know our Lords will we must prepare for the doing of it 243 The Contents of the eighth Sermon upon Proverbs 29 1. 1 A double exposition of the Text. 1 Doct. From the first exposition viz. He that reproveth another and is guilty himself in the same kind or in any other kind and hardeneth his own heart in it that man shall be destroyed without remedy 244 7 Reasons First because the office of a reprover bindeth him to be blamelesse 2 Because such a reprover as is guilty himself can never reprove to a right end 250 3 Neither can he do it in a right manner 251 4 Such a reprover is an hypocrite 252 5 Such a reproving of another mans sinne makes him inexcusable in his own 253 6 It is an absurd thing for a person to reprove another for that whereof he is guilty himself 254 7 Such a reproving is a signe of impenitencie 254 Object Shall not a wicked Magistrate or Minister reprove others c. Ans He is bound to reprove in regard of his office â—ut is bound in conscience to amend himself first 155 Use For instruction first Let every reprover take heed lest he make himself inexcusable 256 2 Let him endeavour to walk unblameable and inoffensive 256 Two Doctrines from the second exposition of the Words viz. Doct. 1. The Lord doth not destroy man willingly but for sinne 261 Doct. 2. It is a great mercy for a man to be reproved for his sin 261 Three Reasons of the Second Doctrine 1 Because reproofs primarily come from love 262 2 They tend to the good of a mans soul 264 3 It is brutish not to take reproofs in good part 265 Use 1 First for information that God is bringing destruction upon a Kingdom when he takes away reprovers from them 267 Use 2 For the reproof of those that despise the reproof of the wise they despise not men but God 269 The grievousnesse of their sin who stand out against reproof is aggravated under severall heads 270 Doct. 3 The Lord proportions punishments to mens sins 271 Reas 1 Because hereby a mans punishment appears to be so much the more equall and worthy 271 2 This stops mens mouths and convinceth their consciences 3 All the standers by may see the equity of it when the punishment is according to the sin 273 Use for instruction First to teach men not to complain of Gods dealing with them if their punishment be for the kind of it according to their sin but rather let them learn to see Gods immediate hand in it 274 2 To teach men to consider how God many timeâ— proportions punishments to sins 1 For kind 275 2 For quantity 275 3 For quality 276 4 For time 277 5 For place 277 The Authors Preface upon these ensuing Sermons THE cause of that little heavenlines which is in the profession of Christianity is the want of Meditation Many can meditate cursorily but that is not enough it must be a sticking Meditation that must affect the heart That place in 2 Pet. 2.8 is marvellous pregnant it was the means why Lot was so touched with the abominations of Sodome That righteous man â—welling amongst them in seeing and hearing their ungodly deeds vexed his righteous soul from day to day Many heard and saw too besides Lot and were not vexed Why Other matters stuck in their thoughts they never throughly meditated on it but he vexed himself that is the meditation of those evils and bringing them home to his soul vexed him The word is a fit word implying two things First the searching and examining of a thing his meditating heart examined their sins how many they were how grievous how damnable how likely to pull down some vengeance or other upon them Secondly the wracking or vexing upon trial so it was with Lot he observed all their evils and weighed them in his soul then he wracked his spirit with the consideration of them The Evangelist useth this very word for tossing this word that is here put for vexing he puts for tossing of a ship in the seas Matt. 14.24 The ship was toss'ed with the waves so meditation did tosse his soul with vexation sometimes down to the deep O miserable wretches that we are or How brutish how beastly and how hellish are our sins Sometimes up O that the Lord would humble us and spare us Sometimes over head and eares in the storme O fool that I was to chuse my dwelling amongst such men These meditations vexed hiâ— soul Many have studied meditations and yet are not acquainted with this cordiall meditation Many Ministerâ— that study Divinity all the day that study the Word all the week that study their Sermons all the year may yet for all this be carnall Ministers Why Because their meditation is but inventing and mentall meditation thiâ— meditation is a practicall meditation the thing meditated feeds the heart that meditation is like a fluttering Pheasant that flutters before their eyes it feeds their eyes indeed but never feeds the stomack as long as they neither catch nor eat it The saving mysteries of God flutter before their eyes and before their understandings they feed their eyes with knowledge but never feed their souls unto everlasting life unlesse they fowle for it dresse and digest it in their hearts There is an apt word Gen. 24.63 Isaac went out to meditate in the field the originall hath it to signifie mutuall conference his mind conferred with the truth and the truth with him a mutuall working he wrought upon the truth by meditating of it and it wrought upon him by leaving an impression upon his soul this is a rare practice in the world and yet as necessary as most it is the art of the soul in being heavenly it is the inuring of thee to every good duty for by meditation a man comes to have his mind and heart fixed upon every thing that he would Would he pray he that hath inured his heart to meditate his mind is fixed in his prayer Would he receive the Sacrament He that hath inured his heart by meditation his mind is fixed in the Ordinance David that was excellent at meditation had a fixed heart Psal 57.7 Psal 112. 1.7 A SERMON OF The use and benefit of Divine Meditation HAGGAI 1.5 Now therfore saith the Lord of Hosts Consider your wayes THe Prophet reproveth the people because they could finde in their hearts to mind their own houses and yet were carelesse of the house of the Lord the Lord had sent a drought and a famine and sundry punishments upon them for this thing and yet they laid it not to heart and therefore he sends Haggai the Prophet unto them to call them to repentance and which is an admirable course and little thought of in the world he begins with holy meditation and consideration Now therefore thus saith the Lord consider your wayes that is both in regard of the course of them your wicked wayes and also in regard
3. Here is notice given to all the world Heare O earth as if he had said here is a reckoning that you little dream of I will bring a plague upon you not onely for your idolatry for your whoredome and fornication but even for your vaine thoughts Prov. 24.9 The thoughts of the wicked are sinne the Lord doth not only condemne the actions and courses of wicked men but sets his curse upon their very thoughts Sinne is of an homogeneall nature of which every part of a thing is the whole every piece of stone is stone for it hath the nature of the whole even so it is with sin the least part of sin the least thought of sin the least shiver of sin is sin and abominable before God Reas 1 The reasons why those whose hearts and thoughts run habitually on earth and earthly things must needs end in destruction are 1. That mans end must needs end in destruction that never repents Now so long as a mans thoughts runne usually and habitually on the things of the world that man never repents repentance not onely cleanseth the outside of man but the inside also even the heart repentance goeth as farre as the Law of God goeth where the word of God begins there repentance must needs begin now the word of God begins and strikes at the heart as saith the Apostle The word of God is sharp and powerfull sharper then any two-edged sword piercing to the dividing asunder of the soule and spirit the joynts and marrow and is a discerner of the thoughts of the heart Heb. 4.12 Now then if the word of God strike at the thoughts of the heart then repentance must goe and teach so farre to reforme and amend the things of the heart or else he never repents Let a man sweep his house never so much yet it is not clean so long as there remains one Cob-web in it so if thy heart be swept from drunkennesse whoring and swearing and yet if the old Cob-web of vain thoughts remain in any corner of thy heart not washed out nor swept down thou hast not as yet repented Oh Jerusalem saith God by his Prophet wash thy heart from wickednesse that thou maist be saved how long shall thy vain thoughts lodge within thee Jer. 4.14 Mark how the Lord inforceth his exhortation see how he backs his counsell that thou maist be saved as if he had said thou canst not be saved unlesse thou wash thy heart from vain thoughts how long shall thy vain thoughts lodge within thee He doth not say why doe vain thoughts come in thee for they will come into the best most holy heart but how long shall they lodge within thee If but vain thoughts do lodge in man take up their nest in his heart if a man let his thoughts dwell upon vain things and hee give way unto them and use them as his market trade and recreations hee cannot be saved it is an emphaticall kind of speech as if the Lord should say O Jerusalem thou never considerest this and thus he doth as it were pity and compassionate them in their blindnesse and ignoranâ—e and horrible besottednesse that think that thought is free Beloved when the Lord comes to reckon with the world he will not only reckon with them for their pounds and shillings for their hundreds and thousands of sinnes for their murders whoredomes blasphemies c. but he will call them to account for their least sinnes the pence and farthing sinnes even their very thoughts agree with thine adversary quickly while thou art in the way lest he deliver thee up to the Jaylor and thou be cast into prison thou shalt not come out untill thou hast paid the utmost farthing thou must deliver up thy farthing as well as thy pound sinnes or else thou never agreest with thine adversary When the Lord by his prophet calls upon his people exhorting them to repentance he willeth and exhorteth them to change their thoughts Esay 55.7 Repentance is the change of the thoughts according to the English Proverb I have changed my thoughts Look unto thy feet when thou goest into the house of God Eccles 5.1 Thou canst never go to the House of God without thy feet the thoughts and affections of the heart are the feet of the soul and thou canst never go to God without them and therefore if thy heart and affections run habitually on earthly things thou didst never repent and so thine end is damnation Reas 2 The second reason is that mans end must needs be destruction that hath no Christ in the world now so long as thy thoughts run habitually on earthly things thou hast no Christ It is not enough for a man to hang on Christ for many a man doth so and yet is cut off from Christ and perisheth for ever thou must not onely hang upon Christ but thou must also get into Christ As in the old world when the deluge came and the waters increased so greatly that the mountaines and high hils were covered with them and the people could not save themselves by getting unto the tops of the mountains no question but many seeing the Ark swim above the water did climb up and hang upon the sides of the Ark thinking to save themselves yet none of them were saved but those that were gotten into the Ark so many a man will catch hold of Christ but his hold will be gone and he perish for ever unlesse he get into Christ Now a man can never get into Christ unlesse his heart bee purged from vaine thoughts For Christ when he entreth into a man cleanseth his heart from vain thoughts 2 Cor. 10.5 If Christ once come into the heart he will set up his throne there he will hold up his Scepter of Righteousnesse in it when Christ cometh see what a work hee will make in the heart he will not suffer a proud thought to remain there to upbraid him he will not suffer ever a sinfull lust to stand up to beard him but he will cast down every imagination and all high things that exalt themselves and he will bring every thought into subjection unto himself Therefore if thy thoughts run after the lusts of thy owne heart thou hast no Christ in thee for Christ beloved will never dwell in a foule house I know there is no wheat without some darnell no gold without some drosse no wine without some lees so there is no man but hath some sin no man so clean but hath some defilements of sin upon him therefore if a man have not his cleansing grace of Christ in him cleansing the heart from vain things there is no Christ in him for Christ will never dwell in a foule heart Now beloved the very vain thoughts of a man defile him as Christ saith Matth. 7.21 22 23. Out of the heart proceedeth evill thoughts and they are they that defile a man All these not onely murder and adulteries and uncleannesses and all
of the people he calls it the roaring of Beares The Lord had as lief heare the barking of a Dog or the grunting of a Swine as a man that doth not pray aright with a bleeding heart with contrition of soule and spirit with a spirit of grace and supplication When a man prayes and prayes dot aright his prayer leaves that name it is no more a prayer in Gods account And so preaching it is an admirable action but if a man doe not preach aright if it be flattering with the enticing words of mans wisdome or beating the aire and to shew his owne learning this overthrowes the action of preaching hee preacheth not Christ but himselfe himselfe not the Gospel though the Gospel bee in his Sermon all over yet himselfe hee preacheth the action is marred the circumstance marreth it So in the Lords Supper if a man come not prepared that he have not the Wedding Garment that he be not aright qualified according to the requisites of the Gospel this is not to eate the Lords Supper Saith the Apostle When yee come together this is not to eate the Lords Supper you think you eate the Lords Supper you take the bread and the cup and can say Blessed be God and I pray God to blesse me you may come and doe these actions but the action is altered the action is diversified when it is not done in a right manner So if a man come to reprove his brother if himselfe be faulty do you think this a sufficient reproof No it is hyhocrisie Thou hypocrite Matth. 7.5 his reproof of his brother is hypocrisie So for men to tell one another of their faults and to tell them with a spirit of bitternesse this is not Christian dehortation but biting one another Gal. 5.15 And so for eating and drinking beloved eating is lawfull and drinking is lawfull and marrying and giving in marriage all these are lawfull yet if a man eate not aright and drink not aright and marry in the Lord and eate and drink with title to the Lords creatures that he have interest in the covenant of God if Christ be not in it how shall he have comfort Nay that very nature of his eating is alrered his eating and drinking and marrying is a sinne As our Lord Christ shews of the old world They did eat and drinke and were marrying and giving in marriage till Noah entred into the Arke and the flood came and swept them away Matth. 24.37 He reckons their eating and drinking among their sins among the reasons and causes why the flood came upon them they did eate and drink and marry and give in marriage Object You will say Was that the reason the flood came And was that an argument of their security Did not Noah eate and drink and marry And were not his sons married that were in the Arke and he a grand-father Answ But he did it aright therefore his eating and drinking is not brought in as a signe of security but of the old world that were carnall and wretched people it was because they did not eate and drink aright There be Rules in eating and drinking in talking and discoursing in doing the duties of our callings There be Rules how you ought to buy and sell and to do every good word and worke If these Rules be not observed the Rules of Gods blessed word the actions themselves are altered though the things be commanded of God yet they are cursed and abominable things when the true form and fashion of them is not regarded though they be never so godly A garment though it be never so good if the Taylor handle it not well it is marred in the making if hee bring it not to a right forme and make it in a right manner the man that is to have the garment is disappointed So Timber though it be never so excellent though it be all Oke or Elm or whatsoever tree though it be never so fit for building if the Artificer deale not well in handling it the inhabitant that comes there may curse the day that ever he came there If it be not well built it may fall on his head and kill him and all that belongs to him So it is in all the Ordinances of God and the matters of Religion we must not only do them for matter but for manner too for that either makes or marres them Thirdly another Reason is because only the right manner of doing duties gets the blessing A man may pray a thousand times and never be heard he may hear a million of Sermons and never be converted a man may come to all the Sacraments in the yeare all his life long and never be sealed against the day of redemption A man may do the things and never get the blessing all the blessing lies in the right manner of doing Blessed is that servant who when his master comes shall find so doing Matth. 24.48 He saith not Who when his master commeth shall find doing Christ when he comes to judgement shall finde many doing it may be he will come in prayer time it may be he will come in the morning when many thousands shall be at their prayers in their families it may be he will come at night when all are at prayer in their houses it may be he will come on the Sabbath when all the Countrey is at Church hearing of Sermons hee shall finde many thousands doing and praying But blessed is that servant whom his Lord when hee comes shall find so praying so hearing so receiving the Sacrament He shall find many believing but so believing gets the blessing many professing but it is so professing that gets the comfort I say all the blessings of God are promised to the right manner of doing Now what is it when we doe duties what doe we look for Is it not for a blessing Why doe we doe the duties if we doe not doe them so as we may get the blessing Now except we observe the right manner of doing them all is to no purpose Fourthly another Reason is the example of Jesus Christ Christ hath given us an example that we should doe as he did Now hee did not onely doe that which his Father bid him doe for maâ—ter but for manner both in all the words hee spake and in all the deeds that hee performed For the words he spake As the Father hath said unto me even so speak I Joh. 12. And in Joh. 14.31 As the Father hath given me commandement even so doe I. Mark he did not onely obey his Father in the matter of his command but in the manner of it And as Christ hath done thus so all that are Christs all the servants of God in all ages they have been very carefull especially of the right manner of obeying God As it is said of Noah Gen. 6 22 As the Lord commanded Noah even so did he just as the Lord commanded
then he will prevent the mischeif a man is guilty of bodily murther but thou art guilty of the soule of thy brother if thou let him fall into sin Thou thinkest thy brother is harsh he will not bear with thee he is hasty and testy no thou art in an error That man that hates reproof erreth saith Solomon Indeed a man should not be too sharp but first tell his brother in private that he is in an error for reproof is a means of grace it flowes from great love it is the providence of God that hath cast it about that thou shouldest have reproof given thee if thou have a heart to take it it is an argument of love Another reason is taken from the primary end of reproof which is to bring a man to good to reduce him into a right way to convert a man to save his soule that is the primary end of reproof and admonition therefore to go on in sinnes contrary to it must needs be a great evill As Solomon brings in the wisdome of the Father Jesus Christ calling upon people O yee fooles how long will yee love folly turn at my reproof Mark what followes to what end I will poure my spirit on you There is the end he tells them O yee fooles wretched people without understanding that go on in sinne and harden your owne hearts that repent not nor turne not to God that will not submit to his wisdome nor imbrace his word yee fooles that wrong your own souls oh turne at my reproof Why This is the reason that God reproves a man on this fashion it is that a man may have the Spirit of God granted him If thou have an eare to heare reproof and a heart to drink it in and to weare it as a crown of gold on thy head and as a chain about thy neck thou shouldest have the Spirit of God for thy labour the Lord reproves thee that thou mightest return back and have his Spirit and have mercie and forgivenesse This is all the ill will that Gods Ministers beare thee and all the hatred that reprovers shew when they tell thee of thy sinnes whatsoever they be that they may stop thy steps from going downe to Hell When the Lord sends thee Sermon upon Sermon Preacher after Preacher thou art called on day by day as you here in this place This is the infinite goodnesse of God toward your souls therefore your sinne is infinite great if you do not amend as the wise man saith He that hates reproof shall surely die Prov. 15.10 there is no remedy for that man that man that puts off repentance God reproves him from day to day on the Sabbath day and on the week dayes hee goes to this man and there he is reproved and to another and there he is reproved and yet he goes on in this deadnesse and formality in the ordinances of God that man shall surely die there is no remedy he sins against the infinite mercie of God Thirdly there is no reason in the world why reproofe should be taked otherwise then with all willingnesse and thankfulnesse and chearfulnesse If a man have but the reason of a man in him he must needs take reproof in good part he must be a beast that doth not judge well of him that reproves him There is an excellent place Prov. 12.1 He that puts off reproof is brutish he that hates reproof is a brute that man hath no reason in him Art thou a swearer and art reproved for it thy brother tells thee thou wilt be damned for it Doest thou chafe at that man thou art a beast thou hast no more understanding then an Ox or an Asse As it is with a horse when the Ostler comes to rub him he kicks with the heel when he only beats off the dirt he lifts up his hinder legge on him and it may be wounds him so thou hast no more understanding then a beast that finds fault with one that reproves thee for thy sins So that whatsoever thy sin be he that tells thee of it there is no reason in the world but he should be a dear man to thee Me thinks of all men under heaven godly Ministers that are faithfull in their place and calling should be the dearest men to you upon the face of the earth Why because they reprove you and tell you of your sins and what will become of your souls what will be the issue and Catastrophe of all your wayes You that come to Church every day may read a Lecture in the Word of God what will be your doom at the last day you are told of your pride and adultery of your whoredome and oaths carnall Gospellers of their secure and carnall condition and common professors of their formality and other lusts that men are given to you are told of all I say the feet of Gods messengers should be beautifull you should hug the messengers and put their reproofs in your bosomes and let them have power and efficacie on your souls and go and put them in practice The Use of this is First is it so that it is the infinite mercie of God to reprove men of their sinnes to tell them of whatsoever is amisse in their hearts and lives let me tell you First see here what an infinite punishment God is bringing upon that Kingdome when hee is taking away reprovers from them when God takes away reprovers he takes away all mercie and loving kindnesse Therefore God when he threatned to deliver up Judah to curse that Kingdome to plague them for their rebellion and utterly to give them over he saith he will take away the reprover saith hee to the Prophet Thou shalt be dumb and not open thy mouth thou shalt not be a reprover to this people Ezek. 3.26 When the Lord would curse that people and bind them over to a reprobate sense and deliver them to wrath the Prophet shall not be a reprover he silences the Prophet Or as Piscator thinks the anger of God silenced him or confined him to his house that he should not prophesie So when God silences his Ministers that he takes them from a place or threatens to take them away it is a signe of heavie vengeance toward such a people It may be wicked people laughed at them and made it a matter of nothing they were glad that Ezekiels mouth was gagged and it were no matter if the countrey were rid of a company of Puritans though they had no such word then they had as bad they think all is well but the time will come that they will curse the day that ever they provoked God to take away their Ministers we enjoy them by the mercie of God other places have lost them God knows how soon wee may lose ours In Hosea 4.4 the Lord there when he would set out the desperate estate of the children of Ephraim he delivers them up to such a state and condition
life and many other outward comforts and supports But thou wilt heare more of these things in the Sermons themselves the wholesome Admonitions and Reproofs wherein contained with the rest of that heavenly provision for thy Soule which thou shalt find here gathered together and laid into thy hand I heartily wish may be sanctified unto thee by the highest hand of the Sanctifier that so thy sins and corruptions may flie seven wayes before that Spirit of power which here pursueth them and thou never presume to return back again unto them more The God whom we serve is able to performe this great petition by Jesus Christ To whose grace the peace of thy soule is faithfully and feelingly recommended by That poor and unworthy servant of Christ and his Church John Goodwin The Contents and Heads of the eight following Sermons The Contents of the first two Sermons from HAG. 1.5 THe Preface showing the usefulnesse of Meditation together with the danger in neglecting it Page 1 The opening of the Tex in severall particulars pag. 4 Doctrine Serious Meditation of our sins by the â—ord is an especiall means for to make us repent 4 The definition of Meditation in four particulars 4 1 It is an exercise of the mind 4 2 A setled exercise of the mind 5 3 It is to make a further enquirie into all the parts of the truth 6 4 It labours to affect the heart 7 Two Reasons 1. Because Meditation presseth â—ll Arguments home to the heart 7 2 Because Meditation fastens sin close upon the â—oul and makes the soul to feel it 9 1 Use For the reproof of severall sorts of men â—hat are loth to put in practise this so necessary a duty 12 Four lets of Meditation 1. Vain company 14 2 Multitude of worldly businesse 14 3 Ignorance 16 4 That naturall aversnesse is in the heart of man unto it 16 This aversnesse of heart consisteth in three things 1 In the carelesnesse of the heart 17 2 In the runnings and rovings of the heart 17 3 In the wearisomnesse of the heart in meditation 17 2 Use For terror unto all those that dare sit down in security never at all regarding this soul searching duty 18 Four means or helps to meditation 1 With all seriousnesse tell the soul that thou hast a message from the Lord unto it 20 2 Observe sitting times for meditation viz. 1 The morning 21 2 The night 22 3 The evening 22 4 When the heart is after some extraordinary manner touched with Gods word or providences 22 3 Call to mind what evill thou hast done ever since thou wast born 23 4 Rouse up thy heart and thoughts as high aâ— heaven 23 3 Use For the reprehension of those that meditate upon their sins and how they may with the more freenesse commit sin 24 Four grounds upon which meditation must be raised 1 Meditate on the goodnesse mercy and patience of God that you have oft abused by your sins 26 2 Meditate on the justice of God that you have so oft provoked 28 3 Meditate on the wrath of God that you have so oft kindled 29 4 Meditate on the constancie of God who is a constant hater of all sin 30 Four directions how to carry Meditation home to the heart 1 Weigh and ponder all the foregoing things in â—hine own heart 33 2 Strip sin and look upon it starknaked and in â—ts own colours 33 3 Dive into thine own soul and search thine â—eart to the quick 34 4 Prevent thine own heart by meditation and â—ell thy soul that it will one day wish that it had not â—eglected this so necessary a duty 36 Four duties to be discharged that we may put life to Meditation 1 Let Meditation haunt and dogge thy heart with the promises and threatnings mercies and judgements of God 38 2 Let Meditation trace thy heart in the same steps and run over all thy duties discharged 41 3 Let Meditation hale thy heart before Gods Throne there to poure out thy complaints before the Almighty p. 43. and let thy complaint be 1 Full of sorrow 44 2 A full complaint of all thy sins 44 3 A complaint aggravating all thy sins by all their circumstances 45 4. A self-condemning complaint wherein the complaint of Ezra is illustrated in eight particulars 46 4 Let Meditation when it hath searched out thy case and made it appear how wofull it is cast thee down before God 49 Four motives to stir up the soul to Meditation 1 Consider it is the part of a fool not to meditate It is a madnesse for a man to walk on in a course and not to consider whither it will tend 50 2 Consider not to meditate is the brand of a Reprobate 52 3 He that meditates not robs God of his honor 52 4 All the service that a man performeth unto the Lord will be abominable if he meditate not before it and after it 53 The reason why we have so many vain thoughts in our holy exercises is because we prepare not our hearts thereunto by meditation 54 The Contents of the third Sermon Proverbs 1.28 1 THe opening of the context in 5 particulars 59 2 The opening of the words of the Text in four particulars 62 1. Doctrine Those that will not heare the Lord when he calleth upon them by the ministry of his word and voice of his Spirit the Lord will not hear them when in their misery they call upon him 62 3. Reasons of the point 1. The law of Retaliation of rendring like for like requires it 64 2. Because Gods two Attributes of Mercy and Justice have their season in this life and when Mercy hath acted her part then commeth Justice upon the stage for to act her part 66 3. Because it is Gods manner for to doe so in temporall things and therfore much more in matters of grace and salvation 68 God giveth to men a day and no Man nor Angell knoweth how long this day lasteth or when this season of grace shall have an end 71 73 And as there is a Personall day so there is a Nationall day 74 Object 1. A man may be called at the 11th or 12th houre of the day 75 Ans Those that were called at the first hour came in at the first houre these that came in at the twelfth houre were not the same that were called at the first hour 75 Object 2 The day of grace lasteth as long as the day of life 77 The Objection is cleared under three particulars Ans And it is answered that the day of grace may end to a particular man long before his death 1. Because God may harden a mans heart 78 2. Because God may sear mens consciences 78 Object 3. Suppose I go on in my sinne and repent upon my death-bed will God hear me Ans The answer is negative 80 Object 4. Suppose I humble my self by fasting and prayer will not God hear that The answer is negative if thou neglect the day of grace
