Christ Then here is matter of Reproof to reprove those that profess the name of Christ that lay out their zeal no more this way That lay not out their strength to gain Souls Yea that do not long for nor endeavor after the conversion of Souls Surely this speaks sadly to those that wholy neglect this duty But how exceedingly are many of the people of God themselves to be blamed for their Negligence in this doth not thy heart know that there is a brother of thine doth live in such a sin and yet thou never tel him of it What a great evil is this and unsutable to the pattern of the Lord Jesus Christ How did he go up and down doing good and so taken up with Souls that he could scarce spare time to eat his bread insomuch that his carnal friends began to take hold of him and thought that he had been beside himself O how far art thou from this that thy friends may live in their sins and dye in their sins before thou wilt labor to save their Souls The devil he laboreth to destroy Souls and how few be there that do labor to save Souls He may carry away the poor soul and none labours to take the soul from him We should be watchful and vigilant for souls for our own souls and others souls because this enemy is always taking opportunities to destroy souls Sure it argues that you have very little Lovâ—… to Jesus Christ that you do no more for souls That you have little zeal for Jesus Christ and that you have little Love for your Brethren that you take no more care for their souls It may be you are careful for the bodies of those that are under your charge but how little do you for their souls How many live without the worshi of God in their Families Without Catechizing their Children or instructing them And think they have done well if they provide for their bodies Oh but man God will find out thy neglects it was their souls that was thy charge also If you look onely after their bodies this you will do for your swine And will you do no more for your Childrens souls than for your swine many are ready to say as Cain am I my Brothers keeper If this be not the language of thy tongue is not this the language of thy Life What dost thou do for thy brother to save his soul from death Second Use is of exhortation To stir you up to perform this duty to labor to be skilful in this duty to win souls to Christ. Brethren if you would be wise indeed and if you will gain indeed labour to gain souls Oh look upon the woful condition of perishing souls How few of thy friends and acquaintance hast thou good grouâ—…ds to think they have a share in Jesus Christ What wilt thou have no compassion of thy Brothers soul Thou wouldst have compassion on the body of thy Neighbor If thou sawest the house on fire about them and they asleep wouldest thou not be stirred up and with zeal forget thy self and labor to call upon them and awake them O how many of our carnal friends do remain in a carnal state and we sit stilland let them alone I beseech you stir up your souls to relieve the souls of others This is the best Charity and best pleasing to Christ. It may be many of you have not wherewith to shew your Charity to the bodies of your brethren but this way thou mayst shew it in shewing kindnesse to their souls Exhort them and strengthen them in their duty comfort them support them If thou canst not give them an alms give them an exhortation But you will say what should we do or what means must we make use of to do good to to souls I answer you must do it First By Scripture demonstration When thou goest to deal with souls be sure to make use of Gods weapons Bring the word of God with thee Go forth in the name of God Pour out thy supplication to God to prosper the work And then shew thy brother the Scripture to convince him out of the Scripture as Apollos did Thou canst never throw down the devils strong holds but by the use of Gods own weapons No Cannon but this will batter down the strong holds of sin and Satan Therefore bring the Scripture with thee to him Secondly By earnest supplication This was Pauls course who did so earnestly thirst for the salvation of his brethren He strove mightily with God in prayer for them Rom. 10. 1. My hearts desire and prayer is that Israel may be saved Carry thy friends to God and go to God by prayer and weep over their carnal and unsanctified state Bring thy dead Husband and child c. to God and put up thy Request to God for them as Abraham did Ishmael O That they might live before thee How did the prophet prevail l y his prayers for the restoring the dead child As the prophet did pray in life into the dead child so thou shouldest strive with God in prayer for dead souls If thou didst but wrestle with God for thy dead wife or child or neighbor What dost thou know what God might do for them What knowest thou O man but thou mayest save thy Wife c. Thus we are taught by our Lord in that great petition Thy Kingdom come Thus if thou strive by the word of God and prayer then thou mayest be like to prevail mightily for the good of souls thou dost converse with 3. By kind Obligation This is another way by which thou shouldest labor to gain souls Observe that great rule of the Apostle be pittiful be courteous t is the Rule that he gives Labor by kindness and courtesie to gain upon all thou dost converse with that thou mayst get within him that thou mayst be in a capacity to do good to his soul. Shâ—…wing all meekness to all men And when thou art thuâ—… kind to all men this will be a means to do good to them by what thou dost If they be such as stand in need of thy Charity open thy hand to relieve their necessity and that will be a way to open their hearts to thee to receive in thy counsel Fourthly By faithful reprehensions Lev. 19. 17. Thou shalt not hate thy brother in thy heart thou shalt in any wise rebuke thy Neighbor and not suffer sin to rest upon him Observe that 't is quite contrary to Christian Lovo to suffer sin to lye upon him for 't is câ—…lled hating of him Oh Brethren shew your Love to the souls that you are among by this by the faithful rebuking of their sins that they fall into Manifest it not as a token of your displeasure but as an ordinance of God Deal with him in all gentleness and meekness Not gentle with their sins you must be plain and saithful with their souls You must shew them the danger of such a way but you must do
it with such tenderness to them as may make this bitter pill to go down How do many souls miscarry to all eternity for want of professors faithful dealing with them Oh is it not enough that we have the guilt of our own sins upon us but must we needs have the guilt of our Neighbours sin upon us too Ah Brethren this is enough to convince us that we have little Love to our Brethrens souls in that we have so little care to reprove their sins Fifthly By your convincing conversations Live before all thou dost converse with in the convincing power of a holy Life This is the way to convince them 1 Pet. 3. 1 2. Likewise you wives be in subjection to your own husband that if any obey not the word they also may without the word be won by the conversations of the wives while thy behold your chast conversation coupled with fear Observe here First That even those that be weakest and seemingly out of a capacity to win souls may by their Godly conversations win souls Women who more weak than they Do not you think that this belongs onely to Ministers to win souls this belongs to all Secondly Observe that a careful and tender walking in the duties of our Relations towards men with a conjunction with the duties of piety towards God is a most powerful means to convert souls When wives shall be strict in their profession and yet not be in subjection to their husbands this will offend the men and not work upon them Your profession and practice must one answer the other and then you are like to gain others I beseech you take this course to gain souls to Christ let there be a suteableness in all the parts of your conversation be the same at home that you are abroad and bring forth your Religion into your Shops and Trades and Fields That whosoever converse with you may see the power of Godliness in you Sixthly By your frequent exhortations Hebrews 3. 13. But exhort one another dayly while 't is called to day lest any be hardned through the deceitfulness of sin Observe it 't is not the duty of Ministers onely to abound in exhortations but 't is the work of you all Every one must look to his Neighbours Soul and that daily There must be instancy and frequency in this work and the reason is lest he be hardned Dost thou see such a Neighbour fall into sin go to him It may be thou wilt do it hereafter why it may be the man may be hardned It may be the man may dye or thou mayest not have the opportunity or you may be removed from one another and the work may be for ever cut off if thou Neglect it Seventhly By your careful observation of all those advantages that God hath put into your hands for the dealing with your Brothers Soul Consider and study with thy self what advantages thou hast upon him First Take the advantage of affliction It may be he is taken down by affliction Now go and warn him of his sin It may be now he will hearken to thee Job 36. 8. 9. 10. Secondly Make use of thy Relation It may be thou art some near Relation in the flesh to him take that advantage to be dealing with him for his eternal good Thirdly Make use of his dependance upon thee It may be he is such a one as is concerned in thy good-will to him it may be he works for thee or depends upon thy Charity for his livelyhood take this advantage upon him it may be he will hearken to thee Fourthly Make use of thy interest in him It may be he hath some affection for thee make use of it for God And this may be a means to win him to Christ. Rev. 3. 