the sentence of its eternal doom to bee past upon it Oh it concerns you betimes you young ones as soon as ever you come to know you have souls it concerns you to bee asking this great question What shall I do to bee saved And wee have an example of this of a young man that Christ lookt upon in love because hee was inquisitive about the salvation of his soul the story is in Matth. 19.16 Behold one came and said unto him Good Master what good thing shall I do that I may inherit eternal life and vers 20. It appears that this was a young man The young man saith unto him All these things have I done Oh it were a comely thing for young men to come to Christ and say What shall wee do to have eternal life and it appears that hee was a young Gentleman a man of great possessions and hee is called in the Gospel by St. Luke a Ruler some Interpreters think that that was meant onely in the family for the Jews had some chief in the family that did rule and govern there but this young man hee comes to Christ and that running Mark 10.17 as in Mark 10. where you have the story and Christ lookt upon him and loved him as in vers 21. Oh it is a lovely thing to see young people begin betimes to inquire what they should do to bee saved and wee have had great hopes of young people but here is the policy of the Devil when the Lord was bringing the greatest harvest of young people within this three or four years
himself from you I appeal to you suppose you did so depend upon any one man in the world that your life lay at his mercy and if hee should but speak a word you were a dead man or woman would you not when you come into his presence come with fear lest you should displease him would you say what do I care for him let him bee pleased or not pleased what is that to mee you would not dare to do it Now shall wee have less fear because hee with whom wee have to do is the Lord if wee had dependence upon any man in the world as wee have upon God wee would fear him Now I say shall God have the less fear because hee is a God hee should have the more fear Fear him saith Christ that when hee hath killed the body can likewise kill the soul Yea I say unto you fear him Christ puts an I say upon that and truly that soul begins to bee in a way of salvation that begins to have the fear of the great God to fall upon him Most people in the world they walk boldly and presumptuously in the presence of God as if God had nothing to do with them and as if they had nothing to do with God Alas these go on in the waies of death and destruction but that soul that God hath a purpose to save hee begins to reveal his glory to it and to shine upon it as hee did upon Saul when hee did shine from Heaven in a glorious manner and stopt him in his way when hee was riding post unto Hell and destruction hee cries to him I am hee that thou hast sinned against I am hee that thou persecutest then Saul falls down trembling and saith Lord What wiâ—t thou have mee to do as if Saul should say Lord I did not know thee but I see thee now to bee a great and a dreadful God I see that I am in thy hands to save or destroy as thou pleasest and therefore Saul comes with a trembling heart and cries to God Lord What wilt thou have mee to do I hee was in a good way of salvation and so when a vile sinner that hath gone on without the fear of God upon him shall now come in trembling beholding the dreadfulness of the Infinite God that eternal first-beeing that it hath to deal withall and now shall have his fear strike into it this soul is in a good way of salvation it is stopt in the way of destruction and it is in a good way of salvation and that is very observable further in the Text Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling for it is God that works in you That is a place that many people grosly abuse they think they need do nothing but mark how boldly do these people cross the Spirit of God in the Text for the Spirit of God makes this Argument do you work out your salvation because God works and say they It must bee God that works and therefore I will do nothing Oh! if you should wilfully go on in waies of provocation to God and upon your sick-bed and death-bed cry Oh Lord that now thou wouldest bee pleased to work upon my soul as thou usest to work upon those that thou intendest to save If God should make this answer Thou a bold wretch that hast provok'd the eyes of my glory all thy daies and dost thou now cry to mee to do it If any of you do think that there will ever bee a time when you will stand in need of Gods mercy to save your souls you had need walk with fear and trembling before this God Now I put this to the soul of every one here dost thou not think O thou sinful soul that there will bee a time that thou shalt stand in need of the mercy of God and what course dost thou take now before-hand is that course that thou takest before-hand a continual provocation of God is that a good preparation to that time if there were a man that you lived neer though for the present you care not for him but slighted him yet if you knew that there would bee a time that you must stand in need of that man so as if hee should forsake you you would bee a lost man would you dare to provoke that man wee all know what need wee shall have of the mercy of God and therefore wee had need walk with fear and trembling before him Sixthly Further If thou wouldest have thy soul saved attend upon those means that â—od hath appointed to save souls wait at wisdomes posts Now this one direction being clearly shewn out of Scripture will be enough to confute all that talk against doing If God hath appointed means to save then surely hee hath appointed that wee must attend upon those means Now in Rom. 1.16 The preaching of the Gospel there is called The power of God to salvation Now if you would bee saved you must bring your souls under that which is the power of God to salvation Because the Lord in the Ministry of the Gospel doth use to put forth his Almighty Power for the saving of souls therefore it is that the Gospel is called the power of God to salvation you cannot be saved without the Almighty Power of God and where is that put forth but in the preaching of the Gospel To whom is the Arm of the Lord revealed That is the Arm of God in the preaching of the Gospel so you know what the Apostle saith in Rom. 10. Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God You will say can wee do any thing towards our salvation yes you may hear it is the duty of us as creatures to come and hear the Word and Faith comes by hearing so then Faith comes by somewhat that wee do but not so that God hath tied himself to give Faith to every one that hears I would not bee understood so But thus God hath appointed that hearing should bee a means for the working of Faith It is true it is the blessing of God in hearing but hearing is the way that God hath set God indeed can convey Faith from Heaven to any soul immediately I but where there is the preaching of the Gospel there do I expect that these creatures that do intend that I should work Faith in them should come and attend upon the preaching of the Gospel Christ could have opened the blind mans eyes without spitting upon the clay and anointing his face but hee would have that done and that must bee the means by which hee will open his eyes So if God will have hearing the Word of the Gospel to bee the means by which hee will work Faith in the soul take heed how this bee neglected Act. 20.18 Paul was sent to preach to what end To open their eyes and to turn them from darkness to light and from the power of Satan unto God that they may receive forgiveness of sins and
do do they make the Carrion to bee less corrupt and putrified than it was truly all the bravery that wicked men have it is at the best but a few herbs and flowers strewn upon a filthy carrion which makes them not to bee the better The things of this world therefore in Scripture are called the things of another mans in Luk. 16.12 And if you have not been faithful in that which is another mans who shall give you that which is your own You may know the meaning of it by the verse before If therefore yee have not been faithful in the unrighteous Mammon who will commit to your trust the true riches The riches of this world are called unrighteous Mammon now these are opposite to the true riches as if these were not True riches and then in vers 12. If you have not been faithful in that which is another mans that is in these riches of the world who shall give you that which is your own so that nothing is a mans own to make him better but grace the good things of the soul they are a mans own but the other things they are the worlds things they are not a mans own therefore what doth it profit a man that hee hath gained the world for hee is never a whit the better man Thirdly All these things they are things beneath the soul things of an inferiour nature what good is it for a man that hath gotten never so much food that hee hath laid up for his horses and doggs but hee hath nothing for his children or for himself So if a man hath gotten the world hee hath gotten somewhat for his body his inferiour part I but hee hath gotten nothing for his soul that is above it These are things beneath and under the soul what good would it bee for a souldier if hee have gilt his scabbard but hee hath a broken rusty sword within or but a wooden sword within Therefore I finde in Scripture that the bodies of men and women are called the sheath of their souls Dan. 7.15 I Daniel was grieved in my spirit in the midst of my body So it is in your books translated but those that understand the Original Text they know it is a word that signifies a sheath and so Arius Montanus turns it and likewise in your Margents in the midst of his sheath and by comparing this Scripture with another it is plain that that is the propriety of the word 1 Chron. 21.27 Where the Text saith The Lord commanded the Angel and hee put up his sword again into the sheath thereof Now the word that is here translated sheath I finde by comparing of them together that it is the very same word in the Original that Daniel translates body for the body is but as the sheath unto the soul and what will it gain a souldier to have a brave sheath and in the mean time have nothing within it or that that is of no use at all thus it is with many they seek great things for their bodies but their souls are left in the mean time without any succour or help and in a most miserable condition all things that are in the world should bee servants to thy soul for they are all inferiour to it Wee account it a great disâ—onour to a man to marry his servant a man of estate in the world if wee hear hee hath married his servant which is very mean wee account it a dishonour Now for thy heart to mingle it self with the things of this world as its chiefest good what dost thou but marry thy soul to that which should bee thy servant for all these things are but as servants to the soul and for the heart of a man to bee set upon the things of this world it is to have the curse of Cham to bee upon him A servant of servants shalt thou bee for the things of the world they should bee thy servants and thou art their servant and so a servant of servants the curse of Cham is upon thee when thou art a slave to thy estate or thy honours or to thy brutish lusts a servant of servants art thou Fourthly They are such things as God in his ordinary administration of providence hath denied to the choicest of his servants specially in the times of the Gospel Many of the choice of his servants in former times were in very low and mean conditions but for the times of the Gospel how did Christ himself who was the Son of God live hee had not a hole to hide his head in The fowls of the air had nests and the Foxes had holes but the son of man not whereon to lay his head Jesus Christ that was infinitely beloved of the Father and all the Apostles they were in a poor mean condition every one of them died a violent death but onely John wee have records of their several sorts of death some crucified some stoned and some other kinds of death but all put to death save John and read but the latter end of the eleventh of the Hebrews Those that the world was not worthy of how they wandered up and down In sheep-skins and goat-skins and dens and caves of the earth That was a little before Christs time hee speaks of those in the time of the Macchabes Now certainly if God hath so ordered things in his general administrations towards such as are most dear in his eyes as to deny them these things that they shall have but little of them there is no great matter in them surely if there were any great matter in them God would not deny them to his servants when a wicked rich man shall look upon a poor man that walks humbly before God and would not commit the least sin willingly for a world meethinks such a man should think thus Oh Lord what a difference is there between such a poor man and I and yet my conscience tells mee that God hath more honour from him in one day than hee hath from mee in all my life surely there is no such great matter in the things of the world that God hath denied them him If there were any great matter in them certainly such as walk most humbly with God and most close with God should have them if they were absolutely good And indeed this is one great reason that Gods own dear servants should have so little of the world and others so much it is that hee might hold this forth to all the world that the things of this world have but little in them Fifthly And consider but the next Argument which follows upon this and is of a near kin to it That all the things of this world the pleasures profits honours they surely have no great matter in them for they are no more than may stand with Gods eternal hatred of his creature Now certainly those things that have no higher excellency in them than may stand with the eternal hatred of the Infinite
Certainly there can bee no strength in this if what hath been spoken out of this Text bee true But now when there comes a temptation and prevails over thee thou dost deny this Scripture to bee the Word of God and thou settest thy judgement against the truth of God but now consider with thy self which is like to stand know that God will make his Word stand hee will make it good when thou and a thousand thousand such as thou art shall perish for ever and therefore as you that are chapmen when men offer you less than your ware is worth you scorn and contemn them so you should do when temptation offers you less than your soul is worth Wee read of Saul when hee saw the people following David saith hee What can the son of Jesse do for you Can hee give you Olive-yards and Vine-yards and the like So when temptation to sin comes ask it what can you do for mee can you save my soul in the time of distress you would draw mee to such and such courses such and such companions would draw mee to such and such waies I but you may put them off with this Is this the way to save my soul if it bee then I will do it but if it will not do that God forbid that I should meddle Oh therefore remember remember that the fashion of this world passeth away 1 Cor. 7.30 31. The Apostle would take off the hearts of men from the things of this world and bring this Argument saith hee The fashion of this world it passeth away Therefore use the world as not abusing it That that you have in your English book passes away it is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and I finde two very learned Writers translate it by a word that signifies to deceive The fashion of the world will deceive you at last and another by a word that signifies To go quite cross These two significations it hath it doth deceive or it goes quite cross the outward shew of the world oh it doth deceive thousand thousands of souls to their eternal perdition and it goes quite cross it seems to promise thee thus and thus much but it will go quite cross in the conclusion and will bee thy undoing if thou dost not take heed and therefore let not any thing in the world bee a temptation to thee for the least sin that possibly may bee I remember Austin in his book about an officious lye hath this passage saith hee A man must not tell an officious lye that is a lye without an intention to do any body hurt for the gaining of the world nay for the gaining of all the souls in the world the least sin is a greater evil than the gain of all the world is a good because that it is dangerous to the soul upon that very ground and therefore it is said of Basil when the persecutors terrified him with the loss of all that hee had but that did not prevail then they made him fair proffers and great advantages that hee should have I but Basil laught at them and bid them go and proffer such things to children So the story of the Martyrs tells us of Austinius that godly man that having been a means to demolish a place for Idol worship The Idolaters afterwards came upon him and put him to extremity of torments and set children upon him to rake his flesh with their knives but at length they would bee content if hee would but give never so little for the building up of the Idol Temple again to let him go free No saith hee not one half-penny Certainly this point will bee enough to justifie any that shall lose estate or indure any thing in the world rather than do any thing that may in the least degree hazard their souls And so that Martyress Juletta when one accused her and said that shee was a Christian nay then saith the Judge you must not have liberty of the Law No saith shee then farewel riches and life and all shee would bee sure to keep her soul safe whatsoever became of all other things The last Use is an Use of Incouragement to those that will rather venture all in the waies of God than to hazard their souls thou art the wise Merchant that art willing to sell all for the Pearl and bless thy self in God for this that ever God hath put this into thy heart to look to that which is the main chance as wee use to say If God had left thee to thy self thou mightest have gone on in such waies as others do but canst thou say the Lord hath caused the fear of himself and the fear of eternity to fall upon my soul and I can appeal to him that whatever comes of mee in regard of outwards mee thinks I can bee satisfied so bee it all things bee well with my soul I say bless thy self in God a man is not to praise himself but in God that is thus When thou dost consider how God hath drawn thy heart to him and thy interest in God thou mayest bless thy self in God in the grace of God that hath given thee a heart taken off from creature-comforts dis-ingaged from them and set upon the things that concern the eternal salvation of thy soul bless thy self in God and bee not troubled though thou beest cut short in the things of this world One would think that that which hath been said about the vanity of the things of this world should make people that are crossed in them if they bee godly to bee satisfied What if thou art plundered of all and â—ast little pâ—ovision for thy family and â—ast bread for one day and knowest not where to get bread for the next I but is thy soul safe I remember wee read in Genesis of the King of Sodome hee could say to Abrâ—ham Give mee the souls and take the goods to thy self though hee were but a Heathen King hee spake of their natural lâ—ves So do you whose hearts God hath inclined to soul-saving waies say to the men of the world Do you take the riches but let mee have the safety and welfa e of the soul Oh if God have assured thee upon good grounds that thy soâ—l is safe thy sin pardoned what great matter though thou hast not some of the lumber of this world If a malefactour that were in danger to die should go to seek for a pardon for his life well when hee hath gotten it and is coming from the presence of the King perhaps hee loses his glove or handkerchief upon the staires were it not an unseemly thing for such a man to fall a crying and wringing of his hands because hee had lost his glove Just thus for all the world is the madness and folly of people that say they have some comfortable hope that God will have mercy upon their souls and will save them for ever yet when they are crost and wronged they cry out they are undone man
Gospel-Revelation IN THREE TREATISES Viz 1 The Nature of God 2 The Excellencies of Christ And 3 The Excellency of Mans Immortal Soul By JEREMIAH BURROUGHS late Preacher of the Gospel at Stepney and Giles-Cripple-gate London Published by William Greenhill William Bridge Philip Nye John Yates Matthew Mead. William Adderly Let them praise the Name of the Lord for his Name alone is Excellent Psal 148.13 My Beloved is white and ruddy the chiefest of ten thousand Cant. 5.10 Fear not them which kill the Body but are not able to kill the Soul Matth. 10.28 LONDON Printed for Nath. Brook at the Angel in Cornhill and Thomas Parkhurst at the three Crowns over against the Great Conduit at the lower end of Cheapside 1660. Burroughs Gospel-Revelation A Testimony to the world concerning these Three Treatises contained in this Book of Mr. Jeremiah Burroughs Reader THese may assure thee that whatever thou findest here spoken either of God of Christ or the Soul was taken from the mouth of that Reverend Author Mr. Jeremiah Burroughs as hee preached them and by the same ready hand that took most of the former Treatises as Gospel-worship Contentment c. Now in Print William Bridge William Greenhill Philip Nye John Yates Matthew Mead. William Adderly THere is now published that much-desired Discourse of Mr. Jeremiah Burroughs on the fifth of Matthew being many Sermons preached at Cripple-gate upon all the Beatitudes taken by the same ready hand and published by the same Testimony viz. VVilliam Bridge VVil. Greenhill Philip Nye John Yates Matthew Mead. VVil. Adderly To the Reader THou art here presented with the living Sermons of one who is faln asleep in Jesus whose memory is sweet and fragrant unto the Saints Hee was famous for the Work of God and Christ in his Generation and Instrumental for the begetting of many spiritual Children unto the Lord Jesus The Author of these Sermons Mr. Jeremiah Burroughs like Abel being dead yet speaketh And of that which is not only our Duty to hear but our Priviledge to be made acquainted with for he Treats of God of Christ and Mans Soul three choice subjects Knowledge is Pleasant Prov. 2.20 but none more pleasant than that is Divine The knowledge of the holy God is Vnderstanding Pro. 9.10 the knowledge of Christ is Excellent Phil. 3.8 the knowledge of both is Life eternal John 17.3 And for the Soul it is that piece of Immortality which is of greater value than the whole world Mat. 16.26 It is that which God challengeth to be his Ezek 18.4 and that which the Lord Christ accounted not his precious blood too much to give for 1 Pet. 1.18 19. I shall not hold thee longer from the Work it self But desire the blessing of God to go along with it and those that are exercised in it R. W. The CONTENTS of the Treatise Of the NATVRE of GOD. NAme of God what meant by it p. 2 A gracious heart pâ—aises God for himself p. 3 And loves God for himself p. 4 Which is the difference between sanctifying and Common Grace ib. God is a most excellent Beeing above all things p. 5 Impossible it is to set forth the excellency of Gods Beeing ib. 1 God is and there is none else besides him p. 6 Other beeings are but a shadow to Gods Beeing ib. 2 God is a present Beeing p. 7 This Beeing of God is in all places God is in all places p. 8 3 God is as much beyond every place as hee is in every place p. 9 4 God is a Beeing that is all-sufficient in himself 5 All the excellencies in the creature are in God virtually and eminently p. 10 11 6 All the scattered excellencies in the creatures are united into one excellency in him p. 13 7 All possible good and excellency is in God p. 14 8 All good and excellency in God is eternal in him p. 15 9 And not onely eternally but also immutably ib. 10 All these are essentially in God p. 16 11 All excellencies are in God purely and unmixtly God hath nothing but excellency in him 12 All excellencies are in God originally p. 20 13 God is the fountain of all excellency to all creatures ib. 14 All things depend upon him ib. 15 God alone is excellent in his operation hee doth whatsoever hee will in Heaven and Earth p. 21 Hee doth the greatest things as easily as hee doth the least ib. What is done in time was decreed to bee done from eternity p. 22 Act of Gods will that was from eternity is matter enough to work by ib. All Gods works add nothing to God p. 23 16 God alone is excellent in the manner of communication of himself ib. God can let out as much of himself as hee will to any creature ib. God hath never the less for what hee lets out to the creature p. 23 17 There is no comparison to bee made between God and any thing else p. 24 18 God hee is the highest end of all things p. 25 Use What cause wee have to bee ashamed of those low thoughts wee have had of God p. 27 2 It shews the dreadful evil that is in sin it being against such an infinite God p. 28 29 30 3 Wee see cause to bee vile in our own eyes p. 34 4 Hence wee may learn to know the vanity of the creature p. 36 5 Let us labour to know God to search into his excellency p. 39 6 Wee are taught from hence to labour to keep the sense of the infinite distance there is between God and the creature alwaies in our hearts p. 40 Grace doth cause this the heart hath a kinde of infiniteness towards God p. 41 7 If God bee so excellent then Gods people are the most excellent ones p. 43 8 See what caâ—se wee have to fear this great God from p. 45 to the end THE CONTENTS OF THE EXCELLENCY of CHRIST COherence of the words 49 50 Clearest Prophecies of Christ when the Church was in the greatest distress 50 Four Reasons of it 50 51 Five notable and famous Titles of Christ 52 Doct. Christ is the great wonder of the world proved 52 53 54 Thirteen things in and concerning Christ that are wonderful 55 1 Hee is wonderful in his Natures God and Man 56 57 58 2 Wonderful in his Natures 59 Two wonders in Christian Religion 59 The Lord of man-kinde the Son of man 60 The knowledge of the union of the two Natures how a help to Faith 61 3 Christ is wonderful in the manner of his Incarnation 63 4 Christ is wonderful in his works 65 What the work was Christ came about ib. Use of it 67 Christ wonderful in his Offices hee was the Anointed 69 71. Wonderful in his Kingly Office 69 Hee is King over all Kings 71. His power is universal ib. Hee makes his subjects his subjects do not make him ib. Subjects of this King are for him 70 It is this King alone that makes Laws ib. Quâ—st Can there bee no Laws