judge the world 155 5 Learn hence also that the Ministers of God by every Sermon they preach shall judge the world 157 Use 2 For to condemn the world who see not an amiablenesse in the faces of the Saints who shall one day be their judges who shall judge both Saints and Angels 157 2 This sheweth the folly of the wicked who prepare not for these Judges 158 Lastly it condemnes all those that do not see glory and majesty in the faces of Gods Saints he that revileth the Saints revileth his judges 159 160 Who shall judge the World 1 God the Father by way of authority all judgement is originally from him 161 2 God the Son by way of dispensation 161 3 God the holy Ghost by way of conviction 161 4 The word of God by way of form it being the platform according to which Christ will judge the whole world 162 5 All the Ministers of God shall sit as Justices in common 164 6 All the Saints from one end of the world to the other shall assist the just Judge of heaven and earth 164 So that the wicked shall not be able to plead 1 Their ignorance 165 2 Nor their poverty 166 3 Neither their sinning at their masters command 170 4 Neither callings nor tradings 167 5 Neither the sinfull times they live in 167 Use 3 First for the just reproof of many of the Saints of God because they are not so circumspect over their wayes as they ought how will they be able to rise up in judgement against the wicked for such sins as they themselves live in 168 2 It may serve to condemne some of the Saints of God in regard of that little difference that is to be found betwixt the wicked of the world and them in their lives and manners that it is hard to tell which is a Saint and which is a reprobate by their conversations 170 3 It may serve to condemn the scandalousnes of many persons in their behaviour and actions 171 The Contents of the Sixth Sermon 1 Cor. 11.30 DOct. 1 from the 18 verse That whosoever will come to the holy Cōmunion they must examine themselves that so they may come worthily 175 The Apostle gives three Reasons of it 1 From the end of the Sacrament 176 2 From the wrong men offer to Christ if they come in their sins 177 3 From the woful wrong that a man doth to his own soul that commeth without preparation 177 The Vses of the point are these 1 For the reproof of those that comming unpreparedly get no spiritual strength thereby 178 2 For terror to unworthy receivers 179 3 To shew they make themselves liable to Gods temporary plagues 180 4 For instruction to examine our selves 180 5 He concludes with an use of exhortation 181 An explanation of the words 2 Doct. God doth most severely punish the unworthy receivers of the Lords Supper 183 4 Reas 1 Because Christ himself instituted it 184 2 Because Christ is the matter of it and therefore the more heynous the defilement 187 3 Because Christ is the form of it wherein confirming grace is sealed to the soul 190 4 Because Christ is the end of the Sacrament 191 Use 1 For instruction shewing whence sicknesse weaknesse c. come 193 2 From whence comes hardnesse of heart c. 194 Use 2 For comfort unto every poor afflicted soul c. 198 Use 3 For terror to those that come unpreparedly 199 Object Do all that come unworthily eat and drink their own damnation Answ A man may eat and drink his own damnation three wayes 1 In regard of guilt and liablenesse to Gods wrath 203 2 In regard of the seal and obligation in the conscience 203 3 In regard of the sigillation in heaven 204 Lastly the conclusion denouncing terror to all those that dare rush upon this holy ordinance 205 But for comfort to all them who with all diligence set upon the preparing of their souls for this great Ordinance 206 The Contents of the Seventh Sermon on 2 Cor. 11.28 The words of the Text explained 210 Doct. 1 We must not rush upon the Sacrament 210 There are none of the Ordinances of God that a man may rush upon without examination 211 Three Reasons Naturally we are no invited guests to the Sacrament 212 2 Though we are invited yet it may be we are not disposed for naturally we are strangers to God and the covenant of God all this indisposition must be wrought off before we can come comfortably to the Sacrament 213 3 This is a solemne Ordinance and therefore an ordinary disposition will not serve the turn 213 Many a reprobate may eat and drink in Christs presence 214 Use To forewarn men lest they unpreparedly rush upon any of Gods Ordinances especially upon the Sacrament of the body and blood of Christ 215 The Text divided into Four parts 216 Doct. 2 There is a necessity that we should receive the Lords Supper and receive it often 217 Doct. 3 The manner of performance of duties is to be regarded 218 Five Reasons 1 The Lord commands the manner as well as the matter 219 2 Circumstances overthrow actions if they be not rightly and duly observed 219 It's instanced 1 In prayer 219 2 In preaching 220 3 In receiving the Sacrament 221 4 In brotherly reproofe 221 5 In eating drinking and marrying 221 3 Because only the right manner of doing duties gets the blessing 223 4 Because Christ himself is an example unto us in this he did not only obey his Father in the matter of his commands but in the manner of them 224 5 Because otherwise we canaot glorifie God 225 Use 1 First to condemne that naturall Popery that is in the hearts aef men c. 227 Use 2 For discovery why people are so willing to do duties for the matter and not for the manner 229 The Reasons of it are these 1 Because the matter of duty is easie but the manner is difficult 229 2 Duties for the matter of them may be done with a proud heart 231 3 They may be done with an unholy life 232 4 The matter of duty bringeth not the crosse and many zealous for the matter are persecutors of goodnesse 234 Use 3 To exhort men to labour to perform duties aright 235 Three motives to perswade people to perform duties after a right manner 1 Because no Ordinance at all else can be effectual unto us 236 2 All is but hypocrisie if the manner be not regarded 236 3 It is only the right manner of doing duties that pleaseth God 238 4 Doct. Every man must prepare himself before he come to the Lords Table 239 4 Reas 1 Because the Sacrament is Gods Ordinance 239 2 Because the Lord Christ hath made great preparation in providing it 241 3 Because Christ in this ordinance offers for to come into the soul he looks for good entertainment 24◠4 Because the Sacrament is a part of Christs last wil and Testament therefore when we
and of thy poor soul let thy meditation run on thy poore soule The heart is untoward unto this duty and as unwilling as a Bear to be brought to the stake the Beare would rather be rambling abroad then be baited so men had rather let their hearts ramble about any thing then bait them for their sinnes yea men scoffe at it saying shall we alwayes be poring on our sins shall wee run mad shall we drive our selves to despaire cannot men keep themselves well while they are well The poore man he hath no time for this tedious duty the rich man he needs it not the wicked they dare not so no man will No man repented him of his wickednesse saying What have I done Ier. 8.6 No man would meditate and thinke with himselfe what is my case how stands my condition before God what evill have I done In the Ark and in the old law if there were any beast that chewed not the cud it was a signe of an unclean beast the word implies the bringing up of their meat into their mouthes again and sitting downe to chew it again But now men like unclean beasts swallow downe the food of their soules unchewed and will not meditate thereof that it may turne to good nutriment but like Cormorants they take it downe by whole-sale and are never the better So the Word is to them as the Quailes to the Israelites while the flesh was yet between their teeth ere it was chewed the wrath of the Lord was kindled against them and smote them with a very great plague Num. 11.33 so the Word of God sticks in their teeth ere they chew it or meditate upon it the wrath of God fals upon them and strikes them with a very great plague of hardnesse of heart and leannesse of soule But the truth is you that will not now see your sinnes nor meditate on them you shall see them and meditate on nothing but on feare Lord when thy hand is lifted up they will not see but they shall see and be ashamed Esay 26.11 Let. 1 Now the Lets of serious meditation are First vain company When Peter saw the people touched Acts 2.37 he said unto them Save your selves from this untoward generation vers 40. as if he should say If you love your selves God hath touched your hearts suffer not Satan and these wicked instruments to steale away these impressions of terror from your soules If ever you love your soules sort not your selves with this untoward generation See as it humbles you so let meditation follow upon it so that it may still humble you Ill company brings a man to the gallowes as the proverb is and ill company will bring a man to hell say It and meditation cannot be admitted to it David would not have a wicked man to abide in his sight when he was to meditate he wisht that there were never a wicked man in the world much lesse would he keep company with them My meditation of him shall be sweet let the sinners be consumed out of the earth and let the wicked be no more Blesse thou the Lord O my soul Psal 104.35 Let. 2 The second Let is multitude of worldly businesse A dream saith Solomon comes through multitude of businesse Eccles 5. Multitude of businesse causeth the mind so to run on them that they do even dream of them in their sleep as Lucretius Seneca Claudian and many others of the heathens have observed He that over-imployes himself his meditations of heaven are dreaming meditations his thoughts dreaming thoughts he can never seriously meditete on the good of his soul Many ingrosse businesse into their hands never thinking they have enough they are so greedy after the world and so carelesse of heaven So they make their hearts like high-way ground the word sown in their hearts is like seed sown in the high-way where is such a through-fare and a broad Carriers road of earthly affairs that all the word and meditation thereof is troden down as the grass in the high-way which cannot grow so neither meditation in a busie-bodied heart For a good meditating mind Nemo ad illam pervenit occupatus saith Seneca no man ever came to it surfeited with imployments David although he had abundance of State affairs both his hands full yet he would not have his hands to be over-charged but that he might meditate in Gods word My hands also not all downe to businesse onely in the world but also up to thy Law will I lift up to thy commandements which I have loved and I will meditate on thy statutes Psal 119.48 Take not too much upon thee like those grasping worldlings that wil have a finger in a hundred things Martha Martha thou art cumbred about many things but one thing is needfull and Mary hath chosen the better part Luk. 10.41 and what was that one thing Mary was sitting and meditating in and pondering Christs words not as Theophylact expounds it as if he would say Martha Martha thou art cumbred about many dishes but one thing is needfull only one dish though indeed so it be yet he here speaks not only of one dish but of many cares which hinder that one necessary dutie of hearing and meditating on the word of God Thirdly ignorance A man cannot meditate of a thing he knowes not nor thou of thy sinnes if thou be not skilfull in Gods catalogue of thy sinnes nor of mercies and promises if thou beest not verst in them nor of his Precepts if thou be not expert in them The Psalmist proveth that he had more knowledge then all his Teachers Why Because he used to meditate I have more understanding then all my Tutors for thy testimonies are my meditation Psal 119.99 Fourthly aversenesse of the heart The heart is like the swine meditation is like the yoke the Hogge would fain get into forbidden fields for to grub them the yoke that hinders him but he cannot abide it every step he takes he lifts up his foot to strike it off if he could so the heart would faine break through hedges and get into forbidden wayes and if thou wouldest meditate it would every moment lift up its heele to put thee besides it If it cannot put thee besids it it will marre it if it can and therefore David praid to God to settle his heart upon the right and put his yoke upon him or it would never be stedfast else upon meditation Let the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart bee ever acceptable in thy sight O Lord my strength and my redeemer Psal 19.14 This aversenesse of the heart consists in three things First in the carelesnesse of the heart the heart prizeth not meditation nor the things of grace that are to be meditated on it will not be at the cost and charge nor at the paines for them To what end is a price in the hands of a foole seeing there is no heart to get wisedome Prov. 17. â—6 The
their Dogges their bellies and their backes before they serve God in meditation or prayer unlesse it be the mumbling and roting a few Lord have mercy upon us that pray not till after many other businesses it may be not then neirher David prayed and meditated in the morning In the morning thou washest thy face and thy hands but thy soul hath more need which thou washest not in the morning thou puttest thy cloathes on thy body but thou puttest not on afresh the new man upon thy soule in the morning thou shakest off sleepinesse from thine eyes but thou shakest not off drowsinesse from thy soule Thou lookest into the glasse in the morning to see if thy face be as it should be but thy soule is not composedly looking into the glasse of Gods word In the morning look up in prayer look up in thanksgiving look up in meditation Secondly the night too O Lord I meditate on thee in the night watches Ps 63. not as carnal ones do when they cannot sleepe then their mind runnes on their Cow and their Calfe their markets and vanities this neighbour and that neighbour like Petronius his dogge that was hunting while he lay asleepe in his kennell Thirdly in the evening I prevent the night watches that I might meditate Psal 119.148 he did not as wicked men doe sleepe like a horse in the stable on his litter with his neck tied to the manger they goe to bed with their hearts roped to the world worldly thoughts this thought and that thought and God knowes what Fourthly when the heart is touched at a Sermon or Sacrament or observing of any judgement or mercy or act of Gods providence it is best striking when the Iron is hot David when his heart was touched at the reproaches of the wicked then he meditated Ps 119.23 When the Instrument is in tune then it is good playing upon it when a Churle is in a good mood then it is fittest to deale with him Oft will thy heart be out of tune oft churlish and in an ill mood if thou lettest the good opportunity go thou knowst not when thou shalt have such another When the fish is nibbling at the bait then it is good twitching at the angle rod when the heart is a nibbling at grace then give a pluck at it by meditation See Act. 17.11 now while the tide â—asts see thou maist get into the haven Means 3 Thirdly rub up thy selfe and thy memory call as much to mind as thou canst what evill thou hast done ever since thou wast borne what in the womb what in thy cradle childhood youth age what a servant what a Master what as a servant what as a sonne what as a neighbour what as an inferiour what as a superiour either in thought or word or deed how often thou â—ast omitted good duties or done them by â—alves Item for this and Item for that They shall remember themselves and turne unto the Lord Psal 22.27 First they shall remember themselves and say What have I done O wretch how carelesly have I lived Secondly so meditating they shall turn unto the Lord. Many say Oh! they cannot remember their sinnes They lie in a thousand particulars for they can remember to commit them wel enough See Lam. 3.19 20.21 our Greek translation turnes it I spâ—ke to my selfe and meditated as if they should say O what a rebell have I been how unthankfull how unprofitable under all the means of grace I may thank my sins for all the plagues of the Almighty that are upon me if he had damned me I had been well served What followes The heart bowed and was humbled as it is in the text Means 4 The fourth means Rouze up thy heart As it is with the eye of the body so it is with the eye of the soul when a man would look wishly upon a thing as if he would look through it he sets his eyes on it as Paul set his eyes on Elymas Ah thou child of the Devil thou c. Acts 13.9 Meditation is the setting of the eye of the soul upon a thing set thine eye upon thy selfe and say Ah thou child of the wicked why hath Satan filled thy heart O wretched heart whence hadst thou thy self-love hadst thou not it from the Devil God might do well to send thee to the Devill if thou lovest so to bee his Broker Seâ— thine eyes stedfastly upon thine owne wayes and thou shalt see infinite hellish evils in thy sins Vse 3 The third use is for reprehension What is more usuall then this that men make sleight account of their sins Nay when God tells them in their hearts Thou shalt not do this thou shalt not doe that yet they meditate and think Why may I not Samuel bid Saul stay for directions from him before he sacrificed unto God It seemes that God spake to his heart Stay till Samuel comes to direct thee yet Saul forced himselfe to disobey and to doe sacrifice 1. Sam. 13.12 he was bold as Vatable turnes it hee confirmed himselfe as Pagnin translates it hee thrust himselfe upon the doing of it God forbad him he would doe it God urged him in his conscience not to doe it yet he would doe it God again whispered to him to doe it not yet hee forced himselfe to doe it as if he should say I hope I may doe it I have stayed seven dayes wanting an houre or a piece of an houre and a little piece breakes no squares No God rejected Saul for that venture God would have forced him by meditation O no doe it not by no meanes he made him think Oh it is against Gods commandements I may not doe it No but neverthelesse he forced himselfe to doe it Thus God deals with thousands and millions in the world Be not a drunkard God flings the meditation into the conscience yet a drunkard thou wilt be be not a drunkard again a drunkard notwithstanding thou wilt be Be not again they force themselves they will goe to the Ale-house And so of all other sinnes If men will cast oft this work of meditation darted into their soules they cast off their owne mercy God tells them pray not hear not offer not without directions from me they dread not the commandement they will I trust prayers are good I will say them Thus they will not meditate or if they doe they break it off before it comes to any strength or perfection yea Gods owne servants that desire to look towards Sion is not this your complaint oft I cannot find sinne heavie I confesse the word discovers it to me but I cannot be troubled for it Look as it is with men in the world if five hundred pounds weight bee laid upon the ground if a man never pluck at it he shall never feele the weight of it Your sinnes are not many hundreds but many thousands yea many ten thousands selfe-love security hardnesse of heart base fears c. it is impossible to
break-neck it will be a Devill unto me the more I have been delighted with it the more it will gall me the more I have gotten by it the more it will damne me the sin which I most of all loved will most of all torment me Ecclesiast 11.9 look thus upon sin The third means dive into thine owne soul and heart there is a tough brawn over thy heart that it feels not its sins Now Meditation must look through and come to the heart at the quick and cause the truth to dive into the deep places of the soule When the timber is hard the workman cannot thrust in the nail with the weight of his hand no he must hammer it in Meditation is the hammering of the heart It 's a pertinent phrase Jer. 23.24 Is not my word like a fire saith the Lord and like a hammer that breaketh the rocks in peices There be two similitudes first of a hammer the Word of God is the hammer meditation is the hand that taketh this hammer and knocks the nail into the rocky heart and makes it enter Wilt thou not feele I le make thee feele saith meditation wilt thou not take notice of thy wretched estate Meditation comes with blow after blow and makes it take notice Seeondly of fire the word is like fire Meditation kindles it about the heart A man benummed with cold is senselesse the water frozen with cold though the least peble would have sunk in it before now a great milstone is able to lie upon it and not sink the water is able to beare it so is the heart be it sins never so heavie as the hill of Basan yet it bears it and feels no weight but Meditation thawes the heart and then every sinne pincheth and oppresseth Is not my word like fire as if he should say think of it and muse of it and meditate of it and thou shall feele it as a fire Meditation is the often smiting of the heart with this hammer so did Ephraim smite upon his thigh Jer. 31.19 like a man in a miserable agony he thumps his own breast and in a vexation strikes his hand on his thigh Oh miserable wretch that I am So did Ephraim Oh what an unruly Ox am I how unwilling am I to bear the yoke of the Lord Oh and oh the hardnesse of my heart oh that I could tell how to beat thee black and blue Many men smite their hearts but they smite them not often enough When Elâ—sha bad Joash smite upon the ground he smote thrice and staâ—ed The man of God said to him in anger Thou shouldest have smitten five or six times for then thou hadst smitten Syria till thou hadst consumed them where as now thou shalt smite Syria but thrice 2. Kin. 13.19 So men smite their hearts twice or thrice or so but they will not smite their sins dead it may be they break the head of their sins but they recover again and grow strong upon them as at first Thou must smite five or six times yea fifty times five times till thou hast quite broken the impostume of thy heart Meditate on the mercies of God and with them smite it often and often Meditate on the justice of God and with it smite it again and again Meditate on the wrath of God which is as a consuming fire and with it smite it soundly Meditate on the truth of the Lord this threatning and that threatning this commandement and that commandement this promise and that promise and with all these smite it to powder The forth manner Anticipate and prevent thine owne heart meditate what thy heart will one day wish if it be not humbled and tell thy soule as much thou wilt one day wish Oh that I had been humbled under the reproofes of the Lord Oh that I had been wise to have understood mine owne mercie Cursed bee the day that ever I neglected the means of grace so the Lord brings in a foolish obstinate sinner cursing and banning his owne soule sobbing and howling at the last Oh how have I hated instruction and my heart despised repâ—oofe and have not observed the voyce of my Teachers nor inclined mine care to them that instructed mee Pro. 5.12 13. I had Ministers to preach to me but I would not come at them â—or if I did I cared not for their doctrine I had friends that advised me wel but woe is me damned wretch I heeded them not Thus thou wilt cast the foole into thine owne teeth and fling a thousand curses into thine own face because of thy madnesse I might have learned but I would not I might have been humbled but I would not I was almost in all evill in the midst of the assembly of the congregation vers 14. I lived where the Saints of God were in whole assemblies but I mockt them I hated them I misliked them for being too precise I was not ashamed of my security no not in thy sight Thus thou wilt cry out one day if now thou wilt not yeeld unto meditation which must make this as present with thee Know thou O my soul the time of thy visitation is at hand thou wilt curse thy selfe hereafter if thou doest not now be moved by Gods mercies thou shalt never see mercie more Now be awaked by Gods judgements or else thou shalt feel them for evermore now or for ever thou shalt roare for them Then thou shalt curse thy gains and thy profits that bewitched thee thou shalt curse thy pleasures and delights that besotted thee curse thine own heart and thine own soul and thine own conscience that have damned thee Meditation may tell thee thus it will be with thee unlesse thou obeyest now Hear ye me now oh ye children and depart not from the words of my mouth ver 7. hear the word now and obey it let it not depart out of thy meditation Now be humbled with grace oâ— then thou shalt be humbled with horrour then thou shalt wish Oh that I had been ruled When thou art in hell then thou shalt meditate 〈◊〉 it was good counsell that such and such a â—ster gave me good counsell that such a 〈◊〉 and such a brother gave me but wretch 〈◊〉 I was I had not grace to follow it I had more mind of my pleasures more mind of my vanities then of grace Oh if it were to do again I would not do so for a thousand worlds but alas it is now too late Therefore let Meditation presse this upon thee before-hand Now follows the third thing how to put life to Meditation Foure duties are to be done to this purpose 1. Let Meditation haunt thy heart let meditation dogge thee with the hellish looks of thy sins and follow it with the dreadfull vengeance of God haunt it with promises haunt it with threatnings haunt it with mercies and haunt it with judgements and haunt it with Commandments The heart is like the Beaver when it perceiveth it cannot possibly escape
Christ saying Master my child is possessed with a Devil even a dumb spirit and I spake to thy Disciples that thâ—y should cast him out but they could not Mark 9.18 Bring him to me saith Christ vers 19. How long is this agoe since this came to him Of a child saith the Father and often it hath cast him into the fire and often into the water to destroy him but if thou canst doe any thing as certainly thou canst doe all things have compassion on us and help us verse 22. And then Christ helpt him So let meditation drive thy heart to God saying Lord here is my heart I beleeve possest with a Devill for it is a most abominable sinful heart I brought my heart to thy Ministers to cure it to Sermons to Prayer to all other good duties but they could not help me my heart is a Devillish heart still my heart is wicked and rebellious still the Devill oh the Devill is in it still Oh how he tempts me he holds me hee casts me into the fire of this lust and into the water of ever-flowing iniquity Have thou compassion come and help me for my heart is miserably vexed with Satan when I pray the Devill stuffes me with dead thoughts and drousie desires the Devill fills me with wandring Imaginations and I know not what when I hear the Word the Devil makes me to rise up against it or forget it or not obey it when the Sabbath is come the Devill sets me on thinking my own thoughts and speaking mine own words when a Sacrament is come the Devill hinders me in selfe-examination the Devill disappoints me of my preparation Oh have thou compassion on me The fourth duty let meditation when it hath held thy heart before God there cast thee downe before him when Meditation hath searched out thy case and made it appeare how wofull it is then let it lay thee along before God with What shall I do to be saved So it did with them in Acts 2.27 as if they should say saith Chrysostome we have not one jot of hope to finde mercy so long as we live as we do What shall we do Say what thou wilt our ears are ready to hear it command what thou wilt our souls what ever it be are willing to do it bid us suffer what ever thou pleasest tell us what it is and we will endure it They did not say notes Chrysostome How shall we be saved as wicked men do they desire to be saved but their maine care is not to see what they must do they are told what they must do and yet refuse to do it but thy chiefe study must be to cast thy selfe down before God with the good Jaylor Sirs what shall I doe to be saved Acts 16.30 First what must I do and then to be saved First thy care must be what to do to get out of thy sins how to be rid of thy lusts and then to be saved as if he should say I see I am at a damned passe and therefore I was a making away my selfe the fire of hell did slay my soule but now is there hope of salvation is there indeed Oh tell me I am willing to do any thing what must I do Keep nothing back of all the will the Lord be it punishments to suffer tell me of it I am ready to beare it be it precepts for to do though never so irksome O let me know it and I will not refuse it What must I doe to be saved When the heart is thus humbled upon sound meditation it 's willing to do or suffer any thing Jonah is willing to be cast into the sea being humbled Jonah 1.2 Here I am Lord deal with me as thou wilt Motive 1 The first Motive Is it a folly not to meditate Should a man walk on in a course and not meditate whether it will tend When he falls into mischeife what will he say I never thought of this before I never considered that this would be the end Now it is the part of a fool to say I never thought as the Latin proverb hath it when the Steed is stoâ—len if he should then shut the Stable doore what wouldest thou say Hee should have thought of that before The rich man in the Gospell had these meditations in his heart he thought within himselfe What shall I do because I have no roome where to bestow my fruits He said in his heart This will I do I will pull down my barnes and build greater and will say to my soule Soule soule thou hast much goods laid up for many yeares eate drinke and be merry Luke 12.17 18 19 20. Thou fool said God this night shall thy soule bee required of thee then whose shall these things bee that thou hast provided God said thus unto him not as if God spake thus familiarly unto him saith Theophylact but it is a parable and God sayes so in his word Thou soule this night shall they requirâ— thy soule of thee In this night of thy blindnesse in this night of thy security shall they require it hee doth not say I will require thy soule of thee but they he doth not say who but they the Devils in hell God knowes who shalâ— come thou shalt die and they shall fetch away â—hy soul to hell they shall require it A godly mans soule is not required but â—ather he requires God to take away his soule he is willing to die that he may be with Christ but a wicked mans soule is required of him hee would willingly not â—ie but that his soul is required of him and he must die Doubtlesse the rich fooâ—e now thought with himselfe I never thought that I should have died so soone and therefore now he â—alls it may be to his Lord Lord and cries God mercie But what will they say to him Thou shouldst have thought of this before The wise man shall inherit â—lory but shame shall be the promotion of soâ—es â—rov 3.3 â—he wiâ—e and prudent those that truely meditate of things before hand shall have glory but fools that hope to be promoted to glory and salvation shame and confusion of face shall be all their promotion and when they come thereto besides their expectation what will they say We never thought it would be thus with us before but fooles as we were we thought to be promoted to heaven like Haman when King Aâ—ashuerus said unto him What shall be done to the man whom the King will honour O thus and thus saith Haman for he thought I am the man whom the King intendeth to honour Esther 6. â— but when Haman was presently after to be hanged on a gallowes he might rightly say I never thought of this before So what shall be done to the man whom the Lord will honour Thus and thus sayest thou he shall have mercies blessings heaven I for thou thinkest I am the man that God intendeth thus to honour but when thou art come
how doth he know but this one robbery may bring him to the gallows So the man that sins this day how doth he know but that this very dayes work may bring him to hell Deut. 32.35 To God belongs vengeance their feete shall slide in due time Therefore if a man sin against him he may stand to day and to morrow and many dayes but when the due time comes even the time which God hath set then up goes his heels he shall slide and break his neck thy houre-glasse runs in heaven and thou seest not when the sand comes to the bottome but when t is out then down thou goest to hell for ever There was one resolved to kill Julius Caesar such a day the night before a friend sent him a letter to acquaint him with it but being at supper and busie I will not look upon it now saith he to morrow is a new day The next day when he should have read his letter he was stabd Whence this Proverb came in Greece To morrow is a new day God sends thee a letter and a message from heaven to day hear his voice to day repent and come out of your sins or for ever to hell to day be converted and sanctified or for ever be hardned Dost thou refuse to bearken to day and puttest it off untill to morrow it may be to morrow may be a day of Gods wrath and then thou maiest be hardned seared and bound over unto the great day of Gods vengeance to morrow God may set the decree upon thy soul that thou shalt never repent Therefore if thou refuse this thou refusest all for what knowest thou but this very day may be thy day Reas 1 The reason is because Gods patience is in his own brest and who can tell how long it will last Hast thou Momus his glasse-window to look into Gods secret counsell hast thou a key-hole to look into Gods treasurie canst thou stand on tiptoe to look over Gods shoulder to look into Gods decree to see how long his patience will last It may be God hath suffered thee till this day thou art guilty of ten thousand sinnes and yet he is patient towards thee God hath stayed thus long for thee that hast sworne I know not how many oaths God hath born thus long with thee that hast told I know not how many lies prophaned I know not how many Sabbaths contemned I know not how many ordinances and sleighted I know not how many judgements yet Gods patience is in his own brest it is the long sufferance of God Thou mayest say I would fain have it to morrow and this seven yeers but alas it is his long sufferance and not thine and how dost thou know when he will conclude it it may be this day as well as to morrow Joel 2.13 Rent your hearts and not your garments saith the Prophet for the Lord he is gracious and mercifull This word for hath a great deal of force in it First It is a descriptivum for for he is gracious and a mercifull God therefore rent thy heart and let thy soul burst within thee that thou hast sinned against him for he is a mercifull God and it may be he will pardon all thy sins and heal all thy rebellions committed against him Secondly it is an upbraiding for upbraiding thee for thy sins rent thy heart therefore why he is a patient God wilt thou goe on in thy sins against such a patient God and rebel against such a loving Father that hath loved thee with so much compassion Rent thy heart for he is patient Thirdly it is a comforting and incouraging for rent thy heart for there is incouragement for thee to repent give over thy sins and go to the throne of grace For there is much mercie to welcome thee and great patience for to bid thee come home and abundance of grace for to incourage thee therefore rent thy heart and come home unto the Lord for he is patient and long-suffering Fourthly it is a forewarning for rent your hearts for the Lord is gracious and mercifull slow to anger and of great kindnesse yet his mercie lasteth yet his patience endureth yet hee hath all his attributes and yet he is pleased to manifest the same still tendring grace and mercie unto thee Oh turn unto him while these endure or else thou shalt perish for ever Fifthly it is a threatning for now he is gracious now he is mercifull but his mercy will end his patience will end and then if thou hast not rent thy heart before it will be too late then Therefore as ever thou lovest thine own soule now rent thy heart and turn unto God It is Gods own proclamation The Lord the Lord slow to anger and of great mercie forgiving iniquity and sin Yea what man soever it be that humbles his soule before him he shall find grace and mercie with him yea abundance of mercie pardoning iniquity transgression and sinne yea any thing Let but a soul come prostrate before him humbling his soule he will pardon his sin But as it followeth in the words He will by no means clear the guiltie if notwithstanding all Gods patience and mercie thou go on in thy sins the Lord will never forgive thee but will visit thy sinnes upon thee unto the third and fourth generations because thou hast withstood the day of grace Beloved men run on in their sins as if so be an Angel from heaven should cry unto them and tell them yet God will be good unto them yet God will show them mercie and forbear them Beloved let your consciences answer if you ever heard the Lord God say to any of you thus long I will forbear you No Gods patience is in his own breast and therefore no man knows how long it will last Reas 2 A second reason is because Gods patience giveth no marks or inklings of it before it ends commonly when God strikes a man with death he giveth some signes of warnings of it before as sicknesse and pains and gray hairs and many sorrowes c. Now because thy life is in Gods hands thou carest not for it but venturest to go on in thy sinnes hoping to have some warning though thousands be cut off without it but the day of grace may come to an end and yet thou never have any inkling or warning of it before-hand commonly when God strikes a man with death he tells him of it before-hand by aches and pains as if the Lord should say Now thou shalt die now will I take thee out of the world But when the Lord taketh away the day of grace from a man though the spirituall man may take some notice of it yet there is no sensible apparition of it but after the day of grace is set upon a man he may be as strong and lustie as before he may come to Church as well after as before performe religious duties and do many good things as well after as
