how can ye break my holy Commandments with what face dare ye do these things Now I say very ingenuity makes the soul to cry out as Saul did Is this thy voice O my God is this thy voice have I alas I have done wicedly I will do so no more I will go home LORD I will go home I will hunt after thy Name and thy Glory no more for thou Oh love though thou didst finde me thine enemy yet didst thou let me go well away Oh saith Ingenuity shall I now be an enemy to the God that hath been a friend to me God forbid Ah no I will go home Take but one instance of this overcoming consideration wherein you shall see backsliders returning upon this very account in Jer. 3.22 Returne ye backsliding children saith the Lord and I will heal your backsliding What followes hereupon Behold we come unto thee Oh Lord our God What Ingenuity if any left can stand it out against such sweet invitations such not only alluring but securing promises surely none Behold we come Thus much or thus little may suffice concerning the Doctrinal part to have shewen you That remembring or calling to minde from whence we are fallen doth very much conduce to our recovery and how it doth it by working upon our Modesty Fear and Ingenuity What remains now But to beseech every one to remember whence ye are fallen for we are all fallen short of the glory of God And here we might take an occasion to look as farre back as Paradise and to view that innocent state wherein man once stood and there also to take an account how well it was with man then when he stood before God having no clothing but his innocency and therefore needed not to be ashamed though naked no sin no shame Certainly my beloved it is not with us alas it is not with us our blushing tells us that it is not with us as when we came out of the hands of God Our feare also tells us that it is not with us as when God made us if God should come to us as he did to Adam and say Adam where art thou where art thou O man I am afraid that he would finde as well as make us afraid he would finde us running behinde the trees of the garden to shelter our selves and say I heard thy voice and was afraid Now I say let us call to mind from whence we are fallen for we are all Renegadoes we are all degenerated we are all slidden back fallen down into a lumpish earthly condition Oh let us look back again to Paradise and let our eyes affect our hearts that we may be re-instated yea into a better Paradise even into the second Adam the Lord Christ from heaven heavenly There 's no way to Paradise but by Christ This day shalt thou be with me in Paradise Be with me marke that when a man is with Christ that I may allude he is then in Paradise then truly in happinesse That day wherein Christ comes to a mans houso salvation comes to a man and that day that a man comes to Christ he comes to salvation Oh let us long to be dissolved in this sense to die to our sins that we may be with Christ that we again enjoy that old acquaintance which man had with God before he sinned before shame and before fear seized upon our hearts But seeing this is not the direct meaning import or scope of this place I shall passe it by having given it this touch by the way This word preperly relates to us as we have pretended to look heaven-ward again by having an eye to Christ making a profession of the Name and fear of God and that which it calls upon us for is to consider whether it be with us as at first whether it be with us as in the dayes of our youth when we came in to God in the beginning of our dayes Let us look back a little and remember from whence we are fallen for I am afraid it will be made appear that we are fallen not only short of God for that we are at best but short of our selves we are not as we were we do not do as we did it is not with us as in moneths past Now that you may know whether and wherein you are fallen and so remember it as to repent and do the first works I shal shew you what Christians are at their first coming in and conversion to God I shall draw the picture of their life though not to the life and set before you some of their frames and works at first There are ten things which I shall commend to your consideration with my prayer to God that they may conduce to recovery The first thing is this First That at the first Professours looked more after goodnesse then after greatnesse they minded more the beautifying of their soules then the â—â—â—orning of their bodies they minded more eternity and the things thereof then they did time and the things thereof they cared more to be the Lords people then to be Lords amongst the people When others cry Who will shew us any good corne and wine and oâ—le their cry is Lord lift up upon us the light of thy countenance Let us enjoy our God take the world who will This I believe some of you know was once your heart well then if now thou minde greatnesse more then goodness the adorning of thy body more then the beautifying of thy soul and the things of this world more then the things of eternity and eternal life thou art fallen O remember from whence thou art fallen Souls had wont to be so taken up with the longing after communion with God that they were scarce at leisure to bestow their looks upon the worlds vanity If thou now be at leisure to bestow thine heart thou art fallen O remember then from whence thou art fallen It is a very glorious frame that is mentioned concerning our forefathers in the 11th of the Hebrewes Abraham and Jsaac and Jacob in the 13th vers These all died in faith not having received the promises but having seen them a far off were perswaded of them and embraced them to embrace a promise at a thousand years distance two thousand years distance that is noble faith and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth for they that say such things declare plainly that they seek a Countrey Mark their whole busines was to go home to God all their travel in this world was to travel heaven-ward they make no more use of this earth but to set their feet on it and walk on heaven-ward they declared plainly no Demonstration is more evident then that Abraham and Isaac and Jacob sought a Countrey that they were not taken up with the things of this world they sought a countrey Now my beloved if we are come to this that we declare plainly that we sit down and build our houses our
