counsels more likely then for you to over-top the Lord silly worms you know not what God is nor know you any one of his unrevealed thoughts no more then that Pillar doth know your thoughts you know not what you are your selves nor see any further then the superficies of your skin what is thy soul and when didst thou receive it Dost thou know its form or didst thou feel it enter which part didst thou feel it first possess Thou canst call it a Spirit but knowst thou what a Spirit is or rather only what it is not Thou knowest not that whereby thou knowest and how was thy body formed in the womb what was it an hundred years agoe what is that vital heat and moisture what causeth that order and diversity of its parts when will the most expert Anatomists and Physitians be agreed Why there are mysteries in the smallest worm which thou canst not reach nor couldst thou resolve the doubts arising about an Ant or Atome much less about the Sun or Fire or Air or or Wind c. and canst thou not know thy self nor the smallest part of thy self nor the smallest Creature and yet canst thou over-reach the everlasting Counsels 2. And is thy might and Power any greater then thy Policy Why what are the Kings and Rulers of the Earth but lumps of Clay that can speake and go moving shadows the Flowers of a day a corruptible seed blown up to that swelled consistence in which it appears as Children blow their bubbles of Soape somewhat invisibly condensate which that it may become visible is become more gross and so more vile and will shortly be almost all turned into invisible again that little dust which corruption leaves by the force of fire may be dissipated yet more and then where is this specious part of the man Surely now that body which is so much esteemed is but a loathsome lump of corruptible flesh covered with a smooth skin and kept a little while from stinking by the presence of the soul and must shortly be cast out of sight into a Grave as unfit for the sight or smell of the living and there be consumed with rotâ—enness and worm These are the Kings and Rulers of the Earth this is the power that must conquer Heaven and save them that rebel against Christ the Lord They that can not live a moneth without repairing their consuming bodies by food one part whereof doth turn to their vital blood and spirits and the other to most loathsome unsufferable excrements so neere is the kin between their Best and Worst Judge all you that have common reason whether he that cannot keep himself alive an hour and shortly will not be able to stirr a finger to remove the worms that feed upon his heart be able to resist the strengh of Christ and save the soul that God hath said and sworn shall not be saved Ah poor souls that have no better Saviours And well may Christ his Truth aud Cause prevail that have no stronger enemies Vse 1. You have here a Text that will fully inform you how you are like to speed at the Barr of Christ who shall dye and who shall live The great Assize is neare at hand the feet of our Judg are even at the dore go thy way unbelieving sinner when thou hast had all the pleasure that sin will afford thee lye down in the dust and sleep a while the rousing voice shall quickly awake thee and thine eyes shall see that dreadfull day O blessed oh dolefull day blessed to the Saints dolefull to the wicked O the rejoycing O the lamenting that there will be the triunphant shoutings of joyful Saints the hideous roaring cries of the ungodly when each man hath newly received his Doomâ— and there is nothing but eternal Glory and eternall fire Beloved hearers every man of you shall shortly there appeare and wait as the trembling prisoner at the Barr to hear what Doom must pass upon you Do you not believe this I hope you doe believe it Why what would you give now to know for certain how it shall then go with you why here is the Book by which you must be judged and here is the summe of it in my Text the grounds upon which the Judge will then proceed Will you but go along with me and answer the Questions which hence I shall put to you and search and judg your selves by them as you go and you may know what Doom you may then expect onely deal faithfully and search throughly for self flatery will not prevent your sorrow And here you must know that it is the kiss of the heart and not of the lips which we must here enquire after The question will not be at the Great Day Who hath spoke Christ fair or who have called themselves by the name of Christians or who hath said the Creed or the Lords Prayer oftnest or cryed Lord Lord or come to Church for carryed a Bible or who hath held this opinion or who that It would make a mans heart ake to think how zealously men will honour the shadow of Christ and bow at his Name and reverence the Image of the Cross which he dyed on and the names and reliques of the Saints that dyed for him and yet do utterly neglect the Lord himselfe and cannot endure to be governed by him and resist his spirit and scorne his strict and holy waies and dispitefully hate them that most love and obey him and yet belive themselves to be real Christians For God sake Sirs do not so delude your immortal souls as to think your Baptism and your outward devotion and your good meanings as you call them and your righteous dealing with men will serve the turn to prove you Christians Alas this is but with Judas to kiss the mouth of Christ and indeed to fetch your death from those blessed lips from whence the Saints do fetch their life I will shew you some surer signs then these 1. And first let me a little enquire into your subjection to Christ Do you remember the time when yon were the servants of sin and when Sathan led you captive at his will and the Prince of darkness ruled in your souls and all within you was in a carnal peace Do you remember when the Spirit in the word came powerfully upon your hearts and bound Sathan and cast him our and answered all your râ—asonings and conquered all your carnal wisdom and brought you from darkness to light and from the power of Sathan unto God Acts 26. 18. Or at least are you sure that now you live not under the same Lord and Laws as the ungodly do Hath Christ now the only soveraignty in your souls Is his word thy Law which thou darest not pass doth it bind thy thoughts and rule thy tongue and command thy self and all thou hast Hast thou laid all down at the feet of Christ and resigned thy self and all to his will and devoted all
the nature of sin to deceive and of a sinfull heart to be too willing of such deceiving and it 's the business of Satan by deceiving to destroy and with the most specious baits to angle for souls and therefore I must expect that those of you that are taken and are neerest to the pit should be least fearful of the danger and most confident to escape though you are conscious that you live not to God but to your selves But for my part I have read and considered what God saith in his Word and I have found such evidence of its certain truth that I heartily wish that I might rather live on a dunghill and be the sâ—â—â—n of the world and spend my few daies in beggery and calamity then that I should stand before the Lord my Judge in the case of that man whatever he be that is not in heart and life devoted unto God but liveth to his flesh for I know that if we live after the flesh we shall dye Rom. 8. 13. I had rather lie here in Lazarus poverty and want the compassion and releife of man then to be cloathed with the best and fare deliciously and hereafter be denyed a drop of water to cool the flames of the wrath of God I confess this is likely to seem but harsh and ungreatful preaching to many of you some pleasant fingles or witty sayings or shreds of Reading and pretty cadency of neat expressions were liker to be accepted and procure applause with them who had rather have their ears and phantasies tickled then rubbed so roughly and be roused from their ease pleasing dreams But shall I prâ—ach for my self while I pretend to be preaching you from your selves to God Shall I seek my seâ—f while I am preaching of the everlaâ—â—ing misery of Self-seekers God fobid Sirs I know the terrours of the Lord 2 Cor. 5 11. I believe and therefore speak Were I a Christian no deeper then the throat I would fish for my self and study more to please you then to save you I love not to make a needless stir in mens Consciences nor to trouble their peace by a Doctrine which I do not believe my self But I believe that our Judge is even at the door and that we shall shortly see him coming in his Glory and the Host of Heaven attending him with acclamations In the mean time your particular doom draws on the fashion of all these things passeth away as those seats will anon be empty when you are departed so it is but a moment till all your habitations shall change their possessors and the places of your abode and too great delight shall know you no more I must needs speak to you as to transient itinerant mortals who must ere long be carried on mens shoulders to the dust and there be left by those that must shortly follow you then farewel Honours and fleshly Delights farewell all the accommodations contents of this world O that you had sooner bid them farewelâ— Had you lived to Christ as you did to them he would not so have turn'd you off nor have left your dislodged souls to utter desolation In a word As â—uâ—e as the word of God is true if you own him not now as your Lord and Soveragin he will not own you then as his chosen to salvation and if now you live not To him you shall not then live With him Be not deceived God is not mocked for whatsoever a man soweth that shall he also reap for he that soâ—eâ—h to his flâ—sh shall of the flesh reap corruption but he that sâ—weth to the spirit shall of the 〈◊〉 everlasting life Gal. 6. 7. 8. Consider this ye that forget God lest he tear you in pâ—eces and there be none to deliver you Psal 50. 22. Beloved Hearers Believe as you pretend to Believe and then live as you do Believe If you believe that you are not your own but his that made you and bought you with a Price and that he will thus try you for your lives and everlasting comforts on this Question Whether you have lived to him or to your selves then live as men that do indeed believe it Let your Religion be visible as well as audible and let those that see your lives and observe the scope of your endeavours see that you Believe it But if you believe not these things but are Infidels in your hearts and think you shall feel neither pain nor pleasure when this life is ended but that man dyeth as the beast then I cannot wonder if you live as you believe He that thinks he shall dye like a Dogg is like enough to live like a Dogg even in his filthiness and in snarling for the bones of worldly vanities which the Children do contemn Having spoken this much by way of Exhortation I shall add a few words for your more particular direction that you may see to what my Exhortation doth tend and it may not be lost 1. Be sure that you look to the uprightness of your heart in this great business of devoting your selves to God especially see 1. That you discern and soundly believe that excellency in God which is not in the Creature and that perfect felicity in his love and in the promised glory which will easily pay for all your losses 2. And that upon a deliberate comparing him with the pleasures of this world you do resolvedly renounce them and dedicate your selves to him 3. And specially that you search carefully lest any Reserve should lurk in your hearts and you should not deliver up your selves to him absolutely for life and death for better and worse but should still retain some hopes of an earthly felicity and not take the unseen felicity for your portion It is the lot of the wicked to have their portion in this life Psal 17. 14. And let me here warn you of one delusion by which many thousands have perished and cheated themselves out of their everlasting hopes they think that it is only some grosser disgracefull sins as swearing drunkenness whoredom injustice c. that will prove mens perdition and because they are not guilty of these they are secure when as it is the predominancy of the interest of the flesh against the interest of God in their hearts and lives that is the certain evidence of a state of Damnation which way soever it be that this is expressed Many a civil Gentleman hath his heart more addicted to his worldly interest and less to God then some Whoremongers and Drunkards If you live with good reputation for Civility yea for extraordinary ingenuity yea for religious zeal and no disgracefull vice is perceived in your lives yet if your hearts be on those things which you possess and you love your present enjoyments better then God and the glory that he hath promised your case is as dangerous as the Publicans and Harlots you may spend your days in better reputation but you will end them in as certain
we are afraid of but the domineering of aspiring ambitious Presbyters viz. That Generation of godly learned humble Ministers who have done more then any before them to make themselves uncapable of preferment or domineering and when men disobey and disregard our doctrine it is not Christ but the Preacher that they despise and disobey And if the Jews might so have been their own Judges it was not the Son of God whom they crucified but an enemy to Caesar and a blasphemer that works by the Devil It was not Panl a Saint that they persecuted but one that they found to be a pestilent fellow and a mover of sedition amongst the people But were there no seditious persons but Apostles and Christians nor no troublers of Israel but Elias nor no enemies to Caesar but Christ and his friends Oh. God will shortly take off the vail of hypocrisy from the actions of the world and make them confess that it was Christ they resisted and that it was his holy waies and word that did kindle their fury else would they as soon have fallen upon the ungodly rabble as they did upon the most zealous and conscionable Christains And however you mangle and deform them with your false accusations and reproach he will then know and own his people and his Cause and will say to the world In despising them you despised me and in as much as you did it to one of these little ones you did it unto me As Dr. Stoughton saith If you strike a Schismatick and God find a Saint lie a bleeding and you to answer it I would not be in yor coat for more then you got by it Hath the world ever gained by resisting Christ Doth it make the Crown sit faster on the heads of Kings or must they not rather do to Christ as King John to his supposed Vicar resign their Crowns to him and take them from him again as his Tributaries before they can hold them by a certain tenure read over but this Psalm and judge Herod must kill the child Jesus to secure his Crown The Jews must kill him least the Romans should come and take away their place and Nation Joh. 11. 48 And did this means secure them or did it bring upon them the destruction wich they thought to avoid Or have the people been greater gainers by this then their Kings What hath England got by resisting his Gospel and Government by hating his servants by scorning his holy waies What have you got by it in this City what say you have you yet done with your enmity and resistance have you enough or would you yet have more If you have not done with Christ he hath not done with you you may try again and follow on as farre as Pharaoh if you will but if you be not losers in the latter end I have lost my judgement and if you return in peace God hath not spoken by me 1 King 22. 28 Sirs I am loth to leave you till the bargain be made What say you Do you heartily consent that Christ shall be your soveraign his Word your Law his people your Companions his worship your recreation his merits your refuge his glory your end and himself the desire and delight of your souls The Lord Jesus now waiteth upou you for your resolution and answer thou wilt very shortly wait on him for thy Doom as ever thou wouldst then have him speake life to thy soul do thou now resolve upon the way of life Remember thou art almost at death and judgement what wouldst thou resolve if thou knewest that it were to morow if thou didst but see what others do now suffer for neglecting him that doth now offer thee his grace what wouldst thou then resolve to do Sirs it stirreth my heart to look upou you as Xerxes upon his Army and to think that it is not an hundred yeares till every soul of you shall be in Heaven or in Hell and it may be not an 100 hours til some of your souls must take their leave of your bodies when it comes to that then you will cry Away with the world away with my pleasures nothing can comfort me now but Christ why then will you not be of the same mind now When the world cryes away with this holiness and praying and talking of heaven give us our sports and our profits and the customes of our fore-fathers i. e. away with Christ and give us Barabbas then doe you cry away with all these and give us Christ Oh if it might stand with the will of God that I might chuse what effect this Sermon should have upon your hearts verily it should be nothing that should hurt you in the least but this it should be It should now fasten upon your souls and pierce into your Consciences as an Arrow that is drawn out of the quiver of God it should follow thee home to thy house and bring thee down on thy knees in secret and make thee there lament thy case and cry out in bitterness of thy spirit Lord I am the sinner that have neglected thee I have tasted more sweetness in the world then in thy blood and taken more pleasure in my earthly labours and delights then I have done in praying to thee or meditating on thee I have complemented with thee by a cold profession but my heart was never set upon thee And here should it make thee lie in tears and prayers and follow Christ with cryes and complaints till he should take thee up from the dust and assure thee of his pardon and change thy heart and close it with his own If thou wert the dearest friend that I have in the world this is the success that I would wish this Sermon with thy soul That it might be as a voice still sounding in thine eares that when thou art next in thy sinfull company or delight thon mightest as it were heare this voyce in thy Conscience Is this thine obedience to him that bought thee That when thou art next forgetting Christ and neglecting his worship in secret or in thy family or publique thou mightest see this sentence as it were written upon thy wall Kiss the Son least he be angry and thou perish that thou mightest see it as it were written upon the â—ester of thy Bed as oft as thou liest down in an unregenerate state and that it may keep thine eyes waking and thy soul disquieted and give thee no rest till thou hadst rest in Christ In a word If it were but as mâ—ch in my hands as it is in yours what should become of this Sermon I hope it would be the best Sermon to thee that ever thou heardest it should lay thee at the feet of Christ and leave thee in his arms Oh that I did but know what Arguments would perswade you and what words would work thy heart hereto If I were sure it would prevail I would come down from the Pulpit and go from man to man upon