other abominable sins which mens conseiences startle at bul evill thoughts defile a man Assure thy self that so long as the league of these evill thoughts is not broken thou hast no Christ as yet within thee Hence is that exhortation of the Apostle Colos 3.12 If you be risen with Christ then seek those things which are above Brethren you must remember that there be two kinds of exhortations in Scripture the one if a man do them blessed and happie is he the other if he doe them not yet he may find mercie it will be a greif and a sorrow to him but it follows not that he shall miscarrie But there are exhortations that tye to obedience that must be obeyed or else there is no salvation as this exhortatâ—on of the Apostle it is not left to our choice to do or not to do but if a man be risen with Christ he must doe it he must seek the things that are above that man then that hath his thoughts run habitually on the world that man hath no Christ in him and therefore his end must needs be destruction Reas 3 Thirdly that mans end must needs be destruction that loves not God now so long as thy thoughts run habitually on the things of the world thou hast no true love of God in thee For thus runs the Commandment of love Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart with all thy soul and with all thy might Matth. 22.37 It is as if Christ should have said thou shalt love God with all thy heart and with all thy heart and with all thy heart for the soul mind and heart are all one that no man might dare to keep any part of their heart from God Every one will say I love God with all my heart I go to Church and serve God with all my heart I hear the Word and pray with all my heart I receive the Sacraments with all my heart Dost thou so and yet let thy thoughts run upon the world dost thou pray and yet let vain thoughts lodge within thee dost thou hear the Word receive the Sacraments and yet letst vain thoughts distract thee Dost thou walk in thy calling and yet lettest vain thoughts steal away thy heart and yet sayest thou I love God with all my heart when thou takest away thy heart from God How dost thou think thy thoughts with thy heels or with thy heart Surely thou sayest with my heart Why then if thou lovest God with all thy heart thou must give thy thoughts unto God God that cals for thy heart cals for all the heart now the heart is nothing but all a mans heart all the affections and desires all turnings and windings all things that are in the heart do but make up the heart and therefore when God calls for thy heart he calls for all the powers and faculties of the soule And therefore the Prophet David would blesse God with his soule and all that was within him Psal 103. So thou must give thy thoughts and all that is within thee to God or els thou givest God nothing therefore that mans end must needs be destruction that loves not God Reas 4 Fourthly that mans end must needs be destruction that never gives over his sinnes and so long as thy thoughts run after the world thou canst never forsake sin thou maiest resolve and think on the contrary yet so long as thy thoughts run habitually on the things of the world thou dost not forsake sin Wicked and carnall men may have the eyes of their consciences opened and their hearts awakened whereby they may see their sinnes and the hellish evill and danger of them whereupon they may resolve and purpose to forsake them and then they will make a covenant with God that they will not do thus and thus I have been touchie and cholerick but I will be so no more I have beene a prophane swearer and blasphemer of the name of God but I will be so no more I have been a drunkard and an unclean person but Lord thou shalt see a reformation in me Nay it may be he will tell his Minister of it and his father and his mother his wife his children and all his friends too of it but when he comes to his cold bloud again and these cold graces which sluttered so come to be cold in him so that his heart comes to it self again then vain thoughts rest in his heart and he returns to his old sins again as the dog to his vomit and the sow being washed to the wallowing in the mire The Apostle excellently describes a man that can never depart from his sins They have eyes full of adultery which cannot cease to sin 2. Pet 2.14 where the Apostle speaks not onely of that adulterie which is a breach of the seventh Commandment but of such an adulterie which is a perfect breach of every Commandment when the heart runneth awhoring after every sin and vanitie when the eye of the soul is full of adulterie the heart cannot cease to sin when the eye cannot see an object of gain or profit but the mind is presently engaged and runs after it when it cannot see an object of delight and pleasure but it is straightway caught by it when he cannot see any wrong or injurie done unto him but presently he is inflamed with revenge and his heart runs after it I say that if thy eye be thus full of adultery that thou canst not see the occasions and hints of sin but presently thou art insnared and thy soul is taken by it thou art the man that canst not cease to sin therefore untill thou turne the eye of thy soule which is the thoughts and affections of thy heart another way thou wilt never cease to sin For wheresoever thou lookest thou wilt be insnared so long as thy thoughts are evill and vicious either upon pride or covetousnesse or ambition or envie or delights thy soul will look asquint on God and untill these vaine thoughts of thine be crucified thou wilt only look upon the satisfying of these vain lusts of thine Prov. 3.6 In all thy wayes acknowledge God and he shall direct thy paths In all thy wayes think on God or else thou mayest go to many duties in Religion but never be direct in thy going thou maiest pray a thousand times but never be established in thy prayer thou maiest go from Lecture to Lecture and yet never be established in thy service thou maiest go about many things and never be established in any thing unlesse God be in all thy thoughts a man may go on in a course of Religion but it is at haphazard he is inconstant and unsteady in his course unlesse in his heart he think upon God and therefore his end must needs be destruction This then may serve first for humiliation to the godly secondly for matter of condemnation to the wicked Vse 1 First for humiliation are vain thoughts thus damnable that when
thou dost pronounce them but not speak them But when thou speakest of earthly things then thou speakest to the purpose because thy heart is set upon them and thy minde and the tongue goe together there is no jarre or discord betwixt them but if thy heart be not pure though thou speakest good things or holy things yet in Christ sense thou speakest them not For say I how can a vain evill corrupt heart think good thoughts An evill tree cannot bring â—orth good fruit saith our Saviour he doth not say that an evill tree cannot be made good for it may be graffed into anotheâ— stock divers wayes there are to make it good but so long as it is a corrupt tree it cannot bring forth good fruit Doe men gather grapes of thorns or stâ—ges of thistles Dost thou goe to a drunkard and thinkest there to finde any religion in him or to a whoremaster to finde grace in him Dost thou goe to a swearer or a prophane person and thinkest thou to find any feare of God in them Indeed sometimes there may be some morall good found in them but they are as a pearle in a dung-hill out of its place Fourthly all mens thoughts come to be vain when the drift and end of the heart and soule in thinking of them is vain But thou wilt say unto mee the end of my good thoughts is Gods glory What is it not to Gods glory that we goe to the Word and Sacraments that we pray and give almes I answer the end of every good work in it self is Gods glory but is it the end of the worker speaker or thinker I make no question but the end of a good action in it self is the glory of God so the end of prayer is the glory of God the end of all preaching and Sermons is the glory of God the end of giving of almes and of all good thoughts is the glory of God but the end of the man that prayes and preaches what is that the end of the hearer and giver of almes what is that the end of him that speaks well what is that Beloved must men have false and corrupt ends which we will branch out into these three heads For the first men will be thinking and plodding from morning till night of their worldly businesse Now because they know they must think on God to make God amends perhaps they will think on him at night when they have dishonoured him all the day So men will swear and swagger drink and be drunk and when they have done say Lord have mercy upon me and so they think to make God amends What beloved will yee sweare swagger drink be drunk and lie be secure and worldly and then ask God forgivenesse to make him amends This is to break Priscians head that you may give him a plaister Will you trespasse your neighbour that you may ask him forgivenesse This is a damned and devilish religion yet this is the religion of many men in the world you shall have them keep daies and weeks and yeares in the observation of the times of Gods worship they will keep the Sabbath in comming to Church they will hear Sermons pray and think of God but all this is to make God amends for the wrong that they have done him they know they have offended God and therefore they will do something to make him amends like those wicked men in Jeremies time who did steale murder commit adultery swear falsly and burn incense unto Baal and walk after the gods whom they knew not and then come and stand before God in his house which was called by his name and said We are delivered though we have done all these abominations As if God should say unto wicked men What will yee swear steal lie and be earthly giving up your selves unto all manner of lewdnesse in the breach and contempt of my commandements and then think by making a prayer unto me and by lifting up your eyes unto me and by giving your eares to hear my word thereby to make me recompence No no I have showed thee O man what is good Micah 8. Secondly the end of mens thoughts is commonly to collogue with God Let a man be under the crosse in calamity pain and misery then God shall heare of him often then he will think of God and of his sinnes nay the beastliest wretch in a whole Parish upon his sick-bed then Oh how will he call upon God then send for the Minister let him pray for me read a chapter or some good book then God shall have service upon service then he shall have the first second and third course But all this is but to be raised up again and then when he hath received a little strength he fall off again like the Jewes who when God slew them they sought him and they returned and enquired early after God neverthelesse they did but dâ—ssemble with him with their mouthes and flatter him with their double hearts Ps 78.34 There is many a man that seeks to God yea that seeks to him with tears and performes many a good duty and yet he doth but flatter with God he doth it but to curry favour with him hee is afraid of sicknesse crosses plagues and death and curses upon him if hee should not doe so and therefore to prevent this he will dissemble some service to God Thirdly to smother and choake their owne consciences their hearts think and tell them they must think of God their consciences tell them that they must have some holinesse some religion that they must keep the Sabbath in some sort that they must pray and goe to Church and hence it is that the drunkard swearer whoremaster will sometimes have thoughts of God and will be performing some outward acts of Religion Why his conscience otherwise would not let him be at rest but it is as the Devils bandog to drive him to it Thus when the Prophet commanded the people to worship the Lord to reverence his name to hallow his Sabbaths their consciences told them that they must doe so or else all the threatnings of wrath and vengeance denounced by the Prophets would come upon them Hence it is that the Lord by his Prophet exhorts saying Arise yee and depart for this is not your rest your mind hath another haunt you have this and that black lust this is not your rest Doth thy heart rest on God and good things If thy heart be good and holy so that it takes up its rest in God and in Christ then it is well but if thou only turnest aside to good duties and fallest as it were by chance upon holy things away away saith God this is not your rest Aristotle saith that the being of a thing consâ—steth in the end of a thing Therefore if the end of thy thoughts and courses be earthly and vain then certainly thy religion is earthly and vain Thou goest up and down what is it that thou lookest after
the Lord doth deliver the Gospel especially the ground-work and master-peece thereof the Lord Jesus Christ and that in the most blessedest manner that ever God exhibited himselfe unto man how much more doth God require purity and holinesse that all such as come to receive the Lord Jesus Christ in the blessed Sacrament should be sanctified purging their hearts and cleansing souls from all their sin and uncleannesse Should not a beast touch the mountaine where God did appeare and darest thou touch the body of Christ and drink his blessed bloud in thy sinnes The very Angels of heaven will curse thee and the clouds of heaven will poure down showres of vengeance upon thee for God hath more severe punishments to inflict upon sinners under the Gospel then he used under the Law though then he struck them with more visible and sensible plagues and judgements then ordinarily he bringeth upon men now as Gebezi for his covetousnesse was strucken with leprosie Corah Dathan and Abiram the earth opened her mouth and swallowed them up quick for their rebellion against the Lord Er and Onan were strucken dead for their wickednesse Jeroboam had his hand withered for stretching of it forth to strike the Lords Prophet And though the Lord bring not such sensible punishments now as he did then ye he knowes how to punish the world a thousand times more then he did then at this time As a father hath other kinds of punishments for his sonne when he is grown up then he had when he was in coates and but a child then a twigge or two would serve the turne but if he comes to mans estate and then rebell against his father it may be that he will disinherit him and cast him out of his family So in former time God did scourge and whip his people when they sinned against him but now he hath drawn out his Church to this age even to the age of the Gospel he hath severer strokes of plagues and curses wherewith to confound all prophane and impenitent sinners that dare to abuse that blessed Sacrament of the Lord Jesus Christ The second Reason is in regard of the matter of the Sacrament which is Christ also who as he was the efficient cause so in regard of Sacramentall relation he is the matter of the Communion 1 Cor. 10.16 The Cup of blessing which we blesse is it not the Communion of the bloud of Christ and the bread which we break is it not the communion of the body of Christ Now the better matter any thing is of the more heynous is the defilement of it A master will not be so angry for casting his earthen vessels into the mire as he will be for casting his rich jewels The Bread and Wine in the Sacrament are the blessed Communion of the precious body and bloud of Christ and darest thou to defile them Knowest thou not that thou dost greatly increase the wrath of the Lord against thy soule thereby That soule whatever it was from Dan to Beersheba that came in his uncleannesse to partake of any of those holy things which the children of Israel hallowed to the Lord whether he were man or woman rich or poore that person was to be cut off from the presence of the Lord Levit. 12. whereto the Lord sets his seale for the confirmation thereof I am the Lord And as sure as I am the Lord so will I see it accomplished So my beloved let me say unto you of England from Dover to Newcastle or from the oâ—e end of the town unto the other that soul who toucheth any of these holy things with an impure heart and cometh to partake of them with his uncleannesse upon him living in his sinnes and wallowing in his lusts casting off the feare of the Lord and making no conscience to walk in Gods wayes that soule shall surely be cut off that cometh so unworthily unto the Table of the Lord not only the hand that taketh it and the mouth that eateth it but even the very soul of him that so cometh shall perish from the presence of the Lord. So Levit. 7.20 That soule that eateth of the flesh of the Sacrifices of peace offerings that pertaine unto the Lord having his uncleannesse upon him even that soule shall be cut off from his people Now you know that all those sacrifices had relation unto Christ but yet under the Law they were but shadowes and typicall relations and were not so lively and effectuall means for the exhibiting of Christ as the Lords Supper is And therefore if such as came in their uncleannesse unto them were punished with no lesse punishment then a cutting off from the fellowship with the Lords people what wrath and vengeance will the Lord bring upon thee that comest with thy uncleannes upon thee unto this holy communion Augustine saith that man that receiveth the Sacrament unworthily receiveth a greater plague to his own soule and a greater torment to his own conscience yea and heapeth up a store of wrath unto himself against the day of wrath Reas 4 Me thinkes thou that livest in thy sinnes and wilt not come out of them when thou hearest these words This is my body and seest the bread broken before thy face it should even make thee tremble and quake for to look upon it more for to touch it and most of all for to tast it for it is the Communion of the body and bloud of Christ and how darest thou come in thy sins for to defile it Reas 3 A third Reason is in regard of the forme of the Sacrament which is Christ too for as he is the efficient cause that instituted it and as he is also the matter of the Sacrament so in the third place Christ is the forme of the Sacrament also wherein the confirming grace of God is sealed up unto thee Now as it is treason for a man to offer contempt unto the Kings broad Seale so certainly is it high treason against this King of Kings to contemne this blessed Sacrament which is the Seale of the righteousnesse of faith If thou shouldst clip the Kings Coine I will say that thou art a Traytor Oh what a traitor art thou then yea an accursed traitor in the account of God and Christ if thou clippest his holy Communion if thou clip it of thy examination and due preparation and so come hand over head not regarding so holy an Ordinance Thou sinnest against the Court of heaven That which Saint James speaks in generall of the whole worship of God Draw neere unto God let me apply it in particular unto this drawing neere unto God in this holy Communion James 4.8 Cleanse your hands yee sinners and purifie your hearts yee double minded Draw neer unto God in the hearing reading and meditating on Gods word draw neer unto God in prayer and in this holy Sacrament and receive it for your amendment of life Draw neere to God I that I will saith the wicked man I will
name of God in vain Is there never a drunkard here in this congregation that hath been at the Sacrament Is there never a whoremonger never a covetous worldling Where is the man whosoever hee bee amongst you all that is such a one He is in the state of damnation Is there never a luke-warm and carnall Christian that contents himself with a formall worship and a dead performance of holy duties that hath no zeal for God nor courage for his truth but is carelesse of all Gods commandements whosoever amongst you are guilty of these sins or any other and hath come unto this holy Communion in them they are the persons that how oft soever they have received so oft they have taken this name of the Lord in vain And if I should examine this Congregation from the one end of it unto the other I fear that every pew would yeeld some one If not many that have taken a Cōmunion which is one of Gods names in vain Should I but examine thee that comest unto the Communion this day how by the last Sacrament thou receivedst and the last Sermon thou hast heard thy faith is strengthened thy repentance renewed and thy obedience is increased and thy care doubled for to walk with God whether thou art made by them more zealous for God more forward in his worship and service and every day more holy and heavenly minded if not then thou hast taken this Name of the Lord thy God in vain and the Lord will not hold thee guiltlesse that is the Lord will not take away the guilt from thy conscience but he will let thy sinne lie open and thou shalt not be cleansed from it nor justified by the very blood of Jesus Christ but it shall rest upon thee to thy utter ruine and destruction unlesse thou forsake thy sinnes and so come preparedly unto this holy Table and banquet I know here is a covenant of grace a sweet refreshing for every humbled soul that is hungry broken for his sinnes and for every poore distressed conscience let all such come and lay their sinnes upon Christs crosse and welcome But if there be any that come in their sinnes and will not reforme their live◠but be as they came sinners so they mean for to continue the Lord himselfe will lay this mans sinnes upon his own head and they shall never be taken away from him but Christ shall at the day of judgement pronounce him a guilty person to his eternall condemnation King Belshazzar that abused but the holy vessels of the Temple and the Cups thereof what a dismall plague befell him for it Dan. 5.27.28 God hath numbred thy Kingdome and finished it thou art weighed in the ballance and art found too light thy Kingdome is departed from thee and is given to the Medes and Persians So beloved brethren if any of you shall abuse this Cup of the Lord comming to it with a filthy unclean heart and polluted conscience and earthly affections there is a hand-writing against every soule that thus commeth this day unto the Table of the Lord thou art numbred and weighed and found too light thou O man and woman whosoever thou art that prophanest and contemnest these holy things of God thou shalt be found out and the Lord will keep thee out by his spirituall plagues and thy sinne shall never be done away but be required at thy hands and stand in everlasting record against thee O my brethren that you would but seriously consider of it and look about you it being so weighty a thing that so neerly concernes every one of you But I would not have any poor broken heart and humble soul to mistake me and so-thereby be discouraged but give me leave I pray you for to use the words of the Brophet though spoken in another sense Psal 115. Not unto us O Lord not unto us but unto thy Name give the glory So let me apply this doctrine unto the comfort of all poore broken hearted sinners and beat off all carnall prophane wretches that live in their sinnes not unto you O drunkards and swaggerers not unto you whoremasters and unclean persons that wallow in ungodlinesse I say not unto you but unto the poor afflicted soul and contrite spirit that lieth bleeding and gasping under the weight of his sin and that trembles and fears being opprest with the sense of its own unworthinesse panting and breathing after Christ Jesus and suing earnestly unto the Throne of grace for mercie and forgivenesse unto thee only belongs this comfort and therefore take it home to thee and know it for thy selfe Art thou troubled with a hard heart and an unbeleeving soule and art even wearied and tired out with thy many sinnes and infirmities Come thou with comfort unto this holy Communion for thou shalt be sure to finde saying good by it to thee it shall be a spirituall medicine to heale all thy diseases and to cure all thy strong and prevailing corruptions and if thou come unto this holy Table of the Lord it shall make thee as it is recorded of Saint Laurence able to suffer Martyrdome and to get victory over all thy unruly affections yea at last thou shalt tread Satan thy arch-enemy under thy feet Therefore be not dismaied for the Lord Jesus invites thee to come What if thy infirmities be many yet the mercies of God which he tenders to thee in this Communion are many more Samson who was the strongest Souldier and Champion in his time that was in Israel to overcome the Philistims he yet began his strength in weaknesse being at the first overcome by a woman So though the Lord intend to make thee a strong Christian he will make thee to begin in weaknesse to perfect thy power to begin in sinne and misery that he may make thee to end in glory I know Gods children here may receive temporall punishments and bring temporall scourges upon themselves as we may see amongst the Corinthians here but it shall be for their good and amendment namely for their correction and not for their ruine and destruction that so being chastened by the Lord they might not be condemned with the world Therefore if thou comest carelesly and unprofitably God will chastise thee with the rods of men as he did Peter who receiving the Sacrament with his Master over night yet the next day thrice denied him but God whipt his soule and scourged his conscience for it and beat him black and blew so that he went out and wept bitterly Nay he could scarce wipe off that sinne and recover himselfe again whilst he lived Wherefore let us take heed of unprepared coming to the Sacrament for God will not hold such guiltlesse Yea if his own sonnes or daughters transgresse thereby hee will make them to feele the smart of it But now to come to all such as come month by month hand over head without any examination and repentance in their uncleannesse and abomination making no conscience
and beseech you in the name of Christ to come home and be reconciled to him and I desire to stand here as Jehoiadah set Porters at the gates of the City and of the house of the Lord to keep off all those that come in their uncleannesse 2 Chron. 23.19 So I stand this day as the Porter of the Lord to keep the Lords watch that no prophane wretch no proud hearted sinner that means not to enter into a new course of life that no such one come unto this holy communion I charge that as you will answer the guilt of Christs bloud before Gods Throne that thou meddle not with it But now if there should be any that would absent himselfe because he will the more freely go on in his sins let him know that such a one excludes himselfe from the benefits and merits of Christs death and shall never have the benefit of a Redeemer at the day of judgement but shall perish in his sins for his carelesse neglect and fearfull contempt of so effectuall and powerfull means of salvation and purging as is the bloud of Christ truly and really offered in the Sacrament Wherefore if thou comest or comest not woe is thee if so be thou livest and continuest in thy sins and goest on in thy unholy courses And now to conclude as the Cherubim stood before Paradise with a naked sword to keep Adam out that he might not enter and so eate of the tree of life so I bring with me the sword of God to run it up to the hilts in the heart and bowels of every ungodly man every rebellious and impenitent sinner this day that dares presume to rush upon this holy Ordinance of God with a polluted and uncleane heart Therefore let me exhort thee that as thou tendrest the eternall good of thy soul so thou be carefull not to eate the body of Christ nor drink his bloud in thy sins lest thou eate thine owne bane and drink thine owne curse Nay so doing thy misery will bee so great as a good man well weighing and considering of it said I professe I had rather have all my veins cut open and my bloud spilt on the ground then deliver the body and bloud of Christ unto a prophane sinner for why should I deliver his own bane and destruction unto him But now my brethren and beloved come out of your sins come and welcome if you part with your lusts and so you shall be sure to have his bloud to wash your heart and cleanse you his righteousnesse to cleare you and cloath you his graces to strengthen you his spirit to heal and to sanctifie your hearts and natures and the Lord Jesus Christ to supply all good that is wanting in you But if yet notwithstanding all this that hath been said you will go on in your sins and live as you did in your swearing whoring lying and drinking and all manner of filthinesse and as you came unto it unclean so you depart away from it more unclean and never make any conscience of any reformation I pronounce this day before God and his elect Angels that thou shalt surely perish and thy soule and body be damned and tormented in the scorching flames of hell for evermore Therefore hearken unto instruction and give eare unto councell now whiles that the Lord offers it to you that so you may not harden your hearts any more but may heare and obey that your souls may live and so coming together to this holy and blessed Communion for the better and not for the worse you may return home with the blessing of children FINIS THE DVTIE OF COMMUNICANTS OR Examination required of every COMMUNICANT In a SERMON Preached By that vigilant and painfull Minister of the Word WILLIAM FENNER B.D. Sometime Fellow of Pembroke Hall in Cambridge and late Parson of Rochford in Essex London Printed by T.R. and E.M. for J.S. EXAMINATION Required in every COMMUNICANT A Sermon preached by Mr. WILLIAM FENNER Minister of Gods Word 2 COR. 11.28 But let a man examine himself and so let him eat of that Bread and drink of that Cup. IN the latter part of this Chapter the Apostle treats of the Sacrament of the Lords Supper And first hee reproves the Corinthians for their unworthy comming to it as wee see in verse 18. There were Errors and Schismes contempt of the poore drunkennesse excesse disorder ond unprofitablenesse in the duties of God they waxed worse and worse by the Sacrament All these and sundry other abuses were among them so that they did not eate the Lords Supper aright as they ought Secondly he reduceth them back to the first prime institution of it by Jesus Christ as we see in verse 23. that hereby they might both see how grievously they had abused thy Sacrament and likewise see how they might sanctifiedly use it Thirdly he shewes the danger of unworthy receivers and this he sets out two wayes First by the greivousnesse of the sinne such a person makes himself guilty of the body and blood of the Lord as we see verse 27. Secondly by the dolefull consequence that follows upon it He eats and drinks damnation to himselfe as we see verse 29. Now in this verse that I may not trouble you with speaking of any more matter then what is necessary for the present Theam he shewes how we may prevent escape and avoid this danger how we may take an order that we doe not fall into this greivous sinne that we doe not plunge our selves into this grievous misery Let a man examine himself and so let him eat of that Bread and drink of that Cup. A man must examine himselfe sift his owne soule and labour to prepare himselfe before he dare to venture on this sacred businesse In these words before we set upon the particular handling of them we may observe that We must not rush upon the Sacrament There must somewhat be done before we can receive it Let a man examine himselfe and so let him eate of that Bread and drink of that Cup. There are none of the Ordinances of God that a man may safely rush upon Wouldst thou offer any sacrifice to God but thou must stay first and examine thy self whether there be not somthing yet undone It may be thou hast offended God in something or other It may bee thou art out with thy brother thou must first goe and be reconciled to thy brother and then offer thy gift Matth. 5. So wouldst thou reprove thy neighbour It may be there is somewhat out of order some indisposednesse in thee thou art not yet in case to set on this duty it may bee thou art faulty and guilty thy self it may be thou hast a beam in thine own eye First saith the Text pull the beam out of thine own eye and then thou maist see cleerly to pull the moat out of thy brothers eye Matth. 7.5 So wouldst thou reforme thy outward man But it may bee thy