that never did them hurt but good all their dayes A God who when they wanted bread fed them when they wanted water smote the rock and gave them drink He was no wildernesse to them in the wildernesse While they were in a barren land God was fruitfulnesse to them he rained Manna from Heaven and fed them with Angels food and gave them Honey out of the rock c. Now after this expostulation when a man reflecting upon himself shall look back upon and read over his wayes and then finde I had no reason to break the holy just and good commandments of my God I can give God no account why I should returne to folly why I should walk after vanity lying vanities why I should forsake my first love What follows hereupon but shame and blushing so that for very shame the man repents and returnes to do his first works 2. Remembring from whence we are fallen works upon us by way of fear There is in man a fear when he hath committed evil fear falls upon him and the man is afraid lest the iniquitie of his heels should overtake him You know that no sooner had Adam sinned but the man was afraid and hid himself for fear No sooner had Cain sinned but Cain was afraid and presently his countenance fell When men fall their countenance and their courage falls When once men remember from whence they are fallen they feare lest threatnings should take hold of them and are afraid lest God should reward them according to their iniquities God shakes his rod over backsliders and threatens them that if they do not come to him he will come c. If they come not to him for their safety he will come to them for their ruine Now very feare lest the wrath and damnation which God hath denounced against sinners should fall upon them and be their portion very feare I say ingages them to returne And my beloved God doth allow in us this principle of fear none of the faculties or affections of man are extinguished but all made use of in working man God-ward God doth not only make use of a mans modesty love and ingenuity but he makes use also of that fearfulnesse that is in man and therefore you shall finde that Christ himself surely not for nought gives this rule to his own Disciples Fear not him that can kill only the body but fear him that can take soul and body and throw them into hell I say unto you Fear him And as the Apostle saith so may I Knowing the terror of the Lord we perswade men Knowing what a dreadfull thing 't is to fall into the hands of the living God we perswade men to remember from whence they are fallen and to repent 3. But then thirdly remembring from whence we are fallen works upon our ingenuity too Man is a very docible and teachable creature and is exceedingly wrought upon by courtesies and kindnesses Now when a soul sees that God doth not only threaten him in case he do nor come in that he shall be damned but also promises him in case he do come in that he shall be welcome that he shall be saved this so works upon mans ingenuity that he cannot finde it in his heart to stand it out against such a God A God of love and kindnesse who promises all the entertainment that love can make for poor souls and Oh Lord how sweet will that be God deals not with man after the manner of men Jer. 3.1 They say saith God If a man put away his wife and she go from him and become another mans shall she return again No say they by no means But I say Thou and though thou hast plaid the harlot with many lovers yet come and welcome to me saith the Lord. Now what soul can finde in its heart when God saith Come and I will pardon all thy backslidings I will forgive all thine iniquities I will entertain thee and remember thy sin no more thou shalt never heare of it again I will never upbraid thee with falling from thy first love if thou wilt return and make thine abode with me What soul I say can look God in the face and turne his back upon that face that lovely and smiling lovelooking face Who can do it I remember a very notable instance of this ingenuity in Saul towards David it 's a place worth your turning to it to reade and observe it 1 Sam. 24. You know that David had an advantage against Saul and could have cut off his head but David cuts off only the lap of his garment to let Saul know that he could for it was in his power to have done more Now said David Behold this day thine eyes sufficient witnesses have seen how the Lord had delivered thee into mine hands and some bade me kil thee would I have observed the opportunity of providence or attended to counsel I had slain thee but mine eye spared thee whose eye spared not me and I said I will not put forth mine hand against my Lord though my Lord hath put forth his hand against me Moreover my Father if thou doubt it see yea see the skirt of thy Robe in my hand for in that I cut off the skirt of thy Robe and killed thee not know thou and see for 't is undeniably true that there is no transgression in my hand that I have not sinned as 