it all in one and wee say the stronger is a thing the more it is united now in God all good whatsoever is united in one all good in the Creature yea and all good in himself that is all his attributes so you must conceive of God onely the manifestation is divers and therefore you must not conceive that there is any one thing in him more than another you may not conceive of God as if there were more mercy than justice or more justice than mercy or more of either of these than there is of truth wisdome and holiness Indeed God may manifest himself unto the Creature more in one than in the other but as they are in his own beeing they are not onely one as much as the other but they are all but one thing onely several manifestations as but one Sun that hath divers reflections by divers glasses so all Gods attributes are but one excellency that is in him therefore his Name is excellent above all things because hee is but one God in this manner 7 Further Not onely all good and excellency is in God but all possible good what can possibly bee imagined as we know that the power of God that made the world could make thousands of worlds all this is in him and infinitely in him When wee do speak of any thing to bee in God wee must be sure that we do not limit our thoughts as when we speak of God to bee a great God do not limit it hee is great but infinitely so when wee speak of his wisdome hee is wise but infinitely wise and so of his holiness and justice and truth and knowledge all must bee lookt upon without any bounds whatsoever in the Creature there are such and such things but they are all limited by their causes but God having no causes at all to limit him therefore hee is infinite whatsoever is in him it is infinitely in him whatsoever is in him is not onely infinite in the kinde as there is all the wisdome and holiness that can bee but I say it is absolutely infinite as it is in him it is so infinite that there is no kinde of being but is included within it speak but any one thing of God I say it is not onely infinite in the kinde but so as it includes whatsoever hath beeing in the infinite Ocean of beeing that is in himself wee are very ready when wee look upon God to have limited thoughts and therein wee bring him down to the Creature this is the very reason why God doth hate Images so much as hee doth because that Images do make a kinde of a representation of him as though hee were finite as Papists they tell us they think not that such an Image is God I but being put in mind of God by such an Image there is a kinde of limiting the infiniteness that is in God and therefore God hates it and will not have that infinite excellency of his to bee represented by any Image whatsoeever whensoever thou thinkest of God or speakest of God do not onely compare him with that which is in the Creature but when thou hast made thy comparison let thy thoughts bee infinitely above it there is no one attribute of God doth help us more to understand what God is than when wee conceive him to be infinite in all that hee is or hath 8 Yea and further All the good that there is in God and excellency it is eternally in him it may bee such a Creature hath an excellency but how long hath it had it it was not long before but it was nothing but God hath been what hee hath been if wee may speak so hee hath been eternally now that is a mighty swallowing consideration the consideration of eternity as a man that is an Accountant if hee writes a figure of one add but six ciphers to it and it is ten hundred thousand now if hee should be adding and adding all his life time yea if hee should have lived from the beginning of the world to have added to the figure of one what an infinite summe would this bee but it is nothing to eternity either if you look back to eternity it is nothing or if you look forward to eternity it is nothing the Saints indeed shall live eternally in respect of that which is to come the souls and bodies of the Saints shall bee eternally for time to come with God and the souls and bodies of the ungodly shall bee eternally in Hell Now all the excellency that there is in God is eternally in God which way soever you look 9 Further Not onely eternally but immutably in him and therefore his name is alone excellent it is immutable that is God hath such an infinite excellency that it is impossible that hee can bee better or other than hee is if God should bee otherwise than hee is hee would instantly cease to bee a God the beeing of God hath that excellency in it that there can bee no addition no substraction add any thing to him and you destroy him take any thing from him and you destroy his beeing alter any thing in him and hee ceases to bee God so the Scripture saith With him There is no shadow of change Jam. 1.17 Indeed there is a change in the creature but nothing at all in God as if you bring a peece of wax to the Sun it melts it and clay it hardens it here is a different effect of the Sun but the Sun is the same so bring the creature in one disposition to God and the love of God and delight of God is in it bring the creature in another disposition to God and the wrath of God is upon it yet God is the same onely the variety is in the creature And therefore his Name alone is excellent and the creature whatsoever excellence it hath it changes up and down As there is no shadow of change with God so no shadow of constancy in the creature 10 Further in the next place All these things are essentially in God Quicquid est in Deo est Deus whatsoever is in God it is his being its God himself This one thing would much help you to understand the Nature of God that whatsoever can bee truly said of God it is God himself as thus Gods wisdome is God himself Gods mercy is God himself Gods power is God himself it is not so in the creature a mans wisdome is not a mans being they are separable one may bee separated from the other but Gods wisdome is Gods being a mans power and strength is not his beeing but Gods is so a mans mercy and goodness is not his beeing but Gods is and therefore as before these things that are variously conceived by us they are not onely one in God but his very beeing and this doth mightily adde to the glory of God that whatsoever is in God it is the very essence and beeing of God himself These
thing as should bee called God-Man and is really and verily God and man together in one I say this is the greatest wonder that ever was in the world that the Divine and humane Nature should bee joyned together that wee should have a Saviour that is as verily man as God and as verily God as man that those two Natures the Nature of God and the nature of man should come together in one that were so distant before one from another this is a wonder beyond all sense and reason and wee had need have a Prospective-glass of God to bee able to see indeed any thing into it wee can easily beleeve wee think that Christ was God and man every childe can do so when you ask your children what Christ was you teach them that hee was both God and man I but I appeal to you when were your hearts taken with this as the geatest wonder in the world that there should bee ever such a thing as God and man in one and that to be the Savior of mankinde That man that is miserable should look up to God to save him look up to the mercy of God this were not so wonderful but that miserable man must bee saved by one that is God-Man Man and God this is that that except the Spirit of God that searches the deep things of God as you had it before reveal it unto a man it were impossible for man ever to have such a thought as this is and indeed the setting out of this so great a mystery is one great argument that the Scriptures are Divine for it is too high a thing to have entred into the thought of a creature I say too high a thing that ever a creature should have such a thought that the saving of man must bee by Gods being man it cannot bee imagined how such a thought could have come into a creature to bee verily man I say this argues the Scripture to bee from God it is too great a mystery for any creature ever to have imagined or thought of it is that that is the stumbling-block to the Jews and foolishness to the Gentiles but the power and glory of God to those that shall bee saved If God should have put this unto us and said Well I am inclined to do good to you and willing to save you but know your estate is such as you can never bee saved except there bee such a Saviour such a Mediator for you as must bee God and man both why certainly both Angels and Men would have stood amazed at this and have concluded that the estate of Man-kinde is desperate then if so bee that the estate of man that is fallen from God and hath sinned against him bee such as there is no way to deliver one soul from eternal condemnation and eternal wrath but by such a Saviour as must bee both God and man I say All Angels and Men would have even concluded then man must perish for ever but it is God the Wonder-woâ—king God that hath wrought thus for Mankinde which hath sent us such a Saviour as is both God and Man Surely then his Name may bee called Wonderful Christ is wonderful in his Person But Secondly Here is a greater wonder than that God is God and man God and man you will say that may bee hee hath come in the similitude of flesh and hath taken the shape of man some kinde of union there may bee between the Divine and humane Nature but consider this second Wonder hee is not onely God but a second Person in Trinity Consider these two things in the Person of Christ First He is to be looked at not meerly as God but as God the second Person of the Trinity and this is a great wonder in Christian Religion for it was little known before Wee read but little in the Old Testament about the Trinity onely in Christ the Trinity comes to bee known when wee are in streights wee will cry to God that made the heavens and earth to bee a Saviour but for us to know that wee must bee saved by God in the Second Person that is the character and ingraven form of his Image the Son of God and yet so the Son of God as hee is Co-eternal with his Father equal with his Father as the Scripture speaks and so God the Second Person in Trinity as yet hee is of the same Nature that his Father is of the same God and yet the Son of God the consideration of the mystery of the Trinity that appears in Christ is a great wonder above reason that wee may adore it but search into it wee are not able And then the second thing to bee considered in his Person is this That hee is not only God and man but God and man hypostatically united the union of the Natures that these Natures should bee united both in one Person this is the great wonder in Christian Religion There are two principal Wonders in Christian Religion I beseech you consider aright of them The first is divers Persons in one Nature 2 Wonders in Christian Religion The second is divers Natures in one Person These are the two Wonders in Christian Religion First divers Persons in one Nature and that is the wonder of the Trinity for there you have but one Nature the Divine Nature but three Persons Father Son and Holy Ghost and that is a Wonder that the Heathens knew nothing of and was little known till Christ came And the second Wonder in Christian Religion is divers Natures in one Person that is in Christ Christ is God-man but one Person united hypostatically now to search into this that the same Person that is God is man and how the humane nature subsists in the Deity and hath no subsistence at all in its self but in the Deity how this is onely the Scripture reveals it to bee so but how it is I say is too deep a sea for any creature to wade into wee must stand and admire it and adore God in it that hath revealed this as the object of our faith but to bee able to search how such a thing can bee that that union can bee in one person this is that that is a wonder above all admiration Indeed it is one of the most wonderful works that ever God did in the world to unite two such creatures that seemed to bee of such distant Natures as the body of man and the Soul of man in one Person to unite a peece of earth and a peece of flesh to such a glorious thing as a rational immortal soul is the union of these two together in one person is the greatest work for the works of Nature that ever God did in the world David saw his body wonderfully and fearfully made but certainly the union of the body and soul the soul being of the same nature with the Angels that it should bee united with the body to make but one Person this is a
7.14 For a Virgin shall conceive a Son it is such a thing as never was done before since the world began nor never shall bee done again the ordinary manner of the generation of man was here stopt when Christ came to bee born saith God I will have a new way of generation for indeed there was a great Lord to bee born into the world a great Prince and hee must bee born after another way different from the ordinary way of Mankinde in a wonderful way the Holy Ghost being the cause of the conception and so brought forth by a Virgin You will say Why was this Here indeed consists the wonder that wee are to sanctifie Gods Name in not onely to know that it was after such a way and not as Adam was hee was made man but hee must bee made man in such a marvellous way You will say why could not Christ come into the world after the ordinary manner of generation You will answer to your selves God would have it so but there is something of Gods minde that he would have you know why hee would have it so If Christ had been made man after the ordinary manner of generation he could not have been made free from Adams sin from original corruption for the Law did lye upon Adam his Posterity against all that should come from him in the ordinary way of generation therefore if Christ now should have come from him in the ordinary way if hee had been of the seed of Adam then hee must have been under the Covenant that Adam was for it was to all his posterity Adam was to stand as a publick person unto his posterity and in him wee were to stand or fall Now whether there might have been any other way or no for Christ to have been freed from it wee will not stand to dispute But now Christ was freed from the Covenant so as hee was not now under original guilt under original corruption because hee was conceived by the Holy Ghost hee was conceived not after the ordinary way of men whereas you are to know that all your children coming into the world after the ordinary way of generation coming from man by man the first minute that their souls and bodies are together that the childe is alive in the womb it comes under the guilt of Adams transgression and comes to bee originally corrupted presently full of sin and corruption but it was not so in Christ and this is the wonder of Christs Generation that hee was conceived by the Holy Ghost and born of a Virgin and so free from all kinde of original sin had there been the least sin upon Christ hee could never have been a Saviour for thee nor any therefore Christ must come into the world in such a way as there must bee no sin upon him at all and this is the reason why hee was born of a Virgin and not after the ordinary course of Mankinde and therefore his Name may well bee called Wonderful from the wonderful manner of his Incarnation Christ wonderful in his Works In the fourth place Christ is wonderful in the wonderful Works that hee came about into the world the work that Christ came into the world about is the greatest and the most wonderful Work that ever was undertaken since the world began or can possibly bee undertaken Why what was the Work that Christ came into the world about It was first to stand between God the angry God What the work was that Christ came into the world about God provoked with mans sin and sinful man It was to bee a Mediator between God and his creature it was to reconcile God and man together that had sinned against him and was turned enemy to him the Work that Christ came to do it was to make up all the wrongs that sin had done that sin had brought to God Christ came to make up the vast infinite breach that there was made between God and man so to procure Reconciliation for man as to make God amends for all the sin that had been committed here is the work that Christ undertook hee undertook to pacifie the wrath of God his Father in such a way as that it should be let out upon him and hee would bear what ever fruits of Gods wrath was due to the sin of man hee came I say into the world for to reconcile God and man to make up all the breach and to make restitution of all things not onely to make up the breach that was made between God and man by mans sin but to make up the restitution of all things whereas by mans sin all the works of God in this world had almost been frustrated and had mans sin gone on God had not had the glory that hee made the world for now Christ hee comes into the world to make up all again that his Father might have full glory from all his Works Yea the great Work that hee came into the world about was that hee might bring this to pass that God his Father should have further glory now from his work than ever hee should have had if so bee there had never been any breach made here is the great work that Christ came into the world about Christ beholding that through mans sin all things were even brought to a confusion Mans sin had plundered all the world as it were plundered the Works of God and had brought all to darkness and misery and confusion now Christ comes into the world to make all perfect again and to raise up to God a Name of praise and glory higher than ever hee should have had if there never had been any sin committed against him now was not this a wonderful work that Christ came into the world about wee speak much of Christ and that hee came into the world but what came hee for Oh learn to sanctifie Gods Name in this to look upon Christ whose Name is Wonderful in regard not onely of what hee was in himself but of what hee came about the great and wonderful work that hee came into the world for and did accomplish and certainly did wee apprehend Christ thus and look upon Christ as having such a Name as this is Wonderful and know that upon this ground hee is called Wonderful it would teach us to adore him to honour him to magnifie him and to have high thoughts of him it would bee a mighty means to draw our hearts to beleeve in him the very setting of Christ as hee is in himself before the soul as the full object of faith hath a mighty power to draw faith out as the setting of a temptation before a man hath a power to draw corruptions so the setting of Christ in his glory and excellency in what hee is and what hee came into the world for I say it hath a mighty power to draw forth faith not onely to draw forth faith where faith was before but it hath a power to
cause faith in the soul Christ is not onely an object for us to work upon when wee have a faculty but such an object as being set before the soul hath a quickning power to cause life therefore we cannot say why should Jesus Christ bee preached to a company of people as are dead in sins I Christ indeed is a glorious object But they must have somewhat to work upon Christ Wee must not say so for Christ is not onely an object for the soul to work upon when it hath an eye to see but such an object as the very setting of it before the soul hath a quicking power to work life in the soul to cause an eye to see him and to cause the heart to make after him though it was never so dead before And it should bee the work of Ministerâ— to set Jesus Christ before the hearts of people before their eyes continually and though it may bee there comes nothing of it this time I but try it again and though nothing comes of it the other time but they passe all lightly by and little regard the glory of God that appears in Jesus Christ yet hee is to bee set before them again and again who knows when the quickning power and life may come from Christ Now this is the scope of the setting Christ thus before you This day I have endeavoured to set him but a little before you in the opening this Title of his Let this bee the Use of it Oh when you go home go and meditate of what hath been said and labour when you are before God which is the time for the exercising of your faith upon Christ Labour to set Jesus Christ before your eyes and look upon him as the great Wonder of the World and never leave meditating until you finde your heart come to this to admire at the Glory of God in Jesus Christ If ever your hearts were taken with admiration at any thing in the World Oh let them bee taken up with the admiration of Jesus Christ this may confidently bee concluded upon that that Soul that â—eâ—â—r found its self taken with admiring of the Glory of God in Christ did never know what Christ meant for Christ is such a kinde of Saviour that if God do propound Christ to the Soul in any measure it is impossible but that the heart must bee taken with him There is a Saviour sent into the World hee that is the Object of my faith and by him my Soul shall bee saved Now the first work of the heart is for to think this is too good to bee true do not therefore think that you must bee onely saved by Jesus Christ but know what manner of Saviour it is it s hee whose Name is Wonderful The Second SERMON ON The Excellency of Christ Isaiah 9.6 And his Name shall bee called Wonderful Christ Wonderful in his Offices CHrist further is the Wonder of the World in his Offices In his Natures In his Person In the manner of his Incarnation In the end why hee was sent hither And in his Offices in his Anointment as hee was Christ Christ signifies the Anointed of God and is all one with the Messias that that was the Messias in the Old Testament is Christ in the New The word signifies Anointed And Christ is the Anointed of the Father Anointed to those three great Offices King Priest and Prophet Great in all these three Offices never any man in the world had them all before I say never man in the world was Anointed to these three together but onely Christ Wee read in Scripture of a King and Priest so Melchisedeck was wee read in Scripture of a King and a Prophet and so David was wee read in Scripture of a Prophet and a Priest so Jeremiah was but of King Priest and Prophet together anointed by God wee read of none but Jesus Christ onely Among the Egyptians they were wont out of their Philosophers their wise men to choose their Priests and out of their Priests to choose their Kings and so whosoever was a King to them was eminent first in wisdome being a Philosopher able to teach and eminent in his Priestly office and then eminent in his power that hee might bee honoured by all people as having those threefold eminencies that was accounted the greatest eminency in the world for those were the three great eminencies the eminency of wisdome to teach and of Priesthood and of Kingly power Now Jesus Christ hee was wonderful in all these now that is the thing that I aim at to shew in every particular of these Offices of Christ how wonderful hee was and then though but briefly I shall set the beauty and excellency of Christ in his three Offices before you and that shall bee all that I intend to do at this time and shall but bee very brief in them too For I told you in the opening of the Excellency of God I did not intend to stand to open every particular Attribute at large but onely to set the Excellency of God before you briefly so of Christ The Kingly Office of Christ Now for these Offices of Christ his Kingly Office first Christ is King and wonderful in this Office of his for you cannot understand Christ your Saviour aright except you understand him as before in his Natures in his Personal union and so in his Offices First As King I shall not need to shew Scripture for these the Scripture is full If you read the 45. Psalm at your leasure about the middle of it Thy Throne O God is for ever and ever the Scepter of thy Kingdome is a right Scepter And Rev. 17.14 Christ there is said to bee Lord of Lords and King of Kings Now Christ is a glorious King and wonderful in his Kingly power First Hee is King over all over all Kings over all Powers hee hath the highest Authority of all Take that for the first thing In Rev. 9 hee is said to bee King of Kings and Lord of Lords I remember Theodotius and another Emperour did use to call themselves the Vassals of Christ and so certainly all the Kings and Princes in the world they are but the Vassals of this great King Now hee is wonderful in his Kingly power that hath all the Kings and Lords and all Authority in the world under his feet indeed they all hold on him and that will appear from the second place 2 As his power is the highest so it is universal universal over all the world the Government of all the world is committed to him 1 Cor. 15.27 All things are put under his feet God the Father hath given unto him the Government of all the world hee is not onely the King of the Saints though hee bee their King in a special manner but hee is the King of Nations too Christ hee is the King of Nations God-Man I say the government of all the world is given to him all the Nations of the World