81 5. Obj. At what time soever a sinner repents he shall find mercy Ans It is true if he repent from the bottom of his heart but a man may have many a degree of repentance and yet never repent from the heart 81. Self-love may make a man do much 82 2. Doct. It may be this very day even this particular Sermon this instant hour may be thy day that art now in thy sinnes that if thou repent not at this very one Sermon thou neglectest eternal life for ever 82 Four Reasons of the point 1. Because Gods patience is in his own breast and who can tell how long it will last 83 Wherein Joel 2.13 is opened in five particulars 84 God usually giveth some signes of death beforehand 86 But the day of grace may end and a man never have any warning of it 86 2. Because Gods patience giveth no marks or incklings of its ending before it ends 86 3. Because God keepeth a strict account how many opportunities he hath vouchsafed 88 4. Consider it is a wonder that the day of grace is not ended already and that thou art not now in hell 90 The Contents of the Fourth Sermon upon Philip. 3.18.19 1. An explanation of the severall parts of the Text in five particulars 98 Doct. That those whose minds and thoughts run habitually on earth and earthly things their end must needs be destruction 99 6. Reasons 1. The curse of God is the desert of vain thoughts 99 2. The curse of God is the event of vain thoughts 99 3. That man whose thoughts are habitually on the things of the world can never truly repent 100 4. Because that man whose thoughts run habitually on earthly things hath no part in Jesus Christ 102 For the thoughts and affections of the heart are the feet of the soul 102 5. Because so long as a mans thoughts run habitually on the things of the world that man hath no true love of God in him 105 6. Because so long as a mans thoughts run after the world he can never depart from his sins 106 2. Uses 1. For humiliation because these vain thoughts bearing sway in the heart they make that mans end to be destruction 108 2. For the terrour of those men who suffer their hearts to be taken up with vain thoughts 111 Object But I think of God and of Christ of faith and repentance 113 Ans 1. Consider whether thy good thoughts be meerly cast into thy heart or whether they be raised by thy heart 113 A wicked man may have a thousand good thoughts and yet go to hell in the midst of them 114 2 Thou hast good thoughts but consider whether they be fleeting or abiding thoughts 116 There are two kinds of vain thoughts First vain because the matter and substance of them is vain Secondly vain for want of durance and lasting though not vain for the matter of them 116 3 Thou thinkest of God but consider whether thy thoughts be studied or accidental thoughts When a good thought commeth into a godly mans heart it leaveth a good impression behind it but when a good thought comes into a wicked mans heart it leaves no impression behind it 117 118 A godly man not only thinketh of God but he studieth how to think of God 119 4 Thou thinkest of God but consider whether thy thoughts of God be profitable or unprofitable thoughts 120 Thoughts are not free 121. Not free 1 From Gods knowledge 121 2 They are not free from Gods word 122 3 They are not free from the wrath of God 123 Three meanes in the use whereof we may rid our selves of vain thoughts 1 Love the word of God 123 2 Go unto God by prayer 124 3 Consider thou hast not so learned Christ 125 All vain thoughts arise from these three Heads 1 From the variety and abundance of the thoughts of the world 125 2 From the Fountain of corruption that is in mens hearts 126 3 From the damned malice of Satan and his temptations both within and without 126 1 Materially thoughts are vain 1 When the matter of them is vain 126 Such are the thoughts of the world calling or recreation these are evill 1 When we think of them primarily that is before we think of God 127 2 When we think of them too usually too often 129 3 When we think of them too savourly 130 4 When we think of them without counsel 131 5 When they are thought needlesly 131 2 Thoughts are vain formally when though the matter of them be never so good yet the manner of thinking them is evill 132 It is possible for a wicked man to go to hell though he perform the same things for the matter of them that a godly man doth 132 3 Thoughts are vain efficiently when the heart that thinketh upon them is earthly and vain 134 4 Thoughts are vain when the drift and end of the soul in thinking on them is vain 136 Wicked men will be thinking of God 1 To make God amends for their dishonouring of him by their wicked thoughts 137 2. To collogue with God and to flatter him 138 3. To smother and choke their own consciences 139 The Contents of the Fifth Sermon upon 1 Corinth 6.2 1. An explanation of the text together with the verses foregoing and following 144 Doctrine The Saints shall judge the world 146 Objection How shall the Saints judge the world 146 Answer 1. By their consent unto Christs judgement 146 2. By their applause of Christs judgement 147 3. By their Majesty then shall they shine as the Stars in the Firmament and the wicked shall be amazed at the sight of them 148 4. By their lives and conversations by their accepting of the Lord Jesus Christ shall judge the worlds rejecting of him 148 Four Reasons of the point 1. First because of that mysticall union that is betwixt Christ and his Saints so when Christ judgeth the world the whole body of Christ may be said to judge the world 149 2. In regard of their sufferings with Christ as they are judged by the world so they shall be judged of the world 149 3 For the greater terror to all wicked men at the day of judgement 150 4 Because the mouthes of wicked men may be stopped and that they may have no excuse for themselves 150 Use 1 For information in five particulars 1 Hence we may learn that the Saints by their now being Saints do now judge the world 151 Wherein Heb. 11.7 is cleared from an objection 2 Hence let the world learn that when any one sinner is converted there is one Judge more to sit upon them 153 3 Hence we may learn that it concernes all the world to take notice of every grace in Gods children because there is never a grace in any of the Saints but it shall make for the condemnation of them that want it 154 4 Learn hence that if the Saints then much more the world that begets them shall
of the bitter fruit of them your wretched and unprosperous wayes Here be two things very remarkable according to the Text 1. The repetition and inforcing of it again for he urgeth it again Consider your wayes in the seventh verse 2. The benefit that came by it it brought them to repentance for they all obeyed the voyce of the Lord and the words of the Prophet verse 12. Doct. 1 So that the Doctrine from hence is this that Serious meditation of our sins by the Word is a speciall means to make men repent Meditation is a setled exercise of the mind for a further inquiry of the truth and so affecting the heart therewith and therefore there bee foure things in meditation The first is an exercise of the mind not barely closing with the truth and assenting unto it and seeing it and there rests but it looketh on every side of the truth I thought upon my wayes and turned my feet unto thy Testimonies Psal 119.59 saith David that is I looked on my wayes on both sides above and beneath it 's taken from curious works which are the same on both sides so that they which work them must often turne them on every side used Exod. 38.23 as being workes with two faces as one well observes so it was with David I turned my wayes up-side downe and looked every way upon them thou never meditatest unlesse thou look on thy wayes on both sides with all circumstances An elegant phrase we have Dan. 12.4 Many shall run to and fro and knowledge shall abound and be increased Run to and fro what is that It is not the bodily removing of man from one place to another so much as busie stirring of the mind from one truth to another so that it seeth the whole selvedge and compasse of the truth thou wilt never get the truth to be meditated of till thou runne to and fro in it meditate it on this side and meditate it on that side looke on it in every nook of it Meditation is like perambulation when men go the bounds of the Parish they goe in every part of it and in every skirt of it so meditation is the perambulation of the soule when the soule lookes how far sinne goes how far the flesh goes how far the wrath of God against it goes Secondly as it is an exercise so it is a setled exercise it is not a sudden flash of a mans conceit but it dwels upon a truth When a man is in a deep meditation upon a thing he neither sees nor hears nor attends any thing else the stream of the heart is setled upon the truth received The word of God abides in you and you have overcome the world 1 Ioh. 2.14 How came these young men to overcome Satan Not by looking into the word or onely thinking of the word but by letting the Word abide in them When a man hath been offered an injury his heart is alwayes setled upon it when he eates his mind runnes on the injury when he walkes and talkes still his mind runnes on the injury so thy heart must goe on the truth 2 Tim. 3. Continue in the things thou hast learned that is take up thy mansion house in them A wicked man may turn into the word sometimes to think of it but it is as a man goes into another mans house there is not his dwelling Thirdly it is to make a further inquiry Meditation doth not onely settle upon the truth knowne but it also would faine know more of those truths that are subjected to it as a man without may see the out side of the house but he cannot see the roomes within unlesse hee come nigh and draw the latch and come into the house and goe into the roomes and look about them Meditation pulls the latch of the truth and lookes into every closet and every cubboard and every angle of it Here is my sin here is my uncleannesse and here is Gods anger here is the wofull evill that will follow upon it and here is a remedy against it Meditation searches into all the lofts and closets of the truth The entrance of thy word giveth understanding unto the simple Psal 119.30 The ingresse as one expounds it or going into thy word gives understanding the wicked stand looking upon the truth without the doores but it is the ingresse or going into the truth that gives understanding Indeede the truth is like a neat palace saith Chrysostome the Spirit of God is like the light of the Sunne that shineth into it the wicked they stand without like fooles peeping in at the windowes and there bee many thousands of pearles that are not manifest unto them The house seems dark to them that stand without Thou must enter into the word and into every particular truth in it and goe up staires and downstaires and have an eye into every roome There thou shalt find humility there contrition there conversion there Christ and his Spirit in one closet there all his Jewels in that and that box all is manifest within doores Fourthly it labours to affect the heart it doth not onely labour to know more and more of the truth but also it labours to bring it home to the heart The good woman considers a field and buyes it Prov. 31.16 that is saith Ambrose the good Christian soule if in civilitie then much more in Divinity considers the truth and buyes it he taketh it for his own and appropriates it unto himselfe Lo this saith Eliphas wee have searched out so it is beare it and know it for thy selfe Job 5.27 When thou canst say of the truth loe this it is we have searched it out I have dived into it perused it so it is even so indeed all this is that thou mayest apply it unto thy selfe and know it for thy good Reas 1 The first Reason is because meditation musters up all weapons and gathers all forces of arguments for to presse the same and lay them heavie upon the heart This usurie is spirituall and good when meditation like usurers who grinde and suck the bloud of the needy and are not content with their principall but will have consideration for every pound they lay out yea for every shilling and that for every week and every month and every quarter and every yeare the poore man could bee content to pay the principall but to exact use upon use this kills him so meditation exacteth upon the soul and holdeth it to use upon use You have committed evill in a corner but you shall not carry it away so Item it was against the knowledge of God revealed Item against many mercies received Item against many judgements threatned against many checks of conscience against many vows and promises remember that O my soul Item for that and Item for this Item for every lust and every circumstance thus oft and in this place anâ— at that time in that manner So meditated the prodigall Looke as it is in
warres were there but many scores come against an Army they might be conquered or many hundreds they mighr be resisted but if many thousands should come against a small army it would be in danger indeed Meditation leavieth a whole Army of arguments a whole Army of curses miseries judgements commandements against the soul how ever one misery or plague will not knock it down but the soule may brook it and goe away with it but meditation brings a great Armado of arguments and tells the soule God is against thee and against thy wayes God is against thee where ever thou art or what ever thou doest Then the heart begins to cry out as Elisha his servant did Master what shall wee doe 2 Kings 6.15 So many horses against us so many charets and so many men against us Master what shall we doe so many sinnes and so heynous so many judgements and so heavie and so many evils and spirituall maladies Oh what shall I doe to be saved that I should commit sinne against a God that hath damned innumerable Angels millions of Kings Princes and Nobles that I should commit it against this God so mercifull to me so gracious so patient so good to my soule that I wretched rebell should for a cup of drink refuse heaven for a lust not worth a straw under my foot cast off Christ and grace and all how shall I doe Then the soule stands in a maze Reas 2 The second Reason is because meditation having bundled up all Items against the soule and brought in all bills of account it fastens sin upon the soule I meane it makes the soule feele it so that it must needs be convinced without any evasion Meditation deals with a man as Elisha dealt with the messengers of King Joram the murderer he was comming to doe mischeife to the Prophet and the Prophet did shut the door and held him fast at the door 2 Kings 6.32 and then he made him know that the evill was from the Lord before he could stirre so meditation when the soule would fain out of doores into iâ—s old course againe it shuts the doore upon it and holds it fast Meditation tells the soule this evill is from the Lord upon thee O my soule if thoâ— stirre in or out upon this or that lust any more this evill that curse that vengeance and damnation if ever thou stirre forth thou losesâ— thy mercy thou losest Christ thou losest all possibility of comfort Stirre not out if thou dost thou wilt roe it Sometimes when men heare the Word they go away touched they resolve not to commit sinne again as they have done yet when they are gone it works not but the heart recoyles again and turnes to its old passe The Reason is because they meditate not upon the Word they fasten it not upon their consciences It is with the Word as it is with a salve if a man that hath never so good a salve that will heal any thing in foure and twenty houres if a man should do nothing but lay it to the wound and take it off lay it on and take it off it will not heale the wound and no marvell Why hee will not let it lie on the best salve will not heal the soare nor eate out the corruption unlesse it be bound on and let lie so it is with the Word many a soule heares it heart conscience affections all toucht but when he is gone out of the Church all is gone his affections die his heart dies and his conscience becomes unfruitfull Why he is still removing of the salve and will not let it lie on and therefore the Word over-powers not his corruptions the Word is like the salve conviction of conscience is like the laying on of the salve meditation the binding of it to the soare St James compares a slight hearer to a man that looks into a glasse who soon forgets his visage but a good hearer doth two things First hee stoops down and looks into it to take a perfect view of his estate Secondly he continues looking into it James 1.25 he doth not leave the glasse behind him but he carrieth away the glasse with him This man shall be blessed in his deed If the pills be never so bitter yet let a man swallow them speedily there is no great distaste but if a man chew a pill it will make him deadly sick Thy sinnes are like those pills they go down very pleasingly because thou swallowest them thou swallowest down thine oathes lies ignorance pride thou swallowest downe the threats of the Lord but if thou wouldest chew these bitter pills and meditate and ruminate and chew the cud drunkennesse would be as bitter as hell swearing and security and Sabbath-breaking would be as bitter as wormwood thou durst not go on in them they would make thee look sourly upon them for ever like a man that hath chewed a pill he can hardly ever see a pill but his stomach riseth against it Behold I will hedge up thy way with thornes Hosea 2.6 I will not be so precise saith the heart I will goe on as I have done I will goe after these and these courses I will hedge up thy way with thorns saith God meditation is Gods instrument and sets a thorne in the way to every sinne to bring the heart backe again Would the heart lash out into luke-warmnesse Meditation sets a thorn in the way God will spue thee out of his mouth Would the heart sally forth into any sinne Meditation sets a thorn in the way Cursed arâ— thou if thou dost erre from Gods Commandements The heart cannot step forth into any lust but meditation meets it with a thorn this curse and that curse this plague and that Plague Would the heart reach at mercy in its sinne Meditation pricks it from it mercie is vengeance unto thee so long as thou hankrest after sinne Would the heart reach after Christ in his sinne Meditation pushes it backe with a thorn No Christ for thee but a severe judge so long as thou itchest after thy vanities Vse 1 What shall wee think of them then which are loth to practise this dutie Most men are loth though they be willing enough to meditate on their worldly affaires The Mariner meditates and considers his course by his Compass or else hee might soon runne on the quick-sands a Pilgrime is full of thoughts what am I in my right way He never comes to a doubtfull turning but he stands in a study muses O which is my right way The Merchant meditates and his minde runnes on his Count-book or else he is soone bankrupt The voluptuous man his thoughts run on his pleasures the drunkards on his cups the proud mans on his credit But it is one thing to looke to that which is thine and another thing to looke to thy selfe Take heed to your selves saith the Lord Deut. 11.16 Deut. 12.30 Deut. 4.9 Exod. 34.12 as if he should say think on thy selfe
heart will not be brought to Gods price it would faine have the wares at a cheap rate Secondly in the runnings of it the heart is like a vagrant rogue he would rather be hanged then tied to his parish Thou canst not bring it to prayer but it will bee a gadding on by-thoughts thou canst not bring it to a Sermon but it will be roving after wandring imaginations thou canst not bring it to a meditation but it will bee a gossiping forth When Christ came to bind men with his blessed cords and bind their hearts to him Psal 2. they fall a meditating afterwards but it was meditating and imagining vain things verse 1. and when they saw they were to be tied up Tush say they let us break their bonds a sunder and cast their cords from us verse 3. What do Ministers call us to such strictnesse thinking to imprison our hearts in their stocks away with their bonds no weâ— will have none of it Thirdly in the wearisomnesse of the heart It is a weary of meditation as a Cur is of the whip and the chain Oh how it barkes and maunders till it be loose yea though it be never so eager upon it at the first it 's jaded presently When God called the Jews to sanctifie his Name they thought in their hearts O what a wearinesse is this and yee have snuffed at it saith the Lord yee brought that which was lame and torn and sicke Malac. 1.13 What a wearinesse is it to meditate saith the heart it snuffs it is untoward it is lumpish it would fain teare of a peice of the duty or bring it wanting a legge or without soundensse and sincerity yet some of them saith Calvin were so humbled that they thought on the Name of the Lord Malac. 3.16 they thought and meditated and forced their hearts to consider throughly Vse 2 This may serve for terror unto all those who for all this that hath been spoken dare sit down without it yea the world will not beleeve these things nor meditate therein yea they blame Gods messengers that call so sore upon them Habukkuk was so served he preached the mercies of God to the humble and the judgements of God to the wicked they ask him why he was so mad well sayes the prophet I will stand upon my watch and see what the Lord sayes unto me that I may answer to them that reprove me Hab. 2.1 What did the Lord tell him Write the vision and make it pâ—aine upon Tables that â—e may run that reads it vers 2 Will they not beleeve Will they rove Will they not meditate steadily upon these things Will they not let their hearts stay and meditate and consider The vision shall be so plain that he that runnes may read it If thou wilt not stay and meditate herein the Word is so plain to thy condemnation that if thou didst but think of it with a running thought thou maist read thine owne vengeance thine owne woes in regard of the multitude of them He that runnes by a way full of holes and pits though he stand not meditating where are the pits yet he may run and see them The book of God is full leaves and cover and all of woes against thee Lam. 2.10 It is written without there thou maist read thy sins written it is written likewise within there thou maist read thy plagues Secondly in regard of the greatnesse of them he that runnes along and loe a great towne on fire though he stay not to meditate on it what or where it is yet he may runne and read it so is the curse of sinners a great curse Zeph. 1.10 he that runnes may read it Thirdly in regard of the proximitie and neernesse of them Hee that runâ—es if a sword come out by his throat though he doe not stop to meditate what is this at my throat yet he cannot but see it Behold the Judge standeth before the doore Jam. 5.9 Take heed how thou grudgest or sinnest in any particular behold the Judge standeth before the doore behold it and meditate on it with thy heart if not he is nigh enough thou canst not step out of doores unto any sinne but though thou runnest thou must needs see the Judge that wil Judge thee Iteming thy sinnes noting thy wayes observing thy courses ready to unhaspe the doore on thee to hale thee unto hell in thy sinnes Whose end is destruction Whose Even those that mind earthly things Phil. 3.19 If thy mind and meditation run more on thy ground cattell goods kitchin house busines earthly talk discourses thoughts more then of heaven thy end is destruction If thy thoughts will nâ—t stay here doe but runne and thou maist read it Think not that I am come to destroy the Law or the Prophets I am come tâ— fulfill them Mat. 5.17 Some saith Chrysostome might think now Christ is come it is no matter though wee bee not so strict Christ is enough Think not thus saith Christ but rather thinke and meditate that I am come to fulfill it my selfe and to see it fulfilled in those I mean to save so as to make it the rule of their lives Themistocles said he could not sleep in his bed for continuall thinking and meditating on Miltiades his Triumphs And how canst thou sleep in thy bed if thou wouldest but meditate on these places of Scripture Retire thy self apart there is no casting up of a mans account in a crowd Let mee alone I am busie so we use to say when wee would be private Means 1 Thou must do with thy soul as Ehud did to Eglon who said I have a secret errant to thee O King and so all went out and he said I have a message from God to thee so stabd him at his heart Judg. 3.19 So for Ehud was a type of Christ saith Lavator I have a secret errant to thee O my soul and so let all go forth I have a message from God to thee a message of wrath for thy Pride a message of wrath for thy vain hopes Thus saith the Lord Cursed art thou O my soul stab it to the heart with this spirituall Dagger wound it with the blade and haft and all till thou have let out the fat and the dirt the filth and iniquity all out The Prophet speaking of mens looking on Christ whom they have pierced this meditating and laying to heart that they have crucified the Lord Jesus saith that they shall mourne every one in private the house of David apart and their wivis apart the house of Nâ—than apart and their wives apart the house of Shimei apart and their wives apart every family apart and their wives apart Zach. 12.2 Means 2 The second means if thou wouldest meditate aright observe the times of privacie First the morning that is the best time for study David chose the morning for meditation Psal 5.1.3 Let them heare this saith Chrysostome that rise betimes in the morning to serve their Hogges and
reckon them The least vain thought that ever you imagined the least vain word that ever you uttered were weight enough to presse your soules down to hell Therefore what are so many sins and so great and so often committed What are they they are as heavie as rocks and mountains yet ye feele them not so heavie Why Ye weigh them not if ye did yee should finde them heavier then the sand as David did when his sinne was ever before him Psal 51.3 that is his sinne was ever in his thoughts and in his meditation his sinne was ever like a huge Milstone before him and he was ever tugging and pulling to remove it out of his way Object I but you will say How shall I come to feele my burden Answ I answer three things are here to be discovered First the ground upon which our meditation must be raised Secondly the manner how to follow it home to the heart Thirdly how to put life and power in it The ground I referre to these foure heads First meditate on the goodnesse patience and mercy of God that hath been abused by any of your sins the greater they have been to you the greater is every sinne this maketh them out of measure sinfull because God is out of measure mercifull There are many sinnes in one when a man sinnes against many mercies See Iudg. 2.2 3. Why have ye done thus I have done thus and thus mercifully unto you why have yee done thus unthankefully to me Why was my mercy abused Why was my goodnesse sleighted Why was my patience despised as if the Lord should say I speak to your owne consciences think of it meditate of it why have yee done this Doe ye thus requite the Lord O foolish people and unwise Is not he thy Father Meditate of it first and tell me then For it is a question put to thy meditation to answer Do yee thus requite the Lord ye foolish people Wert thou ever in want but God supplied thee Wert thou ever in weaknesse but God strengthened thee Wert thou ever in straits but God delivered thee When thou wert in sicknesse he cured thee when thou wert in poverty who relieved thee when thou wert in misery who succoured thee Hath not God been a gracious God to thee Every soule can tell never poor sinner hath had a more gracious God then I poore sinner have found to my soule All my bones can say Lord who hath been like unto thee This heart hath been heavie and thou hast cheered it this soul hath been distressed thou hast eased it many troubles have befallen me and thou hast given me a gracious issue This poore man saith David pointing to himselfe this poore man cried and the Lord heard him Psa 34.6 And shall I thus reward the Lord shall I sinne against this goodnesse Then what shall I say Heare O heavens and hearken O earth Sunne stand thou still and thou Moon bee amazed at this and be avenged on such a heart as this The Oxe knowes his Owner and the Asse his Masters Crib but here is a heart that will not remember to know the Lord Heare O heavens this villany crieth so loud that your eares may heare it Heare all yee Angels and be astonished here is villany to make your eares glow yea hear Hell hear Deviâ—s if ever there were worse committed by you When men are but ingenuous if they have received any kindnesse from a friend they were never in want but hee relieved them never harbourlesse but he housed them never to seek but he found them Let a man deale thus kindly with a man if this man should deny him any ordinary favour he will be ashamed of himselfe ashamed to come into his presence What will he think his house was mine his cubboard was mine and his purse was mine and his friends were mine and that I should deale thus unkindly with him even nature rebukes me This serious meditation will help to breake thy heart The second ground of meditation is to meditate on the justice of God God is a just God as well as mercifull Speak all yee Devils in hell Doe yee not feele that he is a just God Speake Sodome Speake Gomorrah your fire and brimstone can testifie that he is a just God Speak Adah Zillah and all yee that were drowned in the old world your deluge can testifie he is a just God His judgements are in all the world 1 Chron. 16.14 What is become of drunken Nabal and swearing Saul and covetous Ahab and proud Iesabel and mocking Iehu and envious Shimei What is become of all blind Jebusites and prating cavilling Dioâ—repheses Justice hath taken hold of them What is poverty What is nakednesse What is famine sicknesse the gout the stone Feaver plague These are the little arrowes of Gods justice What is shame disgrace crosses afflictions unseasonable raines dangerous weather warres rumours of warres What are all the evils under the Sunne They are the little finger of Gods justice Thou spiest them here and there in every Town and in every parish in every Countrey doe they not all witnesse that he is a just God Read Psalm 7.11 12 13. God hath bent his bow already saith David the arrow is ready to slie out of the string It will not be long before it hit thee if thou meditate not upon amendment God is angry with the wicked every day as an angry man useth to say I will be revenged on thee Wilt thou not give over thy sins I will be revenged on thee Read Psal 11.5 6 7. Meditate on this he will neither spare King nor subject nor rich nor poore nor noble nor base nor Judges and Justices yet judges and Justices may spare but God will not spare they may bee bribed to pardon but God will not be fee'd to spare them that goe on in their wickednesse and doe I think to escape Nay my soule thou canst never escape except thou obeyest The third ground is Meditate on the wrath of God Oh! what wrath is it Can I stand against it It burnes like an Oven and all the proud and all that doe wickedly shall be as stubble and the day of wrath shall burne them up Behold this saith the Text. Malac. 4.1 Behold it and meditate on it Can I goe naked in a hot fiery oven Can I lift up my hands against it My hands will be scorched Can I kick against it My legs will be baked Can I blow upon it with my mouth my mouth is fired Did I ever see lime burned were I in the limes roome could I endure that boyling and yet if I live in my sinnes I shall be as the burning of lime Isay 33.12 Let thy heart meditate terror Who among us shall be able to dwell that is the meaning of it as Montanus sheweth who among us shall dwell with devouring fire who among us shall burne with everlasting burnings vers 14. Gods mercie shall say Take him wrath I would have