Actually unwilling If a man have so accustomed himself to murder drunkeness stealing or the like wickedness so far that he cannot leave it will you therefore forgive him or will any Judge or Jury hold him excused Or rather think him the more unfit for mercy 5. Note also that the want of a supernatural Habit no nor the presence of the contrary Habit do not Efficiently determine the will to particular acts much less take away its natural Freâ—â—om 6. And that till Habits attain an utter predominancy at least there is a Power remaining in the will to resist them and use means against them Though Eventually the perverse Inclination may hinder the use of it The three and twentieth Excuse I have heard from learned men that God doth determine all Actions Natural and Free as the first Efficient Physical immediate Cause or else nothing could Act. And then it was not long of me that I chose forbidden Objects but of him that irresistly moved me therto and whose Instrument I was Answ This is a trick of that wisdom which is foolishness with God and to be deceived by vain Philosophy 1. The very principle it self is most likely to be false and those that tell you this to err Much more I think may be said against it then for it 2. I am sure it is either false or reconcileable with Gods Holiness and mans liberty and culpability so that its a mad thing to deceive yeur selves with such Philosophical uncertainâ—ies when the Truth which you oppose by it is infallibly certain That God is not the Author of sin but man himself who is justly condemned for it is undoubtedly true and would you obscure so clear a Truth by searching into points beyond homane reach if not unsound as you conclude them The four and twentieth Excuse But at least those learned Divines among us that doubt of this do yet say that the will is necessarily and infallbly Determined by the Practical Understanding and that is as much unresistibly necessitated by Objects and therefore whatever act was done by my understanding or will was thus necessitated and I could not help it Theâ— say Liberty is but the Acting of the faculty aggreeably to its nature And it was God as Creator that gave Adam his faculties and God by providential dtspose that presented all Objects to him by Which hi understanding and so his Will were unvoidable necessitated Answ This is of the same nature with the former uncertain if noâ— certainly false Were this true for ought we can see it would lay all the sin and misery of this world on God as the unresistible necessitating Cause which because we know infallibly to be false we have no reason to take such principles to be true which infer it The understanding doth not by a necessary efficiency Determine the will but morally or rather is regularly a Condition or necessary Antecedent without which it may not Determine itself Yea the Will by commanding the sense and phantasie doth much to determine the Understanding As the eye is not necessary to my going but to my going right so is not the Understandings Guidance necessary to my willing there the simple Apprehension may suffice but to my Right willing There are other wayes of Determining the Will Or if the Understanding did Determine the Will Efficiently and Necessarily it is not every act of the Understanding that must do it If it be so when it saiâ—h This must be done and saith it importunately yet not when it only saith This may be done or you may venture on it which is the common part which it hath in sin I am not pleased that these curious Objections fall in the way nor do I delight to put them into vulgar heads but finding many young Schollars and others that have converted with them assaulted with these Temptations I thought meet to give a touch and but a touch to take them out of their way As Mr. Fenner hath done more fully in the Preface to his Hidden Manna on this last point to which I refer you I only add this The will of man in its very Dominion doth bear Gods Image It is a self Determining Power though it byassed by Habits and needs a Guide As the Heart Vital Spirits by which it acteth are to the rest of the Body so is It to the soul The Light of Nature hath taught all the world to carry the Guilt of every crime to the will of man and there to leave it Upon this all Laws and Judgements are grounded From Ignorance and Intellectual weakness men commonly fetch Excuses for their faults but from the Will they are Aggravated If we think it strange that mans will should be the first cause so much as of a sinful mode and answer all occuring Objections it may suffice that we are certain the Holy Majesty is not the Author of sin and he is able to make all this as plain as the Sun and easily answer all these vain Excuses though we should be unable And if we be much ignorant of the frame and motions of our own souls and especially of that high self determining principle Free-Will the great spring of our actions and the curious Engine by which God doth Sapientially Govern the world it is no wonder Considering that the soul can know it self but by Reflection and God gave us a soul to use rather then to know itself and to know its qualities and operations rather then its Essence The five and twentieth Excuse No man can be saved nor avoid any sin nor believe in Christ but those whom God hath predestinated thereto I was under an irreversible Sentence before I was born and therefore I do nothing but what I was predestinated to do and if God decreed not to save me how could I help it Answ 1. Gods Judgements are more plain but his Decrees or secret purposes are mysterious And to darken certainties by having recourse to points obscure is no part of Christian Wisdom God told you your Duty in his word and on what terms vou must be Judged to Life or Death Hither should you have recourse for Direction and not to the unsearchable mysteries of his mind 2. God decreeth not to Condemn any but for sin Sin I say as the Cause of that Condemnation though not of his Decree 3. Gods Decrees are acts Immanent in himself and make no change on you and therefore do not necessitate you to sin any more then his fore-knowledge doth For both cause only a necessity of Confequence which is Logical as the Divines on both sides do Consess And therefore this no more caused you to sin then if there had been no such Decree And it s a doubt whether that Decree be not negative A willing suspending of the Divine will as to evil or at most A purpose to permit it The six and twentieth Excuse If it be no more yet doth it make my perdition unavoidable For even Gods foreknowledge doth so
far mortified the flesh and subdued the world and the Devil that the Authority and Word of God can do more with him then any other and doth ordinarily prevail against all the perswasion and interest of the flesh so that the main scope and bent of the heart and life is still for God and when he sinneth he riseth again by true Repentance I say that soul and that only shall be Justified in Judgement and be saved 5. That soul that hath such Believing thoughts of the life to come that he taketh the promised blessedness for his portion and is resolved to venture all else upon it and in hope of his glory doth seâ— light comparatively by all things in this world and waiteth for it as the end of this life choosing any suffering that God shall call him to rather then to lose his hopes of that felicity and thus persevereth to the end I say that soul and none but that shall be justified in Judgement and escape Damnation In these five marks I have told you truly and briefly who shall be Justified and saved and who shall be condemned at the day of Judgement And if you would have them all in five words they are but the Description of these five Graces Repentance Faith Love Obedience Hope But though I have laid these close together for your use yet lest you should think that in so weighty a case I am too short in the proof of what I so determine of I will tell you in the express words of many Scripture Texts who shall be Justified and who shall be condemned John 3. 3. Except a man be born again he cannot enter into the Kingdom of God Heb. 12. 14. Without holiness none shall see God Luk. 13. 3 5. Except ye repent ye shall all likewise perish Acts 26. 18. I send thee to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light and from the power of Satan unto God that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an Inheritance among the sanctified by Faith that is in me Joh. 3. 15 16. 17 18 19. Whoever believeth in him shall not perish but have everlasting life he that believeth on him is not condemned he that believeth not is condemned already because he hath not Believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God and this is the condemnation that light is come in to the world and men loved darkness rather then light because their deeds were evil John 5. 28 29. The hour is coming in which all that are in the graves shal hear his voice shall come forth they that have done good to the Resurrect on of life and they that have done evil to the Resurrection of damnation Mat. 25. 30. Cast the unprofitable servant into outer darkness there shal be weeping gnashing of Teeth Lu. 19 27. But those mine enimies which would not that I should raign over them bring hither and slay them before me Mat 22. 12. 13. Friend how camest thou in hither not having on a wedding gatment And he was speechless Then said the King to the servants Bind him hand and foot and take him away and cast him into outer darkness c. Mat. 5. 20. For I say unto you that except your Righteousness exceed the Righteousness of the Scribes and Pharisees ye shall in no wise enter into the Kingdom of heaven Mat. 7. 21. Not every one that saith Lord Lord shall enter into the Kingdom of Heaven but he that doth the will of my Father which is in Heaven Heb. 5. 6. He is become the Author of eternall salvation to all them that obey him Rev. 22. 14. Blessed are they that do his Commandments that they may have right to the tree of life and may enter in by the Gate into the City Rom. 8. 1. 13. There is then no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus that walk not after the flesh but after the Spirit For if ye live after the flesh ye shall dye but if ye through the Spirit do mortifie the deeds of the body ye shall live Rom. 8. 9. If any man have not the Spirit of Christ he is none of his Gal. 5. l8 But if ye be Led of the Spirit ye are not under the Law Gal. 6. 7. 8. Be not deceived God is not mocked for whatsoever a man soweth that shall he also reap for he that soweth to the flesh shall of the flesh reap Corruption but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit read life Everlasting Matth. 6. 21. For where your Treasure is there wil your heart be also Read Psal 1. and many other Texts to this purpose of which some are cited in my Directions for Peace of Conscience Dir. 11. p. 115. 116. And thus I have told you from Gods Word how you may know whether you are ready for Judgement which is the fourth thing that I would advise you to enquire after O Sirs what shift do you make to keep your souls from Continual Terrours as you as long remain unready for Judgement How do you keep the Thoughts of it out of your mind that they do not break your sleep and meet you in your business and haunt you every way you go while Judgement is so neer and you are so unready But I shall proceed to say next Question Qu. 5 AND in the last place to those of you that are not yet Ready nor in a Condition wherein you may safe at that day ' my Question is How are you resolved to prepare for Judgement for the time to come Will you do no more than you have done hitherto Or will you now set your selves with all your might to make preparation for so great a day me thinks you should be now past all demurs delays or further doubtings about such a business and by the consideration of what I have said already you should be fully Resolved to lose no more time but presently to awake and â—eâ— upon the work Me thinks you should all say We will do any thing that the Lord shall Direct us to do rather then we will be unready for this final doom O that there were but such hearts in you that you were truly willing to follow the gracious Guidance of the Lord and to use but those sweet and reasonable means which he hath prescribed you in his Word that you may be ready for that day Alas it is no hard matter for me to tell you or my self what it is that we must do if we will be happy and it is no very hard matter to Do it so far ar we are truly willing but the difficulty is to be truly and throughly willing to this work If I shall tell you what you must do for preparation shall I not lose my labour Will you resolve and promise in the strength of Grace that you will faithfully and speedily endeavour to practise it whoever shall gainsay it Upon hope of this I will set you down some brief Directions