1. I know thy works that thou hast a name that thou livest and art dead THese words are part of Christs Epistle from heaven to the Church of Sardis wherein he shrewdly checks her hypocrisie and formality and throughout gives counsels and directions for her recovery out of that sad estate from the words we have given you this observation Doct. That the Lord Jesus Christ doth take special notice of and makes strict observation upon the works and ways of his professed people He takes notice of their works for the matter of them for the quantity for the quality of them as hath been shewed We gave you the Reasons for confirmation and made entrance into the Application and have applyed it as to the two first branches to wit the matter and the quantity of our works To come now to the Application of the third thing namely the quality of them Use. Is it so that the Lord Jesus Christ doth take such notice of our works for the quality of them then this may be usefull by way of Reprehension and Exhortation First For Reprehension this reproves us that we rest so much in the work done and do so little enquire into the quality of our works as to the sincerity and soundness of them O my Brethren how often do we pray and never examine how we have prayed and hear and never enquire how we have carried it while we have been hearing O how many a mans bosome am I now in Brethren this is a great evil among men Yea I fear among Gods own people that there is not that care to look into their duties how they are performed Brethren if the Lord Jesus Christ did as you look no farther than the outside of your duties and the work done then you may rest in that O but Jesus Christ he looks into the inside of them and he labours to see what there is of soundness and sincerity in them And seeing the Lord Jesus Christ looks so narrowly into them should not you This is the cause of many sins and mischiefs among Prosessors First This is the cause of much undoing Self-deceit when persons rest in the work done and do not carefully examine what principles they did act by and ends they did act for this doth cause many souls to be undone to their destruction This was the reason why Sardis was so miserably out and Laodicea that she was so much mistaken they kept on the trade of Religious duties and because the thing was done and the duty performed with conâ—…tancy they thought they were in a good state You know the speech of that Church I am rich c. you are to understand it of spiritual Riches she thought her self upon the growing hand O but when Jesus Christ comes and sees how little sincerity there was in them he disrellisheth them and shews them that their works were not perfect before him And thus it is with many Professors in these days that because they keep on in Family-prayer and good duties they think all is well and for want of looking into the Spring of their duties and their ends in them they are undone by them O what a miserable deceit is this when a poor creature
such a change as from being lost to be found A sinner in his Natural state is a lost man in a lost condition but when he is recovered by conversion he is found again The Son of man is come to seek and save that which was lost And so in this Luke 15. What was this lost sheep and lost groat and lost Son What was the meaning of all this but the recovering of lost Souls So that its a great change a coming from death to life from being lost to be found If our gospel be hid 't is hid to those that are lost that is for the present they are lost but when they are converted then of lost they are found Use. Is it so blessed and glorious a change that God doth work in the condition of a believer when he bringeth him to himself no less than from being dead to be alive from being lost to be found Then you that are believers rejoyce in and be thankfull for that blessed and happy condition that God hath translated you into Ah brethren how may you look one upon another and consider what God hath done for you 1. How that you were dead and are alive again You were diseased yea dead creatures diseased full of all that may render you miserable all diseases are met together in a poor sinner Now that God hath recovered thy diseased soul yea thy dead soul and brought thee to life again Oh what matter of joy is this How should you wonder at so great a change as this We read that at the Miracles that our Saviour did upon the diseased there was great astonishment among the people they were amazed at this but here are more miraculous cures than those the cure of dead souls is more than the cure of dead bodies O Brethren if all the diseased that Christ had cured should have confer'd together what strange stories would they have told One would have said I was born deaf and he said Ephatha and my ears were opened Another I was born blind and he anointed mine eyes I washed and received my sight Another I was thirty eight years under a disease and by a word of his mouth I was healed Another I was eighteen years in a sad condition and by a touch of his garment I was cured And so of the rest Ah brethren you were not onely diseased but dead and Christ hath recovered you O! what matter of thankfulness is here You that are believers should not look one upon another without wondering What should move you to wonder if not this It will be a strange change when we shall see all the sons of Adam come forth at last out of their graves when we shall see those that were buried in the great deep brought forth by the power of Christ and made all appear together this will be a strange change But the change of dead bodies is not so great as the change of dead souls O how should you praise God that hath raised you from so great a death as this How is it that we are taken up no more with wonderment for this that he hath done for our souls God doth rejoyce over it it is heavens joy when a lost sinner is found And doth God and Angels take notice of it and rejoyce and do you not take notice of it O what ingratitude is this This should excite sinners to â—…eed their return to God for this will rejoyce heaven and earth Shall I leave my wine saith the Vine whereby I make glad the heart of God and man I may say truly the recovery of a sinner makes glad the heart of God and man not onely will Christians and Ministers rejoyce over thee when thou turnest to God but God himself will rejoyce over thee when thou returnest he will call for the fatted Calf c. O the Mirror of unthankfulness that is upon our hearts that we should be no more moved with any work that God hath done upon our souls You that are converted and wrought upon by Sanctification one would think that you should be able to enter upon no other talk than this to tell what God hath done for your Souls My brethren if while we are here together we should see our dead friends that have been dead ten or twenty or thirty years agoe to eat and drink and walk and talk and converse with us how should we be astonished at it And how would they wonder one at another One that dyed at such a time and another that dyed at such a time and here they live again and talk again But now here is a greater wonder than this here are dead souls and they are brought together and live again and talk again O! me thinks you should wonder to see one another restored from so great a death Obj. But you will say how shall I know that I am recovered from death to life Ans. I shall give together the Characters and the priviledges of you that are recovered from death to life that so your evidence and comfort may be promoted together And there are these four that belong to you First He hath raised you from a state of corruption and rottenness to a state of health and holiness You know a state of death is a state of corruption the grave is a place of rottenness and putrifaction You that lye in your old lusts still certainly you have no portion or part in this matter But you that are changed are brought from this state a state of sin is a state of corruption The Scripture every where speaks of sin by the Metaphor that carries in it the highest pitch of filthiness Psal. 14. 3. They are altogether become silthy or stinking And so in Job 15. 16. How much more abominable and silthy is man which drinketh in iniquity like water Man in his natural state is a most silthy creature no comparison is 〈◊〉 to set forth the odiousness of his condition before he is sanctified by grace and the reason is because he drinketh in iniquity like water As the fish doth swim in and take in water naturally so sin is his very element wherein he doth naturally live as it were Thus the Apostle Rom. 3. 13. Their throat is an open Sepulchre And so our Saviour compares the Pharisees to to whited Sepulchres But now you that are believers God hath raised you from a state of Rottenness to a state of health and holiness Grace is the health of the soul Holiness is the soundness of the soul. An upright heart is a sound heart O beloved what a priviledge is this to be translated from a state of corruption to a state of holiness O what cause have you of thankfulness that can find the stamp of God again upon your souls you are highly favoured indeed whom God hath priviledged with this There is all that is desirable in grace and holiness Riches Wealth beauty all How often do we read of the beauty of Holiness And so of its