't is charged upon me as if I sought not only the Crown but the Kings life that I might have his head and then the Crown and if not Why Oh why huntest thou my soul i.e. my life to take it Here is DAVIDS plea. Let us now see the issue and successe thereof vers 16. It came to passe when David had made an end of speaking these wordes that Saul melting and weeping said Is this thy voice my son Oh my son David and Saul lift up his voice and wept and he said yea and had cause to say to David Thou art more righteous then I and he proves it clearly thus For thou hast rewarded me good whereas I rewarded thee evil and thou hast demonstratively shewed this day that thou hast dealt well with me for as much as when the Lord had delivered me into thine hand thou didst not kill me which he wondred at upon this account if a man finde his enemy will he let him go well a way Oh no and at last saith the Text Saul went home Saul scorned to be so base to hunt after Davids life any more No but Saul went home Why now here is the case the very case my beloved we are all every one of us a backslidden man that 's fallen into the hands of God He might have cut off our heads but Oh mercy he only cuts off the skirt of our garments and when he hath done he shewes it us and then askes us Oh ye sinners ye sinners how can yeo hunt after my Glory how can ye hunt after my Name
Palaces and out Cities as if this were to be our rest are we not fallen Surely if Abraham and Isaac and Jacob were alive they would blush to see Professours in our dayes that Pilgrims should take up their abode on earth Well then Remember from whence thou art fallen and go to thy old wont again look after goodnesse more then greatnesse and communion with God more then enioyment of the world But then in the second place II. At the first when Believers come in to Jesus Christ they are very industrious in all holy duties publickly and privately they will take paines for God and for their soules and will not offer unto God that that cost them nought They will rise early and go to bed late I and eat the bread of carefulness The doing of their fathers will for that is their meat and their drink and certainly if it be not thus now thou art fallen if thou put off God with any thing nay may I not fear put off God with nothing art thou not fallen Thou hadst wont to have been much in prayer and much at hearing if now thou art but little at prayer little at hearing art thou not fallen They had wont to long for Sabbaths and O when will they come and now they thinke Sabbaths long and when will they be gone art thou not fallen O member from whence thou art falen do thy first works pray as in the dayes of old and hear as in the dayes of old with an appetite Many a time some of your souls know that you could leave the world to follow prayer and hearing and now do not your souls tell you to your face you can leave prayer and hearing for the world and is not this a fall I and the fall is great O remember from whence thou art fallen and do thy first works to thy old industry again My beloved it is a great mistake to think that duties are drudgeries if people abound in duty they are afraid lest they should come under a Covenant of Works why my beloved I tell you that under the Gospel you must work for your living Work out your salvation with fear and trembling I say it again under the Gospel you must work for your living He that will not labout in this sense he shall never eat I am afraid that many under pretence of fearing a Covenant of Works have thrown away the Works of the Covenant O remember from whence ye are fallen and to your first works againe up and be doing be as industrious as ever at hearing and praying for it is for your souls But then III. Beleevers and professors at first when they began to be Saints though they prayed much and heard much they thought it all but little yea all nothing unlesse they enjoyed God in all these if they at any time came to the wells and found no waters they have gone away shamed if they had come to her come to prayers and have not enjoyed God have not foūd their hearts wrought upon to be made the more humble the more holy by it they have gone sighing away with groans they have departed from the very Throne of Grace well then but if now thou canst be contented with bare hearing though thou be never the better for it and with bare praying though never the better for it I tell thee thou art falen O remember from whenoe thou art fallen and to thy first works again Never think that the work is done till thou be drawen neerer to God by it as the Apostle saith so order it that all your meetings may be for the better and not for the worse Now when are our meetings for the better but when we are the better for our meetings What is it to draw near to God in prayer if we be not drawn nearer to God by prayer What is it to go and aske for humility and abide proud to go and aske for heavenly-mindednesse and abide earthly What is this will bare praying argue the souls communion with God No but when a soule is cast into the mould of his prayer and hath enioyed the frame he hath prayed for then he may say he hath had communion with God an◠therfore I say return to your first works never think hearing and praying enough unlesse you have your God in and the work of God upon your hearts But then IV. Christians primitive let me call them primitive Christians at their first coming in to God all their expresions to God and man are genuine natural without Art ceremony or complement they deal down-right plainly and honestly with God and man their prayers to God they are not a heap of words