a season esteeming the reproacb of Christ greater riches then the treasures of Egypt for he had respect to the recompence of the reward I forbear citing more the case being so evident that God is set highest in the heart of every sound Believer they being in Covenant resigned to him as his Own On the contrary most of the unsanctified are Christians but in name because they were educated to this profession it is the common Religion of the Country where they live and they hear none make question of it or if they do it is to their own disgrace the name of Christ having got this advantage to be everywhere among us well spoken of even by those that shall perish for neglecting him and his Laws These men have resigned their names to Christ but reserved their hearts to flesh pleasing vanities Or if under Conviction aud terror of Conscience they do make any resignation of their souls to Christ it comes short of the true resignation of the sanctfied in these particulars 1. It is a firm and rooted belief of the Gospel which is the cause of sincere resignation to Christ â—ney are so fully perswaded of the truth of those things which Christ hath done and promised to do hereafter that they will venture all that they have in this world and their everlasting state upon it Wheras the belief of self-dâ—ceivers is only superficial staggering not rooted and will not carry them to such adventures Mat. 13. 2l 22 23. 2. Sincere self-resignation is accompanied with such a love to him that we are devoted to which over-toppeth as to the rational part all other love The soul hath a prevailing complacency in God and closeth with him as its chiefest good Psal 73. 25. 63. 3. But the unsanctified have no such complacency in him they would fain please him by their flatteries left he should do them any hurt but might they enjoy but the pleasures of this world they could be well content to live without him 3. Sincere self-resignation is a departing from our carnal selves and all Creatures as they stand in competition with Christ for our hearts and so it containeth a Crncifying of the flesh and mortification of all its lusts Gal. 5. 24. Rom. 8 1. to 14. There is a hearty renouncing of former contrad ctory Interests and delights that Christ may be set highest and chiefly delighted in But self deceivers are never truly mortified when they seem to devote themselves most seriously to Christ there is a contrary prevailing Interest in their minds their fleshly felicity is nearer to their hearts and this world is never unfeignedly renounced 4. Sincere self-resignation is resolved upon deliberation and not a rash inconsiderate promise which is afterwards reverst The illuminated see that perfection in God that vanity in the Creature that desirable sufficiency in Christ and emptiness in themselves that they firmly resolve to cast themselves on him and be his alone And though they cannot please him as they would they 'l dye before they 'l change their Master but with self-deceivers it is not thus 5. Sincere resignation is absolute and unreserved Such do not Capitulate and condition with Christ I will be thine so far and no further so thou wilt but save my estate or credit or lise But self-deceivers have ever such Reserves in their hearts though they do not express them nor perhaps themselves discern them They have secret Limitations Exceptions and Conditions they have ever a salve for their worldly safety or felicity and will rather venture upon a threatned Misery which they see not though everlasting then upon a certain Temporary misery which they see These deep Reserves are the soul of Hypocrisy 6. Sincere self-resignation is fixed and habituate it is not forced by a moving Sermon or a dangerous sickness and then forgotten and laid aside but it is become a fixed habit in the soul it is otherwise with self-deceivers Though they will oblige themselves to Christ with vows in a time of fear and danger yet so loose is the knot that when the danger seems over their bonds fall off It s one thing to be affrighted and another to have the heart quite changed and renewed It s one thing to hire our selves with a Master in our necessities and then serve our selves or run away and another thing to nail our ears to his door and say I love thee and therefore will uot depart So much for the first mark of one that lives not as his own but as Gods to wit sincere self-resignation The second is this 2. As the heart is thus devoted to God so also is the life where men do truly take themselves for his And that will appear in these three particulars 1. The principal study and care of such men is how to please God and promote his interest and do his work this is it that they most seriously mind and contrive Their own felicity they seek in this way 1 Cor. 7. 32. 33. Rom. 6. 11. 13 16. Col. 1. 10. 3 1 2 3. Phil. 1. 20. 21 24. It is not so with the unsanctified they drive on another design Their own work is principally minded and their carnal interest preferred to Christs They live to the flesh and make provision for it to satisfie its desires Rom. 13. 14. 2. It is the chiefest delight of a man devoted to God to see Christs interest prosper and prevail It doth him more good to see the Church flourish the Gospel succeed the souls of men brought in to God and all things fitted to his blessed pleasure then it would do him to prosper himself in the world to do good to mens bodies much more to their souls is more pleasing to him then to be honourable or rich To give is sweeter to him then to receive His own matters he respects as lower things that come not so neer his heart as Gods But with the unsanctified it is not so their prosperity and honours are most of their delight and the absence of them their greatest trouble 3. With a man that is truly devoted to God the interest of Christ doth bear down all contradicting interest in the ordinary course of his life As his own unrighteous righteousness so his own renounced carnal interest is loss and dung to him in comparison of Christs Phil. 3. 8. 9. He cannot take himself to be a loser by that which is gain to the souls of men and tendeth to promote the interest of his Lord. He serveth God with the first aud best and lets his own work stand by till Christs be done or rather owneth none but Christs His own dishonour being lighter to him then Christs and a ruined estate less grievous then a ruined Church therefore doth he first seek Gods Kingdom and its righteousness Mat. 6. 33. and chuseth rather to neglect his flesh his gain his friends his life then the cause and work of Christ it is far otherwise with the umsanctified they will
contentedly give Christ the most glorious titles and full-mouthed commendations Luke 6. 46 But they have one that is neerer their hearts then he their carnal self must sway the Scepter God shall have all that the flesh can spare if he will be content to be served with its leavings they will serve him if not they must be excused they can allow him no more The crying time is the parting time when God or the world must needs be neglected In such a straite the righteous are still righteous Rev. 22. 11. But the unsted fast in the Covenant do manifest their unstedfastness and though they will not part wlth Christ professedly nor without some witty distinctions and evasions nor without great sorow and pretence of continued fidelity yet part they will and shift for themselves and hold that they have as long as they can Luke 18. 23. In a word the sanctified are heartily devoted to God and live to him and were they uncapable of serviug or enjoying him theâ—r lives would afford them little content what ever else they did possess But the unsanctified are more strongly addicted to their flesh live to their carnal selves might they securely enjoy the pleasures of this world they could easily spare the fruit on of God and could be as willing to be dispenced with for his spirituall service as to persorme it And thus I have given you the true discription of those that live to their Redeemer as being not their own and those that live to themselves as if they were not his that bought them Having thus told you what the Word saith it followeth that we next enquire what your hearts say you hear what you must be will you now consider what you are Are all the people that hear me this day devoted in heart and life to their Redeemer Do you all live as Christ's and not your own If so I must needs say it is an extraordinary Assembly and such as I had never the happiness to know O that it were so indeed that we might rejoyce together and magnifie our deliverer in stead of reprehending you or lamenting your unhappiness But alas we are not such strangers in the World as to be guilty of such a groundless judgement Let us enquire more particularly into the case 1. Are those so sincerely devoted to Christ and do they so deny themselves whose daily thoughts and care and labour is how they may live in more reputation and content and may be better provided for the satisfying of their flesh If they be low and poor and their condition is displeasing to them their greatest care is to repair it to their minds if they be higher and more wealthy their business is to keep it or increase it that hunt after honour and thirst after a thriving and more plenteous state that can stretch their consciences to the size of all times and humour those that they think may advance them and be most humble servants to those above them and contemptuously neglect whosoever is below them that wil put their hands to the feet of those that they hope to rise by and put their feet on the necks of their subdued adversaries and trample upon all that stand in their way that applaud not men for their honesty but their worldly honours and will magnifie that man while he is capable of advancing them whom they would have scorned if providence had laid him in the dust that are friends to all that befriend their interest and designs and enemies to the most upright that cross them in their course that love not men so much because they love God as because they love them Are these devoted to God or to themselves Is it for God or themselves that men so industriously scramble for Honours and places of Government or of Gain Will they use their offices or honours for God that hunt after them as a prey as if they had not burthen enough already nor Talents enough to answer for neglecting Are those men devoted to God that can tread down his most unquestionable interest on earth when it seems to be inconsistent with their own Let the Gospel go down let the Church be broken in pieces let sound doctrine be despised let Ministers be hindered or tired with vexations let the souls of people sink or swim rather then they should be hindered in the way of their ambition I shall leave it to the trial of another day whether all the publike actions of this Age with their effects have been for God or for self This doth not belong to my examination but to his that will throughly perform it ere long and search these matters to the quick and open them to the world There were never higher pretences for God in an Age then have been in this had there been but answerable intentions and performances his affairs and our own had been in much better case then they are but enough of this Should we descend to mens particular families and conversations we should find the matter little better with the most Are they all for God that follow the world so eagerly that they cannot spare him a serious thought an hours time for his worship in their families or in secret that will see that their own work be done but for the souls of those that are committed to their charge they regard them not Let them be never so ignorant they will not instruct them nor cause them to read the Word or learn a Catechism nor will spend the Lords peculiar day in such exercises and it s much if they hinder not those that would Is it for God that men give up their hearts to this World so that they cannot have while once a day or week to think soberly what they must do in the next or how they may be ready for their great approaching change Is it for God that men despise his Ministers reject his Word abhor reformation scorâ— at Church Government and deride the persons that are addicted to his fear and the families that call upon his Name These men will shortly understand a little better then now they will do whether indeed they lived to God or to themselves 2. If you are devoted to God what do you for him Is it his business that you mind How much of your time do you spend for him How much of your speech is for him How much of your Estates yearly is serviceable to his interest Let Conscience speak whether he have your studies and affections let you familiars be witnesses whether he have your speeches and best endeavors let the Church witness what you have done for it and the Poor witness what you have done for them and the souls of ignorant and ungodly men what you have done for them shew by the work you have done who you have lived to God or your carnal selves If indeed you have lied to God something will be seen that you have done for him nay it is not
a something that will serve the trun It must be the Best Remember that it is by your Works that you shall be judged and not by your pretences professions or complements your Judge already knows your Case he needs no witnesses he will not be mocked with saying you are for him shew it or saying it will not serve Methinks now the consciences of some of you should prevent me and preach over the sharper part the Sermon to your selves and say I am the man that have lived to my self and so consider of the consequents of such a life But I will leave this to your Meditation when you come home and next proceed to the exhortative part of Application Men Brethren and Fathers the business that I come hither upon is to proclaim â—â—ods right to you and all that 's yours even his new right of Redemption supposing that of Creation and to let you know that you are all bought with a price and therefore are not your own but his that bought you and must accordingly be dedicated and live to him Honourable and Worshipful and all men of what degree soever I do here on the behalf and in the name of Christ lay claim to you all to your souls and bodies to all your faculties abilities and interests on the title of Redemption all is Gods Do you acknowledge his Title and consent unto his claim what say you are you his or are you not Dâ—re you deny it If any man dare be so bold I am here ready to make good the claime of Christ If you dare not deny it we must take it as confessed Beare witnesse all that God laid claime to you and yours and no man durst deny his Title I do next therefore require you and command you in his Name Give him his own Render to God the things that are Gods Will you this day renounce your carnal selves and freely confesse you are not your own and cheerfully aud unreservedly resign your selves to God and say as Jos 24. 51. As for me and my houshold we will serve the Lord. Do not ask what God will do with you or how he will use you or dispose of you trust him for that and obey his will Fear not evill from the chiefest good unless it be in neglecting or resising him Be sure of it God will use you better then Sathan would or then this world would or better then you have used or would use your seles He will not employ you in dishonorable drudgeries and then dash you in pieces He will not seduce you with swinish sensualities and keep you in play with childish vanities till you drop into damnation before you are aware Nor will he full you asleep in presumptuous security tiâ—l you unexpectedly awake in unquenchable fire You need not feare such dealing as this from him His Commandements are not grievous I Joh. 5 3. His Yoake is easie his burthen is light and tendeth to the perfect rest of the soule Mat 11 28 29 30. What say you will you hereafter be His unfeignedly His resolvedly unreservedly and constantly His Or will you not Take heed that you refuse not him that speaketh Heb. 12. 25. Reject not neglect not this offer lest you have never have another on the like termes again He is willing to pardon all that is past and put up all the wrongs that you have done him so you will but repent of them and now at last be heartily and intirely his not onely in tongue but in deed and life Well I have proclaimed Gods right to you I have offered you his gracious acceptance if yet you demur or sleepily neglect it or obstinatly resist him take that you get by it remember you perish not without warning The confession of Christs Right which this day you have been forced to shall remame as on recore to the confusion of your faces and you shall then be forced to remember though you had rather forget it what now you were forced to confess though you had rather you could deny it But I am loth to leave you to this Prognostick or to part on termes so sad to your souls and sad to me I will add therefore some Reasons to perswade you to submit and though it be not in my power to follow them so to your hearts as to make them effectual yet I shall do my part in propounding them and leave them to God to set them home beseeching him that maketh new maketh openeth and softneth hearts at his pleasure to do these blessed works on yours and to perswade you within while I am perswading you without that I may not lose my labour and my hopes nor you your souls nor God his due 1. Consider the fulness of Gods Right to you no creature is capable of the like He made you of nothing and therefore you have nothing which is not his He Redeemed you when you were fallen to worse then nothing Had not Christ ransomed you by being a sacrifice for your sins you had been hopelesly left to everlasting perdition give him therefore his own which he hath so dearly bought 1 Pet 1. 18. 2. Consider that you have no right of propriety to your selves if you have how came you by it Did you make your selves did you Redeem your selves do you maintain and preserve your selves If you are your own tell God you will not be beholden to him for his preservation Why cannot you preserve your selves in health if you are your own Why cannot you recover your selves from sickness Is it your selves that gives power to your food to nourish you to the Earth to bear you and furnish you with necessarâ—es to the Air to cool and recreate your spirits If you are your own save your selves from sickness and death keep back your age deliver your souls from the wrath of God answer his pure justice for your own sins never plead the blood of a Redeemer if you are your own If you can do these things I will yield that you are your own But no man can ransome his foul from death it cost a dearer price then so Acts 20. 28. You are not debtors therefore to the flesâ— to live after it Rom 8. 12. but to him that dyed to subdue the flesh Rom 6. 11. 3. None else can calim any Title to you further then under God upon his gift Men did not Create you or redeem you be not therefore servatns of men 1 Cor. 7. 23. unless it be under Christ and for him Certainly Sathan did not create you or redeem you what right then hath he to you that he should be served 4. Seing then that you are Gods and his alone is it not the most haynous theevery to rob him of his Right If they must be hang'd that roâ— men of so smal a thing as earthly necessaries wherein they have but an improper derived propriety what torments do those deserve that rob God of so precious a Creature that cost him so dear and