Riches too I counsel thee to buy of me gold that thou mayest be Rich Rev. 3. 18. 'T is the true Riches And so it is Health and Soundness too Prov. 3. 8. It shall be health to thy Navel and marrow to thy bones Secondly From a state of darkness to a Land of Light You know the grave is a place of darkness and death a state of darkness Thus is it in the Spiritual death Dead souls are all in darkness under the power of darkness Act. 26. 18. The grave for our dead bodies is a place of darkness but the grave for dead souls is a place of utter darkness of everlasting darkness The grave is Formidable and deep You know when a body is dead it must be buried that it may not annoy us God hath provided a grave to bury dead souls in out of his sight and where do you think that this grave is Why Hell is the grave for dead souls The rich man was dead and was buried but where was he buried His soul was in Hell so some translate this place And being buried in Hell he lift up his eyes Luke 16. 22 23. Hell is a place of darkness and thick darkness O that is horrible indeed that is reserved for poor impenitent sinners the blackness of darkness for ever Jude 13. He doth not onely say darkness but blackness of darkness for ever Ah brethren this is that which Christ hath recovered you from from death to life If you go down into the grave and see how the dead do lye in darkness and silence how formidable is that But oh how will it be to see the grave of hell where dead souls are buried This was your place before you were sanctified Ah brethren what manner of praise what 〈◊〉 of deliverance should you compass the throne of Gods grace withal who have such a change wrought upon you Thirdly From a 〈◊〉 of Impotence to a state of power A natural state is an impotent state Rom. 5. 6. When we were yet without strength in due time Christ dyed for the ungodly As a dead man is not able to move a finger to put off the worms that crawl upon his body and face So a dead soul cannot get the victory over his flesh and lusts He is under an impossibility of doing any thing acceptable before God But now God hath given you strength that you should leap and walk 〈◊〉 praise God God did put strength into thy feet when he recovered thee from death to life that thoâ—… shouldâ—… be able to go thorow dissiculties for his names sake Brethren those that are altogether without strength were certainly never brought to a true and spiritual life If thou art brought from death to life thou hast some strength it may be it is but a little strength But every Saint hath a little strength so that he doth not live in the wilsul practice of any sin If thou hast not thus much thou art dead in thy sins Fourthly From a state of Insensibleness to a state of Sense A Dead man is without sense He hath Eyes but he seeth not and Ears but he heareth not And thus it is with a dead soul. But now you that are believers you are raised from this miserable state I may say to you Blessed are your Eyes for you see and your Ears for you hear O what a change hath he wrought upon you 1. He hath opened your eyes when others are in blindness Brethren what a change is this How many do you see that live where the Gospel is Preached and yet remain ignorant O! what thankfulness should this provoke you to You are restor'd to your spiritual sense Before you thought it the smallest matter in the world to sin against God Now you look upon it after another manner O how should you bless God in those words of our Saviour I thank thee O Father Lord of Heaven and Earth because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent and hast revealed them unto babes O! How many be there of the wise men great men of the world that have their eyes closed God hath hid these things from them that they cannot see them But your eyes see give God the glory 2. He hath bored your Ears when others are in deafness When others are like the deaf Adder he hath given you the hearing Ear the obedient Ear O! consider this and be thankful Thou hast of thy self a heart as obstinate as any other heart iâ—… the world Now if God hath given thee ears to hear O bless his Name How often may we call upon a Dead man and he never hear so we may call upon dead souls and they hear not with their souls at least though they hear with their ears 3. God hath loosed your Tongues when others are dumb and silent O what mercy is this Beloved you could not breath before God your Prayers and Requests with lise and fervour as you do unless God did unlose your tongues and open your mouths Man's lips are locked up and his tongue tyed up that he cannot utter himself beâ—…ore God or at least not with that fervency that others can O bless the Lord that he hath loosed your tongues 4. He hath given you Appetites when others rellish not the things of God Dost thou find any hungrings and thirstings after Christ and his Righteousness Is this that which thou dost pant after to be made more conformable to the Lord Dost thou pant after Christ as others pant after the world O bless God that hath put such a difference between thee and others When others relish not the things of God they arâ—… sapless things yea many times they seem burdenfome things to them God hath given thee such an appetite that thou findest a relish in them that nothing goes down so sweetly as the service of God 5. He hath given you your feeling when some others are past feeling We read of some that were past feeling Eph. 4. 19. You know a dead man hath no sense or feeling if you lay a Mountain upon him he feels it not So it is with a dead soul he feels not the burthen of his siâ—…s he complains not for his sins Now canst thou say that thy sins be the greatest trouble to thee in all the world O bless the Lord for this It is a great priviledge you that are Believers do groan under this burthen and 't is your duty so to do yet under this there is some life or else you would not feel your corruptions as you do And now to close all let me renew the Exhortation Rejoyce and be Thankful that though you were lost you are found again O remember what a condition you were in when you were lost Do you not remember what bitterness did seize upon you How many times did you give up your souls and did believe that you should never be found or restored And did God find you when you were lost O consider who it
long Reckonings but let Conscience bring you in the accounts every day before you sleep Keep a Day book in your own hearts speedily make up any controversies that may fall out between God and your Souls 't wil be sad to find old things to reckon for when you come to dye you cannot imagine the torment that one sin unrepented of or unhumbled for may cost you study to keep all clear and even daily within This made dying Oecolampadias clap his hand upon his Breast saying hic sat est Lucis 't is all light within daily self-examination will make you to live holily and dye comfortably but if you let things run long you will be all at a loss 11. Set your houses in order that you may not have your estates in the world to settle when God requires your Souls Make your wills in your health and vigour and therein be sure so to settle your estates as that God and good uses be not shut out nor forgotten Wretched men that have so many hundreds to settle upon their Children can scarce find in their hearts to settle one in the hundred upon Gods special Service 12. Look often into your Coffins and behold your bones and dust as shortly others shall when turned out of your Graves Be not strà ngers to the thoughts of death expect it wait all the dayes of your appointed time when your change shall come familiarize the thoughts of Death to your selves that you may be alwayes safe you must never be secure you must pray and set a watch and be alwayes upon your guard walk every day some serious turns with Death let it never come unlook'd for God forbid Death should come upon you and you say I did not think of it You must daily think of it and look for it How holy and happy a man was he that could say I have not known what to morrow meant this twenty years Consider your latter end learn to number your dayes God doth number them why should not you if the man of the house had known what hour of the night the Thief would have come he would have watched and not have suffered his House to be broken up but it is too late to think of it when the House is risled Be not of them that put far off the evil day he that remembers not his end remembers nothing as he should It is the remembrance of Death puts life into our Prayers into our Graces and all our motions He that puts off the thoughts of Death gives his enemy unspeakable advantages Death comes upon the sleeping and secure sinner as Jael upon Sisera and strikes the fatal nail through his temples and fastens him to the earth or as David upon the Amalckites when he and his mighty men came upon them chafed in their minds as a Bear robbed of her Whelps when they found them spread abroad upon the earth eating drinking dancing and smote them from the twilight to the evening of the day 13. Above all speed to the City of refuge First Get into it close soundly with Jesus Christ. O dreadful work that Death makes with those that are not found in him it tears the body and soul asunder it drags the soul to Hell and locks up the dust in Prison till the terrible Judgment it puts an eternal end to all comforts and enters the sinner upon unchangeable misery and delivers over the Prisoners to the tormentors but if you give up your selves entirely before-hand and accept Christ by believing on his own terms this will secure you in him then the danger of this is over Look to this whatsoever you neglect once in Christ and you have the victory you may send a chalenge to Death and with Paul triumph before the Battel and make the Bonfires and ring out the Bells as sure of the conquest and go with shouts of joy and palms of victory and garments of salvation to encounter with or rather to make spoil upon your already conquered enemy 2. Keep you in it when you have received Christ Jesus the Lord you must walk in him wander from him and you betray your safety O look to it that death find you not venturing out of your refuge by loose walking God bespeaks you here as Solomon did Shimei 1 Kings 2. 