typifie that Christ as hee was man hee had no Father and as hee was God hee had no Mother and hee had no beginning in his Priestly office it was from everlasting and it shall indure to everlasting So hee is a Priest for ever after the Order of Melchisedeck and not after the Order of Aaron 2 And in the next place All the Priests in the Law did typifie Christ and all did cease in him certainly hee must needs bee a great High Priest that was typified by them and in whom all ceased and vanished As when the Sun arises the light of the stars doth no more appear there was no further Priesthood when Jesus came and took that Office to himself in his humane Nature in this world 3 But further Christ is wonderful in his Priest-hood in this that hee had no need to offer for himself as others had for hee was blameless and without sin 4 Yea and consider what Christ offered and there you shall see him wonderful the Offering that Christ offered it was the blood of God I say it was that that wee may call safely according to Scripture language the blood of God and that will not seem to bee a hard expression if wee understand what the personal union of the two Natures are in Act. 20.28 faith the Apostle to the Church of Ephesus Take heed therefore unto your selves and to all the flock over which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers to feed the Church of God which hee hath purchased with his own blood These kinde of phrases wee have that come from the Personal union of the two Natures so that the blood that Christ did shed and offer unto God as a Sacrifice for the sin of man it is that that the Scripture calls the blood of God Now the blood that other Priests did offer was the blood of Goats and Bulls and Lambs and Kids but now what a wonderful Priest have wee that comes to offer Sacrifice to the Father for us and comes to offer blood that is the blood of God Hee is wonderful in his Priestly Office in regard of his Offering 5 Further from this follows that Christ offered a Sacrifice unto God that was sufficient to satisfie God for all the wrong that ever was done him by mans sin they offered poor things unto God you know in the time of the Law things that were worthless But now the Sacrifice that Christ offered unto the Father when hee that High Priest came to offer it was a Sacrifice that did satisfie Gods infinite Justice did make up all the wrong that all the sins of the Elect had ever done to God it was that that infinite Justice said it was well-pleased withall It was worth all that Christ did render it up to his Father for not onely a Sacrifice that was a sweet savour because God would bee pleased to accept of it but a Sacrifice that had in its self such a savour that could not but bee sweet in the nostrils of God the Father for it did fully satisfie the Justice of God the Father for the sins of mankinde here is a wonderful High Priest now that hee should come and offer such a Sacrifice that should bee of such infinite merit and worth as it was 6 Yea and hee was wonderful because that hee did offer himself not onely his blood but himself soul and body hee made himself a Sacrifice none of the Priests did so in the time of the Law was there ever heard of such a Priest that came to offer sacrifice that did offer himself for such as hee would make attonement for Jesus Christ hee was anointed by God the Father as a Priest of his Church to offer sacrifice now hee must have so nothing to offer and Christ saw that whatsoever hee could offer if so bee that hee had offered that that had been the worth of Heaven and Earth whatsoever it had been it could never have been an Attonement for those souls which hee did undertake for therefore Christ offers himself as there is nothing but God can bee a satisfying portion to an immortal soul so no sacrifice but Christ himself could bee a Sacrifice to pacifie Gods wrath for the sins of mankinde if Christ should have said Father Thou hast made mee Lord over all the world and I will give it all for a Ransome for the soul of this poor sinner God would have said It will not do it but it must bee thy self I and Christ yeelds to it A body hast thou prepared mee Isa 53.10 And bee made his soul an offering for sin And a body hast thou prepared for mee both body and soul of Christ was offered to God the Father for a sacrifice that hee might smell a sweet savour of rest even concerning us who are wicked and wretched sinners Either Christ must offer himself soul and body to bee a Sacrifice for thy sin or else thy soul and body must have been offered as a sacrifice to Gods Justice and then it must eternallâ— have been under the stroke of Gods Justice but to that end to free that soul and body of thine if thou beest a beleever to free thee from the eternal Justice of God therefore Christ did offer his soul and body as a sacrifice to his Father 7 And yet further Christ was wonderful in his Priestly Office for hee was not onely the Sacrifice but the Altar It would bee wonderful to hear of a Priest that should offer himself but the Priest to bee the Sacrifice and the Altar too that should sanctifie the Sacrifice it is a greater wonder and because this expression seems to bee very hard I take this out of Heb. 9.14 How much more shall the bloud of Christ who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God he offers his body and soul as it were upon his Divine Nature that as the Altar did sanctifie the Offering so the Divine Nature of Christ did sanctifie the offering of his Humane Nature so that he indeed became both the Altar and the Sacrifice 8 And then further Christ is wonderful in his Priestly Office and that is in this That he offered but one Sacrifice and at one time now the Priests in former time they offered many Sacrifices and they offered often but now if you would read of Christs Priestly Office read especially the seventh eighth and ninth Chapters of the Epistle to the Hebrews and there you shall have as much almost as in all the Scripture besides of the Priestly Office of Jesus Christ The Priests in the Law they offered often but Christ offered but once and having but once offered hee sits down in glory upon his offering of himself but once before the Father it was available for ever for so the Scripture tells us in divers places of the Hebrews and hee was able to save to the uttermost upon his once offering of himself And then further Christ is wonderful in his Priestly Office in this which
things of the world those men that have the dullest capacity to understand the reason of things in the world those that are the most ignorant people in the world why Jesus Christ chuses out them and makes them to bee apprehensive of the mysteries of the Gospel such things as Angels themselves desire to pry into 1 Pet. 1.12 Here is a wonder that such poor weak dull ignorant creatures sometimes that can scarce be able to speak two or three sentences in good sense together to a man yet that they should have the clear understanding of the chief mysteries in the Gospel and such things as Angels desire to pry into here is a wonderful work and therefore wee read in Matth. 21.15 when the poor children came to understand somewhat of Christ When the chief Priests and Scribes saw the wondeful things that hee did and the children crying in the Temple and saying Hosanna to the Son of David ☞ they were sore displeased Mark how this is joyned to the wonderful things they saw the wonderful things that Christ did and the children crying in the Temple Hosanna to the Son of David they were displeased It is one of the most wonderful things in the world to see that sometimes poor young children and such as understand but very little in the matters of the world and yet that these shall come to understand the deepest mysteries of godliness those things that exercise the understanding of Angels and shall exercise them to all eternity yet poor children and youths shall come to understand these things further than the great Rabbies and Doctors of the world is not this a wonderful thing in the dispensation of the Prophetical Office of Christ You make this use when you see poor youths come to have understanding in the great things of the Gospel you think surely it is but a conceit Oh but rather make this use let your thoughts bee carried to admire at the wonderful dispensation of the Prophetical Office of Jesus Christ and so in Matth. 11.25 27. you shall see what a wonderful thing it is made even this dispensation of Christs Prophetical Office in vers 25. and so on At that time Jesus answered and said I thank thee 0 Father Lord of Heaven and Earth because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent and hast revealed them unto Babes Now that the Father did hide them from the wise of the world and revealed them unto babes it was by Christ though hee thanks the Father and that it was done by Christ it appears in vers 27. All things are delivered to mee of my Father and no man knoweth the Son but the father neither knoweth any man the Father save the Son and hee to whom the Son will reveal him All things are delivered to mee so that Christ here makes the revelation of God unto babes to bee the fruit of Gods delivering up all things to him All things are delivered to mee and no man knoweth the Father but the Son and him to whom the Son will reveal him so that Christ having received all power from the Father upon this it is that these babes come to have such understanding in the mysteries of godliness and the wise of the world never come to understand And then that is very remarkable as wee go along that upon this ground Jesus Christ doth invite souls to come to him Come unto mee all yee that labour and are heavy laden and I will give you rest As if hee should say thus Conceive now as if Jesus Christ were preaching now personally to you and hee were saying thus to you All power is committed to mee by the Father and as a fruit of this that the Father hath committed to mee I do reveal him to whom I please and none can know the Father but by mee I have the dispensation of all the treasures of wisdome and the revelation of all the mysteries of eternal life from my Father Oh therefore come to mee come to mee all yee that labour and are heavy laden you labour under the burden of your ignorance perhaps you complain alas I do not know God nor understand the great mysteries of salvation I pray and hear and yet I cannot come to understand what God is Why come to mee saith Christ for all things are given to mee and if I reveal the Father you shall know him therefore all you that labour and are heavy laden all you that see the need you have of the knowledge of my Father and of the way of eternal life come to mee and I will reveal these things unto you and so will bring rest unto your souls Wonderful is Christ in the way of his Administrations and that is another consideration in the Prophetical Office of Christ 5 But further Christ is a wonderful Prophet in this that hee reveals things many times suddenly hee is not bound to those wayes that any man or Angel is bound to if a man or Angel would come to instruct others in the truths of the Gospel they must instruct them by degrees to understand one thing at once and another at another time and so deduct one thing from another in that way but Christ hee can make known the things of eternal life in an instant to the soul Whosoever comes to Christ must bee convinced of sin and bee emptied of himself and bee humbled all these things are in every soul that comes to Christ now all these things may by one beam of light bee wrought that Jesus Christ shall let into the soul As an Apothecary may get the very quintessence of all herbs in one drop though you cannot see the herbs so Jesus Christ I say sometimes by one beam of light lets in a hundred truths into the soul so that they do apprehend the substance of all those particulars that are spoken of and there is a proportionable work upon their hearts to bring them to Christ is not this a wonderful work of Christ that a man that hath been an ignorant sottish blinde creature a prophane ungodly man hating all godliness perhaps hee comes to hear a Sermon meerly to scorn as many have done this man comes in the very heat of his wickedness so that a man would wonder that some fruit of Gods wrath comes not from heaven to strike him into the bottomless pit yet it may bee at this very Sermon there shall bee some one beam of light darted into his spirit that may work his soul to heaven possibly if hee should dye at that instant though it is true ordinarily God begins to stir first and doth it not all at once but yet sometimes some that come into a Congregation most ignorant and sottish and know no other God but Mammon and lusts and yet coming to the word at one instant God darts in that light into his spirit as this man comes to have his heart turned to God and comes to know his misery and to know the way of
from glory to glory even as by the Spirit of the Lord. This Scripture hath very much in it hee speaks of the Gospel and compares that to a Glass wherein the glory of God shines so as wee may behold it with open face and so behold it as that we are changed into the very same image of it from glory to glory from one degree unto another Wee may behold the glory of God in the glass of the creature and never bee changed into the same image but when wee behold the glory of God in the glass of the Gospel wee then come to bee changed into the same Image and still to bee changed more and more and with open face wee do behold it And in chap. 4. vers 6. For God who commanded the light to shine out of darkness hath shined into our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ Mark it hee is the knowledge of God the light of the knowledge of God and the light of the knowledge of the glory of God and all this is in the face of Jesus Christ in the face of the creature there may bee the knowledge of God but the light of the knowledge of the glory of God this is in the face of Jesus Christ Hee that hath seen mee hath seen the Father saith Christ to Philip It was a maxim among the Fathers in the time of the Law that no man could see God and live God was so glorious that they thought that hee could not bee seen but it would overwhelm any creature that was in the flesh that should see him but now mark in that Prophecy that wee have of the times of the Gospel in Isa 40.3 There is a Prophecie of Christ that is apparent The voice of him that cryeth in the wilderness prepare yee the way of the Lord which is in express words applied to John the Baptist the forerunner of Christ And in the very same words make streight in the Desart a high way for our God every valley shall bee exalted and every mountain shall bee made low and the crooked shall bee made streight and the rough places plain Then it follows in the fift verse And the glory of the Lord shall bee revealed and all flesh shall see it together before no man could see God and live Flesh was not able to behold God but now when the Word was made Flesh when the times of the Gospel came wherein God would make himself appear through his Son more clearly and fully now all Flesh shall see it shall see the glory of the Lord now the glory of God appears wonderfully in Christ in these four or five particulars The Power of God appears in Christ First The glory of Gods Attributes do shine more brightly in the face of Christ than any other wayes As for instance The power of God appears infinitely more in Christ than in making heaven and earth for God to unite God and man together in one Person is a greater work than making heaven and earth there is more power of God put forth in the hypostatical union of the Natures of Christ besides all the power of God that appears in the great Works that Christ did do and in carrying Christ through all those great Works that hee was carried through than in making of heaven and earth There is more power of God appears in the conversion of one soul to Christ than in making heaven and earth Then what power of God appears in Christ himself And the wisdome of God appears more in Christ than in the creation of heaven and earth The Wisdome of God appears in Christ Now for God to finde out such a glorious way of Reconciliation as hee hath found out in his Son in this the wisdome of God is more glorious than in all his works infinitely the glory of Gods wisdome in other things is darkned in comparison of his wisdome in this If God had put it to Angels to finde out a way of Reconciliation they could never have guest at such a way as this is that wee should bee reconciled in Christ here is the glory of wisdome There likewise doth appear the glory of Gods holiness more in Christ than in any other way it is true The Holiness of God appears in Christ the Law is a glass of Gods holiness and those that cast reproach upon the Law they spit in the very face of Gods holiness I but that is no such glass as Jesus Christ is there wee see the holiness of God in another manner than wee can do it in the holy Law that God hath made God never shewed his hatred of sin so much as hee did in Christ and it cannot bee devised by all Angels and men how it were possible to have such an Argument to manifest the hatred of sin so as it is manifested in Christ that God should deal so with his Son as hee hath done for the sin of man I say if an infinite Wisdome should set it self on work never so much to finde out an Argument to manifest the hatred of sin there could not bee a greater Argument So that when God sent his Son into the world to dye for mans sin hee did as it were say I have many wayes to manifest my holiness to the children of men how infinitely I do hate sin but here is a way that it shall appear to the uttermost they shall see it in my dealing with my Son certainly in Christ Gods wisdome hath found out an Argument to make us all to bee convinced of the infinite holiness of God that God hates sin more than hell its self and that wee should do so too Again the Justice of God appears in Christ more than in any thing else It appears not so much in all the torments of the damned as in Gods dealings with Christ The Justice of God appears in Christ in that hee required such satisfaction from him as hee did when as wee hear of the dreadful curses of the Law and of the torments that are in hell wee may thereby be put in minde of an infinite Justice Oh how righteous is God in his wayes there and his Justice seems to bee wonderful unto us But when you behold in this red glass of the blood of Christ Gods Justice it is a great deal more glorious here than in all the damned in hell If God should grant to any of you to stand upon the very brink of hell and there to look into the pit and see all the torments and tortures there and hear all the cries there then you think your hearts would bee affected with the Justice of God to fear it I but when God makes himself known to you in Christ when you hear of the sufferings of Christ for sin God would have you to bee more affected with his Justice and to fear it more than if you saw all the Torments of hell
beloved of the Father and equal with the Father Phil. 2.6 accounted it no robbery to bee equal with God yet that he should stand before God the Father with all the sins of the Elect charged upon him so the Scripture tells us 2 Cor. 5.21 For hee hath made him to bee sin for us who knew no sin Hee hath made him to bee sin for us for Christ to bee made a worm was a wonderful Humiliation but for Christ to bee made sin was a greater Humiliation than to bee made a worm surely this must needs bee a wonder to all the Angels in heaven for them to see such a one whom they knew to bee the eternal Son of God equal with the Father to stand before the Father cloathed at it were with all the sins of the Elect. Wee read in Zech. 3. a kinde of type of this in vers 3. of Joshua the High Priest he was cloathed with filthy Garments and stood before the Angel so Jesus Christ stands cloathed with filthy Garments hee that is cloathed with Majesty and Glory yet hee must come and stand cloathed with filthy Garments before the Father For one to bee cloathed with filthy garments and yet to bee in some room alone that no body should see him is no great matter but to see a great Prince to come out before the world cloathed with filthy garments it is a very great humiliation But Christ that was infinitely above all the Princes in the world hee comes and stands before Men and Angels yea before God himself cloathed with these filthy garments For a man to have sin upon him before other men it is no great matter but for him to come into the presence of God with sin upon him it is a terrible thing But now the Son of God must do it hee comes into the presence of the Father and stands with all the sins of the Elect upon him what an object is here of Wonder Luther calls Christ the greatest sinner that ever was in the world I confess that is somewhat hard for it was but charged upon him but his meaning is onely this that I am speaking of Christ had not onely the sins of David his Murther and Adultery and denial of Peter and the like but all the sins of all the elect ones from the beginning of the world to the end of the world which they were or should bee guilty of charged upon him Secondly The wonder of Christs Humiliation it is in this that hee that was so high should bee now brought down so low for the sin of man is not this a wonder that hee that thunders in the heavens should bee crying in a Manger Is it not a great wonder that hee that framed the heavens and earth should work with a Carpenter in his Trade that hee that is the great Judge of all the world should bee accused and should bee condemned as a Malefactor and crucified among Theeves That hee that is the Lord of Life should dye that hee that dwelt in that light that is unapprochable should have darkness to cover him that hee that is the blessed God should bee made a curse for the sin of man are not these things wonderful in Christian Religion and yet all these are things that may bee said of Christ for the Lord of Life to come and dye and that accursed death this was a wonder that all the world seemed to bee affected with the very insensitive creatures for at the death of Christ the Sun withdrew his light as being amazed with this wonder not able to behold it and the earth shaked and trembled and the graves opened at this wonder the very stones clave in sunder at this wonder there was such a mighty concussion of things at this time that it made one that knew nothing of the cause of it One Dionysius seeing the darkness at that time Aut Deus naturae patitur aut mundi machina dissolvetur and such great things which were done cry out Certainly either the God of Nature suffers at this time or the world is at an end So great a wonder it was that the Lord of Life should thus dye an accursed death Angels yea all insensitive creatures they stood amazed at it and seemed to bee exceedingly affected with it And then in the third place Why Christ may dye and yet not suffer so much to make us wonder many of the servants of God have died cruel deaths But then in the third place There is a greater wonder in Câ—â—ists humiliation than in the sufferings of the servants of God because though their bodies suffered yet they had much freedome in their souls they were filled with joy and comfort in the time of their sufferings so it was in the Martyrs Oh but it was otherwise with Christ though hee were the fountain of all consolation yet Christ suffers in his soul hee was sorrowful in his soul to the very death hee gave his soul to bee an offering for sin and indeed the suffering of Christs soul was the soul of his suffering the chief of his suffering when as Christ was in the Garden there hee acknowledges that his soul was compassed round about with sorrows Matth. 26.38 his soul was very sorrowful and in another Evangelist hee began to bee amazed and a third Evangelist saith Mark 14.33 hee began to bee filled with sorrow in his soul and the very trouble of his soul was that that drew forth from him such a wonderful sweat as never was heard of in the world before nor never since nor never is like to bee that a man from distress and trouble of his soul should sweat so Many a man when hee is in fear and trouble of minde hee may sweat but when did you ever hear of a man out of trouble of minde that did sweat blood that blood should come and break through his skin and run down upon him and this through the trouble of his minde for there was no bodily affliction upon Christ then but meerly the trouble of his Spirit and hee knowing what cup hee was to drink and the trouble that hee suffered in his Soul did cause the blood to break through his veyns and come to trickle down and not some thin blood for so I have read of one in Paris that was condemned to dye and the very trouble of his spirit did cause some blood to come out of his body but thin but the Scripture tells us that there was clodders of blood and when was this sweat when hee was abroad in the night time and lay upon the ground and in the Winter season In a Winters night when hee was abroad and lay upon the ground hee sweat this sweat and all from the trouble of his spirit A man may sweat in Summer and in Winter in the day time or in a warm room or in a bed but for Christ in a Winters night and lying upon the ground to sweat such a sweat
from the dead that is that look as the first fruits did sanctifie all the rest and all were consecrated in the first fruits being offered to God So all the elect ones in Christs Resurrection did rise again I say vertually in him and it was a pledge of their Resurrection the Resurrection of their souls spiritually to life here and their Resurrection to eternal life and so wee are to exercise our faith upon Christs Resurrection this is the mystery of godliness in Christs Resurrection and hence is that known place in 1 Tim. 3.16 Without controversie saith the Text great is the mystery of godliness God was manifested in the flesh justified in the Spirit A wonderful mystery there is in godliness why what mystery God was manifested in the flesh the Son of God came and took our nature upon him that was wonderful but this is as great a wonder as the other Justifyed in the Spirit it is all one as by being justified upon his Resurrection by the power of the Spirit hee was quickned and life was put into him and so hee rose again and thereby was declared before all the world to bee justified to stand acquitted from all the charge of our sins that was upon him and so if you compare that place Justified in the Spirit with that in 1 Pet. 3.18 Put to death in the flesh but quickned by the Spirit that is by the power of his God-head hee was quicked upon his Resurrection now that that one Apostle saith quickned another saith justified to shew that when hee was quickned that is rose again by the power of his Deity then both hee and all the elect ones stood just in the presence of God acquitted of all their sins and this is the mystery of godliness There is abundance in every one of these but it is not my purpose to handle the Resurrection of Christ or his Assention but meerly to give you a little glimpse of the mystery of godliness that there is therein that you may understand him aright so as you may bee able to exercise your faith upon him not onely Dying and Humbled but Conquering and Rising Christ Wonderful in his Ascention And for the Ascention of Christ into heaven the manner of it was wonderful There comes a cloud and carries him up and the Disciples stands gazing it was a wonder to bee gazed at the Ascention of Jesus Christ body and soul into heaven in that glorious way But especially if wee consider that Christ ascended likewise as our head ascended into heaven as the High Priest went into the Holy of Holies And it is said that wee are set together in heavenly places together with Christ so you have it in Eph. 2.6 And hath raised us up together and made us sit together in heavenly places in â—hrist Jesus For Christ went as in our names to take possession of heaven this is the mystery of godliness in Christs Ascention Hee went up to Heaven but hee went in the name of the Elect to take possession as a man that hath bought house and lands may have one appointed by him to go in his name to take possession of the house and land Jesus Christ in the name of all the elect from the beginning of the world to the end went up unto heaven to take possession there and on purpose to prepare Mansions for them against their coming Thus wonderful was Christ in his Ascention Christ sitting at the right hand of the Father And in heaven Christ sits at the right hand of the Father thereby declaring that God the Father was well-pleased with all that hee hath done because hee sets him at his right hand after Christ had made an end of all his work hee is said to sit down in Heb. 10.12 This man after hee had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever sate down on the right hand of God hee had done his work and God the Father approves of him and so honors him in setting him at his right hand and there gives unto him all power to rule together with himself as you heard in his Kingly Office and there hee is to make Intercession continually for his Elect and hath that weight of glory put upon him that is possible for humane nature to have put upon him that is the meaning of sitting at the right hand of God these four things are meant by it First When hee came to heaven God the Father that hee might acknowledge that his Son had fully done the work that hee was sent into the world about hee doth honour him by setting him at his right hand Secondly Hee gives unto him all Authority and Power to Reign together with himself Matth. 28.18 Thirdly There hee is as the High Priest to make Intercession for his Saints to bee their Advocate continually at the right hand of the Father to make Intercession for them Heb. 7.25 And then fourthly It is to signifie that Christ hath the highest degree of glory that it is possible for humane nature to bee capable of Therefore you must not understand the right hand of God in a corporeal way as if God had right hand or left but sitting so in those four respects as I have named And all these make Christ a wonderful Redeemer hee that shall come up to God the Father in Heaven and to have God own his being fully pleased with what hee did upon the Earth and there setting him upon his own Throne to reign with him and there to bee for ever to make intercession for the Saints and to have the height of all glory to bee bestowed upon him Certainly this is a wonderful Redeemer Christ wonderful in his coming to Judgement And then Christ shall in a wonderful manner come to judge the world again then hee shall come to bee admired indeed so you have it in 2 Thes 1.10 2 Thes 1.10 When hee shall come to bee glorified in his Saints and to bee admired in all them that beleeve Those that do beleeve in Christ they see him to bee wonderful now they do admire at him but when hee shall come again in glory at the great day then hee shall appear so wonderful as they shall all stand admiring and saying Well wee indeed heard that our blessed Saviour was the wonder of the world and wee saw so much as made us admire at his glory but wee never thought that wee had had such a glorious Saviour as now wee see wee have wonderful and glorious is Jesus Christ now but when hee shall come with his thousand thousands of Angels and when there shall bee such a wonderful change in the world the Elements melt with fervent heat and the Heavens depart like a scroul and the Heavens and Earth shaken and all the Princes and Monarks in the world and all the children of men appearing before him Oh wonderful then shall hee bee in his attendance and then in his own person Wonderful shall hee bee then in the