by your parents resign your self to Christ as his and renounce the flesh the world and the Devil and promise to fight under Christs banner against them to your lives end O happy person that performeth this Covenant and everlastingly miserable are they that do not Fides non recepta sed custodita vivâ—â—â—cat saith Cyprian It is not Covenant making without Covenant keeping that is like to save you Do you stand to the Covenant that you made by your parents or do you disclaim it If you disclaim it you renounce your part in Christ and his benefits in that Covenant made over to you If you stand to it you must perform your promise and live to God to whom you were resigned To take Gods oath of Allegiance so solemnly and afterward to turn to his Enemies which we renounced is a rebllion that shall not be alwaies unrevenged 11. Gods absolute dominion and soveraignty over us is the very foundation of all Religion even of that little that is found left among Infidels and Pagans much more evidently of the saving Religion of Christians He that dare say he believeth not this will never sure have the face to call himself a Christian Is it not a matter of most sad consideration that ever so many millions should think to be saved by a Doctrine which they believe not or by a Religion that never went deeper then the braine and is openly contradicted by the tenour of their lives Is a true Religion enough to save you if you be not true to that Religion How do men make shift to quiet their Consciences in such gross hypocrisie Is there a man to be found in this Congregation that will not confess that he is rightfully his Redeemers But hath he indeed their hearts their time their strength and their interest follow some of them from morning to night you shall not hear one serious word for Christ nor see any serious indeavours for his interest And yet these men will professe that they are his How sad a case is it that mens own Confessions should condemn them and that which they called their Religion should judge them to that everlasting misery which they thought it would have sav'd them from And how glorious would the Christian Religion appeare if men were true to it if Christs Doctrine had its full impression on their hearts and were expressed in their lives Is he not an exellent person that denyeth himselfe and doth all for God that goeth on no businesse but Gods that searcheth out Gods interest in every part of his calling and employment and intendeth that that whether he eat or drink or whatever he doth doth all to the glory of God 1. Cor. 10. 31. that can say as Paul Gal. 2 20. I am crucified with Christ neverthelesse I live yet not I but Christ liveth in me And Phil 3. 7 8. What things were gain to me those I counted loss for Christ yea doubtless and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord for whom I have suffered the loss of all things and do count them but dung that I may win Christ And Phil. 1. 21. For to me to live is Christ and to dye is gaine Perhaps you think that the degree of these examples is unimitable by us but I am sure all that will be saved must imitate them in the truth 12. Self-seeking is self-losing and delivering up your self and all you have to God is the only way to save your selves and to secure all The more you are His the more you are your own indeed and the more you deliver to him and expend for him the greater is your gain These Paradoxes are familiar tryed truths to the true Believer these are his daily food and exercise which seem to others such Scorpions as they dare not touch or such stones as they are not able to digest He knoweth that self-humbling is the true self-exalting and self-exalting is the infallible way to be brought low Luke 14 11. 18. 14. Mat 23. 12. He believeth that there is a losing of life which saves it and a saving of it which certainly loseth it Mat. 10. 39. 16. 25. O that I could reach the hearts of Self-seekers that spend their care and time for their bodies and live not unto God! That I were but able to make them see the issue of their Course and what it will profit them to win all the world and lose their souls O all you busie men of this world hearken to the proclamation of him that bought you Isa 55. 1 2 3. Ho every one that thirsteth come ye to the waters buy wine and milk without money or price wherefore do you spend money for that which is not bread and your labour for that which satisfieth not hearken diligently to me and eat ye that which is good and let your soul delight itself in fatness incline your ear and come unto me hear and your soul shall live and I will make an everlasting Covenant with you O sirs what a deal of care and labour do you lose how much more gainfully might your lives be improved Godliness with contentment is the great gain 1 Tim. 6. 6. That which you now think you make your own will shortly prove to be least your own and that is most lost which you so carefully labour for you that are now so idlely busie in gathering together the Treasurie of an Ant-hillock and building Childrens tottering piles you forget that the foot of death is coming to spurn it all abroad and tread down you and it together You spend the day of life and visitation in painting your phantasies with the images of felicity and in dressing your selves and feathering your nest with that which you impiously steal from God and you do forget that the night of blackness is at hand when God will undress you of your temporary contents and deplume you of your borrowed bravery How easily how speedily â— how certainly will he do it Read over your case in Luke 12. from 16. to 22. How can you make shift to read such Texts and not perceive that they speak to you When you are a pulling down and building up and contriving what to do with your fruits and saying to your selves I have so much now as will serve me so many years I will take mine ease eat drink and be merry remember then the conclusion But God said unto him Thou fool this night thy soul shall be required of thee then whose shall those things be which thou hast provided So is he that layeth up treasure for himself and is not rich towards God Are these things Yours or Mine saith God! whose are they if they are yours keep them now if you can either stay with them or take them with you But God will make you know that they are his and disrobe such men as thieves that are adorned with that which is none of their own this honour â—aith
for his Due and to take that up in your punishment which you denyed to give him in voluntary obedience You would all be His in the time of your extremity then you cry to him as your God for deliverance Hear him now if you would then be heard live to him now and live with him for ever A Popish Priest can perswade multitudes of Men and Women to renounce the very possession of worldly Goods and the exercise of their outward Callings in a mistaken devotedness to God May not I then hope to prevail with you to devote your selves with the fruit of your Callings and Possessions to his unquestionable service Will the Lord of mercy but fasten these perswasions upon your hearts and Cause them to prevail what a happy day will this prove to us all God will have his Own the Church will have your utmost help the souls of those about you will have the fruit of your diligence and good examples the Common-Wealth will have the fruit of your fidelity the poor will have the benefit of your charity I shall have the desired end of my labour and your selves will have the great and everlasting gain A SERMON Of the absolute Soveraignty of Christ And the necessity of mans Subjection dependence and chiefest love to him Preached before the Judges of Assize at WORCESTER By RICH. BAXTER Luke 19. 27. But those mine enemies which would not that I should reign over them bring hither and slay them before me LONDON Printed for Nevill Simmons Bookseller in Kidderminster l656 Christian Reader WHen I had resolved at the desire of the Honorable Judge of Asâ—ize to publish the foregoing Sermon I remembred that about six years before I had preached another on the like occasion on a subject so like and to so like a purpose that I conceived it not unfit to be annexed to the former I have edeavoured to shew you in both these Sermons that Christ may be preached without Antinomianisâ—â— that terrour may be preached without unwarrantable preaching the Law that the Gospel is not a meer promise and that the Law it self is not so terrible as it is to the rebellious As also what that super structure is that is built on the foundation of General Redemption rightly under stood and how ill we can preach Christs Dominion in his universal propriety and soveraignty or yet perswade men to sanctification and subjection without this foundation I have laboured to fit all or almost all for Matter and Manner to the Capacity of the Vulgar And though for the Matter it is as necessary to the greatest yet is it for the Vulgar principally that I publish it and had rather it might be numbred with those Boooks that are carryed up and down the Country from door to door in Pedlars Packs then with those that lie in Booksellers Stalls or are set up in the Libraries of learned Divines And to the same use would I design the most of my published labours should God afford we time and abily and contetious brethren would give me leave August the 7th 1654. Rich. Baxter A SERMON of the absolute Soveraignty of CHRIST Psal 2. 10 11 12. Be wise now therefore O ye Kings be instructed ye Judges of the Earth Serve the Lord with fear and rejoyce with trembling c. TTo waste this precious hour in an Invective against in justice and its associates is none of my purpose they are sins so directly against the principles in Nature so well known I believe to you all and so commonly preached against upon these occasions that upon the penalty of forfeiting the credit of my discretion I am bound to make choice of a more nccessary subject What have we need to spend our time and studies to perswade Christians from Bribery Perjury and Oppresson and from licking up the vomit which Pagans have cast out and that in an age of blood and desolation when God is taking the proudest Oppressiors by the throat and raising Monuments of Justice upon the â—â—nes of the unjust And I would fain believe that no corrupt Lawyers do attend your Judictures and that Iezabels witnesses dwell not in our Country nor yet a Jurie that feare not an Oath I have therefore chosen another subject which being of the greatest moment can never be unseasonable even to proclaim him who is constituted the king and Judge of All to acquaint you with his pleasure and to demand your subjection The chiefe scope of the Psalm is To foretell the extent and pevalency of the Kingdom of Christ admonishing his enemies to submit to his Goverment deriding the vanity of their opposing projects and furie and forewarning them of their ruine if they come not in The verses which I have read are the Application of the foregoing prediction by a serious admonition to the proudest offenders They contain 1. The Persons admonished Kings and Judges 2. Their Duty 1. In general to God serve him with the adjuncts annexed 1. Rejoycing 2. Fear and trembling 2. More specially their duty to the Son Kiss him 3. The Motives to this duty 1. Principally and directly expressed left he be angry which anger is set sorth by the effect and ye perish which perishing is aggravated 1. From the suddeness and unexpectedness in the way 2. From the dreadfullness kindled 1. It is fire and will kindle and burn 2. A little of it will produce this sad effect 3. It will be Woe to those that do not escape it which Woe is set forth by the contrary happiness of those that by submission do escape 2. The motives subservient and implyed are in the monitory words be wise be learned q. d. else you will shew and prove your selves men of ignorance and madness unlearned and unwise Some Questions here we should answer for explicaton of the terms As 1. Whether the Lord in v. 11. and the Son in v. 12. be both meant of Christ the second person 2. Whether the Anger here mentioned be the anger of the Father or the Son lest he angry I might spend much time here to litle purpose in shewing you the different judgement of Divines of these when in the issue there is no great difference which way ever we take them 3. What is meant by Kissing the Son I answer According to it's threefold object it hath a threefold duty contained in it 1. We kiss the feet in token of Subjection so must we kiss the Son 2. We kiss the hand in token of Dependence so must we kiss the hand of Christ that is Resign our selves to him and expect all our happiness and receivings from him 3. We kiss the mouth in token of love and friendship and so also must we kiss the Son 4. What is meant by Perishing in the way I answer omitting the variety of interpretations it is their sudden unexpected perishing in the heat of their rage and in pursuit of their designs dgainst the Kingdom of Christ I know no other terms of any great difficulty
please and make us such Laws and Conditions as seem best to his wisdom upon which our justification and salvation should depend He hath resolved that this shall be the only condition and way and that as no man shall be justified by a meer Christ or his death abstracted from Faith that is of Age and use of Reason so this Faith shall be the condition upon which they shall be justified or as a Christ neglected shall save no man so the accepting or receiving of him shall justifie and save them as the conditon of the Covenant performed under which Notion it is that Faith justifieth 2. Yet other improper or subordinate Reasons which receive their life from the former and without it would be no Reasons may be given as 1. From the equity and 2. From the sutbleness and conveniency 1. It is but equal that he who hath bought us and that so dearly and from a state so deplorable and desperate as we were in should be acknowledged and accepted for our Saviour and our Lord and that we who are not our own but are bought with a price should glorifie him with our bodies and souls which are his 1 Cor. 6. 20. 7. 23. Epecially when for that end he both dyed aud rose again that he might rule or be Lord over both quick and dead Rom. 14. 