but a streame of affection they are not a multitude of expressions but breathings and longings of soul after God their heart first speaks their words and then their words speak their hearts to God they feel what they do I but now if thy expressions to God be matter of Art and matter of complement if thou put God off with a parcel of good language thou art fallen Time was when thy heart spake first if now thy tongue run before thy heart thou art fallen O remember to do thy first works again And as to men their expressions were as honest and as cordial and as sincere as to God they spake what they meant and they meant what they spake they did not speak every one to his neighbor with a heart and a heart I am afraid we have too sad a cause to make complaint with the Prophet in the 12th Psal Help Lord the godly man ceaseth the faithfull failes from among the children of men they speak vanitie everyone with his neighbour with flattering lips and with a double tongue do they speak a heart a heart that is they so speak that a man doth not know them when they speak A man can lay no more stresse upon their words then upon the wind they give one as good words as any in the world and one hugges himselfe to think O this will come to something and all these words come to nothing This was not at first men made conscience first of speaking and then of performing men were shie of promising but if they promised they were so honest as to keep their words though they lost by it though it were to their hurt though it were to their prejudice if it be not so now thou art fallen O remember then I may say thy first words in this sense and let thy words and thy expressions be genuine and natural the very breathings of thy heart do not complement with God or man But then in the fifth place for I will dispatch all I can V. Believers or Christians or Saints call them what you will at their first coming in they have a very high and honourable esteem of them that bring them in their hearts are knit to them who knit their hearts to God they are almost married to them that
married them to Christ they love them so dearly so cordially I wil shew you but one instance to speak for all the rest In Galatians 4. It pleased God to make use of Paul to convert the Galatians to bring them home to Jesus Christ now saith he in the fifteenth Verse When my temptation was in my flesh you despised not nor rejected but received me as an Angel of God yea as Christ Jesus If Christ himself had come in person you could not have given him more honourable entertainment and a more cordial welcome then you gave me But now saith he Where is then the blessednesse you spake of before for I bear you record that if it had been possible you would have plucked out your own eyes to have given them to me Surely they were dear indeed that were dearer then ones own eyes and yet marke but the next Verse Am I become your enomy because I tell you the truth They that once at first would have pulled out their eyes for Paul would at last have pulled out Pauls eyes and were they not fallen think you Time was when beautiful were the feet of them that brought the glad tidings of peace not only beautiful were the glad tidings of peace which they brought but they that brought them were beautifull that is they were welcome why now with what face canst thou say the tidings of peace which they brought are lovely but they that brought them are loathsome with what face canst thou say it I am always afraid that that which is brought is never welcome when they that bring it are not welcome My beloved time was to my knowledge time hath been when a godly Minister that God hath made use of to convert a soul Ohow dear was he and how near was he lodged to the hearts of such Persons but ah but now not a good look nor a good word for them that did them no wrong but this to bring them in to Christ pardon them this wrong What saith Paul Am I become your enemy because I tell you the truth O forgive me this wrong I seek to save you you seek to undo me pardon me that wrong My beloved I durst ask many a soul whether if ever they knew Jesus Christ indeed and in truth God did not use some or other Minister of the Gospel to bring them in I say generally if so why then should not that be as desirable to bring thee up that was desirable when it brought thee in Is it an injury to help thee heaven-ward doth it do thee any wrong to save thy soul if so be their enemie though they tel thee the truth but if it do good to thee and to save thy soul be a courtesie make much of them If God should take away the Candlestick or the Candle out of the stick thou would'st wish for it again but if any be otherwise minded let me tell them they are fallen and let me beseech them to remember from whence they are fallen and to repent and do their first works But in the sixth place VI. Beleevers at first upon their first advance heaven-ward while they put their foot forward to eternal life O how watchful were they over their hearts and over their wayes killing sinne in the very first motions of it I dare say that a thought of being proud a thought of being covetous a thought of sinning hath pierced their souls as a sword and O how have they gone mourning all that day long wherein they have found an earthly minde and an inclination to decline from God! So tender were their soules that if Satan did but offer a temptation their very hearts rise I and in their might they rise up against it and were so truly consciencious that they abstained from it I and abhorred the very appearances of evil If a thing did but look like sinne though it were not a sinne yet