36 37. And the King sent for Shimei and said unto him build thee an house in Jerusalem and dwell there and go not forth thence any whither for on the day thou goest out thou shalt know for certain thou shalt surely dye 14. Lay in a stock of promises now in time against the assaults of Death that come when it will thou mayst have a Cordial ready and be provided with an Antidote Delight thy soul in meditating on the 6th of John and 1 Cor. Chap. 15. and the fifth Chapter of the second Epistle of the Corinthians 15. My last but not my least advice is that you suffer not the state of your immortal souls to lye any longer at uncertainties Put to it with all your might for assurance try an hundred times and make diligent search into the state of your hearts What blessed helps have you in Mr. Baxter's Works Mr. Richard Alleines and others to put all out of doubt there you have sure marks ply your hearts with them be diligent observers of the workings of your souls lye at God's door night and day and put your selves on Gods tryal if all this will not do it apply your selves to some faithful and experienced Minister and above all close with Christ anew solemnly ingage your selves in Covenant with him according to the Directions in Mr. Richard Alleine's Book Vindication of Godliness to this purpose how can you live one day or dye without some evidence that it shall be well with you for ever Ah the woful case that the poor trembling Soul must needs be in when it thrusts out into the Ocean of Eternity not knowing whither it is going whether it shall be landed in the Region on of eternal darkness or the Land of light when it must go forth it knows not whether into the Arms of Angels or the teeth and talons of cursed Fiends and Harpies my soul hath often relented at the thoughts of that pathetick moan of dying Adrian who thus bespeaks his anxious soul when ready to be delivered up I cannot but spoil it by Englishing it ah my poor little trembling wandring Soul whether art thou going into I know not what rough and horrid places and it is a heart piercing complaint of poor Beringarius who was one of the first lights in the time of the thickest AntiChristian darkness who having often dallyed with Conscience recanting over and over to avoid Death though he did afterwards still return to the Preaching Proâ—…ssion and Practice of the truth has bemoaned himself on his death bed Now I am going to appear before my Judge not knowing whether I shall be saved as I hope or damned as I fear Brethren if you would
Idolatry of the land but God doth hear of it again by us before we sleep by Prayer This should be for a lamentation to us that the wounds that are given to God are no more upon our hearts We may say of the glory of God as they of David 2 Sam. 18. 3. 'T is worth ten thousand of us Our estates and names and all that is dear to us yea our very souls are not so much worth as the honour of God And how is it then that we can see God dishonoured and we cannot mourn sor it Gods glory is his Crown that is upon his head and shall we see his Crown trodden down in the dirt and not be affected with it we are far from the disposition of Gods Saints and servants heretofore When Moses saw the Idolatry of the people he was so zealous that he overturned the Tables that God wrote with his own finger And Ezra when the people had taken strange wives he sate down and 〈◊〉 his cloaths Ezr. 9. Bretheren how may we blush to hear and read this and to think how far our hearts are from this frame It may be you do think it enough that you did cry out upon it when you hearâ—… the Blasphemy so that you are free from 〈◊〉 your selves but this is your sin if you do noâ—… mourn over it 1 Cor. 5. 2. 7. No doubt the godly Corinthians did detest this sin but the Apostle tells them that is not enough whilâ—… they did not mourn over it When wicâ—…ness doth raign as if it were the time of 〈◊〉 Devils incarnation as if Hell it self were â—…ken loose upon us to Act its part 〈◊〉 ground and we not mourning ovâ—…r it Thirdly Do not I live in 〈◊〉 that I know or fear to be a Sin If I do thus there is no peace with God or Conâ—… to be hâ—… sor you Psal. 66. 18. If I 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in my heart God will not hear my Prayers It is a sign that God doth not regard thee if thou art one that dost live in the practice or allowance of any sin and he will not own thee for this Rom. 6. 16. If thou dost yield up thy self to any sin willingly that is a manifest sign that thou art none of Gods Thirdly For your hearts Ask several questions First Have I been much in holy ejaculation Thus we ought to Pray continually not onely at our set and solemn times but upon all occasions to step aside and speak a word or two with God in our Journeys and Occupations this is walking with God indeed when we do not onely take a turn or two with him in the morning and so in the evening but all the day long It is said of Mr. Dod that he never got up his Horse but he prayed before he came off Thus did Nehemiah while the King was talking with him he was praying to God Nehem. 2. 4. So I prayed to the God of Heaven this was a Heavenly ejaculation this would keep your hearts a praying all the day long When the hearts of men do naturally bend to God as the sparks fly upward this is a good thing indeed when we cannot go by the door but we must step in and have a turn with God you will take it as a great kindness for a man not onely to come on set times to visit you but when he comes in every time he comes by the door to see you And when thy heart is thus wont to turn into God this will be an 〈◊〉 to thee that thy heart is used to converse with God Secondly Hath not God been out of mind Heaven out of sight put that question to thy heart My Brethren this is our great sin and should be our great shame that the thoughts of God are such strangers to our souls that we are so little in heaven in the day as we are O what a loser is God by this in his glory what losers are we by this in our graces and comforts O were our hearts on all occasions thus thinking of God how holy a frame should we quickly grow into Why should not our hearts be as much with God as the hearts of the Worldlings be with the Creature Doth not God deserve it as much as the Creature His heart is always talking with the World If he come to hear his heart is talking with the world If he come to pray his heart is alway with the World Why should not our hearts be talking with God while our hands are employed about this world It was a Heavenly breathing of a gracious spirit a confounding passage that I met with Lord as formerly I lived without thee in the world so now let me 〈◊〉 without the world in thee If we did but love God as well as a worldly man doth love his wealth and riches we should be so taken up with the love of God as quite to forget the world For the world makes them forget God that he is not alwayes in their thoughts Yea says he we should be taken up always with God My Brethren what shall we say for this How shall we excuse this that we should be so unmindfull of God while the Worldling is so mindful of the world O what a shame is this For shame be ashamed at your selves before we go away hence I profess Christians I have wondred 〈◊〉 God will throw away his kingdome upon some that do care so little for it as we do O shame thy self out of this evil frame Brethren why do not we carry it towards the world as the world doth towards us The world doth carry it towards us as 〈◊〉 and we know not what it will do to us VVhy should not we carry it more strangely towards it O never leave till the thoughts of Heaven be thy natural thoughts O check thy heart ronndly in the Evening for this sin if 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 find thy heart faulty here and never leave till thou haâ—… brought it into a right frame Thirdly Have I been often looking into my 〈◊〉 made conscience even of vian thoughts you know your Rule Keep thy heart with all 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of it are the Issues of life Now hast thou been keeping thy heart with all diligence Brethren you may be sure your work will go but badly on unless you look to your hearts and keep your hearts Examine then in the Evening how hath my heart been employed to day hath it not been a thorow-fare of vain thoughts of evil imaginations I fear that many of us do make little conâ—… of this It may be thou dost make conscience of vain thoughts in duty but I fear that few 〈◊〉 do make conscience of vain thoughts at other times Ah Brethren you 〈◊〉 not known what it is to live the life of Christianity if you do not look to this This must be mended Brethren what a blessed thing would this be if we had but once attained this frame If our hearts did but naturally run