9. If one of you should buy a man from the Galleyes or Gallowes with the price of your whole estate or the life of your only Son would you not expect that he should be at your dispose that he should love you depend on you and be subject to you 2. And as salvation by free Grace through Christ is a way most sutable to Gods honor and to our own necessities and low condition so in subordination thereto the way of believing is most rationally conducible to the same ends As we could not have had a fitter way to the Father then by Christ so neither could there be a fitter way to Christ or means to partake of him then by Faith For though I cannot call it the instrumental Cause of our justification either Active or Passive yet is this Faith or Acceptation of Christ for our Saviour and King which is here called Kising the Son the fairest condition that we could reasonably expect and the most apparently tending to the honor of our Redeemer applying and appropriating to our selves the person righteousness and benefits procured and offered but noâ— the least of the houor of the Work All we do is but to accept what Christ hath procured and that must be by the special assistance of his Spirit too 4. The fourth thing I promised is to shew you Why no other Priviledge or Power in the world can save him that doth not kiss the Son It may here suffice that I have shewed you Gods determination to the contrary But further consider if any shonld hope to scape by their Dignities Titles Friends Strength or any other endowments or virtuous qualifications 1. What is their task 2. What is their power to perform it 1. They must resist the unresistible will of God They must do that which Heaven or Earth Men or Devils were never able yet to do They have resisted his Laws and his love but they could never resist his purpose or his power The power that undertaketh to save the Enemy or Neglecter of Christ must first overcome the power of the Almighty and conquer him that doth command the World And who hath the strength that is sufficient for this Sinner before thou venture thy soul upon such a mad conceit or think to be saved whether God will or not try first thy skill and strength in some inferiour attempt Bid the Sun or Moon stand still in the Firmament invert the several seasons of the year Bid the snow and frost to come in Summer and the flowers and fruits to spring in Winter command the streams to turn their course or the Tide its times or the winds their motion If these will obey thee and thy word can prevail with them against the Law of their Creator then maist thou proceed with a greater confidence and courage and have some hopes to save the neglecters of Christ Or try first whether thou canst save thy present life against the course of nature and will of God call back thine age and years that are past command thy pains and sickness to be gone chide back this bold approaching death Will they not obey thee Canst thou do none of these How then canst thou expect the saving of thy soul against the determinate will and Way of God Where dwelleth that man or what was his name that did neglect Christ and yet escape damnation Who hath hardned himself against him and hath prospered Job 9. 4. And dost thou think then to be the first Thou maist perhaps knock boldly at the Gate of Heaven and plead thy Greatness thy virtues thy Almsdeeds and formal devotion but thou shalt receive a sadder answer then thou dost expect Jesus we know and obediential Faith in him we know but who are ye 2 He that will save the soul that loveth not dependeth not on and subjecteth not himself to Christ must first make false the word of God and make the true and faithful God a lyer this is another part of his task God hath given it under his hand for truth That he that believeth not is condemned already Joh. 3. 18. That he shall not see life but the wrath of God abideth on him Joh. 3. 36. That they who are invited to Christ and make light of it or make excuses shall never taste of his Supper Luke 14. 24. Mat. 22. 5. 8. That it shall be easier for Sodom in the day of Judgement then for that City which refuseth the offers of the Gospel Mat. 12. 15. That whosoever would not have Christ to raign over them shall be brought forth at last and destroyed before him as his Enemies Luk. 19. 27. That they shall all be damned that believe not the truth but have pleasure in unrighteousness 2 Thes 2. 12 c. And hath the Almighty said that thus it shall be Who then is he that dare say it shall not be Is this the concluded Decree of Heaven what power or policy is able to reverse it hath God said it wil he not do it Thus you see his task that will undertake to save one neglecter of Christ 2. Let us now consider what Power that is that must perform it If it be done it must be either 1. By Wisdom or 2. By Strength whereas the chiefest of men even the Kings and Judges of the Earth are both ignorant and Impotent 1. Ignorant Though Judges are learned in the repute of the World Alas poor crawling breathing dust Do you know the secrets of your Masters counsel and are you able to over reach them and frustrate his designs Doth this Book know what is written in it Can the Seat you sit on over-top your
Prophet or a Disciple in the name of a Disciple Mat 10. 40 41 43. shall all these decide the Question Beloved Hearers I profess to you all in the Name of our Lord that it is not your bold and confident affirming that you love Christ which will serve your turn when Christ shall judge he will search deep and judge according to the truth in the inward parts How many thousands will then perish as his utter Enemies that verily thought themselves his friends How easily now might they finde their mistake if they would but be at the pains to examine themselves Oh try try Sirs before God try you judge your selves before Christ judge you It would grieve a mans heart that knows what it is to love Christ to believe to be subject to him to see how rare these are in the world and yet how confident and careless most men are It may be that you may think much that I so question your love yet Christ that knew all things questioned Peters love to him and that three times till it grieved Pâ—tâ—r I am a stranger to the most of you and therefore know not your conditions or inclinations yet judge me not censorious if I fear the worst and if I measure you by the rest of the world and then I may confidently and sadly conclude that Christ hath few loving Subjects among you If we could hear your Oaths and vain speeches turned to heavenly soul-edifying discourse and your covetousness to conscionableneâ—s and see that the word of Christ were your Law and that you laid out your endeavours for heaven in good earnest then we should say These People are the loving Subjects of Christ But when men are enemies to Christs Doctrine and ways and worship and had rather live after the flesh and the world and the traditions of their Fathers and are notorious for profaness superstition and enmity to Reformation who can chuse but condole your case and if your obstinacy will not endure us to help you yet you shall give us leave whether you will or no to lament you Vse 2. But its time that I turn my speech to Exhortation And oh that you would encourage me with your resolution to obey My business here to day is as his Herauld and Embassadour to proclaim the Lord Jesus your King and Saviour and to know whether you will heartily acknowledg and take him so to be or not and to perswade you to take so fair an offer while you may have it and to kiss the Son lest his wrath be kindled This is my business here in which if I had not some hope to speed the Lord knows I would not have been here to day You will say This is a common Errand do you think we never heard of hrist before I confess it is common blessed be God for it and long may it so continue and encrease and let it be as constant and durable to us as the Sun in the Firmament and the Lord grant that Englandâ— sins or Enemies may never bereave them of the blessing of the Gospel and then it will be a 〈◊〉 Land then yet ever was on the face of the Earth but is it as common to receive Christ in love obedience I would it were I know the name of Christ is common the Swearer doth swear by it the Beggar begs by it the Charmer puts it into his charms and the Jester into his jests and every Papist and ignorant Protestant doth mutter it oft-times over his Prayers But who trembleth at it or triumpheth in it who maketh it his Fear and his Joy and give up their souls and lives to be governed by Christ I do here solemnly proclaim to you that the Lord Jesus will not be put off with your complements he cares not for your meer name of Christianity nor your Cap nor your knee If thy heart be not set upon him thou art none of his His word must be your Law and you must depend on him alone for soul and body or never look for mercy at his hands He is the Author of eternal salvation to them only that obey him Heb. 5. 9. What say you then Sirs in answer to my message and what course do you resolve upon shall Christ be your love and your Lord or not Will you kiss the Son or will you sleight him stil methinks you should easily be resolved and say Away with pleasure and credit and worldly gain away with these bewitching delights and companions Christ hath bought my heart and he shall have it he is my Lord and I will be ruled by him Hearers I hope God hath kept your alive till now to show you mercy and brought some sinners hither to day to prevail with their hearts And my hope is somewhat strengthened by Gods disposal of my own Spirit I was strongly tempted to have preached this Sermon in the enticing words of humane wisdom tending to a proud ostentation of parts But Christ hath assisted me to conquer the temptation and commanded me to preach him in plainness and evidence of the Spirit I come not to perswade you to opinions or factions to be for this side or for that but to be with all your hearts for Christ as ever you look that Christ should be for you to love him as he that hath bought you from eternal wrath and dyed to save you from the everlasting burnings to lay hold on him with most earnest affectionate apprehension as a man that is ready to drown would do upon a bough or upon the hand of his friend that would pull him to the shore to wait for the Law of thy direction from him and do nothing till thou hast asked counsel at his word and know his mind whether thou shouldst do it or no till thou feel thy Conscience bound by his Law that thou canst not stirr till he give thee leave that the commands of parents and Princes may stoop to his much more the commands of custome and company of credit or pleasure of the world or flesh These are the things that I exhort you to and I must tell you that Christ doth flatly expect them at your hands I will here back these Exhortations with some perswading Considerations Think of what I say and weigh it as we go If I speak not truth and reason then reject it with disdain and spare not but if it be and thy Conscience tell thee so take heed then how thou dost neglect or reject it lest thou be found a fighter against the Spirit and lest the curse of God do seize upon that heart that would not yield to truth and reason And I will draw these Considerations only from my Text. 1. Thou art else a Rebel against thy Soveraign Lord. This I gather from the command in my Text and indeed the scope of the whole Psalm God hath given thee into the hands of his on and made him Lord and King of all commanded all men to accept him and submit
in peace How many have been swallowed up like Pharaoh and his Host in their rash and malicious persuit of the godly Little thinks many an ignorant careless soul what a change of his condition he shall shortly find Those thousands of souls that are now in misery did as little think of that doleful state while they were merily pleasing the flesh on earth and forgetting Christ and their eternal state as you do now they could as contemptuously jeer the Preacher as you and verily believe that all this talk was but words and wind and empty threats and ventured their souls as boldy upon their carnal hopes Little thought Sodom of the devouring fire when they were fnriously assaulting the door of their righteous reprover As little do the raging enemies of godliness among us think of the deplorable state which they are hasting to They will cry out themselves then Little did I think to see this day or feel these torments Why thou wouldst not thâ—nk of it or else thou mightest God told thee in Scripture and Ministers in their preaching but thou wouldst not believe till it was too late A little of Gods wrath will bring down all this upon those that embrace not and obey not the Son If his wrath be kindled yea but a little c. As his mercy being the mercy of an infinite God a little of it will sweeten a world of crosses so therefore will a little of his wrath consume a world of pleasures one spark fell among the Bethshemites and consumed fifty thousand and seventy men but for looking into the Ark till the people cry out Who can stand before this Holy Lord God 1 Sam. 6. 19 20. How then will the neglecters of Christ stand before him Sirs me thinks we should not hear of this as strangers or unbelievers There did but one spark fall upon England and what a combustion hath it cast this Kingdom into how many Houses and Towns hath it consumed How many thousand of people hath it impoverished how many children hath it left fatherless and how many thousand bodies hath it bereaved of their souls And though there are as many hearty prayers and tears poured forth to quench it as most Kingdoms on earth have had yet is the fire kindled afresh and threatneth a more terrible desolation then before as if it would turn us all to ashes One spark fell upon Germany another upon Ireland and what it hath done there I need not tell you If a little of this wrath do but seize upon thy body what cryes and groans and lamentations doth it raise If it be on one member yea but a tooth how dost thou roar with intolerable pain and wouldst not take the world to live for ever in that condition If it seize upon the Conscience what torments doth it cause as if the man were already in the suburbs of Hell He thinketh every thing he seeth is against him he feareth every bit he eateth should be his bane If he sleep he dreams of death and judgement when he awaketh his Conscience and horror awake with him he is weary of living and fearful of dying even the thoughts of heaven are terrible to him because he thinks it is not for him Oh what a pittiful sight is it to see a man under the wrath of God! And are these little little sparks so intolerable hot What then do you think are the Everlasting flames Beloved Hearers if God had not spoke this I durst not have spoke it The desire of my soul is that you may never feel it or else I should never have chosen so unpleasing a subject but that I hope the foreknowing may help you to prevent it But let me tell you from God that as sure as the heaven is over your head and the earth under your feet except the Son of God be nearer thy heart and dearer to thy heart then friends or goods or pleasures or life or any thing in this world this burning wrath will never be prevented Mat. 10. 37. Luke 14. 26. 5. When this wrath of God is throughly kindled the world will discern the blessed from the wretched Then blessed are they that trust in him It is the property of the wicked to be wise too late Those that now they esteem but precise fools will then be acknowledged blessed men Bear with their scorns Christians in the mean time they will very shortly wish themselves in your stead and would give all that ever they were masters of that they had sought and loved Christ as earnestly as you and had a little of your oyl when they find their lamps are out Mat. 25. 8. And now Hearers what is your resolution perhaps you have been enemies to Christ under the name of Christians Will you be so still Have you not loathed this busie diligent serving of him and hated them that most carefully seek him more then the vilest drunkard or blaspemer Have not his word and service and sabbaths been a burthen to you Have not multitudes ventured their lives against his Ordinances and Government Nay is it not almost the common voice of the Nation in effect Give us our sports and liberty of sinning give us our Readers and singing-men and drunken Preachers give us our Holy-daies and Ceremonies and the Customes of our fore-fathers Away with these precise fellows they are an eye-sore to us these precise Preachers shall noâ— controll us this precise Scripture shall be no Law to us and consequently this Christ shall not Rule over us How long hath England rebelled against his Government Mr. Vdal told them in the days of Queen Elizabeth that if they would not set up the Discipline of Christ in the Church Christ would set it up himself in a way that would make their hearts to ake I think their hearts have aked by this time and as they judged him to the Gallowes for his Prediction so hath Christ executed them by thousands for their Rebellion against him and yet they are as unwilling of his Government as ever The Kings of the Earth are afraid lest Christs Government should un-king them The Rulers are jealous lest it will depose them from their Dignities even the Reformers that have adventured all to set it up are jealous lest it will incroach upon their power and priviledges Kings are afraid of it and think themselves but half kings where Christ doth set up his Word and Discipline Parliaments are afraid of it lest it should usurp their Authority Lawyers are afraid of it lest it should take away their gains and the Laws of Christ should over-top the Laws of the Land The people are afraid of it lest it will compel them to subjection to that Law and way which their souls abhor Indeed if men may be their own judges then Christ hath no enemies in England at all we are his friends and all good Christians It is Precisians and Rebels that men hate and not Christ It is not the Government of Christ that