from the Huntsman it cuts the member for which it is hunted and slings it down and so escapes saith Aesops So pursue thy heart with its sins with the hue and cry of Gods mercies pursue it with the hubbub of Gods judgements let meditation haunt it and let thy soul see it shall never be rid of the haunt at last it will be content to part with its lusts Let meditation say Wilt thou forsake thine own mercies If thou livest thus and thus if thou prayest thus and thus dead-heartedly thou kickest against thine own mercie wilt thou rush upon the pricks This mercie thou maist have if thou wouldst amend that vengeance thou shalt have if thou do not amend Either cut off thy sins or else God will cut off thy soul Return O Shulamite return return it s the voice of Christ to thee Let meditation say Return O my soul return return and thou mayst be saved return or else thou shalt be condemned Now what was the effect of this haunting meditation Or ere I was aware my soul made me like the Chariots of Aminadab vers 12. That is my soul musing and meditating on these and these commandments it so humbled my soul that it made me yeeld yea and made me run as fast as the Chariots of Aminadab freely and willingly to Christ Deal with thy heart as Junius his father dealt with him he seeing his son was Atheisticall he laid a Bible in every room that his son could look in no room but behold a Bible haunted him upbraiding him Wilt thou not read me Atheist Wilt thou not read me And so at last he read it and was converted from his Atheisme So let meditation haunt thy heart hold forth the commandments promises threatnings of the Lord that thy heart may see them let meditation haunt thee in thy luke-warmnesse prayest thou thus luke-warm This prayer will break thy neck one day Repentest thou This luke-warm repentance will cause God to spue thee out of his mouth Hearest thou speakest thou thinkest thou These luke-warm duties will confound thee ere long if thou lookest not to it Let Meditation haunt thee as they haunted Nehemiah with warnings ten times saith the Text they sent to Nehemiah they will be upon thee Nehem. 4.12 Beware of the danger the enemy will be upon thee ten times they warned him never giving over till Nehemiah looked about him vers 13. So do thou haunt thine own heart they will be upon thee this curse this wrath that hardnesse of heart this security will be upon thee Ten times yea a thousand times ten times never give over thine own soul untill thou hast made it to submit Indeed there be some let God send Meditations to haunt them and follow them saying Repent leave this or that sin why wilt thou be damn'd with this sin Oh forsake it presently they will gagge the mouth of Meditation and of conscience and strike them stark dead as Abner when Azahel would haunt him and follow him and turn neither to the right hand nor to the left but follow him at the heels Turn aside saith Abner but he would not turn aside from following him Turn aside from me sayes Abner again or I will kill thee but he would not turn aside he would follow him close Then he up with his Spear and slew him 2 Sam. 2.19 20 21 22 23 So many deal with the meditation of conscience when conscience would dogge them and weary them out of their sins they will not when conscience would haunt them they will not be haunted therewith when conscience would follow them up with their desperate wilfulnesse they gall and wound and murder conscience to be quiet But David haunted his heart and would have it haunted The second duty Let Meditation trace thy heart as it should haunt thee so also let it trace thee in the samesteps So would the Church Let us search and trie our wayes and turn again unto the Lord Lam. 3.40 The word in the originall sayes Buxtorf signifies track or steps step by step this step was in the ditch that in the mire that step awry track them all that we may ungo them all again and turn unto the Lord. Never pray but let Meditation track thy prayer this passage was right that passage was amisse Never keep a Sabbath but let Meditation track thy keeping of it this duty was sincere that was rotten Never do any thing but let Meditation track it This thought this word this action was warrantable that was out of the way track thy heart as the Lord tracted Eliah he tract him in the wildernesse he tracted him under the juniper tree he tract him in the cave What dost thou here Eliah go forth 1 King 19. What dost thou here Eliah go return He tract him in the mount Go return what dost thou here Eliah this is not a place for thee So let Meditation wait thee what dost thou here O sinner what dost thou here O drunkard in thy covetousnesse or in thy prophanenesse what dost thou here this is not a place for thee unlesse thou mean to perish It may be thou art now scard out of these sins and art run into civill honesty let Meditation still track thee What dost thou do here O sinner Civilitie is not a case fit for thee unlesse thou wert better thou shalt be torn in peeces It may be thou art driven out of thy civility and art gone further to the profession of Religion though it be without the power of it let meditation still wait thee What dost thou here O sinner this sorry kind of profession is not a race fit for thee unlesse thou be godlier then so thou shalt be devoured with everlasting fire Meditation is like the coursing of a hare in the snow the hare fearing to be taken by the dogs here she stops there she leaps here she interleaps there she goes backward and forward upward and downward and all to deceive the dogs that they may not find her but they go smelling and maundring winding and turning and track her step by step till they find her so meditation in the coursing of the soul the heart hath a thousand fetches a thousand meanders and labyrinths a thousand crosse windings and compassings and deceits and all to puzle Meditation But Meditation must track the heart as God dealt with Job he counted his steps step by step Job 14.16 Meditation is the souls blood-hound it will never leave howling the wrath of God till it hath taken the hearts sin for a prey Meditation haunts it out of one sin and it runs into another Meditation haunts it out of that and it runs into a third Meditation is a good pursevant it prosecutes the sinner and attaches him Now because the heart is most cunning and hardest to be trackt by its sent when the heart hath taken up abundance of good duties and attained unto sundry graces these good duties and common graces drown the sent of the hearts
to hell what wilt thou say then I never thought of this before that so it would be Mot. 2 The second Motive is Thou wouldest be loth to have the brand of a Reprobate Not to meditate is that brand The wicked through the pride of his countenance will not seek after God neither is God in all his thoughts Psal 10.4 He scornes to be so poring upon Bibles to be so wracking his mind with his sins He hath said in his heart God will not require it vers 13. God requires no such scrupulosity nor strictnesse Mot. 3 The third Motive is Thou wouldst be loth to roh God of his honour and the maine part of his service whis is Meditation Thou shalt love the Lord with all thy heart and with all thy soule Matth. 22.38 How can this bee true of them saith Chrysostom who become vain in their imaginations Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart soule and mind And so do I saist thou So dost thou What and not love God with all that is in thy heart Thy thoughts are in thy heart thy meditations are in thy mind If thy thoughts then and meditations be not of God thou dost not love God with all thy heart David did not only pray that the words of his mouth but also that the thoughts of his heart should be ever acceptable to the Lord Psal 19.14 not only that he might be full of heavenly communication in his mouth but also of holy meditation in his heart Behold saith he thou requirest truth in the inward parts Psal 51.6 And meditation is one of the duties of truth in the inward parts Mot. 4 The fourth Motive Thou wouldst be loth that all the worship thou givest to God should be abominable so it will be without meditation meditation before it meditation after it First Thou must meditate before thou goest about a duty of Gods worship consider before thou hear the word of God meditate what thou art going about Hearken O daughter and consider incline thine eare Psal 45.10 First consider and meditate and then incline thine eare This is part of those words often in Scripture Be ready be ready Be ready and come up saith God Exod. 34.2 Be ready against the third day Exod. 19. Gather your selves together Zeph. 2.1 that is prepare to meet thy God O Israel Amos 4.12 Secondly meditate after the duty When men part with men they use to give one another a farewell and not bluntly deliver their mind one to another and so turn their backs one upon another Lysias could not write a letter to Felix and break up abruptly but he gave him a farewell Acts 23.30 Neither may a man when a duty is done go away bluntly from God but give him a farewell by holy meditation It 's an unseemly kicking of a duty as most men do when they are come to the end of their prayers to whom with the Father and holy Spirit be ascribed all praise and glory Amen Come is dinner ready or what news do you hear This is unmannerlinesse towards the ordinances of God A man that hath been at a â—ooâ— dinner will sit a while after it or walke a while he will not presently run to his worke that the meat may digest the better So when thou hast been at Gods dainties sit after it a while pawsing and meditating thereof as often as thou well mayest let it have its working a while What is the reason thou hast so many by-thoughts in prayer Because thou dost not meditate before-hand and after Hence it is that thine eyes are not directed to the duty but like a blind Archer thou shootest but by aim when the good Archer shoots he must have the white in his eye still which he must levell at My voyce shalt thou hear betimes in the morning in the morning will I direct my prayer to thee and will look up â—s â— 3 How came that you may look on his meditations vers 1. By meditation he was wont to direct and levell his prayer to God Wicked men know that God is before them as a blinde man may leâ—rne that the But is before him but they see not God before them to direct their prayers unto him they pray at rovers Thou must use then to meditate of God that thy prayers may bee directed if thou prayest not thus thy prayers are like them in the Prophet who drew neer to God with their lippes but their hearts were far from him like an arrow beside the But or far from the mark either wide or short They have not cried unto me with their hearts when they howled upon their beds Hosea 7.14 They prayed but they prayed not to me saith the Lord as the White may say of a bungling Archer hee shoots but not at me when he shooted he shot another way God counts all such prayers no better then howling of Dragons and wild beasts so the word signifies saith Scindler God would as lief and rather too that a Dog or a Wolfe or Dragon should howl in his hearing then hear such a prayer as this is The onely way therefore to performe duties of Gods worship purely is cheifly meditation meditation meditation THE DANGER of deferring REPENTANCE DISCOVERED In a Sermon preached at Maidstone in Kent Septem 25. 1629. By that Reverend and faithfull Minister of the Word WILLIAM FENNER B.D. Sometime Fellow of Pembroke Hall in Cambridge and late Parson of Rochford in Essex London Printed by T.R. and E.M. for J.S. A SERMON OF Mr. WILLIAM FENNERS at Maidstone Septem 25. 1629. PROV 1.28 Then shall they call upon me but I will not answer they shall seek me early but they shall not find me THere is a good English Proverb amongst us that he that neglects the occasion the occasion will neglect him Solomon wisely begins his Proverbs with it for he bringeth in the Wisdom of his Father in these five particulars first making a generall Proclamation in the 20 verse Wisdome crieth without shee uttereth her vice in the streets He compareth God unto a Crier that goeth up and down the City from street to street and from doore to doore crying his commodity even the richest that ever was which is a Christ a Christ for redemption a Christ for sanctification a Christ to enlighten those that walk in darknesse and in the shadow of death Ho every one that thirsteth here is a Christ for you Secondly here is a mercifull reprehension in the 22. verse O yee foolish how long will yee love foolishnesse and yee scorners take pleasure in scorning Foolish indeed to be without Christ foolish to be without grace foolish to chafer away our souls for sin How long yee scorners will yee take pleasure in scorning will you still persist in your wickednesse and never have done with your sins will you never turn back again but damne your souls for ever O yee foolish how long will you love foolishnesse Thirdly here is a gracious exhortation in
converted the Lord may set it down in his decree from this day forward that thou mayst fumble about thy sinnes but shalt never get victory over them thou mayest ever bee mourning for thy corruptions but never mourne aright for them thou mayest blunder about repentance but never doe the work Ezekiel 24.23 You shall not mourne nor weep but you shall pine away for your iniquities and mourn one towards another There is many a soule for contemning of God and not taking up repentance while they may have it this plague of God is come upon them that they are ever repenting and are never able to repent ever poring upon their sinnes but never able to come out of them they pray and pray against them but their prayers moulder away under them for they shall pine away for their iniquities What is the reason he showeth in the 13. verse Because I would have purged thee and thou wast not purged thou shalt not be purged any more Because I gave thee line upon line precept upon precept motion upon motion Sacrament upon Sacrament Sabbath upon Sabbath and Ordinance upon Ordinance because I used all fair meanes and foul meanes I awaked thy conscience and stirred up the motions of grace in thee but because I would have cleansed thee and thou wast not cleansed thou shalt never be cleansed A fearfull sentence it is if mens hearts were soundly opened to consider rightly of it And as there is a personall day so there is a nationall day if the Nation turne unto God during that time then that nation shall find mercy but if they neglect that day then God will hide those things from their eyes that belong to their peace as Christ saith of Jerusalem Luke 19.42 O Jerusalem if that thou hadst known in this thy day those things that did belong to thy peace but now they are hid from thine eyes in this thy day if thou hadst known it during that day it had been happy for thee but now the day of grace is gone the Lord hath concealed it from thee and thou shalt never perceive it any more Some mens day of grace God endeth even in their very childhood therefore if there be any little ones any children here in this congregation that are of age to know what belongs unto an exhortation to them I speak that they take heed how they rebell against the commandment of a father or a mother or master against the teaching of Gods Word for though you be children yet God may inflict judgements upon your heads for not only the day of grace but also the day of life may be cut off from children as 2 Kings 2.24 Four and twenty children were torn in peeces for mocking the Lords Prophet Some mens day of grace is not shut up untill their youth some not untill their old age some not untill they are a dying and if they refuse then they are alike yea sure to perish for ever I know the day of grace may have several returns but at last Gods Exchequer will be finally shut up Object May not a man be called at the eleventh or twelfth hour of the day The day of grace lasteth alwayes and doth not the Apostle call the day of life the day of grace 2 Cor. 6.2 Answ Is it true the Lord calleth men at the eleventh and twelfth hour but yet look and you shall see in the twentieth of Matthew that they were not called at the first houre nor at the second nor third houre nor at the sixth and ninth houre i. he doth not say he found the same men that he found at the first and third sixth and ninth houres but he saw others standing idle No those that were called at the first houre came in at the first houre and they that were called at the third houre came in at the third houre and they that were called at the sixth and ninth houre came in at the sixth and ninth houre Well doth God call thee in thy childhood in thy youth or in thy middle age now at the first or sixth or ninth houre now come in and labour in Gods Vineyard and worke out your salvation with feare and trembling and make use of the season of grace now whiles it is upon you for if thou be called the first houre the sixth is for another and not for thee if thou be called the sixth houre the ninth houre is for others and not for thee if thou be called the ninth houre the eleventh houre is for others and not for thee The Text saith He came and found others standing idle in the market place and said unto them Why stand yee here idle And they say unto him No man hath hired us as if they should say We never had any means of salvation we have had no Ministers to preach unto us but now God calls upon thee to come in this is thy houre look unto it If God call thee see thou come in whether it be at the first or third houre at the six or ninth houre lest the Lord in his wrath clap bardnesse of heart upon thy soul Object But you will say that the day of life and the day of grace are parallel'd and likened one to another and therefore there is hope so long as a man remaines in the Congregation of the living Answ I answer it is true indeed that the day of grace lasteth so long as the day of life 1. In regard of others for others are so to esteeme of it the Minister is to look to his people as to a people to be converted as long as they live 2. In regard of a mans owne selfe he is so bound to beleeve for the commandment of faith standeth in force on a man so long as he liveth and therefore infidelity and despaire cease not to be sins till a man is actually in hell when he is in hell then they are no sins because then he is not commanded to beleeve but are part of the punishment of the damned but whilst a man lives it is a sinne for men are now bound to lay hold upon Christ and to beleeve at what houre of their life soever 3. It may be said to last all a mans life long because it is bounded within the compasse of life for no man hath a day of grace after this life But what is the meaning of all those Scriptures which show how God doth deliver up men unto the Spirit of giddinesse and unto the Spirit of slumber And what means the hardning of mens hearts and searing of mens consciences but only to show that the day of grace may end unto a particular man ten twenty thirty nay forty yeeres before his death 1. Because God may harden a mans heart Jerem. 13.10 and deale with them as with Israel in the Rock so shut up their hearts that they shall never melt at any Sermon never be wrought upon by any judgement God having closed them up in a rocky heart that he
saith of them Can the Blockmore change his skin or the Leopard his spots then may they do good that are accustomed to do evill The blacknesse of the Blackmore is only in the out-side of the skin yet all the Art under the heavens cannot blot it out So if once hardnesse possesse thy soule all the preaching of the Ministers and all the means of grace in the world can never bring it unto that frame and temper as to make it melt under the hand of God I tell thee thou that usest to come unto Sermons day after day and refusest to repent living still in thy sinnes there is no hammer nor beetle in the world more hard then thy heart as those men and women that sit under the preaching of the Word and hear the doctrine of life like raine from above beating and knocking on their consciences and on their hearts to awaken them out of their sinnes and yet notwitstanding will not repent at last they prove to be deafe Adders that stop their eares against the Word charme the Charmer never so wisely 2. God may seare mens consciences Doth thy conscience tell thee that thou art a luke-warmling and wilt thou not be reformed Doth thy conscience tell thee that thy prayers and all thy religion is rotten and unsound and that thy repentance is hypocriticall and naught and that for all thy vaine hopes thou art but a dissembler and yet remainest in thy sinnes and wilt thou not be bettered hereby Take heed for that man that runns on in sinne against the voice of his own conscience that man sinnes the sinne of Saul 1 Sam. 13.8 God bid him stay seven dayes untill Samuel came Saul stayes full seven dayes within one houre at last his lust began to bawl What shall I stay for a Prophet thus long Stay sayes his conscience Why sayes Saul I waited for him so long even seven dayes lacking but one houre Stay saith God to his conscience for the Word of God bids thee stay so long he stayed one day and two dayes and six dayes and seven dayes but one houre Stay saith his conscience no hee would not but I forced my selfe saith the Text as if hee should say I hardened my heart to do it though the word of the Lord my own conscience bid me stay and not do it yet I forced my selfe to do it What was this mans sinne Was it his offering of Sacrifice and calling upon God by prayer No the Lord commands us to call upon him in time of distresse and being commanded it was lawfull Was it his sinne to meddle with the Priests office No for he did but appoint the Sacrifice the Priest offered it What was it the breaking of one houres time No for he had sinned more against God then so but this was his sinne that he went against his own conscience when God stood in the way when conscience stood in the way conscience said stay but he would not stay God bid him stay but he would not stay And this is the sinne of many thousands amongsts us mens consciences tel them that they must not be drunkards mens consciences tell them that they must not be worldlings they must not be swearers they must not be luke-warme professors they must pray better then they do and have other faith then yet they have if ever they meane to be saved wilt thou yet against thy conscience force thy selfe to go on in thy sins from day to day and never be reformed take heed lest the Lord be provoked to set thy sun upon thy head and shut up thy heart and tonclude thy eternall destruction Object Suppose I go on in my sinnes and follow my wicked courses now what if I seek him hereafter and humble my soule before him with fasting and prayer and when I lie upon my death-bed I send a ticket unto my Minister to pray for me will all this do me no good Answ Surely no saith God Jerem. 15.1 Though Moses and Samuel stood before me yet my affections could not be toward this people cast them out of my sight Dost thou lie sick upon thy death-bed were Samuel Job or Daniel the Minister of thy Parish and thou shouldst send thy ticket unto them desiring them to remember thee in their prayers if Noah stood in the Pulpit and Job and Daniel were here before the Lord for to plead for thee yet he would not hear thee Object But suppose I humble my self by fasting and prayer will not God hear that Answ No if thou neglect the day of grace Jer. 14.12 when they fast I will not hear them and when they offer oblations I will not accept their cry but I will consume them by the sword by famine and by pestilence You may set up your fastings prayers and humiliations you may lament and mourne and pine away your selves in your sins but it is not all your prayers and fastings it is not all your lamentation and mourning that will do you good so long as the counsell of the Lord is rejected Because I called and ye would not answer therefore you shall call but I will not hear they thought that the Lords eares would alwayes be open and that when they called the Lord would have answered and that the day of grace would ever remain but God saith I will not hear them they would never have sought if they thought the Lord would not hear them but all their seeking was in vain Object You will say at what time soever a sinner repenteth he shall have mercy Answ It is true if thou repent from the bottome of thy heart but thou maiest come with many a degree of repentance and yet never repent whilest thou livest if thou repent from thy heart and root out thy sins then God will put away thy sins but thou maiest go on in repentance and calling upon God and performing many duties of Religion and yet be hardned look how much Religion will stand with self-love so much thou maiest have after the day of grace is gone Selfe-love may make a man flie to prayer and run after Sermons and go on in many holy duties and give over many sins look how far self-love may drive thee unto holy duties so far thou maist go and yet notwithstanding remaine hardned O therefore let us not delay nor put off the time of grace nor let go salvation while it may be had then shall they call but I will not answer he doth not set down when this time is it may be it is now it may be not this seven yeers it may be not till thy death Doct. 2 Doctr. It may be this very day even this very Sermon this very houre may be thy day that art now in thy sinnes that if thou repent not at this very one Sermon thou neglectest eternall life for ever lose the benefit of this Sermon at this time and thou maiest lose eternall salvation and never have it more The thiefe that robd this day
while thou art in the way quickly Matth. 5.25 Now God is in the way with thee Christ and his Spirit are in the way with thee thou needest not now say who shall go up to heaven and bring downe the Spirit to thee Christs Spirit is now knocking at thy heart and now God offers his mercy to thee now thou art in the way now he calls unto thee to accept of his mercie now hee commands thee to take Christ now hear him caling to thy heart now he tenders grace unto thee imbrace it now receive Christ and make up thy peace with him remember the saying of the Apostle 2 Corinth 13.5 Examine your selves whether you be in the faith prove your selves Know you not your own selves how that Jesus Christ is in you except you be reprobates As if the Astostle should say I have been an Apostle to you this yeer and half I have preached thus and thus long unto you I have wrote one Epistle to you to reforme those abuses that were among you and now I write this second Epistle to declare the whole will and counsell of God to you Now cast up your reckoning examine your selves and make up your account see if you have gained Christ O I have Christ saith one I have Christ saith another I but prove it saith the Apostle and try your selves know ye not that by this time Christ is in you or else you be reprobates As if he should say if yet Christ be not in you and grace wrought in your hearts if yet you lie festring in your sins and go on in your wicked wayes it is to be feared you are reprobates either you or we are reprobates you for not obeying or wee for not delivering the truth of God unto you But I trust that ye shall know that we are not reprobates verse 6. God forbid that this word should be ever spoken unto any soule in this Congregation but this let mee say is there any man here that goes on in his lusts and in his carnall course of life in pride security hardnesse of heart and impenitencie that hath not the soundnesse of grace he hath a fearfull signe and brand of a reprobate whose conscience is stifled it is a fearfull signe if he be not a reprobate before God yet he is one that is not approved but for the present in a wretched and miserable condition Now is the time of grace wherein God hath spoken to your souls remember that vengeance that is coming towards you if it be rejected now the Lords fatlings are ready his Oxen and Sheep are slain and laid upon the board Christ is sacrificed and his blood is shed and the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ is tendered to you you that have grace get more grace you that have no grace get grace and Christ and take heed of neglecting any opportunity of grace for that may come unto thee in one hour that will never come againe FINIS VAIN THOUGHTS ARRAIGNED At the Barre of Gods JUSTICE SET FORTH In a Sermon preached at Linton in Kent Septem 29. 1629. By that Reverend and painfull Minister of the Word WILLIAM FENNER B.D. Sometime Fellow of Pembroke Hall in Cambridge and late Parson of Rochford in Essex London Printed by T.R. and E.M. for J.S. A SERMON OF Mr. WILLIAM FENNERS Preached at Linton Septem 9. 1629. PHIL. 3.18 19. For many walk of whom I have told you often and now tell you weeping that they are the enemies of the Crosse of Christ whose end is destruction whose belly is their God whose glory is their shame â—nd who mind earthly things THE Apostle in the closure of this Chapter setteth out unto us a twofold kind of life First the life of the godly and that 1. by way of Exhortation verse 17. Brethren be followers together of me and mark them which walk so as you have us for an example 2. By way of declaration verse 20. But our conversation is in heaven whence also we look for the Saviour even the Lord Jesus Christ Then secondly hee sets forth unto us the life of the wicked which walked otherwise then the Disciples and Apostles of Christ walked in these words read unto you The Apostle warned those wicked men again and again but they would not take warning neither did they think themselves so bad as he made them and therefore they thought they should speed well enough he preached to them in the Pulpit and wrote unto them though he were six hundred miles and more distant from them and that weeping too that they are enemies to the Crosse of Christ whose end is destruction whose God is their belly who mind earthly things The words may be constâ—ued two wayes either as being meant 1. Of severall wicked men as first of Heterodox walkers such as walk contrary to the Apostles 2. Of wicked persecutors of the Gospel enemies to the Crosse of Christ 3. Of Drunkards and hypocrites whose God is their belly 4. Of Ambitious and proud persons whose glory is their shame and 5. of covetous and carnall minded men who minde earthly things or as Chrysostom expounds the words and so it seems is the meaning of them to be meant of one sort of men who mind earthly things they are such as walk otherwise then the Apostle walked Who are they that mind earthly things they are enemies of the Crosse of Christ Who are they that mind earthly things Whose hearts and affections run more after the things of this life then after the crosse of Christ Their God is their belly Who are they that mind earthly things and think only how to increase their living and enlarge their estate and make them sure unto themselves their glory is their shame Who are they that mind earthly things that give their hearts the flower of man and their affections the flower of their soules unto the world and unto the base things of the world still they are they that mind earthly things which set either their loving thoughts or their carking and caring thoughts or their fretting and vexing thoughts or their eager covetous and vain thoughts on earthly things they are they that walk otherwise then the Apostles of Christ walked These are those that are enemies to the crosse of Christ whose God is their belly whose glory is their shame who mind earthly things whose end is destruction Hence then will we observe this point Doct. That those whose minds and hearts run habitually on earth and earthly things their end must needs be destruction Jerem. 6.19 Heare O earth saith God behold I will bring evill upon this people even the fruit of their thoughts because they have not hearkened unto me but rejected my Law Wherein we may see 3 things 1. That the curse of God is the desert of cursed evill vain thoughts 2. That the plague and curse of God is the event of evill and vain thoughts evill thoughts do not onely deserve Gods plagues but also bring them