difficult And hast thou a careless spirit the more need there is that thou shouldst set upon this work that thou mightest bring it into a better government Secondly Wouldst thou neglect this duty because it is painful upon the same account thou mayst cast of other duties Thou can't not pray nor hear as thou shouldest without pain Give way to this objection and for ought I know in a little time thou mayst bid farwel to all thy Religion thou mayst cast off every duty Thou canst not imagine what a plague it may be to thee if thou shouldest give way to this objection Give Satan an inch and he will take an ell forbear one duty because of difficulty and he will easily perswade men to forbear others Thirdly Consider who it is that buzzes this in thine ear Certainly it is the devil the grand enemy of thy soul. God says Commune with thy own heart Satan says no it is too painful VVhy who wilt thou be ruled by God or Satan thy best friend or thy worst enemy Christian in these outward concernments thou wilt not advise with thy mortal enemy in things that concern thy life And why wilt thou be such a fool in the matters of thy soul Fourthly What dost thou cry out of pain It is thy very calling and profession to tâ—…ke pain What mean those expressions in Scripture else whereby the life of a Christian is set forth by striving wrestling fighting pressing toward the mark To take pain is essential to Christianity and without this thou canst not be a Christian. To leave any duty because it is painful is a contradiction to thy profession thou dost herein deny thy self to be a Christian â—…ifthly The more difficult the work is the more profitable thou wilt find it That duty that cost's us nothing will yeild us nothing and that duty that cost's us much pain will yeild us much peace and comfort Sixthly Consider is not grace worth the taking pains for What wilt thou take pain for if not for grace Look about in the world see how the men of the world run and ride sweat and tire themselves for toyes and trisles What pains then shouldst thou take for grace one dram of which is more worth than a world By this means thou mayst grow in grace more in one moneth than in some years before And let me tell thee I have not Charity enough to think thee a Christian indeed if thou dost not think grace worth any labor or pain that thou canst possible be at in the getting of it Seventhly Consider Christian what pain Christ did take and what misery he did undergo for thee Thy soul was dearer to him than his own glory and thy salvation than his own life and blood And shall not his glory his commands be dearer to thee Christian than a little carnal ease Think upon it if thou hast any spark of ingenuity this consideration will prevail upon thee to set about this work I come now to propound some motives to stir up those that have not begun this work to set about it And those that have begun to go on in this work First Consider it is the command of God It is not the voyce of man but of God It is God that speaks to thee Commune with thy own hearts Examine thy self Christian I urge the command of God upon thy Conscience wilt thou obey or wâ—…lt thou not darest thou to set thy self against God! and set thy will above the will of God! O think upon it Secondly Consider the time when and the manner how you consented to set to the performance of this duty It was in a time of love at a feast of love and after a Song of love Consider what a rich mercy God hath bestowed upon you in giving you liberty to draw nigh to him in such an ordinance as you lately sate under It was but a little while ago beloved that you thought that you should drink no more of the fruit of the vine till you drank it in your fathers kingdome And behold contrary to your expectations the King hath sent to you saying come and sup with me come and sit at my table Hath God dealt so with any people He hath feasted you in a time of famine and spread a table for you in a howling wildâ—…rness Doth not this extraordinary providence think you call upon you for some extraordinary duty And do not you think in your consciences that it is this duty Why else hath God propounded it to you and urged it upon you in such a time as this is If you neglect it it may cause God to take away the Corâ—… and wine from you and to break the stasf of 〈◊〉 Thirdly What do you know but God put it into the heart of his servant to press this duty at that time to try whether you were real in that love and loyalty which you did then prosess to him I suppose you all understand the transactions that passed there between God and you that God did put his seal to the Covenant that he would make good all the mercy promised and that you did put your seal thereby binding your selves to the performance of all the duties required Fourthly Consider when another such opportunity is offered to you how will you be able to look God in the face Methinks that man should not dare to come to the Sacrament and again put his seal to the Covenant that hath knowingly and willingly broken his last engagement Fifthly Doth not your own looseness and the enemies profaneness and the present dispensations that you are under call upon you for more than ordinary strictness in your lives and conversations The Lord have mercy upon us what prejudice have we brought to the Gospel by our carnal careless conversations VVhat pitch of profaneness are the enemies of God risen to They are not afraid to bid him defiance at his face In what a doleful case are many of our brethren abroad in the world and how sad is it like to be with us The glory of God is gone from the publick to your houses and are you not afraid I am sure there is reason enough to think that it will take its flight from thence too And doth not all this call upon us aloud in the language of the prophet Lam. 3. 40. Let us search and try our ways and turn unto the Lord. If we look behind us and see what we have been If about us and see how devilish men are And above us to see the black clouds that hang over our heads we cannot but see that it is time to take another course to live more like Christians And what course so likely to effect this as daily self-examination serious consideration is the best way to sound and thorough reformation Sixthly Consider the excellent advantages that will come to thee by taking this course Christian wouldst thou have peace of conscience The sence of Gods love shed abroad upon thy
others Secondly He is more skilful than others First He is more useful than others The fruit of the Righteous is a tree of life The Righteous is not a barren tree but he is a fruitful bough as Joseph was And he doth not bring forth his fruit unto himself His fruit is a tree of life As the tree of life would give life to them that should eat thereof so the fruit of the Righteous is such that those thâ—…t will hearken to his Counsel shall partake with him of eternal life When others are as thorns and brambles fruitless unuseful of no value in Gods world the Righteous is a fruitful tree and as a tree of life in the midst of the world Secondly He is more skilful and â—…wise than others And would you know wherin his wisedome lyes It is in winning of Souls Doct. That it is a chief part of a Believers duty and the chief point of a Believers wisdom to gain Souls unto God First 'T is the duty of a Believer to gain Souls Though he must begin at home with his own soul yet he must not Terminate there but he must look abroad after others Souls He must not be as a tree that bringeth forth fruit to himself alone but he must be a tree of life that whosoever plucketh of his fruit to make use thereof shall live And then Secondly 't is his wisedom As in the text so Daniel 12. 3. And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever They be the wisemen that turn others to Righteousnesse Here I shall shew you First That 't is 〈◊〉 chief part of his duty Secondly That 〈◊〉 a chief point of his wisedome to gain Souls Firstly That 't is a chief part of his duty and this appears First Because this is one chief point of 〈◊〉 love to Jesus Christ. Wherein did Paul discover his love to Jesus Christ in any thing as 〈◊〉 this in his zeal and industry to save Souls Rom. 9. 1 2 3. And thus doth Moses evidence his love Exo. 32. 31 32. If you would shew your Love to Jesus Christ this is the best way in all the world to evidence it Math. 25. You may see how carefully Christ takes notice of any kindness done to the bodies of his elect but O how much more will he take notice of the love to the Souls of his Elect Secondly Because this is the chief point of our love to our Brethren You know that Christ tels us that all the Law and the â—…phets hang upon this thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart c. And thy Neighbor as thy self If the Law doth bind thee to preserve the Chastity and estate of thy Neighbor how much more doth God require of thee that thou preserve the Soul of thy Neighbour This is the principal point of love Jam. 5. 