my knees with this request and advice in my Text O kiss the Son lest he be angry and you perish But if thy heardned heart make light of all and thou go on still in thy careless neglect of Christ and yet wilt not believe but thou art his friend and servant I do here from the Word and in the name of Christ pass this sentence upon thy soul Thou shalt go hence and perhaps linger out in thy security a few days more and then be called by death to judgement where thou shalt be doomed to this everlasting fiery wrath Make as light of it as thou wilt feel it thou shalt put it off and scape it if thou canst and when thon hast done go boast that thou hast conquered Christ In the mean time I require this Congregation to bear witness that thou hadst warning This to all in general My Text yet directeth me to speak more particularly to the Rulers and Judges of the Earth Honorable and Reverend Judges worshipful Magistrates if you were all Kings and Emperors all is one to Christ you were but high and mighty dust and ashes Christ sendeth his Summons first to you he knows the Leaders Interest in the Vulgar you are the Commanders in the Host of God and must do him more service then the common Soldiers If one of you should neglect him and stand out against him he will begin with you in the sight of the rest and make your greatness a stepping stone to the honour of his justice that the lowest may understand what they have to doe when they see the greatest cannot save themselves Shall I say you are wiser then the People and therefore that this Admonition is needless to you No then I should accuse the Spirit in my Text The Cedars of the Earth have always hardly stoopt to Christ which hath made so many of them rooted up Your Honors are an impediment to that self-abasing which he expecteth your Dignities will more tend to blind you then to illuminate There 's few of any sort but fewest of the great wise and mighty that are called Yet a man would think that among those that have held out in these trying times there should be no need of these suspitions But hath there not been always a succession of Sinners even of those that have beheld the ruines of their Predecessors Who would have thought that a generation that had seen the Wonders in Egypt and had paâ—â—ed through the Sea and been maintained in a Wilderness with constant Miracles should yet be such vile Idolaters or murmuring unbelievers that only two of them should enter into Rest The best of Saints have need of self-suspition and vigilancy My advice therefore to You is this Learn wisdom by the Examples that your eyes have seen Them that honor God he will honor and they that despise him shall be lightly esteemed 1 Sam. 2. 30. More particularly let me advise you as your Duty to the Son 1. That you take your commission office as from him I think it a doctrine more common then true that Ministers only are under Christ the Mediatour and Magistrates are only under God as Creator Christ is now Lord of All and you are his Servants As there is no power but from God so none from God but by Christ Look upon your selves as his Vicegerents therefore do not that which beseemeth not a Vicegerent of Christ Remember that as you see to the execution of the Laws of the Land so will Christ see that his Laws be obeyed by you or executed on you Remember when you sit and judge offenders that you represent him that will judge you and all the world And oh how lively a resemblance have you to raise your apprehension Think with your selves Thus shall men tremble before his Barr thus shall they wait to hear their doom and be sure that your judgement be such as may most lively represent the judgement of Christ that the just may depart from your Barr with joy and the unjust with sadness Let your justice be most severe where Christ is most severe and so far as you can exercise your clemency let it be about those offences which our laws are more rigorous against then the laws of God Be sure yet that you understand the extent of your commission that you are not the sole officers of Jesus Christ you are under him as he is head over All Ministers are under him as he is head to his Church Eph. 1 22. Ministers are as truly the Magistrates Teachers as Magistrates are their Governors yea by as high and undoubted authority must they over-see govern and command ministerially as their Lords Embassadors both Kings and Parliaments to do whatsoever is written in this Bible as you may command them to obey the laws of the Land yea and as strict a bond lieth on you to obey them so far as they speak according to this word and keep within the bounds of their Calling as doth on them to obey you in yours Heb. 13. 7 17. Deale not with them so dissemblingly as to call them your Pastors Teachers Over-seers and Rulers as Scripture bids you and yet to learn of them but what you list or to deny them leave to teach or advise you further then they receive particular warrant direction from your selves Should our Assembly limit all their Ministeriall advice to the warrant and directions of Parliament and not extend it to the warrant and directions of Christ would they not become the servants and pleasers of men If you do not your best to set up all the Government of Christ even that in and proper to his Church as well as that which is over them and for them men may well think it is your own seats and not Christs that you would advance I would all the Magistrates in England did well consider that Christ hath beene teaching them this seven yeares that their own peace or honours shall not be set up before his Gospel Government and that they do but tire themselves in vain in such attempts then they would learn to read my Text with the Vulgar Apprehendite disciplinam And if the Decisive power of the Ministry be doubtfull yet least they would set up their Nunciative in its vigor Christ will rule England either as subjects or as Rebels and all that Kings and States do gain by opposing his Rule will not add one cubit to the stature of their greatness Yet I do not understand by the Government of Christ a rigid conformity to the modell of this or that party or faction with a violent extirpation of every dissenter It is the ignorant part of Divines alas such there are who with the simple fellow in Erasmus do expound Paul's Haereticum hominem devita i e. de-vitâ tolle It is the Essentials not the Accidentals of Discipline that I speak of And if so me disengaged standers by be not mistaken who have the advantage by standing out
but help thee out of the snares of sin and promote the saving of thy Immortal soul and thy comfortable appearance at the great day of Christ I have the thing which I intended and desired The Lord open thy Heart aud accompany his Truth with the Blessing of his Spirit Amen A SERMON Of Judgement Preached at Pauls before the Honourable Lord Maior and Aldermen of the City of London Dec. 17. 1654. 2 Cor. 5. 10 11. For we must all appear before the Judgement seat of Christ that every one may receive the things done in his body according to that he hath done whether it be good or bad Knowing therefore the terrours of the Lord we perswade men IT is not unlikely that some of those wits that are taken more with things new then with things Necessary will marvel that I choose so common a subject and tell me that they all know this already But I do it purposely upon these following Considerations 1. Because I well know that it is these Common Truths that are the great and necessary things which mens everlasting happiness or misery doth most depend upon You may be ignorant of many Controversies aud Inferiour points without the danger of your souls but so you cannot of these Fundamentals 2. Because its apparent by the lives of men that few know these Common Truths savingly that think they know them 3. Because there are several degrees of knowing the same Truths and the best are imperfect in degree the principal growth in Knowledge that we should look after is not to know more matters then we knew before but to know that better and with a clearer light and firmer apprehension which we darkly and slightly knew before You may more safely be without any knowlege at all of many lower Truths then without some further degree of the knowledge of those which you already know 4. Besides it is known by sad Experience that many perish who know the Truth for want of the consideration ofâ— and making use of what they know and so their knowledge doth but condemn them We have as much need therefore to teach and help you to get these Truths which you know into your hearts and lives as to tell you more 5. And indeed it is the impression of these great and master-Truths wherein the vitals and essentials of Gods Image upon the soul of man doth consist And it is these Truths that are the very Instruments of the great works that are to be done upon the heart by the spirit and our selves In the right use of these it is that the Principal part of the skill and holy wisdom of a Christian doth consist and in the diligent and constant use of these lieth the life and trade of Christianity There is nothing amiss in mens hearts or lives but it is for want of sound knowing and believing or well using these Fundamentals 6. And moreover me thinks in this choice of my subject I may expect this advantage with the Hearers that I may spare that labour that else would be necessary for the proof of my Doctrine and that I may also have easier access to your hearts and have a fuller stroak at them and with less resistance If I came to tell you of anything not Common I know not how far I might expect belief from you You might say These things are uncertain to us or all men are not of this mind But when every Hearer confesseth the truth of my doctrine and no man can deny it without denying Christianity it self I hope I may expect that your hearts should the sooner receive the impression of this Doctrine and the sooner yield to the duties which it directs you to and the easier let go the sins which from so certain a Truth shall be discovered The words of my text are the reason which the Apostle giveth both of his perswading other men to the fear of God and his care to approve to God his own heart and life They contain the Assertion and Description of the great Judgement and one Use which he makes of it It assureth us that Judged we must be and who must be so Judged and by whom and about what and on what terms and to what end The meaning of the words so far as is necessary I shall give you briefly We all both we Apostles that Preach the Gospel you that hear it must willing or unwilling there is no avoiding it Appear stand forth or make our appearance and there have our hearts and wayes laid open and appear as well as we Before the Judgement seat of Christ i. e. before the Redeemer of the world to be Judged by him as our Rightful Lord. That every one even of all mankind which are were or shall be without exception May receive that is may receive his sentence adjudging him to his due and then may receive the execution of the sentence and may go away from the barr with that Reward or Punishment that is his due according to the Law by which he is Judged The things done in his body that is the due Reward of the works done in his body or as some copies read it The things proper to the body i. e. due to the man even body as well as soul According to what he hath done whether it be good or bad i. e. This is the cause to be tried and Judged whether men have done well or ill whiles they were in the flesh and what is due to them according to their deeds Knowing therefore c. i. e. Being certain therefore that these things are so and that such a Terrible Judgement of Christ will come we perswade men to become Christians and live as such that they may then speed well when others shall be destroyed or as others Knowing the fear of the Lord that is the true Religion we perswade men Doct. 1. There will be a Judgement Doct 2. Christ will be the Judge Doct. 3. All men shall there appear Doct. 4. Men shall be then Judged according to the works that they did in the flesh whether good or evil Doct. 5. The end of Judgement is that men may receive their final due by Sentence and Execution Doct. 6. The knowledge and consideration of the terrible Judgement of God should move us to perswade and men to be perswaded to carefull preparation The ordinary method for the handling of this subject of Judgement should be this 1. To shew you what Judgement is in the General and what it doth contain and that is 1. The persons 2. The cause 3. â—he Actions 1. The parties are 1. the Accuser 2. the Defendant 3. Sometime Assistants 4. The Judge 2. The cause contains 1. The Accusation 2. the Defence 3. With the Evidence of both 4. And the Merit The Merit of the cause is as it agreeth with the Law and Equity 3. The Judicial Actions are I. Introductory 1. Citation 2. Compulsion if need be 3. Appearance of the Accused II. Of the Essence
that formed you will shew you no mercy Isa 27. 11. Yea when he that dyed for you will condemn you shall we be more merciful then God But alas If we should be so foolish and unjust what good would it do you If we would be false witnesses and partial Judges it would not save you we are not Justified if we absolve our selves 1 Cor. 4. 4. how unable then shall we be against Gods Sentence to Justifie you If all the world should say you were holy and penitent when God knows you were unholy and impenitent it will do you no good You pray every day that his will may be done and it will be done It will be done upon you because it was not done by you What would you have us say if God ask us Did you tell this sinner of the need of Christ of the glory of the world to come and the vanity of this Should we lye and say we did not what should we say if he ask us Did not you tell them the misery of their natural state and what would become of them if they were not made new Would you have us lye to God and say we did not Why if we did not your blood will be required at our hands Ezek. 33. 6. and 3. 18. and would you have us bring your blood upon our own heads by a lye Yea and to do you no good when we know that lyes will not prevail with God No no sinners We must unavoidably testifie to the confusion of your faces If God ask us we must bear witness against you and say Lord we did what we could according to our weak abilities to reclaim them Indeed our own thoughts of everlasting things were so low and our hearts so dull that we must confess we did not follow them so close nor speak so earnestly as we should have done we did not cry so loud or lift up our voice as a Trumpet to awaken them Isa 58. 1. we confess we did not speak to them with such melting compassion and with such streams of tears beseech them to regard as a mutter of such great concernment should have been spoken with We did not fall on our knees to them and so earnestly begg of them for the Lords sake to have mercy upon their own sâ—uls as we should have done But yet we told them the Message of God and we studyed to speak it to them as plainly and as piercingly as we could Fain we would have convinced them of their sin and misery but we could not Fain we would have drawn them to the admiration of Christ but they made light of it Mat. 22. 5. we would fain have brought them to the contempt of this vain world and to set their mind on the world to come but we could not Some compassion thou knowest Lord we had to their souls many a weeping or groaning hour we have had in secret because they would not hear and obey and some sad complaints we have made over them in publike We told them that they must shortly dye and come to Judgement and that this world would deceive them and leave them in the dust we told them that the time was at hand when nothing but Christ Would do them good and nothing but the favour of God would be sufficient for their happiness but we could never get them to lay it to heart Many a time did we intreat them to think soberly of this life and the life to come and to compare them together with the Faith of Christians and the reason of men but they would not do it many a time did we intreat them but to take now and then an hour in secret to consider who made them and for what he had made them and why they were sent into this world and what their business here is and whether they are going and how it will go with them at their latter end But we could never get most of them to spend one hour in serious thoughts of these weighty matters Many a time did we intreat them to try whether they were Regenerate or not whether Christ and his Spirit were in them or not Whether their souls were brought back to God by Sanctification but they would not try We did beseech them to make sure work and not leave such a matter as everlasting Joy or Torment to a bold and mad adventure but we could not prevail We intreated them to lay all other businesses aside a little while in the world and to enquire by the direction of the word of God what would become of them in the world to come and to Judge themselves before God came to Judge them seeing they had the Law and rule of Judgement before them but their minds were blinded and their hearts were hardned and the profit and pleasure and honour of this world did either stop their ears or quickly steal away their heartt so that we could never get them to a sober consideration nor ever win their hearts to God This will be the witness that many a hundred Ministers of the Gospel must give in against the souls of their people at that day Alas that ever you should cast this upon us For the Lords sake Sirs pitty your poor Teachers if you pitty not your selves We had rather go a 1000. miles for you we had rather be scorned and abused for your sakes we had rather lay our hands under your feet and beseech you on our knees with tears were we able then be put on such a work as this It is you that will do it if it be done We had rather follow you from house to house and teach and exhort you if you will but hear us and accept of our exhortation Your souls are pretious in our eyes for we know they were so in the eyes of Christ and therefore we are loth to see this day we were once in your case and therefore know what it is to be blind and careless and carnal as you are and therefore would fain obtain your Deliverance But if you will not hear but we must accuse you and we must condemn you The Lord Judge between you us For we can witness that it was full sore against our wills We have been faulty indeed in doing no more for you and not following you with restless Importunity the Good Lord forgive us but yet we have not betrayed you by silence 2. All those that fear God that have lived among ungodly men will also be sufficient witnesses against them Alas they must be put upon the same work which is very unpleasant to their thoughts as Minâ—sters are They must witness before the Lord that they did as friends and neighbours admonish them that they gave them a good example and endeavoured to walke in holyness before them but alas the most did but mock them and call them Puritans and precise fools and they made more aâ—o then needs for their salvation They must be forced to testifie