they beare sway in the heart they make that mans end to be destruction How then ought this to fill the faces of them that have the Spirit of Christ with shame and confusion and to make them in a holy manner to be confounded of themselves and to think of the emptinesse naughtinesse and vanities of their hearts Beloved thou canst not go to prayers but abundance of vain thoughts will be about thee like wasps to assault thee thou canst not go to the Word but these vaine thoughts will be a humming in thy eares thou canst not go about the works in thy calling but vain thoughts will haunt thee and creep into thy meditations and take away the main burthen of the work all the day long Beloved this should make a godly man ashamed and confounded in himself in the consideration hereof The Prophet David was so confounded and ashamed hereat that had not God poured in mercie and comfort into his soul he had been distracted and should have despaired considering the company of vain thoughts that lodged within him Psal 94.19 where hee shows what abundance of distracting thoughts he had that if God had not sustained him with comfort after comfort he had even been been overwhelmed in despair by them Augustine saith a mans thoughts are not in his own power the heart of man is like tinder and if the Devill cast a spark into it thou canst not hinder it from taking fire but thou maiest hinder it from burning further A ship may have leakes in her and thou canst not hinder the coming in of water into her but by thy pumping and industry thou maiest save her from drowning in the water even so evill thoughts though they be rooted out yet they will come in again A mans heart is like to the fig-tree that grew out of the stone wall which Epiphanius speaketh of the branches were lopt off and it grew again the boughs were lopt off and it grew again they cut down the body of it yet it grew again they pluckt up the roots of it yet it grew again till at last the stone wall and all was fain to be pulled down Even so it is with vaine thoughts in the heart a man may lop them off by godly sorrow he may cut them down and root them up by mortification and yet they will be sprouting up and rising up again till the whole body of sin be pulled down and destroyed in a man Gregory speaks of them and saith man may pluck them up but yet not so but that they will rise again The consideration hereof should humble us and make us lowe in our own eyes Oh then think with thy self and say Oh that my thoughts should be so base earthly and vain what have I not a God a Christ a heaven to think upon have I not excellent Commandments of my God and thousands of sweet and precious promises in Scripture to think upon and must I be thinking on every bable of every straw not worth the thinking on Take the Apostles exhortation Whatsoever things be true whatsoever things are honest whatsoever things are just whatsoever things are pure whatsoever things are of good report if there be any â—ertue if there be any praise think on these things Phil. 4.8 What are there so many vertuous things so many holy and pure things so many admirable and glorious things-so many heavenly graces and divine promises so many blessed passages of holy Writ to take up my mind and shall I spend my thoughts and time upon such vaine and cursed things as wil yeeld me no profit This should astonish the hearts of Gods people and greatly humble their souls Vse 2 The second Use may serve for matter of condemnation unto the wicked let this doctrine strike terrour into the hearts of those men that suffer their hearts to be taken up with vaine thoughts as Peter said unto Simon Magus so let me say unto them Repent of this thy wickednesse and pray unto God vers 8. that if it be possible the thoughts of thy heart may be forgiven thee The Apostle doth not onely wish him to repent of his simony and briberie but also of the least vain thoughts of his heart pray unto God if perhaps the very thoughts of thy heart may be forgiven thee for beloved the very least vaine thoughts that thou thinkest without repentance is impardonable there is an impossibility of remission of vain and idle thoughts without true repentance Oh what fearfull news is this to the world that lay not this to heart Beloved may we not now run into the eares and hearts of all earthly men with this point whose minds and thoughts are earthly Is it so that he whose thoughts run habitually on the world his end is destruction Then they that make no conscience what their thoughts are what their imaginations are what they think of as they goe up and down how can such escape the vengeance of hell Tell me then what thy thoughts are are they not of thy hawks and hounds of thy cattell and grounds of thy gardens and orchards rather then of Christ When thou walkest in the streets whereon run thy thoughts but on thy pleasures and profits and earthly delights yea of every vanity and every delight canst thou think rather then of God and his Commandments Thou comest to Church thou prayest and hearest the Word of God but do not vain thoughts come along with thee thou goest home again but do not vaine thoughts haunt and dog thee It is the brand of a wicked man not to have God in all his thoughts Psal 4.10 when goods and cattell plough and cart pleasures and outward contentments are in his mind and thoughts when ruffs and cuffs houses and dishes tables and faire hangings or any thing but God can take up their thoughts they can have thoughts of every thing but of God they can think none this is the brand of a wicked man that he hath no bloud of a Christian in him It is a true description of a Pagan and Infidel that hath no knowledge of Christ to be vain in his imaginations Rom. 1.21 When they knew God they glorified him not as God but became vain in their imaginations vaine in their disputes vain in their reasonings vain in their thoughts in their carriages and disputations so then though thou knowest God and hast things enough in thy mind that convinceth thee that this God is to be worshipped and understandest the worship of God and the commandments of Christ yet if thou glorifiest him not as God giving thy heart and affections to him but art vain in thy imaginations thou dishonourest God Hear what God saith unto such All the day long have I stretched out my hand unto a rebellious and gain-saying people which walk in a way that is not good but after their own thoughts a people that provoke me continually to my face Isa 65.2 3. As if God had said I sent Prophet after Prophet
Minister after Minister to instruct them in the knowledge of my wayes I laboured to convert them and to bring them home unto my self and to work better thoughts in them but still they are a people that walk after their own thoughts that provoke me continually unto my face There is never a thought of thine but it is in the verse face of God both thought and imagined But some man may say I think of God and of Christ of faith and repentance and of calling on God of mending of this and that course I think of death and of my last account and every foot I have holy thoughts in my mind But beloved give me leave I pray you for to speak something unto you which it may be may stick by you while you live I will propound these foure things and distinctions unto you which I will use First what doest thou think of God and of heaven then tell me whether thy thoughts be injective thoughts into thy heart or thoughts raised by thy heart for there is a great deale of difference betweene thoughts injected and thoughts raised God casts good thoughts into a godly mans heart which being fit soyl it fructifies and brings forth fruit Again God casts good thoughts into a wicked mans heart but because his heart is not sanctified and therefore no fit soyl to harbour in they die and vanish God casts in and they cast out God casts in again and they cast out again therefore if thou hast good thoughts examine and try whether they be thoughts raised from thy heart or no see whether thy heart be a renewed heart a sanctified an holy heart fit to bring forth good thoughts every day Beloved a wicked man may have a thousand good thoughts and yet go to hell in the midst of them all God cast a good thought into the heart of the King of Babylon to go against Judah and Jerusalem for to punish his people for their sins and to avenge himself on them for the breach of his Covenant but what saith the text Reas 1 Howbeit he thought not so Isa 10. No his only ayme was how to get honour how to inrich to enlarge his territories and to bring down the Nations under him and to make his name and fame to be spread and declared through all the world So God casts many good thoughts into many a wicked mans heart to repent and to leave his drunkennesse his pride his swearing and whoring to be holy and religious howbeit he thinks not so but he thinks how to eate and drink how to be proud and haughty how to be rich and great in the world how to be vain and licentious yea thy thoughts are vile and vain all the day long Oh that men were wise truly to understand this the want whereof is the cause why many thousands go to hell and are damned for ever I will make it plain to you A wicked man reasons thus with himself I confesse and it is true I sinne every day against God and sometimes drink a pot with my friend though sometimes I let fall an oath and am overtaken in my infirmities yet I thank God he hath sanctified my heart for I think of God and of Christ and I oft call upon his name and let my thoughts run on good things God and heaven are many times in my mind and I am sorry when I do amisse and the Lord hath blest me with a large portion of outward things Besides I see these and these signes of grace in me and therefore I think my case to be happy And thus securely they live and so they go on and so they die and so go to hell and perish for ever and ever Here is the misery of it many think of God and of Christ of death and of their last account of heaven of hell of faith and repentance of leaving sinne of crucifying their lusts and practising of holinesse Now men think that their thinking of these things is a part of their discharge when indeed they are Additions to and peeces of their talents which increase their judgements God casts in a thought of repentance of holinesse of the remembrance of death and last account Dost thou find thy heart never the better and holier by them Then know it is only Gods haunting of thy heart and Gods calling upon thee and Gods inviting thee unto repentance to leave thy sinnes to come out of thy deadnesse and formality to prepare for thy death and judgment and therefore I say if thy heart now think not so if thy heart do not repent beleeve and grow more zealous and thou art not drawn the neerer to God I say then that the more of these good thoughts that thou hast had the greater thy doome will be if thou hast had ten thousands of them if they have beene onely Gods haunting of thy heart think thou then now of grace of God of thy poor soul which is not bettered by them nor made holy then know they are peeces of thy talent and it doth make thy torments in hell the greater Secondly thou hast good thoughts but the question is whether they be fleeting or abiding thoughts Many think of God of grace of heaven of the word of God and when they heare a Sermon they will think of God but these thoughts though they come into their minds yet they go away presently they are in and out at an instant in a trice they passe away and are gone Beloved there are two kinds of vaine thoughts 1. vaine because the substance and matter of them is vain and so all worldly thoughts are vain 2. or else for their want of durance and lasting and so are all thoughts of heaven of God and grace and of Christ it they vanish away they are all vain thoughts though they seeme otherwise Haer what God saith Gen. 6.5 God saw that the wickednesse of man was great upon the earth and all the imaginations of the thoughts of his heart were only evill continually all the imaginations great is the emphasis of this word all all the thoughts yea all universally are only evill continually But you will say unto me Doth not a wicked man think that there is a God why that is a good thought doth he not think that this God is to be observed and worshipped why this is a good thought doth he not think that sin is to be forsaken that is a good thought doth he not think of heaven and of Christ how then are their thoughts only evill and that continually I answer because all the thoughts of a wicked mans heart are vaine that is vanishing thoughts not vaine for the matter which sometimes may be good and holy but vaine because they soone vanish away thoughts that come and tarry not that leave no impression in their hearts behind them these are all vaine thoughts according to that of the Apostle The Lord knoweth the thoughts of the wise that they are vaine 1 Cor.
house as you walk abroad in the fields as you are employed in your callings or about any holy duty God seeth all thy thoughts what is going in and what is comming out there is never a thought in thy heart but God sees it how then can thoughts be free God will weigh the thoughts of men Prov. 16.2 Beloved what a fearfull day will that hee when God shall take his Scales and weigh no mans bodies and estates for then it may bee that rich men and fat and grosse men will out-weigh them that are better but he will take mens thoughts and weigh them hee will weigh their soules he will take mens good thoughts and put them into one scale and their bad earthly carnall and unprofitable thoughts into another scale and to try which weighes heaviest Now if thy earthly and sinfull thoughts weigh heaviest then down thou goest into eternall damnation Secondly as thoughts are not free from Gods knowledge so are they not free from Gods Word for Gods word can meet with them for it is lively and mighty in operation and is a descerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart Hebr 4.12 Doth the word of God discern the thoughts of mens hearts Then much more doth the God of this Word and therefore how can thoughts be free Thirdly and lastly they are not free from the condemnation of hell and damnation I am hee saith God that searcheth the hearts and reins and I wil give to every one of you according to his works or as some translations have it according to your thoughts Rev. 3.23 Now if God will so severely punish thoughts take heed then how thou tetainest any evill thoughts I should here give you some means in the use that so you might rid your selves from vain thoughts Means 1 First love the word of God if ever thou wilt come out of them prize the truth of God and labour to get thy mind and thoughts to beâ— set on better things and then the thoughts of the world and all vain things will vanish away This course the Prophet David took Psal 119.113 I hate vain thoughts but thy Law do I love How came it to passe that he hated vain thoughts namely by loving Gods Law if he had not loved Gods Law and those excellent things therein and set his heart on them hee could never have hated vain thoughts The way then to break of thy league with vain thoughts is to be in league with good thoughts Dost thou complain of vain thoughts in prayer in hearing the word in receiving of the Sacraments and art thou stuffed and filled with them that thou canst not think upon God and holy things thou dost here by bewray thine own rottennesse and corruption And therefore know that if thou lovest the Lord and his Word and didst set thy thoughts upon him thou wouldst never have them so much employed about such base things Secondly if ever thou wouldst rid thy heart of vain thoughts especially when thou art in holy action thou must goe unto God by prayer there is no greater bridle to restrain a man from vain thoughts then this consideration that hee is to goe to God I speak not this to the men of this world Carnall men who can rush into Gods presence hand over head without any fear or reverence they can set upon any duty without any preparation but I speak it to the godly man whose heart dreads and stands in awe of God Wilt thou let thy mind rove and run all the day on worldly things how then wilt thou call upon God Dost thou not know that this is the cause of thy dulnesse thy deadnes and wandrings of thy heart when thou art about any good duty namely because thou sufferest thy heart to be lashing out and roving abroad on the world all day no marvell if it keep his haunt at night and therefore thy heart being vain God will never hear thy prayer Job 35.13 God will never bear vanity Comest thou to God with a vain prayer God will never hear it Comest thou with a vain eare to the hearing of the Word God will never hear it or with a vain heart to the Sacrament God will not regard it Lay this seriously to thy heart if ever thou wouldst have thy heart to the duty thou art about busie thy mind upon good things for if thy heart be accustomed to vain and worldly things all the day it is no marvell if it returne to its haunt again at night Thirdly consider that you have not so learned Christ It is the Apostles argument Ephes 3. consider then what you have learned of Christ hath Christ taught you so hath Christ taught you such a love and given you such a liberty that you should love the world more then him and imploy and bestow all your thoughts wholly in seeking after vain things Hath Christ taught you such a faith as this Hath Christ taught you such a repentance as this to have your thoughts more upon the world then upon Christ to repent of sin and yet never forsake sinne Have ye so learned Christ Hath he not taught you such a faith as purifieth the heart such a sanctification as cleanseth the soul and the minde such an obedience as bringeth every thought into subjection unto himself Therefore if now thou shouldst still retain thy vain dead earthly and carnall thoughts it is not to learn Christ Christ teacheth thee no such doctrine nor giveth thee any such licentious libertie but thou learnest of the Devill and of thine owne heart for all evill and vain thoughts arise from these three heads First from the variety and abundance of the thoughts of the world which our Saviour calls the cares of this world Seconly from the fountaine of corruption in mans heart the heart of man being alwayes like a sink naturally running with filthinesse or like a living quickset alwayes bearing so is it with the heart of man alwayes imagining vain thoughts Thirdly from the damned malice of the Devill and his fearfull suggestions and temptations both within and without the Devill is fitly called a tempter and trier for by these suggestions and temptations he feels and tries mens hearts and thereby knowing to what they are most inclined and which way they are soonest overcome accordingly he fits his temptations for to intrap them Now these thoughts are infinitely variable according to the constitution place quality passions affections and conditions of men as of the poor man in his beggery of the rich man in his abundance of the Minister in his calling of the Magistrate in his and so of all other men Now the whole world is not able to fill the heart how then shall we number the thoughts of it But for the better understanding we will rank them into these four heads to show how thoughts become vain 1. Materially mens thoughts are vain when the matter of them is vain 2. Formally when though for the matter they are never
so good yet the manner of thinking them is evill 3. Efficientially when the man that thinks them is vain 4. When it is a thought that might become the best Saint upon the earth or a glorified Angel in heaven yet the drift of the soule being carnall and vain the soule thereby becomes vain also First then materiall vaine thoughts are all thoughts of the world of the works of thy calling of thy recreations eating drinking sleeping thoughts of thy wife and children and the like they are vain thoughts not sinfull necessarily yet they may come to be sinfull five manner of wayes Manner 1 First when we think of them primarily that is in the first place when we think of them before we think of God Tell me then what are thy first thoughts in the morning Hereby a man may know his thoughts whether they bee good or evill Consider I say what it is that first presents it selfe unto thy thoughts certainly that which the heart is most haunted withall and most taken up with is most naturall unto it If the heart be carnall and earthly it will have carnall and earthly thoughts if it be a godly and gracious heart it will labour to make God the first in his thoughts I know the godly man fails in many things and many unruly thoughts in him may rebell but it is the very griefe of his soule and he will never rest nor be at quiet till he hath got Balm from Gilead strength from Christ for the subduing and crucifying of them even of those vain and sinfull thoughts that stick closest unto their hearts and are most prone unto them naturally so that it is the practice of a godly man first in the morning to lift up his heart with his hand unto God and when he is up his thoughts are wholly upon God See this in David who considering that the Lord was present everywhere made this use of it When I awake I am present with thee Psal 139.18 His heart was lifted up to God he did endeavour to shake hands with God as it were in his holy meditations worshipping and adoring God with his first thoughts he would be sure to give God the flower and Maiden-head of his first service and thoughts as soon as ever he was awake his heart was in heaven This shewes that the thoughts of men that â—ive in their sins are damnable thoughts Thou that arâ— a drunkard a swearer a profane person a carnall worldling that never hast repented I tell thee that the very thinking of thy meat and drink is damnable the very thoughts of thy recreations and of thy sleep are damnable thoughts to think of the workes of thy calling yea of setting thy foot upon the ground or of any thing that God hath commanded thee for to doe are all damnable thoughts Why Because thou givest not God thy first thoughts Wilt thou think of thy belly and back before thou thinkest of God and how to be converted unto him Wilt thou think of thy Markets and Faires before thou â—hinkest of thy reconciliation with God The first thing that every soule is bound for to doe is to get in with God First seek the kingdom of God saith our Saviour and the righteousnesse thereof Matth. 6.35 Where our Saviour doth not forbid our taking of thought for the things of this life but that they should not be sought after in the first place so that our first thoughts and endeavours should be after the Kingdom of heaven Therefore all thoughts whatsoever which are conceived before a man bee converted and so thinks of God are all damnable thoughts Manner 2 Secondly all worldly thoughts are sinfull when we think of them too usually as Chrysostome speakes because we think of the universalitie of them Beloved it is lawfull to think of the world and to think of our trade and imployments to think of our corn of our catâ—ell fields barnes wives children for if God have commanded or commended these things unto us then surely he gives us leave to think on them that so we may accomplish our businesse the better but let us take heed they bee not too usuall with us for we have soules as well as bodies and there is a heaven as well as an earthly business to think upon thou art not to live here alwayes therefore take heed that thy thoughts be not too usuall and common upon the things of the world let not earth and earthly things have too much of thy thoughts As the Prophet David seeing the thoughts of wicked men wholly to run after the things of the world he tels them all their thoughts perish and so I tell you if that your thoughts on the world run together with heap and crowd and then you bundle them up in bundles as it were they all prove damnable and shall perish Manner 3 Thirdly worldly thoughts are sinfull and damnable if thou thinkest of them too savourly a carnall-minded man thinkes savourly of the things of the world the thoughts of earthly things are savoury unto them a wicked man hee will thinke of God and of the world but which is the savourest thought to him He will think of Christ of heaven and of the word of God and of such a Sermon he heard but alas hee finds no savour taste nor rellish in them he finds no sweetnesse joy or delight in them but when he thinkes of the world of his gold and silver of his lands and livings Oh these are merry thoughts unto him â—hese are sweet unto him and pleasant to him and his heart is not at home in his own nest he can think of these seven dayes nay seven moneths nay seven yeares together and yet never be weary but his thoughts as ful as fresh as at the first But bring him to a Sermon or to a prayer and he is jaded presâ—ntly his heart is empty and his thoughts are at an end For saith the Apostle they that are after the flesh savour the things of the flesh Rom. 8 5. It is a true note of an earthly carnall fleshly heart to be thinking on earthly and vain things savourly Thou maist think on the world but it must be onely with a cast of thy thoughtâ— as one that looks upon a thing with a squint eye but when thou art to think on God or on the things of God then thou must gather all thy thoughts and affections thou must lay all the powers of thy soule together and thou must imploy them only to this work Manner 4 Fourthly worldly thoughts become sinfull when we think of them without counsell then saith Solomon they come to nought when a man considers not afore-hand what thoughts are necessary and needfull and so restraines and keeps off all impertinent thoughts then his thoughts will prove distrustful carking thoughts caring for the morrow contrary to the rule of Christ Matth. 6.33 Take no care for to morrow let to morrow care for it self He doth not forbid here
Is it that thou maiest have grace or that thou maist follow thy calling and get thy living is it this that thou wouldst have for which thou keepest such a digging and scraping and such a laying up Then thy end is carnall and vain and thy drift and end declareth the truth of thy soul that it is carnall and vain THE JUDGEMENT OF THE WORLD By SAINTS at the last Day DELIVERED And learnedly discovered in a Sermon preached By that vigilant and painfull Minister of the Word WILLIAM FENNER B.D. Sometime Fellow of Pembroke Hall in Cambridge and late Parson of Rochford in Essex London Printed by T.R. and E.M. for J.S. A SERMON OF Mr. WILLIAM FENNERS Upon this ensuing Text. 1 Cor. 6. part of the 2d verse Know yee not that the Saints shall judge the World THE Corinthians thought Paul had converted many poore mean men amongst them Chapter 1.26 27. God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise and the weak things of the world to confound the things that are mighty yet the Nobles the Lawyers the Counsellers the chiefe men in the Citie the Apostle had not converted one of them or at the least very few Brethren you see your calling who they are that be converted to the obedience of the Gospel of Christ from the evill of their wayes not many wise men after the flesh not many rich not many noble some few there be here and there one but for the most part they are a company of poor beggerly Christians Now it seems these poor Christians having controversies one with another went to Law among themselves and that before unbeleevers The Apostle condemnes this their going to Law and would have them cease their suits and quarrels one against another before the unjust and unbeleevers and that by four Arguments First by the shamefulnesse of it verse 5. I speak it to your shame as if he should say Are you such fooles that you cannot take up these matters among your selves that you cannot make references of your wrongs to mediate one to another but that you must go to Law before unbeleevers Secondly from the scandalousnesse of it It is a thing so scandalous and offensive to those that are without that I wonder any of you dare be so bold as to go to Law one with another What will the world think What are these the men that professe the Gospel Are these they that have the Wisdome of God in them and that are led by the Spirit of God And have they no more understanding in them then when they have any matter of controversie they cannot end it among themselves but must go to Law before the unjust and unbeleevers as they terme them Thirdly from the unsâ—emingnesse of it in the second verse Do you not know that the Saints shall judge the earth What hath God made you Judges of the world and doe you goe to be judged by the world Or as Ambrose speakes hath God appointed you to be Judges of the men in the world and are you not fit to be Judges of the things of the world Fourthly from the strangenesse of it Dare any of yuu He speakes interrogatively vers 1. It is a strange thing that you should come to that impudencie against the Gospel of Christ one would think that you should tremble and quake at such a thing as this is What is there never a wise Christian amongst you never an understanding professor that is able to take up a controversie or decide and judge between his brethren what a strange thing is this Then hee backs it with foure Arguments 1. Because they wre Brethren vers 6. Brother goes to Law with brother 2. Because it was about the things of this life What hath God made you Judge of heavenly things of Angels and are you unfit to Judge of the things of this life 3. It was abâ—ut small matters ver 2. whereas you shall sit upon men and Angels and the weightiest matters in the world the greatest things of Gods law judging them to the greatest penaltie and punishment even to eternall damnation and are yee unworthy then to judge even of the smallest matters 4. And lastly Because it was about such things as the meanest Christian in the towne might have taken up and have ended Set up them that are least esteemed Doe you not know that the Saints shall judge the world Doct. I need not goe far for a point the word affords it The Doctrine is That the Saints shall judge the world It is an old truth yea as old as the world it selfe you may read it in the fourth verse of Judes Epistle That Enoâ—h the seventh from Adam prophecied saying Behold the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his Saints God will not onely come to judgement himselfe but he will come attended with all his Saints even with all the godâ—y to execute vengeance upon all the world So our Saviour told Saint Peter and not onely him but all that follow him in the regeneration They shall sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel Mat. 9.18 They shall judge the Nations and have dominion over the people Wisd 3.8 Object And now because doubt is the best way to attaine unto knowledge let me answer a doubt that may creepe in by the way How shall the Saints judge the world Answ Ans Not by pronouncing of judgement upon the world for that Christ alone shall do Then shall the King say to them on his left hand Depart yee cursed Mat. 25. But the Saints shall judge the world these foure wayes 1. They shall judge the world by their consent unto Christs judgement God traines up his children in this world educates them and teaâ—heth them how they may judge the world hereafter he teacheth them in this life how to assent with his proceedings in the world so that they are able to say Righteous art thou O Lord and just are thy judgements Psal 119.137 Now if the Saints be trained in this life to assent unto Gods proceedings with the world much more then will they be able to know and consent unto Christs judgement when he shall come with his Saints to judge the world Now the Law saith that consenters are agents and therefore because the Saints shall consent to the judgement of Christ therefore they are said to judge the world 2. The Saints shall judge the world by their applause of Christs judgement they shall not only give consent unto the judgment of Christ but they shall also applaud it and commend it when God shall say to all drunkards swearers lyers Sabbath-breakers and to all unbeleeving impenitent and graceles sinners Depart yee cursed into hell fire then though it were his owne father that begat him or his mother that bare him though it were his owne brother or sister wife or child that hath been as dear as his own life and soule to him yet they shall clap their hands for joy and applaud