20. He that converteth a sinner from the error of his wayes shall save a Soul from death and shall hide a multitude of sins If God requires that thou help thy Neighbours Ox and his Ass how much more must thou help thy Neighbors Soul from hell Thirdly Because this is the principal means of bringing glory to Christ. Every soul that is brought in to Christ is a Jewel put into the Crown of Christ. And wouldest thou not be ambitious of such a service as this Every soul thou bringest into Christ is an eternal Monument set up by thee to the name of Jesus Christ. Wouldest thou have much service done for Jesus Christ O then labor to bring in Souls to him that may do his work here in the world Wouldest thou have much praise to the name of Christ O then labor to bring in Souls to Jesus Christ. Every Soul brought in to Jesus Christ is a Trumpet of his praise The glory of a King is in the multitude of his subjects And so 't is of Christ. This is the great way wherein we are capable to further the glory of Christ in the world to bring in many Souls to Jesus Christ. Fourthly Because this is a principal subject of our prayers This is one grand petition Thy Kingdome come In which petition we pray that the Kingdom of grace may be advanced our selves and others brought into it and kept in it Now 't is a great part of a Christians business to live sutable to his prayers Secondly That 't is the chief point of a Christians wisdome to gain Souls unto Christ. This appears First Because Souls are the goodly pearls that are of great price with Christ. O there is no Merchandise like to that of Souls No gain like to the gain of Souls One Soul is of more worth than all the world You may see of how great price Souls are with Jesus Christ by the great price that he laid down for Souls Did Christ spend his blood for Souls and wilt thou not spend thy breath for Souls This is a principal part of wisdome to deal like wise Merchants in goodly pearls A wise man will not spend his time for trifles that is Childish but his wisdome doth appear in the weight of those things that he layes out his time and pains upon Oh if you would appear to be wise lay out your time and strength for Souls If thou couldest gain but one Soul what a happy gain would that be Secondly Because Souls will be the most glorious Crown in the day of Christ. No Crown like to this the Crown of Souls The time is coming when a Crown of Soulâ—… will be found to be of another manner of value than a Crown of gold What was the Crown that Paul wishes for It was for the Souls that he had converted 1 Thes. 1. 19. What is our hope or joy or Crown of rejoycing are not even ye in the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ at his coming Why were these Pauls Crown because he had converted them by his Ministry upon the same account he cals the Phillipians Phil. 4. 1. My joy and Crown of rejoycing Thirdly Because we shall most effectually promote the good of our own Souls by endeavoring to gain others Souls By teaching of others thou shalt teach thy self By exhorting others thou shalt excite and stir up thy self And nothing will redound to thy advantage so much as thy laboring to gain Souls though Israel be not gathered yet shall I bé glorified Fourthly Because this will be an evidence of our own sound conversion if we lay out our strength and time to convert others In John 1. 41. We shall see those young converts when they were but touched they labor to bring in others presently So that if thou wouldest evidence thine own sincerity to thy Soul thou shouldest lay out thy endeavor for the good of others Souls First Use Is it so that 't is a chief part of a Christians duty anda chief point of a Christians Wisedom to gain Souls to
shall reckon that he hath so much gold so much treasure laid up in heaven and when it comes to be tryed all his Gold shall prove but Counters O consider what a miserable estate that will be when you shall come with them Lord Lord we have been a praying people and have owned and followed thee and he shall say away you Hypocrites you shall have the reward of Hypocrites there was not the soundness of Religion in you O what a miserable disappointment will this be Jam. 1. 26. He speaks there of some that did but seem to be religious and deceive their own souls There be some men their Religion will serve for no other end but to deceive their own souls to undo them because they are unsound in their Religion There are many Professors that when they come to receive the reward of their duâ—…ies they will receive another manner of reward than they thought of they think to receive the reward of their prayers and keeping the Sabboth and the like but he that taketh notice of the heart knoweth their prayers were but a taking of his name in vain When they think to have eternal life for their reward God will say I will give you the reward of your works I sound your works to be but hypocrisie and you shall have the reward of Hypocrites O Brethren I beseech you consider it It is an awakening truth but deserves your consideration there are many that will not only be undone by their swearing and deceiving and the like but many will be undone by their praying and hearing I mean they will be undone by them by making them the matter of their righteousness before God and by their confidence and trust and leaning to their duties There be many persons whose prayers and good duties will serve for no other end but to blind them and harden them to their own destruction If you perform religious duties and do not look into the manner of performing them and take care that you be upright you may come to blind and harden your selves by them O there are multitudes of Professors in Hell this day for wanting care to enquire into this what ingredients there were in their duties whether they sprang from principles of grace or but from common convictions whether they were done for and from themselves more than from and for God This made Luther say that he was afraid more of his good works than of his sins for his good works were apt to lift him up but his sins did keep him humble O Bretheren you had need to look about you Satan can make a snare of your good duties to catch your souls by There are two wayes whereby men may be undone by their duties 1 when they make them as a supposed righteousness when men do perform Religious duties and expect that these should obtain the favour of God and remission of sins or at least should help with the merits of Jesus to make up a righteousness for them on which they may climb up to heaven and stand before God Thus those carnal Jews though they were zealous of their duties required by the Law yet they were lost by going about to establish those as a righteousness of their own Rom. 10. 3 2 when they make them as a mistaken evidence There are many persons I conceive that are so far convinced of the sinfulness of their duties that they do not lean to these as their Righteousness before God that those should obtain Gods favour and their pardon yet they do conclude that this is an evidence that they have an interest in Christ and hereby they deceive their own souls Object But you will say are not our good duties signs of our right to Christ doth not the Scripture say he that doth Righteousness is righteous I answer good works are indeed a good sign of faith but then you must look to this that they be sincerely good But â—…ow many do conclude because the work is done that therefore they are in Christ when as they do not look into the bottom of their duties whether they be done in sincerity or hypocrisie and so do but deceive their own souls by trusting to them because their duties are not sincere O my Brethren how effectually are many Professours undone by this That are so hardned in their estate that it is more hard to bring them into Jesus Christ than those that are openly prophane Thus it was observed in our Saviours ministry that it was more hard to bring in the Self-justisying Pharisees than the Self-condemning Publicans Secondly Another mischief of this is this is the cause of so much pride and self-considence in duty Had Laodicea but made a due search into her duties you should have heard another manner of speech from her O my poverty Hypocrisie Deadness Formality Lord pitty my woful state this would have been the language you would have heard from her but now because she did not search into the bottom this did lift her up and made her think so well of her case The reason why we are so well perswaded of our selves is because we do not see into our selves Did we but throughly reflect upon and search into our duties when they are performed we should run to God for pardoning grace As Neh. last 22. Remember me O my God for good He did thus after his great zeal for God and work of Reformation He slies to God to pardon the sins of his duties O Christian if thou didst look into thy duties thou wouldst see enough to make thee ashamed of them thou wouldst be ready to cross what thou hast written and to cut out thy work and pick it out stitch by stitch But now persons not searching into their duties this makes them stick and be confident in them Thirdly This is the cause of so much barrenness in prosiciency in the ways of God did the Christian but duly examine his own duties and espy the defects of the present duty and be sure to amend that the next time that was amâ—…ss now this would make him in a little time come to a wonderfull prosiciency in godliness But when men go on in a customary course and do not find out their errours it is no wonder they go on in their errours in one tract duty after duty yea one year after another A Christian that is careless in the examining of his duties that doth not observe the failings of his duties to amend at one time what was amiss before he will be but a Bungler in Religion all his dayes But he that is carefull to examine it that he may amend what was amiss this man will soon come to be his Crafts-master in his Trade Fourthly This is the cause of so much ignorance of our own estate It is no wonder that so many Professors are at a loss about their condition it is for want of looking into their Religion They do not know whether they be sound or unsound