if it did but look like a sinne O how were they afraid to look at it how would they stand at a distance from pitch touch it not lest they should be defiled how shie were they of looking upon the wine when it was red in the glasse if a garment were but sported with the flesh O at what a distance would they stand Now My beloved if it be not so you are fallen if you have lost this tendernesse and lost this conscienciousnesse and can now make bold not only with the appearances of evil but with appearing evil apparent evils are you not fallen Time was when you were afraid to look like a proud person what now to be a proud person is it not to fal think ye Time was when they were afraid lest their carriage should give any body to think they were wanton I but now to carry it like wantons is it not to fall My beloved I beseech you remember your first works that good tendernesse and bleeding of soul at but a touch of sin Againe VII They were not only watchfull over themselves fearfull to offend and blessed is that man that so feareth alwayes but they were also watchfull over their brethren over one another they were their brothers keepers I and would not in any wayes suffer sin upon their brother and I must professe I do not know wherein professors are more fallen then in this It is true indeed they watch but is it not for one anothers haltings It is true indeed they will reprove but is it not with reproaches Saints had wont to go like Shem and Japhet backward to cover the nakedness of their brothers and now like wicked Cain who can fastest discover their brothers nakednesse and O what a fine thing it is if they can but find another as bad as themselves as if another mans sin would justifie them and free them from condemnation Moreover if these souls in the dayes of old could not gaine their brothet by exhortation or counsel or reproof why they would go home and mourne exceedingly as Jeremiah saith If I cannot prevaile I will go and mourn in secret and O how did their eyes run down with teares because others did not keep Gods Laws but alas now that that Paul would have told the world of weeping men tell the world of laughing and that is that there are men whose god is their belly who are enemies to the Crosse of Christ O remember from whence ye are fallen and do your first works Leave reproaches but use repoofs and instead of watching for haltings be sure to watch to keep from halting But to make hast in the 8th place VIII There was this remarkable and I beseech you observe it in all primitive Professors and all young beginners as I may call them they took a special care of all their Families and Relations comitted to their care O how did they travel in birth for their children till they were new-borne and travel again till Christ were formed in them O! how would they beseech the Lord that their
servants might serve God what care there was to make every one in the Family a Saint a holy wife a holy child a holy servant to have a Church in a house You know GOD called Abraham his frind why I know he will teach his children after him saith Joshua As for my part do you what you think good but I my house we will serve the Lord. O what care there was among the old Professors the old Puritans you cal'd them to bring up their children in the fear of God and to look to it that a vile person should not be let into much lesse abide in their house if they could help it But now My beloved is it not the sad complaint that is and is to be made no children more neglected then Professors children no servants more neglected then Professors servants O that this should be spoken in these days where there is more light in words but it seems more darknesse in deeds O remember from whence you are fallen To your old Family-work again O set up Family-duties again lif ever you mean to have good Families up with Family-duties again if ever you mean to have good Relations pray more with them pray more for them if ever you mean to have good children O give them up to God and teach them the fear of the Lord train them up in his paths betimes Little would one have thought that ever it should have been a question among Christians whether one should teach children the fear of the Lord whether one should teach a child the trade of his way when he is young that when he is old he may not depart from it I remember that it was the saying of a Heathen being asked what things we were to teach children to know We must said he teach them to know that when they are young that they must do when they are old that was his answer We were best call him a Christian and call Christians Heathens for by their practice both may be said Is it not a shame that it should be said no children so rude so vile so abusing the Name of God as them that will be forsooth the most eminent Professours and of them that have attained in pretention to more steps then ordinary heaven-ward But in the nineth place IX Saints at their first coming in to God in the beginning of their days they were visible Saints he that did run might read an alteration Alas the Saints are grown invisible and are they not fallen Tertullian tells us that Christians were known by the amendment of their lives no man so meek as the Christian no man so holy as the Christian so just so upright so faithfull as the Christian they were known all the world over by being the best men they were visible Saints a man might have tead the image of JESUS CHRIST in them and the verteus of their Master were limned over The lived the word of life in the works of their lives But now Saints I say are grown invisible and are they not fallen Truly