of rejection of Jesus Christ must needs bee a dreadful sin because Jesus Christ is so great a wonder as you have heard The Sixth SERMON ON The Excellency of Christ Isaiah 9.6 And his Name shall bee called Wonderful NOw wee come to the Application of all which is the work of this exercise Application First Certainly Jesus Christ is little known in the world if this bee hee this great wonder of the world Oh how little is Christ known Christ is but a meer Notion and Imagination to most people in the world you heard the very sound of this name and how Christ came into the world to save sinners but I appeal unto your consciences when were your hearts taken with the admiration of the glory of God shining in the face of Jesus Christ hath Christ been made the greatest wonder in the world unto you some of you have seen many wondrous works of God some of you perhaps in the Seas or abroad in other Countries or if not there yet you have seen the Heavens and the Earth at which you many times wonder but when did God dart light into your spirits to cause you to see so much of Jesus Christ as made him to bee the great wonder of all his works certainly that soul knows not God nor Christ savingly that knows him not as the wonder of the world it is impossible that such a poor creature as man is should come to understand such great mysteries of godliness as are in Christ in any measure but must needs admire at the glory of that great work and say with acclamation Oh the height and depth and breadth and length of the glory of God his Wisdome and Mercy and Truth and Power Many Notes of Trial there may bee of Faith but I know not any one more familiar than this is at least negatively it must needs bee a true Note that is that there cannot bee Faith without it namely if the heart hath not been taken up with the wonder of Christ so as all the wonders in the world have been darkened in the soul in comparison of Jesus Christ Secondly If Christ bee so great a wonder then O how vile a thing is it for the hearts of men to prefer any base filthy lusts before Jesus Christ when God hath manifested him in that wonderful way unto the children of men and so much of his glory in him yet that their hearts should bee taken off from him and every base lust to bee preferred before him Oh how just must the condemnation of such bee for ever wee may take up that complaint that there was in Psal 106.7 Psal 106.7 Our Fathers understood not thy wonders saith the Psalmist So the truth is as our Fathers did not so few there are that understand the wonders of the Lord in Jesus Christ and therefore every thing is preferred before him with what infinite indignation must God needs look upon that wretched soul that shall prefer every base lust before Jesus Christ I remember a speech of Chrysostome speaking of that Text That our vile bodies shall bee made like unto the glorious body of Christ saith hee were all the world turned into tears yet they were not sufficient to lament the misery of that soul that forsakes Jesus Christ his heart was so much taken with the excellency of Jesus Christ that hee thought it impossible to lament the misery of the creature that should forsake him and so St. Paul having his heart filled with the glorious Mystery of Christ hee breaks forth with this dreadful curse Hee that loveth not the Lord Jesus Christ let him bee Anathema Maran-atha as if St. Paul should say having his spirit filled with the glory of Christ Oh what shall God manifest so much of his glory in his Son and shall base wretched vile creatures prefer their lusts before him and have their hearts taken up with other vain things and not love the Lord Jesus Christ let that soul bee cursed with a bitter curse saith Paul such a soul doth deserve indeed to bee cursed with a bitter and an eternal curse that shall hear so much of Jesus Christ and how God hath revealed himself in that wonderful way in his Son and yet that soul shall not bee willing to forsake a base lust for all the good there is in Jesus Christ let that soul bee cursed with a bitter curse It deserves above all creatures to have the most bitter curse to bee upon it to all eternity certainly the more glory there is in Christ the more dreadful will the condemnation of wicked men bee This is the condemnation that such glorious light is come into the world and men chose darkness rather than light How many hear of Christ and minde little but onely have a noise they hear some strange things of Christ and let them pass by and think there is little reallity in what they hear but the onely real comfort is in satisfying of the flesh in the lusts of it In Act. 13.41 Act. 13.41 wee have an excellent Scripture for the reproof of such that hear the Gospel and minde it not Beware therefore lest that come upon you which is spoken of in the Prophets Behold yee despisers and wonder and perish for I work a work in your daies a work which yee shall in no wise beleeve though a man declare it unto you It is spoken concerning Christ as appears in the verse before And by him all that beleeve are justified from all things by which yee could not bee justified by the Law of Moses Now then it follows Beware therefore lest that come upon you which is spoken of in the Prophets Behold ye despisers and wonder and perish as if hee should say you hear the Gospel about the glorious way that God hath to reconcile sinners to himself to justifie sinners but in the mean time your hearts do close with your own Conceits and your own waies with the Law of Moses and think by your own good meanings and your own good works that you shall do well enough and shall stand before God but saith the Apostle Beware lest that come upon you which is spoken of in the Prophets Behold yee despisers and wonder you perhaps when you hear such things declared unto you you account it strange doctrine and you stand and wonder what the meaning of those things should bee but as you wonder so you do despise you condemn it as a strange thing that you were not wont to hear heretofore and as a thing you cannot understand the reason of this is the usual guize of carnal hearts when they hear any doctrine though there bee never so much of God in it and of the Mystery of the Gospel that is revealed in it yet if they understand not the reason of it if it appear to them as a new thing they wonder indeed but they despise withall and condemn it and slight it and pass it over as they did St.
Pauls Doctrine What will this babler say hee brings us news of a strange God and the like so these are things that people are not acquainted withall and so they cast them off and despise but mark saith the Text Take heed beware lest this come upon you that you shall behold and wonder and despise and perish too for I work a work in your daies a work which you shall in no wise beleeve though a man declare it unto you there shall bee the great Counsels of God revealed in your daies and in your Congregations there shall bee revealed those Counsels of God whereby God intends to save many souls and here and there God will make known these things to save poor souls but you in the mean time being conceited of your own understandings or your own Civil Righteousness that you are not so bad as others and that you are in a good case and in a good condition all this while and upon a conceit you hear and wonder and despise but you shall perish and shall never come to beleeve those great things that God in your daies shall reveal for the salvation of the souls of others and this is a most dreadful curse that is upon the hearts of many men and women that hear the great things of the Gospel as it is said in the second of the Acts that they spake the wonderful things of God and yet there was some that did but mock this is the condition of some that their spirits secretly despise and contemn those things that they should adore such things as upon the hearing they should even fall down upon their faces and adore God in the beholding of them and yet I say slighting of them and resting to their own waies and conceits here is the curse of God upon their hearts that though they hear them yet they shall not beleeve them I work a work in your daies a work that you shaâ—l in no wise beleeve though a man declare it unto you saith the Holy Ghost this Scripture is very much fulfilled in Congregations where the Gospel comes to bee preached Thirdly But further in the third place If Jesus Christ bee so great a wonder certainly then the misery of mankind is very great it follows from hence if there bee such need of so wonderful a Redeemer Oh the dreadful breach that sin hath made between God and man that required such a wonderful work of God to make it up this is that that God would have you have a right understanding of and have serious thoughts about it God would not have sinful wretched man to think the breach between God and him is a light matter a little thing No when the Lord hath sent his Son into the world and hath declared him to bee thus wonderful when the Lord shews what a wonderful glorious work of his there is in his Son for the saving of mankind hee thereby doth declare unto you and would have you know it that the breach that your sin hath made between God and your own souls it is a wonderful breach certainly were the Misery of man no other but such as the power of Angels as the power of any meer creature could help out of Jesus Christ had never come into the world there had never been such a wonderful work of God to redeem man But now when you hear that the way of God to redeem man is so wonderful you have cause to lay your hands upon your hearts and say Oh the depth of misery that my soul is fallen into Oh the desperate disease of my soul that must have such a wonderful cure Oh that ever the great and infinite God should work so wonderfully for the salvation of such a poor wretched creature as sinful man is My Brethren wee do not sanctifie the Name of God in the great thing that God would bee sanctified in except wee have right apprehensions of the dreadful breach our sin hath made between the Lord and our own souls that so wee might have right apprehensions of this wonderful work that God hath done for the salvation of man-kind this is the reason why God so many times doth bring sinful creatures into so great straights into the very gulf of despair oftentimes before hee reveals the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ unto them It is I say because the Lord would have his name sanctified in this wonderful work of redemption by Jesus Christ that the sinner might bee prepared to stand and admire at the wonderful glory of God in Jesus Christ And there is nothing in the world that God looks so much for as this to be sanctified in these wonderful things that hee hath done for man-kind in Christ and if wee have but slight thoughts of the breach that our sin hath made certainly wee cannot but have slight thoughts likewise of the work that God hath done to deliver us from our sin Thou thinkest thy sin to bee a light matter but know that when thou hast sinned against God there must bee the most wonderful work of God to reconcile thee to himself that ever God did from all eternity or will do to all eternity this is the greatest wonder his sending of Jesus Christ into the world know therefore the depth of thy misery by this if God should have devised as it were from all eternity how to have manifested the wonderful misery of man-kind no greater could bee found than this wonderful work of his in the redemption of man-kind This is a third And then Fourthly Is Jesus Christ the great wonder of the world hence then all Beleevers have exceeding cause of rejoycing in the hearing of what Christ is what a wonderful Saviour they have Let the children of Zion rejoyce in their King Rejoyce in this First That God hath so honoured you as that hee hath wrought so wonderfully for your salvation certainly as thy redemption is so art thou that is there is some reflection of the glory of thy Redeemer upon thee how hath Goâ— honoured thee before his Angels and how honourable shalt thou bee hereafter when it shall appear to all the world that the Infinite God did so gloriously work for the saving of thy soul God looks upon all the Kings of the Earth as worms Yea all the Nations of the earth as the drop of the bucket and the dust of the ballance as nothing less than nothing You see how meanly God values all the Nations of the Earth But when hee speaks of his Son that is thy Redeemer His Name shall bee called wonderful saith hee hee is wonderful in the eyes of God the Father thou that hast such a wonderful Redeemer as this is certainly thy condition must needs bee comfortable But Secondly The main comfort that Beleevers may have from this glory of Christ as hath been opened to you is this that hereby they may see Jesus Christ as a full object for their souls to rest upon whatever their condition bee thou hast
him as musick good cheer friends estate yet there is that horror and torment in his spirit sometimes through the consciousness of the guilt of sin that hee is not able to bear nay were there not somewhat beyond this bodily substance certainly this could never bee verily then there is a spirit in man and hence therefore you see that there is somewhat doth concern you all beyond your present outward and bodily condition Let no man think that hee hath provided well for himself when hee hath provided mony and house and lands and good chear and cloaths and such kinde of things do not think that thou art happy in that for these are things that concern thy outward man there is still another substance in thee that thou art to look after that takes little notice of such things as these are Neither do you think that you have provided well for your children when you have provided an estate an inheritance somewhat to leave them know that there is another substance in your children besides that outward bodily substance you look upon Do you see a fine feature comely parts comely countenance and your children finely cloathed I but know there is a spirit in that childe besides that bodily substance that you are to look to Certainly man is very far fallen from God that none scarce takes notice of his own spirit We do not only naturally live without a God in the world so as to know little of that infinite divine Spirit that is the first being of all things but wee live without the knowledge of our own spirits of our own souls Truly few men there are that know their own souls As a man by his eye sees things that are without him but he doth not see his own eye so by the soul wee come to understand many things without us but yet how little do wee understand of our own souls well might the Psalmist therefore complain and say in Psal 49.20 Man that is in honour and understandeth not is like the beasts that perish God did indeed make man at first in honour but now hee is become like the very beasts hee doth minde little or nothing more than the very beasts themselves hee blesses himself if hee hath but content for the body for a while as if there were nothing else concerned him I appeal unto your consciences in this thing whether the uttermost sphere of your thoughts have been any further than meerly within the compass of bodily content If you should come to a beast and talk to it about Trades and titles of honour and Arts and Sciences and such kind of things why what is all this to a beast Give a beast hay or corn and such kinde of things that are suitable to it and it mindes that more than it doth any high notions that you are able to tell it and truly thus it is with sensual men even as the Atheist who saith in his heart That there is no God so a kinde of Atheism there is in their hearts to say they have no souls that there is no difference between them and the brute-beasts hence it is that they savour spiritual things so little Tell carnal men of the excellency of the Name of God Tell them of Jesus Christ how wonderful hee is of the wonderful mysteries of the Gospel and of the things of eternal life they are dry things to such a one hee savours them not Tell him of money and meat and drink and sports and cloaths and such kinde of things they are suitable unto him there is some savour in them but for the great things of the Kingdome of God and of eternal life there is no savour at all in them and thus far is man fallen from God and lives for the most part as if so bee hee were capable of no higher good but meerly to eat and drink and live for a while here like a beast Thus doth the Devil gull and deceive most of us Now my brethren this is a work that I have undertaken and it concerns as much the Ministers of God to shew unto you what you are your selves what God hath made you as to shew you what God is and what Christ is that you may come to understand your selves you can never come to know your reference unto God untill you come to know what God hath made you this is therefore my scope in this Scripture to shew unto you what God hath made you and that you have souls within you and souls of exceeding great worth I will not say infinite for none is infinite but God himself but more worth than all the world than all the creatures that God hath made except the Angels in heaven The souls of the children of men are most excellent creatures did but a man or woman consider seriously that they have souls in them beyond their bodies it would raise them up a little But this next Point that is the main and principal Doct 2 Did they but know the worth of their souls it could not but raise them very high above those poor empty vanities that they have minded all this while Therefore there is in man not onely a soul but that that is more worth than all the world that if it should bee lost that man that gained the whole world would bee a great loser in his bargain Know therefore this that there is not the poorest man or woman living nay not the poorest childe that lyes begging a crust of bread at your door but this childe hath a soul in it that is more worth than heaven and earth this poor ragged tattered childe that lyes in rags I say crying at your threshold and begging a peece of bread it hath a soul in it that hath greater excellency than the Sun Moon and Stars than all the Heavens than the Sea than the Earth put all the creatures in the world together that are under Angels the spirit of this poor childe hath more excellency in it than all these things and that is the thing that I am to make out unto you Why natural life hath more excellency in it than any creature that hath no life I remember Austin saith of a Flye because it hath life that it hath more excellency in it than the Sun its self because though the Sun bee a glorious creature yet it hath no life in it life in the meanest creature hath a greater excellency than any thing else that hath not life But now the soul hath the highest natural life that is and capable of the highest happiness that any creature is capable of and therefore more excellent than all the world But that wee shall come too in its order The excellency of the soul may bee discovered first In the relation it hath to God The Excellency of the Soul discovered 1 In its relation to God God doth challenge a peculiar relation to the spirits of men and therefore in Heb. 12.9 â—od is called the Father
it is but a dissolution hee rather desired a dissolution that hee might bee with Christ which is best of all Certainly it was this that made the streight If I dye I shall bee with Christ immediately and if I live I shall injoy some communion with him and likewise do a great deal of service for him If Paul had thought that his soul and body should have dyed both together certainly hee would have desired to have lived rather than to dye for when hee did live his soul did injoy communion with Jesus Christ and hee did do abundance of service for him Now is it possible to think that a man that did so much service for Christ as ever man did and that injoyed so much sweet communion with Jesus Christ that such a man should bee willing to dye Certainly no but that hee knew that upon the dissolution of his body his soul should injoy further communion with Jesus Christ than it could do here It is an immortal substance it runs parallel with eternity of such an excellent nature the soul of man is And then further in this appears The excellency of it that it is the measure of all other kinde of excellency 5 The soâ—ls excellency shewed in being the measure of all other excellencies The soul of man is the measure of all other kinde of excellencies as thus look how far any thing may bee subservient for the good of the soul so far that thing hath an excellency in it and if it bee not subservient for the good of the soul it hath no worth and excellency in it as thus Suppose a man have a great estate in the world great comings in many friends many places now there is some excellency you will say in these things but are these subservient for the good of thy soul that thy soul can injoy communion with God so much the better then these things are good to thee but if so bee that these things hinder the work of thy soul and do not help it forward in the service that it is most capable of and made for there is no excellency in these things And indeed I know no one better sign that a man doth understand the true worth of his soul than this What doth hee account to bee the measure of the excellency of all the things of this world Thou wouldest fain have an estate and outward things in abundance as other men have Why thou sayest they are the good creatures of God I grant it they are so but now wherein dost thou think the excellency of these creatures doth most consist Certainly if thou comest to know the true worth of thy soul thou wilt say God gives mee these outward things and blessed bee his Name by a more large portion of these things am I inabled to do more large service for God my soul is freed from incumbrances in the world and they do help forward the work that my soul is specially concerned in viz. the service of God and therefore I account it a greater good to injoy these things than to bee without them now if thou comest to reason in this manner it is a sign that God hath shewn thee what the true worth and excellency of thy soul is 6 The price paid for souls proves its excellency But that I might draw to a conclusion This is that that above all things will demonstrate the worth and excellency of the soul The great price that was paid for it That Jesus Christ should bee willing to lay down his life to purchase the pardon of the sin of thy soul to deliver thy soul from eternal misery 1 Pet. 1.18 this shews the great worth of the soul Wee are not redeemed by silver and gold saith the Apostle Peter by any of these corruptible things Vers 19. but by the precious blood of Jesus Christ According to the price that is paid for one you may know the worth of such a one Suppose there were divers men that were taken captives one is but an ordinary Mariner you will say perhaps forty pound will redeem such a one but suppose the other bee a Gentleman or a Knight a Noble-man there must go five hundred or two or three thousand pounds for their redemption according to the excellency of the man so must bee the price of his ransome So my brethren when wee consider the price of mens souls that were taken captive by sin what was paid for them it was a price that was more worth than ten thousand thousand worlds certainly the soul is of an excellent nature Indeed it cannot bee imagined that Jesus Christ would have taken mans nature upon him and dyed an accursed death to have saved the whole world from being dissolved Suppose it had lain upon this that heaven and earth must have been dissolved except Jesus Christ would take mans nature upon him certainly Jesus Christ would have suffered heaven and earth to have gone to nothing rather than to have done as he did But when Jesus Christ saw that these immortal souls by their sin were brought into such a condition that they must perish to all eternity except hee come and take their nature upon him and lay down his life and dye an accursed death saith Jesus Christ rather than such precious souls which my Father hath made capable of injoyment of so much good from him and bringing glory to him rather than these should perish I am content to come and dye and suffer the wrath of my Father surely the price that was paid for souls doth hold forth the great worth of them In the death of Christ wee may read in large characters the worth of a soul And my brethren Even the body its self 7 The excâ—llency of the soul proved from the body because it is as the case of the soul it is a very excellent thing Of all the corporeal things that ever God hath made the body of man is the most excellent thing therefore David in Psal 139. speaking of his body saith verse 14. I am fearfully and wonderfully made marvellous are thy works and that my soul knoweth right well And then vers 15. My substance was not hid from thee when I was made in secret and curiously wrought in the lowest part of the earth When I was curiously wrought From 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the word in the Hebrew signifies Imbroydred the body of man is Imbroydery and hence in Gen. 2. it is said there that God formed man ampigore and here in Psal 139. God did imbroyder him And therefore Gallen that was an Atheist a long time when hee came to see the Anatomy of a mans body hee cryed out Now I adore the God of Nature Now the Lord hath wrought the body so curiously because it is the case of the soul and that being such an excellent creature must have a suitable case As if you have a curious Watch you will not put it into