that his Service was making more adoe then needs and didst grudge at those that were more diligent then thy self but for the World how heartily and how constantly didst thou seek and serve it and yet wouldst thou now perswade the Judge that thou didst love God above all He will shew thee thy naked heat and the course of thy former life which shail convince thee of the contrary The Second Excuse I lived not in any gross sin but only in small Infirmities I was no Murderer or Adulterer or Fornicator or Thief nor did I deceive or wrong any or take any thing by violence Answ Was it not a gross sin to love the world above God and to neglect Christ that dyed for thee and never to do him one hours hearty service but meerly to seek thy carnal self and to live to thy flesh God will open thine eyes then and shew thee a thousand gross sins which thou now forgettest or makest light of and it is not only Gross sins but All sin great or small that deserveth the wrath of God and will certainly bring thee under it for ever if thou have not part in Christ to relieve thee Wo to the man that ever he was born that must answer in his own name for his smallest offences The Third Excuse I did it ignorantly I knew not that there was so much required to my Salvation I thought less adoe might have served the turn and that if I lookt to my body God would take caâ—e of my soul and that it was better to trust him what would become of me hereafter then to trouble my mind so much about it Had I known better I would have done better Answ If you knew not better who was it long of but your self Did God hide these things from you Did he not tell them you in his Word as plainly as the tongue of man can speak That except you were regenerate and born again you should not enter into the Kingdom of God John 3. 3â— 5. That without holiness none should see God Heb. 12. 14. That you mist strive to enter in at the strait gate for many shall seek to enter and shall not be able Luke 13. 24. That if you lived after the flesh you should dye and if by the Spirit you mortified the deeds of the body you should live Rom 8. 13 That if any man have not the Spirit of Christ the same is none of his Rom. 8. 9. And to be carnally minded is death but to be spiritually minded is life and peace Rom. 8. 9. That you must not lay up for your selves a treasure on earth where rust and moths do corrupt and thieves break through and steal but must lay up for your selves a treasure in heaven where rust and moths do not corrupt and thieves break through and steal Mat. 6. 19 20. That you must seek first the Kingdom of God and the righteousness thereof Mat. 6. 23. and not Labour for the food that perisheth but for the food that endureth to everlasting life which Christ would have given you John 6. 27. That if you be risen with Christ you must seek those things which are above where Christ sitteth at the right hand of God and not the things that are on earth Col. 3. 1 2 3. Yea Your very Conversation should be in Heaven Phil. 3. 19. 20. 21. What say you Did not God tell you all this and much more aud plainly tell it you Turn to your Bibles and see the words and let them witness against you 2. And could you think with any Reason that your souls being so much move precious then your bodies you should yet do so much more for your bodies then your souls could you think all the labour of your lives little enough for a frail body that must lie shortly in the dirt and that your Immortal souls should be no more reâ—arded Could you think with any Reason that your souls should do so much for a life of a few years continuance and do no more for a life that shall have no end 3. And whereas you talk of trusting God with your souls you did not trust him You did but on that pretence carelesly disregard them If you trust God shew any word of Promise that ever he gave you to trust upon that ever an Impenitent Carnal Careless person shall be saved No he hath told yon enough to the contrary And could you think that it was the will of God that you should mind your bodies more then your souls and this life more then that to come Why he hath bid you strive and run and sight and labour and care and seek and use violence and all diligence for the safety of your souls and for the life to come But where hath he bid you do so for your bodies No he knew that you were prone to do too much for them and therefore he hath bid you Care not and Labour not that is Do it as if you did it not and let your care and Labour for earthly things be none in comparision of that for heavenly things You know God can as well maintain your lives without your care and labour as save your souls without it And yet you see he will not he doth not You must plough and sow and reap and thresh for all Gods Love and Care of you and not say I will let all alone and trust God And must you not much more use diligence in much greater things If you will trust God you must trust him in his own way and in the use of his own means The fourth Excuse I was never brought up to learning I cannot so much as read Nor did my Parents ever teach me any of these things but only set me about my worldly business and provide food and rayment for me but never once told me that I had a soul to save or lose and and an everlasting life to provide and prepare for And therefore I could not come to the knowledge of them Answ The greater is their sin who thus neglected you But this is no sufficient Excuse for you Heaven is not prepared for the Learned only nor will Christ ask you at Judgement whether you are good Scholars or not no nor so much as whether you could write or read But consider well was not Gods word so plainly written that the unlearned might understand it Did he not put it into the most familiar stile though he knew it would be offensive to the proud Scholars of the world of purpose that he might fit it to the capacities of the ignorant And if you could not read yet tell me Could not you have learned to read at 20 or 30 years of age if you had been but willing to bestow now and then an hour to that end Or at least did you not live near some that could Read and could you not have procured them to read to you or to help you And did you not hear these things read to
you in the Congregation by the Minister or might have done if you would And if your Parents did neglect you in your youth yet when you came to a fuller use of Reason and heard of the matters of salvation from Gods Word did it not concern you to have looked to your selves and to have redeemed that time which you lost in your youth by doubling your diligence when you came to riper years The Apostles gathered Churches among Heathens that never heard of Christ before and converted many thousand souls that were never once told of a Saviour or the way to salvation till they had past a great part of their lives If you loitered till the latter part of the day it behoved you then to have bestirred your selves the more and not to say Through the fault of my Parents I lost the beginning of my life and therefore I will lose all they taught me not then therefore I will not learn now hav you not seen som of your neighbours who were as ill educated as your selves attain to much knowledge afterwards by their Industry And why might not you have done so if you had been as Industrious as they May not God and Conscience witness that it was because you cared not for knowledge and would not be at pains to get it that you knew no more Speak truth man in the presence of thy Judge was thy heart and mind set upon it Didst thou pray daily for it to God Didst thou use all the means thou couldst to get it Didst thou attend diligently on the word in publike and think of what thou heardest when thou camest home Didst thou go to the Minister or to others that could teach thee and intreat them to tell thee the way to salvation Or didst thou not rather carelesly neglect these matters and hear a Sermon as a common tale even when the minister was speaking of Heaven or of Hell It was not then thine unavoidable Ignorance but thy negligence Yea further answer as in the presence of God Didst thou obey so far as thou didst know Or didst thou not rather sin against that knowledge which thou hadst Thou knewest that the soul was better then the body and everlasting life more to be regarded then this transitory life But didst thou regard it accordingly Thou sure knewest that God was better then the world and Heaven then earth at least thou was told of it But didst thou accordingly value him and love him more Thou knewest sure that there was no salvation without Faith and Repentance and newness of life and yet they were neglected In a word many a thousand sins which were committed and duties that were omitted against thy own Knowledge and Conscience will marr this Excuse The fifth Excuse I lived not under a powerfull Minister to tell me of these things but where there was no Preaching at all Answ And might you not have gone where a powerfull Minister was with a little pains Yea did not the very plain Word that you heard read tell you of these things and might you not have had a Bible your selves and found them there The Sixth Excuse I was a Servant and had no time from my labour to mind these matters I lived with a hard master that required all his own work of me but would allow me no time for the service of God Or else I was a poor man and had a great charge to look after and with my hard labour had much adoe to live so that I had no time for heavenly things Answ 1. Who should be first served God or man What should be first sought after heaven or earth Did not Christ cell thee One thing is necessary Luke 10. 41 42 Was it not as needfull to see that you escape Damnation and get safe to Heaven when this life is ended as to see that you had food and raiment for your selves and yours 2. Did you spend no time in Recreation nor Idleness nor vain talking why might not that at least have been spent about Heavenly things 3. Could you have taken no time from your rest or eating or at other Intermissions Mans Body will not endure so great Labours as have no Intermission And why then might not godliness have been your ease and recreation 4. Or might you not have minded these things even when you were about your labour if you had but a heart to them 5. At least you might have spent the Lords own Day in hearing reading and pondering of these matters when you were forced to forbear your worldly labours even by the wholsom Law of the Land These therefore are all but vain Excuses and God will shortly make thee speak out and plainly confess It was not so much for want of Time or Helps or warning as for want of a heart to use them well I should have found some time though it had been when I should have slept if my heart had been but set upon it The Seventh Excuse Little did I think â—o have seen this day I did not Believe that ever God would be so severe I thought his Threatnings had been but to keep men in awe and I suspected either that the Scripture was not his word or else I thought he would be better then his word I thought all that I heard of another life had been uncertain and therefore was loth to let go a certainty for an uncertainty and lose my present pleasures which I had in hand for the hopes of that which I never did see Answ He that will not know his misery by believing to prevent it shall know it by feeling to endure it You were told and told again what your unbelief would bring you to Did Gods Word make Heaven and Earth doth it support them and secure them and is not his Word sufficient security for you to have trusted your souls upon did you know where was any better security to be had and where was any surer ground for your confidence And did you think so basely and blasphemously of God that he would falsifie his Word lest such as you should suffer and that he was fain to rule the world by a Lye Did God make the world so easily and can he not govern it by true and righteous means what need God to say that which he will not do to awe sinners can he not awe them by Truth is it not just that those should eternally perish that will entertain such desperate thoughts of God and then by such wicked imaginations encourage themselves in sin against him And for the Truth of Scripture God did not bid you believe it without Evidence He stamped on it the Image of his own Purity and Perfection that you might know it by that Image and superscription if you had eyes to see them He sealed it by uncontrouled multitudes of Miracles He delivered it down to your hands by infallible witnesses so that he left you no room for rational Doubting And you knew that the matters