there are scarce any outward words or works almost to be found by which one can discerne a Saint from a sinner in our age It was otherwise once but we are fallen They will tell you O what sweet enjoyments they have within it may well be within for none can see it without Christ tells us By their fruits saith he you shall know them And Hereby shall all men know that ye are my Disciples if ye keep my Commandments O we can talk of ravishments within and O what a place of Scripture was set home upon my heart at such a time and O how God ravished me upon such a day O but can ointment be hid can a man conceale coales in his bosome where is this humility and holinesse that should arise from this communion with God where is the righteousnes the justice the upright dealing amongst men that was wont to be visible amongst the Saints O that in a visible worldt he Saints should be invisible It is storied of a Philosopher if I mistake not the Cynick Diogenes that he went with a Lanthorn and candle at high noon into the Market-place the people asked him what he meant to do I am going to find out a man saith he A man say they here is a multitude of men here are store of men in the Market O saith he I would find out a man one that acts like a man and lives like aman Truly one might go would God there were no cause to say it through Congregations through such meeting places as these are with a lanthorn and candle amongst the Saints to finde out a Saint amongst Professors to finde out a Professor You will say here are store I here are Professors but where is that that is professed A man may find many that professe humility but where is that humility that is professed one may find many that professe holiness but where shall one finde the holinesse that is professed one may finde many that professe heavenly-mindednesse but where shall one find the heavenly-mindedness that is professed As he said Give me that tells me the man is a man so give me that too that tells me a Saint is a Saint give me that that makes a Saint visible a visible Saint for my Religion In the last place X. Saints at the first coming in to Jesus Christ were very choice of their company and of their communion they were not every bodies fellow at least every body was not theirs Saith Paul I am crucified to this world I and the world is crucified to me I am even with it saith he I pay it in its own coine the meaning of it is this the world thinks not the Saints worthy of their company and the Saints think not the world worthy of theirs At first they were very choice of their society 't was a vexation to their soul to live in Sodome an hell to them to be with Mesek and to have their habitation in the tents of Kedar they would not be amongst the crowde nor go with a multitude to do evil They were in very truth Separatists that is men that did withdraw from sin and sinners I mean no faction not this nor that but I say they were truly Separatists men that separated from sinne and sinners You have somewhat in one of Pauls Epistles as an answer to that question 1 Cor. 5.9 It seems the poor souls were very shie of their company what company they kept and therefore saith he I write to you not to keep company with Fornicators yet not with the Fornicators of this world for then ye must go out of the world the world is so full of them that you will scarce buy or sell but you will meet with a drunkard swearer fornicator or one sinner or other But saith he if there be any man that is called a brother any man that professeth the Name of God and the fear of God and this man be a fornicator or this man be covetous or this man be so and so I would not have you eat with that man no I would not have you so much as sit at his table much lesse at Gods Table with that man And the same Apostle saith 2 Cor. 6.14 Why will ye be unequally yoaked What communion hath light with darness What fellowship hath Christ with Belial or righteousnesse with unrighteousness To see a Saint a sinner keep company were to see the living the dead keep house together and you know what sweet work there is like to be Why now if thou be no more shie of thy company but likest all as if all were alike thou art fallen It may be thou canst please thy self as well in a fornicators company or in a drunkards company or in an earth-worms company or in a jesters company as thou canst in the company of a Saint or in the company of a dear child of God I tell thee if so thou art fallen O remember from whence thou art fallen and do thy first works Be choice saith he have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darknesse nor with the workers of darknesse but reprove them rather how by with-drawing from them by having no more fellowship with them For Saints to be intimate with sinners is to intimate that they are sinners and therefore I beseech you that you will please to remember from whence you are fallen and let us so remember as to repent Let it grieve our hearts that we have grieved our God and let us love him the more for that we have loved him so little let us now make strait steps to our feet and be double diligent and as it is said of another of the Churches let our works be more I and better at last then at first O that as we grow in days we may grow in grace and abound in the work of the Lord Thus my beloved let us remember and repent and do our first works and then when Jesus Christ comes we shall not need to fear the removing of Candlesticks but the lighting up of joy and peace to our souls I and he will say unto us Come ye blessed of my Father inherit the Kingdom prepared for you So much and no more for this time FINIS