one can hardly tell which is a Saint and which is a reprobate If a man deale with a Saint and deale with a wicked man he seeth no difference between them Let a Saint do any action either pray hear or conferre let a wicked man do the like there is such deadnes such carnality such worldly-mindednesse such luke-warmnesse of affection that one can hardly tell which is the Saint and which is the hypocrite Beloved if the Saints did live like Saints there would be as plaine a difference between a Saint and a wicked man in their lives and behaviour as is hetwixt the Judge and the Rogue that is to be judged by him Hast thou not conâ—dered my servant Iob saith God how that there is none like him in all the earth Iob 1.4.8 If a man come to be a Saint indeed there is never a wicked man in the Town and Countrey that lives and doth as he doth and walks as he walks nor prayes as he prayes nor hears the word as he hears it nor that conferres or meditates as he doth that beleeves and repents as he doth that strives against his lusts as he doth there is none like him in all the world Thirdly it condemnes the scandalousnesse of many Professors in their behaviours and actions Oh how do wicked men insult and exclaim hereupon to see a Professor led away and overcome by some lust What say they are these they that are led by the Spirit of God Are these your devout men why they can covet and scrape as well as others they can cousen and lie as well as others I those that are your great Professors and hot spurres they are as covetous as worldly as cruell as others though they will not be drunk nor swear yet they will cousen and lie as well as others The consideration whereof made the Prophets heart to bleed in him and to pray Oh purge me from my murder and adultery and all other my secret sinnes lest I cast mire and dirt in the faces of thy children causing them to beare the reproaches of my sinnes Oh let not those that seeke thee be ashamed for my sake Psal 69. For thy sake that livest scandalously and offensively for thy sake that livest covetously and scraping after the world that art so unjust in thy dealings and promises mire and dirt scandals and reproaches are cast upon the children For thy loosenesse yea for thy carnall liberty it is that the true professors of Religion are reproached suspected and hardly censured in the world What did Jacob when he was to walk with the people of the Land Gen. 35.5.6 he purged his house and saith the text the terror of God was upon all the Cities hee made them all to tremble at him I tell you all the wicked in Ashford would tremble at the Professors that live therein if they did live and carry themselves like Saints indeed Oh if all those that did professe themselves to be Christians were Christians indeed and that professe themselves to be Saints were Saints indeed living in the power and sanctification of holinesse then men would say of themselves of a truth God is in these men Christ dwels in them and the Spirit of God leads and governs them indeed If thou wouldst judge the world take heed so as the world judgeth thee and so thou with the world be condemned eternally It is said that Herod feared John because heâ— was a just man Mark 6.23 So if all thy neighbours did know that thou wert a just man a holy and conscionable man in all thy wayes and in all thy actions and that cannot indure swearing lying and deceit but did see that thou wast just and one that feared God truly they would all fear thee THE PUNISHMENT Of Unworthy COMMUNICANTS At the TABLE of the LORD DELIVERED In a SERMON Preached Decemb. 7. 1628. By that vigilant and painfull Minister of the Word WILLIAM FENNER B.D. Sometime Fellow of Pembroke Hall in Cambridge and late Parson of Rochford in Essex London Printed by T.R. and E.M. for J.S. A SERMON OF Mr. WILLIAM FENNERS Upon this ensuing Text. 1 COR. 11.30 For this cause many are weak and sick among you and many sleep THE Apostle in this Chapter taxeth two abuses which were then amongst the Corinthians First the unseemly habit of women in the Congregation from the first ver to the 17. Secondly the prophane usage of the holy Communion both of men and women from the 17. verse to the end of the Chapter And herein from the 23. verse to the end of the 25. he sets down the Institution of the Lords Supper and thence raised a point of Doctrine Doct. 1 That whosoever would come to this holy Communion they must examine themselves that so they may come worthily else it were better that they never came So we read in the 28. verse But let a man examine himself and so let him eat of that Bread and drink of that Cup As if the Apostle had said Unlesse a man examine himself and search his own heart and find out his sinnes and dive into the secrets of his soul to bring out his hidden corruptions confessing them and judging himselfe for them before the Lord let him never presume to come unto this holy Sacrament And then he proves it by three Reasons Reas 1 The first is taken from the end of the Sacrament for it is the remembrance of the death and passion of Christ so it is in the 26. verse So oft as you eate of this Bread and Drink of this Cup you show forth the Lords death till he come It is a reason that the men of this world are not acquainted withall and therefore it was a good wish of a Reverend Father that the Sacrament should never be ministred but there should be a Sermon to teach men the nature of it and to instruct them in the Mystery thereof Wee approach unto the Sacrament hand over head living in our sinnes not showing by our coming that Christ is dead we say and we professe that Christ died for our sinnes and yet notwithstaning our sinnes live in us as if Christ had not died for us or as if we would proclaime that his death hath had no effect in us For were we dead with Christ then sin and the living occasions of sinne would be dead in us also My Beloved we should never come to this Sacrament but we should shew forth the Lords death thereby that is that Christ is dead or rather died for sinne and that sinne is also dead in us Reas 2 The second reason is taken from the damned wrong wee offer unto Christ if we come in our sinnes for we are guilty of the body and bloud of Christ as it is in the 27. verse nay thou sinnest against the Lord Jesus Christ not a jot lesse then Pilat that condemned him then Judas that betrayed him and the Jewes that cryed out Crucifie him crucifie him yea thou art as much guilty
as if thy own hand in thy own person had been imbrued in his bloud Now we know it is a horrible sin to be guilty of the bloud and murther of an ordinary man yea of a very rogue how much more is it a great and fearfull sin to be guilty of the body and bloud of the Lord Iesus Christ the onely and etrnall Son of God yet comest thou to this holy Communion and bringest no lesse then the guilt of the body and bloud of Christ upon thy soule Reas 3 The third Reason is taken from the wofull wrong and injury that man brings upon his own soule that comes unpreparedly without examination of himself in the 20. verse he eateth and drinketh his own damnation that is he maketh him selfe guilty of and liable to the same vengeance that the crucifiers of Christ had inflicted on them Good had it been for that man saith Christ of Judas if that he had never been born So may I say Good had it been for that man and that woman if they had never been born who come unworthily unto rhe Table of the Lord for when they eat of that Bread they eate their owne bane and when they drink of that Cup they drink their own damnation Vse 1 Then cometh he to make some uses of this point and first he condemns those that as they come so they goe away from the Sacrament no more holy no more gracious then before but as they come in their sins so they goe away in their sins they came drunkards and they goe away drunkards they came worldlings and they goe away worldlings they came mockers and they goe away mockers they came in theit wrath anger malice deadnesse hypocrisie and luke-warmnesse and so they go away still never the better but living in them as they did before As in the 17. verse You come together saith the Apostle not for the better but for the worse Whereas if they would have come worthily they should have gone away the better they should have received more grace and holinesse â—o walk with God more power and strength against sin and corruption yea the Lord would have ratified and confirmed his Covenant with them whereas living in contention and not coming with preparation they grow the worse by the Sacrament The Corinthians thought that the Apostle would have praised them for their coming to Church and receiving the Sacrament Shall I praise you in this saith the Apostle I praise you not Vse 2 Secondly He makes an use of terror against all those that dare come in their sinnes unto this holy Sacrament of the Lord for that man that commeth in his sinnes unto the Table of the Lord 1. though he may think he receives the communion yet he doth not for this is not the Table of the Lord but the Table of Devils It is true thou receivest the Sacrament of the body and bloud of Christ hut yet comming in thy sinnes thou receivest not his body and bloud as of a Saviour to save thee from thy sinnes Indeed thou receivest the body and bloud of Christ sacramentally but it is as the Iudge to condemne thee unto the pit of destruction for thy damned Impudency in coming so unworthily unto this holy Sacrament For that man cannot eate the body of Christ that is not a member of Christ therefore thou must be a limbe of Christ if ever thou wilt receive worthily 2. If a man come unto the Sacrament and come in his sinnes he cometh to his own destruction for though it be a sweet banquet for to refresh an humble and weary soule and to make it walk more cheerfully in the wayes of God all the dayes of his life yet he that commeth unto it in his sinnes and receiveth it in his uncleannesse speedeth thereby his own damnation and receiveth it as his viaticum to hell The Apostle compares Baptisme to the red Sea 1. Cor. 10. from which place Chrysostome saith that as the red Sea was a way for the Israelites to passe through to Canaan so it was as a grave to swallow up the Egyptians to their destruction So the Lords Supper is as a grave or open pit whereby many plunge themselves into eternall destruction but as a chariot to the godly to carry them to heaven Vse 3 Thirdly by comming in thy sinnes thou makest thy self liable to Gods temporary plagues and judgements as appeares in my Text For this cause many are sick and weak among you and many are fallen asleep For this cause which is not oneâ—y a note of conclusion but of the cause For this cause namely because they examine not themselves but come in their sinnes and receive it unworthily One man hath a disease in his body that he liveth not out halfe his dayes another sick and weak neer unto death a third is fallen asleep Wherefore why saith the Apostle for this cause of receiving unworthily the Sacrament of the Lords Supper Vse 4 Fourthly for instruction that because the people of God as well as wicked men are guilty of unworthy comming to the Lords Table therefore he exhorts them that if they would not have the Lord judge them that they would judge themselves as in the 31. verse For if wee would judge ourselves we should not be judged of the Lord. If we would sit down and search our own hearts and trie our own spirits and pry into our bosomes and out with our old corruptions and unclean lusts and enter into a new covenant with God of holy walking before him for after time if we would thus judge and condemne our selves and mortifie our sinnes comming with grace unâ—o this holy banquet then we might come with comfort unto this blessed Sacrament assuring our selves that wee shall escape the judgment of the Lord. For those of the Corinthians whom God struck with sicknesse weaknesse and death it was to instruct others that are well and in health that they venture not to enter upon these holy mysteries with unholy hearts and unclean hands Vse 5 Fifthly he concludeth with a use of exhortation in the 33. and 34. verses Wherefore brethren when ye come together to partake of the holy Communion tarry one for another As if he should have said Away with all your disorders and come not with a temporall but with a spiritual appetite provide not thy teeth but thy heart for these dainties for this is not a feast for the body but for the soul therfore away with all your disorders and unseemly coming unto thiâ— blessed Sacrament take heed and repent of this sin among you and of all other sins which you know your own consciences to be guilty of and so come unto this holy communion Now the verse that I have read to you is a part of that use of terror which the Apostle makes against the unworthy receivers of the Sacrament and it contains Gods severe hand and judgment against those that come unworthily wherein note three things First the cause of their
punishment which is the unworthy eating of the Communion For this cause many are sick and weak among you and many are fallen asleep Secondly the punishment inflicted for this sinne weaknesse sicknesse and mortality For it seems saith Peter Martyr that the Lord sent a sore plague and pestilence among them for to revenge himself of them for their abuse of the Sacrament for this cause Thirdly there is the delinquents which are you Corinthians Many are sick and weak among you and in them all others that come unpreparedly to the Sacrament Chrysostome notes here that our Apostle doth not fetch here an Argument or example of judgment from others as he had done in the former chapter but he brings it from themselves who sensibly felt the wrath of God upon them for this very sinne As if the Apostle should have said How is it O Corinthians that you dare venture to come unto the Communion so unpreparedly and that you have no more regard of so weighty businesse as is the receiving of the body and blood of the Lord Jesus Christ See you not the wrath of God upon your dwellings and the curse of heaven to take hold of your towne you see it this very time that some are weak and very sick amongst you neer unto death and others have been struck with death before your eyes and the wrath of God is not removed but lies yet upon you What will you alwayes goe on and never cease to provoke the Lord to indignation and wrath against you for your sinnes untill his jealousie hath utterly consumed you and clean cut you off And howsoever many of you may think that this sicknesse weaknesse and mortality comes upon you by chance as from the infection of the aire or other secondary causes I tell you nay but it is for this cause onely even your unworthy comming to the Supper of the Lord. Whence we may observe this point of instruction Doct. 2 That God doth most severely punish the unworthy receivers of the Sacrament of the Lords Supper He punished the Corinthians here with sicknesse weaknesse feavers pestilence death temporal and God knows how many with death eternal Theodoret observes that the Apostle told them of a thing that was acted amongst them for if he had told them of such judgements as had been hid from them and not manifest before their eyes as if they had not felt the sicknesse in their bodies and heard the bels tolling daily in their ears they might have thought that the Apostle had but lied unto them So the people of Israel as we may read in 1 Cor. 1.2.3 verses they were baptized in the Cloud and in the Sea and they did all eat the same spirituall meat and drink the same spirituall drink yet as it is in the fifth verse with many of them God was not well pleased Nay God was so wroth with them that within the space of fourty yeares many thousands of them were destroyed by death here and God knoweth how many thousands of them in hell For God speaketh of hell as well as of death and their sin was so great that it made God confirme it with an oath that they should never enter into his rest And Saint Cyprian saith that the Lord hath shewed many miracles and declared many fearfull judgements upon the unworthy receivers of the Sacrament Judas who Ambrose thought received the Sacrament though Hilary and others that hee did not but only that he did eate the Passeover and was coming to this Sacrament also but see his doome John 13. as soon as ever he received the sop the Devill entred into him and so it is with all such as come to the Communion in their sinnes without repentance and unfained resolution of walking ever after worthy of the Sacrament I say unto all and every one of them that as soone as ever thou receivest the Bread and Wine into thy mouth thou receivest the Devil together with it as soon as ever it goeth down into thy body the Devill goeth after it and taketh more full possession of thy heart and soul Reas 1 Now the reason why the Lord doth so severely punish both with temporall judgements and with spirituall curses the unworthy receivers of the Sacrament is in regard of the author of the Sacrament who is Christ and that not onely as he was man as the Papists would make us beleeve but Christ as he was God did institute the same So saith the Apostle in the 23. verse The Lord Jesus Christ in the same night that he was betrayed â—ok bread and brake it when he had given thanks and said Take yee and eate yee for this is my body which is broken for you Now if the Lord Jesus did institute it what a cursed thing is it for any to defile it and so sin against Christ It is a damnable thing to sinne against God but to sin against God as he is God in Christ is damnably damnable The holy Ghost in the second Psalm exhorts to kisse the Sonne lest he be angry and so thou perish As if he should say Adore the Sonne Adore the Lord Iesus Christ and so come and eat of this Bread and drink of this Cup for if he be angry thou wilt surely perish and if thou sin against God and so go out of the way Christ upon thy repentance will set thee in again but if thou sinnest against God in Christ who is the Way the Life and the Truth thou shalt surely perish from the right way for there is no other way for to bring thee in again Acts 4.12 Therefore wofull is thy case and miserable is thy condition if thou sinnest against Christ prophaning his holy ordinances which he himself hath instituted and abusest and despisest that blessed Spirit of his that comes to seale unto thee the redemption that he hath purchased by his bloud Better had it been for thee that thou hadst never been born for if he be wroth blessed only are all they that put their trust in him and come preparedly unto his holy Ordinance and that by faith embrace the Lord Iesus Christ But woe unto all prophane persons that live in their sinnes if his wrath be but a little kindled then woe to all drunkards swearers and uncleane persons but blessed is that man that is come out of his sinnes For if his wrath be so terrible when it is but a little kindled O how much more fearfull will it be when it is deeply incensed Therefore if thou comest unto this holy Sacrament in thy sinnes without due preparation and examination what doest thou but even set the wrath of God burning upon thy soul and body from the very bottome of hell When the Lord Delivered the Law upon Mount Sinai he commanded the people to sanctifie themselves yea if a beast did but touch the mountain he must die for the same even be stoned to death or thrust through with a dart Heb. 12. Much more then now when
come to Church draw neer unto the holy Communion Will you so saith the Apostle No first Cleanse your hands yee sinners and purge your hearts yee double-minded As if hee should say never think of drawing neer unto God or setting foot on this holy ground and handling those holy mysteries of Christ unlesse thou first purge thy heart and cleanse thy soule from all thy filthy lusts and cursed corruptions lest otherwise thou coming in thy sinnes with thy uncleannesse on thee and so receiving unworthily thou eatest and drinkest thine owne damnation as our English translation hath it damnation to thy selfe and not to another No God forbid that thou shouldest by thy unworthy coming eate and drink condemnation to another for thou that art a child of God and comest unto the Table of the Lord with repentance and a sound measure of preparation though others that sit in the same pew with thee for their prophanesse eate and drink their own damnation yet thou shalt be sure to receive the seale and assurance of thy reconciliation and salvation with free acceptance of God through the Lord Jesus Christ for every man shall bear his owne burden Reas 4 The last Reason is in regard of the end of the Sacrament which is Christ also For as he is the efficient materiall and formall cause so Christ is also the finall cause of the Sacrament So it is in the 26. verse As oft as you eate of this Bread and drink of this Cup you shew forth the Lords death untill he come Not that Christ may be eaten with the teeth or corporally received in the Sacrament or as if he were there productively or transubstantially as the Papists say no the Apostle shewes that the end of the celebration of this Sacrament is for to shew forth the death of Christ untill he come Object I but say the Romists unlesse we eate the body and drink the blood of Christ really and not the consâ—crated bread and wine how can any man by this unworthy communicating eate and drink his own damnation and make himself guilty of the body and bloud of Christ Answ I answer a man cannot bring this guilt upon himself by eating a peece of bread or drinking a cup of wine but the Apostle hath an answer so fitted for this as that all the Papists in the world shall never be able to gainsay and therefore I pray you to mark it for he hath joyned these two verses together As oft as you eate of this bread and drink of this cup you shew forth the Lords death till hee come Wherefore whosoever eateth this bread or drinketh this cup of the Lord unworthily shall be guilty of the body and bloud of the Lord even for this cause because it is the shewing forth of Christs death till hee come Therefore if thou eatest and drinkest unworthily comming in thy sinnes and resolvest to goe on in them that as thou wert proud before thou camest to the Sacrament so thou art still as thou wert cholerick angry and impatient before so thou art still as thou wert luke-warme and dead-hearted in Gods service before so thou remainâ—st stiâ—l remember I pray thee that as oft as thou hast come unto the communion in those thy sinnes thou hast made thy self guilty of the body and blood of the Lord Jesus Christ Therfore I beseech you to look to it and in time to repent and pray with the Prophet David Ps 51. Deliver me from blood-guiltinesse O Lord even from the blood of thy Sonne left one day it bee laid unto thy charge and required straitly at thy hands For for this cause many are sick among you and many weak Vse 1 Is it so then that the Lord doth so severely punish the unworthy receivers of the Sacrament Take notice I pray you then from whence commeth all sicknesse weaknesse and mortality and the reason why the Lord doth send so many kind of sorrowes crosses and miseries upon men namely because of the unworthy receiving of the Lords Supper So saith Mr. Calvin why doe you wonder to see such warres and rumours of warres that there is so many bloodsheds so many Townes and Cities ruinated and so many Countries sacked and depopulated so many calamities come upon the Churches abroad so many plagues and scourges to over-run Christendome at this day is not the cause plain enough men come unto the Table of the Lord carelesly and unworthily And beloved we shall never see the Lord take away his judgements here from the earth untill we betake our selvs to a more diligent and holy receiving of the Sacrament For this very cause there are so many strange diseases amongst us never formerly known or heard of untill these dayes as the French Pox the English Sweat as they call it that even the Physitians themselves are blunted at them and as Peter Martyr well observes hence are all diseases as plagues pestilences which were late amongst us dropsies bloody Flux Agues Apoplexies Convulsies burning Feavers and impostumes c. and all for this cause One man hath fallen into a Feaver and we wonder at the cause whence he took it but in truth the communion hath cast him into his Feaver and the Lord will avenge himself on him for the same Another is sick and he thinkes that a cold hath brought it upon him but it is the unworthy receiving of the Sacrament that is truely the cause of it A third man dieth before his time even in his full strength before in the course of nature he hath ended halfe his dayes but the cause is unworthy comming to the Communion which hath taken hold of him and cut off the thread of his life Many there be that expound these words in a spirituall sense Many are sick and weak and many are fallen asleep that is to say many have their consciences seared and their hearts hardned c. and this is true also that because men come unpreparedly they have their hearts hardened and their consciences seared and their soules plagued with many spirituall plagues But it is as true also in temporall judgements thou hast had many afflictions and much sickness laid upon thee but thank thy self for it namely because thou hast come unworthily unto the communion thou hast had much weaknesse in thy body which hath cost thee much mony and weakned thy estate but thy unholy comming unto the Sacrament is that which thou mayest thank for it Thou hast been reproached and contemned and endured much shame but take notice of it that it proceeds from the fore-going cause and that is a speciall reason why the Lord hath brought these and many other evils upon thee Thou canst say the commandements for the most part by rote but thou didst never know the mystery of this one commandement Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain Beloved the Communion is one of Gods own names and how many thousands are there in the world that take this
Lord will teare him in peices and hee shall have no deliverance for all that Another use shall be what may be the reasons why people are so willing generally to doe duties for the matter and care not to doe them in a right manner It will not be amisse a little to shew the mystery of this thing for we see every man is willing to doe duties every man will be praying and comming to Church many reprobates and God knows how many carnall hearts are in this congregation some drunkards it may be some adulterers some it may be that committed whoredome the last night some that have been swearing even now and deceiving in their shops there are many carnall hearts yet every man is willing to do duties to hear and to pray Now what may be the reason that people are willing to doe good duties and yet are loath to come off with their carnall harts There are four reasons The first is this Because the matter of the dutie is easie but the manner is difficult It is an easie matter to pray to say Lord I have sinned against heaven and against thee Lord I have sworne I have been a drunkard I have disallowed the Sabbath I have done this and that I pray thee pardon and forgive me and give mee thy grace it is an easie matrer to doe this It is easie for a man to come to Church and marke what the Miâ—iner saith and follow him from point to point and it may be goe over it to his family This is good there are few that come thus far And so it is easie to come to the Sacrament to take the Bread and the Cup and to pray for a blessing this is easie but when a man comes to a duty in a right manner here is difficulty when a man doth it with a How Take heed How you beare He doth not call upon people to hear that is not the matter there needs no great diligence for that but if you will consider How you hear take heed to that Here must be a great deal of circumspection the soul must be marvellous painfull a man must offer violence to his own soul a man must fight against his own wil a man must beat down his own spirit he must crucify his own thoughts must mortify his own mind beat down his own soul It is a hard thing to do it in a right manner as the Lord commands if we consider now how to doe it This is certaine flesh and blood cannot abide to take pains if it can serve God with ease and pray with ease that it will doe but for a man to weep before God for a man to indict his heart to the throne of grace to rend his bowels before his Maker to tâ—are the caule of his heart upon his knees for a man to vow to God and pay them for a man to rid his hands of all the wages of iniquity for a man to purifie himselfe as Christ is pure for a man to wrastle with God and to take grace according to the covenant of grace with life and power to doe it in a right manner here is religion and this men cannot abide And so for the Sacrament for a man to come in a right manner Oh it is difficult to flesh and blood for a man to goe and examine all his life to reckon up all his conversation to anotomize himself from his cradle to this moment to consider how he hath sinned in his calling in his family in his shop in his company in his speâ—ch and in his life to goe and judge himselfe of these and condemne himselfe and to accept of his owne punishment to goe and wrack his owne thoughts and crucifie his owne soule Oh! this is hard men cannot abide this therefore they go and take the matter they observe that and leave out the manner Secondly another reason is this because the matter of duties may be done with a proud heart there is no duty but a man may do it with a proud heart and never bee humble A man may pray and use good words and make good petitions and have marvellous good language and Scripture phrases and termes and passages and an admirable sweet tone and yet have a proud heart A man may come and preach a Sermon he may preach so as that he may strangely affect the hearts of the people and may make all the people wonder and admire at the gracious words that come from his mouth and yet have a proud heart A man may heare and heare oft and hear the best Preachers in the Citie and delight in hearing and yet have a proud heart A man may come to the Sacrament and sit to ones thinking as devoutly as any in the Church and pray when the people pray and give thanks when others give thanks and have a kind of morall faith in the Covenant and a morrall application of the promises and yet have a proud heart It is the manner of doing duties that humbles the soule as St. Paul saith Acts 20. You know in what manner I have beene with you Why what was the manner In all humility of mind saith he being among the Ephesians preaching to them in a right manner leaving them the example of his owne patterne doing all this in a right manner he did it in all humility of heart It is the right manner of prayer that pulls downe the heart before God It is the right manner of hearing the word that makes a man melt at it It is the right manner of comming to the Sacrament that makes a man feele the comfort of God and the promises of the Gospel and to seek and find the admirable things contained in it It is the right manner that makes a man walke lowly with his God Thirdly another Reeson is Because the matter may stand with an unholy life A man may do a duty for the matter of it and yet be unholy This is plain how many thousands are there that pray and yet are vain and covetous and carnall How many thousands heare Sermons and yet are unprofitable Ever hearing and never come to the knowledge of the truth If they were injurious before they are injurious still if they were cousners before they are so still if they were drunkards before they are so still A man may receive the Sacrament every month and yet may have his lusts and roll them as a sweet morsell under his tongue he may delight in his secret lusts and go on in the deadnesse of his heart It is the right manner of worshipping of God that purgeth the conscience and purifieth the soule and makes a man that there is no room for his corruptions as you may see 1 Thess 2.10 You your selves know saith the Apstle how holily and unblamably we walked among you He speaks there of his manner of walking and hee saith to them because it was in a right manner it was an holy
manner such walking as excluded all unholinesse and prophanesse Flesh and bloud cannot abide this Men they love to pray and be proud they love to hear sermons and to have their profit they love to professe religion and still to carry their secret lusts in their bosomes People love this alife to go up to Gilgall and transgresse to offer sacrifice every new Moon and every morning and to find the labour of their hands this is right but for a man to part with his iniquity that is the thing that goes against the haire The last reason is because the matter of duties bring not the crosse upon a man A man may do all the duties of Religion and never be persecuted for it a man may be as devout as the devoutest man under heaven and yet no body hate him for it except he be devout in a right manner and worship God in a right manner One man may reprove another that is wicked A drunkard may suffer a drunkards reproof and be never the worse A whore master may serve his quean so he may call her so and yet not be spighted because it is not right It is the right doing of it that brings the crosse as in 2 Tim. 2.10 Thou knowest my manner of life It was that that brought afflictions and persecutions We may see to this very day many thousands that seem devout men in the Church they will pray and will hardly misse any time of prayer morning or evening and yet they are farre from being persecuted nay many of them are maine persecuters of the Gospel of God enemies to the crosse of Christ adversaries to the Saints of God We see it plain in Acts 13.5 we read there of devout women that raised persecution against Paul Marke they were devout and because it was not in a right mannâ—r they persecuted the Apostles and set themselves against them that were truly faithfull Though wicked men do not love to pray aright yet many of them are much for praying they care not how much praying they have and when they are at prayers they will pray over from the beginning of the book to the end they love it alife But if they come to a prayer that moves the heart that rifles the conscience that dogges a man into his bosome that laies a man flat on his face before God they gnash their teeth at such a prayer So they love preaching too I it is true if it be preaching that is flaunting and glosing with the enticing words of mans wisdome but if a man preach to the consience if he preach the pure naked word of God and carry it home to mens soules this makes them gnash their very teeth and they could eate the Minister of God for his labour It is the right manner of duty that is accompanied with the crosse Thirdly if we ought to be carefull to performe duties in a right manner Let us be exhorted in the feare of God to go and quicken all our duties to bring a soule into so many bodies we have bodies of praying and bodies of hearing and bodies of receiving the Sacrament and of good duties let us get a soule into them labour to do them in a right manner The bare duty is like a carcasse It is a Proverb of the Jewes Prayer without preparation it is as a carcasse without the soule that is a loathsome thing so is prayer without life and without a right manner of pouring it forth Let us labour therefore in the feare of God to pray and pray aright to heare and to heare aright to seek God and to seek him with all our hearts aright and to do every thing in the right way Let us consider first we doe not pertake of any ordinance at all except we doe it in a right manner I remember a fit place for this in Num. 11.14 It is said there The stranger shall eat the passover and pertake of it according to the ordinance and the manner of it Where the Text puts in the Ordinance of the Passover and the Manner of it For it is all one they are Synonyma's So the Ordinance in every duty Gods ordinance in praying in hearing the Word in the Sacrament in reproof in every good dutie it is all one as the selfe-same thing So that if we pray and doe not pray in a right manner we have not praied we doe not partake of the ordinance So when we come to the Sacrament the ordinance of the manner of it is all one it is one compleat concrete action we doe not partake of it except we partake of both Secondly consider it as nothing but hypocrisie when a man prayes and doth not pray in a right mâ—nner when a man doth any dutie to God and not in the right wise it is nothing but hypocrisie Mark how our Saviour Christ sets forth the hypocrisie of the Pharisee Luke 18.11 The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himselfe he marks his manner of prayer he doth not say He stood and prayed This these words but Thus he prayed he did not pray in a right manner there was his hypocrisie and that was the reason he went home not justified Thirdly consider it makes the Ordinance of God of no effect Thus they make the Commandements of God of none effect Matth. 15.6 Hee speakes there of their duties that they did in a wrong manner and their expounding the Scripture that they did in a wrong wise and their sacrifice their offerings and tithings their precepts and many things that were all done after another fashion then God had commanded therefore saith Christ Thus they make the Commandements of God of none effect So we make all the duties of Gods worship of none effect Wee know there is never an ordinance of God but it hath great effect if it be rightly performed Prayer is of great effect it is able to rend heaven it is able to pull down God to the soule it is able to wrastle out a blessing to quicken the heart to obtain of God every thing we want but if a man pray not aright a man may pray and go away never a whit the more holy nor more quickned nor neerer to heaven nor comfort So preaching and hearing they are admirable Ordinances what powerfull effects have they wrought when they have beene done in a right kind People have cried out and beene converted at them and many a man hath been pulled out of the power of Satan to the Kingdome of Jesus Christ They had royall glorious effects upon many thousand soules But what is the reason that our hearing is so in effectuall Because wee heare not in a right manner this makes the Ordinance of God of none effect it makes Prayer of no effect the word of no effect the Sacraments and Sabbaths of no effect you see people partake of these things and are never the wiser Lastly it cannot please God it is onely the right