This is the first Use Look upon all that have these souls with an honourable respect considering they have that that is of so much worth Use 2 And then secondly If mans soul bee of so much worth how can wee look upon many people but have our hearts raised in the meditation of the dreadfulness of Gods Justice upon men for sin thus God hath made man an excellent creature and given to every one a soul more worth than the world but now when wee look upon some people that have lost the beauty of their souls and now have no other use of their souls but it may bee all their dayes to bee imployed in scraping of kennels and raking in the dust-heaps in your streets in attending upon horses and swine and this is all that they have to do in their lives Oh what a low condition is man fallen into that hath no other use of such a rational immortal substance that God hath given him but meerly to make him serviceable all his dayes to tend swine beasts horses scrape kennels and such kinde of things as these are But you will say It is lawful for men to bee imployed in these and poor people must bee imployed in them That is true It is lawful to bee imployed in such things but now when men and women have such poor and mean imployment and have no higher thoughts but meerly to get bread by such imployments and their souls busied all their dayes about nothing else but those things this shews the woful fall of man and manifests a dreadful fruit of Gods Justice upon the children of men for their sin Certainly Man that was made in honour is become like the beast that perisheth in this regard And when wee see the condition of men to bee so low so base and vile as they are so beneath the excellency of a rational and immortal soul Oh let us raise our thoughts to the meditation Gods divine Justice it is a fearful fruit of the justice of God upon man for sin what is this the creature that hath an immortal soul made by God more worth than ten thousand worlds that lies scraping from morning to night in a kennel and hath no other thoughts for any higher excellency but onely if it can get a lump of bread to live by there is all they have to do as if they were born for no other end Oh! think then is this the creature that hath such an excellent soul surely sin hath made a great breach between God and man and hath brought man-kinde into a very low and mean condition and yet worse are those than these that have no other use of their souls than to bee drudges to the Devil and slaves unto their lusts but of this wee shall speak to more afterwards but now I onely mention it as to give a hint to the meditation of Gods justice upon man for his sin Thirdly If the soul of a man bee of so great an excellency Use 3 then certainly it must needs bee an honourable work for to bee busied about souls an honourable imployment for God to set one man or more to look to and tend the souls of others Oh! what a difference is there in the imployment between working in Wood and Iron all day long or scraping in the dust heaps as before and in an imployment of attending upon souls to bee used by God as the instrument of converting of these souls and bringing of them to their former excellency in which they were made yea and to raise them to a higher excellency than ever they had in the first Creation If wee prize mens imployments by the subject of their imployment then certainly this is the most glorious imployment that any Creature in the world can bee capable ofâ— what is the reason you account a Gold-smith a better trade than a Black-smith but because of the subject that the one works about rather than the other one works upon Iron and the other upon Silver and Gold therefore one is a more honourable Trade than the other Now if the subject upon which they work makes one to bee more honourable than the other what Trade in the world can be so honourable as the work of the Ministery that works altogether about immortal souls in bringing them to God to live to God and to enjoy communion with him why do wee account a Physician a more honourable Profession than a Horse-leech one looks to the bodies of Beasts and the other to the bodies of Men If there bee such a difference between the body of a Beast and the body of a Man that hee that is imployed about the one is accounted honourable and hee that is imployed about the other is accounted low then certainly the imployment of the Ministery must needs bee honourable for it is about souls The Magistrate looks unto your peace the Lawyer to your estates the Physician to your bodies and the Divine to your souls though outward respects may bee given more and should bee to the Magistrate yet certainly the imployment about immortal souls must needs bee the honourablest in the world It is the honour of the Angels in Psa 91. to take care of the bodies of the Saints If it bee the glory of Angels to take care of Gods people what glory is it that God puts upon the Ministers of the Gospel to look to souls and truly in this thing God hath put more glory upon Men than upon Angels for God hath not made it to bee his set ordinance that Angels should convert souls but hee hath made it so that men should bee made use of to convert souls by preaching the word and let all the Angels in Heaven shew an imployment so honourable as this imployment is You would account it a great honour to have the Body of a Prince to watch over Surely there is no immortal soul but is more precious than all the Princes in the world and if the Lord should give unto you the care of all the Creatures except the souls of men it were not such an honourable work as to give you the care of any one immortal soul saith the Apostle in 2 Cor. 4. the beginning Let a man esteem of us as the dispensers of the Mysteries of Christ Let them esteem of us it is true Ministers of the Gospel should bee willing to lie under the feet of any to do good to their souls but because wee know that it is a great hinderance to the work of their Ministery when brutish carnal spirits have low and mean esteem of their work therefore wee finde that the Apostle would ever bee setting up the honour of this work Let a man esteem of us as the dispencers of the Mysteries of Christ and in 1 Thes 5.12 13. Wee beseech you brethren to know them which labour among you and are over you in the Lord and admonish you and to esteem of them very highly in love for their works sake And so
in Heb. 13.17 Obey them that have the rule over you and submit your selves for they watch for your souls as they that must give account that they may do it with joy and not with grief for that is unprofitable for you Oh it is a sad thing if one that God sends to watch for the souls of people shall bee forced to return his account to God with sorrow of heart and say Lord thou that knowest all things knowest what desires I have had and what indeavours to do good to the souls of this people how it hath been my study my prayer to finde out what might bee most profitable for their souls how willing I was to venture my life in seeking to do good to their souls but Oh Lord I have spent care and study and strength and even almost my life in vain little good do I finde done to the souls of this people Lord they reject thy word they contemn it they minde it not there are other things that their hearts are upon to follow the lusts of their flesh as if so bee they had no immortal souls to look unto I say if any faithful Minister of God shall go to God and make his moan thus unto God with grief and trouble of heart it will bee very ill for you it will bee a fearful moan in the ears of God against a people when any Minister shall justly make this to God against them therefore saith the Apostle here Obey them that have the rule over you and submit your selves for they watch for your souls as they that must give account that they may do it with joy and not with grief Consider so far as any have charge of souls it is a heavy burden that is upon them a heavy weight surely whosoever should take charge of so many thousand souls as belongs to this Congregation would have weight and burden enough upon his shoulders you should pitty them that have this charge over you I remember Chrysostome in his writing upon this very Scripture saith Hee wonders how any of these that are here said to watch over mens souls how any of them could bee saved because the charge is so great that is upon them And I have read of one being called to the work of the Ministery would by any means avoid it and professes that hee would not for all the world have the charge of a soul one day upon him Certainly it is a great work and requires very much seriousness and diligence to have a soul committed to one If a man had a precious Pearl committed to his charge that were worth ten thousand pound that hee must look to it and keep it hee would hardly bee able to sleep quietly after hee had so great a charge committed to him And truly if men are careful that have but beasts committed to them as Jacob said concerning his Unkle Labans cattel that hee look'd to them so as that hee indured the frost in the night and the heat of the day much diligence and care then should they have that have the charge of souls But wee let that pass Yet in the fourth place If souls have such excellency Use 4 then certainly those who have most soul-excellency are the most excellent people wee may judge here who they are that are the most excellent upon the earth The Righteous is more excellent than his neighbour perhaps his neighbour is richer than hee hath a comlier body than hee but yet hee is more excellent why because all excellency must be judged by that that is most proper to the Creature and that that is the chief part of the Creature as if you would judge of the goodness of a knife you will not judge by the haft of it whether it bee good or no but you will judge by the metal of the knife you judge by that wherein the chief of the knife is so if you will judge of the excellency of a man or woman you must judge of his excellency by the excellency of that that is most proper to him Now for Sense for the body why the brute-beasts they have sense they have flesh and blood as well as wee onely wee differ in these rational immortal souls that God hath given to us therefore such whose souls are filled with divine excellency they are to bee most honoured they are indeed the Lords and Ladies of the world therefore the Scripture speaks of those whose out-sides were mean enough in the latter end of the 11th of the Hebrews that wandered in sheep-skins and goat-skins yet they were such as the world was not worthy of them Indeed a man of understanding is of an excellent spirit wee read of the Ark the outside was of Badgers-skins it had a poor and mean outside but within were the Cherubims and Gold was within And so many have very mean outsides but within there is a great deal of excellency and others that have brave outsides and well clad without yet if you look within them oh what vile souls have they the heart of the wicked is little worth saith the Scripture Perhaps his Land may bee somewhat worth and his House but his heart is little worth As many a man that hath perhaps a hand full of sores yet may have a fine imbroidered Glove upon it and a dunghill may bee strewed with herbs and in the winter time filthy dunghills you know are covered with white Snow that in a fair frosty day look as glistering as the Snow that is upon a fine Meddow but still nothing but filth So it is with many a man that hath a fine outside covered over it may bee with a great many outward excellencies but within their spirits nothing but carrion nothing but abominable stuff that is filthy and loathsome in the eyes of God as a sore legg may have a fine stockin oâ— boot upon it and so a sore putrified soul may have a brave outside upon it But that God that is a Spirit that looks unto Spirit and those men that know what spiritual excellency means if they see a man or woman have a filthy defiled corrupt soul they cannot but esteem of them accordingly Whatsoever the body or the out-side bee those are the most excellent in Gods esteem and the holy Angels and the Saints that have the most excellent souls for that is the best part of man Use 5 But fifthly If the soul of man bee so excellent Oh let us bless God for our souls bless God I say that hath given unto you these immortal souls that are of so great a worth Oh what cause have every one of you to bless God that hee did not make you a Toad a Dog a Snake that hee did not make you any vile brute creature but that when you were before him in the common lump out of which God made his creatures that hee would rather choose you to bee one that should have an immortal soul so precious rather than to bee a
most men for one to pray thus for them Oh Lord give them such bodies as they have souls it were as much as to say Lord Let that body bee blasted let it bee filled with diseases let it bee filled with rottenness let it consume away let it bee a noysome and loathsome body for his soul is so The souls of most men are filled with diseases are noysome and loathsome in the eyes of God It is a happy thing my brethren to have better souls than bodies that was the happiness of Gaius and so it would bee your happiness if you could say so you have great care of the bodies of your children I but have you a greater care of their souls if you have it would bee an excellent sign that God hath made you to understand what true excellency means It is a great question among Divines and among Philosophers too about the propagation of the soul how it comes in whether by the Parents or immediate creation truly there is one argument that it is not like to come in by the Parents because wee see that there is scarce any Parents that have any care of the souls of their children but altogether caring that their bodies may bee fine and that they may bee brave and as they look at their children so they look at themselves they love their bodies to the uttermost to make provision for the flesh but no further What a deal of do would there bee if when any of your children goes abroad or husband or wife If you should hear that they have gotten a fall and broke their legs or arms but now when you go abroad and fall into sin and get a wound to your souls as every sin it gives a deadly wound yea such a wound as onely the blood of Jesus Christ is able 〈◊〉 cure it and there is nothing made of all this as if wee were nothing but lumps of flesh Oh have a care of your souls and labour to love them and make them to bee your Darling you had need have a care of them for as they are precious so they are tender as it is with Watches and curious Instruments those that are most curious are the easiest hurt the very air will put them out of temper and so the souls of men because they are things so excellent they are things of a very curious nature and a little thing wil hurt them As a little thing will hurt the eye for that is a more excellent member than your finger or leg so the soul is a more excellent part and therefore it is that that is most in danger to bee hurt and mischiefed yea and to perish and if your soul perishes your body will follow after what will become of that if your soul bee lost and perish but the onely way to love your bodies well and aright it is to love your souls The Third SERMON ON The Excellency of the Soul Matth. 16.26 For what is a man profited if hee shall gain the whole world and lose his own Soul or what shall a man give in exchange for his Soul I Shall speak something unto a Use that was mentioned the last day and that was this If God hath given unto us such precious souls Oh then let not us dishonour our souls Dishonour them Why how may a man dishonour his soul 1 Why first when hee lives idlely and makes no use at all of it any more than if hee had but the soul of a Brute Psal 24.5 speaking of him that had not lift up his soul unto vanity I remember the old Latin Arius Montanus turns it Hee that hath received his soul in vain And indeed most people do receive their souls from God in vain or to no purpose they make no more use of them than the Philosopher said of the Swine that had his soul onely as salt to keep the flesh from stinking there is all the use many men make of their souls onely to keep their bodies from smelling and from corruption Secondly Wee dishonour our souls when wee imploy them about low and mean things unworthy of them and make them to bee the chief things that wee imploy them about It is the misery of man so to do that I spake of before and it is the sin of man so to do How many men that have such precious immortal souls as these are know no higher good to imploy them about than to bee it may bee all day or night in shuffling a pair of Cards or casting of Dice or at Tables there is the highest good that they know how to imploy their souls about What a poor mean low thing is this what a dishonour to such a soul as this If so bee any of you have servants that are of good breeding good parentage that are of excellent parts that have lived long with you that have skill in your Trade if you should set them to do nothing but pick straws they would account it a great dishonour put upon them Truly what do you with these precious immortal souls of yours that are so much worth even more than the world but imploy them in such poor things even to pick straws as it were if a man should have pearls that every one of them were worth a Kingdome and hee should know no other use to make of them than to stop holes in Mud walls one would think it as to bee great folly in him so a great dishonour put upon those pearls that are of so much worth why your souls are more worth every one of them than all the Pearls and Kingdomes in the world and for you to do nothing else but spend the strength of your souls about gathering of a little dirt together here in this world it is a great dishonour to your souls Wee have a story of Domitian that was a great Emperour and yet hee had such a low and mean spirit as that hee would spend the greatest part of his time in catching of Flies This is recorded of him as an argument of the lowness and meanness of his spirit unworthy a man of so great a dignity Oh so our souls that God hath made so high and put such glory upon what are they busied about in most people I remember Gregory Nyssen hee tells of some and among others of Origen to bee of that opinion that the souls of men were made altogether at the first Creation and lived glorious spirits till they sinned against God and all those that sinned against God were thrust into the bodies of men as into a prison and those that did not sin they â—ive still with God in glory And Jerome as I remember in his 32. Epist speaks of that opinion that did prevail and wee finde Plato though a heathen hee speaks of the souls of men and thought that they were made altogether before their bodies if not from eternity These men they thought the souls of men so precious as that they could not come
into the bodies of men but for their faults as a punishment to them because they saw how meanly mens souls lived while they were in their bodies and therefore thought it impossible for such a precious soul as a man had to come to live so meanly were it not for Gods anger punishing the soul for some sin or other Oh do not dishonour them by imploying of them about unworthy and low things Thirdly Do not dishonour them by defiling of them by casting filth and dirt upon them Would not a Prince account himself dishonoured to have the filth and dirt of the street to bee cast into his face Certainly when thou doest defile thy soul by sin when thou doest sin thou doest as vile an act as casting dirt in the face of a Prince There is no Princes body upon earth so excellent as the soul of the poorest and meanest man no filth in the world so vile as the filth of sin and by thy sin thou doest cast this filth upon thy soul and so doest all besmear it and defile it You love to have clean and handsome bodies and are loath to come into company all besmeared and besooted Oh but how often do you go into the presence of God most abominable and loathsome Oh do not put that dishonour upon your souls Fourthly Do not dishonour your souls by making them drudges to your bodies by making them to bee Caters to provide for the body and to satisfie the lusts of the flesh I have seen saith Solomon servants upon horses Eccles 10 â— and Princes walking as servants upon the earth This was an evil Solomon thought but to see our base vile bodies to bee set up and our souls to bee brought under and servants and slaves to this body Oh how vile is it If you should see a great Prince to bee made a slave to some Scullion-boy you would account it a great leaving of his condition and dishonour put upon him but while thou makest thy soul to bee a slave to thy body it is worse a great deal Seneca though hee were but a Heathen yet hath this notable speech I am greater and born to greater things than that I should bee a drudge to my body and the slave of my body A Heathen thought himself too great and born to greater things than that ever hee should bring that soul of his to bee a drudge and slave to his body And indeed did wee know our souls wee should think so and wee should never make them drudges to our bodies meerly to satisfie the lusts of the flesh and yet how many men and women are loath to dye only upon this ground because that then they shall have no more satisfaction to the lusts of the flesh Oh what dishonour is there put upon this precious and excellent soul in this but much more dishonour when thou makest it a drudge and slave to the Devil it is an evil to have our souls to bee slaves to our bodies but a greater evil to bee a slave and drudge to the Devil that the Devil should have command of them and carry them up and down as hee pleases I remember it is reported of Theodosius and another Emperour that did use to call themselves the vassals of Christ but as for those precious souls now to bee vassals to the Devil Oh this is too great a dishonour that is put upon them Fifthly Again you dishonour your souls by grudging the time and cost that is spent upon them how many men and women think the time is lost that is spent upon their souls more immediately they must indeed sometime pray and sometime hear the word but the time and all the charge they are at for their souls they look upon it even almost as lost and so grudge it and so would fain bee about some thing for their bodies speak to them about praying in their families they have business and what is all their business for but onely for their bodies Indeed wee should rather turn our plea the other way and bee loath to spare time for our outward estate rather than for our souls those immortal souls of ours it is a wonder how any one that knows the worth of his soul can finde in his heart but upon meer necessity and out of duty to spare time for his outward condition The soul is dishonoured when the time and cost that is bestowed about it is grudged as if it were meerly lost and cast away Sixthly Again wee dishonour our souls when as wee lay not up provision for them against an evil day this is a dishonour put upon them Seventhly And lastly you dishonour your souls when as you think to satisfie them with any thing but God himself if you should have any of your friends that are of quality come to your house if you should set a bowl of swill before them and think to satisfie their hunger that way they would think it a great dishonour to them Now if you do think to satisfie your souls with any thing here but God himself you do as it were bring bones to set before a Prince It was a speech unworthy of a man which wee read of in the Gospel concerning rich Dives Soul Soul take thine ease thou hast goods laid up for many years Soul Soul eat drink and take thine ease Why what had that to do with eating and drinking How unworthy was this I say of one that had an immortal soul thus to speak Oh this is a great dishonour that is put upon the soul Now then learn wee in a right way to put honour upon our souls and to love them and make them our Darlings and manifest your love to your souls First By having your thoughts often upon them wee manifest our love to a friend by having our thoughts run upon him Oh let your thoughts run much upon your souls I am thus and thus in regard of my outward estate in regard of my body through Gods mercy I have all my limbs and senses and comfortable provision for it Oh but my soul how is it with thee bee often conferring with your souls as you know one friend loves to confer with another Can you say you love such a friend that is your next neighbour and never spend any time in conference together scarce ever speak one with another Certainly so it is with the souls of men they think but little of the tearms that their souls are in with God of what conditions their souls are in whether good or bad and the day is yet to come wherein many a man hath spent one half hour in conference with his soul to know how tearms do stand between his soul and the Almighty God Oh love your souls by thinking on them and thinking often what should become of them 2. And further love them by making them Emperesses of your bodies by keeping your bodies under them Those that the Scripture sets out unto us which have had the most