burning so 't is here 't is Christs coming hath sayed us from burning in this 〈◊〉 surnace How terrible this furnace is you may see Rev. 14. 10. The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God which is poured out without mixture into the cup of hâ—… indignation and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the lamb and the smoak of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever And they have no rest day nor night O methinks the very sight of this surnace at a distance should startle our Souls and make us list up our hands and eyes and souls and praise the Lord. O methinks we that are the redeemed of the Lord we should stand together about the pit and look down and list up our hearts and praise the Lord. Fourthly From the King of terrors He hath saved you as from the Devil so from Death You know death is the mortal enemy of man 't is his great and last enemy and now this enemy hath Christ destroyed and delivered us from And that both from the sting and victory of it First From the sting of death He hath not delivered us from the stroke of death but he hath from the sting of death When the sting is out the serpent may hisse but he cannot sting Death will put you into the possession of that which Christ hath provided for you so that death now is become desirable now there is beauty in it There is no friend can do that for you that death can do It will at once deliver you from sin and Satan and give you a possession in heaven The Apostle looking upon death through Christ longs for death having a desire to depart c. Phil. 1. 23. This great robber through Christ is become our greatest gain That which would have marr'd us for ever will now make us for ever O that this King of terrors should become desirable what a mercy is this O my beloved did you know what the terrors of death be to an enlightned sinner you would account it a great priviledge to be sree from the sting of death When all his comforts are taking their everlasting farewell of him you would account it a great salvation then When he shall feel death putting in his cold hands and pulling out his heart when he sâ—…ail see his house of his body falling down about his ears and he cannot stay there any longer and he sees the hell-hounds stand about him and waiting upon him to carry him to Hell O what horror doth this work upon his heart this hath Christ delivered us from Death hath lest its sting in Christ it can hurt us no longer Secondly From the victory of death It is true we must lye in the grave for some time yet Christ will fetch us thence in John 6. He promiseth no lesse than four times I will raise them up at the last day And this is the fruit of his purchase 1 Thes. 4. 14. Christs resurrection is a certain pledge of ours so 1 Cor. 15. Therefore let us not fear death but embrace it with comfort for death cannot touch our souls it cannot deliver us over into the second death He that overcometh shall not be hurt of the second death Therefore let us not fear death but let our slesh rest in hope When we dye we may commit our bodies to the dust with comfort it cannot hurt our souls and it shall keep our bodies but a little while neither God will receive our souls immediately our bodies after a little while How doth Job comfort himself in this I know that my redeemer liveth and though after my skin worms destroy this body yet in my slesh shall I see God c. Thus may we triumph over death that in this flesh we shall see God And though death for the present do make such work upon us and cast us into the grave yet the earth will be but the mould wherein we shall receive a glorious body so that death shall conduce to our great advantage This is no little victory to be able to triumph with the Apostle O death where is thy victory This is no small priviledge Bless your redeemer for this priviledge VVhat a priviledge well this be when all the Sons and daughters of God shall be brought sorth and made to stand up before him then it shall appear that the grave was not able to hold them Then will they triumph and sing songs of salvation when they shall set their feet upon their last enemy death Secondly It will appear what blessed news this is if you consider how he hath saved you He hath saved you two ways by might and by merit â—…irst By merit Brethren your salvation cost your redeemer dear no less a price than his own invaluable blood O believer look upon thy self art not thou a worthless thing to be redeemed with the price of Christs blood O how should we admire the goodness of Christ here we are not worthy that Christ 〈◊〉 sâ—…end one of his thoughts upon us much less that he should spend his blood for us Seconly By might my brethren it was absolutely requisite for our salvation that our redeemer as he should be of infinite merit so of infinite might If he had not been of infinite merit he could never have been purchaser of heaven for us The soul of one man is more worth than a whole world and then what worth or value must that be of that is able to buy a world of souls and yet this purchaser must be able to buy heaven too and this hath Christ done for us Could heaven and earth have done this no no it would have broken them all if they had done it But now Christ hath done all for us and therefore he must be of insinite merit And not infinite in merit onely but might too for he was to bear all the wrath of God and to bring us off with victory If the wrath of Gods finger be so intolerable that it makes poor creatures to cry out under it what is the wrath of his loins and if the wrath of God against one man is so great what is his wrath against so many men VVhen the price was laid down the devil would not yield up his hold till Christ must come and cast him down and pluck us from him And therefore it was necessary that our redeemer should be of infinite power He hath destroyed him that had the power of death that is the devil Ah brethren we may behold the Lord Jesus Christ upon the cross bowing himself as Sampson did and pulling down the house about his enemies and carrying away the posts and all and setting us free This is our Sampson that hath carryed all away and destroyed our enemies for us The price was sufficient to satisfie the justice of God for us but when the price was paid and paid to God then
to thee Doubt not of my help dost thou think that I would give my self for thee and will not give my hand for thee do not doubt that I will cast thee off dost thou think that I have suâ—…ered all this for thee and that I will cast thee off at last no no. Secondly Believe the infiniteness of my power This is the language of Christ from his crosse believe the exceeding greatnesse of my power He speaks thus O man what if thou shouldst have no friend but I cannot I uphold thee These shoulders that did bear up under all that Hell could invent against me shal not they uphold thee fear not to commit thy self with considence to me See I am able to keep what thou committest to my trust Thirdly Believe the full expiation of all thy sins I am here a satisfaction for thy sin Fear not I am thy atonement thy peace thy propitiation of thy sins what though thou art empty behold the fulness of my satisfaction what am I here for I am cut off but not for my self 't is for thee This is my meaning in my death this is the end why I am upon the crosse to make expiation for sin and bring in everlasting righteousness All you like sheep are gonâ—… astray and God hath laid on me the iniquities os you all Believe it God will not require the debt of the principal and surety too Doth 〈◊〉 trouble thee at any time sprinkâ—… it but with this blood and it will be at peace Art thou afraid to come into the preâ—… of God do but carry me with thee and thou shalt be safe Fourthly Believe the truth of all Gods threatnings here thou seest all the threatnings of God executed upon me See here and believe what God will do to those that go on in their trespasses If he laid so much on me what will he do to them believe also his threatnings of correcting you 〈◊〉 you sin for he will punish your sins with rods and your iniquities with chastisements Fifthly Believe the certainty os all my promises this is another word that Christs crosse and death speaks to you what 〈◊〉 the meaning of this death of mine and of this blood and satisfaction of mine but that the covenant might be ratified and all the promises sealed and nothing diminished but all my Testament and covenant might he ratified for ever Behold this blood that flows from my wounds is sprinkled upon the people for the purifying of them All is as sure as my death and blood can make them Here thou seest all ratisied in my blood Man thinkest thou that I would dye with a lye in my mouth dost thou think that I would suffer all this for thee is I meant not to do thee good Sixthly Believe thy unquestionable right and title to the Kingdom of glory Why here thou dost see the price and ransome the money paid down and what meaneth all this thinkest thou but to buy in thy name into the inheritance Now Christians where is your faith O methinks your sails should be up Methinks you should be triumphing though you are here in the world As Paul Who is he that condemns it is Christ that died Why what objections can be made what can unbelief say that cannot be answered here in the death of Christ shall I muster up all its force tell you what the death of Christ doth speak to it give me leave to touch upon some of them First methinks I hear unbelief objecting from the