not Believe aâ—d he alâ—o shall be there The godly that waited in hope for that day as the day of their â—ull Dâ—lâ—verance Coronation â—hey shall be there Those that have lain in the dust these 5000. years shall rise again and all stand there Hearer whoever thou art believe it thou maist better think to live without meat to see without light to escape death and abide for ever on earth then to keep away from that Appearance Willing or unwilling thou shalt be there And should not a matter then that so concerneth thy self go neer to thy heart and awake thee from thy security 3. That it is a matter of unquestionable certainty I have partly shewed you already and more would do if I were preaching to known Infidels If the careless world had any just reason to think it were uncertain their carelesness were more excusable Methinks a man should be affected with that which he is certain shall come to pass in a manner as if it were now in doing â— Thes 5. 2. Ye perfectly know that the day of the Lord so cometh c. saith the Apostle 4. This day is not only certain but it is neâ—r and therefore should affect you the more I confess if it were never so far off yet seeing it will come at last It should be carefully regarded But when the Judge is at the door Jam. 5. 9. and we are almost at the barr and it is so short a time to this assize what soul that is not dead will be secure Alas Sirs what is a little time when it is gone how quickly shall you and I be all in another world and our souls recieve their particular Judgement and so wait till the body be raised and judged to same Condition It is not a 100. years in all likelyhood till every soul of us shall be in heaven or hell and its like not half or a quarter of that time but it will be so with the greater part of us and what is a year or two or a 100 how speedily is it come how many a soul that is now in heaven or hell within a 1000 years dwelt in the places that you now dwel in and sate in the seats you now sit in And now their time is past what is it Alas how quickly will it be so with us You know not when you go to bed but you may be Judged by the next morning or when you rise but you may be Judged before night but certainly you know that shortly it will be and should not this then be laid to heart Yea the General Judgement wil lt no be long For certainly we live in the end of world Qu. 4. MY next Question is Whether are you ready for this dreadful Judgement when it comes or not Seeing it is your selves then must be tried I think it concerns you to see that you be prepared How often hath Christ warned us in the Gospel that we be alwaies ready because we know not the day or hour of his coming Mat. 24. 44. 42. and 25. 13. 1 Thes 5. 6. and told us how sad a time it will be to those that are unready Mat. 25. 11 12. Did men but well know what a meeting and greeting there will be between Christ and an unready soul it would sure startle them and make them look about them What say you Beloved Hearers are you ready for Judgement or are you not Me thinks a man that knoweth he shall be Judged should ask himself the Question every day of his life Am I ready to give up my Account to God! Do not you use to ask this of your own hearts unless you be careless whether you be saved or damned me thinks you should and ask it seriously Qu. But who be they that are ready how shall I know whether I be ready or not Answ There is a twofold readiness 1. When you are in a safe case 2. When you are in a comfortable case in regard of that day The latter is very desirable but the first is of absolute necessity this therefore is it that you must principally enquire after In General all those and only those are ready for Judgement who shall be justified and saved and not condemned when Judgement comes They that have a good cause in a Gospel sense It may be known before hand who these are for Christ Judgeth as I told you by his Law And therefore find out whom it is that the Law of grace doth justifie or condemn and you may certainly know whom the Judge will Justifie or condemn for he Judgeth righteously If you further ask me who these are remember that I told you before that every man that is personally righteous by fulfilling the Conditions of Salvation in the Gospel shall be saved and he that is found unrighteous as having not fulfilled them shall perish at that day Qu. Who are those Answ I will tell you them in a few words lest you should forget because it it a matter that your Salvation or Damnation dependeth upon 1. The soul that unfeignedly repenteth of his former sinful course and turneth from it in heart and life and loveth the way of godliness which he hateâ— and hateth the way of sin which he loved and is become thoroughly a New Creature being born again and sanctified by the Spirit of Christ shall be Justified but all others shall certainly be condemned Good news to repenting converted sinners but sad to Impenitent and him that knows not what this means 2. That soul that feeling his misery under sin and the power of Satan and the wrath of God doth believe what Christ hath done and suffered for mans restauration Salvation and thankfully accepteth him as his only Saviour and Lord on the terms that he is offered in the Gospel and to those ends even to Justifie him and sanctifie and guide him and bring him at last to everlasting glory that soul shall be Justified at Judgement and he that doth not shall be condemned Or in short in Scripture phrase He that believeth shall be saved and he that believeth not shall be condemned Mar. 16. 16. 3. The soul that hath had so much knowledge of the goodness of God and his love to man in Creation Redemption and the following mercies and hath had so much conviction of the vanity of all creatures as thereupon to Love God more then all things below so that he hath the cheifest room in the heart and is preferred before all creatures ordinarily in a time of tryal that soul shall be Justified at Judgement and all others shall be condemned 4. That soul that is so apprehensive of the absolute Soveraignty of God as Creator and Redeemer and of the Righteousness of his Law and the Goodness of his holy way as that he is firmly Resolved to obey him before all others and doth accordingly give up himself to study his will of purpose that he may obey it and doth walk in these holy waies and hath so
unto him Who can shew such title to the Soveraignty such right to rule thee as Christ can do He is thy maker and so is not Satan he dearly bought thee and so did not the world Thou wast not Redeemed with silver and Gold and corruptible things 1 Pet. 1. 18. I make this challenge here in the behalf of Christ let any thing in the world step forth and shew a better title to thee to thy heart and to thy life then Christ doth shew and let them take thy heart and take thy rule But why do I speak thus I know thou wilt confess it and yet wilt thou not yield him thy chiefest love and obedience out of thy own mouth then art thou condemned and thou proclaimest thy self a knowing and wilful Rebel 2. To deny thy affections and subjection to Christ is the most barbarous unkindness that a sinner can be guilty of Did he pitty thee in thy lost estate and take thee up when thou laist wounded in the way and make thee a plaister of the blood of his heart And is this thy requital Did he come down from heaven to earth to seek thee when thou wast lost and take upon him all thy dept and put himself into the prison of the world and flesh hath he paid for thy folly and born that wrath of God which thou must have suffered for ever and doth he not now deserve to be entertained with most affectionate respect but with a few cold thoughts instead of hearty love and with a few formal words instead of worship What hurt had it been to him if thou hadst perished what would he have lost by it if thou hadst lain in Hell would not Justice have been glorified upon a disobedient wretch Might not he have said to his Father What are these worms and sinners to me must I smart for their folly must I suffer when they have sineed must I debase my self to become man because they would have exalted themseves to become as God if they will needs undo themselves what is it to me if they will cast themselves into the flames of Hell must I go thither to fetch them out Thus Christ might have put off the suffering and the shame aud let it fall and lie where it was due but he did not His compassion would not suffer him to see us suffer Justice must be satisfied the threat must be fulfilled Christ seeth that we cannot overcome it but he can therefore hee comes down into flesh he lives on earth he fasteth he weepeth he is weary he is tempted he hath not a place to put his head he is haâ—ed he is spit upon he is cloathed as a fool and made a scorn he sweateth blood he is Crucified with Theeves he bares the burden that would have sunk all us to Hell and must he after all this be neglected and forgotten and his Laws that should rule us be laid aside and be accounted too strict and precise for us to live by O let the Heavens blush and the Earth be ashamed at this barbarous ingratitude How can such a people shew their faces at his comming or look him in the face when he shall judge them for this would you use a friend thus No nor an enemy Me thinks you should rather wonder with your selves that ever Christ should give you leave to love him and say Will the Lord endure such a wretch to kiss him will he suffer himself to be embraced by those arms which have been defiled so oft by the embracements of sin will he so highly honour me as to be his subject and his servant and to be guided by such a blessed and perfect Law and doth he require no harder conditions then these for my salvation Take then my heart Lord it is only thine and oh that it were better worth thy having or take it and make it better the Spear hath opened me a passage to thy heart let the Spirit open thee a passage into mine deservedly may those Gates be fuel for Hell that would not open to let in the King of Glory 3. To deny thine affection and subjection to the Son is the greatest folly and madness in the world Why doth he require this so earnestly at thy hands is it for thy hurt or for thy good would he make a prey of thee for his own advantage is it for any need hat he hath of thee or of thy service or because thou hast need of him for thy direction or salvation would he steal away thy heart as the world doth to delude it would he draw thee as Satan doth to serve him that he may torment thee if so it were no wonder that thou art so hardly drawn to him but thou knowest sure that Christ hath none of these ends The truth is this His dying on the Cross is but part of the work that is necessary to thy Salvation this was but the paying of the debt he must give thee moreover a peculiar interest and make that to be absolutely thine which was thine but conditionally he must take off thy rags and wash thy sores and qualify thy soul for the prepared Glory and bring thee out of the prison of sin and death and present thee to his Father blameless and undefiled and estate thee in greater dignity then thou fellest from and all this must he do drawing thee to himself and laying himself upon thee as the Prophet upon the Child and closing thy heart with his heart and thy will with his will and thy thoughts and waies with the Rule of his Word And is this against thee or for thee is there any hurt to thee in all this I dare challenge Earth and Hell and all the Enemies of Christ in both to shew the least hurt that ever he caused to the soul of a believer or the least wrong to the soul of any And must he then have such a stir to do thee good must he so beseech thee to be happy and follow thee with entreaties and yet art thou like a stock that neither heare's nor feeâ—'s Nay dost thou not murmur and strive against him as if he were about to do thee mischief and would rather cut thy throat then cure thee and were going to destroy thee and not to save thee I appeal to any that hath not renounced his Reason whether this be not notorious bruitish unreasonableness and whether thou be not liker a beast that must be cast or held while you dress his sores then to a man that should help on his own recovery Foolish Sinner It is thy sin that hurts thee and not thy Saviour why dost thou not rather strive against that It is the Devil that would destroy thee and yet thou dost not grudge at they obedience to him Be judge thy self whether this be wise or equal dealing Sinner I beseech thee in the behalf of thy poor soul if thou have such a mind to renounce thy Saviour do it not till thou hast found a
better Master say as Peter Wither shall we go Lord thou hast the words of eternal life And when thou knowest once where to be better then go thy way part with Christ and spare not If thy merry company or thy honour or thy wealth or all thy friends and delights in the world will do that for thee which Christ hath done and which at last he will do if thou stick to him then take them for thy Gods and let Christ go In the meane time let me prevaile with thee as thou are a man of reason sell not thy Saviour till thou know for what sell not thy soul till thou know why sell not thy hopes of Heaven for nothing God forbid that thy wilfull folly should bring thee to Hell and there thou shouldst lie roaring and crying out for ever This is the reward of my neglecting Christ he would have led me to Glory and I would not follow him I sold heaven for a few merry hours for a little honour and ease and delight to my flesh here I lie in torment because I would not be ruled by Christ but chose my lusts and pleasure be fore him Sinner do not think I speak harshly or uncharitably to call this neglect of Christ thy folly As true as thou livest and hearest me this day except thy timely submission do prevent it which God grant it may thou wilt one of these dayes befool thy self a thousand times more then I now befool thee and call thy self mad and a thousand times mad when thou thinkest how fair thou wast for heaven and how ready Christ was to have been thy Saviour and thy Lord and how light thou madest of all his offers Either this will prove true to thy cost or else am I a fals Prophet and a cursed deceiver Be wise therefore be learned and kiss the Son The former Considerations were drawn from Aggravations of the sinne the following are drawn from the Aggravations of the punishment and that fom the words of the Text too 1. God will be angry if you kiss not the Son His wrath is as fire and this neglect of Christ is the way to kindle it If thou art not a Believer thou art condemned already but this will bring upon thee a double condemnation Believe it for a truth All thy sinnes as they are the Covenant of Works even the most hainous of them are not so provoking destroying as thy slighting of Christ Oh what will the Father say to such an unworthy wrecth Must I send my Son from my bosome to suffer for thee must he groan when thou shouldst groan and bleed when thou shouldst bleed and dye when thou shouldst dye And canst thou not now be perswaded to embrace him and obey him must the world be courted while he stands by must he have the naked title of thy Lord and Saviour while thy fleshly pleasures and profits have thy heart what wrath can be too great what hell too hot for such an ungrateful unworthy wretch Must I prepare thee a portion of the blood of my Son and wilt not thou be perswaded now to drink it must I be at so much cost to save thee and wilt thou not obey that thou maist be saved Go seize upon him justice let my wrath consume thee let hell devour thee let thy own Conscience for ever torment thee seeing thou hast chosen death thou shalt have it and as thou hast rejected Heaven thou shalt never see it but my wrath shall abide upon thee for ever Joh. 3. 36. Woe to the sinner if this be once thy sentence thou wert better have all the world angry with theeâ— and bound in an oath against thee as the Jews against Paul then that one drop of his anger should light upon thee thou wert better have Heaven and Earth to fall upon thee then one degree of Gods displeasure 2. As this wrath is Fire so is it a consuming fire and causeth the sinner utterly to perish All this is plain in the Text not that the Being of the soul will cease such a perishing the sinner would be glad oâ— A happy man would he think himself if he might dye as the bruits and be no more but such wishes are vain It is but a glimpse of his own condition which he shall see in the great combustion of the world when he seeth the heaven and earth on fire he see 's but the picture of his approaching wo. But alas it is he that must feel the devouring fire The world will be but refined or consumed by its fire but there must he burn and burn for ever and yet be neither consumed nor refined The Earth will not feel the flames that burn it but his soul and body must feel it with a witness Little know his friends that are honourably interring his Corps what his miserable sonl is seeing and feeling Here endeth the story of his prosperity and delights and now begins the Tragedy that will never have end Oh how his merry days are vanished as a dream and his jovial life as a Tale that is told His witty jests his pleasant sports his Cards and Dice his merry company and wanton dalliance his Cups and Queans yea his hopes of heaven and confident concerts of escaping this wrath are all perished with him in the way As the wax melteth before the fire as the chaff is scattered before the wind as the stubble consumeth before the flames as the flowers do wither before the scorching Sun so are all his sinful pleasures withered consumed scattered and melted And is not the hearty embracing of Christ and subjection to him a cheap prevention of all this Oh who among you can dwell with the devouring fire Who can dwell with the everlasting burnings Isai 33. 14. This God hath said he will surely do if you are able to gain-sâ—y and resist him try your strength read his ehal enge Isai 27. 4. Who would set the briars and thorns agaist me in battel I would go through them I would burn them together 3. This perishing will be sudden and unexpected in the way of their sin and resistance of Christ in the way of their fleshly delights and hopes They shall perish in the way l Thes 5. 3. Mat. 24. 37 As fire doth utterly break out in the night when men are sleeping and consumeth the fruit of their long labours so will this fire break forth upon their souls and how neer may it be when you little think on it A hundred to one but some of us present shall within a few moneths be in another world and what world will it be you may easily conceive if you do not embrace and obey the Son How many have been smitten with Herod in the midst of their vain glory How many like Ahab have been wounded in fight and dunged the Earth with their flesh and blood who left the Lords people to be fed with bread and water of affliction in confidence of their own return