bee lost And here for the present every man and womans soul in the world by nature is a lost soul First Every man and woman as they come into the world are deprived of the glory and excellency that God did indow the souls of men withall in their first creation wee are all deprived of the glory of God saith the Scripture And secondly All our souls do now naturally wander away from God continually depart and wander from the infinite glorious first-being of all things Thou that art an old man or woman that hast lived many years and God hath not revealed himself in working the true work of conversion in thee to change thy estate know that thy soul hath been departing and wandring from the Lord all the dayes of thy life to this very present thou art like a lost sheep wandring up and down in the wilderness and in danger to bee destroyed every minute of an hour by some wilde beast or other though it is true thy soul is not made a prey to the Devil so as to destroy thee utterly yet thou hast been in danger all the while thou hast been wandring from the Lord to bee made a prey upon by the Devil and utterly to have been cast away Yea and thirdly There is a great deal of misery upon thy soul if thou knewest it as contrary to that light that hee hath set up in thy understanding there is blindness in thee there is errour in thee contrary to that holiness that was at first in thy heart and soul there is nothing but sin and wickedness all the spauns and seeds of all kinde of sin is in thy heart there is a great deal of that evil that is contrary to what thy soul was made withall at first there is enmity in thy soul against God himself Yea and fourthly Thy soul is in a succourless helpless shiftless condition in respect of what thou art able to do or what all the creatures in heaven or earth are able to do for thee let all the Angels in heaven and men in the world joyn together to seek to do good to thy soul they are not able to deliver thy soul from that evil that now it is in and that it is in further danger of And this is the reason of that phrase that you have in Luke 19.10 The Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost Wee are all lost sheep going astray and Jesus Christ came to seek and to save lost souls Souls deprived of the glory of God Souls wandring away from God Souls filled with evil Souls succourless and helpless in regard of any power in any creature in heaven and earth to save them Christ beholding how such precious souls were every one of them lost if hee had not come to save them hee was pleased to come from heaven to seek and to save souls thus lost Now though souls bee for the present in a lost condition yet there is a further loss of the soul than this for if the soul be neglected here it will bee lost forever there are many that are lost now for the present and yet afterwards Christ findes them and there is joy in heaven at the finding of them but there is a loss that shall bee eternal and that loss is more dreadful than the former yet the former hath the degree of it but that the perfection of the former Now the loss of the soul in hell consists in these three particulars First The full and perfect eternal rejection of the soul from God and from all good in him together with the fulness of all kinde of evil that the soul is capable of this is the condition of a lost soul that perishes Secondly And then in the next place it consists in the making of this soul to bee perfectly sensible of the loss of that good and of all the evil it is possest withall making of it perfectly sensible of it Here men and women are in lost conditions but they know it not they are not sensible of it But God will bring the soul into such a condition as it shall bee made perfectly sensible of the loss of all the good that it might have had and of all the evil that is upon it Thirdly And then lastly It shall bee in such a condition so succourless so helpless as is not onely beyond the power of Angels and all men to help it but I say so succourless so lost as that Gods mercy and all the good there is in Christ shall never save it and as God hath set and ordered things can never save it Now then these things being opened to you you will understand what this Text means When you read this Text you think there may bee truth in it and in general you will â—ssent unto it but if you come to understand but these things then indeed you cannot but all subscribe to it and acknowledge Oh it is indeed a dreadful thing the loss of the soul But now because it is a point of so great moment I will not satisfie my self meerly in telling you these things but endeavour to open them unto you what the evil of this loss is that if it might bee by presenting this before the souls of men they may see more the danger that they are in and how the Devil hath gulled and deceived them all this while It may make many souls to bee at a stand if they come to know what this loss indeed doth mean Now I shall endeavour the opening of this in the three last particulars that I named First For the rejection of the soul from God so as to bee deprived of all the good there is in God and that it is capable of Now for the understanding of the evil of this wee must inquire what is that good that the souls of men are capable of or else wee cannot come to understand what an evil thing it is to lose it Now for the good that the soul is capable of I will but onely name some heads unto you for in a Treatise that some of you have in your hands of Moses looking to the recompense of reward there are the principal heads of the good and excellency that the soul is capable of and shall bee blessed in heaven eternally with And the apprehending the loss of these things will discover much The first part of the evil of the loss of the soul I will but in a very brief way present them unto you Why the Glory of God upon the soul the Image of God the Life of God the Divine nature that the soul is capable of Now for the soul never to live the Life of God nor to have his Image nor any of the Glory of Gold upon it this is a fearful evil to those that know the excellency of these things of the blessed vision of God in heaven to see him that is the infinite first-being of all things to see him as hee
bee thou that art a carnal Master mayst see thy poor servant taken up to God and thou thy self shut out or it may bee the carnal Father or Mother may see their childe saved and yet they themselves lost Oh this will bee a sad aggravation of their loss And thus you have heard the dreadful loss of the soul together with the aggravations thereof in these ten particulars Now for the Use Is it so that the loss of the soul eternally is so dreadful a loss as you have heard it is Oh then let every one here bless God for their souls that their souls are not thus lost It might have been so long ere this time when such a kinsman of thine dyed or thy fellow-servant or when such a neighbour or acquaintance of thine dyed if thou hadst but dyed when they dyed thy soul it may bee had been eternally lost This I can assure you that naturally you are all lost and what makes the difference between thy soul and the condition of a lost soul as you have heard but onely the meer mercy of God Oh therefore now bless God for his mercy unto thee that thy soul is not as yet a lost soul and think thus with thy self Lord if these things bee true and so dreadful to hear of Oh then what would be my misery if it should prove that I should bee the person made sensible thereof by experiencing the misery I hear of to bee the miserable condition of a lost soul The Scripture doth say concerning the joy and happiness of the Saints That eye hath not seen nor ear heard 1 Cor. 2.9 neither hath it entred into the heart of man to conceive what their happiness shall bee that shall bee saved And the like may bee said of the misery of the souls that are eternally lost and the Scripture doth say That if our Gospel bee hid 2 Cor. 4.3 it is hid to them that are lost I beseech you therefore remember what hath been spoken concerning the condition of loâ—t souls and lay to heart what hath been spoken out of this Text lest within a little time you feel what hath been spoken to bee a truth and so bee forced to cry out True it is I heard such a day out of such a text what was the miserable condition of a soul eternally lost but now I finde it by experience to bee true and the one half I now feel I could not then conceive And know the reason my Brethren why we lay the misery of lost souls thus before you it is to this end that none of you might be thus lost And it is a blessed thing for you to hear these things for how many are there that have lost their souls which till they were thus lost never so much as heard any thing about the loss of their souls which if they had who knows what might have been done by them for the saving of their souls Beloved such a subject as this cannot be spoken unto you without trembling for certainly this subject will bee much adding to the prevention of the loss or else it will mightily aggravate the loss of your souls if ever they are eternally lost therefore all I have at present to counsel you to is to lay these things to your hearts seriously as also to bless God for your souls that as yet they are not in this dreadful eternally lost condition The Fifth SERMON ON The Excellency of the Soul Matthew 16.26 For what is a man profited if hee shall gain the whole world and lose his own soul Use IF the loss of our souls bee so dreadful as you have heard bless God that your souls are not gone and thus lost as hath been opened unto you It may bee thou hast lost thy husband or thy wife or thy childe or thy friend or a great part of thine estate but blessed bee God that thy soul is not lost In a great fire where men use to lose most if not all that they have when a man comes to view what hee hath lost and hee findes hee hath lost this thing that was in such a parlour and that that was in such a chest but if at length he comes to finde that such a Jewel that hee had in the house or such a bagg of gold in which most of his estate consisted that that is not lost though all the lumber all the houshold-stuff is lost that comforts him in all other of his losses So it should bee here whatever wee lose wee are to bee comforted in this that our souls are not gone and lost It is a notable Scripture in 1 Pet. 4. vers last Wherefore let them that suffer according to the will of God commit the keeping of their souls to him in well doing as unto a faithful Creator As if the Apostle should say you are like to meet with great sufferings you may likely bee deprived of all you have of your estates and of all your comforts and may come to suffer much yet commit the keeping of your souls to him in well doing as unto a faithful Creator Why they might have said but what shall become of other things if storms and tempests and sufferings come what shall become of our estates what shall become of our livelihoods and of our bodies why saith the Apostle as for them for your estates for your bodies it may bee they may perish you are not so much to look after them but commit the keeping of your souls unto him as unto a faithful Creator The Apostle here exhorts them what to do in times of sufferings and by what hee doth express hee doth imply that they should take no care for outward estate and body it is enough that your souls are well commit the keeping of your souls to him as unto a faithful Creator wee have enough if that bee safe You know in time of danger as fires and other times if a man hath any precious thing hee carries that presently to some special friend and commits the keeping of that to him his writings and such things wherein his estate is most So saith the Apostle in the time of publick danger Take care to commit the keeping of your souls to him as unto a faithful Creator and you are well enough That is the first Secondly If the loss of the soul bee so dreadful a loss Oh let us bless God then for Jesus Christ without whom all our souls had been eternally lost never a soul in the world but must have perished unto all eternity had not Jesus Christ come into the world to bee the great Saviour of souls All the Angels in Heaven and men in the world could never have saved one soul now Christ saw this and his bowels did even yearn towards so many thousands of precious souls and rather than they should perish hee was content to come and make his own soul to bee an offering for sin Isa 53.10 the soul of Christ was made an
them to thou hadst need look about thee while they live that if it bee possible thou mayest make a satisfaction for that soul-wrong that thou hast done to them and it may bee such a one is dead and so dead as for ought thou knowest hee never did repent him of that sin now then see what a case thou art in there is one drawn to a sin by thee and now hee is in Hell for that sin that thou wert the cause of what a case hast thou brought thy self into now Is it any otherwise like but that thou must follow shall one bee in Hell for a sin that thou wert the cause of and dost thou think alwaies to escape here is the dreadful estate that any man brings himself to when hee draws others to sin thou hadst need to look about thee and thy heart to bee affected with that sin that hath been punished with the eternal damnation of those souls that thou hast drawn to that sin And not onely by tempting to sin but by incouraging to sin by disswading from that that is good It may bee some souls have been in a good forwardness to that which is good they have begun to inquire after the waies of God but have gotten into thy company and thou hast sought to take them off and what will you bee such fools as to beleeve every thing that is said and you will bee melancholly and mad and who are they but a company of simple people that do thus and thus and thus thou hast been a means to hinder the good work of God in others and to draw them from the good way that they were a beginning to set their feet in and now they begin to bee out of love with the good waies of God and thou hast been the cause of it Now if these souls perish and it may bee some of them are in Hell already truly if a mans heart weâ—e as hard as any Iron or Steel in the world one would think that such a meditation as this should break his heart in peeces That I know nothing to the contrary but some may bee in Hell for my cause And so many other waies wee might name how a man might have his hand in the loss of the souls of others what way soever thou hast a hand in the sin of others â—or keeping of others from good so many waies thou mayest have a hand in the loss of their souls But I intend not to stand upon this point onely consider of it and the Lord strike the hearts of those that are guilty in this kind But the main use that I would spend the chief part of the time in is this Use 4 If the loss of a soul bee so dreadful then hence is rebuked the folly and madness of most people that have no care of their souls but through their own wretchedness and vileness they suffer their souls to perish eternally all their care is in pampering their bodies and making much of them but little minding their souls and their eternal estates Certainly when the bodies of those souls shall meet them at the day of judgement it will bee a very dreadful meeting When thine immortal soul shall know what it is to bee lost for ever and shall bee brought to joyn again with the body Oh how do you think it will look upon that cursed carkass Oh this is that carkass that body of mine for whose sake I must perish for ever yea and wee must now bee joyned both together to bee fuel for the wrath of the Infinite God to burn upon to all eternity certainly souls are lost and perish thick and threefold they go down to Hell as Bees flie to the hive in the time of a storm There are many waies by which the soul may bee lost though there bee but one by which it may bee saved The several waies by which men come to lose their Souls As first Some there are that lose their souls by wandring up and down in darkness all the daies of their lives by wandring in the waies of sin in the dark and so are a continual prey unto the Devil how many yea and in many places the generality of people they go on continually in blindness and darkness in the vanity of their conversations knowing nothing of God nor of their own souls and the first time that the eyes of their souls are opened and enlightned it is when they are irrecoverably undone yea the first thing that many souls do ever understand concerning themselves it is this I am lost and undone for ever it is so with many certainly they know nothing about their own souls nor about God till they come to know this I am cast away from God and have lost my soul for ever Secondly Others they lose their souls by pawning of them away by pawning of them what is that you will say why you know what it is to pawn a thing when you come and receive from a Broker such a thing you lay something else to pawn for it and upon this condition that within such a time you bring them such a thing that you bargain for and if you do not bring it against that time then you lose your pawn Thus many pawn away their souls when there is a temptation to any sin and they have a mind to it now upon the commission of this sin thou dost lay thy soul to pawn to the Devil onely upon this condition that if thou dost repent and beleeve before God cuts thee off then thou shalt have thy soul again upon these tearms most people sin and in case thou dost not bring repentance and beleef in Christ thy soul is gone I appeal to you there is a temptation to sin you know it is a sin and there is a great deal of danger in it well but you have a mind to it and you will needs have it now you will acknowledge this indeed if I do not repent then I shall bee damned but before I die I hope to repent and so I hope that my soul shall not perish that is as much as to say I will lay my soul in pawn and if I can bring repentance before I die I will have my soul again but if I do not then my soul is gone thus upon the commission of every sin thou dost lay thy soul to pawn the devil hath it upon such tearms as these Now how many thousands have lost this their pawn they have not brought Faith and Repentance within their time before they died and so the Devil hath kept the pawn and will keep it for ever And it is more dangerous the laying of such a pawn than the ordinary laying of pawns to Brokers First There is no such pawn that possibly can bee laid as this the soul of a man Men and women that have any wisdome they will not lay pawns of those things that are precious to them Oh it goes to their hearts to think what
must I lay this to pawn I thought I should never have lived to the day to lay such a thing to pawn I but when thou comest to lay thy soul to pawn thou layest a more precious thing than all the world is Secondly When thou layest a thing to pawn thou dost prefix thy own time for the redeeming of it again perhaps two three four months before thou bring that that is bargained for but when thou layest thy soul to pawn thou canst not set any time Luk. 12.20 What dost thou know oh Fool but that this night thy soul may bee taken away from thee Thirdly Yea and further When you lay such a thing to pawn you make a bargain for the bringing of somewhat to redeem it that you have in your own power or make account that you shall have in your own power to bring you will not make the bargain to bring such a thing that you are sure you shall not have in your own power Now when you lay your souls to pawn you lay them to pawn for that that you have not in your power nor all the creatures in Heaven and Earth cannot help you to in your need and that is Faith and Repentance All the Angels in Heaven nor men in the world cannot help you to it it is onely in the hands of God of the Infinite blessed God against whom you sin and whom you provoke and yet how many do thus pawn their souls and no marvel though men lose their fouls because they pawn them thus foolishly and wretchedly and that is the second way of mens losing of their souls Thirdly Men lose their souls by wounding them they give them deadly wounds upon which the souls of most do perish Quest Wounding how you will say Answ By that I mean the commission of sins against conscience to commit a known sin and a wilful sin oh this gives a wide gash in the soul a most fearful wound every sin against conscience gives a wound that requires a salve to heal it that is more worth than a thousand worlds the sins against conscience against light against knowledge they are deep wounds unto the souls of men and it is not usual for such wounds to bee healed for they do not onely strike at the life of the soul but they harden the heart of the sinner exceedingly and keep off the means that might do the soul good thou goest abroad into company and there thou committest a sin against thy conscience oh thou hast given a gash to that precious soul of thine thou hast given it a deep wound and except thou lookest to it and that presently thy soul perhaps may die for ever A man that hath received a deep wound hee presently sends for the Chyrurgion and if it bleeds well hee hopes the cure is more hopeful so when thou hast committed sin if indeed it bleed that is if thy soul presently bee sensible of it and affected with it and mourn and lament and so seek after the Chyrurgion there may bee hopes but men and women do wound their own souls by wilful sins sins against their consciences and yet they are not sensible of them they do not so much as bleed but they lye in the very open Air as it were and are not bound up at all Ah! thousand thousands there are that die and perish this way Fourthly And then a fourth sort there are that lose their souls by being gulled of them by being deceived of them Satan perswades them they are in a good condition that all is well with them and they need not fear what need they to trouble themselves these are but the melancholly thoughts of such and such kind of people there is no such great matters required in sorrow for sin and it is but a Lord have mercy upon us and but a being in Christ and hoping in Gods mercy and the like and thus by such kind of delusions as these are many souls are gulled and deceived by the Devil and so perish for ever They are like unto Jonas that was asleep and awakened in the midst of a dreadful tempest so certainly these souls when they come to know themselves and to bee awakened it will bee in the dreadfull tempest of Gods wrath As Sampson the Philistims are upon thee when hee lay in Delilahs bosome so there will bee that dreadful noise one day to these souls the wrath of God and the curse of the Law is upon thee that must lye upon thee Oh the dreadful sorrow there will bee when the soul shall see oh I am deluded and gulled many of you are vext extreamly when you are gulled of any little part of your estates but to bee deluded and gulled of your souls so as they must bee lost for ever this will bee extream horrour another day Fifthly A fifth way of losing our souls is by selling of them away selling of them away you will say what do I mean by that It is said of Alexander the sixth that was Pope hee sold his soul to the Devil for the Popedome there was an express contract between the Devil and him that if in such a year hee should come to bee Pope the Devil should have his soul But now there is a twofold selling of our souls to the Devil besides such a kind of contract as when the Devil shall appear in a bodily shape and so people sell their souls to him First As first When men seek advantage to themselves by any unlawful means seek the gain of the world or any profits or pleasures by cheating couzening wronging swearing or forswearing seek I say to gain any thing in such a way there is such a thing that thou wouldest have and that thou mayest have if thou wilt bee false in thy books in thy reckonings or forswear thy self for gain I say thou dost as truly sell thy soul for the getting of that gain as ever Conjurer did that did contract face to face with the Devil I would have such a gain why saith the Devil though thou dost not see him then thou must lye thou must couzen thou must swear and forswear I will do it saith the soul and thus thou dost many times sell thy soul to the Devil You that are chap-men if one should come and offer you a little matter for a commodity that is of price you have such a peece of ware in your shops that is worth forty shillings and one comes and offers you tâ—o-pence for it why you rise in disdain against it what offer mee two-pence for that which is worth forty shillings oh now that your hearts would rise in disdain when the Devil comes to buy your souls you should rise in disdain what shall I venture the selling of this soul of mine that is more worth than ten thousand worlds for such a poor gain as this is and yet many of you do Secondly And then there is a second way of a mans selling of his soul and that
thus long therefore hee will bee so still Wee may indeed venture upon the Grace of God in his Son as well for sanctification as for pardon but not to venture either upon patience or any thing else so as to continue in our sins though God hath been patient thus long thou dost not know but that upon thy next venture the cord of mercy may crack and thou mayest sink and perish eternally that may befall thee in one day that hath not befallen thee all thy life before take heed my brethren of venturing upon patience for that hath not a word of promise to strengthen it unto thee Indeed Faith is a kind of venture but that ventures upon the Word of God and the Promise of God and it is good venturing upon that but when thou venturest upon patience thou hast no word to assure thee that patience will hold Thou hast no word to make this good unto thee that though God hath been patient so many years therefore hee will bee so still Fourthly And then a fourth venture that men make it is to venture upon their own lives they are young and they hope they may live many years yet I know others they live to bee old men and why may not I live and have my pleasure as well as they and thus they venture Oh but what if the threed of thy life should bee snapt asunder what will become of thee then wilt thou venture thy eternal miscarrying upon such a brittle and frail thing as thy life is Oh it is a desperate venture when men and women will venture thus that if God take away my life now certainly I must perish for ever Now I put it unto every soul in this place let this bee the case now do you examine what you think in your consciences your conditions would bee if you should hear a voice from Heaven saying unto you presently this soul shall have no more time to make provision for eternity I am perswaded that in such a place as this is there cannot but bee many that would in their own consciences say If God should take away my life now I fear I should bee lost for ever I doubt if wee could go from one to another and lay our ears to the bosoms of men and could but hear what the consciences of men say upon this that is now put to them that thou shouldest dye in the condition in which now thou art and what repentance thou hast had bee it good or bad that thy soul must depend upon if it bee not right thy soul must perish I say I fear that upon such a message from Heaven many a mans and womans heart would ask within them and their consciences would tell them I am afraid I should bee lost for ever Oh for thee to bee content to bee in such a condition any one moment that if thou shouldest dye that moment thy soul should bee damned I say thou art a bold and presumptuous sinner a most desperate wretch The Sixth SERMON ON The Excellency of the Soul Matthew 16.26 For what is a man profited if hee shall gain the whole world and lose his own soul 8. MAny do lose their souls by starving of them that is such as neglect the Word that is the food of the soul the Word of God upon which the soul should feed as the body doth upon any food that neglect Gods Ordinances that care not to come to the Word either to feed upon it privately or publickly that think that there is no need of the Word but if they can procure food for their bodies and make shift to get up a living and that that may satisfie the flesh there is all that they look after but for the feeding of their souls by the Word it is that that is little minded or regarded by thousands Oh how many that belong to this Congregation perish eternally even that way by starving Wee pitty people that wee see ready to die that are starved if wee hear but of a prisoner starved even the poorest body wee account it an in humane thing in those that knew it and did not relieve them to see a beast to die by starving wee account it a cruel thing and it can scarse consist with the heart of a man to see I say so much as a dogg to perish by way of starving Now to see immortal souls thousands of them to die and perish and drop down to Hell as thick as may bee and that for want of the food of their souls meerly for starving it should bee an object of pitty and commiseration Now because wee are sensual wee are onely affected with such things as concern the body immediately but for the soul how many care not what kind of Ministry they live under Oh the curse of God is upon them as wee read of in Psal 106.15 Hee gave them their requests and sent leanness into their souls hee gave them their requests that is hee gave them Quails They lusted in the wildeâ—ness and tempted God in the desert and hee gave them Quails to feed upon but sent leanness into their souls wee may apply it thus unto those that seek after nothing else but Quails but that that may feed the flesh Oh the curse of God is upon their souls there is leanness there and they are starved there even unto death whereas those that do but know what the sweetness of the Word is to their souls and have fed upon the Word they had rather feed upon brown bread and water all their daies so bee it they may have the Word than have the greatest delicacies in the world without the Word I put this to your consciences answer it as in the presence of God if this should bee put to you can you say as in Gods presence that sees and searches the hearts of men that upon the real sweetness and good your souls have found in the Word that if God should put it to your choice either to live with bread and water and have the Word or to live with all the delicacies in the world without the Word you would a thousand thousand times sooner chuse to live with the Word with bread and water rather than without the Word with all delicacies Luther I remember hee hath an expression That hee had rather bee in Hell with the Word than in Paradise without the Word Ninthly In the ninth place there is another sort that lose their souls by surfeiting of them their souls do surfeit with the cares and pleasures of this life they glut their hearts with the delights and pleasures and cares of this world until their souls get a surfeit and die of them giving liberty unto their hearts to delight themselves in all outward contentments especially if they bee lawful Now a man or woman may surfeit their souls Licitis perimus omnes and undo themselves by lawful things as a man may not onely destroy his life by eating poison but by