terribleness of Gods threatnings O sayes the soul my heart melteth within me while I hear the wrath of God threatned against sin methinks I come lately from Mount Sinai wher I heard the Law given withthe Trumpet a shout and a curse pronounced upon all that kept not the words of this Law O how can my soul bear up against all these curses But now how sweetly doth the crosse of Christ and death of Christ answer thy fears Hear thy Saviors language O soul be not afraid do not thou fear and flag all these threatnings were intended against me all wer fulsilled upon me Justice hath nothing to say to thee all the curses are met together upon me That is the meaning of it that thou mayst be free though I take in the wrath of the Lord into my own body Oh! behold me behold me see how full I am of the wrath of God in body and soul my soul is exceeding sorrowful even unto death Methinks I should hear thee say now Lord I see my liberty in thy bonds My salvation in thy torment and pain I have seen thy sorrow and out-cry and understood the meaning and intent of all that it was to remove the curse from me Now arise O my soul and inherit the blessing Therefore was Christ made a curse that the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles What was the blessing of Abraham I will bless thee and make thee a blessing I will bless them that bless thee and curse them that curse thee And again I establish my Covenant between me and thee Rejoyce O my soul rejoyce and let my soul rejoyce in God my Saviour O my soul God hath blessed thee and shall bless thee Feâ—…r not now the mouth of the Law is for ever stopt thou shalt never hear one curse more of the flaming mouth of the Law O soul what canst thou wish for that is not laid up in the everlasting covenant he hath said he will be a God to thee Canst thou be able to know the immensity of his covenant all is made over to thee Second Object But sin begins to rise up The soul begins to cry out of his sins O the multitude multitude of my sins they are gone over my head and I am sore afraid I have nothing to pay my debt But hear now what Christ speaks to thee This is the language of his death and wounds fear not sin Have I been so long with thee and dost thou not know me Philip so saith he to thy soul what been here so long with me and conversed with me so long and dost thou not know me yet are thy sins infinite and are not my merciâ—…s infinite are thy sins great and am not I God above all equal with the father O look unto me and rest in the fulness of my satisfaction I am thy surety All thy debts be upon me all thy wants are upon me what if thou hast nothing to pay I have enough for me and thee I am the Scape-goat that have carried away thy sin into a land of forgetfulness I have slain the enmity of sin upon the crosse and have reconciled you to my Father Here is redemption full redemption plentiful redemption behold my blood speaketh peace to you Wilt thou not believe the voyce of my death and blood to thee thus Christ's death can speak sufficiently to all that thy sins can say ' against thee Now doth not thy faith stand upright yet
will lye heavy at many doors without repentance Repent O Masters of your unnecessary hardnesse and rigor to the bodies but especially of your cruelty to the souls of your servants Have you been as careful to train them up in the knowledge of their Câ—…eator as in the knowledge of your trades have you taught them how to pray as well as how to work and instructed them in the mystery of their salvation as much as in the mystery of their callings have you looked for as good an account of the principles of Religion or or of the Sermon of them as of the task you have set them and the work in which you have employed them O that you had repent O you â—…usbands of your harshness bitterness not dwelling with your wives as men of knowledge Repent you Parents of your fond indulgence to Children sparing their sins neglecting their souls Repent you wives of your wilfulnesse and frowardnesse and disrespectfulnesse to them towards whom the Almighty cals sor your reverence and obedience Repent O Children of your fearful ingratitude in slighting and disobeying your Parents a sin under which the earth do groan Repent you Servants of your slothsulness wastfulnesse unfaithfulneesse and eye-service and disobedience that all families almost are filled with the complaint of O that there might be some way to recover the credit of Religion from the wounds that it hath received by the neglect of relative duties well let every man resolve to mend one O see what hath been amisse in your hearts and in your houses and set upon repenting and reforming VVithout this our prayers will return upon our own heads without an Answer Never think the storm will cease till the Jonas be thrown over Beloved this is that that God doth wait for Throw over the head of Sheba and the 〈◊〉 will be soon broken up I am apt to transgresse I shall conclude my Counsels with my prayers that a spirit of Repentance and Reformation may be poured out upon you and so rest yours in all manner of obligations to serve you and to suffer for you Joseph Alleine To the dearly beloved the flock of Christ in Taunton Salvation Most loving and dearly beloved THE care of you is continually upon me I desire no other felicity than to serve the glory of Christ in you and to enjoy him with you And blessed be his hame he is no stranger neither to us nor you Let all his prisoners praise him let all his people praise him Now is the sweetnesse beauty excellency of Christ to be seen Now may we learn the suavity of his communion the worth of his promises the all-sufficiency of his fulnesse Now taste and see Sit you down under the safest sweetest shadow of his protection and eat of his fruit The tree is good for food and pleasant to the eyes except fully blind And a tree to be desired to make one wise Take of the fruit thereof and eat not as Jonathan who tasted but a little of the honey upon the top of his rod but eat abundantly This is no forbidden fruit Here is no surfeting You must live upon him every day and in every duty May every one of you be able to say as Paul to me to live is Christ then you live like Christians when Christ is the staff of your life When Christ is both its Spring and its end When you take root in him and grow up into him May every one of you be a tree of Righteousness whose roots may spread into him whose aspiring top may be still shooting upward reaching out toward him live as those that have no life but in him And study to be able to say as Paul that it is not you that live but Christ living in you You live in vain while you live not for him without Christ you are dead while you live You are of him and through him and for him From whom shall he have glory if not from you the inanimâ—…te unreasonable Creatures cannot praise him unlesse in a dumb and silent manner as they are the occasion and incentives of our praising him The devils and ungodly will not praise him The silver Trumpet of his praise is found onely in the hands of a few poor believers Ah! sound you forth his praise in the world let your lips sing let your light shine Let your lives be at last as a canâ—…le wasted and burnt out in holding forth the light Now beloved study that you may go out with comfort that you may have your hearts as full as they can hold with joy to think when you are ready to breath forth your last well my daies are run out for Christ and my strength is exhausted in the service of Christ. My time is gone and my labor done but my Oyl is wasted in the work of God I have spent my Fathers allowance in my Fathers business This will make you to arise and say I will go to my Father with boldness and confidence and not as the Prodigal when he had spent the portion of goods which his Father had allotted him with diffidence and fears of his being rejected You know my business is but to bespeak you for Christ. I have four requests to present you for him Thus are my requests but his Commands First Let the ballance be turned by Christ. Let Christ and his interest turn the scale against all the world Let him be the Pearl and the world the dung Let Jesus be King and Mammon as a despised broken Idol or as the stamped Calf Let Christ be the prize the rest but losse Let gain give way to godliness Let credit crack rather than Conscience stretch be no body with the world rather than dishonor Christ to keep up your reputation with men Let all the flowers of pleasures wither the paint fall off this harlots face when set by Christ. Let the silver shrines and great Diana be as Nehushtan 2. Kings 18. 4. And the crown fall from the head of honour and the great Idol to come down into the dust before Jesus Christ and lye like Dagon before the Ark with head and hands broken off upon the threshold Keep the world at your feet as a servant or rather under foot as an enemy But if it hath the heart you are undone Where Christ hath not the swaying-interest all is rotten at the bottom Secondly Let the Byass of your wils be set towards Christ. The needle of the will was at first touched with a magnetick verttue which turn'd it towards God as the needle is turned towards the pole but now by the fall it hath quite lost its vertue and will stand any where but where it should But God by fanctifying grace doth new-touch this needle though it may by an accidental violence be too too easily shakenyet it will never rest at a wrong point but be unquiet and in continual restlessness and agitation till it stand direct towards Christ. If any thing but