manner of doing duties that pleaseth God as in 1 Thess 4.1 As yee have received of us How yee ought to walke and to please God Mark there is the manner That yee may know HOW to walke and by that to please God It is not enough for a man to walke in good duties that a man may doe and not please God but saith he yee have received the manner HOW to walke and to please God It is the manner How that pleaseth God A man may walke to hell upon heavens ground he may go to hell in the wayes of God it is possible Suppose a man should go and take if it were possible all the surface of ground between this place and York and lay it between this place and Dover a man might go to Dover upon York ground So many a man laies the Ordinances of God in hell way he walkes in the way to hell and there he layes his prayers and there his hearing and his good duties hee prayes every day and hears every day and doth good duties every day and yet walkes to hell he goes to hell on heavens ground The reason is because hee doth the duty and doth not observe the manner how he doth it The third thing is the rule of direction how wee may come to the right manner of receiving the Sacrament that is by preparing of a mans selfe and the preparation is here set downe by the specification of it namely in examining himselfe Let a man examine himselfe and so let him eate of that Bread and drink of that Cup. The generall scope of these words and the Apostles meaning in them is this That Every man must prepare himself before he come to the Lords Table I cannot stand on this I will only name it As in the sacrament of the Passeover there was preparation to the Passeover In Joh. 19.14 it is said of the Disciples of Christ that they made ready the Passeover In Matth. 26. they made the Lamb ready and the room ready and themselves ready and the Table ready and every thing ready So in the Sacrament of the Lords Supper wherein Christ is the true Pascall Lamb when we come to eate of him wee must make every thing ready faith ready and repentance ready and interest in the promises ready and hunger and thirst after these spirituall dainties ready every thing must be ready or else like a man that comes into the field to battle that hath not gotten his sword or his weapons ready that is the way for himselfe to be killed so it is when we come to the Communion and have not all things ready it is the way to be damned The Reasons of this are First because the Sacrament is an Ordinance of God Now all the Ordinances of God require reparation they are all spirituall and naturally a man is carnall and therefore cannot be prepared As it is with wood there is never a tree in the wood but it is unprepared for building Is there any tree in the wood of the fashion of a Chimney or of a Lintell or a Doore It must first be prepared as it is Prov. 24.27 First prepare thy work without and then build thine house So every ordinance is to build a man up in the feare of God in the grace of God and in Religion Now man is naturally unprepared for it First a man must fell his wood and then cut it and hew it even and carve it and plane it fit and prepare it before he build So a man must hew downe his owne heart he must humble his owne soule and qualifie all within him and so be sanctified before hee be fit As for example In prayer a man must bee prepared to prayer before he pray he must prepare his heart and then Gods eares will hearken to it In Psal 10.17 The Lord will have the heart prepared before he heare the prayer So it is with the word of God a man must bee prepared before he heare it As a man that preacheth must be prepared before he preach as Ezra is said to prepare his heart Ezra 7.10 Hee prepared his heart to doe the Law and to teach it So a Minister cannot preach except he be prepared beforehand with a commission from God with preserving knowledge with a coale from Gods Altar with a spirit of wisedome and understanding with a law of kindnesse in his lips with meditation and with a Theam fitted in his mouth for the people hee must be prepared with a burning and a shining light or else hee shall not edifie the congregation So it is with all other ordinances For humbling of a mans soule a man cannot humble his heart except he be prepared to it Amos 4.12 Prepare to meet thy God he speaks of humiliation If a man would humble himselfe before God if he be not prepared if his heart be not prepared to let go the world his worldly profits and vain pleasures and carnall acquaintance his wonted lusts and former delights If hee bee not prepared to let these goe when he comes to keep a Fast or to afflict his soule and goes along to do the dutie to lay himselfe down before Almighty God some lust or other will stick in his teeth and intercept his heart hee shall never be able to doe it as Samuel said to the people If you will turn to the Lord prepare your hearts to doe it 1 Sam. 7. So it must bee in all the ordinances of God and much more in the Sacrament Secondly another Reason is because the Lord Christ hath made great preparations to provide the Lords Supper therefore wee must be prepared to eate it You know what a great deale of adoe there was before this Supper was made Christ must be incarnate and fulfill all righteousnesse he must conclude it upon his suffering he must tread the wine-presse alone and suffer himselfe to be beaten and rejected of God and men and suffer death the cursed death of the Crosse all these things were concluded upon before this holy and blessed Supper was provided Come saith hee I have prepared my dinner Matth. 22. Mark Christ is fain to prepare his dinner he makes a great Feast there was great preparation for it so there must be great preparation of our soules before we can come to this holy banquet It is true among men there may be great preparation for a feast and little or nothing for the eating of it Sometimes there are two or three dayes preparation for a Feast and it is eaten presently The reason is because man naturally hungers after meat and drink and he alwayes provides twice or thrice in twenty foure houres for eating and drinking But the Lords Supper is a spirituall banquet a man is every day and houre and moment naturally unfit for it and there is much adoe to put an edge upon mens appetites and a keennesse upon mens desires that they may bee fitted and prepared for it
Thirdly another reason is because the Lord Christ when he administers himselfe in this heavenly mystery he offers to come into the soule and he looks for good entertainment and therefore of necessity there must bee preparation for it You see when a mortall man an earthly Prince or a Noble man comes to another mans house what a deale of preparation there is to provide for him there is meat made ready and purging the house and sweeping the yard and trimming up the very pales and every thing and making clean all the Chambers and riding out whatsoever fills it and every thing that is out of order is set in tune And what will my Lord think and what will his Majesty think he will think he is slighted and contemned And when he comes in it may be his owne children shall serve and his owne wife wait at the Table and there is running up and down of errands and a great deale of adoe to give such a one entertainment There is preparation to entertain a man as Saint Paul said to Philemon I will that thou prepare me a lodging how much more when the eternall God shall come under a mans roof and dine with him Lastly Because the Sacrament of the Lords Supper it is a part of Christs last Will and Testament Now it is a terrible thing when we know our Lords will and prepare not for the doing of it Look in Luke 12.48 he that knew it not did things worthy of stripes but in verse 47. That servant that knew his Lords will and prepared not himselfe neither did according to his will shall be beaten with many stripes that man shall be damned with much damnation he shall be damned deeper then any body Dost thou know that the Lords Table that this blessed Sacrament it is part of Christs last Testament and wilt thou not prepare thy selfe for it to get an humble heart and labour for a holy life and seek for a thirsty soule and vow upon new obedience and enter into Covenant with the Lord Jesus Christ for a better kind of conversation for the time to come Wilt thou not go and examine thine own soul and go and reforme whatsoever is amisse in thy family in thy place and calling Wilt thou not do these things to prepare for this holy will of Jesus Christ thou shalt be damned deeper then any body else because this is a part of Gods last Will and Testament and thou knowest it and therefore woe unto thee if thou prepare not for it THE DVTIE OF THE REPROVER AND The Persons reproved SET FORTH In a SERMON Preached By that Reverend and faithfull Minister of Gods Word WILLIAM FENNER B.D. Sometime Fellow of Pembroke Hall in Cambridge and late Parson of Rochford in Essex London Printed by T.R. and E.M. for J.S. THE DUTY OF REPROVERS And Persons reproved A Sermon preached by Mr. WILLIAM FENNER Minister of Gods Word Pov. 29.1 He that being often reproved hardeneth his neck shall suddenly be destroyed and that without remedy THese words by reason of the ambiguity in the Hebrew tongue they bear two expositions and our English can suffer but one The first Exposition is this He that reproveth another and hardeneth his owne neck shall suddenâ—y be destroyed and that without remedy The othet is as we have it here translated He that being often reproved hardeneth his necke shall suddenly be destroyed and that without remedy I desire to speak of both these expositions fot feare I should misse the true sense of this Text. For the first it is a truth of God every where confirmed in the Scriptures that hee that reproves another and yet hardeneth his owne heare hee doth but make a rod for his owne back hee puls sudden destruction upon his owne selfe Then Secondly there is no hinderance from the context but that this may bee the meaning of the text you know the Proverbs have little or no coherence except two or three chapters Indeed there is a coherence in them but generally through the Proverbs there is none so that if the text it selfe will beare one exposition as well as another indifferently the meaning none can tell onely as it is hit Thirdly and lastly the Text it selfe savours this exposition for so the word in the Hebrew is A man of reproofes that hardens his owne neck shall suddenly be destroyed and that without remedie Now the Question is Whether the wise mans meaning here be of the actuall reproof the reproving of another or of passive reproof this is undetermined which of these is meant A man can have no light from the coherence none in the world and from the text it selfe there is as much reason why we should expound it one way even almost as the other So that I say for feare I should let goe the true meaning of the wise man I desire to speak a little of the active sense He that often reproveth another and yet hardeneth his own neck shall suddenly be destroyed and that without remedy From hence I may observe that A reprover whether a Master or a Minister or a Magistrate or a Father or a private Christian be he what he will be that reproveth another and yet is guilty himselfe either in the same kind or else in another or in any kind and hardeneth his own heart in it that man shall suddenly be destroyed without remedy Take a Preacher that preacheth strict doctrine to the people that is very zealous against their sinnes he is up with hell and damnation against their filthy courses he preacheth for quickning but himselfe is not quickned hee threatneth judgments against hardnesse of heart and yet he hath a hard heart himselfe this man puls destruction upon his owne pate Hee is like the Pharisees that imposed upon others grievous burdens and heavie to be born but would not touch them with one of their fingers themselves Matth. 23.4 The Reason of this is because First such a reprover of sinne it is against his office the office of a reprover binds him to be blamelesse as the Apostle speakes A Bishop must be blamelesse 1 Tim. 3.2 Every Christian should be blamelesse how much more Ministers that beare the office of reprovers they should be blamelesse Nay if a man though hee take not the office of a reprover yet if he beare the person of a reprover as every private Christian must when God calls him to it for every man may be called to reprove though he have no authority over another though hee bee a private man he may beare the person though not the office of a reprover Now a man must be unculpable and unblameable himselfe or else hee sinnes against his person If a man reprove another for being carnall himselfe must be spirituall Gal. 6.1 If any man be overtaken with a fault yee that are spirituall restore him The reprover the exhorter and admonisher must be spirituall if hee would draw another to be spirituall
Secondly such a reprover as is guilty himselfe in that kind or in any other kind hee can never reprove to a right end Why seest thou a moat in thy brothers eye and considerest not the beame in thine owne eye Matth. 7. vers 3. Why saith he to what end what is that thou lookest at thou art severe to espye faults in thy brothers eye To what end doest thou reprove him What is the reason What is the thing thou wouldst have that thou finddest fault with him Why seest thou a moâ—t in thy brothers eye As if hee should say thy end can never bee good it cannot bee to doe thy brother good for then thou wouldest doe thy selfe good first It is not because thou hatest sin for then thou wouldest detest thy owne sinne It cannot bee out of a good principle or to a good end It is either because thou art a busie body in other mens matters or thou art censorious thou lovest to be medling or because thou hatest thy brother and wouldest wreak thy malice on him thou wouldest fain shame and disgrace him and by beating him downe get thy selfe up or thou wouldest get a cover to thy owne conscience it must be some such end it cannot be a good end Christ puts it to a mans conscience why hee reproves his brother when hee is faulty himselfe Thirdly another Reason is such a reprover can never doe it in a right manner as Christ saith Matth. 7.4 How wilt thou say to thy brother let me pull the moat out of thine eye when behold a beam is in thine owne eye How wilt thou doe it In what fashion or sort How wilt thou be able to bring this about A man that is a reprover had need to have a very cleare sight of his owne that sees another mans faults and will set another to rights he had need to have a good judgment to see all the circumstances of reproof and rebuke that deals with another As long as a man hath a beam in his owne eye as long as he hath lusts in his own heart that will blind his judgment and darken and cover his eyes and make him that he shall not be able to see to goe about it How canst thou possibly say to thy brother let me pull the moat out of thine eye when there is a beam in thine own eye A man that is to reprove another a Master that will reprove his servant or a father his children or a Minister that will reprove his people or a Magistrate that will reprove those that are committed to his charge or any brother that will reprove another he must do it with a spirit of compassion with bowels of pity with a sense and feeling there is a great deale of wisdome and discretion to be observed in this act Now when a man hath a beam in his owne eye how shall he be able to do it That man that is faulty and guilty himselfe either he must reprove too harshly and rigorously or too sparingly or too insultingly hee must do it in a wrong manner it can never be sincerely and truly done as long as a man hath a lust in his own heart and he himselfe is guilty and faulty that is a reprover of his brother Nay the party reproved is holpen to retort on him How dost thou tell me of pride and worldlinesse and câ—vetousnesse Who so proud and covetous as thou Thus a man shall be ready to be hit in the teeth Fourthly such a reprover is an hypocrite It is no Christian reproof for a man to do so Wilt thou go and find fault with thy servant for his lazinesse in thy service when thou art lazie in Gods service Wilt thou find fault with thy brother for his pride and thou art full of fashions Wilt thou condemne the sinnes of the times and thou livest in some lust This is nothing but hypocrisie Thou makest as if thou didst stand so much for obedience to God and oh there is this and that sin against God when thy selfe is a sinner in that or in another kind this is hypocrisie as Christ saith here Thou hypocrite first cast the beam out of thine owne eye and then thou shalt see clearly to cast the moat out of thy brothers eye Thou hypocrite Mark it is an act of hypocrisie when a man goes to find fault with another before he has gone to redresse his owne soul to purge his owne conscience and have shook hands with the wages of iniquity his owne selfe before a man have done this it is hypocrisie to deal with another For when a man reproves another he takes a form upon himselfe of one that is zealous against sin and an enemy to all sinfull practises Now what is this but hypocrisie when a man hath not this in him that he pretends when a man finds fault with anothers pride as if he were humble forsooth with anothers worldlinesse as if he were liberall when a man doth so he incurres the guilt of hypocrisie in reproving another Fifthly another Reason is because such a reprover is inexcusable his reproving of another mans sinne makes him inexcusable for his owne as the Apostle speakes Rom. 2.1 Therefore thou art inexcusable O man whosoever thou art that judgest for wherein thou judgest another thou condemnest thy selfe for thou doest the same thing Marke thy owne mouth shall condemne thee thou findest fault with another mans pride it seemes he is to be condemned for it then God condemns thee for thy pride Thy pride is a faire mark for Gods justice because thou condemnest another Dost thou find fault with anothets hardnesse of heart and ill will and backwardnesse to any thing that is good and yet thou art backward Thou exposest thine owne soul to the judgement of God thou hast taught as it were Almighty God how to condemne thee for thy owne lusts and corruptions Again sixthly another Reason is this because such a reprover is an absurd person It is absurd to reprove another and be faultie ones selfe as it is Rom. 2.21 Thou that teachest another teachest thou not thy selfe Thou that preachest another should not steal dost thou steal This is a strange absurd thing this reproof doth not sound well in thy mouth thou stealest and forbiddest stealing thou preachest against adultery and committest it thou speakest against such and such sinnes thou findest fault with them in the children of God and art guilty thy selfe or in thy children or servants or neighbours and art obnoxious to them in thine owne practise this is an absurd thing these rebukes and reproofes sound not well out of thy mouth Lastly it is a signe of impudencie Psal 50. What hast thou to doe to take my covenant into thy mouth when thou hatest to be reformd and hast cast my covenant behind thy back And to the wicked God saith What hast thou to doe to take my statutes or covenant into thy mouth since thou hatest instruction What
hast thou to doe to reprove thy brother If hee be proud what is that to thee as long as thou art proud thy selfe thou goest and slingest stones at him sling them at thine owne heart first It is a signe of impudencie But it may be objected Shall not a wicked magistrate punish sinne and a wicked Minister preach against the corruptions of the times and a wicked master rebuke his servants and a wicked father correct his children Because he is wicked himselfe shall hee make himselfe more wicked and contract more guilt upon his soule I answer that such a man is in a dilemma for the man is bound to reprove in regard of his office and yet he is bound in conscience to go and amend himselfe first I say he is bound to reprove all those that God calls him to reprove in regard of his office but in regard of conscience hee is bound to go and amend his owne fault first Therefore if it be a Magistrate such as sit upon life and death or Nisi prius or any action between man and man if hee condemn a malefactor and there remember himselfe guilty hee is bound in conscience to arise from the Bench and goe and amend his owne sinne And wee that are Ministers when we preach to the people and remember our selves guilty let us lay our hands upon our mouthes at least in votis before ever we have the face to go and find fault with the people it is necessary it should be so Therefore I say a man is in a dilemma if he doe not reprove sinne it is against his office and the person he beares when God cals him to it and if he do reprove then hee sinnes against the command of God that binds him to bee blamelesse that is to beare the place of a reprover The Use of this is first to let us see that a man that reproves I speak not of Ministers only or of Magistrates or Fathers but of every man that reproves either by tongue in word or in thought if he finde fault in this thought with another man for his sinnes and his strange doings let him take heed he doth but pull a judgement upon his owne head he makes himselfe inexcusable as in Rom. 2.3 the Aposte there speaking of this very point Thinkest thou O man that judgest him that doth these things and doest them that thou shalt escape the judgement of God A man that judgeth another and doth the same things that man certainly shall not escape the judgement of God as his brother doth not escape his judgement Secondly another Use shall be for counsell to every man and woman for it is every ones case God hath called every one of us to reprove one another Ministers to reprove the people and Magistrates to judge between man and man and every neighbour is to reprove when he is called thereto Now let us marke and observe this rule let every one of us labour with all care and conscience to be unblameable unoffensive to goe humble our owne soules to cleanse our own consciences that we may be able to perform this duty Beloved we wrong our own soules if we find fault with others and suffer our selves to bee faulty When Paul was to preach to the people knowing that his office of preaching required reproving you see lest he should wrong his own soul how he laboured to be unblameable saith he I beat my body down when I preach to others lest I become a cast-away Again as a man wrongs his owne soule so he dishonours God It cannot be unknown what an unthankfull office the office of a reprover is the world cannot abide reproof The wicked hate the reprover in the gate Isa 29.21 The world is full of scorners that hate reproofe Prov. 15.12 Though some men be not so wicked as to hate reproofe yet at least they think hardly of them that reprove they think they usurp authority over them and crow over them or they undertake to bee their betters as a reprover undertakes in that thing to bee a mans better Now when a man is reproved he is apt to think that his neighbour crowes over him and excerciseth authority upon him as if he would grow on him and be his Iudge You see Lot when he reproved the Sodomites though as gently as ever he could My brethren doe not so wickdly presently for all that they thought hardly of him What will this fellow be a judg that came but the other day to sojurn Gen. 19. Presently they thought haâ—dly of him So we see the Prophet hee doth but find fault with Amaziah for his fault and presently the Kings eyes are blinded and his heart hardened Who made you of the Kings counsell 2 Chron. 25.15 hee thought him a medler that pried into State-affaires and into the Court and Kingdome A man cannot reprove his brother for his sinne but it is a thousand to one if his brother bee not ready presently to pry into him and to look narrowly into his wayes to espy a hole in his coat if he can or to make one if he cannot all mens eyes are upon him and they look strictly and straitly and if any thing in the world bee amisse they will be sure to mark it and to make more of it to make mountaines of mole-hills When the blind man did but find fault with the Pharisees and reprove them a little for persecuting of Christ what say they Art thou altogether conceived and born in sinne and wilt thou teach us Joh. 9.34 Presently they looked on his blindnesse and birth Certainly he is a viler sinner then other men and shall he goe find fault with them If we mean to reprove another let us labour to be unblameable to be godly and holy to reform our own wayes let us be sure to purge our own famlies to cleanse our own soules to rid our owne hands of all the wayes of sinne and iniquity lest God be dishonoured The word of God will be flung in his owne face back againe and the reproof if it be never so sweet and never so wise it will be retorted in a mans own teeth if hee be not unblameable himselfe And a man had need to be humble and lowâ—y and gentle and meek and to put on all bowels and gentlenesse of heart if he will reprove All sinnes are not to be reproved alike some with sharpnesse some with lenity Hee that is a Mountebank that will open a veine for every wheal and pimple The reprover is like them in Isaiah when they deale with the Cummin and Fetches a little rod will beat them out but when they come to the Corne Wheat and Rie they beat them out with the Cart-wheele So when we meet with a hard-hearted spirit wee must use stronger corrosives to them and gentler admonitions and rebukes towards others that sinne with a lesser and a weaker hand But this is a thing that a man must be marvellous carefull
the 23. verse turn you at my correction lo I will poure out my mind unto you and make you to understand my words As if he should say Do you not see how you are going apace to confusion and that the way you take leadeth unto destruction turn ye therefore turn ye back again for there is a Christ behind you O turn ye for if ye go on in your sins you perish for ever Fourthly here is a yearning promise made unto the world in the end of the 23. verse Lo I will poure out my spirit upon you and cause you to understand my words As if he should say return back again with me and you shall have better welcome then you can possibly have if you go on in your sins the Devill will never let you gain so much by your living in your lusts as you shall do by repentance for them and forsaking of them For behold I will poure out my spirit upon you whereby you shall be far greater gainers then you shall be by your sins Fifthly here is a grievous threatning against the world even all those that have loytered out the day of grace As time and tyde stayes for no man no more doth the day of grace Because I have called and you refused I have exhorted but you have not regarded I have denounced judgements against you for your sins but you have harned your hearts now a day of woe and misery shall come upon you a time of vengeance and desolation shall over-take you there will a day come wherein there will be weeping and crying Mercie Lord mercy but I tell you beforehand what you shall trust to let this be your lesson now I call and you will not hear now I stretch out my hands but you will not regard you shall seekâ— me early but you shall not find me and shall crie but you shall not be heard The words are a thunderclap against all those that procrastinate their repentance and returning home unto God wherein note first the parties themselves that do prolong this time of grace they that is they who when God cals on them will not hear when God invites them by his mercies patience and forbearance by his Ministers and servants by his corrections and judgements by all fair means and foul means yet withstand the means of grace they are the men they shall call but God will not answer Secondly here is their seeking after God they shall call upon me Thirdly here is their earnest and diligent seeking unto God they shall not onely call but seek to and not onely seek but seek as to labour to find nay they shall seek me early even strive to goe about it with all haste and flie to repentance but they shall not find me Fourthly here is the unseasonablenesse of the time of their seeking then that is a demonstrative then even a time which the Lord points at as if he should say you shall see then these men will be of another mind then they will be glad to be converted then they will be glad to come out of their sins then they will be glad to get grace and seek reconciliation with God but alas they saw not this then but God foresaw it well enough then shall they call but I will not answer they shall seek me early but they shall not finde me Lastly here is the frustration of their hope which hath two things in it First in regard of their selves in regard of the slaw of their seeking it being not aright Secondly in regard of the â—ustice of God who rewards every man according to his works But I will not hear them Whence observe this point of Doctrine Dect 1 Those that will not hear God when he calleth them God will not hear them when they call upon him Those that will not hear the Lord when he calleth upon them by the ministery of his Word and voice of his Spirit the Lord will not hear them when in their misery they call upon him Thus the Lord dealt with the people in Ezekiels dayes the Lord called them to repentance and obedience but when they stood out and neglected the opportunity of grace and seasons of conversion see how God deals with them though they cry in mine eares with a loud voice yet I will not hear them saith the Lord. When men have gone beyond the time of Gods mercie and out-rowed the tide of Gods forbearance and will not return the Lord sets it down with himself that his wrath shall return upon them he will no longer forbear they had a time wherein the Lord did pitie them and offered grace and mercie unto them but they neglecting this season and withstanding this proffer of grace God resolves with himself they shall never have it again There was a time wherein God did pitie them but now he will not pitie them any more twenty five yeers he called unto them and sought to bring them home but because they stood out and refused the Lord saith I will love Ephraim no more Beloved there is a double day a white day and a black day there is a day of salvation Isa 49.9 this is the day in the which the Lord said to the prisoners Come forth and to those that lie in their sins repent and beleeve Now if any man will come forth and humble his soul before the Lord let him come and welcome for it is a day of salvation But there is another day of damnation which is a dark day a black and a duskie day wherein the Lord will visit the sins of the world and revenge the quarrell of his Covenant Hos 9.7 The day of visitation is come yea the day of recompence the people shall know it the Prophet is a foole and the spirituall man is mad Beloved we are fools and all the spirituall men under heaven are mad that lay not this day to heart For the day of the Lord is a day of visitation and all the world shall rue it though now men sleepe in security If once mercy be rejected and God turn away his eare from a man then grace shall be no more the doore of life shall for ever be shut up against him and when once this day comes he hath lost his own peace and deprived himself of eternall happinesse Reas 1 Now there are three reasons of this point the first is the law of retaliation of rendring like for like which is the justest law that can be made with man for to give unto every man according to his works to make him take such as he brings as the Heathen call it to give a man quid for quo Now if God call upon thee and thou wilt not hear it is righteousnesse with God yea equity with God that is more that when thou callest on him he should not heare thee For thus runs the tenor of Gods Word Prov. 28.9 He that turns away his eare from hearing the Law even his prayers shall be abominable