thy soul such a soul as this is I say if it should now depart would bee lost for God doth not save souls but by manifesting himself to them Phil. 2.12 hee would have all to work out their salvation with fear and trembling Certainly though the principle of our salvation bee without us yet the Lord that made us without our selves will never save us without our selves whosoever God doth save hee doth make them solicitous and careful about the work of the salvation of their souls Now if thy conscience tells thee that to this day thy care hath been about many vanities but as for having thy heart taken up with the saving thy soul thou knowest not what belongs to this I say if God should work no more in thee than hee hath done if thou shouldest now die thou wouldest bee lost Thirdly That soul to whom the Lord hath not revealed the glory of the mysteries of the Gospel that yet hath the Gospel kept hidden from it that doth not see into the glorious work of God in the covenant of Grace in those great counsels of God and great things that God hath done for the salvation of mankind in Jesus Christ that soul would bee lost if it should now go from the body and no further work of God upon it That Scripture that divers times you have heard named is proof sufficient for it If our Gospel bee hidden it is hidden to those that are lost 2 Cor. 4.3 Now certainly my brethren if God hath revealed to your souls the glorious things of the Gospel they cannot but bee taking things to you they cannot but cause much stirring much activeness mighty workings in your souls when once the glorious light of the Gospel comes into a soul I say it cannot but cause mighty stirrings and workings in such a soul When I see people sit deadly and dully under the means of Grace under the preaching of the glorious things of the Gospel I cannot but think with my self Lord do these people know what Jesus Christ is and understand what the great things are that God hath done for the salvation of man-kind certainly did they but know the wonderful and strange works of God about the salvation of the souls of the children of men their hearts could not but stir within them and work in another manner than yet they have done Fourthly That soul that hath no other righteousness to tender â—p unto God but its own righteousness if now it should depart would bee lost eternally Whatever man or woman it bee that have lived the most unblameable in his life and conversation that hath been the most righteous that no man could bee able to blame him for any thing yet I say if this man or woman hath no other righteousness to tender up unto God but his own certainly this soul would bee a lost soul for ever the truth is even the soul of Abraham Isaac and Jacob the souls of all the Patriarchs Prophets Apostles Martyrs all of them would bee lost eternally had they no other righteousness to tender up to God but their own much more those who have only a Civil righteousness and a meer natural righteousness such righteousness as is attainable by the very light of nature such a righteousness as St. Paul speaks on in the 3. of the Philippians that hee lived unblameably how hee was a Pharisee and hee accounted that righteousness of his conversation to bee gain yet afterwards when Christ was revealed to him hee accounted it but loss for hee saw that it would endanger the loss of his soul eternally the resting upon that Quest You will say the soul that hath no other righteousness but his own to tender up to God is that soul lost why what other righteousness is there besides that which is a mans own Answ To that I answer There is a supernatural righteousness the righteousness of a Mediatour God-Man that is come into the world to stand between lost souls and an infinite provoked God and that is made over to the soul by Faith and that soul that is saved by the hand of Faith doth tender up the righteousness of that Mediatour God-Man for the satisfaction of infinite divine Justice and the appeasing of infinite wrath and that is the soul that is saved but that soul that is not acquainted with such a righteousness that hath not such a righteousness made over to it by Faith the righteousness of the Son of God the righteousness that is by Faith in Christ that soul if it should now depart from the body and the Lord work no otherwise upon it than hee hath yet done certainly hee would bee a lost soul and that is the fourth evidence of a soul that would presently bee lost if it should now depart from the body Fifthly A fifth evidence is this That soul that God hath not made in some measure at least to feel the weight and burden of sin discovered sin unto it as a greater burden than all burdens whatsoever if such a soul should depart it would prove to bee lost and that upon this Reason Because without repentance a soul must needs bee lost Except yee repent Luk 13.3 yee shall all likewise perish saith Christ Now repentance cannot stand with feeling sin light much less with joy in sin Repentance whether before Faith or after wee will not now speak of whether a Legal repentance or an Evangelical repentance yet it must bee such a repentance as must bee apprehensive and sensible of sin as a greater evil than all the evils that it is liable to here in the world It must feel sin as it is against God feel sin as sin so as to bee a burden to it the measure of it how far and how weighty sin should bee wee do not now stand upon but that sin should bee found a great burden yea an intollerable burden so that were it not for an infinite Mediatour the soul could not stand under the burden that is necessary in the work of repentance and so the soul to come to sorrow for sin as sin and this is the repentance which is unto life which cannot bee except the soul doth feel in some measure the weight and burden of sin Sixthly Again that man or woman that walks after the flesh in a course of sin to give satisfaction and contentment unto the flesh that makes it to bee the great care and indeavour of it for to satisfie the flesh such of you whose consciences tell you that the contentment of your hearts is some fleshly thing and that in the course of your lives you walk after the flesh certainly if you should now die your souls would bee lost and that is clear out of Rom. 8.1 There is no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus that walk not after the flesh but after the spirit Therefore those that do not walk after the spirit but after the flesh there is condemnation unto them at the present O!
to the contrary which was required in the spiritual meaning of the Law that forbids covetousness and requires that wee should bee willing to part with all for God when hee calls for it Go and sell all that thou hast and follow mee and take up thy cross and follow mee saith Christ I but the young man hee had great possessions but because â—â—e was no swearer nor stealer nor murderer nor lyar hee thought hee had fulfilled the Law but Christ by putting that to him did as much as if hee should say poor young man thou art deceived thou thinkest that thou are able to do what God requires in his Law but didst thou but understand the spiritual part of the Law thou wouldest see that thou art so cast by it that all that thou art able to do in thy obedience to the Law cannot bee sufficient through the sinfulness of thy heart and nature but thou must perish if thou takest such a course as that is to think to bee saved by the Law certainly this it is upon which thousands of souls do perish they think indeed they are sinners but they hope they shall do better and they are able they think though not without God God must help them to do that that the Word of God requires of them whereby they may come to bee saved now certainly thou knowest not thy fallen condition and how far off thou art from God and what thy sinful estate is naturally that hast such thoughts as these But secondly If thou wouldest have thy soul saved break off the acts of thy sin at least you will say why do we speak to men to break off the acts of their sin why certainly wee may well speak for God doth give men power for outward acts very far thou canst not do it of thy self that is true but there is a common work of Gods Spirit that doth inable men and women for outward acts very far Let him that stole steal no more A man now at the day of judgement cannot say Lord I continued in theft because I was not able to forbear it though thou canst not change thy heart indeed yet forbear the outward act thou canst one that is dumb might say if hee could speak Lord I was no swearer because I could not speak otherwise thou art ready to say I cannot help it but God will finde it otherwise at the great day Certainly if thou wouldest but put thy self upon what strength God gives thee thou mayest as well go to a Sermon as to an Ale-house It is a very false reasoning of people that because they have not true grace therefore God inables them to do no outward acts therefore do what in thee lies to break off the outward acts of thy sin Thou that art a company-keeper a Sabbath-breaker a swearer an unclean person take heed of continuing in the outward way of sinning against God resolve this day against those outward acts of thy sin do but do thus much because thou thinkest thou canst do nothing do but profess thus to God in his presence when thou art gone get alone and say Lord it is true I can do nothing-without thee but here I do ingage my self to joyn with whatsoever thou hast given mee or shalt give mee to abstain from those acts of sin which I have lived in and this Lord I ingage my self to do as ever I expect to bee saved in the day of Jesus Christ canst thou not say these words express thy self but thus to God and certainly these things thou mayest say and that is somewhat That man and woman that shall wilfully go on in those vile gross acts of sin that are against the very light of nature and the light of their consciences for them to come and say What shall I do to bee saved and yet still continue in their sins it is but a trifling with God and taking Gods Name in vain except it bee with a resolution to go thus far Thirdly Thou must labour to take off thine heart as much as thou canst from the things of the world from these outward contentments here from seeking after them as thy greatest good that that was thy chief desire heretofore thou must labour to take off thy heart from and possess thy soul vvith the one thing necessary to conclude thus with thy self it is not necessary that I should be rich that I should bee honourable that I should have these and these outward comforts in the world but it is necessary that I should look to the salvation of my soul when God hath a purpose to save hee doth take the heart off very much from creature-comforts Oh if peoples hearts were but taken off from the world to seek after salvation in a constant way as they are at some flashes when they hear some truths that come near to their hearts or when they are upon their sick-beds Oh how far might they have been gone in the way of salvation but the thoughts of the world hath taken their hearts and all other things have vanisht and come to nothing Fourthly If thou wouldest have thy soul saved thy great care and indeavour must bee to acquaint thy self with the knowledge of the Mysteries of the Gospel of the covenant of grace of the way that God hath chalkt out for salvation let a man or woman have never so good meanings never such good desires and affections live never so fairly and civilly in the world yet if they bee not acquainted with the way that God in the Gospel and in the Covenant of Grace hath revealed for the salvation of souls they may perish for all that God hath appointed but one way to save souls and hee is set upon it and determined that whosoever misses that way must perish whatsoever good thoughts and desires they have otherwise The Eighth SERMON ON The Excellency of the Soul Matthew 16.26 For what is a man profited if hee shall gain the whole world and lose his own soul Quest NOw you will say What is it in the Gospel and in the Covenant of Grace that wee must labour to inform our selves in that wee may bee saved Answ First Thou must labour to inform thy self of the absolute necessity of satisfaction to divine Justice that is revealed in the Gospel and that thou must come to know I am a sinful wretched creature my soul is in a damnable condition now that that must save mee must satisfie Gods infinite Justice I may not bee saved meerly by my crying to God for mercy no if there were nothing else but my crying to God for mercy yea put all my good deeds into the scale put what I have done what I can do what I can bee inabled to do all my prayers my cries this will not do It is true there is not enough in mee but will not Gods mercy eke it out No it is neither what thou doest or canst do or canst be inabled to do and put Gods mercy meerly without
inheritance among them that are sanctified by Faith that is in mee Saith the Lord Christ to Paul I will send thee to open the eyes of men and to turn them from darkness unto light and from the power of Satan unto God that they may receive forgiveness of sins and this is the great ordinance that I intend for this end and that I will accompany to those that I purpose to save at any time Therefore when you come to hear the Word you should come to it as the great Ordinance that God hath appointed to save souls by Is there any soul that begins in this Congregation to bee awakened and to think with it self Oh Lord What shall I do to bee saved I tell thee that every time thou comest to hear the Word preached thou shouldest come to it with such thoughts as these Now am I going to that great Ordinance that the Lord hath appointed to convey his power thorow to the salvation of those souls that are appointed to eternal life I am going to the Pool of Bethesda and there will I wait until the Lord shall bee pleased for to send his Angel to stir in my heart and I have begun to feel some power of Christ already which doth incourage mee to hope for further power There is many a soul hath met with Jesus Christ and hee hath brought it from the power of Satan to his own Kingdome of light and why may not my soul meet with the same power of Jesus Christ however I am resolved that as long as I live I will wait upon God in the way that hee hath appointed Oh the Word it hath a great deal of efficacy for the salvation of souls therefore if thou wouldest have thy soul saved attend upon it for that end I shall apply one Scripture which may bee for the preparation to what remains You are about inquiring how you should bee saved and wee are about answering Oh take heed that you bee not found in this like unto those wretched Jews which God forbid that there should bee any one in this place found like unto that would fain have the Prophet Jeremiah be inquiring what the mind of God was concerning them and they profest that whatsoever the Lord should reveal by him that they would do but when it came loe they fling off all and it was to no purpose the Scripture is in Jer. 42.5 Then they said to Jeremiah The Lord bee a true and a faithful witness between us if wee do not even according to all things for the which the Lord thy God shall send thee to us Wee desire thee to go and know the mind of God and tell it us and here wee profess and call God to witness that wee will do what lies in us to perform all that the Lord thy God shall require This was a very fair promise and I hope there are some souls if not generally all of you have such a kinde of disposition Oh let his servant search his Word and finde out what should be done and whatsoever hee shall speak according to his Word that will wee do and God forbid it should bee otherwise it were just with God that our souls should perish if wee should do otherwise but there is a mighty deal of deceitfulness in the hearts of men Jeremiah went and did as they desired him but mark chap. 44. 16. and you shall see what a different disposition there was in them to what there seemed to bee before first you shall finde in chap. 43. they begin to wrangle at what Jeremiah spake to them all the proud men began to wrangle at what Jeremiah spake mark it is all the proud men they are proud spirits that do contend with Gods Word but mark first they wrangle chap. 43.2 and then they grow resolute and stubborn chap. 44.16 As for the word that thou hast spoken to us in the Name of the Lord we will not hearken unto thee why what are these the men that called God to witness that whatsoever Jeremiah should declare in the Name of God they would do it and yet now first they wrangle at what he saith and then they resolve that as for what hee hath spoken to them in the Name of the Lord they will not hear it Now God forbid that ever there should bee found among any of you such wrangling spirits with the Word of God certainly God will justifie the words of his servants that they speak in his Name one day and will make them good upon you and they may lye heavy upon the soul that shall neglect them but then where there is first wrangling at the Word of God there usually grows an impudent proud stubborn casting off the Word of God As for the word that thou hast spoken unto us in the Name of the Lord wee will not hearken unto thee Why should not wee do what wee have a mind to why should not wee take our liberty on the Lords day as vvee vvere vvont and follovv our business as vvee vvere vvont let them say vvhat they vvill vvee vvill do as vvee vvere vvont to do and vvee vvill keep our company as vvee vvere vvont to do let them speak vvhile their heart akes this vvas the very guize of this people that made such a profession before the Lord but oh the Lord forbid that it should bee so vvith any of you But Seventhly If thou vvouldest have thy soul saved thou must take heed of resting upon false hopes of thy salvation you must rase down even to the very ground all your false hopes of salvation there is nothing in the vvorld hinders the salvation of souls more than false hopes vvhen men dare build their eternal salvation upon every sleight and vain hope that they hold The hope of the Hypocrite the Scriptuie saith is like the Spiders-webb spun out of thine ovvn conceits but every little touch is enough to strike it dovvn again Oh the poor things that people thus venture their souls upon I shevved you in the opening of vvhat did cause the loss of souls that one thing vvas by venturing and their vain hopes vvas one novv these must bee ras'd dovvn you vvill say vvhat are those vain hopes that must first bee ras'd dovvn and vvhat do you mean by rasing of them dovvn That I may speak plainly in this thing that concerns the poorest and meanest that is of the meanest capacity in the world as well as the most able or learned for the poorest hath a soul to save as well as the richest and the weakest as well as the learnedst if such a one should say What are those things that are to bee rased down to that I answâ—â— First Such hopes as are not Scripture-hopes if they bee not Scripture hopes they must bee rased down Rom. 15.4 Whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning that wee through patience and comfort of the Scripture might have hope Wee have hope through patience and comfort
of the Scripture how doth the hopes of those that shall bee saved arise Why they rise thus either by reading or hearing something out of the Word of God and God darting some light some truths into their souls through his Word they come to receive it and there it lies working in them till at length their souls relish it and they taste the sweetness of the Word and come to have comfort in it and so through patience and comfort of the Scriptures their hope comes to bee raised the Scripture in raising hopes first it works patience it usually beats down the soul first and speaks hard things to it and the soul that God over-over-powers to himself it is willing to lye under the power of the Scripture and bee patient notwithstanding the Scripture doth reveal such hard things and puts it upon never such hard duties the heart I say yeelds to it and at length the soul comes to finde sweetness out of the Scripture and so hopes comes to bee raised that is the soul sees some eternal truth out of the Word of God the truth of God himself that is eternal a divine truth that it dares venture its eternal estate upon and upon this it doth raise its hope it is able to give an account from some place of the Scripture upon what grounds it doth hope I hope that God will shew mercy to mee and save my soul in the day of Christ will some say I but what ground have you for your hopes Now if your hopes bee right then there is somewhat in this Book of God to bee shewed as the ground of this and indeed you can have but little comfort of your hopes except you bee able to hold forth some Scripture of other upon which you build your hopes for when you say you hope you may not mean that you think and aâ—e perswaded that it is so but what Scripture have you for iâ—â—â— you will say what Scriptures have any to ground their hopâ—s of salvation upon what Scriptures a great many I will give you but this one that many have to ground their hopeâ— upon Rom. 8.1 There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus who walk not after the flesh but after the Spirit Upon this now saith a soul that God brings to himself What doâ—h God say in his Word that word upon which my soul stands and must bee cast one day for eternity that those that are in Christ Jesus shall never bee condemned I but who are they such as walk not after the flesh but after the Spirit such as the bent of whose hearts and the indeavours of whose souls are not after fleshly things the comforts of this world but after spiritual things such whom the Lord hath made to be sensible of spiritual things and such as the Lord doth act and guide by his holy Spirit in their waies and conversations God saith such shall never be condemned then upon this I will build my hopes for I feel that the Lord hath been pleased to work so on mee as to bring mee to Jesus Christ to see him to close with him and to relye upon him and I feel the fruit of the Spirit of Christ in mee that whereas before I walked after the flesh and spiritual things I did not savour now I finde that the lusts of the flesh are mortified and I should wrong the grace of God if I should deny the actings and the guidings of the Spirit in my soul and therefore I will build my hopes and rest upon this Scripture And the more any soul rests upon any Scripture if it rests truly the more shall it finde the power of that Scripture upon it Therefore you shall know the difference between an hypocrites resting upon Scripture and one that rests through the work of Gods Grace an Hypocrite rests upon such a Scripture and conceits that his heart is according to the Scripture but now hee doth not finde that the more hee rests the more his heart is wrought upon by the Scripture and daily grows to bee liker and liker to the Scripture to come nearer and nearer to what is required in the Scripture but now when a gracious heart doth rest upon Scripture it findes that daily it doth grow nearer and nearer to the Scripture and that works daily more and more upon it and indeed this is the way to grow in sanctification and to make our hearts like to the Scriptures Fall upon several places and let your souls rest upon them for eternity and so you will finde your hearts to grow more and more like to those Scriptures and the power of those Scriptures will appear more and more in your hearts and conversations This is the way of the Saints that have hopes to bee saved Secondly Again those hopes that are to be rased are hopes that are not wrought in the soul by the power of the Holy Ghost in the forenamed Chapter The God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in beleeving that you may abound in hope through the power of the Holy Ghost That hope that is right for salvation is such a hope as is wrought through the power of the Holy Ghost Now then that hope that is in men and women which is born with them and hath lived with them all their daies that springs from the root of nature for so that that is born with us and grows up with us all the daies of our lives I say it springs from a root of nature and so the hopes of most people they are no other but such as springs from a root of nature come from one to another and ask them do you think to bee saved I I hope so how long have you hoped so ever since I can remember I thank God I I thought so it is a hope that springs out of the root of nature and therefore you have had it alwaies whereas the true hope of the godly for salvation it is a hope wrought in their hearts by the Almighty power of the Holy Ghost And I appeal to you now what Almighty power of the Holy Ghost have you felt in your hearts to raise up those hopes that you have in you For certainly the grace of hope hath a difficulty in it as well as any grace whatsoever now all people almost finde an easiness in that but here the Scripture makes it to bee the glory of the Holy Ghost to raise hopes in any creature therefore those hopes that arise from a root of nature that are not wrought by an Almighty power of the Holy Ghost in the heart must bee rased down Do but put your souls to this question I have hopes to bee saved but Lord how are they wrought what power of the Holy Ghost hath been in my heart to raise these hopes Suppose there were no Holy Ghost as they said in the Acts that they had not so much as heard whether there were any Holy Ghost or no
seek them out and so sometimes it is with the soul when it hath lost its evidences for salvation it may get new in less time and with less charge than to seek out the old It may bee thou lookest to see whether thou hast not been an Hypocrite all this while or formal Suppose upon examination thou canst not finde any thing to satisfie thy soul but that it hath been so yet now what hinders but that thou mayest this instant throw thy soul upon Jesus Christ I but I am afraid that when I have come to Christ I have not come rightly I but perhaps thou mayest come to Christ in that time that thou mayest know whether thou hast come rightly yea or nay But now the best way for those that are mightily troubled and solicitous about evidences whether their estate bee right or no I say let those rather than spend too much time in discouraging of their own hearts begin the work again let such a one present Jesus Christ now as a Saviour for lost man whose grace is infinitely full and infinitely free and there is nothing hinders thee but that thou mayest at this very instant cast thy self upon him to bee thy Saviour both to save thee from sin and from condemnation I but you will say I may presume and who hath right to do any such thing To that I answer that there is nothing can give thee right to Christ but by casting thy soul upon him by beleeving in him that right that wee have to Christ it is by beleeving It is not by any work before beleeving that gives thee right to Jesus Christ So that by this you see what I mean by rasing down the old foundation The next is by laying the new foundation of this great work of thy salvation and bee sure thou lay that sure You will say lay it sure what is it Christ is the foundation No other foundation can bee laid but Christ himself lay it there And then that that is next to Christ the foundation it is the true work of Faith and the true work of Repentance the true work of Faith that is next that is the foundation of what is wrought in our hearts Christ is the foundation first but of any work in our hearts the work of Faith Beleeve and thou shalt bee saved Now then this work of Faith thou must rightly know what it is and the way of thy beleeving and how thou dost receive Jesus Christ in thy beleeving and the power of thy Faith how that is wrought and what the work of it is upon thy heart now thou having laid Christ for thy foundation and understood the mystery of the Gospel then when thou comest to beleeve in this great mystery of the Gospel thou must consider what is it that I am now to beleeve why I am now to beleeve this that the thoughts of God from all eternity were for the good of the children of men and therefore hee hath sent the second Person in Trinity into the world to take mans nature upon him to die an accursed death for the sin of man And for mee in particular the thoughts of God were thus upon me from all eternity to send his son into the world to take my nature upon him and to bee made a curse for my sin to pay a price for my soul and through him when I beleeve I do beleeve all my sin to bee pardoned the infinite holy dreadful God to bee at peace with mee my soul to bee reconciled this wretched sinful soul of mine to bee received into mercy into the love of God as the love of a Father to bee made an Heir of God and Eternal life when thou dost beleeve this is the Object of thy Faith now this is a mighty work a mighty thing to beleeve such things as these are Consider therefore what thou doest when thou sayest thou dost beleeve in Jesus Christ put that to thâ— soul canst thou O my soul close with these things canst thou venture thy soul upon such things as these are and when thou comest to beleeve what dost thou it is not that thou thinkest that these things are true but thou dost in thy beleeving receive Jesus Christ according to the condition of the Gospel that is thy heart doth open to receive into it the King of glory Oh it is Châ—ist that is the foundation of the New Woâ—ld that God is to raise up It is Jesus Christ that brings in all the good and happiness and glory of God to the children of men and it is hee that my heart opens to receive in to imbrace to bee satisfied with all as all the good and happiness I expect and it is Christ that my heart opens too to save mee from my sin as well as from punishment to unite mee to God to bring mee to union with him that I may live for ever to the praise of the great God and it is this Christ that I take into my heart to bee King and Governour and now to rule Sin Satan Temptations Lusts shall not reign as they have done but Christ shall set up his own Government in my soul Now then upon this must needs follow wonderful and glorious effects upon the soul the soul that doth beleeve such high things as these are and doth open it self to receive Christ upon such tearms certainly I say there must needs bee wonderful effects wrought in that soul such things must needs work the soul up to God to live to him in another manner than ever and that is the reason of the Scripture expression 2 Cor. 5.17 Whosoever is in Christ is a New Creature all old things are past away and all things are become new For why the Lord hath revealed new glorious things to such a soul and the Lord therefore now acts and carries on the soul to other manner of objects than ever before it was wont to bee busied about And such a kinde of work of Faith is this that is the foundation of the great work of salvation next to Jesus Christ himself as the old must bee rased down so a new must bee raised up Now when you come to think of salvation that you hope to bee saved you must have recourse to such a kinde of work upon you as this how have I felt the power of the Holy Ghost rasing down old things and how have I felt the power of God even that power by which Jesus Christ was raised from the dead to raise such a foundation as this is And upon this now followes the work of Humiliation and Repentance that is Godly sorrow and so to mourn as to have the heart to bee taken from its former courses and waies and bee set upon the contrary good Now when the soul finds such workings of God upon it as certainly these things cannot bee and no notice at all taken of them when the soul takes notice how God comes in with power upon it and
beleeves that now surely the Lord intends salvation to mee the Lord hath laid such a ground-work upon my soul as I dare venture all upon it and now I have cause to hope that the hazard of miscarrying to all eternity is over O this is that that is the joy of the Holy Ghost joy unspeakable and glorious when the soul upon good grounds can have hopes that the hazard of its miscarrying to all eternity is over now My soul return unto thy rest Psal 16.7 saith such a one so that that is the next thing the rasing down of the old and raising up the new foundation Ninthly If thou wouldest have thy soul saved thou must keep thy soul under the authority of the Word and maintain the authority of the Word and the authority of conscience over thee this is the way if thou meanest to go in Gods way for salvation First For the Word The soul that God intends to save hee doth reveal unto it a dreadful authority that there is in this Book of God this is that word saith God to the soul wherein I have revealed my mind to the children of men Those counsels of my will that concern the eternal good of the children of men are in this book and all your souls are to be cast by this book by this word for eternity Now this being revealed to the soul the soul stands in awe of this word and trembles at this word fears the authority of it looks upon every threatning in the Word every command in the Word every promise in the Word as having a divine authority stampt upon it sees the broad Seal of Heaven stampt upon every thing in this Book and dares not wilfully transgress against any thing in the Word and so continues in keeping its self under the dreadful authority of the Word and that soul is in a good forwardness to bee saved that is kept under the dreadful authority of Gods Word in the constant course of it Now I appeal to you you would fain have your souls saved but can you say thus Indeed I have many sins yet God knows that knows all things that my soul it is kept under the dreadful authority of his Word continually and this I labour to do more and more and I am willing it should bee so I am not willing to have the authority of Gods Word cast off but I am gâ—ad that ever God did discover to mee the dreadful authority that there is in his Word Secondly And then the next thing is the authority of conscience if conscience have any enlightening it is that that will discover very much of the mind of God unto thee there is nothing will discover Gods mind more unto the heart of a man or woman than an enlightened conscience and it will discover it with power a Minister speaks and his words many times vanish in the Air but when conscience comes to discover Gods mind it comes with power and speaks particularly to this soul and the other soul and conscience when it hath light will bee pleading of Gods cause and admonishing and plucking the soul out of the waies of death and perdition and it will not easily bee put off you may easily put off the counsels of such and such friends but conscience will not easily bee put off it will come with such majesty upon the heart of a sinner that there is no gain-saying of it conscience will not regard the vain shifts that people have but still comes in a commanding power Oh keep the authority of conscience many men and women because they cannot go on freely in the waies of sin where conscience and the word have much authority over them therefore they seek to cast off the authority of the word and conscience but know this for a truth that that soul that hath cast off the authority of the word and conscience is going apace to Hell is going apace to destruction All the while the word and conscience kept thee under thou wert in some forwardness towards the way of life but if thou hast once cast off that then Oh how doth the soul grow hardened in sin how easily are the truths of God rejected and then it goes with greediness to satisfie the lusts of the flesh and ten thousand to one but such a soul perishes eternally Oh if there bee ever a soul in this place that had the authority of Gods word and conscience to bee over them with power and now through the violence of their lusts have cast it off Oh let such a one take notice of what is said unto them in the Name of God Oh thy soul is going apace to destruction But as for you that begin to feel any authority of the word or of conscience upon you Oh keep it for this it is that will carry and guide thee in the way that will bring to life at the last Tenthly If thou wouldest have thy soul bee saved take heed of sinning against the price of thy soul against the blood of the covenant and against mercy take heed of these three things take heed of sinning against Jesus Christ that paid the price against the Gospel that revealed the price of thy soul Oh take heed above all things of turning the grace of God into wantonness let not the free grace of God revealed in Jesus Christ bee turned to bee a means to harden thy soul in sin to think thou mayest take the more liberty to have the satisfaction of the lusts of the flesh why because Jesus Christ came to save sinners let mee say to thee as Peter to Simon Magus Oh Pray if it bee possible that the thoughts of thy heart may be forgiven thee If thou hast ever had such reasonings in thy heart why Jesus Christ came to save sinners and the grace of the Gospel that is free and full enough to save souls though they bee never such great sinners and upon that thou hast taken more liberty Oh thou hadst need fall down before the Lord and cry If it bee possible that such a thought of thy heart might bee forgiven thee if you look into the Epistle of Jude you shall finde a dreadful passage against such as turn the grace of God into wantonness it is made a sign of a Reprobate and it is as black a brand of a Reprobate as any one to turn the grace of God and especially that grace of God that is in the price that is paid for souls to turn that into wantonness is the most dreadful hinderance of saving of a soul that possibly can bee Oh take heed of sinning against Jesus Christ the great Saviour of souls but honour Jesus Christ all the waies you can would you fain have your souls saved Christ is the great Saviour of souls and you had need honour him Kiss the Son lest hee bee angry and love him Psal 2 1â— you had need love his ordinances and all his members and all his people you had need
give all the respect that may bee to him because hee is the onely Saviour of souls And for the blood of the Covenant take heed you sin not against that let it not bee accounted as a common thing Oh do not prize the satisfying of your own lusts rather than the blood of the Covenant and all the good that was purchased by that blood when any wretched sinner shall hear the Gospel preached to him and yet shall prize the living in any base wicked way of sin I say such a one doth trample the blood of the everlasting Covenant under his feet and the language of his heart and actions is nothing but this whatsoever is spoken concerning the blood of the everlasting Covenant revealed in the Gospel I do prize the satisfying the lusts of mine own heart more than all the good that is in the Covenant now do you think can such a soul as this bee saved now you sin against the blood of the Covenant when you come hand over head to the Sacrament and thereby you come to bee guilty of the body and blood of Jesus Christ People are mighty earnest about coming to Sacraments now do but read 1 Cor. 11. It is a Scripture which I know you that are acquainted with Scripture are not unacquainted with vers 27. Whosoever shall eat this bread and drink this cup of the Lord unworthily shall bee guilty of the body and blood of the Lord And what then vers 29. Hee eateth and drinketh his own damnation When you would have the Sacrament as the seal of the blood of Christ and yet come in your sin and filthiness and do not discern the Lords body you come to bee guilty of the blood of Christ and so to bee guilty of your own damnation and so many think to seal their souls by eating and drinking the damnation of their souls for there is nothing set out in Scripture that furthers more the damnation of a soul than to sin against the blood of the Covenant I know some make that Scripture their damnation to themselves that is that they are onely to bee reproved and condemned for doing so but wee are to inlarge Scripture to the uttermost that may bee and seeing the Scripture hath made the sin against the blood of Christ in other places so dreadful wee may very well understand that place in the most dreadful sense that may bee Now if in case you come unworthily you hear what the Scripture speaks it is guiltiness of the blood of Christ and eating and drinking your own souls damnation And then take heed of sinning against the mercy of God let not mercy harden you but let it soften your hearts Oh that soul is in a good forwardness to bee saved that every time it thinks of the mercy of God it findes it self to melt before the Lord and mourn bitterly for sin when as it applies the mercy of God to it self I that is a good evidence but now when you think or speak of Gods mercy you finde your hearts the more hardened in sin Oh this is dreadful for how can such a soul be saved that sins against the mercy and love of Jesus Christ for who shall hear and plead for thy soul before God when as thou art guilty of the blood of Jesus Christ and what is it that shall bee thine attonement before the Father It must bee blood Without shedding of blood there is no remission of sin And what blood must bee for the remission of thy sin when as thou tramplest the blood of the Covenant under thy feet and when thou sinnest against mercy what is it that must recover thee but the mercy of God when thou comest to God in the anguish of thy soul Now if thy case bee thus that Jesus Christ shall plead against thee and say Oh Father Father avenge thy self upon this wretch that hath not onely sinned against thy work of Creation but against the work of Redemption that I went into the world to work Father let this soul perish eternally that hath rejected mee and received every base wretched lust before mee now shall that soul bee saved that shall have the blood of the Covenant cry against it and mercy it self cry to the Lord against it Lord avenge my cause for I have been most abominably and cursedly abused by this wretch when not onely the Law of Gods Justice and Satan accuses thee but Christ and his blood and the Gospel it self how shall such a soul bee saved now then if you would have your souls saved take heed of sinning against Jesus Christ against the Gospel and against the blood of God and against the mercy of God Eleventhly If thou wouldest have thy soul saved take heed of sinning against the Spirit of Grace the good Spirit of God that must draw thee to Christ and guide thee in the way of salvation if ever thou beest saved Now take heed of sleighting the motions of Gods Spirit oh do not sleight any motion of the Spirit of God how dost thou know but when there comes in any motion of Gods Spirit it comes in to save thee at this time thou canst not tell but that at any time when Gods Spirit doth assist his Word thy soul may depend upon that time so as God may say had this soul followed on the work at this time it might have been saved but upon it s not following it on it shall not bee saved doth Gods Spirit begin to move thy soul when thou art hearing the Word Oh do not go into wicked company and so lose all again but get alone in thy closet and fall down even upon thy face and cry to God that hee would follow on the work of his Spirit that hee hath begun in thee Oh Lord I lived a long time in a dead-hearted condition never minding the good of my soul but thou hast begun to stir mee and Lord I hope it is the beginning of thy saving work upon my soul Oh that thou wouldest go on with it How many upon their sick-beds and death-beds would give a thousand worlds if they had them that they could have such stirrings of the Spirit of God as sometimes they have felt Oh now when the Spirit stirs and temptation stirs take heed of listening to temptation and rejecting the motions of Gods Spirit but think of that that wee read on of the people of Israel when they were going to Canaan they were very near Canaan and when they were upon the borders of it they refused to go into the Land when God would have them and upon that The Lord did swear in his wrath Psal 95.10 that they should never enter into his rest So when the Spirit of God begins to bring thee near to salvation that it may bee said of thee as Christ to the young man Thou art not far from the Kingdome of Heaven O take heed of hearkening to temptation lest the Lord swear that thou shalt never enter into
and woman thou art not undone for thy soul is safe Lord strike saith Luther strike onely pardon my sin And my Brethren well may you bee incouraged to undergo any difficulties and to bear the loss of the comforts of this world for the saving of your souls for indeed the Lord hath granted to us the way of salvation of souls at an easier rate than our Forefathers had If I should but tell you the way that many of our Forefathers had for the saving of their souls and many of the Saints of God in former times you would have said then that it was a difficult way to save souls and go to Heaven As I will but give you an instance of one man and another woman how hardly they came to salvation That blessed Martyr Bensesius see but what a way hee had to Heaven for profession of Christian Religion The Persecutors came to him and because hee would not deny the Truth they strike his body in all his members out if joynt and when they had done that they make wounds in all parts of his body then thirdly they bring Iron combs sharpened and so rake upon his body thus wounded and when they had done that they laid him upon an Iron grate and with instruments of Iron open those wounds and after that they melt hot burning salt and strew it upon those wounds being opened and then they come with hot Irons and fear him with those hot Irons and after that dragg him by the heels into a dungeon where they had prepared sharp shells and there hee lay and perished here is one that went to Heaven upon hard terms you will say but God calls not you to do so but to deny your selves in some base lust in some sinful and ungodly way in something that you may spare that you may spare as well as the water out of your shooes as wee use to say And then of a woman that was of Noble birth and yet shee being convented for Religion and answering boldly and resolutely and would not yeeld after many temptations and fair speeches they dragged her by the hair of the head from the seat of Judicature and having dragged her they pull off one joynt from another and having done that get the teeth and claws of wilde beasts and rake her flesh from the bones and having afterwards done that then they came with hot Irons and Torches and burning flames one of one side and another of another side and scorch and burn her to death in such a way as that was and yet shee goes on constantly so bee it shee might save her soul shee was willing to indure all this misery wee do not know what God may call you to before you die many of our Brethren have suffered very hard things and God may call you to hard things Oh that this Text might prepare you And now my Brethren as it hath been a means to carry others thorow temptations and many difficulties in this world so if you would lay but these truths to your hearts and if you cannot think of every particular passage yet do but think of the Text and take but this one Note and that is that whereas God calls others to spend their strength in suffering so great evils to save their souls bee you willing to spend the strength that God spares you in doing in serving spend your strength in active obedience so much the more by how much the less you are called to spend it in the way of passive obedience that so you may have cause to bless God for ever in Heaven when you shall come to see soul and body to bee blessed and saved eternally you may bless God for ever in Heaven for revealing such a truth and setting home such a Text What shall it profit a man though hee gain the whole world and lose his soul and what shall a man give in exchange for his soul FINIS Books printed for and sold by Thomas Parkhurst at the three Crowns over against the great Conduit at the lower end of Cheapside Folios A Practical Commentary or an Exposition with Observations Reasons and Uses upon the first Epistle General of John By that pious and worthy Divine Master John Cotâ—on Pastor of Bostox in New-England A Learned Commentary or Exposition upon the first Chapter of the second Epistle of St. Paul to the Corinthians being the substance of many Sermons formerly Preached at Grayes-Inne London by that Reverend and judicious Divine Richard Sibbs D. D. sometimes Master of Katherine-Hall in Cambridge and Preacher to that Honourable Society Published for the publick good and benefit of the Church of Christ by Tho. Manton B. D. and Preacher of the Gospel at Stoake-Newington near London 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or Divine Characters in two parts acutely distinguishing the more secret and undiscerned differences between 1. The Hypocrite in his best dress of seeming vertue and formal duties And the true Christian in his real graces and sincere obedience As also between the blackest weeds of daily infirmities of the truly godly eclipsing saving grace and the reigning sins of the unregenerate that pretend unto that godliness they never had By that late burning and shining Lamp Mr. Samuel Crook B. D. late Pastor of Wrington in Sommerset A Commentary upon the Divine Revelation of the Apostle and Evangelist John By David Pareus sometimes Professour of Divinity in the University of Heidelburg And specially some things upon the twentieth Chapter are observed by the same Author against the Millenaries Translated out of the Latine into English by Elias Arnold Quartoes A Theatre of flying Infects wherein especially the manner of right ordering the Bee is excellently described with discourses Historical and Physical concerning them with a Second part of Meditations and Observations Theological and Moral in three Centuries upon the same subject by Samuel Purchas M. A. Peoples Need of a living Pastor at the Funeral of Mr. Iohn Frost M. A. by Mr. Zach. Crofton 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or the Saint's Worthiness and the World's worthlesness both opened and declared in a Sermon preached at the Funeral of that eminently Religious and highly honoured Knight Sir Nathanael Barnardiston Aug. 26. 1653. By Samuel Faireclough Pastor of the Congregation at Ketton Holy things for holy men or the Lawyers Plea non-suited c. In some Christian reproof and pitty expressed towards M. Prynn's book intituled The Lord's Supper briefly Vindicated by S. S. Minister of the Gospel An Antid te against H. Haggar's poysonous Pamphlet intituled The Foundation of the Font discovered or a reply wherein his audaciousness and sophistry in arguing against Infant-Baptism Discipleship Church-membership is detected his cavils against M. C. M. B. and M. Hall are answered c. By A. Houghton Minister of the Gospel at Prees in Salop. Large Octavoes Four profitable Treatises very useful for Christian practice viz. The Killing power of the Law The Spiritual Watch The New Birth Of the Sabbath By the